Guild Wars 2

Why is my name “Formulates Cat Maps?” And why does arena net refuse to let me change my display name to something I want, but can apparently change it to whatever they want. I am not happy.

What was your old name?

“Seamus McPlatofart.” Yes, I am aware of how stupid that sounds, and that is why I have requested to change it multiple times, and every time I am denied. But now A-net changes my name to this! So it is a thing they are capable of doing, they just don’t want to change it to a name I want apparently.

Someone reported your name and it was deemed offensive and/or against the terms of service by Anet.

Your current name is an anagram of your previous one.

I think the A-net employee just used an anagram creator on your old name. xD

As annoying as this must be, it is kinda funny and ingenious.

I believe it’s because of the “fart” part. No names hinting at bodily functions are allowed.

So why wont they just let me have the name I requested it to be changed to? Since they are clearly capable of changing my name.

Because there’s no need to change your name now, it’s not breaking any rules.

It could also be because Anet have received a swarm of tickets since the sale of the game and the news of the upcoming expansion, so your name change request is not of the highest priority.

Because they don’t do namechanges on request. Only if you put your real-life name or address or something there (though one has to wonder why on earth someone would do that…).

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

So why wont they just let me have the name I requested it to be changed to? Since they are clearly capable of changing my name.

I think it’s a matter of principle. As soon as A-net let people change their account names to something they want, they’ll have a massive influx of people asking to do so. Suddenly CS will be inundated with unnecessary tickets.

Red Queen.7915:

Because they don’t do namechanges on request. Only if you put your real-life name or address or something there (though one has to wonder why on earth someone would do that…).

But that doesn’t make sense. If they are going to change it anyways, why not change it to what I requested?

Also, I just logged in to the game, and it hasn’t changed in there, so this is even more weird.

To be honest, cat maps > toilet humor.

okay, whoever says Anet doesn’t have a sense of humour have to eat skritt for breakfast…

When they change a display name they always do it by using an anagram of the original. They do not take suggestions as to alternate choices. The reason why, as I understand it, someone who makes a bad choice and is faced with a display name change may try to get another bad choice in, hoping that ANet doesn’t catch what is wrong with it.

Your display name is your account’s “reputation”. ANet only changes it when absolutely necessary. If people could change it like they change character names, they could scam others then avoid punishment by changing the display name. So you get one chance at the name you want. If you choose badly, you don’t get a second chance to choose.

I remember when they did this to someone on the forum a while back by changing their name to Crimson Squirrel or something like tha since the player had an offensive account name.

dekou.6012:

To be honest, cat maps > toilet humor.

This is true. At least my name is no longer a joke that a 3rd grader would tell. But still, I would rather have been given the name I requested.

Forgot to mention, Mr Cat Maps, discussing/disputing CS action isn’t allowed on the forums. Don’t be surprised if your thread gets closed down. :/

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

dekou.6012:

To be honest, cat maps > toilet humor.

This is true. At least my name is no longer a joke that a 3rd grader would tell. But still, I would rather have been given the name I requested.

They don’t give second chances because some will try to slip another bad choice by them. If you make one bad display name then that’s it. They choose the second one. That’s their policy.

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

dekou.6012:

To be honest, cat maps > toilet humor.

This is true. At least my name is no longer a joke that a 3rd grader would tell. But still, I would rather have been given the name I requested.

They don’t give second chances because some will try to slip another bad choice by them. If you make one bad display name then that’s it. They choose the second one. That’s their policy.

I cannot express how stupid that policy is. However, this explanation still doesn’t explain why my name is still the same in game.

Stupid? You ignored the naming policy, that’s entirely on you…

Also, what name is still the same? Do you have a character named McPlatofart, too? Because I’d assume that, as soon as someone reports that, you’ll get asked to change that, too.
Display names here and character names in the game don’t get handled at the same time.

It takes time once they do a display name change for it to complete from what I understand and is why you are probably seeing your old one in game. It will catch up eventually.

easy fix to this problem OP next sale buy a new account name it the account name you want to have and play that one /end thread

Red Queen.7915:

Stupid? You ignored the naming policy, that’s entirely on you…

Also, what name is still the same? Do you have a character named McPlatofart, too? Because I’d assume that, as soon as someone reports that, you’ll get asked to change that, too.
Display names here and character names in the game don’t get handled at the same time.

Yes, the policy is stupid. Because GW2 is the only MMO I have enver encountered that has such a policy that prohibits you from ever changing your account’s display name. On top of that, it does not make it abundantly clear when you create your account that the name you choose is what is displayed on everything, or that you will never EVER be able to change it to something you want. So, it’s pretty easy to make such a mistake. That is why the policy is stupid.

As far as changing buying a new account: I don;t want to do that because I would lose all my characters, and that should not be my only option for changing my account display name.

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

dekou.6012:

To be honest, cat maps > toilet humor.

This is true. At least my name is no longer a joke that a 3rd grader would tell. But still, I would rather have been given the name I requested.

