As the EPL countdown marches on (countdown live on our homepage as well as on earth2.io), E2News has compiled some top things for you to remember.
For knowing what are EPLs and more info on them see:- https://www.e2.news/post/epl-countdown-live-faqs-here
Naming Convention for EPLs
We would suggest to remember the below to stay on the safer side against sanctions on your account or losing the EPL :-
Avoid protected Earth1 brand names like 'Pepsi', 'Coca-Cola' or 'Microsoft'. In case there are any authorized claims on these names in future, you can potentially stand to lose your EPL and maybe without compensation.
The above logic extends to brand names from Earth2 community. For example stay clear of an EPL names such as 'e2news', 'singularity' or say 'alphakingdom' because these could be deemed as violation of community standards as prescribed by Earth2 and you may stand to lose your EPL maybe without compensation.
While proper nouns and usernames like 'kelvan', 'seike' or 'techops' may not be deemed IP, and we do not know what stance E2 will take in case there is a complaint, however, we advise you to respect the users and avoid those.
Earth2 maintains a list of blocked words (ever evolving), which may not allow choosing/ retaining EPL names that violate certain norms including as stated above. Earth2 says :-
"All reasonable community standards in terms of respect for other people and youth protection guidelines apply. If E2 can reasonably assume malicious intent in the selection of the EPL, they reserve the right to sanction against the account in addition to a withdrawal of the EPL"
Allowed EPL lengths differ basis Tile class and size of property :-
4 chars - Class 1, 701+ Tiles
5 chars - Class 1, 601 - 700 Tiles
6 chars - Class 1, 451 - 600 Tiles
7 chars - All other classes and Tile-plot sizes
Maximum of 36 chars. Only alpha-numeric characters and dashes are allowed, no spaces or other special characters are allowed (standard URL naming convention)
How to Buy and Cost of EPLs
To purchase an EPL associated with a property, you need to upgrade the EPL (from the relevant property page) and type in the desired EPL name. Remember there is a 2 minute cool-down per EPL purchase, so have a priority list if purchasing more than 1 EPL.
You can purchase an EPL using E$ ($4.95) or Essence (400 each after the first 2).
Purchasing first 2 EPLs with Essence will only set you back by 100 Essence each.
Renaming an EPL will cost $1 or 80 Essence.
There will be a renewal fee on EPLs but only after at least 24 months.
Above pricing in Essence may vary once P2P Essence trading starts, if Essence becomes pricier then you may need less Essence per EPL and vice-versa. Therefore, Earth2 advises caution if purchasing EPLs using Essence.
Getting the most from your EPL purchase
We feel the below approach could serve you well when selecting an EPL name.
First, don't be disappointed if you are unable to choose a shorter EPL. There are several good potential 7+ character EPL names if you are creative enough and can be equally eye-catching.
Additionally, as per current naming convention (maybe subject to change later) the shorter EPLs can only be traded with properties eligible to hold those EPLs. For example a 4-char EPL is only tradeable with other Class 1, 701+ Tile property holders, thus it raises a question on their liquidity due to smaller pool of eligible secondary market buyers.
As things stand, if you sell your property which has an EPL, the EPL passes along to the buyer since its attached to the property.
Remember the purpose/ use of your property when choosing an EPL name. You want your EPL name to be accurately describe what's on that property in order to attract the right traffic to your property. Taking on an EPL name that says for example 'wool' doesn't add any valuable information.
Do not go overboard with your EPL purchases with the intention to flip them later. Please realize that there are hundreds of thousands of perfectly usable names, and people wanting to acquire EPLs may rather pay $5 for those rather buying EPLs from secondary market at an inflated price. Additionally bear in mind, there is that renewal fees later-on and your long list of EPLs could potentially turn into an expensive liability.
Therefore, we suggest that buy EPLs for which you have a clear use or a clear end in your mind to get the maximum possible value from your EPL purchase.
Finally, you don't have to rush or go overboard if you don't know still yet what you are going to do with your property or a particular EPL - you can always buy an EPL later. Don't worry you wont run out of good names, there are a million, especially if you use it with a combination say 'pineapple-pizza'.