Question about the "P-###"s

Random_ - Dreamweaver
Random_ - Dreamweaver Posts: 24 Arc User
edited April 2010 in General Discussion
You know when you sign into the game, usually in a crowded spot like west Archosaur, half of the players don't load and they come up as "P-XxxXXXXXxxx" if you click on them?

I have a question about that number... 'cause I've seen people with 4 digits after the 'P' to seven, is there any rhyme and reason to the numbers? Is it just a replacement number (if the server doesn't load you) or is it how the server recognizes every player? Does the lower the number = older the player?

Some of this is kinda common sense, but, I just wanna see if anyone has a more definitive answer than just guesswork...

Oh, and if this has been asked before, sorry-- I wasn't really sure what to search for to find it, and I was wondering about the answers.

That said... if those are numbers assigned to a certain player for the entire time they play... any way to view yours? Out of idle curiosity.
Lvl7xBM||Lvl6xHAWizzie||Lvl6xVeno||Lvl6x'sin||Lvl5xCleric
LA Fox-Veno, Psy, Pure Wizzie, LA Wizzie, HA 'sin, and Barb in the works
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Playin' since April of '09
Post edited by Random_ - Dreamweaver on

Comments

  • SinCityChick - Dreamweaver
    SinCityChick - Dreamweaver Posts: 300 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    The numbers you see, as far as I know, are kinda like having a personal url for a site...it saves all your customizations to that number, and when you click that character's name, it recognizes it and puts you in as that character, with all your customizations intact.
    For those times when *facepalm* and *headdesk* just aren't enough, I present...*brickhead*...painful, effective, and guaranteed to make you forget why you hit yourself in the first place.

    R.I.P.:
    SkyLight (faction)
    Andracil (teh BEST MOD EVER!)
  • Fruitluips - Lost City
    Fruitluips - Lost City Posts: 190 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Every character has an ID number associated with it (unless PW is just weird). Without lag, your client can easily ask PW's database for the name that corresponds to that particular number, but the default behavior is probably just to display the number. That's also why they probably appear as male blademasters without a face; something is just simply slowing down the lookup process, and that's the default template.

    As for whether lower numbers mean older players or not, yes that's probably so (unless PW is just weird again). I doubt it's possible to see your own ID number without getting someone else to lag and tell it to you.
  • SinCityChick - Dreamweaver
    SinCityChick - Dreamweaver Posts: 300 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Yeah, I don't think you can ever lag enough to see your own number...that would be the equivalent of not being on the server and being on the server at the same time...it doesn't work too well...Your specific version of the client will always have at least your character looked up, and that happens during the loading screen before you actually come into the world. If you were lagging enough to see your number, I would think your connection would time out.
    For those times when *facepalm* and *headdesk* just aren't enough, I present...*brickhead*...painful, effective, and guaranteed to make you forget why you hit yourself in the first place.

    R.I.P.:
    SkyLight (faction)
    Andracil (teh BEST MOD EVER!)
  • Michael_Dark - Lost City
    Michael_Dark - Lost City Posts: 9,091 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Random_ - Dreamweaver wrote: »
    That said... if those are numbers assigned to a certain player for the entire time they play... any way to view yours? Out of idle curiosity.

    It is a unique Player ID number. The only way to find yours, as far as I know, is to have someone else who is lagging badly to tell you the number that they see...
    I post in forums. This one and others. That's why I post.
  • Random_ - Dreamweaver
    Random_ - Dreamweaver Posts: 24 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Thank you for the very quick replies, everyone. b:thanks

