Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: trotter on December 15, 2008, 09:26:43 PM
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Here is something I have wondered for a while:
What is the origin of the numbers names for new players?
I have two theories
a) Instructions upon signup say to use "alpha-numeric characters". People don't know what this is, and assume that the instructions are saying basically to choose a number for yourself.
b) New players who leave their desired ingame name blank get assigned a string of numbers.
Is it one of the two? Or something completely different?
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I'm pretty sure it's B.
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Not B.. 'GameID' just doesnt sound enough like e.g. 'nickname'.
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When they bugger up registration what Snailman calls Hitechs first intelligence test. They are assigned a number as a "FAIL".
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I've thought of this too. I think it's just people that see the two week free trial, and instead of coming up with a meaningful name, they just fun their hand accross the number pad. They probably do't take it seriously, thinking they won't play the game after the two weeks
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A.
I have actually asked two or three of them in the TA. None of them had any idea what "alphanumeric" meant, so they assumed they had to put in a number.
And of course there is that ever growing number of players that do not read anything at all, just hitting a few keys to proceed as fast as possible. Of course, that are the same that ask the same question over and over again, can't find the TA on the arena login screen and constantly yell "NO, DO TELL ME NOW HOW FLY PLANE"
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I always thought they were Prisoners serving 10-15 who think of their number as an ID.
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Heck about 2 1/2 years ago on my 2 week trial, I could have sworn I remember seeing something about a registration code, thus I tried faking one. I was an idiot, yes, no doubting that. I was still new to PC games at the time (use to be only N64/PS1/PS2/ect. games).
It worked as I got in, but then realized my username was numbers. I attempted to stay out of the way, and stay quiet; learn things through watching, and it worked well.
:)
Then if ya are one of the <I will censor this word now> that thinks 1701E is "numbers guy", I would have been considered "Numbers guy" till tour 97 or so.
As a still new guy (started pay in tour 88), I can tell ya, we aren't very smart. :D
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I remember being asked for a login I.D: JAB116
and a game I.D: Hellrasr
Ended up backwards & for my first 2 years of AH, had to go with JAB116 :O
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It's their handle. I'll usually just say "check 6 numbers guy" if it's a "Phone number". Zip codes are easier to recite.
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At least it's easy for them to change it. Not all numbers guys are clueless, however. 999000 is a deadly gunner in his bombers, and I'm sure there are others, but not many! :D
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At least it's easy for them to change it. Not all numbers guys are clueless, however. 999000 is a deadly gunner in his bombers, and I'm sure there are others, but not many! :D
I think 9s has been 9s since AW days. If you see a guy named 4510 or something like that he was at the very beginning of AW. At that time they use to automatically assign numbers. There use to be several of them. We'd always ask where were the rest of the 4,000 series. Was kind of funny.
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It's their handle. I'll usually just say "check 6 numbers guy" if it's a "Phone number". Zip codes are easier to recite.
I have to say, that seems to be what it is. When I first started out, I cant remember all the questions, but I never got asked for a GameID. Maybe I did but just never read it. Anyway, when I first signed on, It was my phone number! I had to fly around for a few months with my phone number stenciled above the moving target lol
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It is "B." I remember signing up and reading that if you don't put in an ID, you get one assigned.
The only complaint I have about numbers guys is giving them check 6's is a pita... :confused:
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I thought that you were assigned a 'NewU' + number? Or was that changed? (haven't played for over 5 years)
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Both answers actually I think are correct.
Other than that I'll put my money on Lusche, I've seldom seen him proven wrong. :)
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Think that was a H2H thing...there were always plenty of NewU's there.
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I thought it had something to do with the pure excitement of getting onto the game and not taking the time to think of a good handle, :O sort of like a kid on Christmas morning opening a gift and immediately start playing with it before the parents can get those darn wire ties off of it............ :lol
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Ended up backwards & for my first 2 years of AH
Ditto
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I thought it had something to do with the pure excitement of getting onto the game and not taking the time to think of a good handle, :O sort of like a kid on Christmas morning opening a gift and immediately start playing with it before the parents can get those darn wire ties off of it............ :lol
:lol good comparison!
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It is "B." I remember signing up and reading that if you don't put in an ID, you get one assigned.
The only complaint I have about numbers guys is giving them check 6's is a pita... :confused:
its also harder to berate them privatley..
.p 337558976552
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Please, just call me "Eleven". ;)
:salute 11
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Please, just call me "Eleven". ;)
:salute 11
Damn, and to think all these years I've been calling you "one one" ;)
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Damn, and to think all these years I've been calling you "one one" ;)
I've been calling him bogey.
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I don't think its either of those.
In my mind most of the numbers guys are free trials.
Not meaning that there new however.
In February of 07 I only played AH2 by free trial for about two months
before setting up a monthly account.
As long as you change your IP address between trials you get
another free one.
You can even register them all to the same email.
So in my mind its just "free trial lifers" who would
rather use numbers for 2 weeks and blend then constantly make names.
