Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Turbine expects their customers to pay for Turbines mistakes
TobiasReaper
Member Posts: 1
What do I mean with this bold statement?
Turbines Character Naming Policy for Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO) (http://support.turbine.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=37&) states, among other things, that no player character my share a name with an in-game NPC. This is fine at first glance.
Problems arise however, when Turbine introduces new NPCs – they never check if those names are already used by player characters. A reoccurring theme therefore, is that people with well researched, lore appropriate names, who have been playing that character for months or years and made “a name for themselves” suddenly have their name requisitioned by turbine.
The immediate result of this is that the character in question is accused of a Naming Policy violation (which, btw, is automatically threatening with bans and other account action, even if I have never heard of a case like this actually resulting in a ban) and the “offending” player character gets renamed with a generic fantasy name from the random name generator. Results can be as nice, fitting and lore-appropriate as “Lakgorbor” as name for a hobbit. If you picture that name should belong to an orc-chief… well, Turbine disagrees. This renaming to a randomly generated name happens without talking to the player at all – even if the player is online, on that very character, in the moment of renaming.
Obviously these events are more likely to hit players with Tolkien styled names rather than the various “IgankOrcs” running around. And it’s those players who are well invested in their names, who find it difficult to “live” with a name from the random generator. However, adding insult to injury, Turbine does not even offer affected players a free character rename to an appropriate name. Instead customers who effectively have their names “stolen” by Turbine are referred to the LotRO store, where they can buy a rename for 995 Turbine points (close to 10 dollar/euro)
So effectively, Turbine expects their customers to pay for mistakes / oversight from Turbine.
This, in my opinion, is a very underhanded business practice
Comments
People still support this greedy company? Then some people may like to give out cash to an outdated game with one of the worst and evil support rep. I moved on from this, which is sad because i want to see LOTR big in the mmo industry.
This is justt the same old same old turbine wanting to get more money, but then again people will still defend them.
Important facts:
1. Free to Play games are poorly made.
2. Casuals are not all idiots, but idiots call themselves casuals.
3. Great solo and group content are not mutually exclusive, but they suffer when one is shoved into the mold of the other. The same is true of PvP and PvE.
4. Community is more important than you think.
This can potentially happen if three things coincide:
1. A NPC with loreappropiate name gets added despite a player having the same name.
2. Another player reports you.
3. The GM investigateing the report makes an error and doesn't properly check whats actually going on.
The obvious solution is escalating the matter to a senior GM, which will get it looked at properly. GMs are human, humans make errors.
Also what do you expect? That Turbine checks all 29 servers before adding a NPC? Im sure every lore appropiate name is taken on atleast one server. So they either drop the policy or only pick gibberish names from now on. As it is they will quietly ignore the situation till someone complains, and even then usually choose to overlook it.
Think people expect to get free rename token if that situation arise instead of getting stuck with random name they don't like and being forced to pay if they want to get decent name.
That at least what CodeMasters did in EU when someone had inappropiate name on RP server (EU RP server had name enforcement rule) and that is much more elegant and fair solution.
Anyway I am not surprised and I actually stopped supporting Lotro and Turbine long time ago, cause I don't agree with them on many 'levels' in last few years and judging by Turbine actions It is not gonna change.
just because this hasn't happened to everyone doesn't mean it isn't happening. OR has everyone forgotten the fiasco about the expansion being promised to have new instances included when they first advertised them and then months after development they decided they would charge everyone including those who prepurchased packages that were supposed to include these dungeons with no extra charges.
Yeah, that still happened and even tho they rectified it and appologized, the fact that they were initially going to charge people more for instances that they promised people on top of the insult of charging enormous fees for the expansion itself just because they needed to include revenue to add mounted combat, doesn't change the fact that they were about to lose their shirts once word got out.
This is the same company remember that. After i heard about that i would not put it past them to do these things like the naming problem and put the cost on the player.
Poor management is no excuse.
You get your free rename token if you escalate the matter to a senior GM, infact if its a conflict with a minor NPC you even likely get your name back despite there being a npc in the game with the same name. Its just not a decision that can be made by a junior GM since the game policy is clear on the matter and you(through no fault of your own) are in conflict with it.
Senior GMs have a bit more leeway and can bend the rules a little bit in a cases like that(granting ingame items and tolerating EULA violations are bending the rules, neither is normally permissable to GMs and can get them into trouble with their superiors).
Again, usually this is not a problem unless someone is analretentive and thinks he has to police name infraction with no ill intent behind them. GMs do NOT go around comparing names to a list and making a fuss, they only ever act on things like this if a player reports it.
Actually, this is not Turbine, which basically doesn't exist anymore. Turbine was very generous with the players, which may be why WB is cracking down so hard. I just left the game after 4 1/2 years because I can't stand the chintz anymore. NOTHING IS FREE!! lol
That's a fact.
Turbine was a caring company. WB is not. And what's funny is there's no reason using a simple SQL script for devs to check names for their NPCs and make sure THEY AREN'T taking a customers name.
Happened to a kin mate of mine.
His name was similar to one of the book characters, so BAM! after 1+ years of playing around with this toon suddenly one day he logs into a character named "Tutharkuk" or some similar gibberish.
No warning, no reason, no excuse was given and no free name change either, he spent his own money to change his name back to something that doesnt sound like the noise a dying zebra makes while getting gored to death.
Proud Member of the A.F-D-A. [Anti Fanboy-Defense-Army]Association for a Better Tomorrow or [A.F-D-A.]AfaBT, in short.