Allow us to set an "alias" for our games

[The Cog (O.T.H.G.)]

So a while back, a friend of mine made a joke during a gaming session, that prompted me to change my Steam ID while we played. We all got a laugh out of it, but after we stopped playing, I changed my Steam ID back. I think it would be nice, if there was a way to set an Alias, or User ID for the games that we play, rather then our Steam ID being used. So like in one game I might want to run my Steam ID, but another I might want to be under a different ID, because it works with the group I play the game with.

Does that make sense? I tend to get confusing at times, so if this was confusing, let me know and I will try to clear it up.

[Fake]

Talk to the game dev.

[[N]ebsun]

Yeah, it would be good to have, since the naming rules on Steam itself may differ from a particular game / server / while playing with friends..... very annoying that it's often tied to the Steam display name - so we are always limited by Steam's rules rather than the game / server we are on at the time.

[Brian9824]

It's up to the developer, not a steam thing. Steam gives them the option of using your steam name, or they can allow you to set up a name in their servers. So you'd have to ask the developers to build their games to allow you to set up your name in game for those games you'd want to use it on.

[Nx Machina]

It is entirely on the developer if they want Steam names or user name choice,. It is their product.

[Brian9824]

引用自 Eiswolfin：

I think a good way to do this is simply have a drop down box of saved user names, allow us to quickly change our name with a drop down box. Then when you go to play a game that you want to use a different name with you simply use the drop down box and pick the saved name you want to use for that session.

The developer would have to code their game to use that, at which point they might as well code their game to let you define your name for that game......

[Brian9824]

引用自 Eiswolfin：

引用自 brian9824：

The developer would have to code their game to use that, at which point they might as well code their game to let you define your name for that game......

If they are already using the steam name then there is nothing else they would need to do. The drop down box of saved names would be on the Steam client just a quicker way to change name on Steam instead of going into profile setting to change it each time.

Your steam name is still your steam name, an alias would require a separate database table where they store multiple alias's per steam account and still retain your original steam name

Each user name is an entry in a table where software has to have a way to send to the game to tell it which one to use, then the game needs to get that message and pull the right now. Otherwise its basically the same thing as you changing your name everytime before you play the game.

You can't make it pull from a list of names without changes to both steam and the software that connects to steam.

[Brian9824]

Never said they can't do it. Even explained how it would need to be done. Those alternate names have to be stored in a table and linked back you your steam id as you can have multiple entries per account.

Your actual profile name doesn't change, otherwise it would be changing on friends list, forum, etc.

So devs have to change how they pull the name.

It's database design 101

[Nx Machina]

@ Eiswolfin

Did you completely missed what OTH.Incognito posted in the OP?

引用自 OTH.Incognito：

So like in one game I might want to run my Steam ID, but another I might want to be under a different ID, because it works with the group I play the game with.

They want to choose NOT to use their Steam id but a different id.

Some games do give you that option of how you want to be identified online but it is NOT Valve who decides but the developer whose game it is. The ones who own the game.

[Brian9824]

引用自 Nx Machina：

@ Eiswolfin

Did you completely missed what OTH.Incognito posted in the OP?

引用自 OTH.Incognito：

So like in one game I might want to run my Steam ID, but another I might want to be under a different ID, because it works with the group I play the game with.

They want to choose NOT to use their Steam id but a different id.

Some games do give you that option of how you want to be identified online but it is not Valve who decides but the developer whose game it is. The ones who own the game.

Yep, not sure how much clearer it can be....

[Nx Machina]

引用自 brian9824：

Yep, not sure how much clearer it can be....

It gets as clear as:

Valve does not determine the price of a 3rd party game, when it goes on sale, what anti cheat software it uses, whether a 3rd party account is required etc.

And that goes back to the online handle in a 3rd party game which is determined by the dev.

Spellforce 3 versus is one game where you get to choose.

