dunno how much weight my opinion holds since i don't play subeta anymore, but i suppose it's worth saying...

...that i don't play subeta anymore* because it is discouraging to see how slowly changes are implemented in regards to making the pet aspect of the site accessible and fun. i know that it can take days and weeks and months to agree upon drastic changes to the site's formula, but i'm kind of shocked that there haven't even been unprompted staff updates on the topic, considering how big the conversation initially was. i am 100% in support of non-unique pet names, i have a feeling non-unique names would revitalize the pet community, and yet i feel like... i don't know. my patience wears thin.

i was really excited about being able to get a few "desirable" names for my pets. to me, having the "correct" name for my pets and characters is critically linked with my desire to create. now that nothing has happened in the... very long time since these discussions began, i don't even know if i'll want to actively play again by the time they make a decision.

*i hover. mainly i log in because i'm paranoid about losing my pet names, because if non-unique names don't happen, lord help me if i lost the names i DO have... i'd never come back, lmao

ps i left the room the first time i tried to post this and it just. never posted. so here i am attempting again

Just throwing in my two cents, although I'm pretty certain it doesn't matter what I think...seems as though the decision to make the change has been made anyway shrug

I absolutely, totally, 100% completely HATE the idea of implementing non-unique pet names and will never support it, or any version of it.

I am overall ok with non-unique pet names. Honestly, I am not crazy about it and will be sad, but I understand that it's probably inevitable given what Subeta has become and is probably for the best long-term.

I just hope that any nickname system that is implemented isn't overly convoluted.

I don't really like this idea at all. That's half the reason I enjoy this type of site-- I personally like the hunt, and I put a lot of time, money, and effort into getting my names. That's most of what I spend my real world money on on this site, in fact, is unique names and the tools to get them where I want them. The nickname idea feels cheap and like selling knockoff designer bags. I hate to be that person, but this is very disappointing to me personally. I like being creative with my names, and this takes away the thrill of either finding that perfect name or coming up with a solution for the one that was taken. It's annoying to have the name you want taken, but it's not that deep that you should override the money people have spent on slots to snag that perfect name, name transfers to switch around names, name changes when a name becomes open, etc. If pet name clearings are such a big deal that they crash the site, figure out some way to do a raffle for it or something so it's not suddenly increasing the load all at once. Like once it clears people have three days to put their name in for it or something and it's drawn randomly, then they have 24 hours to either adopt it or swap the name out (with the appropriate bought option). I'm on other sites that have user raffles like this and I feel like it could be implemented easily enough.

I hope this is reconsidered. I'd rather y'all put the time and effort into another part of the site instead that actually needs it instead of a subscription service for nicknames.

I've gotta admit, the nickname system just seems like a very convoluted workaround to a very antiquated problem. Then again, I've been playing... slightly more modern pet sites lately. I've taken a liking to the ability to name my pets whatever I want, I can't really wrap my head around why it's such a controversial topic on this site.

I dont like the idea of non unique names. I think its something we should be very careful about on this site. Purging as it is i think works really well. For people that dont care, i wonder why not name them with a number after the name? Because the name matters. Hence why unique naming matters to some. Why is it so bad that that is how this site is? I think theres nothing wrong with keeping something that is like a structure of this site.

To me, once again, the problem isn't "we're running out of names".

The problem is "Subeta has always been known for being a unstable, unreliable site, and we want to get rid of what causes server stress, including clearings"

We did away with infinite shops. We did away with infinite wardrobes, if I remember right. We did away with autorefreshing in events. It's time to do away with clearings. Non-unique names will always be my favorite option, because it absolutely destroy the need for them.

Quoting this cause yes to all of it.

Clearings are literally site breaking. Non unique names get rib of the need for clearings and is one more step towards having a WORKING SITE.

The nickname solution presented fixes nothing since clearings will still happen, people will still go after the 'original name'.

I don't agree that the only or main problem is the lag caused by clearings. It's obvious all over this thread that a lot of people care a whole lot less about that than they do about having the opportunity to have the names they want.

Also, how much strain is this really putting on the system, and if that was the main problem, wouldn't there be other ways to fix it?

However, I do agree with 's remark which I quoted above. Nicknames feel like a bandaid on a broken arm. I can nickname my pets all I want, but if the opportunity comes to give them the "real" name, I'm going to want to take it.

Personally, I'm on the fence about the whole matter. I like unique names, but I also know it is unfair to newer users or users who want specific names for specific reasons.

Would I like non-unique names for my own selfish desires? Sure. Welcome to human nature! Self-entitlement one way or the other is the rioot of this discussion.

