Controversial WoW names...

[Rasix]

                             
                          WALTER
               Fucking dog has fucking papers,
                         --Over the line!

               Smokey turns from his last roll to look at Walter.

                                     SMOKEY
                         Huh?

                                     WALTER
                         I'm sorry Smokey, You were
                         over the line, that's a foul.

                                     SMOKEY
                         Bullshit.  Mark it eight Dude.

                                     WALTER
                         Excuse me!  Mark it zero.  Next frame.

                                     SMOKEY
                         Bullshit. Walter! Mark it eight dude.

                                     WALTER
                         Smokey, this is not Nam.  This is bowling.  
                         There are rules.

                                     DUDE
                         Hey Walter come on, it's just--hey man
                         it's Smokey.  So his toe slipped over a
                         little, you know, it's just a game, man.

                                     WALTER
                         This is a league game.  This
                         determines who enters the next round-
                         robin, am I wrong?

                                     SMOKEY
                         Yeah, but I wasn't--

                                     WALTER
                         Am I wrong!?

                                     SMOKEY
                         Yeah, but I wasn't over.  Gimme the
                         marker, Dude,  I'm marking it an
                         eight.

               Walter takes out a gun.

                                     WALTER
                         Smokey my friend, you're entering a
                         world of pain.

                                     DUDE
                         Walter--man--

                                     WALTER
                         You mark that frame an eight, you're
                         entering a world of pain.

                                     SMOKEY
                         I'm not--

                                     WALTER
                         A world of pain.

                                     SMOKEY
                         Look Dude, I ... this  
                         is your partner--

                                     WALTER
                         HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE CRAZY?  AM
                         I THE ONLY ONE HERE WHO GIVES A SHIT
                         ABOUT THE RULES?  MARK IT ZERO!

               The Pomeranian is excitedly yapping at Walter's knee, making
               high body-twisting tail-wagging leaps.

                                     DUDE
                         They're calling the cops, man,
                         put the piece away.

               Walter points it at Smokey's head.

                                     WALTER
                         MARK IT ZERO!

                                     DUDE
                         Walter put the piece away.

                                     SMOKEY
                         Walter--

                                     WALTER
                         YOU THINK I'M FUCKING AROUND HERE?

               Walter primes the gun.

                          MARK IT ZERO!!

                                     SMOKEY
                         All right!!  It's fucking zero!
                         You happy, you crazy fuck?

                                     WALTER
                         It's a league game, Smokey!

[WayAbvPar]

If  I could shoot the offenders instead of just petitioning them, I would pay $30 a month!

[Mesozoic]

See that? That's called moving to an environment that suits you and not forcing your naming ideas on the masses. That's why I don't understand people who do this sort of shit on normal/pvp servers for borderline names.

Players don't get to decide what is good and what is not.  The company does.  Players are not capable of forcing any name on anyone.  The company is.  All a player can do is say "I think this is a violation" and the CSR makes the call.  So in the end its really the company enforcing its own rules.  

The company doesn't have the time to track down each and every character for every possible variation of "analranger," so they let players call each other out.  And if the company has the time to pursue the potential violation and make that call, then they do so.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, on any server.  Did the CSR make a bad call?  His fault. Cry to him.

PC gamers are so accustomed to in-game decisions (hits and misses, loot, quest requirements, character options) being made by a program on a strictly logical, digital, predictable manner that any interference by human "common sense" is a de facto outrage.  Any judgement call by any person on any subject is fascism.

Grow up.  You named your character 4ss-kn1ght.  You lose.

[Calantus]

See that? That's called moving to an environment that suits you and not forcing your naming ideas on the masses. That's why I don't understand people who do this sort of shit on normal/pvp servers for borderline names.

Players don't get to decide what is good and what is not.  The company does.  Players are not capable of forcing any name on anyone.  The company is.  All a player can do is say "I think this is a violation" and the CSR makes the call.  So in the end its really the company enforcing its own rules.  

The company doesn't have the time to track down each and every character for every possible variation of "analranger," so they let players call each other out.  And if the company has the time to pursue the potential violation and make that call, then they do so.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with that, on any server.  Did the CSR make a bad call?  His fault. Cry to him.