    It was just bothering me, wondering about it. XD Thanks again. ^^'
    Lvl7xBM||Lvl6xHAWizzie||Lvl6xVeno||Lvl6x'sin||Lvl5xCleric
    LA Fox-Veno, Psy, Pure Wizzie, LA Wizzie, HA 'sin, and Barb in the works
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Playin' since April of '09
  • Aadi - Lost City
    Aadi - Lost City Posts: 4,449 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    I wonder who the oldest still active characters are...
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    "aadi is a forum ninja, always there, skirting thru the shadows... striking with quick posts while you are distracted by your own" -Alexeno(kin)
    "We talk about you because you're fab. b:cute" -Chillum
    "You live for forums. Like seriously."
  • Davitiel - Heavens Tear
    Davitiel - Heavens Tear Posts: 978 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Hmm, this is pretty interesting. I'm guessing that GMs must have their own ID number as well?
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    And now faith, hope, and charity remain; but the greatest of these is charity.
  • Michael_Dark - Lost City
    Michael_Dark - Lost City Posts: 9,091 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Davitiel - Heavens Tear wrote: »
    Hmm, this is pretty interesting. I'm guessing that GMs must have their own ID number as well?

    Every item in game has it's own identifier... many items have unique identifiers for that specific item do as well I imagine.
    I post in forums. This one and others. That's why I post.
  • Lone_Dragon - Lost City
    Lone_Dragon - Lost City Posts: 11 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    I think you can see your own number in your PW userdata in your comp in the Msg thing
  • Aadi - Lost City
    Aadi - Lost City Posts: 4,449 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Lone_Dragon - Lost City wrote: »
    I think you can see your own number in your PW userdata in your comp in the Msg thing

    You mean the folder names...? But I only have maybe 5 characters, why are there 30 folders?

    OH I GET IT. You might be right, because every character you log into creates a folder, those might be the player ID numbers...now to figure out which is which because I only have histories saved in two of those folders and neither is Aadi b:surrender I have 3 in the 5500s though. Anyone got any earlier?
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    "aadi is a forum ninja, always there, skirting thru the shadows... striking with quick posts while you are distracted by your own" -Alexeno(kin)
    "We talk about you because you're fab. b:cute" -Chillum
    "You live for forums. Like seriously."
  • Yindra - Sanctuary
    Yindra - Sanctuary Posts: 784 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Davitiel - Heavens Tear wrote: »
    Hmm, this is pretty interesting. I'm guessing that GMs must have their own ID number as well?

    Form a technical perspective, a GM character is just a normal character with some form of "GM" marker --- doing it that way is the easiest way for the game developers, as GMs can be treated like normal players in most cases, so they should look like normal players to the game. Which, in turn, means --- yes, they have an ID number too.

    Think of those numbers as designating a row in a table that has a lot of columns describing the details of the character. It is slightly better suited to identify a character inside the actual game for technical reasons, and normally you aren't confronted with these internal numbers anyway --- on the user interface, player names are used instead. Think of it like you're calling your insurance company, and they don't care that much about your name --- they want to know which contract number you are talking about. Same thing :-) Nonetheless, the callcenter lady will (hopefully) address you by name.
    Slow progress, game is getting way too grindy :-( Quests I still hope to be able to do some day: FB39, General Feng
  • Lone_Dragon - Lost City
    Lone_Dragon - Lost City Posts: 11 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Aadi - Lost City wrote: »
    You mean the folder names...? But I only have maybe 5 characters, why are there 30 folders?

    OH I GET IT. You might be right, because every character you log into creates a folder, those might be the player ID numbers...now to figure out which is which because I only have histories saved in two of those folders and neither is Aadi b:surrender I have 3 in the 5500s though. Anyone got any earlier?

    Yah and the numbers of the text files in them are probably the char numbers from your friends
  • drjiggle
    drjiggle Posts: 0 Arc User
    edited April 2010
    Random_ - Dreamweaver wrote: »
    any way to view yours? Out of idle curiosity.

    Get a friend to blacklist you (temporarily, ideally :D), then log out. When you're logged out, your name will display as the P-# number in their blacklist. Assuming they don't have a list full of P-# names, they can figure out which one is you by comparing before and after you log out.

    Side note: This makes blacklist management difficult. If you want to remove someone to make space for a new person, who do you remove? If they aren't logged on, you have no idea who anybody is. If they are logged on, then it's probably someone who plays frequently enough that you want to keep them there.

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