[Foxka]

All I know is that if someone else joins with the name dong for some reason… I am NOT changing my name (100 emoji) I’ve used it here for 7 years!!! They can eat my shorts!!!

I'm dong now. I have seniority, rip bozo!!

[tiefling lesbian]

I kind of agree with this change, but I feel like it should be decided on a case-by-case basis since this doesn't seem to happen that often. With the specific issue that has been happening this week, for instance, I find it really confusing when the guest Hot Pocket gets to keep his name, whereas the REAL Hot Pocket has to change her name, so that whenever guest Hot Pocket types in chat I think it's Real Hot Pocket. Additionally, if someone calls out Hot Pocket, I will always think it's Real Hot Pocket at least when I first hear it. Maybe this is just a me issue tho!

It's based on whoever connected to the server first, if the guest joined after the regular then he would have to change his name

[coco]

hot pocket (fake) gets on before hot pocket (real) can every day, so hot pocket (real) can just never be hot pocket again (or for as long as the guest sticks around)? idk seems wrong to me. why are we prioritizing a guest over an established donor of the community? at the end of the day not everyone is going to get what they want, someones going to have to be disappointed and I personally would rather disappoint a guest than the person who's been here for a long time, shown loyalty and dedication, and has spent actual money on the server. just my opinion

[dong]

I feel like an established member of the community should not have to change their name even if they log on to the server after this new name thief. There was another example a few weeks ago where we had Helen aka Moocow and another guest named Moocow and someone really suggested making a Mod who has been here for 7-8 years change their name over the guest bc the guest joined first… really made me scratch my head. I feel like for most scenarios whoever joins first is fine, but I don’t think well established people should ever have to be the one to change their name over some new person.

[Snow (3)]

In my opinion, it's not fair to play on a server for hours and then suddenly be told you have to change your name because someone with the same name connected way after you even though you've been using that name for years. I get that it's frustrating if someone can't use their regular name because a guest joined first, but this feels like the less unfair of the two options.
Again, just my opinion, which doesn't necessarily mean things can't be changed.

Regarding the first sentence in here, imagine playing on a server for over a year and then suddenly you can't use the name that you've used in the community that entire time, the name you've established yourself with. It would be even more confusing if both players had the same rank, and could easily be mistaken for one another.

In my opinion, I'm not sure why its a better option to cater to new players than to cater to regulars who have been around a long time.

I kind of agree with this change, but I feel like it should be decided on a case-by-case basis since this doesn't seem to happen that often. With the specific issue that has been happening this week, for instance, I find it really confusing when the guest Hot Pocket gets to keep his name, whereas the REAL Hot Pocket has to change her name, so that whenever guest Hot Pocket types in chat I think it's Real Hot Pocket. Additionally, if someone calls out Hot Pocket, I will always think it's Real Hot Pocket at least when I first hear it. Maybe this is just a me issue tho!

It's based on whoever connected to the server first, if the guest joined after the regular then he would have to change his name

This poses an issue of time zone or work pattern. If player A is east coast and typically logs on first for the day, and player B is west coast, the west coast player will never connect first.

[Foxka]

Regulars should not have to change their names to make way for guests. The guest needs to change it because having a similar name breaks the rules. Regardless of who joined first, established regulars should take precedent over someone completely new.

[Misstie6731]

In my opinion, it's not fair to play on a server for hours and then suddenly be told you have to change your name because someone with the same name connected way after you even though you've been using that name for years. I get that it's frustrating if someone can't use their regular name because a guest joined first, but this feels like the less unfair of the two options.
Again, just my opinion, which doesn't necessarily mean things can't be changed.

I think its not fair to play on the server for a long time then be told to change your name period 

[Ryan]

We're presented with "which is more unfair?": Asking a new member to change their name even though they've been in the server for 3 hours, or asking the established member to change their name even though they've been in the community for... lets call it at least 6 months.

Either way someone loses. In this lose-lose situation, I'm siding with the established member.

Edit: I dont think this needs a written rule change. This is a rare instance of a new player becoming a regular on the server who shares the name with someone who has been playing here for over a year. If this was one session with a random guest, I'd say make Hot Pocket change her name. Since this looks like it will be a prolonged issue, we need a judgement that is more permanent than simply a race to see who can connect first.

[murl]

As far as duplicate names, how often does it really happen? Does once or twice per year justify a rule clarification or change?

If it's really a problem, then neither solution presented so far is fair to the player that has to change their name. If someone is joining with a specific name like "misstie6731" then it's clear they're trolling or impersonating, and will be asked to change by staff. With an example like 'dong', a short, common word, it's not fair to OG dong OR guest dong to be forced to change their name if they've both had that name forever.

As far as an actual solution that has minimal impact on gameplay (and minimal impact on egos of the nameholders), it should be possible for our TTT devs to detect duplicate usernames on the server and then prefix their names with a random NATO phonetic letter. For example, if 3 dongs joined, their names could be [tango] dong, [whiskey] dong, [papa] dong, etc.

but that's probably too much work to dedicate to an issue that rarely affects the server

[nico]

maybe it wouldnt be a big deal if your name wasnt a common noun like "snow". perhaps make your name supersnow2014abcdefg next time