Character Transfer, Server Populations and You

[RangerRobEU]

There are lots of people that have been talking about how this will muck with guilds. I have a guild of 100 plus accounts and it still isn't hard to get the info out to people for server transfers to relink in a new server. Between vent/ teamspeak, or mumble and your guild website there should be no issues with reforming the guild on a new server.

I don't understand the guild transfer complications people talk about either to be honest, seems like lack of thinking outside the box (or even thinking logically) in many cases. I agree it could be smoother, especially in relation to guild banks, but honestly it's not that difficult to formulate a plan for the move if you want to.

 

There will only be ONE destination available for your people to transfer to. Use your Guild Message to tell people who to contact on the destination server for an invitation - once you have formed the destination guild set your Guild Message to tell people the name if it doesn't match your old name.

 

Anybody logging in to your old server (even 3 months later) will still be able to see the guild message and if they want to transfer and join you they will. If they decide not to join you, well that's their choice as long as you make sure they have the information they'd need left available for them after you've transferred.

Edited June 8, 2012 by RangerRobEU

[Thanatus]

Can anyone give me a good justification for using existing servers as destinations instead of creating new ones? It seems like doing it that way solves several problems brought up in this thread. The only justification I can see is that BW doesn't want their stats in torstatus to look worse than they currently do.

 

What is more reliable: add a new line into your existing subway system, which has been optimized continuously by small adjustments in the past, or built a complete new subway system, in which you'll have no idea how timetables, rush hour, connections etc will play out?

Edited June 8, 2012 by Thanatus

[Scorpienne]

Talked with my Guild Officers about this last night, we anticipate losing over 50% of the guild if we move next week. 150 toons, around 50 unique players, I suspect we will only see 20-25 come over.

 

Are you kidding me? So there's absolutely NO system for guild transfer.... I don't think my guild will survive if we have to move.

 

If your guild is so weak that you can't survive a simple transfer then your guild has bigger issues then just moving.

 

That says more about your guild than the transfer service...

 

Sauska and Ramladon, my thoughts *exactly*. I have about 80 people and about double that many toons to coordinate. I think guild transfer is going to be an annoyance. Not a death sentence, not something to lose sleep over, not the end of the guild, just an annoyance. We'll have to reverify character names with usernames on our external website and then reform the guild in-game with hopefully some variant of our original name and then re-/ginvite everyone. Super-annoying for maybe even a couple of weeks, but that's about it... heck, might even be funny after a while.

 

I've been annoyed before. It turned out all right.

 

Paige

Edited June 8, 2012 by Scorpienne

[cipher_nemo]

So, I created a new character on a new server after I realized my original server was dead. Am I ever going to be able to consolidate my characters from both servers onto one server/legacy?

According to Bioware, no. Awesome "server transfers", huh?

This is simply wrong. Why do you spread misinformation like that? You're simply and undeniably wrong.

 

Before people start foaming at the mouth, let me remind you that these "free" server transfers do not allow character consolidation from multiple servers onto one server. Since "thendavesaid" was asking in this thread in regards to the recent news of free server transfers, the answer is no. If we're talking about the future, where we may have paid transfers, then the answer might be yes, but we don't know yet. So please, before the fanboys start attacking everyone, step back and look at the context.

[InnerPieces]

They have posted it.

 

 

Initially we considered allowing players to transfer to any server they wished, or to a variety of different servers. However, on a massive scale, this free-for-all approach causes potential problems. Players who are anxious to ensure they end up on a heavily populated server will naturally flock to what is perceived as the 'biggest' server, potentially over-populating that server. This eventually leads to the exact situation we're trying to move away from. Our aim is to maximize server population across the entire service and to enhance the gameplay experience for our players.

 

 

Source: http://www.swtor.com/blog/character-transfer-server-populations-and-you

 

Okay. I admit I overlooked that and thank you for taking the time and effort of re-quoting it for me.

 

I disagree that it is the entire reason since they know many people are just as concerned about where they end up and who they end up with (not just about their dwindling population) and are only solving a part of the overall problem. There is no mention of potentially allowing more free transfers to solve the rest of the issue they created. Many of these issues were created by the random server choices of pre-made guilds before pre-launch (and many of those initial servers are now dying, btw). They only mention this round of free transfers and then a paid option. I know things may change and, in fact, the entire point of posting here is to encourage change. I don't know anyone who actively wants top pay extra to solve an issue they did not create. I know a few who are willing to. I know of far more people who (claim) they will just stop playing instead. None of us want that.

 

Thanks again, though. You did address my comment directly and I appreciate that.