PC gamers are so accustomed to in-game decisions (hits and misses, loot, quest requirements, character options) being made by a program on a strictly logical, digital, predictable manner that any interference by human "common sense" is a de facto outrage.  Any judgement call by any person on any subject is fascism.

Grow up.  You named your character 4ss-kn1ght.  You lose.

Where is the dispute? Did I not say that offencive names should be changed? My issue is with so called "immersion breaking" names being changed. There are specific RP servers for people who want to immerse themselves in the game, so why are there even rules against such names on normal servers?

[Rasix]

I didn't post that quote for my health.  It's against the rules. You lose.  END OF STORY.

You can have issues with it all you want, it doesn't change reality.  There's a game world with a set of rules you agreed to.  If you are in violation of the rules, expect some day to be punished.  

Personally, I'd just rather them tatoo a nice message into the forehead every jackass that can't create a non stupid, non offensive name.  If I click on "Undeadmage", it should have a tooltip next to him that says "CREATIVITY NOT INCLUDED" or "WARNING: TOON MAY BE STUPIDER THAN THEY APPEAR".

[Mesozoic]

There are specific RP servers for people who want to immerse themselves in the game, so why are there even rules against such names on normal servers?

Thats a question for Blizzard to answer.  I think they would tell you that they expect certain ground rules to be followed on all servers.  

But my point is that whether or not a player opts to petition a given name is not the problem.  The "problem," if there is one, lies with the company naming policy.  Too many times, players who take issue with naming policies decide to shit on other players.  Its a weird mislocated blame that seems pervasive.

[Jayce]

Perhaps there should be "dewd" servers.  If you have a retarded name you get the choice of having it changed, or being transferred.

There, everyone is free to utilize the "word" u, and have any names they like, except racially/sexually/etcerally charged ones.

[Calantus]

There are specific RP servers for people who want to immerse themselves in the game, so why are there even rules against such names on normal servers?

Thats a question for Blizzard to answer.  I think they would tell you that they expect certain ground rules to be followed on all servers.  

But my point is that whether or not a player opts to petition a given name is not the problem.  The "problem," if there is one, lies with the company naming policy.  Too many times, players who take issue with naming policies decide to shit on other players.  Its a weird mislocated blame that seems pervasive.

Yes, on reflection my arguments did tend to move more towards placing blame on the player, whereas I started with the intent of saying how stupid it was to have the policy. But if you think about it, it's obviously a policy that's come about due to percieved player preference, and that is where I have to say the preference is bizarre due to there being a viable alternative to normal servers.

[murdoc]

If someone doesn't want to group with me because they don't like my characters name, then I probably wouldn't want to group with that uptight asshole anyways. I'm tired of grouping with either idiots or people who treat the game as a job. Have some fun people... yeesh.

[Rasix]

If being named "Elfbearlips" (actual name on my server) makes you happy, so be it.

I wouldn't drop a group if someone with a retarded name joined.  I wouldn't exactly run to join a group headed up by "Sideshowbob" (actually, that's not bad, maybe "Tanis" or "Drizzet" is worse) either.  Then again if my friends picked dumb names I'd force them to reroll.  

It's good to have fun and be loose. But it's equally important in a way not to cringe every time you look at the screen.  Hell, I'm still getting used to one of my friends playing a female toon and he's been playing it for 59 levels.

[Toast]

that is where I have to say the preference is bizarre due to there being a viable alternative to normal servers.

RP server rule sets go far beyond restricting idiotic, "immersion-breaking" names. The unique rp rule set does not appeal to most players whereas the naming policy does.

Let's try another angle here. Blizzard owns the online world, its lore, and the experience it seeks to impart to players. As the ultimate power in managing the play experience, they have every right to tweak what players can name themselves as they see fit. The greater good and the greater play experience should always come first.

[sidereal]

My three-year-old plays (sorta. . I move him around and he tells me where to go and mashes the combat buttons), and I let him create characters and name them.  I don't think 'Bonyleg' (Undead Warrior), 'Bluefish' (Elf Druid), 'Stegasaurus' (Troll Shaman), or Hugu (Orc Warlock) are that bad, and if your names are dumber than a 3 year old child's, that's probably a good opportunity to do some soul searching.

