Mark Jacobs - Server Transfer Service Incoming

[Nebu]

Forcing more people to RVR wont make PVP happen.  There are incentives to NOT PVP in RVR.  If you defend you get jack, so let the opposing team cap it all then flip it all back for renown and phat lewtz.  Saves time and gets more rewards.

Anyone that played New Frontiers in DAoC will tell you that Mythic doesn't know shit about incentivizing RvR. 

1) It was common to knock down the door to a tower or keep and not capture the lord.  Why?  You would get far more rp's killing noobs that wandered through the open door than you ever could just capping the thing straight away.

2) Relics were unbalancing.  Unbalancing to a point that it created a new type of player: The relic hopper.  Whenever one realm got all the relics, it created such a huge, game-breaking imbalance that players woudl literally reroll on the side with the advantage. 

3) I'm not going to touch RA's, RR5 abilities, or innate class imbalances.... or even siege in the low BG's or the use of oil to get solo titles. 

[UnSub]

I went and looked just to see if they had added a "why are you canceling" question , so I could remark on the lack of RvR

They don't - Mythic lacks an official exit survey. Perhaps they thought they wouldn't need it ready so close to launch.

Maybe they will patch it in later.

[Slayerik]

Planetside realized the need for incentive for defending and added a bonus when in your own sphere of influence. Seems like it should be easily predictable that this will be the case.

[Venkman]

Well, at the very least, they seemed to understand that they couldn't have more than one capital city per side.

Edit for outsiders: Prior to launch, they cut the other factions' capital cities so there would only be one for Order and one for Destruction.

Except those are going back in. They were cut out because they didn't have time to finish them before launch. Just like they cut out some of the classes.

I really can't see them putting those cities back in (within a "reasonable" timeframe anyway) when they're having issues consolidating the playerbase as it is.

I agree with you and Trippy. Considering the problems they're having funneling players, splitting them up again is probably off the table. At the very least, once their accountbase hits a plateau, these could become expansion material.

[schild]

If they're even working a tiny bit on making the game world larger, they're doing it wrong. Not a single artist, at this point, should even be tasked on creating more environmental art. The game is way too fucking big, tier 4 alone is more space than any PVP game needed with the population caps they have on their servers.

Edit: Needless to say, they're doing it wrong.

[MerseyMal]

it seems like the usual MMORPG stupidity that rather then adding incentive for the players to visit the existing areas they'd rather shove on another zone (or continent in the case of Mythic's ToA expansion for DAoC) to spread the population even thinner.

[EWSpider]

http://www.warherald.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=416

The server lists have been published and the source and destination servers listed.  I don't see Ulthuan on the list anywhere.  Weren't a lot of you complaining of low population on Ulthuan?

[Arthur_Parker]

22 servers as good as dead, more to come in the EU, that should be fun for GOA.

[Venkman]

Wow that is quite a list of NA core servers.

[schild]

Haha we can't leave Ulthuan.

[trias_e]

Exactly as I expected, we're in the middle ground of fucked.

[Arthur_Parker]

Funny stuff1

There wouldn't be much of a point to guild transfers if you lost your ranks now would there? :P

You will need to empty your Guild Vault and move the items to members for transfer...they can keep the items in their inventory or banks as both those will transfer with individual characters.

As I said more details will be clear on the Character Transfer Page, we want to ensure you get all of the information there so until then we won't express the full details of the Guild Transfer service.

Thanks all

Funny Stuff2

Guild transfers are designed in such a way that players will be responsible for transfering themselves, so the only thing that would happen is that your Guild Leader would need to reinvite you on the new server once the guild is re-established.

Full details on this feature will be on the Character Transfer page. Thanks guys

Heh.

[khaine]

So they either are going to leave upwards of 20 servers online that are have literally zero population for months or shut down 20+ servers and force merge the few who don't transfer and figure out how to spin that

Is there enough JW Red in the cabinet to cover that decision ?

