DarthTHC Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) Some thoughts to consider for those pondering a transfer... 1. Wait a day or two. The transfer feature has been tested only by internal staff, which has proven to be less than perfect in testing the game's features in the past. Even though you may be eager to get back to that long-neglected favorite character, transferring it as soon as the ability opens might actually get you the nightmare of wading through customer service queues instead of playing the character. Consider waiting a day or two to see how the transfer process is working overall. Another day or two without that character probably won't be nearly as aggravating as the character travelling through the digital shredder on its way to your destination server. Plus it might help BioWare if the initial transfer volume is lower. 2. Send a test character through first. This is a variation of the first thought. This is a means by which the community can test the process. Send a character you care little for though the transfer process. If it comes out OK on the other end, then consider sending your important characters through. (Caution: This may bind your Legacy!) 3. Empty your mail and auctions. Even if BioWare says these will transfer, they are an unnecessary point to risk failure. Just get everything into your inventory to be safest. 4. Screen shot everything. When your character winds up on the other end of the transfer missing that piece of gear you worked so hard to get... or those 17 stacks of Advanced Neural Augmentors you stocked up on, you're going to need something to take to customer service. Likewise if you lose your Legacy unlocks, whether you earned them through experience or credits, you'll want proof you had them. Take screen shots to save your sanity and help plead your case should you need to do it. If you have important items whose specifics aren't clear via icon only, hover over it so you can screen shot the tooltip. (Especially with augmented gear!) And don't forget your Legacy unlocks! And your guild bank! And your crew skills and recipes! 5. Empty your guild bank. Guild banks do not transfer. Make sure you have all inventory out of it, including credits. Then make sure you screen shot it so you have proof how many tabs you had so CS can restore it properly. 6. Transfer one character at a time, starting with the "easiest" one. Lower level characters who have modest gear, few belongings, and were created using a standard species for the class are probably the easiest to transfer because they have the least volume and least diverse data. High-level characters with augmented crafted gear, tons of inventory, lots of crafting recipes, and who were created using species from Legacy unlocks are probably the most complicated to transfer. Make sure you see success with easier characters before putting your more advanced characters at risk. 7. Contact your friends to coordinate your transfer. Keep your groups and contacts together! (lordofdamornin) 8. Create a throw-away character and transfer the guild to it. This might help you keep your guild intact by keeping it together and using the MOTD for communication as the transfer process progresses. (Jaavik) 9. Do your homework on your destination server. You may choose to send through your least favorite characters so you can see what chat is like and /who the population so you understand what sort of faction balance you might be walking in to. Give the new guys some stuff from your guild bank so they can sell a few things on the GTN to test out the economy. See how long the PvP queues are and if people play hard and fair or if they're jerks. Also, use your Google-fu to do homework. See if your destination server has external, non-SWTOR forums and join them and see what the community is like. Sleuth out who the big guilds are on your new server and see what they're like. Even if you wouldn't join any guild or that particular guild, the contribute to the social climate of that server. Look around on the SWTOR forums and see who the loud voices in your new community are and what they're like. Once you figure out what the new server is like, you can make wise decisions about transfer. (Paige) Any others? Edited June 11, 2012 by DarthTHC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordofdamornin Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 You forgot to mention making absolutely sure everyone you want to play with is actually going to make the transfer. Also - I feel pretty certain that every character on origin servers will be saved shortly before the transfers open, and perhaps again when you initialize the transfer. They will know what you had when you transferred, and since this isn't SWG, they will be able to replace something if it does get lost. Riôt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthTHC Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 You forgot to mention making absolutely sure everyone you want to play with is actually going to make the transfer. Also - I feel pretty certain that every character on origin servers will be saved shortly before the transfers open, and perhaps again when you initialize the transfer. They will know what you had when you transferred, and since this isn't SWG, they will be able to replace something if it does get lost. Riôt Thanks for your suggestion. I've added it with credit to you on the OP. Unfortunately my experience with the game has conditioned me to lack the optimism you seem to feel for the publisher's capabilities. That's why I made the list. I hope that the transfers go as smoothly as silk across a baby's bum... but if they don't, players can do a few things to protect their characters and the time investment they represent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasgallant Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 You forgot to mention making absolutely sure everyone you want to play with is actually going to make the transfer. Also - I feel pretty certain that every character on origin servers will be saved shortly before the transfers open, and perhaps again when you initialize the transfer. They will know what you had when you transferred, and since this isn't SWG, they will be able to replace something if it does get lost. Riôt i cant imagine