cross platform account transfer for next gen

Wildberryjack · August 2020

Here's another question, when are we going to be able to transfer characters and things between PC NA and EU? I mean those servers are the same platform so all that is needed is a connection. International businesses have computers connected all over the world so why can't the PC EU and NA servers be connected? And people move all over the world all the time, so yeah, connect them already.

Kiralyn2000 · August 2020

If you can't transfer between PC & console due to database conflicts & other issues, you wouldn't be able to transfer between NA & EU for the same reasons.

idk · August 2020

brandsnipe wrote: »

@idk no, i'm switching to ps5 and this was a suggestion thread. if zos doesn't want to invest some type of cross platform transfer then oh well i won't be playing eso.

I have in my home office here my gaming PC and a few feet away is my old gaming PC that is probably better than the PC most many people have that play this game.

I digress, your Xbox will still work even though you are getting the new PS5. So the choice to not play ESO because Zos will not transfer your account is solely yours. I was merely pointing out that it is very unlikely Zos will debut a transfer option in time for the PS5 launch.

For whatever happens and whatever your choices are I hope you enjoy that new PS5.

idk · August 2020

Wildberryjack wrote: »

Here's another question, when are we going to be able to transfer characters and things between PC NA and EU? I mean those servers are the same platform so all that is needed is a connection. International businesses have computers connected all over the world so why can't the PC EU and NA servers be connected? And people move all over the world all the time, so yeah, connect them already.

Doubt Zos makes this happen anytime soon either as it does create two issues and the second one is the bigger issue. First it would also force name changes though it would force the name change on those who try to play in the different server, not someone only playing on their home server. The second, and bigger issue, is the max character count per account as many of us play on both servers already which means we are way over the cap. So it is not that simple. Oh, not to mention it could have an impact on performance, likely would.

Shardaxx · August 2020

There isn't going to be a version of eso for ps5 so its a moot point, you can play eso on ps5 using the same account as you do now. No account transfer needed.

Unless in the future they announce a ps5 version of the game, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully the existing game will look and run better on ps5.

SamanthaCarter · August 2020

And more on ps6, they must remake the game like WoW did for cataclysm

SamanthaCarter · August 2020

For 10 years anniversary or so

virtus753 · August 2020

Shardaxx wrote: »

There isn't going to be a version of eso for ps5 so its a moot point, you can play eso on ps5 using the same account as you do now. No account transfer needed.

Unless in the future they announce a ps5 version of the game, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully the existing game will look and run better on ps5.

OP cannot play on PS5 on OP’s current account, though — nor could I, for that matter — because ZOS does not offer cross-platform transfers. That’s the issue here, not next-gen upgrades.

brandsnipe · August 2020

like i said everybody, this was just a suggestion as i have spent hundreds on this game so i'm not willing to start over on. if zos has no plans to make it possible to switch across platforms, oh well..

SamanthaCarter · August 2020

Same got 20 radiants apex on ps4 litterally all styles all crownstore except some radiants apex mounts so why should i farm again,I will be happy to buy a copy account token even for 50k crowns I will gift it to many friends it’s just 5M gold each token

trackdemon5512 · August 2020

Shardaxx wrote: »

There isn't going to be a version of eso for ps5 so its a moot point, you can play eso on ps5 using the same account as you do now. No account transfer needed.

Unless in the future they announce a ps5 version of the game, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully the existing game will look and run better on ps5.

@Shardaxx you probably missed this announcement for ESO on PS5: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/58601

Based upon the language there will be the ability to play the current PS4 version via Backwards Compatibility AND a PS5 updated version (like GTA V) which will use the same servers as PS4 but likely have upgraded visuals or at least those closer on par with higher PC settings.

Monte_Cristo · August 2020

So, I still don't understand why the OP can't still play ESO on their Xbox. Are they selling the Xbox to pay for the Playstation? Does Sony send armed thugs around to Playstation owners' homes to smash any of their competition's consoles?

brandsnipe · August 2020

@Monte_Cristo what sense does it make to get a next gen console but still play on the last gen? that would defeat the purpose of getting a next gen console..

Monte_Cristo · August 2020

brandsnipe wrote: »

@Monte_Cristo what sense does it make to get a next gen console but still play on the last gen? that would defeat the purpose of getting a next gen console..

So you can still play games that don't work on the next gen consoles. If I ever get a switch I'm not gonna chuck out my DS.

idk · August 2020

trackdemon5512 wrote: »

Shardaxx wrote: »

There isn't going to be a version of eso for ps5 so its a moot point, you can play eso on ps5 using the same account as you do now. No account transfer needed.

