Surnames are stupid

[Boo-Yeah!!]

Am I the only one who really hates the surname system? I know a lot of the RPG gamers really hate it and dont see how different aliens could come from the same line of family. I still dont understand why it was ever implemented or atleast not made an optional part of the game. Certainly this deserved some more thinking by Bioware. Its just another name I have to come up with and rush to the low levels of 30 so I can reserve a name that appeals to me and not something I really dont like because the name has already been taken.

The only positive that has come out of this whole surname nonsense is that I can hide it from my nameplate over my character in the preferences options. I wont have to look at my name being Darth "Name" "Surname" and can go back to being how it should be as just Darth "Name".

So an example would be if this were in the Star Wars movies. Instead of Darth Vader we would get Darth Vader Skywalker.... Certainly doesnt have the same ring to it. Darth Maul would be Darth Maul Alpha... or whatever. It just has no business being in a Star Wars game.

I can see how it could help trolling and keeping people out of guilds that have been kicked out for certain things and cant sneak back in as a different character but surely this could have been made so that its just a name that only you can see and only on an account type field and not an in game option forced onto the player base and one that has to be unique and cant be used by two different accounts.

I really feel sorry for the people who get this game down the road and once finishing Act 1 and getting the legacy system they have to choose some random name because every other decent name in the game has been taken.

 

[Martyr]

word

 

[Boo-Yeah!!]

I like the idea but the way it was implemented was stupid is what im getting at. Those three reasons are the primary reasons its stupid. Its like having to create another character.. time to think of another name that someone already hasnt grabbed away.

The main people who seem to be really displeased with this are the role players. Its like a slap in the face to them. I can see why they are upset with this. How does a twi lek sith sorcerer decend from the same famiyl tree as your cyborg bounty hunter and zabrak jedi knight? Fore role playing purposes its not a very good system.

The main problems that it boils down to are 2 things:

1) It has to be unique on the server and once someone has it its gone.
2) Its forced on you and not an optional option to put on your character so its bad for role players who have already decided on a name at character creation and this throws them all into whack.

Think of someone who comes in 8 months down the road and pretty much every name out there is taken... Theres no customization left for them. They have to rely on a random name generator or something very obligatory. Its not a fair system for the populace.

If there wasnt a way to hide your surname from your character pane above your character I think a lot more people would be incensed by this. I ll make my surname when I hit lvl 30 but I wont ever display the damn thing. I just dont see the point.

I already picked my character name at the character creation why couldnt the surname creation happen at that time as well?? So if I had a smuggler character named Hansolo is he now going to be Hansolo Solo? Its just poor planning on Biowares part.

 

[Snipeye]

Don't honestly really mind. The surname system was something I remember being looked forward to back in Everquest, and the same rules applied pretty much. Not to mention, it's just a small detail of the game. I don't think everyone's going to be referring to you as Mr. Skywalker. They'll just say your name and that's that. This is really a minute complaint that doesn't have a lot of implications really. Sorry if you can't get the surname you wanted. First come, first serve. Deal with it. If a person 8 months down the road wanted that surname, they should of played the game earlier to get that surname.

On the flip side, the opposite is true. This is the risk of playing a brand new IP without knowing all the details of how the system has been setup. Live and learn. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. We're really not in any position to do anything about it except to complain, notify Bioware, and hope for the best.

 

[darkage]

Personally, I like the surname system. They are going to add things to it. Don't think of it as a shared last name of a family.

In the old days, there were guilds and clans. Which were 2 different things.

A clan(Or like a Japanese noble family) is a group of families that all live together, grow up together.

Prime example
Highlander - "Connor Macleod" The last name is given from the clan he was in, in the beginning of the movie.

Think of this as a clan, Non blood related people sharing the same last name.

 

[xosniper]

My guys name is Darth, so he will be Darth Darth, deal with it!!!





ps I'm only kidding

 

[Mezrin]

I don't mind the surname system. When I used to play on Star Wars Role Play sims in Second Life, I had a character named Mezrin Kenin. I am now Lord Mezrin Kenin. I am happy again.

 

[Keith Witcher]

The legacy system isn't really intended as a surname for roleplaying. It's a way to incorporate all your characters to a bigger thing not IC context. While you -can- use it as a surname I doubt thats its full intention.

 

[babyJam]

i avoid someone stealing my names by being original...