Edited June 8, 2012 by InnerPieces

[cipher_nemo]

Sauska and Ramladon, my thoughts *exactly*. I have about 80 people and about double that many toons to coordinate. I think guild transfer is going to be an annoyance. Not a death sentence, not something to lose sleep over, not the end of the guild, just an annoyance.

 

It may be a death sentence to my guild's interest in TOR (not to us as a gaming community) where we 1.) don't have that many people actively playing TOR these days, since they're waiting for new content, etc. and 2.) might stay put instead of transferring since moving all of our guild bank items and such out to characters is a royal PITA. Possibly not enough characters to hold everything. If we had to make alts to hold stuff, then that's even more work to assign privs, etc. It's just one big frackin' PITA. And if we do this, we'd be disbanding the guild we have and putting our faith and trust in Bioware to get things working right on the new server. I'm sorry, but I just don't trust Bioware that much, especially after this PR fiasco of server transfers.

 

Our only salvation at this point is to hope Bioware makes our pre-launch server a destination rather than an origin for transfers. At least if/until Bioware decides to get their act together and offer smoother transfers.

Edited June 8, 2012 by cipher_nemo

[Scorpienne]

It may be a death sentence to my guild's interest in TOR (not to us as a gaming community) where we 1.) don't have that many people actively playing TOR these days, since they're waiting for new content, etc. and 2.) might stay put instead of transferring since moving all of our guild bank items and such out to characters is a royal PITA.

 

Then, sir, it has become apparent, your hyperbole aside, that we agree on the following, as so aptly stated by Ramladon and Sauska...

 

If your guild is so weak that you can't survive a simple transfer then your guild has bigger issues then just moving.

 

That says more about your guild than the transfer service...

 

I guess there's just something different about the guilds that expect they will have game-ending problems and the guilds that expect that the problems are completely surmountable. /shrug Maybe we're just improvise-adapt-overcome types. Maybe we eat more fiber. Maybe it's a serotonin thing. Maybe it's because my guild tends to be a little older that the general pop on our server. I just don't know.

 

I have no clue as to why we can look at the same situation and come to completely different estimates of what it will mean in the future. You're not going to change my mind. I'm not going to change your mind. It's cool.

 

That reminds me... no breakfast this morning. I think I'll go eat a fiber bar...

 

Paige

 

PS. If our guild bank has too much stuff, and 4 tabs in it probably does, then I'll open it up completely and ask my guildies to clean it out. We've got plenty of toons to do this. Then I'll ask them to redeposit it on the new server. I have people I trust, so it's not an issue. If some go AWOL, then that's cool too. It's just money and items. We have plenty of crafters...

[WrecklessMEDIC]

There is no mention of potentially allowing more free transfers to solve the rest of the issue they created.

 

Actually, yes they have mentioned further phases of free transfers with less restrictions. This is just the first phase and is only meant to fix the population issues. You will have an opportunity to transfer across server types and multiple servers for free..... wait for it..... Later.

 

The unlimited paid transfers are waay down the line.

Edited June 8, 2012 by WrecklessMEDIC

[InnerPieces]

Quote: Originally Posted by Alxandria

I have a question:

How will we be affected (if any) if say we are on an origin server, but have no desire to move, either because we like small servers, or we just don't want to deal with the xfer process?

 

Quote: Originally Posted by AllisonBerryman

You are not required to move when transfers become available; it's your choice if you'd like to stay on your server.

 

I beg to differ, Allison. Choice, in this case, is an illusion. That is like me putting a gun to my head with having every intention of living and saying I have a choice to pull the trigger or not. Are we to believe that BioWare will keep a server live if the population dropped to, say, 30 people? Sure, there is a choice: live or die. To most, that is no choice at all (and I can say most because otherwise most of us would be dead). You can either transfer for free now and continue to play or you can pay for a transfer later or stop playing. It just doesn't feel like much of a choice to me.

 

 

Quote: Originally Posted by joeypesci

My question is, can all of my 8 characters that are on one server move or only one of them?

 

Quote: Originally Posted by AllisonBerryman

If your server becomes eligible for free character transfers, you'll be able to move all your characters from that server onto the destination server.

-----

 

Allison, thanks for answering the first part of the question. It is good to know we can move all of our characters to the new server. You did not specify, however, if we can leave one or two characters behind.

 

Thank you.

Edited June 8, 2012 by InnerPieces

[Rogoo]

I'm a bit lost at this point because It seems to me that they take every possible ocassion to make things worse.

 

Ok, so we've been waiting for the transfers for how long ? Three months ? Three months I've been leveling alts in hopes of having an actual endgame experience on a POPULATED server.

