Yay, 1.8! Right? There is one major change coming our way which will greatly affect how things work here: Username changes The Problem: With us being a family-friendly server, the decision from Mojang to allow name changes is, well, really inconvenient. In the past, I have had to deny whitelist requests from folks that had really inappropriate usernames. This is unfortunate, and for them, this might be an awesome change. The problem that will arise is what will happen if someone that is whitelisted with a perfectly fine username then decides to change it to something that is wildly inappropriate? Whitelists will all be UUID based (so by default, once you are whitelisted, you can change your username and still be whitelisted). As you can see, this will be a problem. What this means for The Sandlot First, everyone needs to understand that this is a major, game-breaking issue for us. It is very likely that we will have to wait at least a little bit longer than normal to update the server to 1.8, since some form of plugin-based solution will need to be made. There's a number of possible ways that this could look: Option 1: Everyone's username is "saved" when they join/register for the server, and that original username will be used even if you change your username through Mojang. We would likely offer some kind of form that you can submit to allow your username to "update" to whatever change you made through Mojang. This comes at the expense of moderator time, and it wouldn't likely happen immediately. Option 2: The whitelist remains "username-based". In order to connect to the server, both your username AND your UUID would have to match our whitelist database. This means that if you change your username, you would have to re-apply for the whitelist. This would add a few more whitelist requests, but overall wouldn't be a big deal for the moderators. Option 3: We update/"beef up" the chat filter to include checking usernames. This would "scan" the usernames of everyone that connects, and disallow connections/ban users that have inappropriate usernames. This would be an automated solution, but would come with the caveat that filter algorithms can never be perfect, and there would both be instances that "slip by" the filter, as well as false positives that block people that should be fine. And there's probably at least one other possible solution out there that I can't think of. The main point of this post is to explain this problem, and give you at least some "heads-up" on what to expect when the update arrives. This update may take some time, and chances are that you will not be able to just change your username "willy-nilly" and have a new username every 2 hours like some players do with their skins. You should expect that every time you change your username, you will likely have to re-apply for the whitelist, or fill out some form and wait for it to be approved.
Option 3 is, for me, the most advantageous for both the users and the mods: Allows the users to change their names when they want and still take most of the work off the shoulders of the moderators. In the (few) cases where the inappropriate usernames would cause a kick/ban, then the mo would be the same as any other ban. If possible, the ban message would explain the reason of the ban - and maybe remove the ban automatically when the user connects with another appropriate name. Dunno, my 0.02€.
Yay, 1.8, yippee! I like options 2 and 3. 1 just doesn't seem like a very "easy" option, when 2 and 3 are obviously the upper hand over 1. If I had to pick just one, probably 3. Up that chat filter; bring it on!
I actually find option two the better one. If someone is known on the server for breaking a rule, and change their username, we wouldn't know who that player was or where they went. If they end up changing their name we would be able to review their new username this way and see if it is appropriate for the server. I just find it an easier option rather than adding ten million more things to the chat filter. Just my opinion.
I'd say option 2. For the most part, I think discouraging name changes would be appropriate for this server where knowing who people are really builds toward a family friendly environment. While name changing is can be good, I would vote for the whitelist process to stress that name changes are discouraged and that people should consider carefully before requesting whitelist access.
I am definitely in the option 2 camp. The only consistent identity we have with people on The Sandlot is their name, since it is so easy to change skins. If one of my friends were to completely change their name, I feel like I would lose a sense of bond between us. I really don't like the idea of being able to change your name at all. Another thing I could see happen would be players trying to emulate others (c0wbinia, snoopsrus1, cherabbz, etc.). Obviously these helpers I am using as examples wouldn't do that, but you see what I'm getting at.
Please understand that we may all love option 1, but if there's no plugin to do it, I'm kinda stuck. I'm just putting these out there as things that might possibly happen.
I, personally, like option 1 and 3, because it's more convenient to the players, but I do agree that option 2 is the most logical choice. I however have no plans on changing my username, so it doesn't really matter to me.
I would agree with option 3. I also think there should be a rule that you can only have 1 skin change.
Skin change? that not what were talking about lj (just kidding) EDIT: did you mean to say skin change?
I prefer options 1 + 2. I think on a family-friendly server fostering community, a stable username is useful. It's a good place for kids to learn that their actions are connected to their identity, so that reputation can be developed. Option 3, allowing near free change of usernames, fosters anonymity, and on the internet, that seems to discourage responsible behavior.
I wonder if say hamsrus1 changes to hams then another player for example SnoopyBanna chages to hamsrus1 and get hamsrus1's admin powers and greifs the server wouldent it be total chaos? But option 1 totaly fixs that so i would say option 1 is likely the more efficient one.
Just because you change your name does not mean you are that person. A UUID is a player identifier so no matter what I call myself, I'm still SnoopyBanna. I would not gain ham's powers lol. And you can't change your name to someone else's username, regardless if they've changed it or not. It's all in the UUID.
Option 2 seems the most logical in my opinion. I can see too many faults that may come into play with 1 and 3. The thing is, someone could go around as "Wynterrx" and wreak havoc, and then when actual me comes on, any average 7-9 year old may not be able to tell the difference and report me. Although the chat filters would say I didn't do anything, it would still be excess work for the moderators. (This could happen to anyone, only using myself as an example) Hopefully some sort of plugin comes out as well. Or at least, perhaps, Mojang will somehow keep a limit to how many times you can namechange within a certain amount of time. Say, 1-2 times a month? We can only hope.
