Xbox Live Gamertag Switch Causes Nickname Anguish

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Xbox Live Gamertag Switch Causes Nickname Anguish

Posted by simoniker on Thursday July 8, 2004 @04:01PM from the l33t-is-leet-no-more dept.

Thanks to TeamXbox for its story discussing issues requiring some Xbox Live players to switch their GamerTag name IDs, since, according to Microsoft: "There are many names on the Xbox Live service that are extremely similar to other Gamertags (in most cases differentiated by only a single space.)" Some gamers who have had the same nickname for almost 2 years are understandably upset, though Microsoft is offering "a free game... [and] 1 year subscription to Xbox Live" by way of compensation. An official Microsoft spokesperson on the Xbox.com messageboards indicated: "This problem has nothing to do with the way we code...it's what we need to do to normalize data as we connect to other partners that need to work w/ [Xbox] Live... We are very upset that we had to do this" - some commenters claim (though it's not been specifically stated) that EA's upcoming Xbox Live debut has helped precipitate the name switch.

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Shit happens by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-08 16:19 · Score: 1, Insightful

Get over it. Microsoft is giving an appropriate package for the losing party. It's not like they were secretly planning to fuck HaloKing since the incarnation of xbl. Some people can be so unreasonable.
1. Re:Shit happens by wheresdrew · 2004-07-08 16:45 · Score: 0, Redundant
  
  Maybe not HaloKing, but what about the Mech King?
Who? by satoshi1 · 2004-07-08 16:59 · Score: 3, Insightful

Who has to change names? Gamers that already have the names? Or the newer gamers that have ones similar to the older ones? Some gamers who have had the same nickname for almost 2 years are understandably upset leads me to believe that the gamers who've had their tags for the longer period of time are the ones getting boned.
1. Re:Who? by Snowmit · 2004-07-08 17:06 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  Who has to change names? Gamers that already have the names? Or the newer gamers that have ones similar to the older ones? Some gamers who have had the same nickname for almost 2 years are understandably upset leads me to believe that the gamers who've had their tags for the longer period of time are the ones getting boned.
  
  Or it could mean that MasterChief has had his nickname for almost two years +(20 seconds). Suck it up, m4sterche1f.
  
  --
  I have a lot of opinions about Cyborgs and Architects
2. Re:Who? by fireduck · 2004-07-08 18:34 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  reading the forum postings in the 2nd link, it sounds like both parties with similar name are being forced to change. lots of people complaining about identical names with and without spaces being hit (e.g., fire duck & fireduck); most of the complainers seem to have been beta testers from the beginning of the xbl service. so it's understandable they'd be annoyed.
3. Re:Who? by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-08 19:40 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  If I was "boned" by being forced to change a username and then given a free game and a free year's subscription, I can't really say I'd be particularly upset. To be frank, I'll be disappointed if I get home this evening and find they've not asked me to change.
4. Re:Who? by bigman2003 · 2004-07-09 02:08 · Score: 1
  
  The odd thing to me is....who is having the confusion?
  
  Assuming this is a technical issue, why can't the third parties software tell the difference between Elite_Guy and E1ite_Guy?
  
  Are they printing out the database, and then loading it back in using OCR?
  
  I've never had a database confuse two items because they were similar. Then again, I don't use databases with fuzzy logic, maybe that's my problem.
  
  --
  No reason to lie.
Madness by Snowmit · 2004-07-08 17:09 · Score: 4, Insightful

Anyone else feeling like it's kind of unfair that the people who couldn't find a name more creative than kill3r are now getting FREE LOOT?

--
I have a lot of opinions about Cyborgs and Architects
LOL LOL by superpulpsicle · 2004-07-08 17:25 · Score: 3, Insightful

I am surprised Microsoft didn't go to PS2 online games and make PS2 users change names for a free xbox game.