They don’t give second chances because some will try to slip another bad choice by them. If you make one bad display name then that’s it. They choose the second one. That’s their policy.

I cannot express how stupid that policy is. However, this explanation still doesn’t explain why my name is still the same in game.

The reason why they have this “stupid” policy is because they’ve learned that people who make offensive names can’t be trusted to make a decent name when given a second chance. There have been threads where people complain because their char name was banned and then they admit they have had multiple char name bannings.

ANet doesn’t ever want to change the display name. They do it once if it crosses TOS. Since they’ve learned not to trust people who make offensive names, they don’t give them a second chance.

What “should” and “should not” be possible is up to Anet. Their house, their rules.

And as far as I remember, it was pretty clear that the display name would be, well, displayed? And being able to change the name that makes others able to identify me, be that guildies or staff, is not something one should expect. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s like a legal name, but since this is a paid-for service (a.k.a. a business contract of sorts), I find it reasonable to keep one and the same name for its duration.
If that is not clear/common sense, I do not know what is…

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

Just a flesh wound.3589:

Formulates Cat Maps.7526:

dekou.6012:

To be honest, cat maps > toilet humor.

This is true. At least my name is no longer a joke that a 3rd grader would tell. But still, I would rather have been given the name I requested.

They don’t give second chances because some will try to slip another bad choice by them. If you make one bad display name then that’s it. They choose the second one. That’s their policy.

I cannot express how stupid that policy is. However, this explanation still doesn’t explain why my name is still the same in game.

The reason why they have this “stupid” policy is because they’ve learned that people who make offensive names can’t be trusted to make a decent name when given a second chance. There have been threads where people complain because their char name was banned and then they admit they have had multiple char name bannings.

ANet doesn’t ever want to change the display name. They do it once if it crosses TOS. Since they’ve learned not to trust people who make offensive names, they don’t give them a second chance.

I’m not talking about people who make offensive names or who are forced to change their names. The policy makes sense in those cases. I’m talking about not allowing people who want to change their own name, which isn’t offense, to do so. And to let them change it to whatever they want. Also, isn’t that exactly what the name filter is for?

That’s nice of support, but tbh, I think you should keep it xD

Well, that’s unexpectedly generous of them.

Enjoy your new display name then OP.

Oh my, I’m speechless. You have certainly done a lot to improve my opinion of your customer relations! Good on you a-net!

Did you already know about the Name Change Contract? Because that would have solved your problem.

If you wanted a specific name, you could have it by paying $10 in gems. If you wanted an awesome name provided by Customer Support, then I suppose you went about it the right way.

RoyHarmon.5398:

Did you already know about the Name Change Contract? Because that would have solved your problem.

If you wanted a specific name, you could have it by paying $10 in gems. If you wanted an awesome name provided by Customer Support, then I suppose you went about it the right way.

The OP’s issue was with their display name, not a character name. Display names are only changed if they are deemed inappropriate or give away personal info such as using their real name or email. Since the OP self-reported their own inappropriate display name it was changed and the OP was eventually allowed to select their own, a rare exception.

Name change contracts only work for character names.

Gern.2978:

“Seamus McPlatofart.” Yes, I am aware of how stupid that sounds, and that is why I have requested to change it multiple times, and every time I am denied. But now A-net changes my name to this! So it is a thing they are capable of doing, they just don’t want to change it to a name I want apparently.

JustTrogdor.7892:

RoyHarmon.5398:

Did you already know about the Name Change Contract? Because that would have solved your problem.

If you wanted a specific name, you could have it by paying $10 in gems. If you wanted an awesome name provided by Customer Support, then I suppose you went about it the right way.

The OP’s issue was with their display name, not a character name. Display names are only changed if they are deemed inappropriate or give away personal info such as using their real name or email. Since the OP self-reported their own inappropriate display name it was changed and the OP was eventually allowed to select their own, a rare exception.

Name change contracts only work for character names.

It sounds like he actually wanted both.

No, he was complaining about his display name that got changed. His original display name, the one he chose when creating his account was “Seamus McPlatofart”. He self reported it and Anet changed it to “Formulates Cat Maps”. When Anet changes an inappropriate display name they make it an anagram. He was unhappy about this but since he self reported Anet made an exception and let him change it to his current display name , “Gern”. He never stated he had an issue with a character name.

I see. His account name displayed as “Gern.2978,” so I never understood what the big deal was. His first post said,

Why is my name “Formulates Cat Maps?”

and since his display name wasn’t “Formulates Cat Maps” at that time, I assumed he was referring to a character name and that the account name issue was a separate complaint.

I apologize for the confusion. Now that I know he would rather have “Gern” as a display name than “Formulates Cat Maps,” I have a much clearer idea of the problem.

And to why they don’t let people just change it, it’s your identity in the game. You can add a character, but you’ll always be able to see the Display/Account name. They don’t want people to act like jerks, then change their display name and have a new identity.

It’s basically to protect everyone. So if you act like a jerk, you can wipe the slate clean completely.