• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 18:18
CEST 00:18
KST 07:18
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall9HomeStory Cup 27 - Info & Preview18Classic wins Code S Season 2 (2025)16Code S RO4 & Finals Preview: herO, Rogue, Classic, GuMiho0TL Team Map Contest #5: Presented by Monster Energy6
Community News
Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL59Weekly Cups (June 23-29): Reynor in world title form?13FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event19Esports World Cup 2025 - Final Player Roster16Weekly Cups (June 16-22): Clem strikes back1
StarCraft 2
General
Program: SC2 / XSplit / OBS Scene Switcher Statistics for vetoed/disliked maps The SCII GOAT: A statistical Evaluation Weekly Cups (June 23-29): Reynor in world title form? PiG Sty Festival #5: Playoffs Preview + Groups Recap
Tourneys
FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $8000 live event RSL: Revival, a new crowdfunded tournament series Korean Starcraft League Week 77 Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) [GSL 2025] Code S: Season 2 - Semi Finals & Finals
Strategy
How did i lose this ZvP, whats the proper response Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps
[UMS] Zillion Zerglings
External Content
Mutation # 480 Moths to the Flame Mutation # 479 Worn Out Welcome Mutation # 478 Instant Karma Mutation # 477 Slow and Steady
Brood War
General
Flash Announces Hiatus From ASL SC uni coach streams logging into betting site BGH Mineral Boosts Tutorial Video Player “Jedi” cheat on CSL Replays question
Tourneys
[Megathread] Daily Proleagues [BSL20] Grand Finals - Sunday 20:00 CET Small VOD Thread 2.0 [BSL20] GosuLeague RO16 - Tue & Wed 20:00+CET
Strategy
Simple Questions, Simple Answers I am doing this better than progamers do.
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread Path of Exile What do you want from future RTS games? Beyond All Reason
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
Russo-Ukrainian War Thread US Politics Mega-thread Trading/Investing Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine The Games Industry And ATVI
Fan Clubs
SKT1 Classic Fan Club! Maru Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Anime Discussion Thread [Manga] One Piece [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread
Sports
2024 - 2025 Football Thread Formula 1 Discussion NBA General Discussion TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 NHL Playoffs 2024
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
Blogs
Culture Clash in Video Games…
TrAiDoS
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
Blog #2
tankgirl
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Trip to the Zoo
micronesia
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 622 users

Blizzard's arbitrary name restrictions

Blogs > rd
Post a Reply
1 2 3 4 Next All
rd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States2586 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-08-06 21:13:31
August 06 2013 21:09 GMT
#1
As you can see, my name is two characters long. There has been a precedent set on the internet where valid usernames are at least three-four characters long, or that various characters are restricted (no numbers, etc). Theres no real rationale behind it other than very few people such as myself actually have a nickname that falls within the affected user group, and even fewer probably care to get it changed for each and every community they register for. Even within the SC2 community, we comfortably address players like MC, sC, jd, or even to an extent Day[9] (Bear in mind I have no intentions of representing their opinions), who are indefinitely committed to wearing a tag or altering a name they use differently everywhere else. It's not the case for Blizzard's role-playing MMO World of Warcraft where a name is arguably more important than a hack-n-slash dungeon crawler like Diablo III, or an RTS like Starcraft II. Blizzard has advanced player comfortability by leaps with the battle tag system, allowing players to pick their name they want regardless of whether or not someone else uses it, yet they still have these arbitrary restrictions. 'rd' isn't an appropriate name, but a name like lIllIlIlIIlIIl is, a name with which you can't even begin to address someone by (though I won't judge them for it).

Of course, I try and lobby for this with each game or community I enter, but people approach this (miniscule) problem so irrationally. It doesn't affect them or anyone else that use the internet, but they're compelled to intervene and make it an issue that can't be approached. It SHOULD be the most minor first-world inconvenience, but for someone like me who invests a lot into how I'm known; how friends acknowledge me, it only becomes increasingly worse. With every new gaming endeavor, more and more of my friends know me by entirely different names, based on how a game or community casually overlooks naming conventions.

Theres a funny story where a group of friends I knew used Teamspeak. Being a veteran of other popular voice communication software such as Ventrilo, Skype, or Mumble, my two letter username was (thankfully) perfectly fine to use in those programs. Of course I stumbled into Teamspeak to find that a minimum character restriction was enforced. The developers (or at least some guys with the developer title) are surprisingly vocal and engaging with the community regarding suggestions on their forum. So I requested that they remove the minimum character restriction. Their response: "In our opinion it's just too short for a nickname," and henceforth TeamSpeak will never get anything from me. I'll give TS the benefit of the doubt though, and I'll try reviving the topic and seeing if they're able to accommodate my name yet, or if they still believe the opinion of one man should dictate how mutual friends address one another.