Who cares if they all have the same name. Give them a freaking unique ID. Hello? Database 101.
1. Re:LOL LOL by cassidyc · 2004-07-08 19:57 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  10112323 was killed by 544343223
  
  yeah that'll work...
  
  ya dick
2. Re:LOL LOL by Babbster · 2004-07-08 20:05 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  The dick is you. "FragBastard" could be stored in the database with the unique ID "10034932" while "Frag_Bastard" would be "10034032." The two players would still be seen with their names while the software would recognize them by either the name or the number. THAT is what grandparent is talking about. Dick.
3. Re:LOL LOL by cassidyc · 2004-07-08 21:08 · Score: 0
  
  which brings us back to unique names, why not use that...
  
  Oh they have! that'll be the Gamertag.
  
  All this is moot anyway, all your friends should now which frag_bastard/fragbastard/fr4g|3astard you are.
4. Re:LOL LOL by Daetrin · 2004-07-08 22:32 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  which brings us back to unique names, why not use that...
  Oh they have! that'll be the Gamertag.
  Have you not been paying attention, or are you being intentionaly obtuse?
  The problem is that they can not have two people using the same nick because the nick is currently the unique ID. Using unique ID numbers along with nicks, so as to allow people to choose whatever nick they want, does not "bring us back to unique names," because a unique ID has always been required from step one by the nature of the system. The only question is what the unique key should be.
  And i hate to tell you this, but in the real world there are people with the _same_name_ who are in fact _different_people_. And we seem to deal with it okay. I may know several Sarahs, but i have no trouble telling them apart. If it ever comes up in conversation and there's the possibility of confusion i can say "Sarah X" or "Sarah who lives in Place_Y" and everyone deals just fine. I expect it would be the same way in XBox Live or any other online system. It seems unlikely that the average person would have too many people on their friends list with the same name. They'd just have to put in the unique ID once when they added them, and that would be that.
  If you're confused because the only people who will play with you are frag_bastard, fragbastard, and fr4g|3astard, i expect that's more of a commentary on your personality rather than the feasability of the system.
  
  --
  This Space Intentionally Left Blank
5. Re:LOL LOL by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-08 23:04 · Score: 0
  
  I expect it would be the same way in XBox Live
  you need to leave your place and go outside more often.
6. Re:LOL LOL by JFMulder · 2004-07-08 23:16 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Gamer Tags are not the actual database ID. They're USER NAMES. People are getting confused because for any John Smith nick name you can have JohnSmith, John Smith, John Smith, Jonh Smith, john smith. That's what's confusing people.
7. Re:LOL LOL by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 00:52 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  And i hate to tell you this, but in the real world there are people with the _same_name_ who are in fact _different_people_. And we seem to deal with it okay. I may know several Sarahs, but i have no trouble telling them apart. If it ever comes up in conversation and there's the possibility of confusion i can say "Sarah X" or "Sarah who lives in Place_Y" and everyone deals just fine.
  
  Except for the fact that I, as a user, need the ability to easily look people up and add them to my friends list on Xbox Live. For that you need a unique user ID. That's the reason why the unique key is the user nick.
8. Re:LOL LOL by cassidyc · 2004-07-09 01:05 · Score: 0, Flamebait
  
  Have you not been reading the words that I type, or are you imagining someother conversation.
  
  I KNOW that all the gamertages are different, that's how the whole thing is meant to work.
  
  Which, if you took the time to read and understand, is EXACTLY what I said. If you have to have a unique, then why not the gamertags, it's is what the gamers identify themselves as, which was the point that I was arguing to the parent posts.
  
  I was also stating that if you are fragbastard then your frieds should know that you are fragbastard and not frag_bastard.
  