[HaemishM]

Funny Stuff2

Guild transfers are designed in such a way that players will be responsible for transfering themselves, so the only thing that would happen is that your Guild Leader would need to reinvite you on the new server once the guild is re-established.

Full details on this feature will be on the Character Transfer page. Thanks guys

OWCH. IT BURNS WHEN I PEE.

So really, the only thing that a guild transfer accomplishes it saving your guild name and ranks. All your members have to transfer on their own, and all your vaulted stuff better be out of the guild vault because it's shitcanned too.

lolwut?

[UnSub]

Next step will be cutting new character creation on the low pop servers. Then server merges.

Just to update: apparently someone does think things through a bit -

As an added bonus and to help you settle into your new home, all destination servers will have a Realm Population Bonus. For a limited time, all players on these servers will receive an additional 20% experience and renown. Please stay tuned to the WAR Herald to find out when you can take advantage of these Free Character Transfers!

It's a sensible thing to do.

However...

Less than a week ago they said no server bonuses until after transfers. Now it is bonuses with transfers. It's the right move, but it seems things are less than well planned when official announcements contradict each other.

[UnSub]

Funny Stuff2

Guild transfers are designed in such a way that players will be responsible for transfering themselves, so the only thing that would happen is that your Guild Leader would need to reinvite you on the new server once the guild is re-established.

Full details on this feature will be on the Character Transfer page. Thanks guys

OWCH. IT BURNS WHEN I PEE.

So really, the only thing that a guild transfer accomplishes it saving your guild name and ranks. All your members have to transfer on their own, and all your vaulted stuff better be out of the guild vault because it's shitcanned too.

lolwut?

HAY GUYZ CNA I BE A PACK MULE FOR THE GILD? I RPOMISE TO GIVE IT BAC KONCE WE CAHNGE SEVERS!

[Wershlak]

It's the right move, but it seems things are less than well planned when official announcements contradict each other.

Due to the pending Character Transfers we announced yesterday there will be no new Realm Population Bonuses for the upcoming week.

I don't see how these statements contradict eachother. One deals with this week while one is after the transfers.

Edit: I suck at quotes

[UnSub]

It's the right move, but it seems things are less than well planned when official announcements contradict each other.

Due to the pending Character Transfers we announced yesterday there will be no new Realm Population Bonuses for the upcoming week.

I don't see how these statements contradict eachother. One deals with this week while one is after the transfers.

Edit: I suck at quotes

Once players have settled down on their new servers we'll begin offering these incentives again when we have an accurate view of what servers and realms need them the most.

[SuperPopTart]

YAY I can transfer. *Does the transfer dance*

Skavenblight is a damn wasteland.

[squirrel]

YAY I can transfer. *Does the transfer dance*

Skavenblight is a damn wasteland.

Why are you there and not on Ulthuan suffering with the rest of us huh?!

[SuperPopTart]

Because I am a rebel!

No, because I fail at reading and didn't realize you nuts were over there. And you well flippin' holy on me and made characters on the good side.

I don't understand that! You people aren't good!

On a side note I have an Order character I just hadn't gotten around to getting a guild invite.

I weep.

[Evildrider]

Order is as good as Hitler led Germany.   

[Arthur_Parker]

Funny Stuff2

Guild transfers are designed in such a way that players will be responsible for transfering themselves, so the only thing that would happen is that your Guild Leader would need to reinvite you on the new server once the guild is re-established.

Full details on this feature will be on the Character Transfer page. Thanks guys

OWCH. IT BURNS WHEN I PEE.

So really, the only thing that a guild transfer accomplishes it saving your guild name and ranks. All your members have to transfer on their own, and all your vaulted stuff better be out of the guild vault because it's shitcanned too.

lolwut?

HAY GUYZ CNA I BE A PACK MULE FOR THE GILD? I RPOMISE TO GIVE IT BAC KONCE WE CAHNGE SEVERS!

All the above, plus I don't think in perfect world you would want to be breaking guild bonds between players while your population is declining. 