 

Only to have Bioware say: "Hahaha! You rolled on a RP-PvP server so it's YOUR FAULT. We're not going to allow you to transfer to a server of your choice because we RESPECT THE RULESETS. The only thing we don't respect is your FREEDOM OF CHOICE. You have to stay on a low population server FOREVER because you know... WE RESPECT THE RULESETS!".

 

Can't think of a better way to make your customers angry and unsubscribe.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Rogoo

[Skullbash]

I'm a bit lost at this point because It seems to me that they take every possible ocassion to make things worse.

 

Ok, so we've been waiting for the transfers for how long ? Three months ? Three months I've been leveling alts in hopes of having an actual endgame experience on a POPULATED server.

 

Only to have Bioware say: "Hahaha! You rolled on a RP-PvP server so it's YOUR FAULT. We're not going to allow you to transfer to a server of your choice because we RESPECT THE RULESETS. The only thing we don't respect is your FREEDOM OF CHOICE. You have to stay on a low population server FOREVER because you know... WE RESPECT THE RULESETS!".

 

Can't think of a better way to make your customers angry and unsubscribe.

 

Yep, the same-server type only transfer is the last straw for me, I'm unsubbed.

 

I think this game deserves to fail at this point.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Skullbash

[Maccaz]

Quite looking forward to these transfers, but got one question which I didn't see while browsing this post.

 

Have they announced how many servers are they going to give transfers to on the 1st phase?

[Seregul]

I'm a bit lost at this point because It seems to me that they take every possible ocassion to make things worse.

 

Ok, so we've been waiting for the transfers for how long ? Three months ? Three months I've been leveling alts in hopes of having an actual endgame experience on a POPULATED server.

 

Only to have Bioware say: "Hahaha! You rolled on a RP-PvP server so it's YOUR FAULT. We're not going to allow you to transfer to a server of your choice because we RESPECT THE RULESETS. The only thing we don't respect is your FREEDOM OF CHOICE. You have to stay on a low population server FOREVER because you know... WE RESPECT THE RULESETS!".

 

Can't think of a better way to make your customers angry and unsubscribe.

 

Hopefully it's just an oversight on their part.

[InnerPieces]

Actually, yes they have mentioned further phases of "free" transfers with less restrictions. This is just the first phase and is only meant to fix the population issues. You will have an opportunity to transfer across server types and multiple servers for "free"..... wait for it..... Later.

 

The unlimited paid transfers are waay down the line.

 

Actually, no. The phases they mention are in regard to this transfer, not future transfers:

 

"This process will be gradual and staged over time. Despite huge improvements being made to the Character Transfer Service by our server team, there are millions of characters to be moved and there is a limit to how many can be moved daily. We want your character to be transferred as quickly as possible, but we will need you to be patient as the process completes."

 

That all pertains to this "first wave" of transfers, not future transfers.

 

"We understand that some of you may be looking to consolidate characters from a variety of origin servers onto one server, and others may be anxious to move to a specific server to be with friends. With the restrictions of this initial service, that may not be possible. We still believe that you will enjoy playing on a higher population server and hope you'll take advantage of the service, but you won't be forced to transfer. Future versions of the Character Transfer Service may allow more options in your choice of destination servers and may require a transfer fee."

 

Where, exactly, did they mention "further phases of "free" transfers with less restrictions." No matter how many times I re-read the actual information an official representative of BioWare provided, I cannot find a specific mention of "further phases of "free" transfers with less restrictions."

 

I do see plenty of "may's", however, so it is always possible, but you should try to not speak with certainty about things you cannot possibly be certain about.

 

Thanks!

Edited June 8, 2012 by InnerPieces

[WrecklessMEDIC]

Yep, the same-server type only transfer is the last straw for me, I'm unsubbed.

 

Have patience young Padawan. This is only the first phase of free transfers. The next round will be less restrictive and yes, still free.

Edited June 8, 2012 by WrecklessMEDIC

[InnerPieces]

Have patience young Padawan. This is only the first phase of "free" transfers. The next round will be less restrictive and yes, still "free".

 

I cannot help but wonder exactly where this information comes from. Just supply a direct quote and get it over with. The suspense is killing me.

[WrecklessMEDIC]

Actually, no. The phases they mention are in regard to this transfer, not future transfers:

 

"This process will be gradual and staged over time. Despite huge improvements being made to the Character Transfer Service by our server team, there are millions of characters to be moved and there is a limit to how many can be moved daily. We want your character to be transferred as quickly as possible, but we will need you to be patient as the process completes."

 

That all pertains to this "first wave" of transfers, not future transfers.