[murdoc]

A friend of mines 2 yr old daughter named his Tauren Shaman 'Moosegellar'. We have NO IDEA how she came up with that name but it's far more creative than any that I use.

[Calantus]

Let's try another angle here. Blizzard owns the online world, its lore, and the experience it seeks to impart to players. As the ultimate power in managing the play experience, they have every right to tweak what players can name themselves as they see fit.

Don't bother. I've heard so many variations on this argument that I couldn't even begin to count the times. So here is the refutation, short and sweet because if you don't get it, it's not worth expanding:

Just because they have every right to do something, does not mean I can't say what I think about what they have done.


PS: I'm not annoyed at you, just tired of the argument.

[WayAbvPar]

A 3 year old naming his characters is one thing (pretty cute, actually). A semi-functional adult who thinks he is FAR more clever and funny than he actually is (by a few orders of magnitude) naming his character something stupid because he is A) too unimaginative to come up with anything even VAGUELY appropriate and B) too fucking lazy to use a name generator is another thing.

I see it as a window into their drab little world. If they can't be bothered to invest 2 minutes in coming up with a character name they could be associated for YEARS in some cases, then they are probably going to be some sort of deficient who will either get me killed in a group, roll for every item that drops regardless of how well it suits another group member, blather repeatedly in group chat about inanities, or (most likely) all of the above,and I have no interest in associating with them in any fashion.  I also wish them some sort of vague ill will.

Beat THAT run-on sentence with a stick.

[Riggswolfe]

I have zero sympathy for people who name their characters something childish or retarded. I generally don't report them unless it's a way of striking back at them for some other offense. (If your name is CerealKilla and you ninja loot the chest I'm clearing to, expect to be reported for your name).

I'm like the others. I wouldn't play/group with somebody named CerealKilla or any of the other retarded names. My guild wouldn't allow them into the guild and frankly I wouldn't be in a guild that supported people that are that damn stupid.

[Trippy]

I see it as a window into their drab little world. If they can't be bothered to invest 2 minutes in coming up with a character name they could be associated for YEARS in some cases, then they are probably going to be some sort of deficient who will either get me killed in a group[...]

On a related note it always amused me that Verant never forced "Tigole", whose full name in EQ was "Tigole Bitties" (yeah I know really clever, ha ha, those are the kinds of names we made up in high school), to change his name. At Blizzard he is still using that same name (though without the last name part, obviously) and now whenever I see him post, I'm always reminded of his juvenile locker room EQ name, so WayAbvPar is totally on the mark -- be careful what you name yourself.

Edit: Added the missing "name" after "full".

[Signe]

Horizons had a policy regarding naughty names.  I remember a post about it once by a developer named Smeglor which made me giggle.

[AlteredOne]

I'm like the others. I wouldn't play/group with somebody named CerealKilla or any of the other retarded names. My guild wouldn't allow them into the guild and frankly I wouldn't be in a guild that supported people that are that damn stupid.

I think that's a bit of an overreaction.  CK is one of the oldest members of the guild, way back from UO days.  He kept that name from game to game.  Although I agree that the name is silly, he has never behaved as a d3wd, and I think it's a bit excessive to jump to conclusions.  While stupid names are certainly a good warning sign, I'll always give somebody credit if they prove they're intelligent.  Even the best players can choose dorky names, sometimes!

[Mesozoic]

Horizons had a policy regarding naughty names.

I bet the devs personally checked names for their entire playerbase.

In about 20 minutes.

[Signe]

Horizons is expecting a rush of subscribers ANY MINUTE NOW!  They are hiring in anticipation!  I understand it pays between 20K and 24K annually.  You get to work in lovely downtown Tempe Arizona, too.  What a deal!

