I support the last version and or anything similar to Jarnys' and Daomei's proposals: Having at least a command to set to one of several options. The commands setting must be persistently stored in the user's config file. As Daomei mentioned, this is easily regression testable.
Preferably, a gui setting would be good, but it's lower priority.
The proposal to just be invisible to people on ignore is indeed a simple one, but unfortunately just not feasible because of the easy way to create twinks and/or new free2play accounts.
Meagon, Entendu, et al.: I don't think "wiping" the friends list is at stake. And don't worry about not being able to see msgs for your buddys: I'm sure they'll continue to allow you to see their messages. I don't think you will actually notice any change to your gameplay and interaction with your friends. This is about providing those people a safe haven who have been pestered or at least feel that they need this level of privacy. It's all about the option, the freedom to decide for yourself how much you want to "open" up. I expect that only a small percentage of players will care, and an even smaller percentage might flip the switch.
But we are proud to be a friendly community in this game. So let deeds speak for ourselves and make this small adjustment to prove that the game respects everybody's freedom and privacy.
Btw, I don't think a command such as this costs more than a few person-days of development. I'd rather guess it's 1-3 workdays including writing some regression tests. But that strongly depends on the current architecture which I'm not acquainted with. Providing a gui interface is an entirely different matter and that's why it should be on lower priority or even below the cut line.
Preferably, a gui setting would be good, but it's lower priority.
The proposal to just be invisible to people on ignore is indeed a simple one, but unfortunately just not feasible because of the easy way to create twinks and/or new free2play accounts.
Meagon, Entendu, et al.: I don't think "wiping" the friends list is at stake. And don't worry about not being able to see msgs for your buddys: I'm sure they'll continue to allow you to see their messages. I don't think you will actually notice any change to your gameplay and interaction with your friends. This is about providing those people a safe haven who have been pestered or at least feel that they need this level of privacy. It's all about the option, the freedom to decide for yourself how much you want to "open" up. I expect that only a small percentage of players will care, and an even smaller percentage might flip the switch.
But we are proud to be a friendly community in this game. So let deeds speak for ourselves and make this small adjustment to prove that the game respects everybody's freedom and privacy.
Btw, I don't think a command such as this costs more than a few person-days of development. I'd rather guess it's 1-3 workdays including writing some regression tests. But that strongly depends on the current architecture which I'm not acquainted with. Providing a gui interface is an entirely different matter and that's why it should be on lower priority or even below the cut line.