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  1. #1

    Suggestion: The ability to view a users previous names and icons.

    I say this because of multiple troll accounts who will try and rotate their names and icons in attempts to regain credibility with a name change while still preserving their post count to make it look like they have been here for a while.

    Not asking the world, but if I was an absolute turd who lied, antagonized and trolled to the point I was known for it, I shouldn't be able to just change my name and have people not know who I am without having to do massive homework trying to look at my post histories along with any responses to them to figure out whom I really was.

    Should be able to just look at the name and see a "Previous Name" option.

    And off topic in response to your part on repeat offenders.
    If you think there is no consequence for repeat/frequent offenders, then you aren't understanding the points system. The punishment for repeat offenders is escalating ban durations and eventual account closure. If someone is at the level where they are triggering three week bans -- there are only a few tiers above that -- they are dangerously close to this happening.
    Please spend some time in the politics section and you will see that they have learned to game that system to uselessness. We have literally had known trolls on there for over a year and still there.
    Since we can't call out Trolls and Bad Faith posters and the Ignore function doesn't actually ignore it. Add
    "mmo-champion.com##li.postbitignored"
    to your ublock or adblock filter to actually ignore ignored posters. Now just need a way to ignore responses to them as well.

  2. #2
    Seconding before this thread too gets locked with a lame excuse and no action whatsoever.
    “There you stand, the good man doing nothing. And while evil triumphs, and your rigid pacifism crumbles to blood stained dust, the only victory afforded to you is that you stuck true to your guns.”

  3. #3
    Scarab Lord MCMLXXXII's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fugus View Post
    I say this because of multiple troll accounts who will try and rotate their names and icons in attempts to regain credibility with a name change while still preserving their post count to make it look like they have been here for a while.

    Not asking the world, but if I was an absolute turd who lied, antagonized and trolled to the point I was known for it, I shouldn't be able to just change my name and have people not know who I am without having to do massive homework trying to look at my post histories along with any responses to them to figure out whom I really was.

    Should be able to just look at the name and see a "Previous Name" option.

    And off topic in response to your part on repeat offenders.


    Please spend some time in the politics section and you will see that they have learned to game that system to uselessness. We have literally had known trolls on there for over a year and still there.
    And all of a sudden those trolls got permabanned after my question about repeating offenders.

  4. #4
    Void Lord Doctor Amadeus's Avatar
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    Personally I changed my name maybe 3 times since I have been here in 11+ years and I have changed my photo 3 or 4. However in none of those times did I do so to hide who I am for example.

    If you have someone on Ignore, as I have only ever done twice in the time I've been here, anytime they changed their names, they are still on my ignore list. Changing names or Photos doesn't change that.

    As for hiding if someone has been here say 10 years, while there are more than a handful no, it's really is impossible to hide from anyone especially people here who have been here a long time. You can't hide your history or post count.


    Bottom line I think what you're requesting is fine, but I personally don't see it as doing anything, especially when the problem with what you are talking about are VPNs and parked Alt Accounts on here that once one gets banned they literally hop on another with a whole new identity.


    People change their names, people might change their avatar, that isn't hiding, it's background sometimes it's nice to have a different esthetic. Hell some do it to be festive for holidays too
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  5. #5
    Herald of the Titans Aurabolt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doctor Amadeus View Post


    Bottom line I think what you're requesting is fine, but I personally don't see it as doing anything, especially when the problem with what you are talking about are VPNs and parked Alt Accounts on here that once one gets banned they literally hop on another with a whole new identity.


    People change their names, people might change their avatar, that isn't hiding, it's background sometimes it's nice to have a different esthetic. Hell some do it to be festive for holidays too
    THIS right here is a problem I see especially in WoW General and WoW Lore personally. Someone will make a new account just to either make a troll thread to whine about something or to argue/attack someone to protect their alt account from getting banned.

    How about making it so if someone with an existing account makes a new account, they are forced to acknowledge they are making a new account and they must link their "alt" account(s) to their "main" account. Further, any infractions or bans sustained by the alt account is automatically applied to the main and other alt accounts as well so there's no ban evasions. Not only that, they're barred from making new accounts to evade bans.
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  6. #6
    Spam Assassin! MoanaLisa's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aurabolt View Post
    How about making it so if someone with an existing account makes a new account, they are forced to acknowledge they are making a new account and they must link their "alt" account(s) to their "main" account. Further, any infractions or bans sustained by the alt account is automatically applied to the main and other alt accounts as well so there's no ban evasions. Not only that, they're barred from making new accounts to evade bans.
    Wouldn't you imagine that if the site could do that, it would? I have no idea how anyone would determine that a new account is an alt other than through IP which is a fairly difficult thing given the easy availability of cheap (or free) VPN services. Not everyone is on a fixed IP and spoofing an IP isn't exactly a guarded secret either.
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  7. #7
    Mechagnome Indigenously Abled's Avatar
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    Or just like... realize that posting here is a waste of time, and investing any effort into trying to have any meaningful discourse is an even bigger waste.
    Thanks for the ad-hominem; it supports your inability to support your argument.

