Free Character Transfers? I am mistrustful
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2009-12-15 10:10 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
So the devs have given us something extra for the holidays.
...
hAVE THEy nO sHaME!!!??
AE Arcs: #10482 N00b Rescue Duty, #164100 The Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Dannan
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Cross-server PvP |
Originally Posted by Generalissimo
I personally suspect this is some kind of stress test; either the going rogue process shares some of the tech used by the server transfer system and they want to see how it works under truely stressful conditions
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@Golden Girl
City of Heroes comics and artwork
OP, the gesture the character pictured in your avatar is making is not the Shocker. I just thought I should point that out.
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This could be great for role playing. "I am from OUTER SPACE I DON"T UNDERSTAND YOU.. and I am thinking you don't understand me..." :/|
Originally Posted by CatAstrophy
All my characters slot on both Union and Defiant are occupied. I will have to delete my PB if I want to make switch (or maybe I could send alts I play rarely on German or French server and make more room for new alts)
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I almost wish I could move one to the Euro servers.
Types of Swords
My Portfolio
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
OP, the gesture the character pictured in your avatar is making is not the Shocker. I just thought I should point that out.
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Thank you. This was my first real laugh of the day.
Types of Swords
My Portfolio
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Originally Posted by The_Larker
*puts fingers in ears*
*screams at the top of my lungs* DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDdddddddddddddddddddOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoo ooooooooooooooooooMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM...! Oh wait thought this was Jesse Ventura's Conspiracy Theory show....my bad.  |
This.
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Personally all I could use would have been a single free character rename. I know I could use the free transfers to shuffle the character around to do it, but it would mess up her SG status.
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Originally Posted by TheOcho
We wanted to give out something nice for Christmas. I know this is a crazy idea, but we kinda like you guys.
We had to take the character transfer service down in order to make the change to make it free, it's not as simple as setting the price to zero. Also we have to test these things of course to make sure that the changes aren't going to do anything bad. |
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Of course not. It's the 'Kirby Reach'.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
OP, the gesture the character pictured in your avatar is making is not the Shocker. I just thought I should point that out.
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Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
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Right. Because obviously the way to keep subscribers is to let them unknowingly play russian roulette with the characters they enjoy, SGs they've formed/joined and everything else involved. Let them get comfy, then nuke the servers.|
Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
I actually see it as an insidious attempt to cull certain server numbers and make us smile while it happens. The net result is there will be fewer servers when Going Rogue goes live which will give an artificial sense of population.
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Yep. You've figured it out. The devs want to drive away as many subscribers as they can, making sure they're as pissed off as humanly possible when they leave. You, and you alone, have figured this out. The devs secretly want to destroy their own game. Obviously the tin foil hat helps you tune into their super-secret "How can we be unemployed this time next year" meetings.
You certainly deserve a something-of-the-year award.
I just want to jump in say that most of the Euro players I spoke with last night thought the free transfers are a wonderful thing. I certainly have a few alts I'd like to move from Defiant to Union (where I RP) with a few going the other way (that I wouldn't RP) to make room.
So, you know, some of us appreciate it when people do nice things for us.
However, it turned out that Smith was not a time-travelling Terminator
I once transferred a toon from Zukunft to Union and since then have fun whenever i play her as half the dialogue is in German. Time to check out what happens when i transfer a toon from Defiance. I guess even more fun, as my french is abysmal 
Edit: Just made this transfer and indeed, everything is nice and English, except everything in the Chatbox which is French.
I really must log this one tonight and enter Pocket D, just to freak the partygoers out there. And not just because of the costume which is freaky enough
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Originally Posted by TheOcho
We wanted to give out something nice for Christmas. I know this is a crazy idea, but we kinda like you guys.
We had to take the character transfer service down in order to make the change to make it free, it's not as simple as setting the price to zero. Also we have to test these things of course to make sure that the changes aren't going to do anything bad. |
Dear El Ocho,
May I give up my Character Transfers in order to give a few EU players the chance to transfer over to the NA Servers?
I'd be more than happy to do this.
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Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
I do not see this as a "gift" in the traditional sense. I actually see it as an insidious attempt to cull certain server numbers and make us smile while it happens. The net result is there will be fewer servers when Going Rogue goes live which will give an artificial sense of population.
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I see City-Life is back, and although his spelling and grammar have improved he's still spouting crackpot delusions.
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You are wrong. Scarlet Shocker is from the EU side and I understand that the infamous City-Life did have an NA account.
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Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
I see City-Life is back, and although his spelling and grammar have improved he's still spouting crackpot delusions.
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First off, I want to let you all know that I’ll be totally enjoying the free feature. A long time ago, we made lots of Villains on one server, and Heroes on the other, so that, with this free transfer month and Going Rogue, we’re hoping to merge the groups, or at least exchange people.|
Originally Posted by Eric Nelson
And what "significant number of the paying customers!" are you saying this isn't a good deed for?
