Account Transfer

regime211 · October 2020

Honestly at this point since you guys have added things you said you wouldn't add, but ultimately did such as race and alliance changes. We should now be allowed to transfer our accounts over just once, Unfortunately starting over sucked when going over to PC, but seeing as my account on ps4 basically now is a dead account that accumulated so much stuff from the crown store and in game I don't see why we can't transfer our accounts over at this point.

kargen27 · October 2020

Because they said it isn't possible. They did it one time when the console database was empty but do not have the ability to transfer characters from one populated server to another.

joerginger · October 2020

They said they don't intend to make this possible.

hafgood · October 2020

You want to transfer data between 6 servers, which Zos have said repeatedly they have no interest in doing.

Whilst I have no idea as to how the ESO databases are set up its pretty easy to guess that they will be a series of tables all linked using identifiers. Based on my experiences with database conversions (talking large databases with millions of lines within the tables, with data spread across hundreds of tables) I've come up with the following explanation.

Each character exists only on one server, but on that server they have huge amounts of data associated with them, items, dlc, houses, pets, mounts, achievements, etc

Each of these will exist in different tables throughout the database. Each character will have a unique identifier, each item will be linked to that identifier and will have its own unique identifier, and so on.

However each identifier is not unique. It can appear on each database so can appear up to six times and won't be linked to the same character identifier (which of course is linked to an account identifier).

To move characters between databases would require a program that takes the character from database A and moves it to database B. Each unique identifier would have to amended to the next available identifier in the relevant table. This could involve literally 1000's of items.

All this would have to be done while the servers are down as to do it while the servers are up is going to result in conflicts - while its running the conversion new items would be being created in the game, meaning duplicated unique identifiers meaning possible database corruptions.

Database conversions are not easy, especially in a database with billions of rows of data, one mistake, one missed identifier could result in the database corrupting.

So yes it is possible to write a tool that would allow transfer between servers but that tool would need to be very robustly tested before being utilised and transfers would be expensive as the costs associated with writing the tool would need to be recovered.

Add in that conversion could only happen with the system down and all of a sudden maintenance starts to get longer as data is extracted from one database, converted, exported to its new location and then imported into the new server.

Most likely the data extract would take place in one maintenance window and the conversion / import into the new database in the next maintenance window. So at the best you wouldn't be able to play for a week, at worst a fortnight.

Tandor · October 2020

It's also likely that there are contractural reasons why they won't do this. Steam on PC and Microsoft and Sony on console have very likely got contracts preventing players from being transferred off those platforms. I don't know enough about Stadia to comment on that.

VaranisArano · October 2020

Its true that ZOS has recently done some things they said there weren't interested in, such as alliance change.

But lets consider the timeline. With Alliance Change, which seems to be a typical example of ZOS reversing themselves, it was about a year between ZOS saying there were technical problems with it during the lead up to Elsweyr and the release of alliance change token this year.

ZOS just recently said they aren't developing the capability to transfer accounts.

So if they listened to this thread and reversed themselves today, consider what sort of timeline we're looking at before you get to transfer to another platform.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

Tandor · October 2020

VaranisArano wrote: »

Its true that ZOS has recently done some things they said there weren't interested in, such as alliance change.

But lets consider the timeline. With Alliance Change, which seems to be a typical example of ZOS reversing themselves, it was about a year between ZOS saying there were technical problems with it during the lead up to Elsweyr and the release of alliance change token this year.

ZOS just recently said they aren't developing the capability to transfer accounts.

So if they listened to this thread and reversed themselves today, consider what sort of timeline we're looking at before you get to transfer to another platform.

I wouldn't hold my breath.

True enough, plus it isn't just down to ZOS to agree to make the transfers possible, and it isn't even just for Steam, Microsoft and Sony to agree to it. It's also down to those platform providers to test and approve whatever system is implemented if and when ZOS actually went ahead with it. That's all going to take a lot more time than dealing with a comparatively simple alliance change token. One or two players raise this from time to time, but is there a sufficient level of demand to warrant all that would be entailed and the cost thereof? I seriously doubt it.

regime211 · October 2020

Well then let me get at LEAST all my crown store items and they can keep my characters ro be honest that's what I care for mounts,costumes, Motif. But let me guess they can't even do that.

ManwithBeard9 · October 2020

Cross save, similar to Destiny 2, would be more likely to happen before an account transfer.

regime211 · October 2020

ManwithBeard9 wrote: »

Cross save, similar to Destiny 2, would be more likely to happen before an account transfer.

Yeah at least that i don't mind regrinding CP but let me get all of my stuff from the crown store motifs etc.