Get Rid of Name Exclusivity

[MissK.]

45 minutes ago, Stormphoenix42 said:

Exactly this. I've said it before in this thread - I don't understand why people will set themselves goals that are incompatible with the site's mechanics, and then insist that the site change to suit those goals rather than the other way around.
I do agree that there's nothing wrong with updating the game to make things nicer for players (I love the new "filter by: Available for Summon" feature!) but that should be for quality of life upgrades like filters and the search bar, not the removal of one of the core mechanics.
 

 

I suppose it really hinges on what you see as a core mechanic of the game and how flexible that is. For example, I would say that cave hunting is a core mechanic, but we've had considerable changes made to that. Biomes were added while before we only had one cave, the holiday biome was added while before it was impossible to get CBs of the holidays we missed...because the game evolved and got to a point where the initial method wasn't working well enough. If DC has an increasing number of players and existing dragons, it's possible that a restricted naming system also becomes outdated and needs a change. Of course the problem is that it's not very clear whether a larger portion of users would benefit from keeping exclusivity or from removing it. In the end it's up to TJ whether he thinks a change is appropriate or not, but generally just saying "that's the way it's always been" is not that much of an argument for keeping something the same.

[DragonLady86]

I did sign up up for a game with name exclusivity. In 2009.  The game has grown and changed a lot since then. I am suggesting that this is one more mechanic that does not work as intended any longer.  Change happens. Very little of this game is the same as "what I signed up for". 

[Shadowdrake]

If we want to equate this to codes, how about we just make names case-sensitive?

 

And here I thought the thread had gotten past ad hominem attacks.

[Astral_Skies]

I do support this, specifically the suggestion that had the name and the code displayed, any other way would leave way forpossible inbreeding. 

 

Resigned.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Astral_Skies

[blockEdragon]

40 minutes ago, Astral_Skies said:

I do support this, specifically the suggestion that had the name and the code displayed, any other way would leave way forpossible inbreeding. 

 

there should, however, be limitations to certain names, Aka the names of Spriters Alts, and so on, so when we’re AP hunting we don’t get hyped thinking it’s a Saltkin and then it ends up being a copycat

Is brief disappointment really worth letting the spriters just take names when no one else can?

[Astral_Skies]

Resigned.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Astral_Skies

[DragonLady86]

Anyone looking for SA lineages is going to check the lineage. Probably before looking at names of parents. And people already can can name dragons in a similar manner but with an extra space or whatever. Just like they can make a fake Thuwed or fake Midas Dorkface, all of which already exist. And as soon as you see the lineage you know its not a SA line. 

[Shadowdrake]

2 hours ago, Astral_Skies said:

If anyones work should be appreciated it is theirs, their names should not be able to be stolen.

Are they really more special than the creator of DC himself? Because a lot of people have taken thuwed names already, so there couldn't be an exception for thuwed names even though they're way easier to be mistaken about. Plus I know at least one spriter who wants exclusivity removed because they want names that's already taken (and would be relatively common without exclusivity), so making spriter alts an exception just overcomplicates this.

[Fuzzbucket]

3 minutes ago, Shadowdrake said:

Are they really more special than the creator of DC himself? Because a lot of people have taken thuwed names already, so there couldn't be an exception for thuwed names even though they're way easier to be mistaken about. Plus I know at least one spriter who wants exclusivity removed because they want names that's already taken (and would be relatively common without exclusivity), so making spriter alts an exception just overcomplicates this.

 

No-one has taken an actual name of one of TJ's dragons, I think. They put Thuwed in the name - but that's not the same thing at all.

[MissK.]

1 hour ago, Fuzzbucket said:

 

No-one has taken an actual name of one of TJ's dragons, I think. They put Thuwed in the name - but that's not the same thing at all.

 

Not all of TJ's dragons are named. Even from the on-site thuwed pairs list, as a few examples the lumina, fever wyvern, frostbite, avatar of creation and blue fire gem are unnamed. The saurian for Lumina Dragon is of course taken by another lumina. 

[miscat]

I'm neutral. I personally don't have problems thinking of ways around the Exclusivity Rule and there's plenty of wacky things to name dragons, but I can see how it is limiting. Displaying codes under names on lineages and/or allowing Case Sensitive names all work.

