Names?

[Swapmeet]

I haven't played yet, but am planning to create a character hopefully this weekend.  I just have a question about character names that I couldn't seem to find in the help files.

I've read a few logs and I noticed that you don't actually see a PC's name, but rather a short description, like "The blue-eyed man" (which I think is the way it should be).  However, once you learn their name by introducing yourselves is there some command which will display the name instead of the short description?  It just seems difficult to me as a player to have to remember the actual name of every person my character meets.

[Cuusardo]

No.  But what you can do is keep a text file listing the PCs sdescs and their names so that you can keep track of them.

[Anael]

I have my client add the name to the sdesc, in brackets, and an in-built notepad to keep track of mdescs (nifty when someone asks you how does PC X look, if the only thing you remember is that it's 'the blue eyed man'), clothing (to avoid spam looking when I want to involve a part of the PCs equipment into my emotes) and some most basic notes.

[Whira's Luck]

I also used to keep lists of names, and they can be a real help. However, I've long since abandoned the practice in favor of a sometimes faulty but good memory save in cases where it is absolutely imperative that I remember (which isn't very often surprisingly).

My reason to do this was simple, which is that if I come into contact with a person every day, or they prove themselves memorable, then I will learn their name naturally, just as you quickly learn and remember the names of people you spend most of your time with. Those that are more generic, or those I rarely spend time with, I'll forget. Maybe I'll need to ask them their name again, but no one is perfect, and I don't believe my characters should be either. That's why I don't copy/paste descriptions of people I look at either. If they're generic looking and generic acting, chances are my pc wouldn't remember them well either. And if there are two people with similar sdescs and descs and I get them confused... well all the better. I've been confused with and confused others even in real life.

While this may seem a daunting prospect, it's really not that difficult to put into practice. This is why schoolteachers, who meet a fresh batch of faces every year quickly learn the names of most of the students in their class. I've had many teachers, year after year, that after the first few weeks of school, didn't even need to look at a list to take attendance. Memory is a great thing, and even flawed memories just add to the experience of reality when you immerse yourself into Zalanthas.

I'm not saying this approach is the best, in fact, text lists CAN be very helpful, but sometimes just letting natural memory take its course can lead to some... heh.. memorable, and enjoyable experiences for everyone involved.

[Swapmeet]

Thats a good point that I didn't think of, Whira's Luck.  Naturally I as a player would remember the names of people I come in contact with often, as would my character.  It also makes sense that I would forget the names of people I don't see that often, or that I don't care about.  Thanks for putting it into a different perspective.