 

"We understand that some of you may be looking to consolidate characters from a variety of origin servers onto one server, and others may be anxious to move to a specific server to be with friends. With the restrictions of this initial service, that may not be possible. We still believe that you will enjoy playing on a higher population server and hope you'll take advantage of the service, but you won't be forced to transfer. Future versions of the Character Transfer Service may allow more options in your choice of destination servers and may require a transfer fee."

 

Where, exactly, did they mention "further phases of "free" transfers with less restrictions." No matter how many times I re-read the actual information an official representative of BioWare provided, I cannot find a specific mention of "further phases of "free" transfers with less restrictions."

 

I do see plenty of "may's", however, so it is always possible, but you should try to not speak with certainty about things you cannot possibly be certain about.

 

Thanks!

 

Don't worry there will be more phases of free transfers. This is only the first.

Edited June 8, 2012 by WrecklessMEDIC

[-Dench]

Sauska and Ramladon, my thoughts *exactly*. I have about 80 people and about double that many toons to coordinate. I think guild transfer is going to be an annoyance. Not a death sentence, not something to lose sleep over, not the end of the guild, just an annoyance. We'll have to reverify character names with usernames on our external website and then reform the guild in-game with hopefully some variant of our original name and then re-/ginvite everyone. Super-annoying for maybe even a couple of weeks, but that's about it... heck, might even be funny after a while.

 

I've been annoyed before. It turned out all right.

 

Paige

 

I'm not annoyed at all about the lack of a guild transfer. I was saying that I'll lose half the guild, because i will lose it without a doubt. It has nothing to do with the transfer being hard or easy. It has to do with my guild being casual. I have no issues with it. It is what it is.

 

The one single thing I am annoyed with is how I am stuck in RP-PVP land. I want to move on to PVP servers.

[WrecklessMEDIC]

I cannot help but wonder exactly where this information comes from. Just supply a direct quote and get it over with. The suspense is killing me.

 

You'll see on Tuesday's FAQ.

[InnerPieces]

Don't worry there will be more phases of "free" transfers. This is only the first.

 

Again: I cannot help but wonder exactly where this information comes from. Just supply a direct quote and get it over with. The suspense is killing me.

 

Also, what is with putting the quotes around the word free? People tend to quote a single word in that fashion to imply whatever is in the quotes isn't actually true. Now, if that is your point and it's sarcasm, I get it. If not, what you're saying makes no sense to me. I apologize if it's the former.

[WrecklessMEDIC]

Again: I cannot help but wonder exactly where this information comes from. Just supply a direct quote and get it over with. The suspense is killing me.

 

Also, what is with putting the quotes around the word free? People tend to quote a single word in that fashion to imply whatever is in the quotes isn't actually true. Now, if that is your point and it's sarcasm, I get it. If not, what you're saying makes no sense to me. I apologize if it's the former.

 

Actually, I use the quotes to provide emphasis on "free". I could use caps like FREE, but that appears more angry. I apologize for the confusion.

[Moriam]

What I would really like to see BW do is to allow us to Xfer to the selected destination servers, but also allow us to move to another server of our choice if we have a level 50 character on that server (in otherwords we rerolled and just left our original server).

 

I have a lvl 50 jedi shadow, and a lvl 44 commando on firkraan crystal. I rerolled to fatman where I have a lvl 50 sorc. I have stopped playing my pub characters because the server is dead (like 3-4 ppl on fleet at peak).

 

If I cannot xfer my characters to the fatman, then I will more than likely xfer them to another server and just let them collect dust somewhere else...

[InnerPieces]

Actually, I use the quotes to provide emphasis on "free". I could use caps like FREE, but that appears more angry. I apologize for the confusion.

 

That's why I tend to use italics. In fact, I'm fairly certain that is the point of italics.

 

Anyway, you are more than happy to come here and give out (mis)information but seem unwilling to do something as simple as quote the origin of this (mis)information. Why is that?

[Scorpienne]

I was saying that I'll lose half the guild, because i will lose it without a doubt. It has nothing to do with the transfer being hard or easy. It has to do with my guild being casual.

 

It would be difficult, I imagine, to find a guild more casual than mine. Our average play time is 10 or fewer hours a week. I'm the GL and my highest level character is 36. People are only required to play and log into our forums monthly.

 

I don't think "casual-ness" is the difference between guild leaders that see no big problem versus guild leaders that forecast disaster.

 

Want a fiber bar?

 

Paige

[psi_overtake]

Actually, I use the quotes to provide emphasis on "free". I could use caps like FREE, but that appears more angry. I apologize for the confusion.

 

Use bold