Would not do it myself but would not complain if that option was out there.
I'm neither for or against this, but the bulk discount seems a little large. If you swapped two servers with 12 characters each that would normally take $240. You are asking for what's almost a 90% discount on the normal fee. Somehow I don't think they're going to go for that.
Maybe have it in packages of 2, 5, and 10 rather than a full swap?
"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle
/seconding Oldeb.
I have over 12 characters on some servers. Giving me a full server swap for $25 would definitely be a bargain for me (not that I'd do so) and a huge chunk of potential income gone for them. $150 of transfers (15 characters on one server) for $25? I don't think they'd go for that, for some reason.
The packages make sense.
Of course, having to purchase extra slots for those characters would have to be separate.
[ QUOTE ]
/seconding Oldeb.
I have over 12 characters on some servers. Giving me a full server swap for $25 would definitely be a bargain for me (not that I'd do so) and a huge chunk of potential income gone for them. $150 of transfers (15 characters on one server) for $25? I don't think they'd go for that, for some reason.
The packages make sense.
Of course, having to purchase extra slots for those characters would have to be separate.
[/ QUOTE ]
/seconding Bill /seconding Oldeb.
And is it just me or do these ideas always show up around a 2xp event.
I'd use this.
/signed
Allow players to transfer characters between servers FREE OF CHARGE!
Thank you.
[ QUOTE ]
Allow players to transfer characters between servers FREE OF CHARGE!
Thank you.
[/ QUOTE ]
No.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Allow players to transfer characters between servers FREE OF CHARGE!
Thank you.
[/ QUOTE ]
No.
[/ QUOTE ]
What Forbin said.
/seconding Bill/seconding Forbin?
There was a thread on the forums recently comparing the price of server transfers in MMOs. CoH/V was either the cheapest or close to it from what I remember. NCSoft isn't ripping anyone off with this.
Since free is never going to happen, package deals would make sense for people looking to move to a new "home" server. We already have packages for character slots and MA arcs and they've offered discounts and free months when subscibing for 6 months-1 year. It's not like they're opposed to giving us a break on large expenditures.
And while I think we do see more people interested in these around 2xp weekends, I can think of reasons why someone might want to leave a server even without worrying about being locked out. Sometimes you just find a better fit elsewhere.
"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle
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Allow players to transfer characters between servers FREE OF CHARGE!
Thank you.
[/ QUOTE ]
No.
[/ QUOTE ]
What Forbin said.
[/ QUOTE ]
What Bill said Forbin said.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ShadowNate
;_; ?!?! What the heck is wrong with you, my god, I have never been so confused in my life!
|
[ QUOTE ]
Allow players to transfer characters between servers FREE OF CHARGE!
Thank you.
[/ QUOTE ]
That sounds like the way to go to me. I could see granting each account a certain number of free transfers, or allowing free transfers over a certain time period (e.g., free server transfer weekend!), or a veteran award that provides a free server transfer to each character.
That would be pretty awesome. Given the opportunity for free server transfers, I'd probably transfer 20+ characters, but I will never pay for a server transfer (again).
I expect you will eventually see free or forced server transfers in this game.
[ QUOTE ]
I expect you will eventually see free or forced server transfers in this game.
[/ QUOTE ]
Are you looking way into the future when the game starts to die and the servers merge? Right now that doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon. Certainly not while NCSoft is still pumping money into the game.
Right now there is nothing that would push NCSoft to offer free transfers. I did a quick search for other games and what they cost to transfer. Of the four I checked, WoW, UO, FFXI, and Lineage II, all were more expensive. The giant of the group, WoW, charges $25. More than double what we pay.
Eventually covers a looooong time so it's not like anyone can disagree with you. But there's no reason to expect some huge shift in the MMO market that would force companies to start offering this in the near future. Certainly not soon enough to benefit anyone unhappy with their current server.
"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle
My "eventually" comment was in response to your "never" comment. By "never" did you mean to say "in the next few months" or some other similarly short time period that is inconsistent with the use of the word never?
I understand that they make money selling server transfers, and they are not likely to give up that revenue.
