City of Heroes: Live Forum Archive

Discussion: One game, one global server access

0verload

By 0verload,
Posted on: 2011-03-14 17:12 in News, Events and Announcement Discussion

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zwillinger View Post
We'll be sharing much more information about the "when" and "how" in the coming days. Global Server Access is coming and we're looking forward to the Community building opportunities that it will bring!
Will that include my transfer-question?

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by SinergyX_NA View Post
That isnt the question, i know i can create new toons on any given servers.

Example: If i have a toon on Defiant, can i transfer this one to Freedom?

Current EU-US transfers are not allowed as it involve account-transfer (but it was possible back in the old days), but i want to know if this is possible within a account after the merge.
It would make perfect sense that this is allowed. It would be very very weird if you can't do this.

 

Posted

In the years i've around, i learned that 'perfect sence' issues might not always be that obvious within the development of CoH.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow_Kitty View Post
From a database perspective, storing the global name in the character record borders on stupidity. It just invites trouble with redundancy and database integrity problems. In a normalized database, it should be stored on the account record.

Personally I'd store the name on the chat server with a numeric key which joins to the game account record on the game server.
To merge that after identifying and resolving conflicts rebase the keys on the smaller dataset and update the value of the keys wherever it is referenced.
i.e.
1 Identify possibility of conflict
2 Prevent further conflicts
3 Identify actual conflicts
4 Resolve actual conflicts
5 Rebase smaller dataset
6 Append smaller dataset to larger

Steps 1,2,3 and 5 are completely transparent to the users and should be straightforward
4 is what we have been screaming about
6 is what is wanted as the end result and should be trivial if all the previous steps are done.

I for one am glad to see the addition of the words conflicts with ACTIVE NON TRIAL in the wording and suspect if that had been present in the original message there would have been a lot less complaints.

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and lots more on Pinnacle,Union and Defiant

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow_Kitty View Post
From a database perspective, storing the global name in the character record borders on stupidity. It just invites trouble with redundancy and database integrity problems. In a normalized database, it should be stored on the account record.
Thinking of it, I would hope the following is true:
  • NCsoft Master Account
    • Game Account
      • Global Name
      • Character names
However I'm afraid it might be this:
  • NCsoft Master Account
    • Game Account
      • Global Name
        • Character names
And I'd agree that this would be a dumb way of doing it, but I've seen worse from my experience.

Now, either way you go about it, messing around with the Game Account information has the potential to affect more NA characters either way.



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Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snow Globe View Post
Thinking of it, I would hope the following is true:
  • NCsoft Master Account
    • Game Account
      • Global Name
      • Character names
However I'm afraid it might be this:
  • NCsoft Master Account
    • Game Account
      • Global Name
        • Character names
And I'd agree that this would be a dumb way of doing it, but I've seen worse from my experience.
Gah. I started to draw relational database schemes in my head, including hypothetical layouts of historical expansions as the global chat was introduced later. Professional hazard, I suppose.

Not that it matters, since it would be rather technical, very hypothetical and incredibly off topic. So I'll stop now.

Still @Shadow Kitty

"I became Archvillain before Statesman nerfed himself!"

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow_Kitty View Post
Gah. I started to draw relational database schemes in my head, including hypothetical layouts of historical expansions as the global chat was introduced later. Professional hazard, I suppose.
Yeah, I did too. Those were the simplest ways I could use to illustrate my point. That is also why I think that saying it is a pure 1:1 collision is inaccurate. A simple database isn't what they are worried about.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shadow_Kitty View Post
Not that it matters, since it would be rather technical, very hypothetical and incredibly off topic. So I'll stop now.
Agreed.



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Posted

Im confused now.
I though GSA was coming in May, just got delayed for technical issues, but now I read is happening at the end of summer, exactly like they said in first place, so...
What we can expect?

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Angelxman81 View Post
Im confused now.
I though GSA was coming in May, just got delayed for technical issues, but now I read is happening at the end of summer, exactly like they said in first place, so...
What we can expect?
Reading that FAQ confuses me too.

Quote:
Global Server Access will be available to all our active subscribers by the end of summer.
and

specifically.

To be honest, I think that FAQ needs to be taken out back, shot through the head; and then replaced with one that's explicit and clear on exactly what's going to happen and when and in what order, because I was under the impression that the whole point of the reactivation period was to allow multiple transatlantic account holders to change their inactive account names to prevent any conflicts happening in the first place.