However, the bigger picture for me personally is the sites future. This model of hoard names/IDs/stalk each other in case we go inactive is an archaic system that newer petsites have moved away from.

The last two sites I joined both have non-unique names. Which means I don't have to spend time fretting over getting the maximum amount of pets possible as quickly as possible to try and get names I want before they're gone. Alternatively, that means I don't have to find out that the names I want are long gone then log out and never come back. I can actually meander around and see what the site has to offer.

If that's the new normal, then expecting new players (ie: we're here because we're invested but walking away is easy when you have nothing to lose) to drop expectations is a lot to ask. Especially with the lag, the hiccups, the odd errors, the forums who load when they feel like it, etc etc.

Would non-unique excuse everything else? Maybe, maybe not. But if the cost of renames were unchanged there would probably be a short-term financial boom (long-term if IDs became a trend, boy is that a costly endeavor trust me) that could probably help the site get the coding overhaul it needs.

But at the end if the day this ain't my site and all I can do is hope staff weigh their options without bias, take input via a poll, but also consider what the new norm of pet/avatar sites is if new players (who obviously wouldn't participate in a poll) are wanted. If new players aren't wanted and everything is fine then, why change anything at all.

I would be happy to see non-unique pet names made a thing, but I also don't think I'd heartbroken if it never happened either.

For a proper feedback perspective however, here is my point of view of pets on the site;

At the end of last year I had a really good idea for a pet. I was excited and spent almost three weeks trying to find a good name for the pet that I had in mind. And after those three weeks of hunting, I'd started to lose motivation to work on the idea, as it was no longer fresh in my mind. Every time I looked up a 'good name' I then couldn't use, I felt more and more discouraged. I looked up hundreds of words. The pet got made eventually, but it's now just sitting there, untouched for the last 6 months, and the character that I made for it was pushed offsite because no matter how many times I try to tell myself I'm happy with the name I chose, it wasn't my first choice, not even close.

Right now, all but one of my Subeta pets exist offsite, and I unloaded the majority of my pets last year that I'd lost motivation for. I haven't made a new pet since, which means I haven't bothered buying items for potioning, TCs, or even spending money in the art / profile / writing markets to develop the pets further. Because my interest has moved offsite, ALL of the rest of those things (money and time) have ALSO moved offsite.

I don't mind continuing to do my own thing offsite-- but if Subeta wants someone like me (who has fleeting inspiration / feels less motivated when unhappy) to be ONSITE, I think non-unique is the way to go.

I've seen a few friends try to get names in clearings in the past, and it's been incredibly stressful for them. I've been asked to try to help them get names- I've seen people suggest using things like auto refreshers, etc. I just personally don't see that as a fun aspect of the site, and will continue to not be a part of that if unique names continue. shrug

I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. Or the number of times I have waited literally YEARS for a name, constantly checking account activity, stressing when the account was due to clear, and FINALLY getting that name I've wanted since I first joined the site-- But after all that time waiting, the inspiration was already dead. I celebrated the victory for a while, but it grew hollow very quickly. It just isn't enjoyable to wait that goddamn long for something - and honestly I can't imagine the feelings of all the other people who were probably also waiting that long and lost the name to me when they finally had their shot. The name referenced above is Lucifer, btw. I waited about 8 years for it to clear - I can't recall exactly how long it was.

Re: inspirations

It's up to a point where I don't even think of characters before I get a name, since getting names is so damn hard. I wait and wait for names I want to clear or get UFA, and THEN I develop a character for it. If I have ideas, I take them off site. I haven't spent real $ on subeta in years. Why would I? I would be inclined to buy thing such as slots, potions, treasures items, overlays straight away if I had an idea and could directly put it on site.

Now in order to not be disappointed, I wait until after I get names to make characters. I also refuse to spend money on a site that is straight out broken whenever I try to do something. The aspect I like the most about the site, pets, is basically dead anyways and is overall regarded as something that isn't profitable. The few users who cares are divided and we are ignored by staff for months when we raise concerns or ideas.

Will non unique names fix this? No, not at all. But it will be a step in the right direction. People will be able to create and it will be fun to have characters on site again. On top of the site not dying whenever a 'big name' account clears

I'm so glad talked about their experience with thinking of a great and creative idea for a pet, and then having that motivation completely fizzle out when you can't find an appropriate name for them. I've experience this countless times as well, to the point that for a very long time, I just stopped working on pets in general--even when I had good names/ideas for them! It was just hard to jump into the actual creative work when I didn't have a decent canvas to use, you know what I mean? (I'll blame part of that on my working style, though; I like to seize the moment when it comes to designing, writing, drawing, and putting everything together.)

