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Scott Hartsman: 'Happy customers stick around longer'
"Here's the overall philosophy behind all this: Happy customers stick around longer," Scott Hartsman said in an interview with Gamefront. "That's what we think. That's the beginning and end of it." It may seem like common sense, but for Hartsman and the team at Trion Worlds, it's a lesson they feel is easy to forget. He cites this as the driving force behind one of the game's major upcoming changes: the ability to transfer characters between servers for free. Trion hopes that the character transfers will help friends connect without the obstacle of separate servers getting in their way. Hartsman said that the tech behind the transfer is impressive -- not to mention "instantaneous" from a customer standpoint. Hartsman says that the team places a premium on talking frankly and frequently with players. If Trion doesn't always come across as perfect, he hopes that the company makes up for it with communication and sincerity: "We don't want to hide behind a big wall, and we don't want everything to come through a formal mouthpiece. I'd rather have us all out conversing with people and occasionally making a mistake here or there on the assumption that because we are talking to people more means that overall, things are going to be better." The lengthy interview covers a wide range of pressing topics, from the "bumpy" River of Souls event to the LFG system and the free trial program.
RIFT offering free character transfers with patch 1.3 [Updated]
It's always tough when you roll a character on a server but find out that your good friends are on another. The question of "Do I reroll or stay put?" is an agonizing one, fortunately one that RIFT players will not have to struggle with too much longer. Trion Worlds has announced that with the advent of patch 1.3, RIFT will allow players to move to select servers once per week -- for free. These free character transfers include a wholesale move of all of the character's items, achievements and titles. Also, Trion has stated that initially there will be no limit to the number of times your character can hop to a different server. Scott Hartsman thinks this will strengthen the game's community: "MMOs are all about playing with your friends no matter which server they're on, and that's why we're offering this as a free service to our subscribers. RIFT is both a game and a service, and adding free server transfers is just one more way we can make this the best possible MMO experience available." Patch 1.3 will also allow guild leaders to transfer over their guilds' details, including levels and experience. The patch is scheduled for "early summer." [Update: Trion has posted a Free Character Transfer FAQ on the forums with specifics as to this service. Check it out!]
The Soapbox: The industry's obsession with shards
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. The MMO genre is now over a decade old, and in that time we've seen countless innovations in game design, graphics technology and hardware infrastructure. Some of these innovations have become so essential that without them a game looks cheap, old or backward. A functional market or auction mechanic now replaces the old meet-and-trade style barter of some early MMOs, for example, and an MMO without copious map or chat tools is seen as grossly incomplete. The limits of what is possible have been pushed gradually forward, and yet certain ideas that were formed in the genre's infancy still seem to stick to new titles like glue. Sharded server models made a lot of sense in the early 2000s, when server hosting was expensive and the teams working on the server code were small. Those limitations have been rapidly shattered in recent years, but still new MMOs shard their communities into small groups. There are even alternative server models out there that are just as cost-effective as the sharded model but are devoid of the negative side-effects of smashing the community into hundreds of pieces. Read on as I take a look at why developers rely on the sharded server model, the problems surrounding splitting communities and what alternative server models are out there.
Soul of the Ultimate Nation heading back to Webzen
First we heard that NHN, running under ijji.com, would be transferring control of Huxley back to its developer Webzen here in North America. Now, news has reached us that NHN has decided to follow suit with the other Webzen game ijji.com has held for the last year -- Soul of the Ultimate Nation. Thankfully, those who are a part of the world of SUN need not fear: Plans are underway to make sure that all active characters are transferred smoothly between hosts. (Those of you who tasted the banhammer are SOL, even on the new host.) The cash shop in Soul of the Ultimate Nation is already closed; character transfers are already open and will continue until January 21st, 2011. For those who have already set themselves up to make the jump, Webzen's SUN servers will be online as of December 15th, ready to welcome veterans and new players alike. If you choose to opt out of the transfer altogether, ijji.com is offering a pro-rated refund of cash shop items that your character may have had before the 22nd of November. For more details, check out the detailed FAQ on the ijji.com site.