Unless in the future they announce a ps5 version of the game, but I highly doubt it. Hopefully the existing game will look and run better on ps5.

@Shardaxx you probably missed this announcement for ESO on PS5: https://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en-us/news/post/58601

Based upon the language there will be the ability to play the current PS4 version via Backwards Compatibility AND a PS5 updated version (like GTA V) which will use the same servers as PS4 but likely have upgraded visuals or at least those closer on par with higher PC settings.

@trackdemon5512

That is exactly what the person you quoted said.

They said there is not going to be a version of ESO for the PS5, that they will be playing ESO on a PS5 but will use the same account as they have for the PS4.

That is no different than saying that ESO will play on the PS5 via backward compatibility that you mentioned.

trackdemon5512 · August 2020

@idk

@Shardaxx incorrectly stated that there will not be a PS5 version of ESO. I was correcting him in that ZOS has already confirmed THERE WILL BE A PS5 Native Version of ESO with upgrades beyond the PS4 Version.

For those that wish to play on Sony Consoles the options will be as follows:

- PS4 ESO version on PS4 Consoles
- PS4 ESO version on PS5 Consoles via Backwards Compatibility
- PS5 ESO version on PS5 Consoles

It will be similar on XBOX. Players on both consoles can expect the same megaservers and thus there is no account migration. Rather players on next-gen will likely just be playing as if they opted in for higher graphic/performance settings like on PC.

Sony and Microsoft set terms that any PS4 Pro/XBOX One X game MUST be able to play on the base versions of the consoles. Thus console owners have been bogged down by an ESO standardized version that everyone can play.

A PS5/XBOX Series X version of these games is not beholden to such and thus under the hood/graphical improvements that PC has enjoyed can now be experienced on the new consoles. Everyone will still get the same content and changes each patch though.

Danikat · August 2020

brandsnipe wrote: »

@Monte_Cristo what sense does it make to get a next gen console but still play on the last gen? that would defeat the purpose of getting a next gen console..

You'd hate my house. Currently connected to the TV we have a SNES, N64, Dreamcast, Wii, Original Xbox, Xbox 360, PS4 and Switch, and the PS5 will be joining them when it comes out. (We have a Gamecube too, but that's in the cupboard because the Wii is backwards compatible.) That's in addition to the PC, which among other things has a DOS emulator installed to run older games, but that's only occasionally connected to the TV.

I'm all for getting new consoles to player newer games but I'm not going to get rid of an old one just because there's something newer out, not unless I can actually play all my old games on the new hardware.

ayu_fever · August 2020

for years they always told us the alliance change token “is not possible,” and yet here they are.
they insist on still telling us platform transfer “is not possible,” yet if zos can find a way to monetize it then it will happen.

and happen it WILL.
there is just too much money to be made.
yes there are hurdles but all other games that have this feature have overcome those obstacles.
zos is a top tier world class studio with limitless funding so it is just a matter of them seeing the millions they will be making.

zaria · August 2020

ayu_fever wrote: »

for years they always told us the alliance change token “is not possible,” and yet here they are.
they insist on still telling us platform transfer “is not possible,” yet if zos can find a way to monetize it then it will happen.

and happen it WILL.
there is just too much money to be made.
yes there are hurdles but all other games that have this feature have overcome those obstacles.
zos is a top tier world class studio with limitless funding so it is just a matter of them seeing the millions they will be making.

Its possible but its quite a bit of work as you have to extract the profile with all its collections, houses and their content, bank, then all the characters with achievements, quest states and inventory.
Guess its closer to 100 tables You then need to make an interface for it. This would probably be on the web page but you also need an in game function to name all your characters.

Not sure if its some legal issues with going between consoles too?

trackdemon5512 · August 2020

ayu_fever wrote: »

for years they always told us the alliance change token “is not possible,” and yet here they are.
they insist on still telling us platform transfer “is not possible,” yet if zos can find a way to monetize it then it will happen.

and happen it WILL.
there is just too much money to be made.
yes there are hurdles but all other games that have this feature have overcome those obstacles.
zos is a top tier world class studio with limitless funding so it is just a matter of them seeing the millions they will be making.

@ayu_fever @zaria Beyond every other reason as to why there won’t be account transfers, one of the largest and most glaring is that the Homestead Update several years ago basically put a nail in the coffin and buried it deep underground.