anyone deciding not to transfer if the server is up for transfers...it would be pretty much the stupidest idea not to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agrik Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) Good tips. I think it would suck to end up missing an important item after moving. Here's hoping that I can somehow put all my characters into one server. They are all alone and want some company Edited June 11, 2012 by agrik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lionflash Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) 8. Pray to Buddha. In the end... losing a bunch of level 50 characters and hours of work can be a tad irksome. So sometimes we need a little bit of higher power reasurrance. "Entrusting in the Primal Vow of Buddha, Calling out the Buddha-name, I shall pass through the journey of life with strength and joy." Edited June 11, 2012 by Lionflash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugosi Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Seeing as they are making you disband your guild on the origin server. Send an in-game mail to all guild members, especially the ones that haven't logged in in a while. And, as already stated, you may want to wait a day or two so you don't have to disband the guild right away. Gives guildies a chance to know what's going on if you don't have your own website. Screenshot of your friends list, not sure if that is transfering over. Some names may change though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaMayhem Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 i cant imagine anyone deciding not to transfer if the server is up for transfers...it would be pretty much the stupidest idea not to Stupid? Nice attitude. There are actually people who like to play on low pop servers. They might think that players who play on heavily populated servers are stupid. Are they right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XavinNydek Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) A nice, well reasoned list in theory, but in practice it will be a mad rush to secure names, if they are even left, since we have to deal with all the inactive and unsubscribed names clogging the servers (they should have gone with fresh servers as destinations). Also, don't fool yourself, this is a merge in everything but name, and the source servers won't be long for this world. First they will block new character creation on them, then they will shut them down and make you transfer. Best to do it now and get it over with. Edited June 11, 2012 by XavinNydek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugosi Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Also, don't fool yourself, this is a merge in everything but name, and the source servers won't be long for this world. First they will block new character creation on them, then they will shut them down and make you transfer. Best to do it now and get it over with. "Additionally, players need not worry about rushing to transfer as free character transfers between selected servers will remain available for as long as it is needed to help balance server populations naturally. Rest assured that if we ever decide to stop this free character transfer service, players will be given plenty of advanced notice." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XavinNydek Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Believe what you want, but don't act surprised when they announce the shutdowns in a month or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaavik Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) Some thoughts to consider for those pondering a transfer... 1. Wait a day or two. The transfer feature has been tested only by internal staff, which has proven to be less than perfect in testing the game's features in the past. Even though you may be eager to get back to that long-neglected favorite character, transferring it as soon as the ability opens might actually get you the nightmare of wading through customer service queues instead of playing the character. Consider waiting a day or two to see how the transfer process is working overall. Another day or two without that character probably won't be nearly as aggravating as the character travelling through the digital shredder on its way to your destination server. Plus it might help BioWare if the initial transfer volume is lower. 2. Send a test character through first. This is a variation of the first thought. This is a means by which the community can test the process. Send a character you care little for though the transfer process. If it comes out OK on the other end, then consider sending your important characters through. 3. Empty your mail and auctions. Even if BioWare says these will transfer, they are an unnecessary point to risk failure. Just get everything into your inventory to be safest. 4. Screen shot everything. When your character winds up on the other end of the transfer missing that piece of gear you worked so hard to get... or those 17 stacks of Advanced Neural Augmentors you stocked up on, you're going to need something to take to customer service. Likewise if you lose your Legacy unlocks, whether you earned them through experience or credits, you'll want proof you had them. Take screen shots to save your sanity and help plead your case should you need to do it. If you have important items whose specifics aren't clear via icon only, hover over it so you can screen shot the tooltip. (Especially with augmented gear!) And don't forget your Legacy unlocks! And your guild bank! And your crew skills and recipes! 5. Empty your guild bank. Guild banks do not transfer. Make sure you have all inventory out of it, including credits. Then make sure you screen shot it so you have proof how many tabs you had so CS can restore it properly. 