Registering, and buying this game is so difficult if you are a Guild Wars 1 user...

[5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1]

So, this is my story:

 

If you want to play Guild Wars 1, you have nothing to do. You need an email adress, and a credit card. You buy the game, use the email adress as your account name, and its okay. You DONT GET any other information. Its enough to play.

 

And after, if you want to buy Guild Wars 2, thinking you will register this game on your original Guild Wars account, (why not?), its complicated.

 

You trying to register, and get an error message. Something happened its not okay, no more info. After 1 hour you figure out, your original GW account is an Arena Net account (you had no info about this before), maybe this is the problem. Okay, you can log in with your GW1 acc on GW2 site, getting a funny display name, as you see. Getting a North American region, but youlive in Eu. You cant change them either.

 

Nevermind. You see an active GW1 subscription on your account, lets go, and buy GW2 too. Because your account management page offers it. You give your details, everything, but you must log in once again to complete the transaction. And the error message again....

 

Okay, last chance...buy a GW2 serial, from a retailer. inside account management, add key to your account. Finally working. Still got your funny , unchangeable display name, and incorrect region.

 

Waiting for support, for about 1 day.

 

Why is this so complicated? :)

 

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

> @"5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1F0DDA19A47.8972" said:

> Why is this so complicated? :)

 

A word of warning. Do NOT ask them to change your strange account display name. Why not?

* They won't do it unless the name is in some way against the account name rules, which is unlikely to be the case here.

* If they do do it, it is, apparently, liable to break your account in various weird and _non-repairable_ ways.

 

[5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1]

I can imagine the situation ingame:

-Hey dude! I would like to add you on my friend list, is it okay? Whats your name?

-Sure, why not!? here it is: 5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1F0DDA19A47.8972

 

Lol

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

Yeah, that would be a problem, but I believe that you can add people by their current logged-in character name (and it adds the whole account just the same).

 

On the other hand, "add you as a friend" is the sort of thing that can be broken by a display name change... (Basically anything remotely social could break, including silly things like using the Trading Post, joining a guild, etc.)

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Steve The Cynic.3217" said:

> > @"5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1F0DDA19A47.8972" said:

> > Why is this so complicated? :)

>

> A word of warning. Do NOT ask them to change your strange account display name. Why not?

> * They won't do it unless the name is in some way against the account name rules, which is unlikely to be the case here.

> * If they do do it, it is, apparently, liable to break your account in various weird and _non-repairable_ ways.

>

 

This is misleading, as phrased. In general, ANet doesn't change account names (it unfortunately can break things for years to come). However, when someone has a hexadecimal display name, as the OP does, it's an error. And can be fixed. (They won't be changing the name, just adjusting how it gets displayed.)

 

****

For the OP, I'm sorry you're having trouble connecting to the ANet site. But ... that might not be an issue that ANet can address directly. Often those sorts of errors are due to connection problems, sometimes to one of ANet's service providers (such as their retailer), sometimes due to browser issues (even if you're using the in-game interface, it still goes through a browser of some sort).

 

It will get sorted out.

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> > @"Steve The Cynic.3217" said:

> > > @"5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1F0DDA19A47.8972" said:

> > > Why is this so complicated? :)

> >

> > A word of warning. Do NOT ask them to change your strange account display name. Why not?

> > * They won't do it unless the name is in some way against the account name rules, which is unlikely to be the case here.

> > * If they do do it, it is, apparently, liable to break your account in various weird and _non-repairable_ ways.

> >

>

> This is misleading, as phrased. In general, ANet doesn't change account names (it unfortunately can break things for years to come). However, when someone has a hexadecimal display name, as the OP does, it's an error. And can be fixed. (They won't be changing the name, just adjusting how it gets displayed.)

 

OK, that's good news. Thanks for letting us know. I had had the impression that it was *any* change of display name.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Steve The Cynic.3217" said:

> I had had the impression that it was *any* change of display name.

 

I believe it is correct to say that any **change** to the display name is a problem. But when it appears to us in hexadecimal form, they won't be "changing" the name. Just fixing the reason it doesn't show up correctly to us. I think it's a known issue with a known solution.

 

Kind of confusing because it's a display error with the display of the display name, but not (if I understood correctly) with the actual display name.

[Steve The Cynic.3217]

> @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> Kind of confusing because it's a display error with the display of the display name, but not (if I understood correctly) with the actual display name.

 

OK. That sentence officially made my brain hurt. I mean, it makes sense, but it also made my brain hurt.

 

[NicholaLord.2630]

Ive started a new account and it really is not very pleasant or clear I suggest a Dev Start playing this from a free account. Its so fragmented.. from what build and class and items are gated behind what expansions... ie you need HOT to enable the auto loot skill in WvW, even though there are zero instructions about this in game. Nothing really to explain what in HOT or POF equates to the base game, not to mention that you will also need to buy Living world expansions if you want Asended trinkets... As a original player from launch all the expansions and stories flowed really nice, without thought... for new users coming in now its quiet horrible tbh... I do worry about the new players experience!

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"Steve The Cynic.3217" said:

> > @"Illconceived Was Na.9781" said:

> > Kind of confusing because it's a display error with the display of the display name, but not (if I understood correctly) with the actual display name.

>

> OK. That sentence officially made my brain hurt. I mean, it makes sense, but it also made my brain hurt.

>

 

I didn't mean to hurt any brains (although it was painful to my own brain typing it out). What I meant to illustrate was, yeah, it's purty durn confusing.

[5DE8260F-8E12-B8D2-D89C-A1]

Thank You guys! I hope for the best solution.