C h e c k S i x
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Sir Getback, your right I was 9900 back in the early 90's ..if I can remember that far back......after Aw demise played very breifly fighter ace? and a bit of Red barron that was actually not a bad game....Been 999000 in aces high long long time.....not sure how one can check starting date ...but would be fun to know....at any rate been here long enouph to be shot down and owned by everyone!
<S>999000
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Rumor has it I was 1000000......but as the story goes on my very first flight .....I was taking a formation of B17's off..I was barley wheels up when BAM!!!!...Never saw what hit me!....all I remember was the System message ..you been killed by SHAWK!...my handle immediatly dropped to 999000...........
<S> 999000
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Sir Getback, your right I was 9900 back in the early 90's ..if I can remember that far back......after Aw demise played very breifly fighter ace? and a bit of Red barron that was actually not a bad game....Been 999000 in aces high long long time.....not sure how one can check starting date ...but would be fun to know....at any rate been here long enouph to be shot down and owned by everyone!
<S>999000
Thats a lie sir! Every single time I run into your B17's, I get a free express ticket to the tower, no Tax or VAT. :aok
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I remember being asked for a login I.D: JAB116
and a game I.D: Hellrasr
Ended up backwards & for my first 2 years of AH, had to go with JAB116 :O
Dito, Same thing happened to me. I think I was so excided to see what all the hoopla was about that I didnt read the instructions thourally.
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Well for me it was A. I remember it said something about entering a number for identification, so I took 0100 off the top of my head and there I was.
As for NewU's I'm not entirely sure but I think they were exclusive to H2H, perhaps before they entered the info for the 2 week trial?
Funny thing, I remember there was even an option in the arena settings to force stall limmiter on NewU players.
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Yep, you only had to enter a permanent name and went by a NewU# ID till you did, when you went to either the paying arenas, or to a special arena (iirc) listed in the H2H rooms and set up just for choosing a name.
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I remember being asked for a login I.D: JAB116
and a game I.D: Hellrasr
Ended up backwards & for my first 2 years of AH, had to go with JAB116 :O
Happened to me as well. Login ID seemed like a password and Game ID was your in game name.
Turned out to be the exact opposite.
I think this may be why you see so many "zipcodes"
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I just find it truly fascinating that there are so many simultaneous (and perfectly logical) explanations for this phenomenon. And I'm betting that all of them contribute to the numbers names.
What's absolutely great about these explanations, too, is that nobody is bashing the other person's explanation, or saying theirs is the only true correct one. Everyone is peacefully acknowledging that there's a good chance all might contribute. And yet nobody has said there is just one "true" answer. Not to hijack my own thread...I don't have too many religious epiphanies, but if world religions were more like this, they might be easier to tolerate.
But to get back on track, do you guys think HTC should make an effort to clear up the confusion created at the signup screens? I just don't think it's good business practice to have some new potential customers start off in a situation where they will get berated, and made fun of, by the community. I'm sure more than one customer has been lost because they assumed the community was terrible, and meanwhile it was just the 3490348738 ID that evoked the bad treatment.
Or should the numbers guy trap remain, as LYNX put it, to be the first test for incoming players, and 348934789 might as well spell FAIL. Interesting ideas.
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What's absolutely great about these explanations, too, is that nobody is bashing the other person's explanation, or saying theirs is the only true correct one. Everyone is peacefully acknowledging that there's a good chance all might contribute.
It's real easy to misunderstand intent or implied meaning over the net and text. Especialy when people are just posting quickly, using short hand grammar or speech habits from their locale. Individual personality gets lost in translation very easily.
I'd think there's nothing to lose from re-wording the GameID prompt to something more foolproof.
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I just find it truly fascinating that there are so many simultaneous (and perfectly logical) explanations for this phenomenon. And I'm betting that all of them contribute to the numbers names.
What's absolutely great about these explanations, too, is that nobody is bashing the other person's explanation, or saying theirs is the only true correct one. Everyone is peacefully acknowledging that there's a good chance all might contribute. And yet nobody has said there is just one "true" answer. Not to hijack my own thread...I don't have too many religious epiphanies, but if world religions were more like this, they might be easier to tolerate.
But to get back on track, do you guys think HTC should make an effort to clear up the confusion created at the signup screens? I just don't think it's good business practice to have some new potential customers start off in a situation where they will get berated, and made fun of, by the community. I'm sure more than one customer has been lost because they assumed the community was terrible, and meanwhile it was just the 3490348738 ID that evoked the bad treatment.
Or should the numbers guy trap remain, as LYNX put it, to be the first test for incoming players, and 348934789 might as well spell FAIL. Interesting ideas.
Well said.
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It's their handle. I'll usually just say "check 6 numbers guy" if it's a "Phone number". Zip codes are easier to recite.
Mine was more like option A. I thought I was creating a password not a nickname. So I was "5000" for my two week trial.
No need in looking up "5000s" stats, nothing to see there. :uhoh
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Mine was more like option A. I thought I was creating a password not a nickname. So I was "5000" for my two week trial.
No need in looking up "5000s" stats, nothing to see there. :uhoh
LMFAO. I wonder if that password works now? :uhoh :noid