Looks like display names were rolled out for roblox… for only fifteen minutes. Yikes 
. In only that period of 900 seconds there were a crapload of impersonations. I was really excited for this update to fully release date, but i guess its better off reverting the update now. Oof
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The update wasn’t reverted. It’s still a terrible launch, though.
I feel like issues were missed during the planning of this, especially relating to the issue of impersonating notable users / roblox staff, and impressionable people protecting their accounts:
Isn’t this just going to make the impersonation of accounts for scambots easier? Especially if their true username is hidden away on things like the chat and playerlist
This is good update, I’m excited (plus really good choice of making display name change free) but will we be able to put spaces in display names? (I hope so)
This is a delightful idea. I don’t want people running around with the very unique name, marfit. There’s no reason not to implement this.
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Do you still have the update? Just wondering loll
I just saw this, and I think capital i’s should be moderated as well. He is Rob i o xScreenshot (418)|690x388
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While I like this new Feature I do have a suggestion.
Move the friends, followers, following up a bit there is a large gap in between the username and that.
Then move the status up to that location.
While also cutting off that bottom part. That is just my preference to make it look better.
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I am sincerely confused by this update. What is its intended purpose? I don’t want to jump the gun and dismiss it as a pointless update that’s only good for impersonators, so I tried to come up with some situations where it could be helpful, and this is what I can come up with:
Pros
- Players can set their display names to names that have already been taken. CoolRobloxFan43732 can simply be “CoolRobloxFan” and I can simply be “vanilla.”
- Players who no longer wish to be referred to by their username (e.g. a player whose username contains a deadname) can change their name to one they prefer more without needing 1000 Robux to change their usernames. In my opinion, this is the most appealing thing about this update.
- This feature has the potential to be useful for roleplayers.
However, I believe that all of these pros have their own flaws:
Cons
- This makes impersonation much, much easier (as has been mentioned ad nauseum throughout this thread).
- This may have a somewhat limited impact on players who are uncomfortable with their username, as current and former usernames are still visible on users’ profiles.
- Limiting players to changing their Display Names once every 7 days makes this feature more or less useless for roleplaying.
I also expect that this won’t exactly help younger users make new friends. If I wanted to get in touch with someone I met in a game recently but haven’t added as a friend yet, how will I find their profile if their unique username isn’t displayed on the leaderboard, on their humanoid, or in text chat?
At best, this update could be a mostly harmless feature that wasn’t in high demand but could be helpful for some players. At worst, it noticeably worsens the user experience for a lot of players and developers alike, and makes it incredibly easy for players to impersonate game developers and Roblox staff. In my view, the risks do outweigh the benefits, and I would have preferred that this update wasn’t created. However, as is far too often the case, Roblox announced their intention to add this change only when they were getting ready to release it, meaning that nothing any developer says can delay or prevent it.
I sincerely hope that our worries are overblown, but Roblox should have anticipated that impersonation would be on everyone’s minds as soon as we read this announcement. I also wish they clarified why they wanted to add this feature in the first place. I know that other social platforms such as Twitter and Discord have comparable features (though there is no seven day limitation on these platforms), but I don’t exactly understand why Roblox would want a feature like that. Just today, the DevForum Community Server on Discord had to warn its members that users on Discord were trying to impersonate Roblox Staff. I believe that it’s inevitable that the same will happen on a larger scale once the same can be done on the Roblox website.
An FAQ section clearing this up would have been much appreciated.
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Even though it hasn’t reached for me, it has its pros and cons. However the cons are more important than the pros, as impersonation is an actual problem with this new feature.
On the other hand, having the ability to change names without paying robux seems awesome.
I’m still disappointed about some other updates, I hope that with this update (after fixing the cons mainly) things will get smoother and better.
I also have a question about Unicode support: will names support all characters in UTF-8, or will it only support the characters that Roblox currently supports? I don’t know why Roblox still doesn’t support Armenian, but it is in UTF-8, and it would be exciting to finally be able to use it. I’m assuming that Roblox simply uses fonts that don’t support the Armenian alphabet. If that’s the case, then players’ display names will render as a bunch of tall rectangles instead of as actual letters, which could be unfortunate considering the seven day wait period to change it back…
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They removed it from the settings page.
Honestly I like this update, only thing they should moderate more is impersonation, so that certain names like Mrflimflam get blacklisted more strictly, as well as not being able to put real names like Alex, since you know, E Safety.
Overall I like this update, just extremely annoyed that youtubers are making so many video of them overreacting to this update. Im looking at you, GreenLegoCats123.
I get that impersonation is a big problem, but don’t think Roblox is at that level of being trash at moderation.
The idea behind this isn’t entirely bad. However, I have a recommendation for this feature. Could this be a PREMIUM only feature to avoid bot’s spamming the same Display Name? This won’t stop everyone from using the same Display Name of course, but it should slow it down. It would be a good selling point for ROBLOX to earn a profit as well. I understand the feature is to allow freedom for users to express themselves, though I do think this would be better off as a PREMIUM feature.
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(Forgive me if I make no sense, I decided to say this at a late time.)
I personally have mixed views on this update.
I quite like the idea of being able to change your display name, I’m the kind of person who likes the idea of having seasonal usernames, or even changing it to and from different layouts (Like me changing Undaunted_Knight to UndauntedK, then possibly to Knight or UKnight) without spending 1000 Robux for each time, and having more freedom.
Though I do see the issues people have pointed out like bypassing, impersonation, scams and other bad things.
The things that could be done to fix it are quite easy.
One fix as @NapalmBombz suggests is Display Name verification, and could be done simply with a verification symbol next to the person’s name. I’d also like to add on to this idea with possibly a different colour in chat with verification ensuring people know who is who. It could be taken further and the verified player could have a different colour other than black/white on the site.
Another fix I would say is Content Creators, UGC Creators, any other popular/important people in Roblox could request a “Secure Display Name” for their main username and display name of choice, making it so people can’t use that display name.
The MAIN fix would be to work on the name filter, I’ve seen a few bypassed things, and it’s surprised me how many people bypassed the name filter. This could possibly come with an extra report option for “Inappropriate Display Name” to accompany “Inappropriate Username”
It could also make it better with both Player Verification AND a Display Name Secure for double verification purposes.
There are some downs to locking very certain names such as singular words. For example the word in my username- “Undaunted”. I’ve seen a handful people who like this word for username choice, or even words to describe themselves a bit. (I personally chose the word Undaunted because the word “Bold” was taken, and it fits me better.) Even some less obscure words, animal or human names being locked may affect a lot of of people. Hence why I think a bit of both of Verification and Display Name Securing (within reason) could be useful.
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I like this update, but when I tried it, it got removed shortly after now I can’t join a game because there is a system that auto kicks a user that has a display name. I don’t have a display name on it currently because the feature is not there for me anymore. Roblox still thinks that I have a display name on and that seems to be an issue.
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Try contact roblox support about that, they could fix it
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okay, so what i feared did happen, i got access to that feature and just for jokes and giggles, tried to put my display name as my friends… impersonation is actually possible and i am terrified of what this is going to do to the rest of the community.
not once did it prompt me that that name exists like that, or that i could be impersonating someone with that name.
this is a serious issue
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That feature was a public testing from Germany, where the moderation feature wasn’t applied here. A moderation feature DOES exist, and was shown in a youtube video (One of KonekoKitten’s videos). The testing was most likely just to see the feature without moderation. This is very likely not going to be the final product.
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