Error You linked this account already to user with name

Hi,

I just did the update to the new FAF version and it is asking me to link the steam account with the FAF account. I have already linked it many years ago and it worked perfectly before this update. Now after the update, it tells me that I have to confirm that I own the game and it fails with this message:

Error You linked this account already to user with name 'CaipirinhaPilot'.
Now my name on steam is Caipirinha_Pilot, the same in FAF.
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Changing the profile name on Steam to CaipirinhaPilot does not help. I can't change the name to CaipirinhaPilot on FAF as it says that I used that name already before (and you can't use previously used names).

What might have happened: I used to use CaipirinhaPilot as a name initially, on FAF, but then changed it to use the underscore _, which worked, but now that I have to relink it, it does not work anymore. What can I do? I'm stuck.
Is there a way to just link it to Caipirinha_Pilot in your internal database?

Please tell me what do I need to write into the errors message so you (and a lot of other players constantly bugging me with the same problem) understand that you obviously have a created two FAF accounts and the other one is linked with Steam.

I'm really trying to write good error messages, but obviously nobody understands my message

So there is something very strange happening. I don't have two users, I'm pretty sure I rename it. I can log in via caipirinhapilot after resetting the password and the account is properly linked to steam, but when I log into the server via caipirinha_pilot, it causes an internal server error.
The question is: What happens when you rename an user? What happens to the old name?

The error message says where the problem is, I think the requirement to link the account (and having to relink it and confirm that it is linked) is the problem for most users. Having to mess around with steam and having to set everything to public, there are many steps that are probably too much for some users.

I notice that in here I'm called Caipirinha_Pilot, even though I'm logged in with the Capirinhapilot name.

There is a user named Caipirinha_Pilot and a user CaipirinhaPilot with no renames created about 3 years apart. Most likely you created two accounts and forgot about the first one. You can reset the password via steam or the email you used with it.

@sheikah
Where can you see that there are two accounts? How many games are played on each one?
I think they are still the same account. If I try to log in via caipirinha_pilot and the valid password, it makes the webserver crash with "internal server error". They are associated with different emails, but seem to point to the same account, very strange. I would assume that this is caused by me changing the username and the email, but part of the system not changing all records consistently. Can you see on the account if there was a name change?

They do not point to the same account. You can see the players by name with the api. This link shows it https://api.faforever.com/data/player?filter=login==*Caipirinha* in json data form.

Thanks, that helps. Interesting enough, Caipirinhapilot seems to have a global rating, Caipirinha_Pilot has NULL. The dates make sense, I created Caipirinhapilot originally back in 2015, then I remember renaming it. The question is here: What happens if you rename a user? Does the old user still exist with a database entry?

None of those users have been renamed with a name Caipriniha. And when you rename a user you cannot take a name another user has

It is important to note that Caipirinha is not what we are talking about, that is a completely different user (such a common name was already taken obviously) Caipirinha shows up in the JSON output because of the search term.

We are only talking about the users Caipirinha_Pilot and CaipirinhaPilot.

Yes I understand that's why I didn't include it in my post

You have the exact same name here as your FAF account name.
Your steam account name is completely irrelevant to FAF. All we care is that you verified you own the game. Might this be the source of confusion?

But how can that ever be? I'm Caipirinha_Pilot, yet the steam linking is by the account CaipirinhaPilot, NO UNDERSCORE (like the error message says and that is not the steam name, but the FAF name)
If I log into here by using the name CaipirinhaPilot (and the associated email: [email protected]) it works (also on the FAF client), BUT if I use Caipirinha_Pilot (and [email protected] associated email) I get an internal server error.
So there are 2 accounts that are still very strangely connected, yet not.

The accounts are in no way connected. They are two separate accounts

You linked your account the no underscore account to steam so that is the only one you can login and play with

So how do you explain my username here??? See on the left: With an underscore? Yet when I'm logged in with the FAF client, it is with the one without underscore?
And when I'm logged into the FAF website (not the forum), it is also without the underscore? (I can send you a screen shot if you don't believe me)
I have been a system administrator on Linux for 10+ years, so I do know a little about these things and they do seem to be connected in a way or another.

I did reset the password in the caipirinha_pilot account, yet when trying to log in, it crashes the faf websession with "internal server error".

It is working now, I can log in with the FAF client, BUT I know this might cause problems in the future (like it did now when it told me that I had to confirm the steam linking and it refused to do it first)

The internal error is likely unrelated. Would need to know which portal you are logging into when you get that error.

You do not need proof of game ownership for your account to be able to log in and post on the forum. So you can log in with C_P and post here.

In order to log into the client, lobby server, and play the game you do need to have proof of game ownership. This is why only CP can login to the client. C_P cannot because it is not linked, it also cannot be linked to your steam account because each steam account can only be linked to one faf account.

You can log into the forum with CP and then you can post as that user. The accounts themselves share no data between them in our databases. It is probably only logging you in here as C_P because you have remember me set.