The first transfers, when XBOX and PS4 databases became available, were much easier as the game was far simpler back then. Gear sets, inventory, achievements, no CP system as it was VR, quest completion was at a minimum. Now the achievements and characters of multiple characters over not just a base game BUT ALSO every single DLC that was never originally present complicates it further.

Getting back to Homestead, please realize that player homes are individually saved instances that are unique. This is in stark contrast to games like FFIVX where players fight for limited home spaces and the market is finite. We can purchase every single home available AND decorate it however we choose. That last part is key because it goes way beyond just cataloguing/coding an item like a gear set. The items within homes have placements, orientations, and take up what is essentially a bank/inventory space.

Now imagine trying to shift that all over to a server that already has issues with processing, problems with the number of players on during peak times, etc. Servers that, remind you, aren’t physically connected and are running (from PC to Console) pared down versions of ESO.

With all that never expect an account transfer again.

idk · August 2020

trackdemon5512 wrote: »

@idk

@Shardaxx incorrectly stated that there will not be a PS5 version of ESO. I was correcting him in that ZOS has already confirmed THERE WILL BE A PS5 Native Version of ESO with upgrades beyond the PS4 Version.

For those that wish to play on Sony Consoles the options will be as follows:

- PS4 ESO version on PS4 Consoles
- PS4 ESO version on PS5 Consoles via Backwards Compatibility
- PS5 ESO version on PS5 Consoles

It will be similar on XBOX. Players on both consoles can expect the same megaservers and thus there is no account migration. Rather players on next-gen will likely just be playing as if they opted in for higher graphic/performance settings like on PC.

Sony and Microsoft set terms that any PS4 Pro/XBOX One X game MUST be able to play on the base versions of the consoles. Thus console owners have been bogged down by an ESO standardized version that everyone can play.

A PS5/XBOX Series X version of these games is not beholden to such and thus under the hood/graphical improvements that PC has enjoyed can now be experienced on the new consoles. Everyone will still get the same content and changes each patch though.

His comment is accurate if you consider the context. There will not be separate servers and there will be only one version of the game for each console. Zos is merely upgrading the game for the consoles to take advantage of some of the new features, That is not now the explained it, but that is how it will actually be in practice as they are not re-writing the game. I think you are splitting hairs, and that is your prerogative.

richo262 · August 2020

I don't see the nightmare of doing some sort of account linking.

Say you have an Xbox and you want a PC account. You'd firstly have to buy the base game to get started and log in.

Then in settings link accounts, all this does is shares CP and any account unlocks and purchases, and your subscription (if any).

Then have a transfer token. This will move 1 character and its inventory to another server, if a name conflict is detected it will force a name change (free name change token).

This process is suspended around the time of major updates given the PC platform gets updates earlier.

Another option:

Being able to set 1 primary character for each class, this character is uploaded to a 'World server'. It is not actually a new world server, more a world database of characters, it syncs a copy on each of the servers. This character can log into PC NA/EU PS4 NA/EU Xbox NA/EU. Primary characters cannot be deleted, and appear on every platform you log into.

By having 1 character on this world server, it reduces the name pool potential from 18 to 6.

Your gold / craftbag / currencies (except crowns) are not transferred around and are fixed to the server they were earned on. However, once every year at the new moons festival you can declare a new domicile server and it will transfer all currencies and the craft bag contents, chests and bank, leaving the old server barron. By having it once per year, this would prevent people jumping servers to conduct arbitrage, which would probably only be exploited by bot farmers, but it would however allow for people that are legitimately moving to another platform as their new home to do so once per year.

If your world server character logs into a PC server after the Update is launched, it cannot log into a console server until the console has received the update.

brandsnipe · August 2020

@richo262 i don't either and i would pay to have all my characters moved to ps5

virtus753 · August 2020

ayu_fever wrote: »

for years they always told us the alliance change token “is not possible,” and yet here they are.
they insist on still telling us platform transfer “is not possible,” yet if zos can find a way to monetize it then it will happen.

and happen it WILL.
there is just too much money to be made.
yes there are hurdles but all other games that have this feature have overcome those obstacles.
zos is a top tier world class studio with limitless funding so it is just a matter of them seeing the millions they will be making.

Don’t confuse “not something we’re currently interested in” with “not possible.”

They did give us a lot of how involved and/or difficult alliance change tokens would be, and that they “weren’t interested” in doing that for a long time. Then they developed that interest for some reason. (That token was always going to be profitable, so something else had to have changed to enable its development beyond the mere prospect of money.)

