Discussion: One game, one global server access

Um. This IS what they've been saying since Day 1. Perhaps you missed Zwillinger's post?

That right there says that they understand the importance of the global names as part of people's identities. They looked at several possibilities and options. Did they look at ALL possibilities and options? Likely not. There will likely always be things they didn't think of as a possibility that players come up with, no matter what the issue is.

One thing about this Dev team that I've always liked is that they DO listen to our feedback, and if an alternative is presented that can be implemented easily but that they didn't think of, they seriously consider it.

And Zwillinger made it clear on Day 1 that they had looked several options before deciding what course of action to take. If they didn't realize the importance or impact a change to logins and globals, they likely wouldn't have announced anything until they were ready to implement it. likely within a week or less of making the change.

Having a blonde moment, I have no idea what they mean about character records. Probably a translation issue, being swedish and stuff, but aren't "records" a past-tense collection of data? If so, how is that a factor for future decisions?

I solved this by making a trial american server account. I -know- mine is taken, as is a massive list of other players. I'm not arguing over maybe loosing my name, I know I will.

Why don't you guys drop the marketing speak and just come out and say that CoH Europe is shutting down.

Part of the issue with the checking the other side's global database is (in part) they were deployed as seperate servers - unlike the Auction system.

The character record would be everything your character IS. Name, AT, Level, Powers, slotting, etc. EVERYTHING.

Because it's not. There will still be French and German servers, nor do we plan to consolidate servers currently. EU Communities will remain intact and have even more opportunity to grow.

I actually doubt that any discrimination law is applicable, but if it is, it is a European one, not an American one. Which was the main point of that post.

And yes, I'm not sure that I will be affected, but I would not be surprised if I was.

What worries me is how poorly planned this seems to be. For instance, it's said that EU players will be affected, because that will affect the least number of players. If it was NA players instead, it would affect exactly the same number of players. It may even affect less players since a lot of those collisions will be EU players' NA accounts, and my guess is that there are more EU players with NA accounts than NA players with EU accounts.

Also, there is a warning that what may seem fair to some may be utterly unfair to others. I can't think of any scheme that would be more unfair than to go by geographical borders. Even picking the other side would be more fair - their phone rates when calling support would be considerably lower than ours, and they can do it at un-ungodly hours. That would be more fair than to pick the side that will have to call transatlantic rates at silly o'clock to get support by phone.

This sends up big red flags to me. While I have no doubt that the merge has to be done, how to do it seems very very poorly planned. If at all.

No, they are the current data inside the collection. Programming speak.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Row_%28database%29

Well thanks for making the developer's job harder. Also in what way did you preform the "check"? If you find a global name by checking character names, then that fails because not all character names are global names. For instance I know that "Snow Globe" the character only describes me on 2/11 servers, but "Snow Globe" is my global handle.

If you tried renaming your global handle (the only real way that I know of to test to see if a global name exists), then on the first "successful" change that wasn't taken you would be prevented from "testing" further as you can only preform a chat handle change once.

I realize that. I'm just wondering (like Arcanaville) if they had already fixed this (preform checks on the opposite servers), if they are checking both servers now when a player changes their chat handle (which would give Quildo false-positives if he properly tested), or how soon those checks would be put into place if they are not.

Exactly, and the character database in this game is like a house of cards in terms of what can damage it.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Okay, can we please separate the accounts from the global handles issue?

Adding 2 letters to the beginning of the account name isn't the end of the world and doesn't affect anyone's in-game identity. The fix is trivial by making another field in the account database, putting in region (NA or EU), and having a checkbox on the login screen so that the game knows the original region. This is 100% fair, as it affects every single player equally.

Onto the global chat handle. Yes, it is more likely for EU Players to have an inactive NA account. That is being addressed: You will be given a free reactivation weekend so you can log into your inactive NA account to change its global chat handle so that you can change your EU account's global chat handle. Effectively any EU player with a NA account has likely already protected their global chat handle just by taking that global handle already.

You keep using "fair" when the likely problem is potentially a question of "can we safely do this?"

Do you have a long inactive NA trial or NA full account that has already taken the global chat handle you want? If so, then you have nothing to worry about as you've already protected yourself.

Triumph: White Succubus: 50 Ill/Emp/PF Snow Globe: 50 Ice/FF/Ice Strobe: 50 PB Shi Otomi: 50 Ninja/Ninjistu/GW Stalker My other characters

Nope, I saw it.

But to be honest with you I just felt it kinda smelt of them paying lip service.

Seemed like alot of marketing speak. The whole, lets build it up as something exciting and awesome, sneak in the bad news further down, then try and pre-emptively pacify their fears by telling them that this solution has been carefully considered.

That's kinda how it came across to me. Not saying it did to everyone, but it did to me.

Now the few posts we've seen from Zill since seem far more genuine and open. Less marketing BS, more communtiy liaison.