However, I have no data on how many server transfers they sell each month, nor am I aware of the expenses they incur for processing a server transfer, so it's tough to speculate how much revenue they would be giving up by allowing free transfers. Free server transfers could also result in increased revenues for ncsoft if the change makes customers happy and they end up paying subscription fees for additional months that they would not have otherwise.
If ncsoft determines at some future point that free server transfers will lead to increased revenues, they will allow free server transfers. I think that could happen sooner than you think, if you think it will never happen.
[ QUOTE ]
I could see granting each account a certain number of free transfers, or allowing free transfers over a certain time period (e.g., free server transfer weekend!), or a veteran award that provides a free server transfer to each character.
[/ QUOTE ]
I meant never in the literal sense: Not ever.
The only way NCSoft sees an advantage to free transfers is if a sizable portion (100's at least 1000's probably) of players would rather quit the game than pay for a transfer or roll an alt on a new server. In a game designed to encourage the creation of alts that's unlikely without the game already being close to dying off. If the game is hemoraging players at that rate you're better off milking it for all the money you can get as you wait for the end to come. So no real incentive to offer anything for free until the game is about to shut down. At that point it doesn't matter what the few remaining players do anyway.
"Mastermind Pets operate...differently, and aren't as easily fixed. Especially the Bruiser. I want to take him out behind the woodshed and pull an "old yeller" on him at times." - Castle
[ QUOTE ]
I meant never in the literal sense: Not ever.
The only way NCSoft sees an advantage to free transfers is if a sizable portion (100's at least 1000's probably) of players would rather quit the game than pay for a transfer or roll an alt on a new server.
[/ QUOTE ]
More likely tens of thousands. A few hundred players canceling their accounts and giving the reason for cancellation as: "Couldn't freely move characters between servers" wouldn't even be a blip on NCSoft's radar. A few thousand players leaving for the same reason still wouldn't be sufficient to cause NCSoft to seriously consider making server transfers a free process. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, that would probably get their attention and get them to start considering offering free transfers on a limited basis.
Anything less, though, is just too little to matter. For every player who purports to be leaving because he/she can't openly hop from server to server with a single character, another player is joining and doesn't give a damn. Anything short of a mass exodus simply won't matter.
And I sincerely doubt we'll ever see a mass exodus due to lack of free server transfers. I'd honestly be surprised if such a thing did happen, because it would be extremely childish, and stupid, and the Co* player base doesn't tend to be childish and stupid as a whole.
There's a difference between players leaving because they couldn't transfer characters for free, and players maintaining a monthly subscription longer as a result of being able to transfer characters for free.
#1 Players are going to quit the game every month, for any number of reasons.
#2 If ncsoft can entice some of those players to stay, they will increase your subscription revenue.
We should all be able to agree on the two points above. Even if none of the players leaving the game gave the inability to transfer characters for free as the reason for their leaving, some of those players would potentially be enticed to stay and pay for another month (or more) if they could transfers characters to other servers free of charge. If the number of server transfers they sell each month declines to a certain level, they may reach a point where it's advantageous to make server transfers available free of charge.
Alternatively, if the game ever reaches a point where they shut down one (or more) of the servers, they will force players off the servers being closed, and I would expect them to consider allowing players on the impacted server(s) the option of transferring characters to the server of their choice free of charge. At that time, they may also provide a similar opportunity to characters on other servers that are not being shut down.
Saying that they will never (not ever) allow free server transfers cannot be proven wrong any more than saying that they will eventually allow free server transfers. You may have also said "they will never allow server transfers" or "they will never add loot to the game" or any number of things that eventually did happen. Eventually one side will be proven correct. Untill then...
[ QUOTE ]
I could see granting each account a certain number of free transfers, or allowing free transfers over a certain time period (e.g., free server transfer weekend!), or a veteran award that provides a free server transfer to each character.
[/ QUOTE ]
Even if unlimited free server transfers is unlikely to happen in the near future, I could certainly see a limited number of free transfers being awarded to long-time subscribers.