02-01-2005 2:57 PM   Replies: 1  
   
   01 Feb 2005, 2:57 PM  
 Amadan-AE

 Joined on 10-11-2004
Posts 13

  Tulga Games Job Opening: Customer Service
 
 
  Hey all,

I just wanted to let you know that we have an opening for a position to become a CSR here at Tulga games. Below is a list of the job description. If you are interested in this position please feel free to apply by sending your Resume to resumes@tulgagames.com


Duties performed:

Identify, evaluate and prioritize user questions, problems and complaints and formulate plans of resolution or a work-around whenever possible.
Maintain and restore customer satisfaction, as well as teaming with other support and/or development teams as required.
Perform problem analysis, problem determination, and recommended resolutions to the development team for customer reported problems.
Enter new problems into the bug tracking system and track their resolution.
Escalate issues internally, follow up on escalated issues and provide feedback to end-user.
Help build a knowledge base of known problems and their resolution.
Assist in the testing of new developments and upgrades; master the use of product and stay a*** of new features and functionality released.
Interface with QA and developers to ensure customer product enhancement requests are made.
Keep managers, customer service peers, and QA appropriately informed of problems and progress.
 

Requirements:

Strong customer service skills to support interaction with end users in a pleasant, professional, and courteous manner.
Ability to articulate ideas clearly and concisely in a variety of settings, adjusting the message to match the audience.
Understanding of gaming applications, system architecture, and testing requirements.
PC skills with Windows NT, 2000, XP and MS Office.
Strong verbal and written communication skills, positive attitude and the ability to work well with others.
 

Skills:

Must be detail and process oriented and have strong troubleshooting and problem solving skills.
Should possess excellent diagnostic skills, attention to detail and ability to “think on your feet”.
Proficiency with multi-tasking, prioritization, and meeting deadlines.
Ability to recognize recurring or related issues that users consistently report.

Amadan
Customer Support Lead
Tulga Games

[Paelos]

What's the severence package like?

[AlteredOne]

Tempe here I come!  I knew a Mormon from Tempe -- he showed me pictures of his hot sisters, maybe there's more like them.

[HaemishM]

On a related note it always amused me that Verant never forced "Tigole", whose full in EQ was "Tigole Bitties" (yeah I know really clever, ha ha, those are the kinds of names we made up in high school), to change his name.

I've known of Tigole for years, and never knew that was his last name. What a fucking retard.

[WayAbvPar]

On a related note it always amused me that Verant never forced "Tigole", whose full in EQ was "Tigole Bitties" (yeah I know really clever, ha ha, those are the kinds of names we made up in high school), to change his name.

I've known of Tigole for years, and never knew that was his last name. What a fucking retard.

I never knew it either. If that doesn't totally make my point for me, nothing will.

[Signe]

What's the severence package like?

It's likely they don't have the money to provide a perk like that.  You'll  have to sever your own package.  You'll probably be too depressed to make it work, anyway.

Good luck with the application! ;)


Edit:   Sorry.  It's laundry day.  Bad me.

[Calantus]

This was a name change post that just made me laugh out loud. The new names are so craptastic he is reporting them himself.

Here

For teh lazy:

GM's taking special interest in me?

Account Name: EVILBULLY
Server(s): Laughing Skull
Old Character/Pet Name: Evilbully, Prettygirl, Princeess
New Temporary Character/Pet Name: Stlerionwe, Zaoheonienie, Ruzzaohianna

could someone tell me how ALL my accounts are against the naming policy and why GM Boctoon is picking on me?

[Mesozoic]

/t Zaohoenienie hey, need help?
No such character is online at this time
/t Zaoheonieine hey, want to group?
No such character is online at this time
/t Zoaheonienie hey, want help with that quest?
No such character is online at this time
/t Zaoehonienie hey, want some free money?
No such character is online at this time

Fuck it!

[Trippy]

On a related note it always amused me that Verant never forced "Tigole", whose full in EQ was "Tigole Bitties" (yeah I know really clever, ha ha, those are the kinds of names we made up in high school), to change his name.

I've known of Tigole for years, and never knew that was his last name. What a fucking retard.

I never knew it either. If that doesn't totally make my point for me, nothing will.

From his "retirement" message (search on Bitties):
http://www.legacyofsteel.net/newspro/archives/arc21.html

It turns out though, that he may have had to change his name at some point by somebody so I may be wrong about that. When I first heard of LoS he was still just "Tigole Bitties" in screenshots but if you look through the archive (which isn't complete) you'll see he's named "Tigole the Silent" (Best of the Best title?). I don't know if he was "forced" to include the title or if he preferred it that way but he obviously continued to refer to himself in many of his news updates by his original full name.