And to be honest I think a fair few of the EU community (me included) saw red when we absorbed the details of what was being said. After that I don't think it would matter what that first post said we were already all riled up. LOL

I think alot of us are much calmer now. Still miffed..... but calmer.

I'm just happy that they seem to be listening to the backlash and I'm hopeful they'll do something about it. Probably won't, but I'm hopeful.

The merging of the list of servers, imo, is safeguarding the eu servers is a definite massive way. Much safer than your own client/server setup.

And if you were in the EU playing a US account, you wouldn't be affected.

If you were in the US playing an EU account, you would be affected.

See how not only race, but location doesnt matter?

Bringing racial issues into this is the rubbish, and frankly is minimising the serious issues of racial discrimation.

You could start a trial account for NA (using a random mishmash of a global of course) and try to message them that way via /t @globalname or email them.

Not likley to work I know but ...

I'm primarily talking about global names on player accounts, not the accounts per se. I'm not talking about the login name on those players' accounts. I'm sorry if that was unclear.

If they implement it. Even if they don't, I can live with it.

Yes, that's nice. Still, how much less problem would it be if it was the few NAs with transatlantic accounts that would be given this? How many fewer support cases on more convenient times for lower rates?

Possibly, but then I would like to hear someone with a red name stating that "we can't use veterancy as selection criterion because it's unsafe".

At the moment, all I've heard specifically on the selection criterion is that registration date would be unfair and harder to explain to the affected players, and their email address may be invalid so we may not inform all of them. That sounds to me that a selection other than geographical location is not only possible but also not particularly dangerous; but customer support may have to talk to work more.

Nope. 100% pure Euro here. My grandfather has a cousin in Chicago somewhere, but that's the closest to an NA account I can come.

Since you are a redname, maybe you can answer this issue.

My US and EU account will be getting acces to all servers now, yet the payment is either done in USD ($14.99) or in Euro (€12.99). €12.99 currently equals roughly $16.85, however $14.99 equals € 11,50.

So my accounts, having acces to the same game, same servers, on anual payment have a difference of nearly 1,5 month payment (roughly 1,50 each month, times 12 is € 18,00) based on US to EU conversion.

And im not even mentioning the huge difference between perks and packs of the NCstore, the basic advice to any European would be 'Get a US account and go play EU, its cheaper'.

My question, will this be addressed at some point?

How about you calm down, have a think about courtesy and then post?

The servers are located in Texas. Which I believe is in the USA. The company is also a USA company. Your account, your contract is with a US company. So they follow the laws in that country.

Least that's how it works when I did my degree in law.

And the EU isn't a race.

Currently, eh?

*waits*

Aaaactually... our accounts and contracts are with a EU company. Subsidiary, yes, but European:

Emphasis are mine.

And... how is making a mental shift from "Slazenger" to "EUSlazenger" a problem, for you or anyone else on the EU servers? I seriously do not get this. Not picking on you specifically, but a great many folks have gone on about how this is going to "impact their online identity" to the extent that I'm glad I rarely drink soda at my desk. I hate having soda in my nose, anyway.

And honestly, this question is largely rhetorical. Any of you can try to explain it, but I'm highly unlikely to ever "get it" well enough to sympathize. At this stage, I'd be perfectly happy to go by @NABlood Speaker and let a potential @EUBlood Speaker keep the name, regardless of vet status. I honestly don't think any of my numerous server and global friends are going to be the least bit confused.

Errm... for those in the UK, its actually *cheaper* to pay in GBP than it is either in Euro's of US Dollars.

When i last check last night, $14.99 = £9.37 (ish), which is an increase in sub fee of 38p... not a lot, but *still* an increase in sub fee.

Ok, so for those whose *MAIN* currency is the Euro its cheaper, but that isnt always the case.

And just in case your currency goes down the crapper, I would assume you would be willing to pay *more* local currency than you were previously...

The fact that at least for those in the UK and Europe (well those whose currency is the Euro), our subscription fee is *currently* fixed and not changing, not matter *what* the currency conversion currently is.

Yes NCsoft can suddenly say "You are all paying in US$"... but I *KNOW* that people will complain when their subscription fee goes *above* what they were paying when the sub fee was fixed.

You miss my point I'm not on about racial discrimation, i'm on about the act that cover all form of discrimation, it just happens to go by the title EU Racial Equality Directive (2000/43/EC). I'm sure you can find a copy on the internet to look at if you want to view it. do warn you it's a long and boring read.

But yes your above example about still discrimation,

If you were in the EU playing a US account, you wouldn't be affected. No as you don't have an EU account and can not be effect by the merge.

If you were in the US playing an EU account, you would be affected. If someone has the same Global name on the US server then yes you would.

You are still be discrimation on where which server you log onto, which is cover in the above EU directive.

Something like amount of vet time gain as people have mention would not be discrimation as you ca not say where the people would be affected, as it would be over both server, thus both sets of players are been treat equality.