These days I've rediscovered some of that motivation for working on pets, and have been writing a lot for a couple of them, collecting treasure items for others, etc... but yeah. I can relate a lot. Having such a limited canvas compared to other sites that allow non-unique names also makes me wonder if I should invest more time learning the ins and outs of those sites instead, since I can ride that motivation wave better if I don't have to hem and haw over something as basic as the damn name.

Again, I can commiserate with people who have pets with names that have real sentimental value (I see so many beautifully and thoughtfully-made tribute pet profiles for deceased, real-life people or animals), who trudged through lag and held out for the perfect name. I totally get why the uniqueness matters to people. But I also want others to have the opportunity to make lovely profiles and express themselves without being limited by the most basic thing about a pet. Like someone said earlier in the thread, a pet/character is more than a name, and it's the other elements that truly make that pet unique.

I have, from the beginning, seen nicknames as supplemental to desired names, not really as a replacement for them. I’ve seen nothing so far to make me think otherwise.

I wouldn't want to see a not-the-name-I-want-but-it's-the-official-name anywhere... not on my pet page, not on the profile, not even the link (especially not the link because I am weird like that) and in that case, where would the "official" name be used exactly? So, I'm still gonna go after names during clearings... As long as it's an option. And, I am pretty sure I wouldn't be alone, because nearly all of the desirable names are bound up on accounts now. (I am particularly sure of this when it comes to real words… Yes, there are more words out there – a lot more – but there are some themes that are so popular that literally all the reasonably synonymous synonyms are taken. So either you dig around until you can settle for a word that references some more minor aspect of your character or you just wait… and hope you are fast enough when the time comes, if it comes.) So... Yeah, clearings still gonna be crashing the site occasionally.

Whether it's "nicknames" or "non-unique" names, I really think it needs to be "this is your only option now" once it's implemented if it's actually going to stand a chance of actually fixing anything. Because there is major appeal to the way things are now. I love my unique names, truly. I really like name-based links. And, yes, the fact that I managed to get them despite everything does make me more proud to own them, even though I know that is selfish. But the thing that will probably keep me going the "old" route would be the fact I'm not particularly fond of having "old" format mixed with "new" format so it's not something I'd chose... But it is something I could adapt to... if I had to... if that makes sense.

I will say this, if we do go with nicknames, I really really hope there is an option for the “official” name to be the pet’s actual ID number so I don’t have to figure out some other kind of weirdness. If we went over to non-unique names, their IDs would be their "official" names anyway so I’ve already (mostly) come to terms with the fact that linking to pets would be ID based.

I feel parts of the above conversation summarize my feelings very well. It's hard to be inspired after spending ages trying to find a name.

It also summarizes how I feel now about nicknames, I think. When this conversation first started ages ago, I was amendable to nicknames. If they'd rolled out shortly after I think I still would be. But now it's been too long for an aspect of the site that often feels lowkey dead.

Yes, this. Anyone else play Flightrising? I can have a dozen dragons named "Angel" because they use ID numbers instead. There is of course a thriving market for dragons with low-ID numbers, because some people need to feel special or better than everyone else or whatever. But I find myself getting Subeta pets for the pretty art and then never doing anything with them - then making a new dragon OC at Flightrising and actually working on it for hours, gathering items and skins and stuff, because I can name it whatever I'd like.

I have dozens of Subetapets that represent the deities of Egyptian mythology, and of course my motivation takes a dip when Anubis has to be Inpew, and Hathor has to be Hwt-Hert, and Thoth has to be Tehuti. But why should I stalk someone else's account like a creep to snag a proper name when I can just surf on over to a different pet site and make a new pet with the perfect name right away?

I can understand wanting to be special and having your pet be the most special one, but I really think that Subeta is showing its age here. Change with the times or be left behind, I'd say.

The pet link could also be something like subeta.net/username/pets/petname - meaning that an owner could only have one pet of a given name - but I think it's more intuitive than pet numbers for linking

subeta.net/username/pets/petname + ID link (as it is right now) would be a near perfect solution

The URL can be 'aesthetic', everyone can have the name they want. It seems like a great solution. subeta.net/pets/petname can be removed so the need for 'unique name' doesn't exist.

My question to all the NonUnique Petname Supporter:

Is it fair, that I, and many other users, paid REAL money for renaming? I don't think I will get my money back, when this idea would be realized. Just for someone to create a pet named "A", I have to accept the fact that I lose money?

Don't wanna be misunderstood. There are also names I would like to have, but can't get, but thats how it works. U can't have it all. Thats life.