I'm at a loss. I have no idea what more I can do. Since Beta I have waited for the day Blizzard removes random naming restrictions from battle tags such as the three character minimum limit, or the restriction of alphabetical-only characters. With every new free name change, I've ended up sending a support ticket to request my name change be reverted after the disappointment of finding out that nothings different. Then I start a new thread on the battle-net forums to try and lobby for removing the restrictions but it has been entirely futile.

What is there left to do? :/

**
Railgan
Profile Joined August 2010
Switzerland1507 Posts
August 06 2013 21:15 GMT
#2
pick a new name
Grandmaster Zerg from Switzerland!!! www.twitch.tv/railgan // www.twitter.com/railgansc // www.youtube.com/c/railgansc
rd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States2586 Posts
August 06 2013 21:18 GMT
#3
On August 07 2013 06:15 Enema wrote:
pick a new name


no
dcemuser
Profile Joined August 2010
United States3248 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-08-06 21:25:20
August 06 2013 21:19 GMT
#4
rd_SC

You can slightly alter on your name on places that require it, and you will always have same name. I put accents in my name if it is already taken, and my friends still call me by the same name (rather than attempt to repronounce it using the accent in a strange way). Unless your friends are mentally handicapped in a way that only allows them to speak words exactly as they are written (some extreme OCD or something), but otherwise this should be fine.
HolyExlxF
Profile Joined March 2011
United States256 Posts
August 06 2013 21:22 GMT
#5
-rd

.rd

)rd

You know, get creative.
ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
jrkirby
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States1510 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-08-06 21:25:08
August 06 2013 21:24 GMT
#6
Yah, I hate these things too. I kinda understand removing special characters (obviously there are some technical difficulties if you let people use the entire unicode character set) but 2 character names should be allowed. Honestly, they should allow anything you can easily type with your keyboard that fits on the screen. I kinda feel your pain. Whenever I can't get jrkirby as my account name, it irks me.

But you could try to phoneticize your name, like ardee or something.
Bippzy
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
United States1466 Posts
August 06 2013 21:25 GMT
#7
Are dee (rd)
LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK LEENOCK
rd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States2586 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-08-06 21:27:03
August 06 2013 21:25 GMT
#8
On August 07 2013 06:19 dcemuser wrote:
rd_SC

You can slightly alter on your name on places that require it, and you will always have same name. I put accents in my name if it is already taken, and my friends still call me by the same name (rather than attempt to repronounce it using the accent in a strange way). Maybe your friends are mentally handicapped in a way that only allows them to speak words exactly as they are written, but otherwise this should be fine.


The question isn't my name, the question is why the fuck do those places require it to be different in the first place. Also SC2 doesn't allow underscores nor accents. Everyone can have any name they want UNLESS it's two characters long. Then fuck those players we aren't accommodating them.
TylerThaCreator
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
United States906 Posts
August 06 2013 21:31 GMT
#9
there are more important things to worry about in life.

use the id arrdee
aka SethN
Chairman Ray
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
United States11903 Posts
August 06 2013 21:39 GMT
#10
Spend the next few months training up so you can go pro, and then your handle can be EGRDRC
rd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States2586 Posts
August 06 2013 21:40 GMT
#11
On August 07 2013 06:31 TylerThaCreator wrote:
there are more important things to worry about in life.

use the id arrdee


And this is precisely the problem. Because there are more important things to worry about in life, I don't get to have my desired nickname for no reason at all. No reason. At all.
TylerThaCreator
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
United States906 Posts
August 06 2013 21:46 GMT
#12
On August 07 2013 06:40 rd wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 07 2013 06:31 TylerThaCreator wrote:
there are more important things to worry about in life.

use the id arrdee


And this is precisely the problem. Because there are more important things to worry about in life, I don't get to have my desired nickname for no reason at all. No reason. At all.


the fact that you throw temper tantrums about not getting your two letter ID is pretty pathetic.
aka SethN
rd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States2586 Posts
August 06 2013 21:52 GMT
#13
On August 07 2013 06:46 TylerThaCreator wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 07 2013 06:40 rd wrote:
On August 07 2013 06:31 TylerThaCreator wrote:
there are more important things to worry about in life.

use the id arrdee


And this is precisely the problem. Because there are more important things to worry about in life, I don't get to have my desired nickname for no reason at all. No reason. At all.


the fact that you throw temper tantrums about not getting your two letter ID is pretty pathetic.


I wasn't aware temper tantrums could be transmitted through text. Is there anything else irrelevant you'd like to add, or has it become clear to you this is something you're unable to empathize with?
Epishade
Profile Blog Joined November 2011
United States2267 Posts
August 06 2013 21:53 GMT
#14
I think something that affects more of us is the dis-allowance of short passwords and passwords that "require at least 2 of the following: capital letters, numbers, symbols". Those really piss me off. Case sensitivity in passwords is fucking retarded.