DAoC Producer's Letter puts on training wheels, er, windows
Like fine wine, Dark Age of Camelot is improving with age, at least according to the recent Producer's Letter for the game. Stuart Zissu crowed about the success of the dev team's first Live Event -- called "Infernal Awakenings" -- which saw developer-controlled demons rampaging across the world. Apparently, it was such a success that the dev team is deep into planning the next Live Event. Belford was also excited to talk about the new training window UI, which is set to arrive in the game very shortly. This updated interface lets players map out their specializations in advance via sliders so that they can create the exact character build they desire. Once a desired build is found, the game will automatically refashion your character's stats and abilities to match. The DAoC team is also working on ways to make the game more accessible to all, including additional character transfers and payment methods. You can read Andy Belford's full Producer's Letter at The Camelot Herald.
Aion offers six free server transfers per character
With NCsoft's upcoming Aion server merges looming, chances are you've taken the time to figure out where your daeva's new home is going to be (as well as marked your calendar to be sure you get first dibs on keeping your name). What you may not know is that you've got plenty of opportunities to test out the various Aion server communities after the merges are complete. In its weekly Eye on Community featurette, NCsoft answers a player-generated question about transfer specifics. "During the free character transfer period, characters you submit for transfer are placed in a collated list, together with transfer requests from other players. The transfers outlined in this list will all be executed at the same time during weekly maintenance. Because transfers are moved in a batch each week, you will be able to transfer your character up to six times before the 18th of August, when the free character transfer period ends. Our intent is to let you test the waters so that you can decide which server best suits you," says the featurette.
Server merge hints are confirmed for Aion
"SGDCZ DUZGZ RKZMC DCVHS GRDQU DQLDQ FDZMC BGZQZ BSDQS QZMRE DQCDS ZHKR" was the mysterious message posted by Aion's Andrew "Tamat" Beegle yesterday. The jumble of letters on Twitter and the Aion notice page was decoded pretty quickly by players: "THE DAEVA HAS LANDED WITH SERVER MERGE AND CHARACTER TRANSFER DETAILS." Aion confirmed the server merge and character transfers today with more details as well as a comprehensive FAQ covering all the details. The merge will happen on July 7th, and character transfers will begin on the 8th. Players can take advantage of free unlimited character transfers until August 18th, and then they will continue to be available for a fee. Once the server merge happens and transfers begin, there will be a number of contests and events coming both in and out of game. Check out all the details on the Aion site.
Free character migrations for select realms
As of yesterday afternoon and lasting through January 28th at 2:00 PM PST, a number of free realm transfers have opened up in the US in an attempt to repair some harsh population imbalance. Bornakk does warn, however, that if they fulfill the transfer quota before January 28th, they will end transfers early so they don't end up in the exact same situation on opposite ends. If any of the below transfer offers suit your fancy, get it done before it's too late. What's interesting is that in a few of these instances, they're only extended the offer to Horde players. These servers include Illidan, Mal'Ganis, and Warsong. Considering Mal'Ganis is home to the infamous Goon Squad, this isn't the most surprising thing in the world. Interesting, yes. Surprising? Not in the slightest. For further information on the available transfers, hit the forum thread. You can also check out the source and destination realms behind the cut below.
Mythic taking over DAoC Europe
Mythic Entertainment today announced that GOA's license to publish and maintain Dark Age of Camelot in Europe will not be renewed, and that Mythic plans to take hold of the reins for European support. The news post says the transition will occur "in the coming weeks" which hopefully means a gradual shift is being planned, rather than a sudden one. The developer makes sure to assuage any fears of rocky times ahead by saying, "We are currently working with GOA to take over operation of the game and its European community, and will soon be providing details about pressing player questions such as existing subscriptions, character transfers, game versions, localization, and more." It sounds like everything is well under control, but an effort like this is most certainly a delicate one. Hopefully things go smoothly, as we'd rather report good news over bad.
