Player Associations Archive
Thread: Option to hide the PA Tag(poll/debate)
FORMAT: Please begin your post by saying yes or no to the option of hiding the PA tag. This will be your overall opinion. Next, press enter a few times and go into any details you like to defend your position. I want to see clear arguments for an against, there are some valid points on both sides.
I'll begin with my own opinion and example:
Yes
Explanation: Before those of you who are against this option begin to panic... 
My yes is cautioned with many restrictions, and of course you all will be deciding whether or not I actually push for this feature with the Devs. There are a few valid reasons to have this option, most center around role-playing. If a person is a covert Imperial, and would like to role-play that way, it gives them away to wear an Imperial PA tag. It also makes sense for a player to decide NOT announce to the world that he/she belongs to a particular organization if that player chooses not to.
However, I know some are concerned about opportunities for grief arising from this feature. I would like to hear very specific examples of a case in which this could cause grief. I believe such issues probably exist but I'd like to see one of you flesh out the worst-case scenario.
Here are the restrictions...
1.It is a permission enabled by the PA leader for each individual member (like the currrent system) or for a particular rank (if ranks areever implemented). PAs should have control over whether or not they make use of this feature.
2.The tag may only be removed by visiting the Guild Terminal (this prevents spur of the moment griefing).
3.The tag is automatically restored upon logging in.
4./guildstatus will continue to show the guild the individual is in... (the rationale being someone can stop ANNOUNCING that they are in a particular PA, but if someone takes the time to investigate they can uncover the truth... also, this would increase awareness of the /guildstatus command)
Some may feel the lastrestriction negates the ability to hide the PA tag all together... However, I think the option would still allow for the most valid reason to hide the tag:non-grief role-playing. It adds another dimension to making sure someone is who they say they are, which I find interesting. Some of you may not agree though... So, the thread is now yours!
I'd vote no unless the tag is only hidden while covert. Once a player gets a TEF or is overt the tag is displayed.
Why? When someone raids the city I do not want to have to select every reb and do a /guildstatus to see what guilds are showing us some lovin. I just want to look over the field of battle and see who they are.
Should that be implemented, then sure, let people hide the tag. That's no biggie.
I vote yes 
Reason: All listed by correspondent as well as for prettier screenshots when you want the player's name to show up, but nothing else. 
I vote no. You should always be required to show your guildstatus.
For those who don't like the extra screen-clutter of the tags, perhaps a client-side option could be added to strip them from others' names on your own screen.
Maybe one exception : Buy some form of 'disguise kit' from a Faction Recruiter for an amount of FP which will give you a single-use item. Upon using this item, all factional information from your Bio is hidden for a set period of time. Should also be a minimum time between uses to prevent constant use.
Yes.
Only if its a selection by guild and the /guildstatus works. If those 2 conditions could not be met, I wouldchange my vote to absolutely not. Coding a blatant deception ability into a game which seems to have brought out all the talented exploiters and griefers is not a good idea imo.
Yes
At first I would've voted no, butI can't seem to come up with some horror-scenario (neither could any of the other no-sayers so far)... but I would recommend that Aldrak's suggestion is taking in as a restriction... And I do think it has a valid reason to even be suggested, and that the developers would agree if we present them with this suggestion
Artistan wrote:
Like ours for instance?
But overt sounds good, if you go overt people recognize you for who you are and also that your guilded.
Hehe, yup! Thanks for all the fun. It's not a war without any fighting.
Accountability is important from PA to PA, but if someone's being a schmuck to me it's not really that hard to do a /guildstatus on him and send off an email to his guild leader. Each guild could also set its own policies as far as whether you can go anon or not, some are more casual and some more hardcore. Doesn't really seem right to dictate that to everyone when guilds can police themselves and their individual policies. As for taking members from another guild, again, one on one it's not really burdensome to just do a /guildstatus.
I vote No. My main reason is simple;
You join a guild to be a part of the guild. If you want to hide your title, its either to take advantage of another PA, a Player City, or to decieve someone. If you don't want to be associated witha guild, /guildremove. If you want to use it as a tactic to decieve another PA or a player city or a shop... you are griefing.
There is NO valid reason as to why you would need to hide your tag.
Yes:
Rationale: I belong to a (mostly) crafter guild, and it's happened once or twice when I get someone who I run across at the starport start bothering me about when so-and-so is going to restock his vendor with guns... ugh, no thanks. Also factional stuff.
Caveat: What about the examine window? Will that be hidden? People read my badges at the startport all the time which results in "oh u master tailer eh, mak me sumthin kewl in black, like booty huntr cloths." Same with the guild tag, can be read there, and you can't bury it in a slew of "majestic waterfall" tags like with the profession badges.
Yes.
Its all about the role playing thing. It's hard to run around citys spying on other people when they already know who you are. You should be able to control all aspects of what people know about you short of name. Badges, Faction, and Guild status should be able to be hidden from other players. I still have not seen any specific grieving that could be done. What alot of people call grieving I call playing the game.