Last we heard, the proper tool does not exist to do this, and they have no current plans to develop that tool. They haven’t been more forthcoming about their reasons, to the best of my knowledge. Whether they should do it is also a very different question from whether they have to.
I can only imagine that whoever has decision-making power here doesn’t think it’s worth the resources they’d have to invest right now. That it isn’t to say they won’t do it in the future; they’re just telling us we shouldn’t expect it to happen. Alliance change tokens were also something that we suspected would pay off but which for a very long time “they had no plans to do” — until they did. Who knows? But the message I’m getting is that we shouldn’t hold our breath.
Here's to hope i can one day come back to the game itself and go join my friends with the character(s) i've developed with.
Taleof2Cities wrote: »
You can join your friends now by just getting a new account on the platform of choice, @Mikel3. The base game is pretty inexpensive at a number of sales outlets.
ZOS has said recently they're not doing platform or server transfers ... even last week when it was brought up with the Microsoft deal:
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/547474/ps4-xsx-eso-account-due-to-microsofts-acquisition#latest
I could but the point here is missed.
All that effort, time and work done to your already leveled up character among with its unlocks, achievements etc. Will be lost in the different server.
All that progress is what matters to me by a high amount. Including event memento's or bragging cosmetic rights. I am not willing to just toss them all in the trash bin.
>I can still keep my characters in the EU.
Yes, i can but i can't use said characters in NA as of right now.
There really isn't a purpose or a point of me having to dump all my progress and start from zero and spend majority of my time till i reach CP 300 again before i can join with my friends and enjoy doing from dungeons to PVP on their level without being a high burden because i'd be only a lvl 20 with no CP attached.
Same goes with all the friends of mine in NA; Neither would any of them be willing to do the same and its completely respectable and understandable.
Simply put, the motivation to re-do everything and work your way back to where you were originally is not a great motivator.
trackdemon5512 wrote: »My guess: the megaservers are physically separate with no connection between them. Obviously clear when different servers go down at different times for maintenance.
Hypothetically in order to transfer an account from one server to another you would have to create a clone save file that would be read by the other server. If the account save data is encoded differently for each system that’s a challenge right there.
After that you would have to physically take said data via a portable drive, transfer it to the other server, then deal with the consequences of character/account name overlaps if successful.
The previous platform’s data would have to be deleted and ZOS would lock you from repeating this due to the headache of flip flopping back and forth.
I suspect ZOS understands that starting over is not a great motivator for some players.
I also suspect that, for ZOS, the amount of work, time, and money it would cost them to work out their database issues that prevent them from transferring characters and otherwise add that transfer capability is not a great motivator when compared to the money they get from players who are willing to start over.
As for overlapping character names, personally i wouldn't mind on having to come up renaming during transfer to something which would not be taken.
Taleof2Cities wrote: »
Telling your fellow players their character names will be changed to something arbitrary of ZOS's choosing (in the database transfer) is a big deal, @Mikel3.
It's not something to be taken lightly.
One of the many reasons ZOS is not considering transfers.
I am amazed every time there is a post like this, and there many. It almost seems like ZOS doesn't want our money.
I'm pretty sure that those whom are willing to do it from start over either haven't spent nearly as much as time on a single character or simply put, have more time to spend playing the game although at this point i wouldn't be surprised if bots were being used in some cases. Because i can't just swallow the idea someone would suddenly decide to toss away their earnings and spending they've spent on the Server #1 to start literally from zero with zero cosmetics and zero unlocks. in server #2.
Unless its that portion of players who can sink money in the thousands to a video game.
As for motivator for perhaps to the devs or whoever decides over on how to make money from a video game. As i stated in a different response.
A Paywall for character transfers between EU/NA. To put it simply out.
I highly doubt it would be left untouched. I wouldn't either be the only person out there who would jump right in to transfer a character regardless if it would cost me or not.
Wait, didn't they allow transfers of PC toons to console as an incentive for ppl who wanted to when ESO was initially brought to console? I wasn't around back then, but I swear I heard someone saying they did this. Unless I was misinformed, that means the tools necessary already exist, so it is something they either aren't going to offer, or won't for a period of time.
Wait, didn't they allow transfers of PC toons to console as an incentive for ppl who wanted to when ESO was initially brought to console? I wasn't around back then, but I swear I heard someone saying they did this. Unless I was misinformed, that means the tools necessary already exist, so it is something they either aren't going to offer, or won't for a period of time.