  8. #8
    The Unstoppable Force Orange Joe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Fugus View Post
    I say this because of multiple troll accounts who will try and rotate their names and icons in attempts to regain credibility with a name change while still preserving their post count to make it look like they have been here for a while.

    Not asking the world, but if I was an absolute turd who lied, antagonized and trolled to the point I was known for it, I shouldn't be able to just change my name and have people not know who I am without having to do massive homework trying to look at my post histories along with any responses to them to figure out whom I really was.

    Should be able to just look at the name and see a "Previous Name" option.

    And off topic in response to your part on repeat offenders.


    Please spend some time in the politics section and you will see that they have learned to game that system to uselessness. We have literally had known trolls on there for over a year and still there.
    With how they enforce the rules it's very simple to bend around them when you want. I'm guilty of this myself.
    MMO-Champ the place where calling out trolls get you into more trouble than trolling.

  9. #9
    I had a name change (well, merge... had two accounts where 1 was 10+k other was like 4k posts), but you'll never guess who I was !

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Fugus View Post
    I say this because of multiple troll accounts who will try and rotate their names and icons in attempts to regain credibility with a name change while still preserving their post count to make it look like they have been here for a while.

    Not asking the world, but if I was an absolute turd who lied, antagonized and trolled to the point I was known for it, I shouldn't be able to just change my name and have people not know who I am without having to do massive homework trying to look at my post histories along with any responses to them to figure out whom I really was.

    Should be able to just look at the name and see a "Previous Name" option.

    And off topic in response to your part on repeat offenders.


    Please spend some time in the politics section and you will see that they have learned to game that system to uselessness. We have literally had known trolls on there for over a year and still there.
    Eh, it's trivial to generate and utilise burner accounts anyway. I used to do so before i decided to stick to this one, but since i was posting often enough it seemed like common courtesy to give a stable name for others to refer to me when i am using their site anyway.

    The reason for the past burners was not to troll, though i still abhor the censorship on things americans deem offensive or whatever, but rather because i dislike accounts in general for these sorts of places and also it slightly raises the threshold to post things, making it less likely that i waste time unintentionally.

    But yeah, since i regard a stable identity for others and maintaining an account here to be common courtesy if you frequent this place, well, i am not opposed to having a name-change log either, even if i note it will likely not deter the ones yo are annoyed with.
    For themi can only advise you to not take it personally, they're just people like yourself (and myself), and their opinions and intentions do not matter at all unless they can actually reach you (which most can't in practice even if they knew who you are or when and where etc.).
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  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by loras View Post
    Eh, it's trivial to generate and utilise burner accounts anyway. I used to do so before i decided to stick to this one, but since i was posting often enough it seemed like common courtesy to give a stable name for others to refer to me when i am using their site anyway.

    The reason for the past burners was not to troll, though i still abhor the censorship on things americans deem offensive or whatever, but rather because i dislike accounts in general for these sorts of places and also it slightly raises the threshold to post things, making it less likely that i waste time unintentionally.

    But yeah, since i regard a stable identity for others and maintaining an account here to be common courtesy if you frequent this place, well, i am not opposed to having a name-change log either, even if i note it will likely not deter the ones yo are annoyed with.
    For themi can only advise you to not take it personally, they're just people like yourself (and myself), and their opinions and intentions do not matter at all unless they can actually reach you (which most can't in practice even if they knew who you are or when and where etc.).
    I figure it won't stop them but at least will make them easier to identify.

    And unlike creating the burner accounts, their name change allowed them to keep their post count which can give them a fake air of legitimacy around them at times because you see they have been here for a while and you don't recognize them so you are trying to see how honest they are and stuff like that until you realize this is literally the same guy you have seen for years now lying through their teeth, doesn't believe half to anything they say, will read an article and then tell you it said the exact opposite in it intentionally ignoring all the import bits and mainly is there because he likes to "Stir the pot" and watch people respond.

