Xbox Live Gamertag Switch Causes Nickname Anguish 36
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.
Shit happens (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Shit happens (Score:1, Redundant)
Who? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Who? (Score:4, Informative)
Or it could mean that MasterChief has had his nickname for almost two years +(20 seconds). Suck it up, m4sterche1f.
Re:Who? (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Who? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Who? (Score:2)
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.
Madness (Score:5, Insightful)
LOL LOL (Score:4, Insightful)
Who cares if they all have the same name. Give them a freaking unique ID. Hello? Database 101.
Re:LOL LOL (Score:1)
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.
Re:LOL LOL (Score:4, Insightful)
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.
Re:LOL LOL (Score:1)
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, [penny-arcade.com] 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
Re:LOL LOL (Score:1, Insightful)
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 Li
Re:LOL LOL (Score:2)
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 nu
Re:LOL LOL (Score:1, Flamebait)
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
Re:LOL LOL (Score:2)
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
Re:LOL LOL (Score:3, Informative)
It's called good design, and far too few programmers (yes, even
Re:LOL LOL (Score:2)
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
Re:LOL LOL (Score:1)
Your "good design" shows a lack of "foresight".
Re:LOL LOL (Score:2)
They don't allow complete duplication. I think the user name is a candidate key, as it is important to o
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Real name (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Real name (Score:1)
Re:Real name (Score:1)
Re:Real name (Score:1)
Re:Real name (Score:2)
Be More Creative (Score:1, Interesting)
Kill the numbered nicks too (Score:2)
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?