Poll of the Day > GameFAQs User Name Reconciliation - Coming July 7

(+) Yeah! (+)

Greetings, long time GameFAQs user!

Due to the merging of three completely different systems over the last twenty-five years (contributors, message boards, and the universal login system), users could have up to three different usernames, each with different rules and standards for how those names could be constructed. However, in the next few months, GameFAQs will be moving to a brand new authentication provider, and in the process of this change we'll be reducing the number of user names associated with an account to one. You are one of the last 4,837 users who have more than one account name, and we'd like to make this transition as smooth as possible.

Although spaces in names will no longer be allowed (as these have caused a myriad of issues for years), we are extending the possible length of a user name to 20 characters indefinitely for legacy users. We understand that for some of you this will be an imposition, but we want to make sure you get to use the user name (or names) you want on the site.

Your current site name is used for Answers, Private Messages, My Games, logging in, and all other activities except the Mesage Boards and Contributions.

Your current message board name is only used on the Message Boards.

However, these are just suggestions; you can change your account name to any valid and available name you want.

If you have the time, please visit our user name change request form and select a single name you'd like to use across the entire site (including Boards and Contributions). While you will no longer be able to use spaces, you can select any other available name up to 20 characters long as long as it meets our current naming guidelines (consisting of alphanumeric characters, numbers, dashes, and underscores). If you have a more complicated request (including splitting off or anonymizing contributions), please use that same form and provide a detailed explanation of what you want to do. We're more than happy to work with you to get your account set up the way you want, even including allowing you to take over the name of a currently existing but inactive account in some cases.

If you don't request a user name change by Thursday, July 7, we'll automatically set your name to be your current site name. Even after this date, you can still request a name change to the one you'd rather have (including the 20 character restriction).

We'd like to thank you for being such a long-time member of GameFAQs, and we're excited to have had you stick around for this long. We'll be making some pretty big changes this year, including at least one big one that you just might actually like, and we hope you'll continue to stick around for the next 27 years.



...can't wait to see how this one goes catastrophically wrong!

Also, I'm apparently one of the last 4,837 users who have more than one account name. Cool, I suppose?

Also also, if any of you have an old account but don't really bother checking your private messages, you might want to see if you got one of these if you have different names and need to pick one.

i didnt read most of that

we can change usernames now?

also, why do you have two usernames? I know youve explained it before but i dont remember.

I got one too.

The last paragraph made me laugh directed to me since I'm an absolute demon on this website lmao

DirtBasedSoap posted...

i didnt read most of that

we can change usernames now?

also, why do you have two usernames? I know youve explained it before but i dont remember

Everyone has always been able to change usernames, if you meet certain criteria. You just have to track down the name change feedback form.

And all the stuff you didn't read sort of sums up why some people have multiple usernames - because older accounts can have different message board names and account names (and you can even have different names set for stuff like contributions - I actually have all my contributions on this account linked to a different account).

They're collapsing everything down into a single username. Which is probably for the best, but I suspect it's not going to go as smoothly as everyone would like.

yeah theres no way they dont completely fuck it up

Jen0125 posted...

I got one too.

I think it mainly applies to anyone who made an account prior to 2004 or so who have multiple account names tied to the same account.

It doesn't seem to apply to any of my alts as far as I can tell (though I'm still checking them now). But I also think my main was the only one that had the multiple username issue anyway.

I have a username for contributions and a username for the message board. I'm not filling the form out and just letting it default to this username.

Jen0125 posted...

I have a username for contributions and a username for the message board. I'm not filling the form out and just letting it default to this username.

I had to fill out the form, because I want to keep this name and it was going to default to the other one.

It told me I could select the username "Jen" if I wanted to but I'd just rather have my original name.

i'm both agesboy and ages_boy

decisions decisions

So where do we check what names we have available?

So wait, does this mean all those alt accounts of people (which I have never figured out) will become just 1 account, or will people still have like 4 accounts they log into and I never know wtf is posting still?

wolfy42 posted...

So wait, does this mean all those alt accounts of people (which I have never figured out) will become just 1 account, or will people still have like 4 accounts they log into and I never know wtf is posting still?

No, it's just for logins for individual accounts. This has nothing to do with multiple accounts...

ZangsBeard posted...