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Now, I know I’m always defending some negative people, but, being a complainer, from a long family line of complainers, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. This may not relate totally to what the OP is saying (please note the emphasis), but here’s my take on it. I’ll start with an example and I’ll relate it back to CoH… eventually… honest.
My father and I both have cable. I only have classic cable (I’m outside the USA, I heard you have all digital now, but not here). My father was “forced” to get a digital box because one of his favourite channels got migrated off of analog, and moved to digital i.e. you can only get it with a box. Also, the way it works, he can’t get JUST that channel. He has to get a whole package, meaning a bunch of channels he doesn’t want. No “a la carte” type thing is available here for that selection.
Then, once in a while, say, once a year, ANOTHER channel (and it varies which) comes on as a 1 week or 1 month free prevue to everyone. Then, my father goes… absolutely… postal… every time.
Why?
This is how it goes.
Me = “But dad, they aren’t charging you more for the preview…”
Father = “No, they are giving something I PAID FOR for free…”
Me = “But you don’t even WATCH that channel…”
Father = “But I PAY for it…”
And round and round it goes.
So, back to CoH. Sure, if you don’t use the feature, or never had the intention to… no big deal. But, I CAN see it being a little upsetting if you just dropped $20 or more on server transfers last month, and, this month, everyone gets 6 transfers a week for basically a month free… that’s basically $50+ free to everyone, that the “paying customer” that paid last month will never get back.
Yes, they got what they paid for, but surely you can appreciate their feelings aren’t all happy-happy-joy-joy when someone else get a free service, when they had to pay for it just a few months, maybe even a few days…prior. Matter of respect and all that. Sure, it’s not the end of the world. It’s not like they were ripped off or anything. But I’d suggest just letting them voice their discontent without the classic board 1 liners to make them feel worse.
But that’s just me.
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Considering the whole different company, entirely different billing thing...probably unlikely for a while.
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Originally Posted by Tokyo
Dear El Ocho,
May I give up my Character Transfers in order to give a few EU players the chance to transfer over to the NA Servers? I'd be more than happy to do this. |
There are no words for what this community, and the friends I have made here mean to me. Please know that I care for all of you, yes, even you. If you Twitter, I'm MrThan. If you're Unleashed, I'm dumps. I'll try and get registered on the Titan Forums as well. Peace, and thanks for the best nine years anyone could ever ask for.
I transferred 3 characters From Triumph to Virtue last month. Two on my account, and one on my Spawn's account. I am STILL happy with this, because it means I can move more characters around for FREE.
I just can't for the life of me see why this is a bad thing in any shape or form.
Types of Swords
My Portfolio
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The logic behind that is flawed, because it precludes ANYTHING which has been paid-for at one point becoming free. No matter how far in advance a warning is given, no matter how limited the offer and no matter how trivial the cost, there will always be someone who dropped a wad of cash the day before he found out it would be going free. What you depict here is a very absolute case of stubbornness that actually messes with other people who actually enjoy getting things for free from time to time.|
Originally Posted by Fiery_Redeemer
Yes, they got what they paid for, but surely you can appreciate their feelings arent all happy-happy-joy-joy when someone else get a free service, when they had to pay for it just a few months, maybe even a few days
prior. Matter of respect and all that. Sure, its not the end of the world. Its not like they were ripped off or anything. But Id suggest just letting them voice their discontent without the classic board 1 liners to make them feel worse.
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As with everything, you can't please all of the people all of the time, and no matter what you do, someone is going to get unreasonably and irrationally angry. The heart of good business is the balancing act of not upsetting your customers more than you please them, and I dare say the people who get pissed off other people get stuff for free (despite being able to get same stuff for free, themselves) are in the minority. No offence against you or your father, but free stuff makes people happy. That's why companies are shoving free samples in our faces all the time.
I don't believe in any of the crackpot conspiracy theories about how Going Rogue is the master plan of an alien cyber-Hitler to take over the world with mind control rays and cute kittens, and while I respect the displeasure from paying for something other people can get for free, I do not feel a limited-time, limited-supply promotional event is a big enough reason to worry about that particular complaint.
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Originally Posted by Arcanaville
Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.
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This has been great for me so far, as I've been able to:
1. Move old villains that I didn't want to delete off of Virtue
2. Move old heroes on servers where I seldom play TO Virtue
3. Move a villain from Champion and back to facilitate a name change
I still have an out-of-place villain on Virtue that has her name taken on Champion. Maybe I'll switch sides with her - I rather like the name.
What this may well do (and I recognized this as a general result early) is encourage me to purchase additional slots where I might not have before. If the cost hurdle of moving toons to servers where I have established SG/VG (of my own) has been removed, paying a little to make sure I have room to make the moves is much more tempting.