[Nx Machina]

引用自 Eiswolfin：

The great thing about suggestions forum is that through discussion an idea can be improved, simplified, or evolve. I choose to be constructive with a suggestion either by helping improve it, or give my support for it it, or give my opinion about how it wouldn't be good to have because of an affect I feel it would have on gamers.

I chose to support the problem the OP is talking about by giving a simplified way to help with the problem the OP is having, I did that because I know how it works with games that choose to use Steams profile names, and see that the original idea is most likely massive amount of work for Valve, so much work that is probably wouldn't be worth it. So my idea evolved that by using systems that are already in place on Steam and make a simplier way to use those systems so that a profile name can be quickly changed.

And that is how to be constructive with a suggestion.

Not all suggestions can be improved especially one with the obvious flaw of not Valve's choice over 3rd party games.

Pointing out it is developer choice is constructive. They own the game hence why Spellforce 3 versus has that user choice for online.

Constructive is also determined by pointing out flaws and not just affirming suggestions.

[[N]ebsun]

Easy solution is for Steam to implement a "Steam display name", and a separate "Game display name" - Steam display name is used within Steam - discussion forums, profile, friends list ect.. then the Game display name would be the name shown while in games that use it.

Steam controls what name gets sent to games that use the feature, so it's not really only up to the game developers - it's both a Steam and developer feature.

The other option would be for Valve to stop moderating the Steam display name, so we can use whatever name we like while in game.
(no, not all multiplayer games are moderated from a single entity - there are a lot of community run servers that have their own set of rules.)

[The Cog (O.T.H.G.)]

引用自 Eiswolfin：

Ok, I see what is going on here, you actually don't understand how things work on Steam.

Steam already keeps a record of past profile names anyways, like what can see on the OP profile:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2851311397

So Steam already has functions to save user made names anyways. its a function Steam already has. They can even make it so you can quickly change to any of those previous names used meaning they wouldn't even need to create anything new for saving names since it is already doing it anyways.

Your actual profile name doesn't change, otherwise it would be changing on friends list, forum, etc.

Actually it does. When you change your profile name in that green box, it changes it everywhere, on the forums, on friends list, and games that use Steam profile names automatically use what ever name is on the profile.

The idea wouldn't affect any developer at all, none of them would have to do anything at all because Steam's system already takes care of it as evidenced by the fact that when anybody changes their profile name in that green box in my image that is already automatically uses in games that use Steam's profile name.

This idea is literally about using the already existing systems in place and simply creating a drop box of the already saved names on Steam to quickly change the profile name instead of going to the area I showed in my screenshot with the greenbox. It would simply be a quick way to change the name in that green box.

Here are the facts:

- users can already change their profile names as much as they want any time they want.
- When a user changes their profile name it changes it every where on Steam like friends list, forums, every where.
- Games that already use Steam's profile name with in a the game would not be affected evidenced by the fact the games already handle it naturally anyways without the developers needing to do anything at all because they already using the profile names that users can already change at will anyways.

Actually, the OP does know about the list of previously used names. but thank you for pointing that feature out.

As Eiswolfin pointed out, it does change across everything Steam related when you change your Steam ID. I don't want that. I guess the simplest way I cn explain what I would like to see, is the ability to change my name for a game I am playing, to reflect my name on the Discord group I am running with. So basically, I want to be able to "set" my name in, for example, Left for Dead 2 as something other then my Steam ID "without having to change my Steam ID for everything Steam related", the same way we can change out name in Discord for specific servers we are on. And yes, I know, Steam is not affiliated with Discord (if they were, we most likely would not be in here right now), but it doesn't mean that I cannot make the suggestion to add a feature in Steam, that allows us to set an in game name that is different then our Steam ID. The system is already in place, the Dev's do not have to do anything on their end, despite what some may think.

Steam has the code already done, all they have to do is tweak it, add a new small box to the game page, with a check box next to Play as your Steam ID, and play as "text box to manually enter your desired name".