No, it's just for logins for individual accounts. This has nothing to do with multiple accounts...

Ahh, thanks. Oh well, I'll just keep treating everyone as individuals even if they are actually someone else I know lol.

i hate everything about this.

It's gonna default to Grendel_Prime I guess. Gonna miss having a space.

ZangsBeard posted...

So where do we check what names we have available?

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/feedback?type=44
https://i.gyazo.com/1e4574edce1b84384fd544e7a0570e4d.png

if you don't see multiple options or a blue box, you probably don't have multiple names available

ZangsBeard posted...

So where do we check what names we have available?

If you get the message in your PMs, it should tell you in there. I just edited my names out of the version I posted.



wolfy42 posted...

Ahh, thanks. Oh well, I'll just keep treating everyone as individuals even if they are actually someone else I know lol.

I feel like it should be mandatory for all users to post their main identity in the sig of their alt accounts. Trying to figure out who's who based solely on context or off-handed comments they said in one topic months ago is definitely kind of annoying.



Nade Duck posted...

i hate everything about this.

Your days of oppressing us all with your space have come to an end! The nail that stands up must be hammered down!

Its 2022, and boards are still having trouble with spaces in usernames.

Sounds to me like any and every character set should be allowed plus all the wingdings and art font instead of the otherwise around. Hell, usernames should allow emojis too. There's lite multi-player games that have more freedom to do that than this.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

including at least one big one that you just might actually like

I see they're a bit optimistic.

Nade Duck posted...

i hate everything about this.

I immediately thought of you when I read they were getting rid of spaces. RIP the space in your username.

Straughan posted...

Its 2022, and boards are still having trouble with spaces in usernames.

Sounds to me like any and every character set should be allowed plus all the wingdings and art font instead of the otherwise around. Hell, usernames should allow emojis too. There's literally multi-player games that have more freedom to do than than this.

Yes, but those are coded by competent people.

This is GameFAQs!

ParanoidObsessive posted...

If you get the message in your PMs, it should tell you in there. I just edited my names out of the version I posted.

Ah, okay. Thanks.

I remember buying forum membership kits for my guild in 2005 and having way more freedom to post videos and have pictures and all kinds of shit.

I'm beginning to think their point is to keep it boring. That's why I never used 4chan. It looks ugly. I want my shit customized. That's why I never really moved from MySpace to Facebook. I don't like blue and white. I like red and black. Hence my user avatar color. First thing I changed. Red is my favorite color. Just look at it. It's so fuckin preddy!

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/4/6/AAfGAbAADYPy.jpg

Straughan posted...

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/7/4/6/AAfGAbAADYPy.jpg

http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/disney/images/9/9d/Mcp.png

That face reminds me of Starfox for some reason

red zordon is fucking weird.

i honestly forgot i technically had more than one name. i don't want a lame underscore. :(

I got one of those too. I've already changed my name.
I had to remove the space in my name which is sad since I've had it since 2004.

I only had two names because when Gamespot and Gamefaqs merged with CBS all those years ago, they merged the two forums into one.

I think I had three different ones, now I have a single new one.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

We'll be making some pretty big changes this year, including at least one big one that you just might actually like,

This sentence actually gave me a laugh. "Might actually like" implies all the other changes are shit. And "big one" probably means something minor like avatars or something lmao

faramir77 posted...

This sentence actually gave me a laugh. "Might actually like" implies all the other changes are shit.

At least they've finally started to admit it!

(Though I'm sure it's more intended to be a bit of passive-aggressive sniping. "Sure, our users are all unpleaseable assholes who do nothing but complain, but even you will probably like this change!")

ParanoidObsessive posted...

At least they've finally started to admit it!

(Though I'm sure it's more intended to be a bit of passive-aggressive sniping. "Sure, our users are all unpleaseable assholes who do nothing but complain, but even you will probably like this change!")

Yeah, I figured that was probably their angle lmao.

ParanoidObsessive posted...

Also, I'm apparently one of the last 4,837 users who have more than one account name. Cool, I suppose?

