Is there a way to disable showing handles on +finger and channels? I like integration with AresCentral so people can use its shared preferences and stuff, but don’t like this forced alt-reveal (let alone forced who-you-are-on-other-games reveal).
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Not really. Handles are by nature public.
I explored a multitude of design options around private handles when I first designed the system - like limiting it so only your friends can see it, etc. They all had very hefty issues.
Basically, if somebody wants to keep an alt private, they just don’t link that character to their handle.
Of course you’re welcome to make any code customizations you see fit - but be aware that alts linked to a handle on a public game will still be “outed” on AresCentral no matter what you do, as that’s the whole point of the system.
Double post because I forgot to add…
For games that wish to enforce alt registration, it is not advisable to do so via the handles system, as handles are intended to be strictly optional. The web portal provides a way to tag pages with “player:Faraday” and those characters will show up on the Players page even without a handle.
If you want private alt registration, I would suggest just having people submit a +job. Since Ares jobs are intended to be permanently persisted in the archive, it makes for a handy way to manage admin notes.
But the very core of the handles system is meant to broadcast your OOC identity. The shared preferences are just an added bonus you get for participating in my grand MUSH social experiment 