  None of this confuses me, but when you can understand some of the bigger words you can join in anytime
9. Re:LOL LOL by Mattintosh · 2004-07-09 01:11 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Actually, you could have users 23098203, 20934865, 94832029, and 12893573 all share the exact same nick. You wouldn't need to differentiate between "FragBastard" and "Frag_Bastard". You wouldn't need to exclude spaces from names, either. Imagine that... you could actually name yourself "Frag Bastard" and not fear the total breakdown of XBox Live's user database when the game puts your name up in lights.
  
  It's called good design, and far too few programmers (yes, even /. geeks) bother with it. It's a "who cares" attitude, and I hate it with a passion.
10. Re:LOL LOL by cassidyc · 2004-07-09 01:20 · Score: 1
  
  A good design should take into account requirements.
  
  And it would appear that one of the requirements on xbox-live is that everyone should have a unique gamertag. Probably so we can claim bragging rights/fame/notoriety etc. And people do get attached to their nicks
  
  Anyhoo the unique gamertag was sold as one of XBLs features, and unless you work for MS-XBL and can give us an insight, then we don`t know if it is a "design" or a "requirements" issue.
  
  CJC
11. Re:LOL LOL by llevity · 2004-07-09 01:55 · Score: 1
  
  Okay, so if they went your route for "good design", and multiple people could safely be named FragBastard, then how the heck do you add your friend FragBastard to your list? How do you know which of the 50 FragBastard names that pop up in return to your search are your friend?
  
  Your "good design" shows a lack of "foresight".
12. Re:LOL LOL by king-manic · 2004-07-09 05:19 · Score: 1
  
  Actually, you could have users 23098203, 20934865, 94832029, and 12893573 all share the exact same nick. You wouldn't need to differentiate between "FragBastard" and "Frag_Bastard". You wouldn't need to exclude spaces from names, either. Imagine that... you could actually name yourself "Frag Bastard" and not fear the total breakdown of XBox Live's user database when the game puts your name up in lights.
  
  They don't allow complete duplication. I think the user name is a candidate key, as it is important to other players to ID you. The db key is less important to your user base.
  
  --
  "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
13. Re:LOL LOL by Daetrin · 2004-07-10 08:24 · Score: 1
  
  Which, if you took the time to read and understand, is EXACTLY what I said. If you have to have a unique, then why not the gamertags, it's is what the gamers identify themselves as, which was the point that I was arguing to the parent posts.
  Because, as quite clearly stated by me and others, using the gamertags as unique IDs leads to conflicts between people who want similar or the same names. The proposed solution was explicitly proposed as a solution to that propblem. Stating that if there are unique IDs it might as well be gamertags, as you keep asserting, completly ignores the proposed problem and just takes us back to square one.
  As to why we're considering it a problem, why should person A have more right to a certain name just because they signed up X seconds before person B? Sure, it's cool to be the one and only person with your name, but that's not the way it works in real life, and it won't necessarily work that way online forever. It's too bad that if i try googling myself that multiple people show up, and it probably makes it harder for old friends to find me, but i don't think parents shouldn't be allowed to give future children my name anymore.
  My _friends_ will know that i'm fragbastard and not frag_bastard. Friends can keep track of each other just fine, they don't confuse Josh Smith with Josh Jones. People who don't know either us well will get confused by fragbastard and frag_bastard, but what do i care about the people i don't know?
  
  --
  This Space Intentionally Left Blank
14. Re:LOL LOL by Daetrin · 2004-07-10 08:30 · Score: 1
  
  Except for the fact that I, as a user, need the ability to easily look people up and add them to my friends list on Xbox Live. For that you need a unique user ID. That's the reason why the unique key is the user nick.
  You need a unique key for a LOT more than that, that's just the most obvious purpose to the user.
  As for easily looking people up, the first time i try to call someone i can't just tell the phone "Sarah Jones" and expect it to figure it out. I need to know a phone number. Once i know that number i can program it in (assuming i have a more modern phone at least) and just go by Sarah after that, because _i_ know who i mean when using my own personal phone list. There's no reason a Xbox Live friends list can't work the same way.
  If they don't have it already, Xbox Live could even include brief profiles, so rather than saying "I'm the LeetKiller with ID 1023826141" you could just say "I'm the LeetKiller whose profile says I'm from LA, California."
  