I also hate it when you can't put your password as the answer to your recovery questions. ARRRGH! (lol, yes, I've tried that).
Pinhead Larry in the streets, Dirty Dan in the sheets.
ComaDose
Profile Blog Joined December 2009
Canada10357 Posts
August 06 2013 22:02 GMT
#15
my friend (last name yi) is invalid according to skype
BW pros training sc2 is like kiss making a dub step album.
Erik.TheRed
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States1655 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-08-06 22:14:31
August 06 2013 22:13 GMT
#16
if you think you're in the minority of people who are affected, then you're just wrong. Most people can't pick the usernames they want because they've already been taken. Use the opportunity to get creative and come up with something better if you want, or just add a number to the end and be done with it.
"See you space cowboy"
itsjustatank
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Hong Kong9153 Posts
August 06 2013 22:17 GMT
#17
make sure to pick something better than 'itsjustatank'
Photographer"nosotros estamos backamos" - setsuko
marttorn
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
Norway5211 Posts
August 06 2013 22:20 GMT
#18
On August 07 2013 06:52 rd wrote:
Show nested quote +
On August 07 2013 06:46 TylerThaCreator wrote:
On August 07 2013 06:40 rd wrote:
On August 07 2013 06:31 TylerThaCreator wrote:
there are more important things to worry about in life.

use the id arrdee


And this is precisely the problem. Because there are more important things to worry about in life, I don't get to have my desired nickname for no reason at all. No reason. At all.


the fact that you throw temper tantrums about not getting your two letter ID is pretty pathetic.


I wasn't aware temper tantrums could be transmitted through text. Is there anything else irrelevant you'd like to add, or has it become clear to you this is something you're unable to empathize with?


i mean he's just saying that theres more important things to get snarky about, even online. I mean i think most dudes would just type their name different or something.
memes are a dish best served dank
rd
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
United States2586 Posts
August 06 2013 22:20 GMT
#19
On August 07 2013 07:13 Erik.TheRed wrote:
if you think you're in the minority of people who are affected, then you're just wrong. Most people can't pick the usernames they want because they've already been taken. Use the opportunity to get creative and come up with something better if you want, or just add a number to the end and be done with it.


You don't have to be creative in SC2. If more devs followed the blizzard model of just letting you have any name you want with an invisible number attached then most people wouldn't have a problem picking names. But that isn't my problem.
solidbebe
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
Netherlands4921 Posts
August 06 2013 22:54 GMT
#20
I dont see why people dont agree with OP. A minimum requirement is stupid. imo rd is a totally valid nickname, and I understand OPs frustration.

In the end none of us can do anything about it though, you wont get anything done with this blog.
That's the 2nd time in a week I've seen someone sig a quote from this GD and I have never witnessed a sig quote happen in my TL history ever before. -Najda
1 2 3 4 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 11h 42m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Nina 151
ProTech74
StarCraft: Brood War
firebathero 234
NaDa 38
Rock 31
LancerX 20
Dota 2
LuMiX1
League of Legends
Grubby3751
Dendi1512
Heroes of the Storm
Liquid`Hasu485
Khaldor261
Other Games
summit1g10090
fl0m725
RotterdaM398
Sick55
ViBE55
Organizations
Other Games
BasetradeTV31
StarCraft 2
angryscii 29
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 20 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• Berry_CruncH299
• musti20045 43
• davetesta42
• tFFMrPink 19
• OhrlRock 2
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• sooper7s
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• Pr0nogo 8
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
Dota 2
• Ler139
League of Legends
• Doublelift4630
• Jankos2587
Other Games
• imaqtpie1084
Upcoming Events
RSL Revival
11h 42m
Clem vs Classic
SHIN vs Cure
FEL
13h 42m
WardiTV European League
13h 42m
BSL: ProLeague
19h 42m
Dewalt vs Bonyth
Replay Cast
2 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
2 days
WardiTV European League
2 days
The PondCast
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
RSL Revival
4 days
[ Show More ]
Replay Cast
5 days
RSL Revival
5 days
FEL
5 days
RSL Revival
6 days
FEL
6 days
FEL
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

BSL 2v2 Season 3
HSC XXVII
Heroes 10 EU

Ongoing

JPL Season 2
BSL Season 20
Acropolis #3
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 2
CSL 17: 2025 SUMMER
Copa Latinoamericana 4
Championship of Russia 2025
RSL Revival: Season 1
Murky Cup #2
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025
PGL Astana 2025
Asian Champions League '25
BLAST Rivals Spring 2025
MESA Nomadic Masters
CCT Season 2 Global Finals
IEM Melbourne 2025

Upcoming

2025 ACS Season 2: Qualifier
CSLPRO Last Chance 2025
2025 ACS Season 2
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
K-Championship
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
SEL Season 2 Championship
FEL Cracov 2025
Esports World Cup 2025
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.