This all said, just because something is old does not mean it is good. It's okay to change or updating existing mechanics, and I don't think adjusting Name Exclusivity will break much.

[Keileon]

On 7/5/2022 at 3:35 PM, DragonLady86 said:

I did sign up up for a game with name exclusivity. In 2009.  The game has grown and changed a lot since then. I am suggesting that this is one more mechanic that does not work as intended any longer.  Change happens. Very little of this game is the same as "what I signed up for". 

As another 2009 player, this is exactly my opinion on the matter. Exclusivity was... not great, but tolerable, back in 2009 when there were far fewer players and far fewer dragons and not only were far fewer names already taken, but you had a more reasonable likelihood of being able to contact the owner of a name you wanted just because the site wasn't old enough for them to have been inactive for seven years.

 

23 hours ago, Fuzzbucket said:

 

No-one has taken an actual name of one of TJ's dragons, I think. They put Thuwed in the name - but that's not the same thing at all.

I would have to dig around to find it, but I remember very distinctly that TJ mentioned he was unable to name a particular dragon because someone had already claimed the Thuwed version of the breed name.

[Wurldpeaz]

My opinion in this matter is changing anything may ruin the game play for folks that have exclusive names already in play I have seen this happen on another site that changed it without asking everyone’s opinion  that had an exclusive name. Just because the other folks went on and on about creativity . On the other side of the coin the site dynamic here is completely different and you are more unlikely to run into a dragon with the same name unless you know the person sooo it is less likely to bother anyone else. That’s my two cents 

[Skadi]

I still think inactive name purges are the only fair recourse with exclusive names. Keep exclusivity, but not for people who don't play. Members who have been gone for 5+ years should not have exclusive rights to dragon names. I'm fine with active members having names that are exclusive.

 

I don't think it's unfair to say that if you can't log in once for an extremely long time (we are talking years), you don't really care that deeply about pixel dragons. I know for my years long hiatus, I expected to lose my names and was fine with that. I wasn't playing. I didn't care.

Edited July 17, 2022 by Skadi

[Diggie]

I'd just like to chime in and say I do like exclusivity. That being said, making names case sensitive would allow space for the number of possible name to grow with the number of dragons and the number of players. Let's be honest, when this game started there was a fraction of the current numbers of active players and dragon breeds. The number of dragons on the site has grown exponentially with the number of players and along with it (presumably), the number of named dragons. With the allowed punctuations and all, there is a lot of space for variability. Adding case sensitivity would only expand on that without removing exclusivity of names, while also adding a different layer to what we can do.

[Keileon]

Case sensitivity is the only real compromise I can see between the two extremes of this suggestion, yeah. While of course I'd favor the "names non-exclusive, mark the first dragon with said name as special, give indicator that the name you're trying is in use" solution, if it's a choice between leaving things as they are and making names case-sensitive, my vote goes to the latter.

[maplecrft]

Mostly agree, although I don't think dragon names should ever be wiped out due to inactivity.

 

In my opinion the best thing would be to just make it so that name exclusivity is just locked to individual scrolls. This may break previous links, but IMO you should have only ever been able to link to the dragon via its unique code rather than the name itself anyway.

 

As someone not involved in anything like special lineages and someone who doesn't care about "unique" dragons (I didn't even know Thuwed was a thing until I read this thread, and I've been playing since 2008), I really don't care if people have "fakes". I feel like anyone who cares that strongly should be, and probably is, double-checking to make sure the dragon they're looking at is the "real" one.  And as someone in this thread pointed out, fakes already exist anyway so it's a moot point.

 

Some of us just want to chill with our little collection of fake pixels and name them whatever we want. I don't even name my dragons anything special and sometimes I've had to find workarounds to keep things consistent because ONE name is taken. It's annoying, especially when I'm striving for a clean, minimal look that's just for me, so that I can keep track of my collection.

[mishhelle]

I remember not logging into my scroll for over a year in hopes my dumb dragon names were erased, and it turns out that feature was taken away. 
 

I’ve since renamed almost everything, messies or cool codes excluded. I’ve made a habit to just find unique names, because I hate trying to name a dragon and getting the “ink disappears” message. 
 

