RealID and Hacked Accounts

[Fiddlesticks]

If they don't already know my email address and full name, then why would I add them as RealID friends in the first place? It would be nice to be able to chat cross-server/game with casual acquaintances I've met through WoW, but that's not what the system is designed for nor being marketed as.

Sure, I do wish it was more like a steam id that was just as anonymous as a wow character name, and I wish there was an invisible/offline mode. They've obviously made a design decision to make it something IRL friends are using and not game-only friends. Also makes people behave a lot better when they're no longer as anonymous as they once were .

This.

[Maxion]

Their friends only get to see your real name afaik,
and except for the person sending the initial invite needing to know or guess the other person's email, the email of either party is never shown anywhere at any point.
You will only know if the email you tried to invite was someone's real battle.net email if they accept the invite.

These combined make me feel safe enough to be going to use it with real life friends (good ones) and select few really close online ones.

[kadaan]

What good does it do me to click on one of my real life friends and see that he's friends with some 'John Smith'. I don't see John's email address, I don't see his online status, I don't see any of his character names. If I don't actually know who this John guy is, it doesn't tell me anything. However, if I see that my friend has Jane Doe on his friends list, and I've been friends with her for years but never knew she played WoW, then I can send her a request and we can chat cross-server from time to time.

RealID may also have the side-effect of increased server transfers as people find friends playing on other servers they didn't know about, and want to join them .

[Catamer]

I really can't see why this feature was added. why would knowing someone on another server and maybe another battle group be a good thing or useful to anyone? they only way is if I had toons on both servers and wanted to switch when so&so logged on.... I don't have friends on any server but the one I'm on.

[Maxion]

PvP in cata will be cross-battlegroup, dunno if the dungeon finder will too, but it is likely.
Either way, this lets you chat with friends that play on other servers without making alts there, letting you still play your own chars doing something you find useful.

[Souca]

Hmm, I keep rereading the FAQ and I will admit I might have overreacted as it now seems like your Friends' Friends only get to see your real name and not any other info. Until it's live, we can't be sure what it will and won't do, though.

I still wish they didn't bundle it all together.

- Souca -

[Souca]

PvP in cata will be cross-battlegroup, dunno if the dungeon finder will too, but it is likely.
Either way, this lets you chat with friends that play on other servers without making alts there, letting you still play your own chars doing something you find useful.

Or only hop on to your alts when your friends are actually on line. I have friends on other servers that have erratic play schedules. It would be nice to know when they log on so I could hop on a char and get a chance to play with them without having stop playing on my main server when they aren't online.

I do wonder what impact it will have on multiboxers. I mean, when you log on, will your name show up 5 times on their lists, or just once? And when they send you a whisper, does it go to all of your chars, or just one? What about group invites and other things?

- Souca -

[Zub]

All my friends are already on Y!/MSN or facebook. I don't think i'll ever use this Real ID thing.
Seems to me like it's going to be another WoW Voice Chat type feature.

[kadaan]

I do wonder what impact it will have on multiboxers. I mean, when you log on, will your name show up 5 times on their lists, or just once? And when they send you a whisper, does it go to all of your chars, or just one? What about group invites and other things?

It shows all your characters in the tooltip. "So and so, realm X. Also playing: so and so 2"

Not sure about whispering, but I assume it would go to them all.

[Fiddlesticks]

All my friends are already on Y!/MSN or facebook. I don't think i'll ever use this Real ID thing.
Seems to me like it's going to be another WoW Voice Chat type feature.

You may not use it. But the option is there for those who wish to use it. Just like the voice chat system, most don't use it.. but I know several people who do. Was it worth breaking the servers for? No, absolutely not. But hindsight is 20/20