Unique Pet Name Changes

July 26, 2020 7:18 pm

It's happening! This change is a massive shift over what we've done for the past 15 years and we know upfront that this change will make some people happy, and some people upset. We're making this change to preserve the future of Subeta, and to keep excitement for new users as high as for those of us who've been here for the last 15 years.

We've listened to feedback on this for years, and have looked at how other popular modern games handle unique names like this. We've come to a decision and are implementing it today.

The goal at the center of these changes is to give everyone on the site the freedom to be as creative as they'd like, and build characters around their pets without having to scour for the name you want for months - and to honor those who fought for names and waited months.

Pet Names

From this point forward pet names are no longer unique. That means, for example, there can be two pets named Spot on the site at the same time. You can build stories and characters around a name, without needing to add numbers or strange spellings. We're looking forward to seeing a burst of creativity!

Changes: The new URL structure for your pets looks like: https://subeta.net/pets/keith/AwesomePetName

And the sCode for linking to pets is: [pet not found] ...where "keith" is the username of the pet's owner, and AwesomePetName is the (hopefully awesome) pet name!

All of the links around the site have been updated to reflect this change.

Changing Pet Name

You can now change your pet name once per month with a gold account. That means one name change per pet, per month. We'll have a way for everyone to rename their pets soon!

Legacy Pet Names

To honor those who have spent time, effort and money in obtaining unique pet names up until now, every pet created on the site up until this news post now also has a legacy pet name that links them to their names prior to this update. The old URL structure and sCode will still work, and will link to the pet with that legacy name.

For example, if I owned AwesomePetName before this update, then https://subeta.net/pets/AwesomePetName here will still link to my pet AwesomePetName for the rest of time!

If I change my pets name to "TotallyAwesomePetname" the legacy name will continue to be AwesomePetName. This status will persist even if your pet is transferred to a new owner.

There is a line on the pet profile designating the legacy name, and this can be removed targeting the .legacy-name class with CSS. For example, the following CSS will hide it completely: .legacy-name { display: none; }

Other Changes

We will no longer be clearing old pet names - all old pets will retain those legacy names.

We will still be clearing usernames at the same time, as they continue to be unique. No pet names will be cleared.

[edit] There is a helpful user-made FAQ here which compiles information from various staff posts/comments: FAQ about Legacy Names/Non-Unique Pet Names

July 26, 2020, 10:09 pm by

I have the same exact notification on all of my pets too. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

July 26, 2020, 10:08 pm by

Congratulations!!! Your pet (formerly Preciousness) is now named Genevieve

Yay my daughter :)

July 26, 2020, 10:08 pm by

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! This is a disallowed pet name. Please file a ticket for more information.

....This is on all of my pet names? What's wrong with them :( They've had those names for years.

July 26, 2020, 10:06 pm by

I could cry from happiness. I had to misspell my pets name in 2007 and I was finally able to correct it 13 years later.

Congratulations!!! Your pet (formerly Ozmandias) is now named Ozymandias!

July 26, 2020, 10:05 pm by

I think this is a really good compromise. I was bitter about the change at first, but this makes me realize how many of my names I was holding just because they are nice names and not because I was necessarily drawn to them. I'm stoked to finally be able to get the perfect names for me!! And that others can do the same (: Thanks staff!

July 26, 2020, 10:04 pm by

i know not everyone is, thats why i was careful in saying a lot are upset, and just because a lot are excited and can get the names they want now, they can't see how it is actually really disappointing for a lot, as well, and how unique names actually meant something and now they mean less so. thats what my point was. Hael and others being excited doesnt change that a lot of people are upset and have a right to be. It seems that the excitement is causing lack of understanding for that and invalidating that.

July 26, 2020, 10:03 pm by

I ended up getting rid of 90% of my pets last year due to guilt. I felt panic getting all the names I had wanted, to the point where I got too many pets and was so overwhelmed I didn't know where to begin. The pets sat there, and I felt stressed out about people who might want those names, and it just made me feel more and more unmotivated to work on them due to that anxiety.

