NationStates Jolt Archive

Not sure if this is where this goes, but I had a question/suggestion.

As more and more people have joined NationStates over the years, it's become increasingly difficult for them to think of viable names for their nations. I must have tried out over a dozen possible names that were taken before I came up with this one, and most of those were dead, inactive accounts.

Is it possible to institute a policy where, once any nation has been dead for a certain amount of time (a year or 18 months maybe), it's name gets freed up for use? Once a nation has been dead for several years, it is highly unlikely that the player is coming back. It will certainly make things a lot easier for people to join if they do not have to try a dozen different combinations before they hit on one that works.

It's on hold until we can find a way to do it without breaking things across the forums.

I was always thinking..

Why won't the nations that ceased to exist more than X days/years get purged and deleted from the forum too?

Then I don't see the reason why a new account with that name can't be made..

Am I missing something?

Am I missing something?

What if those players happen to be famed old heads? Say nation X RPed and posted for 3 years from 03-06. Then, he just moved on, and his nation died. What happens when a n00b takes that user/nation name?

Just adding a pointless message.

Just adding a pointless message.

Likewise (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?p=13603025#post13603025)

Am I missing something?

Old names aren't deleted, they're just archived. When you ask for a restoration, both forum and game accounts are reactivated.

We own the game but not the forums, and Jolt won't grant us the right to delete forum accounts. Consequently, we can free up old game accounts, but not forum accounts.

Old names aren't deleted, they're just archived. When you ask for a restoration, both forum and game accounts are reactivated.

We own the game but not the forums, and Jolt won't grant us the right to delete forum accounts. Consequently, we can free up old game accounts, but not forum accounts.

Well, with all due respect, if Jolt is holding the game back as such, then maybe the game should find another forum, maybe one of it's own.

A cheap server and a free board software is all you really need.

Well, with all due respect, if Jolt is holding the game back as such, then maybe the game should find another forum, maybe one of it's own.

A cheap server and a free board software is all you really need.

Your April 2008 registration date and 19 posts are why you said this, no doubt. Let me cure your ignorance. NationStates, Shao-Kal, used to have its own forum, and for 23 hours a day, it was impossible to navigate. I for one REFUSE to go back to only being able to browse and post between 2am and 3am in the morning.

Jolt is a godsend. Enough said.

Hey, I've been around since 2003 ... flame modedited

Then you, of all people, should have known better

EDIT: Emphasis added

A cheap server and a free board software is all you really need.

I suspect that it's not that easy to find a cheap server and software that can handle 2 million accounts. Jolt has its problems, but it's adequate, and it has improved during the 2 years I've been playing.

Hey, I've been around since 2003 and have had several different nations, some of which worked out, some of which didn't, and all are basically gone now. I was around when the game had it's own forums, and I don't recall any problems with it.

There are plenty of viable, workable forum software out there. I was just making a suggestion.

[Modedit]

Are you kidding me? I had a nation from April '04, and I left NS for a while (almost a year and a half) due to the forum problems.

Shao-Kal, your flame earnt you a one-day ban and doing it in one of the helping forums earnt you another; see you in two days.