[ QUOTE ]
For a nominal fee of $24.99 (plus applicable taxes), allow players to swap the contents of two servers. For example, pick Triumph and Freedom: Every character and purchased/awarded character slot on Triumph is transferred to Freedom, and vice-versa. A bulk rate for character transfers, if you will.
[/ QUOTE ]
I would do this.
lvl 50 - Elec/WP/Mu Mastery Stalker, lvl 50 - Dark/EA/Soul Mastery Stalker, lvl 50 - EM/Nin/Soul Mastery Stalker
New Toons
lvl 21 - StJ/WP Stalker
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
For a nominal fee of $24.99 (plus applicable taxes), allow players to swap the contents of two servers. For example, pick Triumph and Freedom: Every character and purchased/awarded character slot on Triumph is transferred to Freedom, and vice-versa. A bulk rate for character transfers, if you will.
[/ QUOTE ]
I would do this.
[/ QUOTE ]
And this is why the devs will NEVER offer this service. They don't want people doing it. It defeats the purpose of making the fee for a transfer just high enough to discourage all but the most determined customers.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
For a nominal fee of $24.99 (plus applicable taxes), allow players to swap the contents of two servers. For example, pick Triumph and Freedom: Every character and purchased/awarded character slot on Triumph is transferred to Freedom, and vice-versa. A bulk rate for character transfers, if you will.
[/ QUOTE ]
I would do this.
[/ QUOTE ]
And this is why the devs will NEVER offer this service. They don't want people doing it. It defeats the purpose of making the fee for a transfer just high enough to discourage all but the most determined customers.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well they need to do something because some servers are getting so small and people are leaving the game because they dont want to pay $10 for each character to transfer to another server; however a bulk transfer purchase might change some minds.
lvl 50 - Elec/WP/Mu Mastery Stalker, lvl 50 - Dark/EA/Soul Mastery Stalker, lvl 50 - EM/Nin/Soul Mastery Stalker
New Toons
lvl 21 - StJ/WP Stalker
[ QUOTE ]
Well they need to do something
[/ QUOTE ]
No they don't.
[ QUOTE ]
because some servers are getting so small and people are leaving the game because they dont want to pay $10 for each character to transfer to another server; however a bulk transfer purchase might change some minds.
[/ QUOTE ]
This is the same BS claim that gets made every time there's a 2xp weekend by people that play solely on the high population servers and are mad they will have trouble logging on during the event. It hasn't been true in the past and it isn't true now. The game has a healthy and steady population of 120,000+ customers.
In fact with the introduction of the AE, they have reduced the need for server transfers. Now it is very easy to start new characters on other servers and level them in a painless fashion. (without having to resort to exploits)
$24.99! Why, "I'd would buy that for a dollar!"
[ QUOTE ]
$24.99! Why, "I'd would buy that for a dollar!"
[/ QUOTE ]
Nice Robocop quote. 
Shame you couldn't work in a reference to the 6000 SUX.
I have never bought a server transfer and probably never will. I don't see myself playing anywhere but Pinnacle, ever. I just like the server too much.
If I were ever forced to transfer a character off of Pinnacle for any reason I would be canceling my subscription immediately.
The devs offered us server transfers for a fee. If they wanted us doing it en masse, or for free, it probably would already be that way.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately. |
[ QUOTE ]
I'm neither for or against this, but the bulk discount seems a little large. If you swapped two servers with 12 characters each that would normally take $240. You are asking for what's almost a 90% discount on the normal fee. Somehow I don't think they're going to go for that.
[/ QUOTE ]
Problem is, how many players have $240 to throw around? Most of us could afford to move two or three, and even then from what I hear, most players rather make an alt. A bulk discount might encourage the use of the service, especially as the service itself is basically 100% profit for NCsoft whenever it's used.
So, on the whole, /tentatively signed.
For a nominal fee of $24.99 (plus applicable taxes), allow players to swap the contents of two servers. For example, pick Triumph and Freedom: Every character and purchased/awarded character slot on Triumph is transferred to Freedom, and vice-versa. A bulk rate for character transfers, if you will.
Issue 16 made me feel like this.
Warning: This poster likes to play Devil's Advocate.