Now it seems to read that 'we're going to rename you anyway, and leave the whole process of fixing it to you lot to sort out afterwards'.

To me it would make sense to allow the people who care about it to change in advance, so that there's only one piece of database jiggery-pokery being performed on their account, rather than two, one of which is by an automated script...

Then again, my understanding of database security and resilience may be on a par with Sony's

Warning:

The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.

 

Posted

Honestly, I think PS got a little ahead of themselves with the merge talk. I20 was just out and they thought they could handle it all. Integration work is always hairy. I knew they wouldn't make this deadline.

This is a big job.

 

Posted

To me it says "we don't want to commit to getting it done before the end of summer, but we really think we'll get it done sometime on or before May the 10th (or possibly as late as the 18th)".

Otherwise the reactivation week doesn't make any sense as a chance to change globals on inactive accounts since the rename tokens won't be given out until after the merge and only to those whose names changed.

Right?

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Avatea View Post
1- When is Global Server Access going to be available?

Global Server Access will be available to all our active subscribers by the end of summer. We will have a more definite date for you at a later time so watch this space!

10- When can we expect a reactivation weekend in order to change our global handles?

The Reactivation will take place after Global server Access has been enabled between Tuesday, May 10, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time (9:00 p.m. Eastern Time / 2:00 a.m. British Time / 3:00 Central European Time) and Wednesday, May 18, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time (2:59 a.m. Eastern Time / 7:59 a.m. British Time / 8:59 Central European Time). a free global handle token will be applied to all accounts affected by a global handle name collision. If you own 1 North American account and 1 European account with the exact same global handle, and one or both accounts have lapsed, the Reactivation weekend will allow you to change both global handles
Can we get a clarification as to EXACTLY WHEN this is going to happen? End of Summer, or between May 10th and May 18th? Or before May 10th? The announcement phrasing is ambiguous.

End of Summer to me means August.

Also, I hope to hell you sent an email to all my ex-CoH playing friends about the reactivation week already. Because, I suspect, the point is not for current paying customers to be the only ones to know about it, am I right? Maybe get people to start playing again?


Yeah, What Canine Said.

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Posted

Adding my 2cents worth from an EU perspective:

Am I glad the integration is happening? both yes and no.

I utterly despise the WAY it's being done, the only people who stands to suffer any negative effects are us on the EU servers while the NA population get away scotch-free. This is nothing else but a big slap in the face.

While I sincerely look forward to the possibility to play on NA servers without needing another account (I originally started playing this game on an NA account) it baffles me why the negative aspects of it can't go both ways.

Hypothetical example: I've had my global handle (@Brimmy) for about 4yrs, and if that where to collide with an NA user that's had it for less than 4yrs he/she gets to take it? the very least you could do is to take things like that into consideration before you start stripping our ingame-identities away.

The one who's had the name the longest gets to keep it, no matter if they're EU or NA. Doesn't really get any fairer or simpler than that!

And something i've not seen anything about (possibly just missed it in the midst of everything else), what about character names? I for one have many toons whos stories and relationships (between eachother) is based heavily on their names (names that i've had on them for years!). Am I to loose the character names as well? Probably.. Does that make me upset? Hell yes!

Having been a paying EU-customer for half a decade and a paying customer over-all for even longer I'm APPALLED at how we're now being disregarded to favour the bigger part of the clientel. Just goes to show that PS doesnt really care about their customers, just the money...

For shame PS, for shame indeed...

@EU Brimmy - Union and Exalted servers

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brimmy View Post

And something i've not seen anything about (possibly just missed it in the midst of everything else), what about character names? I for one have many toons whos stories and relationships (between eachother) is based heavily on their names (names that i've had on them for years!). Am I to loose the character names as well? Probably.. Does that make me upset? Hell yes!
Character names will be totally unaffected.
The eu servers are being added to the NA ones, not being replaced by them.

I don't suffer from altitis, I enjoy every minute of it.

Thank you Devs & Community people for a great game.

So sad to be ending ):

 

Posted

While I don't mind the whole combining the servers part, the part that gets on my nerves is this:

The account collision is between my own accounts. The US one is a trial that was never used. WHY is it even counted as a collision? I accidentally registered for US when I meant to go to EU, and as soon as I realized the mistake (which was when I saw the wrong server names in the server selection list), I logged out of the US account, never to touch it again. It does not even have any characters on it, as I never created any characters or indeed do anything with said account.