I am so excited for this change. I no longer will need to hoard names. I can work at my pace, and I can happily make pets as I feel invested in them, and worry less about my motivation fading away or turning to anxiety. My account just turned 12 this month, and now I finally know what to use my loyalty box on :) hehe

July 26, 2020, 10:00 pm by

I ❤️ this idea a LOT!!!! I have only had one issue with the site and that was during Vesnali and my coins weren’t adding up right. I had screenshots of the coins I made blah, blah, blah but I had to delete them all bc I was running out of space and would rather spend my $$ here than pay (I know it’s only .99-2.99 but I’d rather apply that to Subeta instead) for a storage increase. I know I’m a miser in that regard. :). I can’t wait to be able to change @ least 2 of my pets names. Keep up the great work and if I can help it, I’ll be around for another 14 years!!

July 26, 2020, 10:00 pm by

You're welcome to still have creative names that don't match up to exactly what you want if you really want to. There are plenty of pet sites with non-unique names that do just fine in that sense. Unique names are not what makes Subeta and while I'm sure some people enjoyed finding creative ways to have a name that was as close as possible to what they originally wanted, I would bet a larger amount of players would much prefer to simply have the name that they desired. Again nothing is stopping you or anyone else from using creative solutions to find completely untaken names. To me the only reason why you should be upset about this update is because people can now own names that you own because they're something of a status symbol for a lot of people.

July 26, 2020, 9:59 pm by

I find it interesting how many people complaining about their ultra special unique names no longer being unique have 0 pets on their profile and seem to be extremely inactive.

July 26, 2020, 9:57 pm by

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I get needing to bring in users and drum up excitement, but you&;re also bringing down a lot of excitement for users and driving away users that helped build this site (not literally like Keith) from almost/the beginning. That does matter.

A lot of users who have been here since the beginning are also extremely excited over this update. The older users aren't all upset over this, a lot of them are overjoyed - even though they often had a lot of desirable names.

July 26, 2020, 9:53 pm by

people are b*tching because a unique name was a source of pride, and that is taken away with this, regardless of the "legacy name" title. There have been many names i have always wanted, still do, but i realized that some people just got to them first, and that's just how it is. Having creative names is actually a cool part of this site, or was? because it did force people to have to think outside of the box, and that name actually became unique to their own. Now everyone can have all similarly named pets, and it does take a special part out of the name. Judt because you don't get it, doesn't mean their feelings and disappointment, even aggravation, aren't valid. They are. I get needing to bring in users and drum up excitement, but you're also bringing down a lot of excitement for users and driving away users that helped build this site (not literally like Keith) from almost/the beginning. That does matter.

July 26, 2020, 9:52 pm by

Just got home, subscribed, and also bought a fair amount of CSC in celebration! I feel super hyped up and ready to work on pets for the first time in ages, I just don't know who to start with...! (Then again, I do have 101 pets...)

I used to be able to deal with the hunt for a good pet name, but nowadays I work fulltime (in a frankly physically and emotionally draining job) and have other responsibilities, and it just... always got exhausting very quickly, and I started settling on things that I wasn't sure I actually liked, because I wasn't sure I'd be able to find anything better (at least not without investing more time and energy than I could seem to muster on a task as tedious as looking up pet names to see if they were taken or not.)

It actually took me a while to fill my most recent pet slot because I was having so much trouble finding a name that I thought might inspire a character idea -- and the one I eventually settled on because I thought I might be able to work with it, is one of the several pets I have that I haven't actually managed to do anything with because the name just isn't clicking in the way I hoped that it might -- but that I've also been afraid to adopt out, because what if eventually I end up coming up with an idea for that name...?

For me if the name doesn't "feel" right for the character, I'll end up stuck and unable to develop them -- and I've actually had a number of pet ideas that I was unable to use because I couldn't find a fitting name that felt right.