6. Transfer one character at a time, starting with the "easiest" one. Lower level characters who have modest gear, few belongings, and were created using a standard species for the class are probably the easiest to transfer because they have the least volume and least diverse data. High-level characters with augmented crafted gear, tons of inventory, lots of crafting recipes, and who were created using species from Legacy unlocks are probably the most complicated to transfer. Make sure you see success with easier characters before putting your more advanced characters at risk. 7. Contact your friends to coordinate your transfer. Keep your groups and contacts together! (lordofdamornin) Any others? I thought it might be a good idea to create a "throw-away" character to transfer the guild ownership to on the origin server that you are leaving behind, so the guild doesn't get deleted and you can leave up a guild message letting the re-subs know what's going on (If you don't have a guild website already). Maybe it's too obvious of a suggestion? But BRAVO!!! ...excellent idea for a thread!!! Edited June 11, 2012 by Jaavik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugosi Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Believe what you want, but don't act surprised when they announce the shutdowns in a month or two. Agreed, but a month or two is more than enough time I would think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackardin Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 LOL, you guys... Log in. Pick a server. Push the button. Go back to playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugosi Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) I thought it might be a good idea to create a "throw-away" character to transfer the guild ownership to on the origin server that you are leaving behind, so the guild doesn't get deleted and you can leave up a guild message letting the re-subs know what's going on (If you don't have a guild website already). Maybe it's too obvious of a suggestion? But BRAVO!!! ...excellent idea for a thread!!! I was initially thinking that too. But it looks like they are making you disband your guild before you can create a new one on the destination server. *edit* JovethGonzalez "Yes, you will have to: •Remove all items & credits from the Guild Bank. •Disband the Guild. •Transfer to the new server and reform the Guild. •Contact Customer Service to re-establish the Guild Bank and Guild Bank tabs" Edited June 11, 2012 by Lugosi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenceriker Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Agreed, but a month or two is more than enough time I would think. Unless you lead players on to think they won't have to move and then later on just snatch that opportunity away from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaavik Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) I was initially thinking that too. But it looks like they are making you disband your guild before you can create a new one on the destination server. I saw where they said that, but I don't get what difference it would make. I'd like to hear an explanation by the devs why disbanding the guild would be considered "necessary". If they are transferring you to a new server, nothing is there to stop you from just opening a new guild (unless the name was already taken). At the very least, leaving it open would be an excellent reference point if you wanted to show how many guild tabs you had before, etc. Edited June 11, 2012 by Jaavik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lugosi Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Unless you lead players on to think they won't have to move and then later on just snatch that opportunity away from them. I think choosing a server as an origin server is a pretty good indication they should move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ansalem Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 only problem with the list I have are the test char transfer. Even if its a lowbie toon on your account if you have a legacy that will be your new legacy anchor character that or it could cause problems with your legacy transfering. If transfering is anything like their copying of characters over to pts then Im not concerned just empty your mailbox and auctions because those definitely did not copy over onto pts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavensTerror Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 LOL, you guys... Log in. Pick a server. Push the button. Go back to playing. lol this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kourage Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I can't wait to transfer to The Fatman tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorpienne Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Wow - fabulous thread! I would add the following. Do your homework on your destination server. You may choose to send through your least favorite characters so you can see what chat is like and /who the population so you understand what sort of faction balance you might be walking in to. Give the new guys some stuff from your guild bank so they can sell a few things on the GTN to test out the economy. See how long the PvP queues are and if people play hard and fair or if they're jerks. Also, use your Google-fu to do homework. See if your destination server has external, non-SWTOR forums and join them and see what the community is like. Sleuth out who the big guilds are on your new server and see what they're like. Even if you wouldn't join any guild or that particular guild, the contribute to the social climate of that server. Look around on the SWTOR forums and see who the loud voices in your new community are and what they're like. Once you figure out what the new server is like, you can make wise decisions about transfer. Paige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roalmo Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I can't wait to transfer to The Fatman tomorrow! Good luck with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sauska Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 I can't wait to transfer to The Fatman tomorrow! Always nice to see an optimist You won't be able to, but hey, dreams keep hope alive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarthTHC Posted June 11, 2012 Author Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) LOL, you guys... Log in. Pick a server. Push the button. Go back to playing. Good luck with that. You do realize that only the BioWare QA team has tested this, and the reputation they've earned with this game, right? Edited June 11, 2012 by DarthTHC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts