Markus, please let us turn nicknames off

[The Wolf]

I'm going to reinstall tonight, just in case my game is corrupt.

Any of you who think you finally got rid of them in an MLB QS, generate a bunch of free agents and see if the nicknames don't come back.

[hfield007]

I always loved them... they added an immersion factor for me. I still always think of ole Wayne Sutphin from a past game as Skates. and I can't even remember what "Sonny" Hurst's real first name was.

[silvam14]

Count me as one who doesn't use nicknames either. I would like it to be off as default and let people figure out how to make it work rather than the other way around.

I have cleared my nicknames file, started a new fictional league, yet when draft time comes around there are always 4 or five guys with nicknames. (It's a small league)

Don't know of something was screwed up in the import to 14 or not but I haven't tested it in 15 yet

[rogmax11]

Personally Ive felt more bemused by nickname inanity rather than irritated. On the fairly rare occasion
where a nick was just too inappropriate I either deleted or created a better one, though I confess my
ADHD has led me to be an editoholic with this game in any case. Cant find fault with the concept of
an off/on button for nicknames just for simplicity sake.

[joefromchicago]

Ideally, nicknames should work the same way as names do now. There would be a nicknames file that differentiates between nationalities and that can be reloaded along with the names and injuries databases, so that nicknames could be synched with different eras. That not only would avoid the problem of Asian players nicknamed "Tex," but it would also avoid anachronisms like a person in the 19th century nicknamed "Spaceman" or "Nuke." And if players don't want to use nicknames at all, a blank file could be used instead.

I'm not sure why nicknames aren't handled the same way as names, but that seems to me to be the obvious solution.

[frangipard]

ISTM there's two issues here

1) Some people hate all nicknames on principle.
2) People get annoyed with how the nicknames work out in the game.

For the former group, nothing but an option to remove them will suffice (and no, going in and removing files and reimporting things isn't an option, it's a workaround).


I am in the latter group. I suspect that a lot of people who think they are in the first group are actually in the second and could come around if the way nicknames are implemented were better. Nicknames could be improved in several ways:


1) Nicknames that are generated upon player creation should match in some way the player's traits and ratings.

A Korean relief pitcher should not get the nickname "Slugging Charlie." It's just stupid. Nicknames NOT being tied to traits makes as much sense as not connecting names and nationality. If you're going through a draft pool and you see a closer from Florida and he has the nickname "Miami Vice," or a 5'8" guy nicknamed "Midget," or a player with 80 speed named "Flash" ... those are all pretty cool. They add to the game and make it more real. When the guy from Florida is nicknamed "The Illinois Hammer," or when "Midget" is 6'0," or when "Flash" is a 45 runner, it just looks stupid.

If a guy is from Alabama, there's a chance he gets called "Bo" or "Bubba." From NYC, not so much. If his name is Charles, maybe he gets "Charlie," and so on.

2) Nicknames could be generatable in the game.

Number-one-overall draft picks might have a 5% of getting a name like "The Franchise," or a guy that knocks in a lot of RBIs might get named "Clutch." Just in general, most guys aren't going to get a flattering nickname until they prove themselves. Make it an achievement and a milestone. -- "My rightfielder Michael Jones just won the MVP, and now in the new league year people are calling him "Magic Mike" That kind of thing is incredibly immersive.

3) Some nicknames should be era-specific.

It's stupid when guys in 2019 are getting nicknames that obviously sound like they come from 1930 and vice-versa. If you're playing a historical league in 1946 and a rookie pitcher from Washington State has the name "Applechucker" ... that's pretty awesome. Maybe in 2014 he's called "Expresso."*

4) Get rid of real historical nicknames.

There was only one Sultan of Swat, only one Big Papi, only one Rapid Robert. Nobody would ever give these names to new players, and so the game shouldn't either.

ETA: JoefromChicago, great minds think alike ... just missed your post when I started.

* Yes, I know how to spell it. It's a nickname.

[Ruthian23]

Originally Posted by frangipard

ISTM there's two issues here

1) Some people hate all nicknames on principle.
2) People get annoyed with how the nicknames work out in the game.

For the former group, nothing but an option to remove them will suffice (and no, going in and removing files and reimporting things isn't an option, it's a workaround).


I am in the latter group. I suspect that a lot of people who think they are in the first group are actually in the second and could come around if the way nicknames are implemented were better.

Some very good points here. I think I'm probably closer to the second group than the first group. If your solutions were implemented, I would still probably use nicknames. I still don't think a switch to remove them would be a bad thing, but what you're suggesting would probably encourage me to keep the option on.

[Spritze]

If nicknames were a girl I'd kiss them on the lips.

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by Spritze

If nicknames were a girl I'd kiss them on the lips.

Meanwhile Wolf would be afraid of getting cooties.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by silvam14

Count me as one who doesn't use nicknames either. I would like it to be off as default and let people figure out how to make it work rather than the other way around.