Also nothing said about character/guild name conflicts on destination servers.  Great potential for comedy if some opposing Chaos/Order guild has pissed your guild off.  It shouldn't be too difficult to find out where they are moving to, grab the guild leader name and even register the guild name before the transfers go live.  Set them some dorky heraldry and an insulting motd and get busy inviting when they transfer across, bonus points for emptying the transferred guild vault.

[Lantyssa]

Because I am a rebel!

No, because I fail at reading and didn't realize you nuts were over there. And you well flippin' holy on me and made characters on the good side.

I don't understand that! You people aren't good!

They were trying to role-play.  I couldn't even get them to give me an alternate server for Destruction alts. ><

[Arthur_Parker]

Linky

10/31/2008 @ 09:00:27 EST

The Free Character Transfers have begun! Players of the following realms are now able to login to the Mythic Account Center to begin transfer of their characters. Please be sure to read all instructions carefully! There are cases where you may lose items if you do not properly prepare your character for transfer. This also applies to the Guild Transfer functionality.

Free Character Transfers - Round 1

Update- 10:45AM EDT: The Free Character Transfer service is temporarily offline while we perform maintenance to resolve the issue players are experiencing. Thank you for your patience!

[tolakram]

Like this was unexpected.  They had to test the thing after all.  :)

[GoodIdea]

I don't think they're allowing enough servers to transfer to be honest. My server has a (so-called) population of 15K, but it feels empty!!! I can't imagine playing on a server with a pop of 10K or less, it must be boring as hell.

Imo, Azazel, with it's population of 15K, could have used an infusion of a low pop server. We especially could have used it since we're the only server that has an active Order population that exceeds the active (casual) destruction population.

All servers should probably be where Skullthrone is at, at 20K. It's better to wait in queue for 5-10 minutes than to have no competition. Imo.

[tolakram]

[lac]

Are euro server transfers up too?

In the last week I was the only one in my 40 member guild online in the evenings. For five days straight no tier 2 scenario has popped during 3 prime time hours. Yesterday I had the game on a sidescreen as I idled next to the auction house and bank in altdorf while waiting for a scenario to spawn and I saw 2 players between 7.30pm and 10.30pm.

I think I'm up for a transfer.

That's the Tor Anroc euro server btw. If you fancy a single player mmo experience, it's the place to be.

[SuperPopTart]

Because I am a rebel!

No, because I fail at reading and didn't realize you nuts were over there. And you well flippin' holy on me and made characters on the good side.

I don't understand that! You people aren't good!

They were trying to role-play.  I couldn't even get them to give me an alternate server for Destruction alts. ><

It's kinda bleh - I've been soloing my entire 30+ levels and I got most of that 30 within the first week or so - so it would have been nice to play with people I (kinda) like. That's it, you and I need to bring back the <3 and make a destruction guild, we'll hunt down the remaining members of Bat Country and continuously troll them.

[Arthur_Parker]

Round five of character transfers is live.

Another two servers just got axed, total now at 24.  Still no list up for Europe yet.

[Mrbloodworth]

Round five of character transfers is live.

Another two servers just got axed, total now at 24.  Still no list up for Europe yet.

Yay for more peeps on pragg.

[lac]

Round five of character transfers is live.

Another two servers just got axed, total now at 24.  Still no list up for Europe yet.

They said somewhere they'll start the euro migrations once the US is done. Sadly my subscription, and that of what looks like 80% of my server, will have ran out by then.

Here it is:

Good day!

Character transfers will be available for European players but only after it's been done on US servers. There's many factors to take into consideration such as whether to attempt to re-stock the low-pop servers with fresh blood or if we're following Mythic's example and transfer people from the low population servers to more populated ones.

Our primary concern is to provide European players with servers which have healthy populations and good performance. Whichever path we ultimately take on this, it will be the path which we - given the information and technological possibilities at hand - believe best serve to reach that goal.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoatibix View Post
There was something about server transfers on the Patcher last night...but I don't know if that is a hangover from the US version of the game?
This was indeed a leftover from the US patcher and I've now removed it from ours.

-Magnus