Unique char ID, the one from the chat, could be useful in other cases too

[FrejaSP]

I'm a part of a player town, where we are several different guilds and I was thinking about using the mailbox to collect votes for a town council or opinions about a subject.
Mailbox do tell the name of the poster, so do the Bulletin Board boards but I have no way to know it is not an imposter with same name, trying to make trouble.
I would like the char ID's from chat be used at Bulletin Board and together with senders name in mailbox.
I would also like it used for sealed books, saying sealed of name + id.
Same with house sign, add id to owners name.
With that done, we could get a tell command like used of counselors and GM's in the past and a search command to see if someone is online.

Just my wish for next public

 

[claudia-fjp]

The Character ID's you see in chat change on a daily basis. They can't be used for the purposes you list.

 

[Spiritless]

Everyone's account should have some form of global unique identifier. They can then be used to implement friends lists systems, private messaging, etc.

 

[Tina Small]

The Character ID's you see in chat change on a daily basis. They can't be used for the purposes you list.

When I was first active on Siege a few years ago, I started a list of the character IDs that showed up in general chat. They definitely stayed the same over time and the list was very useful when one PK on Siege who is notorious for doing random name changes (using a purchased name change token) would periodically change his name to give himself a "fresh start" and then pipe up in general chat with some innocuous request for help for his impoverished "newcomer" character. The list was also helpful when he and some of his friends would use Incognito spell to change their names and try to entice helpful people into meeting them outside guard zone to give them starter items.

I also maintain a spreadsheet with account names and character names where I list holiday/anniversary items they have obtained. At one point, maybe five years ago or so, I started the onerous task of figuring out the character IDs for those characters and noting it in the spreadsheet. I got through a bunch of accounts, characters, and shards and then stopped, because there really was no point at the time in determining the IDs for those characters. However, when I log into those characters today for which I noted an ID and have them say something in chat, their character IDs are still the same as when I added them to the spreadsheet several years ago.

I cannot remember if character ID numbers change when a character is transferred to another shard and I lost my old transfer.txt file when I recently reformatted my computer's hard drive, so I can't look at what showed up in there the last time I did a character transfer a few years ago. However, it seems like I did check that file at least once out of curiosity and my recollection is that the character ID does stay constant for any particular character when it is moved to regular shards, but I'm not 100% certain about it.

 

[SlayerofBunnys]

When I was first active on Siege a few years ago, I started a list of the character IDs that showed up in general chat. They definitely stayed the same over time and the list was very useful when one PK on Siege who is notorious for doing random name changes (using a purchased name change token) would periodically change his name to give himself a "fresh start" and then pipe up in general chat with some innocuous request for help for his impoverished "newcomer" character. The list was also helpful when he and some of his friends would use Incognito spell to change their names and try to entice helpful people into meeting them outside guard zone to give them starter items.

I also maintain a spreadsheet with account names and character names where I list holiday/anniversary items they have obtained. At one point, maybe five years ago or so, I started the onerous task of figuring out the character IDs for those characters and noting it in the spreadsheet. I got through a bunch of accounts, characters, and shards and then stopped, because there really was no point at the time in determining the IDs for those characters. However, when I log into those characters today for which I noted an ID and have them say something in chat, their character IDs are still the same as when I added them to the spreadsheet several years ago.

I cannot remember if character ID numbers change when a character is transferred to another shard and I lost my old transfer.txt file when I recently reformatted my computer's hard drive, so I can't look at what showed up in there the last time I did a character transfer a few years ago. However, it seems like I did check that file at least once out of curiosity and my recollection is that the character ID does stay constant for any particular character when it is moved to regular shards, but I'm not 100% certain about it.

I have wondered if that is a master character list and that the smaller the number, the older the character. One of my Chessy characters has a chat number that is 6 digits.

 

[FrejaSP]

Yes older chars have smaller numbers, just like with ICQ, I'm worried if someone with a large number claim to be old.
When I was counselor years ago, we was using the numbers for the tell command and I believe to tele to a char too. I believe braceles of binding must use them too to link to an únique char.
When UO was Young, we had a friend list, but I believe there was some trouble with making it work. I would love to have a friend list again and a tell command.