They seem to pick numbers like that out of thin air. I imagine it's probably a few 100k.

you are completely delusional if you think there are a few 100k users with multiple usernames on this website, let alone active users

DirtBasedSoap posted...

you are completely delusional if you think there are a few 100k users with multiple usernames on this website, let alone active users

lolwut? You and your delusional fucking posts. Total joke status nonsense. It's an ACCOUNT reconciliation, not a user reconciliation. Pretty massive difference.

There are most likely a few 100k accounts that still meet this designation. And lol @ thinking the site doesn't have a few 100k accounts visiting it every month. Just LOL!!! Even the number of users is likely still in that range, keeping in mind you have a lot of barely-active posters.

Count_Drachma posted...

It's an ACCOUNT reconciliation, not a user reconciliation. Pretty massive difference.

For the most part, this only applies to accounts from 2004 or earlier (exceptions for newer accounts due to contributor names are likely a couple hundred at most). They must have selected original usernames that fall into a very narrow categorization that itself was uncommon, and then been active for over a decade, and declined changing their names the other two times that this has happened, nor changed their name voluntarily, and also continually logged in until 2022 to prevent the site from auto-changing them if they ever went inactive for too long.

There are not more than 4000 of them left.

Count_Drachma posted...

They seem to pick numbers like that out of thin air. I imagine it's probably a few 100k.

PO: *gets message about needing to change and reconcile usernames* oh kinda cool Im one of a few thousand left...

Zeus: NUH UHHHH

i mean after all these years were still surprised at his propensity to just make shit up. Lol

Zeus thinks we're talking about alts and because he has 300 alts every user does

Count_Drachma posted...

And lol @ thinking the site doesn't have a few 100k accounts visiting it every month

I've got to be honest, I kind of doubt this site does have more than 100k accounts visiting every month these days. We're a fucking ghost town.

Even at the most active times of the day the site rarely has more than 1500 users online at once, and at times that goes way lower. When you keep in mind that a lot of those users are people who spend a lot of time on the boards or just check the site multiple times in a single day, that's not really adding up to a ton of active and unique users.

Even factoring in users with tons of alt accounts, the numbers are probably going to be lower than most people suspect.

Not that SBAllen would ever admit to what the real numbers actually are, because that would give away just how far the site has fallen from the 2011 era or so (which, if I recall, is when user numbers actually peaked).

why would they lie and say its only 4k if the numbers are actually in the 100k range?

ParanoidObsessive posted...

We're a fucking ghost town.

Whoa whoa hol' up how exactly can you tell that these ghosts are fucking

I am going to miss the space in my name....

I didn't even know you could have multiple accounts for those things, LOL.

Of course, I have been exclusively using the name "Dikitain" for my internet presence since 97 so I guess it never mattered for me.

Jen0125 posted...

Zeus thinks we're talking about alts and because he has 300 alts every user does

Are you saying Zeus thinks reunification is about alts? Lolol

ZangsBeard posted...

Are you saying Zeus thinks reunification is about alts? Lolol

I mean it has to be. Why else does he think everyone on this site would have multiple usernames?

Far-Queue posted...

Whoa whoa hol' up how exactly can you tell that these ghosts are fucking

Because there's "ectoplasm" all over everything.

lol gross

Jen0125 posted...

I mean it has to be. Why else does he think everyone on this site would have multiple usernames?

#Facepalm

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/4/7/AAVgnZAADY7j.jpg

@Count_Drachma Please fucking at least lie and claim you didnt think it was about alts and not single accounts with multiple logins... please... for me. Lie to me. I need it.

ZangsBeard posted...

#Facepalm

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/5/4/7/AAVgnZAADY7j.jpg

Please fucking at least lie and claim you didnt think it was about alts and not single accounts with multiple logins... please... for me. Lie to me. I need it.

I have him blocked so idk if he'll see this post even if tagged since you quoted me

Jen0125 posted...

I have him blocked so idk if he'll see this post even if tagged since you quoted me

Gotcha. I deleted the quote title. Dont know if thatll work or not. For all I know he has me ignored.

ZangsBeard posted...

Gotcha. I deleted the quote title. Dont know if thatll work or not. For all I know he has me ignored.

Pretty sure you can leave the cite quote tag, just delete the data-quote-id="######" data-user-id="######" parts. It's what I do.

It's entirely possible even just deleting the data-user-id part and not the data-quote-id part would work, though I've never tried it before.