    As opposed to, "I never saw that name before put has an icon for previous avatars so lets see..... Oh it's them...."
    Since we can't call out Trolls and Bad Faith posters and the Ignore function doesn't actually ignore it. Add
    "mmo-champion.com##li.postbitignored"
    to your ublock or adblock filter to actually ignore ignored posters. Now just need a way to ignore responses to them as well.

  12. #12
    Given European privacy laws, I doubt they will try to actively invade the privacy of others by doing this. Trolls are bad, don't get me wrong. But when the cure is as bad as the disease, you won't find many takers.

  13. #13
    Immortal TEHPALLYTANK's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yakut View Post
    Given European privacy laws, I doubt they will try to actively invade the privacy of others by doing this. Trolls are bad, don't get me wrong. But when the cure is as bad as the disease, you won't find many takers.
    The cure isn't anywhere near as bad as the disease, it just is inconvenient to have to dig through someone's post history to figure out who they are. A record already exists in the form of your post history, what the OP is suggesting is allowing users to do the same with forum names. There is no risk of privacy violation, because your forum name isn't private information.
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  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Fugus View Post
    I figure it won't stop them but at least will make them easier to identify.

    And unlike creating the burner accounts, their name change allowed them to keep their post count which can give them a fake air of legitimacy around them at times because you see they have been here for a while and you don't recognize them so you are trying to see how honest they are and stuff like that until you realize this is literally the same guy you have seen for years now lying through their teeth, doesn't believe half to anything they say, will read an article and then tell you it said the exact opposite in it intentionally ignoring all the import bits and mainly is there because he likes to "Stir the pot" and watch people respond.

    As opposed to, "I never saw that name before put has an icon for previous avatars so lets see..... Oh it's them...."
    Fair enough i suppose, maybe that's the reason i have never looked much at post count and such, apart from the funny little titles like "Oh hey i'm a warchief now" and such.
    This is a signature of an ailing giant, boundless in pride, wit and strength.
    Yet also as humble as health and humor permit.

    Furthermore, I consider that Carthage Slam must be destroyed.

  15. #15
    Free Food!?!?! Tziva's Avatar
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    Guys, please do not discuss/encourage evade or alt accounts. That isn't allowed here.

    Since we don't allow people to have multiple accounts, one of the uses of name changes is to give people who want a fresh start. Sure, someone really motivated could dig through their post history and identify them, but this allows a degree of a new beginning without total opacity. If someone maintains the same behaviour, then they will quickly develop the same reputation under the new name. However, if they use the new name to actively cultivate a better standing with the community, then good on them.

    I'm not really sure there is much advantage to revealing their past name changes publically other than to hurt those in this scenario by pre-biasing people and preventing them from distancing themselves from their history if they are sincerely trying to improve. Those that aren't improving and are just carrying on the same bad behaviour are going to be obvious immediately no matter what name they are under. If one is concerned about bad faith posters, it should be easy to judge this based on their actual posts without needing to know their prior handles. I don't think it's that crazy to evaluate users based on the current content of their posts rather than the reputation tied to the handle itself.

    Admins have seen this thread so the suggestion is noted, but I think we'd have to hear a really good argument for why this change would be worth development time besides "I want to just assume the quality of someone's post based on their name rather than the post's content." To me, it seems like a lot of work to address a concern that can be solved by just reading posts, and it would also invalidate those few that are actually putting in effort to become better users and get away from an old reputation.
    Last edited by Tziva; 2022-08-31 at 07:02 PM. Reason: I accidentally a word


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  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Fugus View Post
    Please spend some time in the politics section and you will see that they have learned to game that system to uselessness. We have literally had known trolls on there for over a year and still there.
    There are a few subforums that have this problem. Same bad faith posters for a long time. Between technology like VPNs and becoming buddys with "the powers that be", people have learned how to skate by unscathed. One thing I've learned in my experience is that if you honestly feel someone is a troll, do not respond to them. They're banking on you doing just that so you they can string you along their agenda. Don't fall into the rabbit hole.

    Quote Originally Posted by Mekh View Post
    Seconding before this thread too gets locked with a lame excuse and no action whatsoever.
    I've personally always found it odd to have a forum for suggestions and feedback and whenever someone gives a legit suggestion or feedback, the response is burying their head in the sand. Seems a bit counterintuitive, but that's my my perception.