Also I would like to be in more than one chat at same time. And to be able to make a chat and control who have access to speak and who only can listen.
I believe there will be other player towns than mine with citizens from several guilds. It would be nice if the Gorvenors in NPC Towns and the Mayors in Player Towns could at least send a message to their Citizens, they would get when they get online. On Siege we are from different time zones and it can be hard to communicate.

Better communition will help keeping players ingame as they will have easier with finding friends online.

 

[azmodanb]

*goes to check the original azmodan beguile*

 

[Tjalle]

The GC# stays the same. At least on Siege.

 

[The Zog historian]

I cannot remember if character ID numbers change when a character is transferred to another shard and I lost my old transfer.txt file when I recently reformatted my computer's hard drive, so I can't look at what showed up in there the last time I did a character transfer a few years ago. However, it seems like I did check that file at least once out of curiosity and my recollection is that the character ID does stay constant for any particular character when it is moved to regular shards, but I'm not 100% certain about it.

I'll check the next time I transfer, but from a programming standpoint, it makes sense that a transfer generates a new ID number, lest there be a collision with an existing one (even if improbable on smaller shards). It's fewer lines of code to generate a new ID number regardless, rather than checking for the existing number and then generating a new ID number if necessary.

 

[MalagAste]

I am pretty sure that number remains the same. I like Tina wrote several down while I was on Siege doing things to note the notorious. I'm guessing that number is assigned in character creation.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

From what I have noted with my own chars and writing down the notorious, the number doesn't seem to change.

As far as the idea, it sounds great, but I'm going have to say no. I see this easily being exploited to grief living daylights out of someone.
This being UO I'm sure there's a creep out there that would do it, too. Its a great idea, but I'm just concerned about it being used and abused for eeeevvviiiillll. Just my two cents.

 

[Lady Michelle]

Siege char number stayed the same, also stayed the same when I went incognito.
Also guild roster name never changes stays your characters name.

 

[FrejaSP]

Why would it be abused, it's not showing your account or RL info. Sure it will be harder to hide for players making a bad name for them self but I see that as a good thing. I had been in UO 16 years, I had been very vocal both in game and on forums. I had not had big problems.

My Siege number are short 1464013

 

[Lady Michelle]

Why would it be abused, it's not showing your account or RL info. Sure it will be harder to hide for players making a bad name for them self but I see that as a good thing. I had been in UO 16 years, I had been very vocal both in game and on forums. I had not had big problems.

everyone sees your number in chat so I dont get it either

 

[Tina Small]

If I recall correctly, when the Kingdom Reborn client was rolled out in May 2007, if you logged into that client you were able to pull up a list of the character IDs of every other character that was also logged in with the Kingdom Reborn client. I think you could also still do that with the "Stygian Abyss" client up through about September or so of 2009, because I can remember logging into the special version of it that was used for beta testing SA and looking to see who else was on the Retribution shard to do beta testing. I'm kind of thinking that the feature where you could see who else was using that client went away after that, but I could be wrong. Maybe it still exists in the Enhanced Client. I gave up trying to use the EC when I switched computers a few years ago because I could never get it to do anything but give me a completely black screen a half-second after my character logged in.

In any event, I was always under the impression because of that feature's existence that there were some plans at one point to let you be able to do some kind of private chat or "tell" with other logged-in characters. However, that never seemed to materialize and what we got instead is the global chat system we have today. It also seems like the engineer who was working on the KR/Stygian Abyss/Enhanced client up to that point (Billy Teng?) moved on from UO not too long after that and I've always wondered if that's why the chat system kind of got locked into its current state at that point and never developed any further. The global chat feature to me has always felt a bit more "advanced" in the enhanced client vs. the classic client, for some reason, so I always wondered if the EC was the main driver for it, instead of the CC.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

I'm a part of a player town, where we are several different guilds and I was thinking about using the mailbox to collect votes for a town council or opinions about a subject.
Mailbox do tell the name of the poster, so do the Bulletin Board boards but I have no way to know it is not an imposter with same name, trying to make trouble.
I would like the char ID's from chat be used at Bulletin Board and together with senders name in mailbox.
I would also like it used for sealed books, saying sealed of name + id.
Same with house sign, add id to owners name.
With that done, we could get a tell command like used of counselors and GM's in the past and a search command to see if someone is online.