For myself and a number of others, the unique name system was absolutely discouraging creativity, not encouraging it. Not everyone is able to figure out an alternative name that works for a specific character idea, which lead to certain characters not making it to Subeta. Again, I've had several characters I would've liked to bring here because they would be fun to build treasure chests for, but couldn't find workable names for, so they stayed offsite.

So I'm very, very hyped about this change, because I no longer have to worry about that, nor do I have to hold onto names that I'm not sure I'll be able to work with! To say nothing of no longer needing to watch accounts and hope for them to go inactive, or the pet name drama that I've thankfully only heard tales of...

While this is a big change and I do sort of wish we had gotten a poll and perhaps more warning, I think overall it's a positive for a lot of us pet people. There's so much excitement here and it looks like people are already jumping in and using them. One of my friends was finally able to rename a pet, which they've had for 10+ years, to have the character's proper name, and they're considering coming back to the site after a long hiatus. This is a really exciting change!

July 26, 2020, 9:50 pm by

I don't see how we're being punished? People can get as creative as they want. Now, if they want a specific pet name, they can have it. If they don't, they can stick with their current ones. Ex. I'm not going to change my pet name to Ron just because it's available now; in fact, because everyone can potentially have a pet named Ron, I'm more likely to search for a word that describes the character I want to make to really convey what the pet is about ??? Or I could, and still be happy walking away with a pet name I am content with, without feeling disappointment over it being taken.

July 26, 2020, 9:47 pm by

We can have 2 pets with the same name. I gave Hera a different name, but wanted to keep the name so I put it on another pet. Then realizing that the new Hera has a different legacy name, if I create a new Hera, she should be the first one again. Well, that didn't work either, but yes, now I have two Heras. I would like to put their names back and pay for a name swap if that would keep Hera's legacy name with the newly renamed Hera.

July 26, 2020, 9:47 pm by

omg you guys are abandoning some of the cutest names!!! ;~; someone go get Pesto!!!

July 26, 2020, 9:46 pm by

YAAAAAY

July 26, 2020, 9:46 pm by

I would have preferred a nickname system, as this definitely isn’t fair to those who spent lots of time and effort and creativity to get the perfect unique names for their pets. I understand that’s an unpopular opinion. But I’ve been looking for an excuse to be active on the site again, and this is honestly just giving me more excuses to stay away. Sorry, just wanted to speak my mind.

July 26, 2020, 9:46 pm by

This has always been a huge thing for me... I coveted having my special names. But I totally get why this change is happening and I DO think it's a positive change for the site.

I just have to put down my ego!

July 26, 2020, 9:46 pm by

I like that idea, and I hope it does get implemented, although I don't think the staff plans to. That way, people who do really like having unique names could still get the bragging rights of "see, I thought of this terrible pun first!"

July 26, 2020, 9:43 pm by

Thanks for the legacy option for all my unique buddies. This will be a change to adjust to, and I have a number of questions (mostly involving the Search tool on Subeta having multiple "Exact name" searches and what will happen to Pounded pets with matching names) but this will definitely be an exciting change so I can have some of those pet names I've dreamt of. ^.^

July 26, 2020, 9:42 pm by

I get such a bad taste in my mouth seeing all these comments bitching about the update because "there are plenty of creative names left". Well sure, there are. But I have a character named Owain, I want him to have a pet version on this website and want his name to be Owain. I can fudge it (and did) for the longest time with Owayne, but it makes me much happier that the pet's name is spelled correctly.

I really don't understand a lot of the upset and "I'm quitting" outside of being pissy that people can also own the sought after name that you own.

Super glad to hear that there will be an option to remove the "legacy name" thing on profiles, though! On a few of mine that I've changed since this upset I'd also like that to be removed.

July 26, 2020, 9:39 pm by

Woah, was not expecting this! but i am very pleased and look forward to changing many of my pet names. Thank you for this!

July 26, 2020, 9:37 pm by

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Fuck this. We&;re being punished for being creative, because someone somewhere might not have the pet name they wanted? Are you fucking kidding me?! You might as well limit creative usernames too at this point.