    Quote Originally Posted by Tziva View Post
    Guys, please do not discuss/encourage evade or alt accounts. That isn't allowed here.
    .
    The rules only state that you cannot have an evade or alt account and that you are not allowed to call someone an evade or alt. Nowhere in the rules does it state you cannot discuss the subject. That's called "moving the goalposts".
    Being assertive is NOT trolling. It's alarming how many people (including moderators) still have not got that memo.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Necromantic View Post
    There are a few subforums that have this problem. Same bad faith posters for a long time. Between technology like VPNs and becoming buddys with "the powers that be", people have learned how to skate by unscathed. One thing I've learned in my experience is that if you honestly feel someone is a troll, do not respond to them. They're banking on you doing just that so you they can string you along their agenda. Don't fall into the rabbit hole.
    I typically don't but most seem to WANT to fall for it every time. They don't want to just ignore them and feel compelled to respond and correct them even when absolutely everyone there knows they are a troll.

    As an experiment once I actually decided to try and actually told them I was doing it and how the only way to win against it was to not play and I STILL got 2 pages in with my outright telling them they lost every time they responded. I basically gave them a flashlight and a map and too many still couldn't help themselves and I wasn't even lying about stuff I was saying so there was really nothing to correct other than people coming in with "If they are lying, its never a waste to correct them" neglecting the fact that they know they are lying as does everyone else and the only reason they are lying is BECAUSE they know you will spend 15 pages correcting as they talk in circles making the threads completely worthless and virtually unreadable during that time with anything relevant now buried under a pile of shit posting.

    Edit: But that is besides the point because those were people who didn't even change names. But having it where people will do that crap and then change their name and having to figure out who this person is again to figure out which names to ignore as not worth the read anymore.
    Last edited by Fugus; 2022-09-02 at 03:48 PM.
    Since we can't call out Trolls and Bad Faith posters and the Ignore function doesn't actually ignore it. Add
    "mmo-champion.com##li.postbitignored"
    to your ublock or adblock filter to actually ignore ignored posters. Now just need a way to ignore responses to them as well.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Fugus View Post
    I typically don't but most seem to WANT to fall for it every time. They don't want to just ignore them and feel compelled to respond and correct them even when absolutely everyone there knows they are a troll.

    As an experiment once I actually decided to try and actually told them I was doing it and how the only way to win against it was to not play and I STILL got 2 pages in with my outright telling them they lost every time they responded. I basically gave them a flashlight and a map and too many still couldn't help themselves and I wasn't even lying about stuff I was saying so there was really nothing to correct other than people coming in with "If they are lying, its never a waste to correct them" neglecting the fact that they know they are lying as does everyone else and the only reason they are lying is BECAUSE they know you will spend 15 pages correcting as they talk in circles making the threads completely worthless and virtually unreadable during that time with anything relevant now buried under a pile of shit posting.

    Edit: But that is besides the point because those were people who didn't even change names. But having it where people will do that crap and then change their name and having to figure out who this person is again to figure out which names to ignore as not worth the read anymore.
    I don't believe anybody wants to fall for it, I believe they don't have enough self-control to refrain or their minds are not trained enough to NOT get upset by the instigators.

    "If they are lying, its never a waste to correct them" is a fallacious black hole. When someone is lying, they're usually willing to go so far down the rabbit hole that it ends up being a waste of time to pursue as they have no intention of being honest. So you put yourself in a perpetual loop that could be usefully spent elsewhere. So whoever told you that, they were incorrect. As you said, these people bank on you pursuing them for 15 (or so) pages. They're getting exactly what they want.

    Despite name changes, if you honestly believe someone's post is in bad faith, just don't respond to them. Faroth isn't a mod anymore so you're not going to get in trouble for ignoring someone. The person can claim "You're not replying, so I win!" all day long, that doesn't make is so. I know this will also sound bad, but you owe nothing to anyone on a message forum.
    Being assertive is NOT trolling. It's alarming how many people (including moderators) still have not got that memo.

  19. #19
    The Unstoppable Force Bakis's Avatar
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    That's a bloody lot of small extra files in the dB, the pics alone

    Out of curiosity, any mod know how many user accounts that has been created(and also used) on MMoC over the years?
    But soon after Mr Xi secured a third term, Apple released a new version of the feature in China, limiting its scope. Now Chinese users of iPhones and other Apple devices are restricted to a 10-minute window when receiving files from people who are not listed as a contact. After 10 minutes, users can only receive files from contacts.
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  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by Bakis View Post
    Out of curiosity, any mod know how many user accounts that has been created(and also used) on MMoC over the years?
    It tells you at the bottom of the forums page.

    https://www.mmo-champion.com/forum.php

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