We feel so...friendly.
Would not be allowed on Battle.net.
So say the notes of patch #13, which indicate that Blizzard has removed the “unique identifier” portion of their naming system, which was a central feature of the original Starcraft, and was present in full force in the Beta up until this unluckily-numbered patch.
The unique naming system consisted of a ‘.’ between your “first” name, which could be any of the standard names like “Protosskilr” or “Zerger” or “Terranoob”, or the more ridiculous versions like “XxKiLLzoNe25XXpewpew”, and your “last” name.
This allowed for multiple versions of the same name – “XxKiLLzoNe25XXpewpew” was a popular one in 2010 – but made sure that they were separate and distinct with the clever use of a period. Perhaps this encouraged more douchebaggery than it solved, but at least it meant everyone could always have the name they wanted, and that friends could be easily identified by the portion of their name that came after the “.”. This was of benefit because even if players created multiple profiles, the last portion of the name would still be the same.
We’re not sure why this wasn’t working out, but it’s been removed in the latest patch, forcing players to once again compete for the best names in the game, and making friends harder to find.
Sort of.
Whereas in the initial portion of the Beta, you could invite someone to be your friend simply by searching for “Ilove.ShortShorts” and inviting them. They would see it when they next logged in, free to confirm or deny.
Now, this is no longer possible. You cannot search for friends by name (understandable, given the lack of last names), and instead must have their e-mail address handy or be willing to invite them by being Facebook friends with them.
We know, this is the way of things now, but we’re a little bit disappointed, Blizzard. What’s next? Terrans displaying picture albums of their latest wartime victories, happily tagging dead Zerg in their snapshots and commenting on each other’s photos?
We can only hope not.
While we can understand that making people harder to find and friend may actually be of benefit in some cases, this just isn’t going to fly in a casual sense. It prohibits players from friending someone if they aren’t actively in a game with them or are unwilling to provide an E-mail address.
We’re not friends with the whole “RealID” concept, and we never have been. It’s never going to get our E-mail address, and we’re so totally never tweeting about it.
This change just inches the whole concept one step closer to a point of “big brother” like infiltration, where the web stops being a place of anonymity and dirty deeds done in cloaked shadows, and becomes just another regulated, regurgitated mirror of the rest of our boring lives.
We like the shadowy dirtiness. Sure, it breeds idiots, but it can be a great deal of fun if you know what you’re doing. Plus, breeding idiots is a lucrative business these days – you just need to know how to promote!
In sum total, we don’t like either of these changes. Perhaps the naming and/or friend system will return to its former glory with the actual release, but we sort of doubt it.
The social media juggernaut is coming, and it’s not distracted by pretty lights or the screaming of a million tortured souls, all wondering how their most intimate memories ended up online.
Turns out this rose has thorns.