Warhammer Online merges two more servers
It wasn't entirely unexpected -- after all, Jeff Skalski gave some indications this might be coming in our recent interview with him -- but it's still unbalancing. Warhammer Online community manager Andy Belford confirmed today that two of the game's servers, Dark Crag and Phoenix Throne, will be shutting down. The population of these servers will be allowed a free transfer to two other servers each -- Iron Rock or Badlands for Dark Crag, Gorfang or Volkmar for Phoenix Throne. He also mentions that there will be a 20% bonus to experience and renown in the weeks following the transfer, to at least slightly take the sting off the event. It looks as if there will be slightly more servers in the European region, as they have a total of 13 still open... but several of those are due to the different languages, and at least one of the realms is scheduled for shutdown. As for what this means for the game itself... it's hard to call it anything but bad news, even with the promises of a boost incoming to ease the impact. We know that Warhammer Online's future looks a bit shaky after recent events, but this is more dire than any of us had expected or hoped. We'll keep up on any news as it becomes available. [ Thanks to JP for the tip. ]
Star Wars Galaxies to shut down 12 servers
In a letter to all Star Wars Galaxies account holders today, Sony Online Entertainment has announced that they will be shutting down 12 servers on October 15th. This brings their number of active servers to 13 -- a pretty respectable number for any game to still host.This shutdown has come as a response to the free character transfer service that SOE has offered Star Wars Galaxies players, leaving certain servers with drastically low populations while other servers have become the new homes of the community. Many members of the SWG community only look upon this move with happiness, as now it means having worlds teeming with players rather than wasteland planets.
Breakfast Topic: Paid services
With the Azeroth-shaking announcement of paid faction changes, it seems like one of the last barriers to character re-customization have been broken down. Who would have thought that we could switch allegiances four years ago? The World of Warcraft has certainly come a long way since it launched. One of the big changes back then was allowing players to transfer realms -- initially disallowing PvE-to-PvP transfers but that restriction was eventually lifted. That was shocking news then, but then Blizzard opened the door for names and even gender changes.What we're essentially seeing is Blizzard's own clever version of microtransactions. Sure, we can't buy powerful items like those in free-to-play games (which will soon become endangered in China...), but we can pay real money to cater to our vanity or convenience. I've paid several times for server transfers, name changes, and even character re-customization. My wife grumbles whenever I shell out real money for those things, but I'm sure she'd pay to morph her former main, a Troll Priest, into a Blood Elf in a heartbeat. Even Matthew Rossi would pay good money to turn his Human Warrior into a huge-like-Rossi Draenei. There's only one problem, though -- they can't. Race change is one thing Blizzard hasn't given the go signal to... yet.Anything's possible, though. Years ago, Blizzard unequivocally said that they would never allow PvE to PvP realm transfers. See how that turned out. What other paid services do you think Blizzard lacks? You probably already know that I'm all for race change as part of character re-customization. But how about paying for levels? I mean, despite all the changes they've made to make leveling easier, I abhor it. I'd gladly shell out some cash to get a high-level character right off the bat. What other paid World of Warcraft services do you think the game needs or players want?
Free Latin American character transfers
Free character migrations were opened yesterday to the Latin American PvP realm Drakkari. The transfers will go until May 15 at 1:00 PM PDT (aproximadamente). Players on any of the following realms are eligible to transfer: Agamaggan, Alexstrasza, Alleria, Andorhal, Anetheron, Archimonde, Azshara, Baelgun, Balnazzar, Blackhand, Dalaran, Dalvengyr, Dark Iron, Dentarg, Destromath, Dethecus, Detheroc, Duskwood, Emerald Dream, Executus, Garona, Gorgonnash, Greymane, Gul'dan, Haomarush, Hellscream, Illidan, Kael'thas, Kalecgos, Khadgar, Kirin Tor, Lightninghoof, Maelstrom, Malfurion, Moonrunner, Nazjatar, Norgannon, Ravencrest, Sargeras, Scilla, Spinebreaker, Staghelm, Steamwheedle Cartel, Stormreaver, Thrall, Turalyon, Twisting Nether, Ursin, Whisperwind, Wildhammer, Ysera, Ysondre, Zuluhed As Bornakk notes, "keep in mind that this is a Latin American realm and people may speak a language other than your own" - which is to say, expect to see a lot of Spanish.