I have cleared my nicknames file, started a new fictional league, yet when draft time comes around there are always 4 or five guys with nicknames. (It's a small league)

Don't know of something was screwed up in the import to 14 or not but I haven't tested it in 15 yet

That's what happens to me.

[The Wolf]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm3

Meanwhile Wolf would be afraid of getting cooties.

Actually I'd be afraid of what my wife might do.

[JMDurron]

Originally Posted by frangipard

4) Get rid of real historical nicknames.

There was only one Sultan of Swat, only one Big Papi, only one Rapid Robert. Nobody would ever give these names to new players, and so the game shouldn't either.

Pudge Fisk would like to have a word with you. Presumably because Ivan Rodriguez will beat him up if he talks to him instead.

[frangipard]

Originally Posted by JMDurron

Pudge Fisk would like to have a word with you. Presumably because Ivan Rodriguez will beat him up if he talks to him instead.

I should have said "get rid of unique and distinctive historical nicknames." Not all nicknames are unique. I'm pretty sure there were guys nicknamed Pudge before Fisk, and will be again when Rodriguez is farther in the past. It's a function of body type.

[nutt]

its not that big of deal to me.

[The Wolf]

Okay, I ran a clean test.

Fresh install of 15, current patch.

Fresh install of All-In-One.

Nothing else installed.

Then I did this:

1. Generated an MLB QS with foreign leagues.

2. Exported the rosters, deleted all nicknames and re-imported.

3. "You need to empty the nickname.txt file (deleting it may also work) and then re-import the names and ethnicities database from the available action menu on the database tab of league setup." - done

4. Generated 100 free agents.

Some of the free agents had nicknames. Try this out for yourself.

What some people have been advocating here simply does not work. We need an off button for nicknames.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Okay, I ran a clean test.

Fresh install of 15, current patch.

Fresh install of All-In-One.

Nothing else installed.

Then I did this:

1. Generated an MLB QS with foreign leagues.

2. Exported the rosters, deleted all nicknames and re-imported.

3. "You need to empty the nickname.txt file (deleting it may also work) and then re-import the names and ethnicities database from the available action menu on the database tab of league setup." - done

4. Generated 100 free agents.

Some of the free agents had nicknames. Try this out for yourself.

What some people have been advocating here simply does not work. We need an off button for nicknames.

I told you it does not work in the MLB Quickstart, but that is the Quickstart's fault, not the games. It's the Quickstart that needs fixing....a button that works for regular leagues would likely not work for the Quickstart either.

[The Wolf]

This is the OP for this thread:

Originally Posted by The Wolf

Please give us a switch to turn nicknames off. I hate them, and others do too, and there's no way to get them out of an MLB game. You can empty the nicknames file, export all player names and delete all nicknames and reimport, and then import a new name file and it does no good because the flipping stupid and inappropriate nicknames just KEEP COMING BACK. I don't need an Asian player nicknamed "Silent Bill" or twelve guys in my draft class all nicknamed "Stone."

Please.

Please give us an option to turn nicknames off.

Note that all I have been talking about from the beginning is the MLB QS. It's not my fault if people don't pay attention and make false assumptions.

A "nicknames off" button would, of course, work on any league.

With the addition of foreign leagues to the MLB QS, there will be to a of foreign players with ridiculous nicknames. This should not be.

We need a way to turn nicknames off!

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by Questdog

I told you it does not work in the MLB Quickstart, but that is the Quickstart's fault, not the games. It's the Quickstart that needs fixing....a button that works for regular leagues would likely not work for the Quickstart either.

I'm curious as to why that is. What I imagine the button/checkbox would do is stop the game from generating nicknames when it creates players - across the board. No, this would not get rid of existing nicknames within the MLB Quickstart, but that's a given because a Quickstart is basically a saved league. But why wouldn't said button be able to stop the game from generating nicknames on players it creates AFTER the Quickstart is loaded?

Not trying to argue with you, just wondering why you say it wouldn't work.

[Questdog]

Originally Posted by Fyrestorm3

I'm curious as to why that is. What I imagine the button/checkbox would do is stop the game from generating nicknames when it creates players - across the board. No, this would not get rid of existing nicknames within the MLB Quickstart, but that's a given because a Quickstart is basically a saved league. But why wouldn't said button be able to stop the game from generating nicknames on players it creates AFTER the Quickstart is loaded?

Not trying to argue with you, just wondering why you say it wouldn't work.

Just because the button would have to do what we do manually now. Of course, Markus could just make it so nicknames don't display anywhere; that would work no matter how the league was created.

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by Questdog

Just because the button would have to do what we do manually now. Of course, Markus could just make it so nicknames don't display anywhere; that would work no matter how the league was created.

Yeah, something along those lines is pretty much what I was assuming it would do.