Remove or change the change name prompt.

[Isaacs Alter Ego]

I see it getting abused a lot, where people will use the prompt for clown or ambassador name changing to switch their name to someone else on the station. Given that we have in-game methods of stealing identities, this feels kinda cheap and like a real abuse of the name change.

So my suggestion would either to be remove the prompt (Less desirable) or make it so you cannot change your name to one that already exists on the station.

[robertGN]

Don't remove it, that would be dumb.

Yes to the identity checking though.

[Ed Venture]

Agreed I've been a victim of people using my name and being real shit while under it. in some vain attempt to make me look bad. Hell I even had a time a dude joined sec with my name and spaced me as soon as he saw me. Another time is when some guy playing wizard changed his name to mine for some reason. I would not say remove it but idenity checking should be a thing. Also I am not talking about the times people name themselves funny versions of my name like for example lob buttwig those ones are great and make me laugh.

[Mageziya]

I've done this once before, I was a wizard and set my name to that of the captain as a joke. I was inspired by a time a clown set their name to my name when I was captain and I found the situation then pretty funny, though the clown didn't do a good job of acting on it and just got drunk and did nothing.

I can definitely see the problems though. One suggestion was identity check, which could work. Another, which might be possible with the fancy chat system we have, is to hide the chat until your name is chosen, then show it, including any that occurred while you were picking your name, after you've picked your name.

[Arborinus]

What about genetic polymorphism?
What about the changeling?

And how much is the clown protected? One of my favorite ginmmicks was changing to the AI's name and saying "Beep boop kill all humans" on a radio

[somepotato]

I'd rather make it a rule not to do it, or atleast not do it and do negative things with it. Identity checking is always going to be bypassable so just enforcement would be nicer imo

[Ed Venture]

What about genetic polymorphism?
What about the changeling?

And how much is the clown protected? One of my favorite ginmmicks was changing to the AI's name and saying "Beep boop kill all humans" on a radio

These are fine, my main issue is the ones who are not antags spawn into the game with your name or like the clown get a name prompt and just use your name and just be shit with it. For players who have been using one name since they started playing (like me) things like this can lead to misunderstandings over things you've never done and that has happen to me before. Granted it's been over a year since I've seen anyone do this to me but I've always seen it as a issue that never got addressed. Also I'm sure it does not have to be said but doing this is extremely nasty and imo evidence of a meta grudge

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Also with a clown taking a AI's name and going "beep boop kill all humans" that's fine as well as you can tell when the real AI is talking by the icon in the chat and by asking the AI to state it's laws

[TheNewTeddy]

I'd rather make it a rule not to do it, or atleast not do it and do negative things with it. Identity checking is always going to be bypassable so just enforcement would be nicer imo

this is reasonable.
I've been in two rounds recently where it became a funny gimmick. I'd hate to lose that because some people try to turn it into an unfunny gimmick.

[babayetu83]

i don't see why this is a problem

please don't limit people's abilities to have fun

[Ed Venture]

i don't see why this is a problem

please don't limit people's abilities to have fun

Did you read the thread? I mean every time it happen to me it was a problem. Like I said a changeling doing it or having it done to you by a geneticist power of someone using a chem is fine because those are done with in game methods. But the times I had someone do it to me via the name prompt or just starting the game using my name they were incredibly nasty about it. Again the times people join the game with a funny version of my name like Bob Ludbutt or whatever is okay by me cause it really makes me laugh. But every other time I have experienced this (except for the other ways I just stated) it has been a bad time, I can't speak for anyone's else experience but every time it happen to me it was a really bad time and by the way this has only happen to me at least 4 times and I'm not counting the ways this can be done that I view are fine which are stated above. Like said in the OP here it is a really cheap way to steal someone's identity from a gameplay point of view on-top of all that.

I see it getting abused a lot, where people will use the prompt for clown or ambassador name changing to switch their name to someone else on the station. Given that we have in-game methods of stealing identities, this feels kinda cheap and like a real abuse of the name change.

So my suggestion would either to be remove the prompt (Less desirable) or make it so you cannot change your name to one that already exists on the station.

[TheNewTeddy]

I am honestly sorry you've had this experience. The times I've changed my name to someone else's name I've always been respectful and tried to make a funny gimmick out of it. For example; I might choose one round to pick the name "Pantsless David" or "Discounted Danieł³" or "Oar Der"

What you guys are talking about sounds more like metagaming; someone with a grudge against you taking it out on you by acting like a shit in your name.

[Ed Venture]

I'd rather make it a rule not to do it, or atleast not do it and do negative things with it. Identity checking is always going to be bypassable so just enforcement would be nicer imo

this is reasonable.
I've been in two rounds recently where it became a funny gimmick. I'd hate to lose that because some people try to turn it into an unfunny gimmick.

Well Teddy at least we can agree that something should be enforce about it and regardless of my experiences I still think it a cheap way to steal someone's identity when there are other in game options to do just that and the examples you used are the same examples I used and even said I was ok with cause they make me laugh and I've seen really creative spoof of my name and others though out the years.

What you guys are talking about sounds more like metagaming; someone with a grudge against you taking it out on you by acting like a shit in your name.

Yes cause this is one of two ways it can be abused and at most a player should get a warning for it imo, Cause A you are being cheap for taking the easy route for a identity thief and B if taken a step forward can be used for meta grudges. There was only one time out of the four when this happen to me that a admin took action and that is when I was spaced by my "evil twin" it happen right at the start of the game and even though he got banned I was forced to sit out for the entire round. Things like this should not be abused but I feel it should not be removed either and at most there should be some kind of enforcement to make sure said abuse never happens again, be it for being used for a meta grudge of some kind or taking the easy route for stealing a identity.

Again using it to make a parody of a player's name is ok by me.

[Erev]

I've never actually seen this done - at least not that I'm aware of. I do think that the name boxes do have a legitimate use and should be kept around. That said, I am also very supportive of those name boxes running a quick check to ensure that the name is not in use this round.

[Frank_Stein]

I've never actually seen this done - at least not that I'm aware of. I do think that the name boxes do have a legitimate use and should be kept around. That said, I am also very supportive of those name boxes running a quick check to ensure that the name is not in use this round.

How about if you try to do the same name as someone else, you get "Bizarro" tacked onto the front of it and something like a eyepatch, mustache?

[Haprenti]

For the name boxes part of the issue, have the name registered in your character profile
Like, "Name : xyz, Advanced options : Clown name : abc, Cyborg name : def, AI name : ghi" etc.