Why is there a collision between a trial that hasn't been logged into since February 2010 and an active account that's got up to nine month veteran rewards? That's the part that irritates me.

I contacted support and asked them to please delete that never used US account, to avoid the collision, but apparently they couldn't do anything. So right now, it feels like they're doing this in the most irritating way possible.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by tanstaafl View Post
Character names will be totally unaffected.
The eu servers are being added to the NA ones, not being replaced by them.
Right, I thought about character names the wrong way around. My mistake

@EU Brimmy - Union and Exalted servers

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vendince Windwalker View Post
While I don't mind the whole combining the servers part, the part that gets on my nerves is this:

The account collision is between my own accounts. The US one is a trial that was never used. WHY is it even counted as a collision? I accidentally registered for US when I meant to go to EU, and as soon as I realized the mistake (which was when I saw the wrong server names in the server selection list), I logged out of the US account, never to touch it again. It does not even have any characters on it, as I never created any characters or indeed do anything with said account.

Why is there a collision between a trial that hasn't been logged into since February 2010 and an active account that's got up to nine month veteran rewards? That's the part that irritates me.

I contacted support and asked them to please delete that never used US account, to avoid the collision, but apparently they couldn't do anything. So right now, it feels like they're doing this in the most irritating way possible.
That collision isnt based on character names or global handle Vendince, it's the actual account-name that is a collision, meaning the name you type in when you log on.

Account names being affected is, in my opinion, only a slight annoyance, it's global handles that makes me go "gaaaahhh!" ...

@EU Brimmy - Union and Exalted servers

 

Posted

Which name is affected is not the point. It's that one ancient, unused trial affecting my most used account that's irritating me.

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Angelxman81 View Post
I dont have interest in GSA anymore since the devs have said they are not giving us a round of free server transfers.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showp...04&postcount=8
they could possibly change their mind >.>

 

Posted

I'm tired, coldy and headachy so this'll get complainy/whiny and ranty. Sorry to fellow players, just giving my frank reaction, skip if you want. >.<

<rant>

So. Basically, this whole thread was pointless? Well played I guess. You've got the upper hand on most of us; this game is where we have our "homes" in the virtual world. You know we probably won't unsub and loose our connection to our friends.

I gotta ask though, although I won't get a reply. Why did you even ask us what we wanted? Why didn't you just sneak in a paragraph in the terms of use as we log in and told us to sod off? It would've been more honest. Most people spent time and effort to make honest and constructive arguments because you asked. Something you, put frankly, just pissed on from on high.

I had hopes you'd actually listen. Yep, I fell for the pretty face of this thread. Am I going to unsub? Nope, all my online friends are in CoX. Well played, Paragon Studios. Well played. :/

</rant>

Now I feel better >.<

_____________________________
The Corporation means BUSINESS!

 

Posted

... I don't even know what you were complaining about, Quil. All I know is that you didn't get what you want, but have no clue what that ungotten thing was.

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nethergoat View Post
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Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chad Gulzow-Man View Post
... I don't even know what you were complaining about, Quil. All I know is that you didn't get what you want, but have no clue what that ungotten thing was.

Told you I was whiny XD

_____________________________
The Corporation means BUSINESS!

 

Posted

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vendince Windwalker View Post
While I don't mind the whole combining the servers part, the part that gets on my nerves is this:

The account collision is between my own accounts. The US one is a trial that was never used. WHY is it even counted as a collision? I accidentally registered for US when I meant to go to EU, and as soon as I realized the mistake (which was when I saw the wrong server names in the server selection list), I logged out of the US account, never to touch it again. It does not even have any characters on it, as I never created any characters or indeed do anything with said account.

Why is there a collision between a trial that hasn't been logged into since February 2010 and an active account that's got up to nine month veteran rewards? That's the part that irritates me.

I contacted support and asked them to please delete that never used US account, to avoid the collision, but apparently they couldn't do anything. So right now, it feels like they're doing this in the most irritating way possible.
I'm in the same boat. I have a US trial account which is the same name as my account name which was made years and years ago. Has anyone asked about being allowed to change their normal account name if they aren't able to delete the trial account?

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