[WayAbvPar]

I want to buy GM Boctoon a beer. The douchebag who got his names changed got exactly what he deserved. If I were running things, I would give him a week suspension for bitching about it =P

[Krakrok]

Name nazies are closet griefers. When all other forms of grief have been mitigated you'll still be able to petition people's names and claim they are offensive.

[Mesozoic]

Name nazies are closet griefers. When all other forms of grief have been mitigated you'll still be able to petition people's names and claim they are offensive.

But again, no player gets to be judge, jury, or executioner of character names.  No claim of offense does anything at all - unless the CSR agrees, in which case its either the fault of the player with the shitty name or the fault of the company for its policy.  At worst, the petitioner is griefing the CSR for the .5 seconds it takes him to decide that a complaint is frivolous.

[WayAbvPar]

Name nazies are closet griefers. When all other forms of grief have been mitigated you'll still be able to petition people's names and claim they are offensive.

Why is it such a fucking burden to use the name generator if you are too mentally crippled to come up with a suitable name? By naming your character something annoying and retarded, YOU are the griefer for anyone who can see you nametag. All the name nazis are doing is assisting the GMs in making the game world more fun (or at least less eye-gougingly irritating) by enforcing THE CODE OF CONDUCT THAT YOU CLAIM TO HAVE READ (and agreed to) WHEN YOU LOG IN TO THE FUCKING GAME.

If you MUST name yourself something that passes for clever in your midden heap of a mind, have the common courtesy to keep yourself to the 'regular' servers so I can avoid you by choosing an RP server.

[Pineapple]

Name nazies are closet griefers.

Go onto some unmoderated internet game and chat with BuTTSuffA, BaLLzONChiNN, and CaptNtaiNT in their clan [+- $laP-DE-a$$ -+] and tell me these d00ds dont need a smackdown when they bring that garbage to WOW.

It is about keeping retardation to a minimum in a place that has an actual subscription fee. Without people paying the fee, the game dies. Stupid names taint what people think about the game, and they stop paying that much sooner.

It is also a teen rated game, isnt it? If they want to keep that rating, they have to police the retards.

[Kail]

Why is it such a fucking burden to use the name generator if you are too mentally crippled to come up with a suitable name?

In my experience (which I haven't heard echoed anywhere else, so maybe I'm way off base), the random name generator only has maybe fifty names per race anyway.  I made a lot of characters on a number of servers, and a lot of randomly generated names were often already taken even on low population servers.  The ones that weren't were generally female names (e.g. "Elaine") or bizarre fifteen letter things with four "M"s and a silent "Q".

Personally, if someone wants to use a name like "l33td3wd" or whatever, and he's not on a roleplaying server, I say, fine.  Whatever.  If names were the only thing breaking immersion in this game, that would be one thing, but they're not.  Even if these names are less "creative" (which is arguable), I don't see why uncreative people shouldn't be able to use whatever name makes them happy (barring, y'know, the usual suspects of sex/race/whatever offeisive terms).  Most of my character names were derived from ticking the random name generator until I found a name I liked and then changing a letter or two until I got one that wasn't taken; if that's supposed to somehow lend itself to a better game experience or whatever, I didn't feel it.

I know there are some names that ought not be allowed in-game.  I have no problem with these being axed.  However, Blizzard's naming policy is really, really broad, and invalidates almost any combination of letters I can think of.  "Moosegellar" is cute and all, but if someone wanted to be an ass about it (and, I don't want to shock anyone, but I've heard rumors that such people do exist) they could make a valid claim that it violates the naming policy (reference to a mythological character, for example).  It's not going to offend anyone, but it's still against their policy.  It does seem a lot like something that attracts closet griefers like flies.  I might not be able to hit that Orc who just insulted me with my sword, but I can still piss him off by reporting that his name means "vagina" in Klingon or whatever.

I just don't see how the naming policy generates more positive benefits than negative ones.  If there were some way to filter out all the idiocy from the other chat, then yeah, this might be an issue worth pursuing, but putting the l33tsp34k outside the brackets rather than inside doesn't seem to accomplish much, aside from angering the player who can't use the name he wants.