  --
  This Space Intentionally Left Blank
15. Re:LOL LOL by Daetrin · 2004-07-10 08:42 · Score: 1
  
  "I expect it would be the same way in XBox Live"
  you need to leave your place and go outside more often.
  Huh? I'm not sure what you're trying to imply. I get outside pleanty. Given some of the stories i've heard about Xbox Live, any mistaken assumptions i make about the average person on it being competent, civil and inteligent is probably based on spending TOO MUCH time outside and not enough time on Xbox Live (or any time for that matter.)
  So if you meant to say that backwards, i do spend too much time outside with real people and friends to be able to make well informed judgements about the people on Xbox Live. I'm not sure if you meant me to feel insulted or what, but i'm just confused.
  
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  This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Real name by LordNimon · 2004-07-09 01:06 · Score: 2, Insightful

My gamer tag is my full, real name, but I've only had it for a few months. I'd be pretty upset if I had to change it, because then I'd have to come up with a nickname.

--
And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
1. Re:Real name by Rethcir · 2004-07-09 01:43 · Score: 1
  
  Is your slashdot name a reference to the Nimon from Doctor Who?
2. Re:Real name by LordNimon · 2004-07-09 02:52 · Score: 1
  
  Yes. I got a big kick out Soldeed saying, "Lord Niiiiiiiimon, it is I, Soldeeeeeed!".
  
  --
  And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
  To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
3. Re:Real name by Rethcir · 2004-07-09 02:58 · Score: 1
  
  Haha.. that's about the point in the series where Tom Baker was just phoning it in.
4. Re:Real name by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-09 04:48 · Score: 0
  
  I will more people would stick with their real names. Some of the gamer tags I see are so fucking ridiculous. I was lucky enough to use my first name (an uncommon, but not rare or creatively spelled name).
5. Re:Real name by garyok · 2004-07-11 10:13 · Score: 1
  
  What? You've only had a real name for a few months? Did you have a fake one like Phil McCrackin, Claude Bolz, or Bob Zyerunkle? That must be really wierd when you go to the trouble of showing folks your ID and they just take the piss. I can see why you decided to get a real one. Mine real name's done fine for me for 3 decades now.
  
  --
  One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors - Plato
Be More Creative by agraupe · 2004-07-09 02:34 · Score: 1, Interesting

One of the posts on the linked forum was someone called "MasterJedi" or some such. It's cool, but... kinda boring and uncreative. No one will steal a creative nickname, in my experience. For example, in City of Heroes, I have seen: Sp1d3rM@n, Hulk/, hulk2, Tick, Tick returns Get my point? On the other end of the spectrum, my friend called his hero Taraxippos. No one's gonna steal that!
1. Re: Be More Creative by Anonymous Coward · 2004-07-10 06:38 · Score: 0
  
  yay! I have a new name!
DOS filesystem by billcopc · 2004-07-09 08:24 · Score: 0, Offtopic

In related news, XBL user accounts are stored on a 428 meg Connor hard drive formatted as FAT.

C:\XBL\K1LL3R.XBL

Alt-255 anyone ?

--
-Billco, Fnarg.com
Kill the numbered nicks too by mattgreen · 2004-07-09 14:05 · Score: 1

While they're at it they should ban anyone with numbers on the end of their name. YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT YOUR AOL SCREEN NAME ON EVERYTHING THAT IS LABELED "NAME" FOR CRYING OUT LOUD.

Sorry, I just see someone with a name like DreadNagoigth2819 and wonder, "gee, i'm sure there are 2819 other DreadNagoigth's out there and he just got the next one!" Plus, who can remember that they were gaming with Mike29182381 when Mike394812 messages them asking for cyber at 2am?