Just my wish for next public

The pink line is what I was referring to being exploited and abused. I can easily see someone using this to stalk someone.
UNLESS...it just said the id in question is online. It couldn't say where they are in game. If it said both that the id is online and where that person is located oh yeah that would abused. I know 99% of you don't think like that and would NEVER conceive of doing such a thing.
It's that 1% that would abuse it, you have to worry about. Programming is like chess, you have to think several moves ahead.
Read this blog by Designer Dragon aka Raph Koster, no he doesn't tell you how to hack an mmo. He tells you how it happens and what a programmer must do to stay ahead.
http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/17/how-to-hack-an-mmo/

 

[Herman]

Yes older chars have smaller numbers, just like with ICQ, I'm worried if someone with a large number claim to be old.
When I was counselor years ago, we was using the numbers for the tell command and I believe to tele to a char too. I believe braceles of binding must use them too to link to an únique char.
When UO was Young, we had a friend list, but I believe there was some trouble with making it work. I would love to have a friend list again and a tell command.

Also I would like to be in more than one chat at same time. And to be able to make a chat and control who have access to speak and who only can listen.
I believe there will be other player towns than mine with citizens from several guilds. It would be nice if the Gorvenors in NPC Towns and the Mayors in Player Towns could at least send a message to their Citizens, they would get when they get online. On Siege we are from different time zones and it can be hard to communicate.

Better communition will help keeping players ingame as they will have easier with finding friends online.

Intresting I did not know this

All my Atlantic chars did follow that rule from oldest to the most recent

but not when I did compare between shards
I started a new char on great lakes that had lower number than my oldest character that i have on this acc that is and always was on europa also I notice that sieg and oceania had much lower numbers than many other shards both my characters there had 7 numbers

I do not remember when the sieg character was created but the oceania one is pretty new

Still pretty cool I must say

 

[FrejaSP]

The char numbers are old, from the start of UO, not something new added. The tell command is there, but was only used of Counselors, GM's etc, it do not work for player chars

 

[FrejaSP]

The pink line is what I was referring to being exploited and abused. I can easily see someone using this to stalk someone.
UNLESS...it just said the id in question is online. It couldn't say where they are in game. If it said both that the id is online and where that person is located oh yeah that would abused. I know 99% of you don't think like that and would NEVER conceive of doing such a thing.
It's that 1% that would abuse it, you have to worry about. Programming is like chess, you have to think several moves ahead.
Read this blog by Designer Dragon aka Raph Koster, no he doesn't tell you how to hack an mmo. He tells you how it happens and what a programmer must do to stay ahead.
http://www.raphkoster.com/2008/04/17/how-to-hack-an-mmo/

You can still put players on Ignore. Sure it should not say where you was unless maybe if the char is on your friend list. If you put the person on ignore, he should not be able to see if you are on. As long you keep your RL and Game Life a part, you should be ok.

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

You can still put players on Ignore. Sure it should not say where you was unless maybe if the char is on your friend list. If you put the person on ignore, he should not be able to see if you are on. As long you keep your RL and Game Life a part, you should be ok.

Yeah I agree, but you also have to consider that nasty piece of work in game that gets their kicks from griefing. It doesn't even have to be someone you know in RL. They also need to make ignore lists much, much bigger. Mine has like 25 or so names and its like three or four people with multiple accts. Really the better solution is to make it ignore the whole account when you put a player on ignore.

 

[FrejaSP]

The griefers only get their kick, if you let them hurt you. Even when this thief is not a griefer, he was very disappointed about my reaction http://uothief.com/tales/ep0389.html

 

[Jirel of Joiry]

The griefers only get their kick, if you let them hurt you. Even when this thief is not a griefer, he was very disappointed about my reaction http://uothief.com/tales/ep0389.html

He's not one of the nasty ones. I've seen those that are bent on nastiness regardless if you let them or not. A good example off the top of my head would be Vyal from legends. Wow he would go off completely bent on everyone in Gen Chat. You put him on ignore he just gets on another char and so forth. He is well know for disrupting events, on Legends. I mean he was just wretched. No one on Legends thought anything would stop him. Well he picked the wrong toes to step on. Apparently at the last Mesanna event ,that I didn't attend, he angered the dark lady. She apparently beat him to a pulp with ye olde ban stick. That is what several guild mates related to me.
That's the kind of griefer I am concerned about. Still I think its a good idea, just need fail-safes implemented.