Likewise, they are not saying transfers are “not possible” — they are saying that they do not currently have the tool to do it (thus acknowledging that it would in fact be possible with the right tool) and that they have no plans to develop said tool. That too could change in the future, although I think it’s not very likely at all, considering the risks to data. With alliance tokens at least it should only be one character at risk; with platform transfers you risk whole accounts and account- and server-wide entitlements. Imagine the headaches that could cause for Support, and for the customers needing said support, along with the whole question of a paid service that may have serious failures and result in refunds and wasted resources. They want money makers that minimize expense and risk, and I suspect transfers are (currently) considered too much of the latter especially.

But there is also a larger point that, for all of these things where they say “we’re not doing that thing” but then do do that thing eventually, they have opened the door to reversing course on big issues — at least where there is a huge profit to be made and popular pressure to bring it to market.

idk · August 2020

richo262 wrote: »

I don't see the nightmare of doing some sort of account linking.

Say you have an Xbox and you want a PC account. You'd firstly have to buy the base game to get started and log in.

Then in settings link accounts, all this does is shares CP and any account unlocks and purchases, and your subscription (if any).

Then have a transfer token. This will move 1 character and its inventory to another server, if a name conflict is detected it will force a name change (free name change token).

This process is suspended around the time of major updates given the PC platform gets updates earlier.

Another option:

Being able to set 1 primary character for each class, this character is uploaded to a 'World server'. It is not actually a new world server, more a world database of characters, it syncs a copy on each of the servers. This character can log into PC NA/EU PS4 NA/EU Xbox NA/EU. Primary characters cannot be deleted, and appear on every platform you log into.

By having 1 character on this world server, it reduces the name pool potential from 18 to 6.

Your gold / craftbag / currencies (except crowns) are not transferred around and are fixed to the server they were earned on. However, once every year at the new moons festival you can declare a new domicile server and it will transfer all currencies and the craft bag contents, chests and bank, leaving the old server barron. By having it once per year, this would prevent people jumping servers to conduct arbitrage, which would probably only be exploited by bot farmers, but it would however allow for people that are legitimately moving to another platform as their new home to do so once per year.

If your world server character logs into a PC server after the Update is launched, it cannot log into a console server until the console has received the update.

The first suggestion does sound easy until I realized it is only taking into account what the player would do if Zos built out such a means. It does not take into account what a responsible developer would do which is something most of us do not truly take into account because we are not game developers.

As for the second idea, Zos has made it clear they will not build out such a tool and they have been firm on that for about six years now.

Regardless, as I have said already unless Zos is already working on it there will be no account transfers for when the PS5 launches and if it ever happens it will likely not happen anytime soon.

idk · August 2020

virtus753 wrote: »

ayu_fever wrote: »

for years they always told us the alliance change token “is not possible,” and yet here they are.
they insist on still telling us platform transfer “is not possible,” yet if zos can find a way to monetize it then it will happen.

and happen it WILL.
there is just too much money to be made.
yes there are hurdles but all other games that have this feature have overcome those obstacles.
zos is a top tier world class studio with limitless funding so it is just a matter of them seeing the millions they will be making.

Don’t confuse “not something we’re currently interested in” with “not possible.”

This is correct. However, Zos never said they have no interest, they said they "have not built, and do not plan to build" such a tool and they have held onto that for about six years since they originally stated it.

Personally , I think it has more to do with contract agreements with one or both of the console companies and that Zos is not interested in re-negotiating that aspect of the contract. While this is pure speculation, it makes the most sense and would render all arguments moot.

mairwen85 · August 2020

Next Gen you will simply have a new/better client, the mega servers will not change. That's the gist of it. So no account transfer will be necessary.

SamanthaCarter · August 2020

Account copy > account transfert

trackdemon5512 · August 2020

@mairwen85 what I foresee happening is ESO support for PS4 and XBOX One continuing for another 3 years. After 2 years ZOS will state that they will be leaving those versions behind meaning that while the console servers will be active, the game will no longer be updated and thus unplayable in that form.

Because the servers are the same, ANY old saved player data is put into COLD STORAGE (discussed before as part of performance updates) and can be reactivated as soon as the account is played on a PS5 or XBOX SERIES X.

At such a point you could expect serious jumps in what we can expect from the game as development is no longer hampered by accommodating for decade old systems. This would be akin to ZOS dropping support on PCs with older processors and hardware which they’ve done before (I believe it was Clockwork City or Murkmire which dropped some support).

Waffennacht · January 2021

I dont think I could start all over either