Free US character transfers
In honor of patch day, Blizzard have opened up some free character transfers on many US realms. These are open now and scheduled to run until Tuesday, April 21 at noon PDT. PvP: From: Blackrock, Tichondrius, Emerald Dream, Lethon, Warsong To: Ursin, Ysondre, Nazjatar, Gul'dan PvE: From: Aggramar, Borean Tundra, Aerie Peak, Azuremyst, Proudmoore, Bronzebeard, Anvilmar, Alexstrasza, Blade's Edge, Silvermoon, Dragonblight, Bladefist, Antonidas, Arygos, Cairne To: Nesingwary, Garrosh, Winterhoof RP: From: Feathermoon, Cenarion Circle, Earthen Ring, Argent Dawn, Moon Guard To: Wyrmrest Accord I worry about their servers slightly, between patch traffic and these character moves, but we'll see if they can take it. This is more server transfers than we usually see at one time. I'm intrigued to see Arygos on there, since it really doesn't feel like a high-population realm to me, at least not on the Horde side. So who's moving?
Star Wars Galaxies: Free character transfer extended
Rejoice, Star Wars: Galaxies fans, because the Force is with you. SOE have announced via the forums and the official game site that you can transfer your characters between galaxies until June 30th. As with most things, there's a catch though. You can only transfer characters created after December 11th 2008 and once the transfer has started, you need to exit the game and wait for two hours before logging back in, this is to make sure nothing interferes the with the transfer.Being the helpful souls that they are, SOE have supplied a list of links to help folks who've never gone through the process before. This includes a comprehensive list of questions and valid galaxies and even some advice from the GMs on submitting character transfer-related tickets. So if you're looking to try a new galaxy, this might well be the perfect time to make the move and, even better, you aren't rushed to decide either.
New European transfers
In their continuing efforts to bring some faction balance to Magtheridon (EU), Blizzard has refreshed free character transfers off of the server for Horde, and onto the server for Alliance. These transfers are scheduled to run from today until Feburary 10: Magtheridon -> Haomarush, Tarren Mill, Trollbane, Zenedar, Silvermoon (Horde only) Aerie Peak, Aggramar, Alonsus, Arathor, Azjol-Nerub, Bronze Dragonflight, Bronzebeard, Eonar, Hellscream, Khadgar, Lightbringer, Kilrogg, Kul Tiras, Silvermoon, Terenas, Turalyon -> Magtheridon (Alliance only) In addition, the following transfers are now open for European players of either faction: Al'Akir, Stormscale -> Vek'nilash, Xavius Burning Legion, Grim Batol -> Boulderfist, Trollbane Crushridge, Sylvanas -> Chromaggus, Haomarush Kazzak, Ravencrest -> Laughing Skull, Sunstrider Outland, Twilight's Hammer -> Daggerspine, Lightning's Blade Ragnaros, Shattered Hand -> Kor'gall, Shattered Halls Argent Dawn -> Steamwheedle Cartel, The Sha'tar These also are scheduled to run until the 10th of this month, and like all other transfers may close early if the desired population levels are reached. Magtheridon players, have you noticed an improvement in the faction balance since they started pumping Alliance in and Horde out? WarcraftRealms is now showing a 1:16 population ratio overall on that server, which is much better than the 1:67 ratio it was showing when the transfers started (but still pretty bad).
