Forbin_Project

I've never heard of a global getting genned for copyright issues.

A name that gets petitioned and flagged on one server doesn't necessarily get flagged on all servers.

I just recall the shows name and main character because it was on around the time I watched another show.

Not sure exactly how the friends list works. I know globals aren't automatically deleted from the list when an account gets axed, it may work the same way with character names when one gets genned. But I'm only guessing.

There can be only ONE!!!

Just out of curiosity are you sure it's not available because it's been claimed as a character name?

As I recall there was an old TV show called Profit whose main character was Jim Profit.

So theres a possibilty it was flagged as a copyright issue.

Yes it was, and when the devs set that upper limit they were looking at the datamining they had which showed them the levels of all the characters that were sitting on inactive accounts and there just wasn't enough characters over level 35 to justify a higher level setting.

Back then leveling after 35 was hard as hell, which is why there were so few level 35+ characters on inactive accounts.


Not relevant. The name freeing script doesn't change a persons global name. It just flags names on the inactive accounts as available, and the fist person to claim the name gets to keep it.

I was just making it clear I wasn't taking sides in the discussion between you and Goat. I was just seeking clarification on smething you said cuz it it happened that way I agree it would be wrong.

Those "long dead" accounts (the ones that are 5, 6, 7 ,8 years old) already had the names they were sitting on freed up when the devs ran the name script on two seperate occasions. Any decent names that were on those account have long since been claimed by other players.

Furthermore the devs themselves told us that most of the names that were freed up after running the script were garbage gibberish no one would want anyway.

Except for a few @trial accounts there is no mythical hoard of "cool" names being locked away on 5-8 year old accounts.

The "problem" is that it has been 4-5 years since the last time the script has been run. Also since then it has become ridiculously easy to level up characters beyond the paramaters the dev set the last time they ran the script.

Before Tolkien revived it?

Before?



Are you serious?

You do realize Tolkien published his books back in 1954 right? And Dungeons and Dragon was using orcs since 1974.

Blizzard Entertainment didn't exist as a company until the 1990's, and it's Warcraft series was released in 1994.

I heard it's being done as a musical and instead of sword fights there will be improvisational dance battles. I also heard that the character Macleod has been changed from being a Scottih highlander to being a 6 year old Chinese girl working in a sneaker factory.

That's her middle name. She stopped going by Dorothy after she grew up and became an exotic dancer.

True, but Jim has had to deal with the GM's on more than one occasion to confirm that he does indeed have permission from himself to use the name in order to keep from being genericed.

Wait a sec, not trying to step between you and goat on this but I have to ask, do you know for certain a GM has genned someone without confirming the validity or using his own knowledge to recognise a copyright violation?

Cuz any GM that blindly gens people is misusing his authority.


The other thing which I could be wrong about is this. I thought when a name got genned it was flagged and made unavailable for future use by anyone unless the GM's reversed their decision by appeal.

If that's hysteria, so's the argument the other side always uses that people are going to cancel their accounts if they can't get the name another player is using.

If getting a name someone else is using is the only thing that's keeping them here then they really don't like the game that much.

Could you explain how the community somehow managed to get together and ask for a VIP server before they even knew the game was going to be switching to F2P?

Cuz the devs announced the addition of the VIP server the same day they broke the news about switching to Freedom. The VIP server announcement was in the FAQ posted by Avetea, and also on the website.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showp...30&postcount=1

Specifically here.

The biggest problem with that situation is that we as players have no way of knowing if a particular name is on an inactive account or has been claimed by an active player that doesn't play the game during the same hours we do. (Unless we know the person that owns the account that has a particular name)

Add to that the fact that the devs have never published a list of names that were made available when they ran the name purge script, and you'll have what we have now. Some people are convinced that there's a holy grail of cool names that are just waiting to be freed regardless of what the devs tell us they saw from their datamining.

Or it was never on an inactive account to begin with. This game is known for having a lot of long term veteran players.

Well every time it gets suggested/discussed more people show up stating they want to keep their unique names than not, so I think that's an indication more people like having unique names.

As to the OP's idea, I agree it has pros and cons but I'm not sure the devs would find it feasible.

To be honest that doesn't bother me, at least they are putting an effort to create a character persona. I can even accept a regular name because there are examples of heros/villains using their regular names, or they don't have a secret identity.

Jean Grey
Sue Storm
Reed Richards

So I'll encourage people for making an effort even if it isn't super hero-ee/comic bookie.

It's the nonsense and gibberish names that make me wince.


Oh and as to if the devs decide to run it again, I trust them to decide if it woul be worth the effort. They are the only ones that can pull up the data and see if in fact running the script will free up decent character names or a pile of garbage no one would want.

And before someone tries to argue that the worthyness of a name is subjective, it isn't hard to tell the difference between Napalm Nick and something like asdfjkl; or RMTsitename.com.

Maybe I'm too cynical but I can't believe someone would snag a well known forum members name because they want to emulate them. The only thing that makes sense to me if they are using the name is they wanted to besmirch those peoples reps. In my opinion that type of motivation if acted upon would fall under griefing/harassment.

But like I said, it's possible I'm too cynical. I could be wrong.

Smatter luv? You can dish it out but you can't cope with getting it back in return?



*sigh* You obviously didn't read the part where I said "some name campers". "Some" has never equaled "all".


And as to the ones that kept and used some of those names, how is impersonating a known forum member considered being "original"? Pardon me if I doubt that their motives were noble and pure.



It won't matter one way or the other. The devs aren't going to publish a list of names that were freed up when and if the script is run, so no one will notice any difference. As I said before there will always be complaints because people still won't get the names they want.

Nope. I don't believe claiming names for the purpose of selling their release for real money is original. It's bannable but not original.

No it doesn't. The name "Forbin Project" can't be used in the game because it is a copyrighted/trademarked IP belonging to a third party. They can only get away with using the name by staying under the GM's radar and hoping they don't get petitioned for copyright violation.

That's not what's happening here. Your scenario would go more like this.

Customer: <Points at another customer's sandwhich> Yeah I want those olives on my sandwhich.
Company: Sure thing, <reaching for olives in the jar>
Customer: Whoa there! What are you doing?
Company: Putting olives on your sandwhich.
Customer: I don't want those olives. I said I wanted the olives that guy has on his sandwhich.
Company: These are those olives.
Customer: No those are new olives. I want his olives.
Company: I'm sorry, I'll be happy to put olive on your sandwhich, but I'm not going to take the olives that customer asked for on his sandwhich away from him and put them on your sandwhich.

Well that did happen to some people when Exalted went live. People who use their forum names as character names reported their names had been claimed and some name campers had said they could be paid to release the names they grabbed.

What do you expect when the company bought an off the shelf feature from a third party vendor and duct taped it onto the game?

When I think of the word unoriginal being used in relation to this topic it's when I see someone so inflexible in his thinking that he is adamantly insisting that there is only one possible name he can use, and he can't enjoy the game unless he gets to use that particular name.

But that's just me.