I understand the frustration everyone has with the name exclusivity debate.  I can see the problem people have with sharing a dragon name with another player, but I can also understand the cringe factor of having to come up with alternate spellings or other aesthetically unappealing methods of using a word or phase that’s already taken. 
 

I just don’t know if there’s a solution that can please everyone. 

[Kestra62]

Support 

i just want to be able to not sit there for 20 minutes trying to name a dragon

dont get me wrong i think the whole name lineages are cool and all

but its still incredibly annoying especally when you consider the fact that if you kill a dragon with a name that name is basiclly just lost to the void so i dont want to have to uname all my dragons for zombie fodder just to be curtious 

 

they are just pixals names shouldnt matter that much

[Dogmage999]

I hate having to name my dragons something weird just because someone already took that name. Plus, literally no other sites allows linking by name, copying the HTML/BBcode and pasting it takes 15 seconds tops.

[Fuzzbucket]

The "no -other site" argument` is one of the reasons I pay THIS game and not the other games out there,. THIS game is different from other games. Lang may it remain so.

[DaniBoo]

I’m quite neutral. While there are definitely names I’d like to have but cannot due to name exclusivity, I’m not hung up about not being able to have them. It’s just not that big of a deal to me. I guess I don’t mind if it stays or goes, really. I have no attachment to names and if someone else wanted to name their dragon the same name as mine I wouldn’t have an issue.

 

The game is wildly different than when I first started playing in 2010 so I don’t really see a point in being resistant to further change, especially when said changes can benefit other players. If it happens great, if it doesn’t then that’s fine also. Neither outcome would change the way I currently play but I can see how it might make the experience more enjoyable for others.

Edited July 25, 2022 by DaniBoo

[kiramaru7]

On 7/17/2022 at 1:50 AM, Skadi said:

I still think inactive name purges are the only fair recourse with exclusive names. Keep exclusivity, but not for people who don't play. Members who have been gone for 5+ years should not have exclusive rights to dragon names. I'm fine with active members having names that are exclusive.

 

I don't think it's unfair to say that if you can't log in once for an extremely long time (we are talking years), you don't really care that deeply about pixel dragons. I know for my years long hiatus, I expected to lose my names and was fine with that. I wasn't playing. I didn't care.

 

I don't support wiping names of inactive players. I had a friend, who's sadly deceased, and her dragons are named. I would HATE having dragons on my scroll that are gifts from hers, with no names in the lineages. I like to visit her scroll on occasion and I get there by going through my dragons that are related to her scroll. While I'm not sure if her family still plays, I'm sure they look at her scroll & enjoy looking at all her named dragons. How sad would it be for them to look at the scroll & see one of the things that she enjoyed was wiped clean, because someone wanted a name she had.

 

If anything, get rid of name exclusivity, mark the first ones to have that name & let others that want a particular name share it with others, the way everyone here shares their own names with others. That way everyone wins, Plus, as I've seen on another thread, if there are X-number of dragons on various scrolls named (for example) Special Dragon, I think it would cut down on some of the harassment that the owner of Special Dragon probably gets as there could be a TON of scrolls to go through before the harasser finds the Special Dragon (#1) that they're looking for, so they can have a Special Dragon egg. And if someone wants to name All their dragons Special Dragon, then I see no reason why they can't do it.  Not that I use that feature, but we now have the ability to create pages for our dragons so we can group them together & I'm guessing, making it easier to find certain  dragons for breeding, then it shouldn't be too hard find what you're looking for.

 

I also think dragons should be linked by their codes, since those are unique, rather than their names.

 

I don't know, just my two cents worth...

[Fuzzbucket]

Easy to say link by their codes - that is the FIRST port of call. But while I can easily find my Z'Rubi Ngoeyes by name, the chances of my remembering her code among all my other Z codes is - nil.

[Talisraye]

I definitely don't like the arguments "it's always been that way" or "I was here since the beginning." They seem to have little to no bearing on ever-changing reality. Especially with so very many dragons and users and the site being open the newcomers always. I can understand why people with family names might want to keep them, sure, but still.

 

I wonder, and I'm sure it's been brought up in 37 pages, but I wonder if it would be feasible to create two line boxes, in the manner of ___ ___ so that the first name cannot be exclusive, but the family name can be. That way someone can have their lineages, but it makes it much harder to claim common names.