Turn order name visibility

This seems like a bug, but the turn order should show the names of creatures, especially your party members, even if they're not in your Journal. Why would anyone want to hide all the names by default, doesn't make sense to me.

You have it turned off. To turn it on edit the token, go to the 3 dots above the name section, checkmark Edit and See as desired.  "Edit" enables folks who control the token to see the name, "See" enables everyone to see the name. 

I am the player. I assume it's turned off by default, which seems weird for an initiative tracker. The DM has to manually enable See for all players for all creatures?

Yes, the DM would need to checkmark "See" for the non-controlling players to be able to see a creature's name.  In most D&D style games I have ever run or seen played a player would not see a monster's name on either the token or the turn order. 

You can see how dumb it looks in the screenshot. Feel free to run your games how you want, you don't have to justify it with all the games where you hide the party members names from each other. Doesn't make sense to me why that screenshot would be a default.

Because naming creatures leads to metagaming as players start looking up their statblocks etc.  In 40+ years of gaming players do not automatically get the creature's name for creatures they are fighting. I see no reason that should change.  In any case, this is between you and your DM, they can change the setting if they wish. 

Gauss said: Because naming creatures leads to metagaming as players start looking up their statblocks etc.  I think we've lost the plot now, thanks.

It's a dumb default.

You are the first person I have seen post in the last 12 years of Roll20 that has felt it was a dumb default.  But like I said, your DM can change it. It is a setting they can change to change all of them in the game. 

Thanks Champ

It is hidden by default, and your GM can turn it on for each Token,  but also your GM can change the Defaults. The GM can reset the default to be what they want. So your GM has the Default-defaults, so to speak. They may not be aware it looks that way (because the GM view shows all the names), or they may have not thought of changing it (the settings for this are a little hidden).  Best you could do is ask your GM to change it.

To de-escalate this, the reasoning is so that a GM can control monsters on the turn order that they may not want identified to the player. Example, the character think they are fighting some random bandits, but the enemies are actually vampire spawn. For "vampire spawn" to show on the turn order would be a giveaway. In general: If a token's name is visible to players, it's visible on the turn order. If the token's name is hidden from players, it shows up blank on the turn order, to be in agreement with the GM's wishes regarding name visibility. Finally, if a token is on the GM layer, it will show up on the turn order for them, but not even have a blank spot for the players. If the GM wants names to always be readable to the players at all times, the best procedure would be to make sure that names on tokens are set to be visible  to the players at all times , as Gauss described above. This default can be set in the game settings page. The intent is to keep tokens and tracker in agreement.

Post deleted after reading Keith's more diplomatic explanation. :)

Example, the character think they are fighting some random bandits, but the enemies are actually vampire spawn. For "vampire spawn" to show on the turn order would be a giveaway. Wouldn't it be better if the GM could call them bandits then? I don't understand why people think the turn order must reveal vital information and that party member names should be hidden by default.

EnderC said: Example, the character think they are fighting some random bandits, but the enemies are actually vampire spawn. For "vampire spawn" to show on the turn order would be a giveaway. Wouldn't it be better if the GM could call them bandits then? I don't understand why people think the turn order must reveal vital information and that party member names should be hidden by default. The majority of characters in any game are NPCs, the default should be set up for NPCs, then the GM makes changes to PCs to allow them to see each other's names etc.  If the GM has not done that I suggest having a conversation with them. 

EnderC said: Example, the character think they are fighting some random bandits, but the enemies are actually vampire spawn. For "vampire spawn" to show on the turn order would be a giveaway. Wouldn't it be better if the GM could call them bandits then? I don't understand why people think the turn order must reveal vital information and that party member names should be hidden by default. Then as GM, set your campaign defaults that way. Not everyone plays the same.

Going beyond the name showing up in the turn order; If I have a monster that is hiding just around the corner, is there any way to hide the token image in the turn order?

Hultz (Keeper of Secrets) said: Going beyond the name showing up in the turn order; If I have a monster that is hiding just around the corner, is there any way to hide the token image in the turn order? Yes multiple ways, Put the corner-monster onto the GM Layer,  OR don't roll initiative for that monster yet,  OR put that monster in the initiative turn tracker as a Custom Item instead of rolling it from its token, OR roll initiative on another token that's generic like (?) Question Mark Token and remember that it represents the secret hidden monster.

EnderC said: Example, the character think they are fighting some random bandits, but the enemies are actually vampire spawn. For "vampire spawn" to show on the turn order would be a giveaway. Wouldn't it be better if the GM could call them bandits then? The GM can do that. They have the option. There are multiple ways they can do that, if they choose to. GM could rename the tokens as "Bandits" OR, GM could enter Custom Items into the initiative Turn Tracker and name it "Bandits" OR, the default way Roll20 is set up if you don't change anything, the initiative Turn Tracker will show nothing in the name slot (name hidden) and the GM will say it verbally, "You see some bandits coming towards you". 

Thank you Gold for the work around, I am already doing these sort, of things (especially putting them on the GM layer), and was wondering if there was a better way.

The GM can do that. They have the option. There are multiple ways they can do that, if they choose to. GM could rename the tokens as "Bandits" OR, GM could enter Custom Items into the initiative Turn Tracker and name it "Bandits" OR, the default way Roll20 is set up if you don't change anything, the initiative Turn Tracker will show nothing in the name slot (name hidden) and the GM will say it verbally, "You see some bandits coming towards you".  Right, exactly, there are so many workarounds for the alleged problem of "the players will learn what they're fighting and then look it up".  None of the reasons provided make it a good design decision  (ie something Roll20 thought of when making it) to have my screenshot be the default. It's a strange defense of the status quo. A justification after-the-fact.

The justification was never "after the fact": It was a good design decision because it defaults to the display that most GMs on this site prefer. The issue here seems to be that the majority's preferences don't happen to align with yours. Fortunately, there is an easy way for you to change things to have it your way in your games. EnderC said: Right, exactly, there are so many workarounds for the alleged problem of "the players will learn what they're fighting and then look it up".  None of the reasons provided make it a good design decision  (ie something Roll20 thought of when making it) to have my screenshot be the default. It's a strange defense of the status quo. A justification after-the-fact.