Name Reservation

Archer

I can imagine that in a space-sim-opera that Captain Archer might be a popular choice.  I like Archer for different reasons but don't want it to get sniped. 

Would leadership consider a name reservation system or something? Maybe tying forum name to game name. Dunno.
Didn't know where else to ask and thought that others with cool names might like to have some sort of guarantee on theirs too.

Is there any way we could get names reserved from the get-go?

Aurelius

          

Traveler

I have some names picked out and would appreciate the ability to reserve one of them. As a matter of fact, I chose an "anonymous" forum name so that I wouldn't lose the char name I've picked.

It's not a huge deal to me personally, though. Since I'm keeping mum about my favorite names, and I intend to play Starmourn the second it comes out, and the names I've chosen aren't super well known or popular, I feel pretty safe.

Malash

Personally planning to stick with Malash, so if it does get stolen I'll be forced to hunt down any doppelgangers and gut 'em like Evux.

Sagex

Malash said:

Personally planning to stick with Malash, so if it does get stolen I'll be forced to hunt down any doppelgangers and gut 'em like Evux.

*saves the name* I mean.. yeah!

kay

Well, I'm less concerned about reserving the name 'Kay' for Starmourn. Really, I would personally like to have access to to a namegen for each race, for examples of names that the races would tend to give. That doesn't mean everyone would have to use those names, of course. In universe(if not in the actual game and all) I'm sure there'd be a process for someone getting a name changed. Visit a magistrate and pay a fee. Visit a hacker and pay a larger fee, but not have to worry about any pesky laws attached to your old identity, and so on. Plus the mixing of cultures would mean names being borrowed from other races.

But I would like examples of names from each race.

Also, if any of the devs have played Lusternia and tried to nametell me something, I'm sure they'll ban Kay just to prevent themselves from looking silly by emoting the kay emote when trying to talk in my general direction.

Satomi

I already know that the names I do decide to use won't be picked. If they are, I will BURN THIS GAME TO THE GROUND!!!

I mean, I'll pick one of the other dozen names I have in mind.

Sairys

Early Adopter Package buy credits before the game releases, get to reserve a name.

#StarCitizen'd

Sagex

Kitty the Wh'oorn do not take my name!

Aurelius

Sairys said:

Early Adopter Package buy credits before the game releases, get to reserve a name.

#StarCitizen'd

Hmm, interesting idea. Maybe we'll consider it, though I'm fairly inclined to just let you guys, who are here on the forums and are the start of the Starmourn community, just reserve them for free. 

Villanox

Aurelius said:

Sairys said:

Early Adopter Package buy credits before the game releases, get to reserve a name.

#StarCitizen'd

Hmm, interesting idea. Maybe we'll consider it, though I'm fairly inclined to just let you guys, who are here on the forums and are the start of the Starmourn community, just reserve them for free. 

Plz, I want Jeyya the Shen Nanoseer

Sagex

Honestly, the chances of someone taking your name unless you spill it on the forums is like 1 percent?

Villanox

Uhh, I mean I want Snarglop the Tukkav Beast...
Totally.

Malash

Bob Robertson VII, Certified Star Accountant.

Aurelius

Sagex said:

Honestly, the chances of someone taking your name unless you spill it on the forums is like 1 percent?

Probably a lot less than that unless you want the name Skywalker or something (though that's not a name we'd permit).

Sairys

Aurelius said:

Sairys said:

Early Adopter Package buy credits before the game releases, get to reserve a name.

#StarCitizen'd

Hmm, interesting idea. Maybe we'll consider it, though I'm fairly inclined to just let you guys, who are here on the forums and are the start of the Starmourn community, just reserve them for free. 

I was mostly making a joke about Star Citizen

Aurelius

Sairys said:

Aurelius said:

Sairys said:

Early Adopter Package buy credits before the game releases, get to reserve a name.

#StarCitizen'd

Hmm, interesting idea. Maybe we'll consider it, though I'm fairly inclined to just let you guys, who are here on the forums and are the start of the Starmourn community, just reserve them for free. 

I was mostly making a joke about Star Citizen

It actually makes sense in a game with the potential population of Star Citizen, but yeah, in our case, there's pretty much no reason to have to do it.

Sairys

Yeah, a lot of modern graphical mmos are making it part of their pre-purchase campaigns, I've prepurchased a few just to make sure I get Sairys (there's so many places I can't get it )

But yeah, even for an IRE MUD I can't imagine having that same feeling of pressure. Like, in a smaller community people will know that X intentionally registered Ys forum name.

Indi

It does raise the question though, of whether there could be some kind of early adopter/pre-purchase package, and what may be in it, or how it could work.

None of the reasons the graphical games do it, make sense here though. That I can think of anyway.

Malash

@Indi - Maybe something like IRE's standard No-Brainer cheap lesson package, bundled with credit toward a tradeskill? That'd get the economy jump-started.

Sairys

tbh, some players would probably buy early adopter credits if you just gave them a punny reward for doing so

Malash

The one thing I'd honestly like not to see in such a package is unlockables; titles, for example, only available through the promo. That kind of thing is great at first, and people will enjoy displaying them later, but that sort of thing can also be a turn-off to potential new players down the road, knowing that they can't ever get these things.

Sairys

I mean, that's kinda what a pre-release promo is all about. Tempting people to give you money before launch by offering something they can only get at that point. Otherwise, there's no reason to do so cause you can just get it later on.


I could maybe be tempted by some version of elite though. Like you get the daily lessons stacking up, maybe the xp bonuses get delivered as some kind of xp bonus potion nanite-injection bundle? Then it just becomes regular elite on launch.
A jump start for people that sign up early, effectively. 

Indi

The reasons for getting money pre-launch, when it is a graphical game - a highly competitive market, hugely dependent on media, hype etc, don't really apply to Starmourn. 
While getting cash flow ASAP is no doubt important for such a company, especially the startups, there are other benefits to getting people to spend money early - a couple come to mind:

1. If they've pre-bought the game based on hype, they can't choose not to try the game based on a bad post release review
2. People paying early dollars is hard proof if a company is looking for more investors

Neither of those things seem applicable to IRE, which is already established, and isn't reliant on hype or reviews for the opening day. I suspect that a large portion of the income Starmourn will earn will be over the long haul. The more I like an IRE game, the more I spend over a period of years (if/when I happen to have spare cash.) I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

I mean, I can't claim to know IRE financials, nor the business model around their separate games, so I may have this all completely wrong of course.

I think, however, that for the team to consider something like this then they'd need an actual benefit. If money they'll earn anyway isn't a benefit, they aren't scared of getting a 1 star reivew from pcmag, and they don't have to petition investors with a promise that 100000 people will play on day one because they've already bought the game... then what could it be?

They're probably better off having a softer release anyway - luring the people from non-IRE muds after the first month of buggy, unbalanced fun