VaranisArano wrote: »
Is the paywall going to provide sufficient profit after ZOS has had to:
A. Pay their employees to develop the capability for server transfers given the current known database limitations
B. Give up the current income from players rebuying stuff when they transfer servers, including rebuying DLC access from NA/EU
?
Because whatever you suspect, the number of players spending money as they start over is non-zero. So is the cost of developing that capability. And always, always companies are going to keep their eye on the profit. ZOS could make money on selling character transfers, but its the profit margin they really care about.
I'm quite sure some accountant has crunched the numbers for ZOS. If they don't plan on doing it, its probably because - technical limitations aside - the profit isn't there. And yes, fishing for whales who will drop money on their new account is profitable...see crown crates.
But the topic at hand here is about -characters- linked to your account.
Maybe i should make it more clearer next time, i do apologise if some people have mis-understood what i am trying to aim here.
in a nutshell short and simple:
PC -> Character's that are tied to your account, where you have access [If you have, i sure do have] both EU and NA server clusters.
The story here shortly, is to achieve the ability to transfer your character from point A to point B.
NA to EU or EU To NA.
For my case since i'm on the PC. I have the digital downloadable copy of ESO which i've bought in the past prior when ESO was being released.
I have the access with my same account for both the EU and NA servers. My problem is that i can't currently transfer the characters involved with my account from EU to NA.
It's understandable it would and could take a lot of work behind it to do the necessary changes and work in order to make it possible and working.
As for overlapping character names, personally i wouldn't mind on having to come up renaming during transfer to something which would not be taken.
As for possible stress for the server(s) alone from "constant flip flops" You could simply limit either in following:
Putting it behind a paywall for character transfers, whether its by money or crowns.
Limit on how many times you can transfer > Whether a strict amount or certain time per ##.##.#### by date.
There has to be an implementation for this at somepoint, can't just keep it: "Nope, start from scratch" style.
Same account, different server locations. One in Germany, one in Texas, US. Dealing with the data is one thing but then offering the ability to switch megaservers presents the other issue of possibly increased traffic to one server or the other. If a transfer was offered what would stop every single player on EU from joining NA? You cant offer the service to some and not everyone.
And then what happens in the situation that traffic becomes lopsided with people moving? PC EU can already tell you of the hell regarding overloaded servers and sign-ons during prime time which isn’t an issue that happens with NA.
It really is easier for you to pick a server, the one closest to your home location for best service, and play there than gripe at ZOS because you’re playing on EU from an NA territory and people are complaining about bad service etc.
Yeah but you can still continue making a profit from people like me who would be returning to play ESO in long terms, i got the motivation to return, friends and the game itself; Covid makes things boring outside your home since everythings closed.
What cuts me off is the unavailability to have my progress switched over so i can join my friends who are in the NA while i'm in the EU server cluster.
The whole point here is to have your progress moved with you instead of having it to be completely removed and start from zero. It's not only about -crates- in my point of view its also about the storyline; quests; Achievements; Mementos; event stuff and limited. Etc.
As for B:
Whether true or not. But you can have still an income from returning players who might just return for the sake of having the ability to return with characters of their own and switch over where they also might have their friends playing in or if they have in the past and present moved to another continent etc.
You can't in return also expect that people like me will swallow the idea of having to be forced to start over is the only way to go. You need to show the interest you need to voice things out, you just cant expect anything to happen if you just decide to be silent and never be able to bring it up because of assumptions.
ON side note, be glad if you personally can afford to re-buy everything and gamble with the boxes all you want but some of us do not have that luxury.
Paywall and transfer limits don't help much with the problem of moving data. All kinds of problems can pop up and they risk those problems every time a player wants to make a switch. They have to think beyond just one player wanting to do this. The only way I could see this ever happening is a one time deal announced well in advance and implemented as part of an upgrade that brings all servers down for a period of time. Even then they might simply not be able to do it even if they wanted to.
PC -> Character's that are tied to your account, where you have access [If you have, i sure do have] both EU and NA server clusters.
Actually, characters are tied to a specific server for an account, not the account itself.
I am pretty sure people understand what you are asking for. It does not matter if asking for character transfers, something Zos has never done, or Zos doing an account transfer like Zos did once with servers that were not live and specifically stated they will not be building out the tool required to do the same with live servers.
https://help.elderscrollsonline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/25807/kw/transfer
Account Transfer in the FAQ.
The reasoning is some techno mumbo way over my head about their databases. They were only able to do transfers ONCE when console launched, and that was because the console databases were a clean slate. They cant transfer onto already written databases.