More free character transfers open for the EU
A new batch of fre realm transfers have opened up for European servers, which is always a good thing. A lot of these transfers are ones we've seen before though, so hopefully this time around these options will be more successful than they may have been previously. We also have a whole load of transfers opening up to EU-Magtheridon specifically for the Alliance, so they're continuing to try and repair the faction imbalance there. Right now, we're looking at... Horde players on EU-Magtheridon may transfer to Haomarush, Tarren Mill, Trollbane, Zenedar, and Silvermoon. Alliance players may transfer to EU-Magtheridon from Aerie Peak, Aggramar, Alonsus, Aszune, Azjol-Nerub, Bronze Dragonflight, Bronzebeard, Emerald Dream, Eonar, Khadgar, Kul Tiras, Runetotem, Shadowsong, Silvermoon, and Turalyon. Check behind the cut below for the rest of the current free character transfers.
Many free US character transfers opened
Good evening, US WoW players. I've just received a priority message from Zarhym, your favorite floating skull: many North American PvP, RP, and RP-PvP realms now have transfers available! The following transfers are scheduled to run until Tuesday, February 3, at 5:00 PST: Source A (PvP): Azgalor, Bloodscalp (Horde transfers only), Cho'gall (Horde transfers only), Crushridge, Dark Iron, Darkspear, Deathwing, Drak'Tharon, Dunemaul, Firetree, Gorefiend, Nathrezim, Shadowmoon, Smolderthorn, Spinebreaker, Stormscale, Tortheldrin, WildHammer Destination A (PvP): Malorne, Scilla Source B (RP): Argent Dawn, Cenarion Circle, Earthen Ring, Feathermoon, Moon Guard, Scarlet Crusade, Shadow Council Destination B (RP): Wyrmrest Accord Source C (RP-PvP): Maelstrom, Twisting Nether Destination C: Scilla (PvP), Wyrmrest Accord (RP) Hey, that includes my own native realm, Shadow Council. But I'm never moving; I love that place. In addition, the following PvE transfers will be enabled this Thursday, January 29, at 6 PM PST, and are scheduled to run until Monday, February 2, at 6 PM PST: Source D (PvE): Arygos, Alestrasza, Shadowsong, Eonar, Hyjal Destination D (PvE): Winterhoof As ever, transfers may close early if the desired population levels are reached, so go ahead and transfer early if you intend to do it.
Free EU transfers continue
Man, you'd think they're trying to achieve realm population balance or something. Blizzard has just opened up yet another round of free character transfers for the European realms, these scheduled to be active from now until Tuesday, January 27. Some of these transfers are simply extensions of the last round, and some are brand-new. Horde-only: Magtheridon -> Haomarush, Tarren Mill, Trollbane, Zenedar Alliance-only: Alonsus, Aszune, Bronze Dragonflight, Bronzebeard, Emerald Dream, Eonar, Kul Tiras, Runetotem, Shadowsong, Silvermoon -> Magtheridon Both factions: Al'Akir, Ravencrest -> Kor'gall, Lightning's Blade Burning Legion, Crushridge -> Vek'nilash, Xavius Grim Batol, Twilight's Hammer -> Dentarg, Dragonmaw Outland, Kazzak -> Burning Steppes, Haomarush Shattered Hand, Stormreaver -> Genjuros, Trollbane Stormscale, Sylvanas -> Spinebreaker, Zenedar Argent Dawn -> Darkmoon Faire, Steamwheedle Cartel, The Sha'tar Move early if you want to move, because transfers can be closed if the desired goals are met (i.e. world domination). So who's saying goodbye to their home server and leaving to a new world?
SWG character transfer starts tomorrow
As we mentioned a few months ago when the announcements were being made, Star Wars Galaxies' character transfer and server merges will begin tomorrow. As a reminder for the merger and a helpful guide to the procedure, we wanted to run by all helpful info into one, easy-to-use post for your convenience.First, there's the step-by-step guide to the free character transfer as well as a handy FAQ for anyone with unanswered questions. The GM team also took the time to post up some notes on the transfer over at the SWG forums. Finally, we can't forget the post-transfer server list! The state of the game may change somewhat after tomorrow, but at least you'll be prepared.