If I were any good at photoshop or Gimp, I would make a visual example, but sadly I am not.


Edit follows:


I have basic programming skills. Some from school, when I was trying to be a computer programmer, and some from earlier this year, when I was trying to decide what to return to school for. My math skills are horrible, which is what killed my first attempt at programming. So rather then just go back to school and try programming again, I did some online courses earlier this year. After those, and after doing fairly good, I started following a video game engine tutorial course. I made it through about 13 of the videos, had a lot of coding done, had some things actually running correctly, when the person who had done the tutorials switched up the format and I became totally lost.

So, what I am trying to say, is that as far as coding goes, adding what I am asking for, is as simple as adding a new element to the page that holds the code for the game page, link it to the code that sets the Steam ID that is displayed in the game. This would most likely be done with an if/else statement in the code for setting the name that is displayed.

The Dev's of the game have no control over the Steam ID. That is on the Steam side of the house. So, Steam, or Valve if you prefer, is actually in control of the name that is displayed, and no, it wouldn't be hard for them to do what I am asking.

As far as the coding aspect of this, someone mentioned that it would take a lot of code to do. Even if it does, what do you think coders are paid for? Creating a product, then sitting at a desk doing nothing the rest of the year? Their job is to code. Since I started using Steam, the interface has been updated more times then I can count. Meaning, coders are doing their jobs. Adding features, updating skins, etc. People suggest ideas so that coders have a job! If you think your idea would be too much for someone to do, and that prevents you from posting the suggestion, then I am truly sorry that you feel that way. Your possibly great idea that others might like is not being presented for discussion, so the people that make the decisions on your ideas don't get to see the discussions in the forums, to gauge how much of the community likes or dislikes the idea.

Don't get me wrong, everyone here has done their part; you came in, you added input. I appreciate that. However, while you have listed all of the reasons you think the idea would never happen (and you know if you have done that so don't kid yourself) you never actually said what they want to see. Do you like or dislike the idea? That is fine though. To each his or her own opinion, I fully support that, which is why I try to always thank everyone for their input. Whether I agree with it or not is of no consequence, it is your opinion, and it does matter. But I for one would also like to know if the people that doubt something like this will be done actually think it would be a good idea or not.


At any rate, I thank you all once again for your posts, and hope to see more.


Sorry additional EDIT:

I apologize if this caused some confusion, but I think I need to also state, that the games I am talking about are co-op type games and single player with co-op features included, not MMO's. I am really sorry for leaving this part out of my original post!

[Nx Machina]

引用自 OTH.Incognito：

The system is already in place, the Dev's do not have to do anything on their end, despite what some may think.

The devs decide.

Spellforce 3 versus allows you to "choose" an online handle while others do not so the question is why? The dev coded to do so it otherwise the game would have simply used your Steam id rather than the devs going the extra step.

Note: In your lengthy reply you conveniently overlooked Spellforce 3 versus.

引用自 OTH.Incognito：

The Dev's of the game have no control over the Steam ID. That is on the Steam side of the house. So, Steam, or Valve if you prefer, is actually in control of the name that is displayed, and no, it wouldn't be hard for them to do what I am asking.

The devs control whether they use the Steam id or give you choice which leads us back to Spellforce 3 versus.

引用自 OTH.Incognito：

As far as the coding aspect of this, someone mentioned that it would take a lot of code to do. Even if it does, what do you think coders are paid for?

Your response is "i want this therefore it should be done".

Are you paying them? The ones working for Valve or the dev. Neither.

引用自 OTH.Incognito：

Sorry additional EDIT:

I apologize if this caused some confusion, but I think I need to also state, that the games I am talking about are co-op type games and single player with co-op features included, not MMO's. I am really sorry for leaving this part out of my original post!

The dev coded the game to have co-op features.

[Sazzouu]

引用自 Fake：

Talk to the game dev.

Games that use the SteamWorks integration could be taken care of by such a feature from Valve