You can still be creative. It just gives people more options

July 26, 2020, 9:37 pm by

hey bro chill on the language. if you want your account to get yeeted, there's a disable option in the user dash.

July 26, 2020, 9:35 pm by

In response to some people being concerned about them removing Unique Usernames; I don't think that's really something we have to worry about it. The two aren't really comparable; every user on this site can only have One Username. Meanwhile, one user can have 100+ pets. Literally. There are some users who have over a hundred pets. Which means if you got 10 users with 100 pets, you'd have 1000 pets. 10 Unique Usernames vs 1000 Unique Pet Names is very, very different. So I really don't see them removing Unique Usernames anytime soon, since there are vastly less users then there are pets.

July 26, 2020, 9:35 pm by

Sure, discovering a name you use for your character is still available was a rush. But I love that I can correct the ones who never felt quite right with another name or word taking the place of their actual name. Thanks guys! Only I do think there should have been some kinda warning? Kinda a shock to the system. But I'm not mad at it.

July 26, 2020, 9:35 pm by

Hello!

I just adopted a pet from the pound and the previous owner has already changed his name to "Vendetta". I went to update his pet page, and when I went to preview the changes, it previews on a pet with the legacy name "Vendetta" who is owned by a different user.

July 26, 2020, 9:34 pm by

Fuck this. We're being punished for being creative, because someone somewhere might not have the pet name they wanted? Are you fucking kidding me?! You might as well limit creative usernames too at this point.

July 26, 2020, 9:34 pm by

A question: can a person have two or more pets with the same name in account?

July 26, 2020, 9:33 pm by

Holy heck, really? This is kind of a big deal! My pet names are gonna be hella unique but damn, I'm excited to see what people do! Now people can copy my names if they wanted to! :O

July 26, 2020, 9:32 pm by

I kind of enjoyed pushing myself to come up with portmanteaus and obscure etymolgies for pet names, but that's because I'm a word nerd :3 It'll be cool not to have to worry about the names I want getting taken though!

Question: can I name two pets the same thing if I want? I probably won't, but I'm curious.

July 26, 2020, 9:32 pm by

This isn't the birthday gift I wanted.

July 26, 2020, 9:29 pm by

Um. I'm firmly in the upset camp. I've put a lot of effort into some of the names of these pets. Many, if not most, long term players have. This was a sense of pride I had on the site. Now it means near nothing.

July 26, 2020, 9:28 pm by

fantastic comment - this sums up a lot of my feelings about it too - I get having to just push through an update sometimes, but even a comments-locked post saying "We're doing this and it's not up for discussion, it'll go into effect on [date]" would've been greatly appreciated.

Also god I'm sorry to hear you got harassed over this! I went through that on another site and it's the worst. I agree that that is the one good thing about this change, that hopefully that crap won't happen again.

July 26, 2020, 9:28 pm by

Not a fan of how the "legacy name" looks on the profile tbh. Ty for providing a code to remove it.

July 26, 2020, 9:27 pm by

Finally, we no longer have to hope that people with good names leave the site.

July 26, 2020, 9:26 pm by

This might be a less common circumstance, but what happens if we create a new pet now with a name that never belonged to any pet before? There are a few names I have had in mind for pets but had not gotten around to creating yet, but they weren't inactive names, they just weren't ever taken at all. If we'd had a heads up I definitely would have created them so they would have the legacy name status now, which I think is a nice touch. But I'm guessing the legacy name status will only be indicative of being created at a time period before today? Or could it also extend to being the very first pet created with this name on the site? (sorry if I've missed this elsewhere)

July 26, 2020, 9:24 pm by

you're always polite and good with everyone, thank you for that ❤ i didn't see your comment before i posted mine. I hope they stay unique but with this news i'm not sure, but thank you for taking time to still address the concern, your attention to users is always appreciated

July 26, 2020, 9:24 pm by

I agree with you. I was always able to find good names despite many being taken and others saying "everything's gone".

