Name expiration

[Lone Outlaw]

Just wondering what the criteria is for names not to expire exactly?

 

So far what i gathered was

 

Joining a squad

Having some ?usage

 

I'm wondering how much usage exactly. And how long that usage will let you hold the name.

How often do names need to be logged into? Once a month? Once a year?

 

Some names expire/reset if not used. Is there a forumla based on the usage for how long a name lasts?

100 hours gets you 2 years no logins? 500 hours, gets you 5 years no logins etc? Login resets timer?

Is it even that sophisticated?

Edited August 12, 2012 by Lone Outlaw

[Lone Outlaw]

Does anyone have an answer for this? is it a secret?

[Dr Brain]

Yes, the billing ops don't like to reveal the information, in case it might be helpful to "name hoaders". The fact that name hoaders already know how the system works, and that the information could be useful to people not interested in hoarding doesn't usually enter the discussion.

[PoLiX]

^ Partially correct. What part is the real question.

[Lone Outlaw]

Well few people will sit in spec and collect ?usage for their names. I have 20 names, and it takes about a month or two to collect the required usage. At least four days for each name. And the game is more than 12 years old, you would expect the majority of people have more than one name by now.

 

Brain with the funny posts.. that was basically my point buried in all the sarcasm of "is it a secret"

 

So i take it i already know the answer Polix? I was just wondering what the actual formula is.. or how much usage keeps a name safe for how long.. and if logging in resets any timer..

 

Either way a name hoarder will just login to their name every week knowing or not knowing doesn't really prevent name hoarding. The best thing is to revise the biller system. There are probably names not logged into for five or ten years. And no one resets them. Regardless if the name has 20,000 hours, it should be reset after it faces 5 years of neglect. =/ Either that or limit ips to 5 names or something. Could be bypassed. But it's more of a direct solution to name hoarding anyway.. at least the lazy/dumb people won't be able to hoard names. It kind of discriminates though.. But so many names are taken, and still i have 20 names. It just forces people to be more creative..

 

Since this is a thread about a question i have, then i have another question about spiders.. might as well, as opposed to making a new thread

 

Does anyone know if and why red laser pointers would kill or harm a spider? Is there proof or documentation that it does, perhaps from a credible source like a biologist or Entomologist? i was just curious.. i know that spiders can't see well under red light, because they use the vision attribute called image defocus.. and with green light their vision works better.. im just wondering if the laser pointer light is too powerful and too red, and somehow causes lasting harm.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Lone Outlaw

[Cheese]

I have 20 names,

 

are you 20 people

if not, you are an idiot

 

like everyone else

[Cheese]

stop stealing names that other people could have used

[Lone Outlaw]

That's not stealing, its like saying the guy who made a reservation at a resutraunt/hockey game stole my seat. Though seats aren't owned by you or the guy in the first place.. but anyway

 

Trust me no one wants my names.

Infernal Armor, The Sentinel, Jagged Fel, M26 Pershing, Munster, Cybersix, Outrunner, and so on.

 

Some have said i have multiple personalities though

Edited August 19, 2012 by Lone Outlaw

[Samapico]

No, it's more like making a reservation for 20 people on a busy night, and arriving alone, while a bunch of people are waiting in line at the entrance.

 

It's also simply stupid and a waste of time, but that's my opinion, I guess.

[PoLiX]

Usage isn't the real key to this equation.

 

And to add onto the reply to brain, it is because the data that is a big key to it all can only be seen by billing ops anyways. Players can control it to some extent, but noone but ops can see it. Their knowledge of the ability could also cause some big issues for the biller, as it has been known to cause the biller to kick zones offline in the past when players manipulated it. It use to be more public knowledge, but most who knew, are long gone. Not all ops are aware of it either, which could be a good thing when some in the past were more than willing to abuse the billing system for monetary gain amongst other things.

 

Let the head scratching continue.

[Dr Brain]

So the system is so flawed that anyone with a bit of knowledge can kick zones off the biller. Wonderful.

[PoLiX]

There is actually a couple ways to do it, but if you message me in game I'd be glad to explain.

 

Not really a flaw, as much as a quick patch to a problem. Benefit is that the triggers happen so rarely, and some require staff powers that your average person doesn't know them.

 

But hey, we have the ability to create solutions, just noone has the time.

[Lone Outlaw]

No, it's more like making a reservation for 20 people on a busy night, and arriving alone, while a bunch of people are waiting in line at the entrance.

 

It's also simply stupid and a waste of time, but that's my opinion, I guess.

 

Either way a reservation is not stealing.. my point was NOT that it's like making a reservation, but that it's not like stealing.

 

Don't get me wrong i don't like smurfing, or people who remain anonymous or hide behind other names. i may use other names but i make no attempts to hide my identity, and usually tell people who i am. The names are more for collecting.. or for different zones or squads.. or just to change things up. Call it customization or collecting. Many people have collections in real life, cards, games, dvds, songs, we don't call them theives.. (Except for the ones who use torrents lol)

 

i wouldn't want to kick zones off biller, i didn't even know that was possible, just wondering why some of my names expire, usually the low usage names. But now you say usage doesn't really factor into it.

Edited August 20, 2012 by Lone Outlaw

[Dav]

The idea is that a name will not reset if it is actually used. I think its useless to moan that "my name I dont do anything with is gonna reset". IMHO thats good as you dont really need/want it if you allow it to reset in the first place.

 

I have had several names I have used for a few quick tasks reset in the past, it's not a problem as I dont really need them. If i want to go anonomous i can just make a new name, which i wont use and will probably get reset... oh well.

[Lone Outlaw]

Well i typically use a different name that i have each day to every week anyway.. it's not like they sit idle for a year.

[»Lynx]

... This whole thread ...

[Cheese]

thread: why cant i be a faggot and steal names from prospective players

[Lone Outlaw]

But it's not stealing, if no one had the name? When you created the name Cheese, that means you stole it from someone who could have had the name instead? No. If what you were saying was logical, then if you create a name once, or create a name 20 times, both times would constitute as stealing. Just in the first case you steal one name, and in the second case you steal 20 names. You are illogical and are not addressing any of the points brought up that prove your statement wrong.

 

You are holding firm to a belief and prosecute anyone who doesn't agree with it. Imposing what you feel is correct on others, without actually backing it up. You clearly don't respect anyone else's freedom Cheese. But when your own freedoms are trampled on you would protest?

 

Like i said if having more than one name was seriously bad and evil then the only way to fix it would be to make it so players can only have one name. The problem here is many people would dislike this, because even in game's like wow, people can have up to five characters, with different names, all be it different professions. Are they stealing too? Even if the game was facebook login. You could have two facebook accounts potentially, and you could login with a google account, and a yahoo account, which again would allow you to have around five names. Though your identity would be more linked to each name.

 

I generally dislike smurfing myself. People will have a name they always use, and be nice on that name. And when they feel like trolling, doing something bad, being an ass, they might make a new anonymous name to hide who they are, and potentially get away with being a jerk to someone. The benifit of this is that you can troll when you feel like it, and when you don't feel like it you can retreat to that name where you are a nice person. IE you don't have the mental strength to handle the full responsibility of your actions. Wheras myself if i troll i troll my main nick, and i let everyone know who i am all the time. There is no retreating to recover for me. Anyone is free to retaliate at any time, even when im tired, or don't feel like dealing with another troll etc. That's because i have more integrity than most people. All that aside those are just my personal feelings on smurfs. It doesn't mean i would impose those beliefs on everyone, and say we should strike out all smurfs. Let them smurf.

Edited August 22, 2012 by Lone Outlaw

[Cheese]

tl;dr

you are gay