Suggestions:
Super Packs Done Right
Influence Sink: IO Level Mod/Recrafting
Random Merit Rolls: Scale cost by Toon Level
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"Happy Festivus, here's a gift to go visit some off server chums for the holidays?"|
Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
So, this just makes me go "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm, what are the blighters up to?"
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Don't knock visiting the French/German servers 'til you try it. Arrange some english-speaking cohorts on the boards, then go visit them, and feel some brotherly love that spans borders.
I'm in the US, so I'll be hopping my main toon around for the holidays. Why? Cuz I can.
Look past your paranoia, and take it for face value. "Here's a gift. Go nuts."
@TURGENEV - Freedom Server / IRON / B.A.N.E / HORDE
Turg Fiction: Ghost in the Machine Acts III & IV coming 2012!
Turg Fiction: IX is now LIVE on Architect Entertainment!
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Tokyo, my compliments on this idea. If this were possible, I'd happily donate my transfers to the EU crew too.
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Originally Posted by Tokyo
Dear El Ocho,
May I give up my Character Transfers in order to give a few EU players the chance to transfer over to the NA Servers? I'd be more than happy to do this. |
@TURGENEV - Freedom Server / IRON / B.A.N.E / HORDE
Turg Fiction: Ghost in the Machine Acts III & IV coming 2012!
Turg Fiction: IX is now LIVE on Architect Entertainment!
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This is just silly.|
Originally Posted by Scarlet Shocker
My relationship with Paragon Studios is purely business. I love the game, but I owe them no debt of gratitude or familial kindness. If they tick me off I reserve the right to express that - and I will attempt to do so, within the rules of their own making.
I do not see this as a "gift" in the traditional sense. I actually see it as an insidious attempt to cull certain server numbers and make us smile while it happens. The net result is there will be fewer servers when Going Rogue goes live which will give an artificial sense of population. |
I do think we'll see the active populations of smaller servers shrink and the active populations of Freedom and (especially) Virtue grow. This doesn't change anything for the overall health of the game, so I can't really see it as a bad thing. Note, too, that I say "active population." I'm not sure we'll see much change in the number of characters existing, as opposed to being played, on any server.
"Bombarding the CoH/V fora with verbosity since January, 2006"
Djinniman, level 50 inv/fire tanker, on Victory
-and 40 others on various servers
A CoH Comic: Kid Eros in "One Light"
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And that's fair enough. Just putting it another way, though, People complain about the rain all the time. It's neither productive, nor rational. It's repetitive, annoying and really bums people out to hear the complaints all the time. But what ends the conflict faster? Saying "You're wrong. Rain is important. And you complaining doesn't change anything." which is 100% totally true.|
Originally Posted by Samuel_Tow
As with everything, you can't please all of the people all of the time, and no matter what you do, someone is going to get unreasonably and irrationally angry. The heart of good business is the balancing act of not upsetting your customers more than you please them, and I dare say the people who get pissed off other people get stuff for free (despite being able to get same stuff for free, themselves) are in the minority. No offence against you or your father, but free stuff makes people happy. That's why companies are shoving free samples in our faces all the time.
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Or patting them on the head going "There there grampa. I'm sorry you don't like the rain." pretending you agree with them and it being done. It's a philosophical point that you can't argue with someone if they say they agree with you.
That's all I was saying. Let them vent. Agree with them long enough to go "there there" and it'll end faster.
But, if you like board fights, be my guest. It's my experience as an old dude that you being right, which I know you are, is rarely a comfort when facing miserable crotchety old bastards like myself. No offence at all meant, and I'm not being facetious. I know you're right. Heck, I know my father was wrong re: the channels, but arguing, like above, got me a 30 min rant about the company. Now, when it happens, I go "That's right dad. They ARE bastards." he grumbles for a minute or two and then moves on to a new topic. 1 lie ("I agree") gets me peace of mind. Pretty cheap if I do say so myself.
Or said more simply = what's the harm in letting them vent? If I say 2+2=5, and I'm wrong, do people really need to correct me? Or to just pat me on the head, and you can live well knowing it's actually 4.
Sigh. Rambling. Nm. Tired. Off to bed. Night.
P.S. I personally think the free transfers are a good thing, but I'm sorry for those of you that won't enjoy it.
One thing I have noticed: They seem to be stressing the fact that the transfers are 'within the same server list' an awful lot, may this be a sign of things to come?
[CENTER]Euro side: [B]@Orion Star[/B] & [B]@Orions Star[/B][/CENTER]
All my characters slot on both Union and Defiant are occupied. I will have to delete my PB if I want to make switch (or maybe I could send alts I play rarely on German or French server and make more room for new alts)
"If you want to win you must not lose."
"Easiest way to turn defeat into a victory is to put on the enemy's uniform"
"Better strategic retreat than dishonorable defeat"