July 26, 2020, 9:23 pm by

Thankyou for the response, I really appreciate it. I understand that sometimes decisions just have to be made, but as said, even some forewarning would have been nice so people could have gotten their matters in order beforehand.

While it’s nice that is working on a way to remove legacy names, it would have at least given people time to exchange names and such beforehand if they wished to do so for legacy names they might want to preserve or get beforehand or to hold off on csc transactions for pet names and invest into something else instead. Any name changes I’ve used in the past I’ve long benefited from so I can’t complain personally, though I’m not sure how many people might have used name changes within say, the last two months or so and would have chosen to just wait if they had the forewarning and may have invested into something else on the site (angelic potions, gold accounts, etc) had they known in advance.

It could have also provided the userbase some time to come up with additional suggestions for features so everything could have been rolled out at once.

As someone who had faced a lot of harassment over my pet names some years ago, hopefully this will help provide a more positive environment for the userbase though. I definitely experienced the negative side of the pet community and it was a lot to go through, so I’m glad that shouldn’t hopefully be an issue anymore, since I’d hate for other people to go through it too.

July 26, 2020, 9:22 pm by

OHhhh okay then, haha. Thanks for answering :)

(also ty for the confirmation that usernames aren't going non-unique! was worried for a minute there, lol)

July 26, 2020, 9:22 pm by

(guess it's not my last comment) I can definitely see the legacy thing happenimg with usernames, now. The reason this is being done is to attract new users and get them excited, so, there are a lot of usernames taken and they're lilely to see potential in allowing multiple to a name, as other sites sometimes do. This was never a possibility in the past, so now that door is open to anything. They changed the pet rule, they'll def figure usernames will draw in people, too. (I get people wanting to name their pets after their furbabies/loved ones who have passed, nothing I have said is a dig at that, I swear) The old system was good, in which accounts were cleared, gave users the chance to grab names or barter, and if they didn't manage (been there), unique and interesting names came into play. There isn't a reason to be creative anymore. Anyway, sorry all wall of text ❤

July 26, 2020, 9:21 pm by

I am very excited to see the pets get made that people had good ideas for but just couldn't get the name they needed for it. Being forced to think outside of the box/go past your first idea can be a creativity boost for some people, but I'm sure there's others who just gave up on making an interesting pet profile instead. I think this is going to lead to a burst of creativity from all the people who already know what they want to do and just need the space to do it.

July 26, 2020, 9:20 pm by

Oh! We stopped deleting frozen accounts ages ago. I don't know when because it was before I joined Subeta.

And yeah - we understand many users would prefer their pets not be stuck with a their legacy name. So we are working on providing a way for users to remove legacy names from pets :)

Never fear! Usernames will always be unique.

July 26, 2020, 9:20 pm by

oh thank god for the first time in YEARS I want to get on my laptop and code here. bruh, I'm over the MOON.

(ps it's weird to say unique pet names made subeta a "unique site" because like... most pet sites did it for a long time. it literally makes 0 sense to say that feature made subeta unique, because neopets... legit has done that since the day it opened.......)

July 26, 2020, 9:18 pm by

YAY!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!! Your pet (formerly Occultation) is now named Eclipse!

I have been waiting 3 years to be able to do this!!!!

July 26, 2020, 9:17 pm by

An aside:

Heaps of pets are in the AC! Over 70 as of now. A good time for anyone looking for a pet to go thru the AC too.

July 26, 2020, 9:16 pm by

Look, I'm one of the "oldies" who have many unique names. My view is: YAY! I'm so happy everyone can finally make their pets how they want! I had 15 years of special, unique pets and I'm cool with this change :) I just want the site to thrive!

July 26, 2020, 9:16 pm by

Yeah I got that, I was just specifically curious about what was happening with frozen accounts. Like are they just going to sit there now, or will they still be deleted and the legacy pets on there just poof now? I know it's a moot point, I was just wondering. Just kinda bummed I've got a pet stuck with a legacy name I was waiting to change I guess, lol.

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