Transferring items between alt characters

[Niwashi]

they will never add a system that allows you to break the limit

SE already limits the number of characters we can have on a server. They even have two different subscription levels according to which character limit you want (and are willing to pay for). That's as much limitation as any other MMO needs. Why would SE need more restrictions there than anyone else? (It's not even an actual restriction, because you still have the same amount of storage space spread across the same number of characters, the only difference is how hard or easy it is to transfer between them. Even if you never transferred anything, your other characters can fill their storage space with their own items.)

[Vandril]

SE already limits the number of characters we can have on a server. They even have two different subscription levels according to which character limit you want (and are willing to pay for). That's as much limitation as any other MMO needs. Why would SE need more restrictions there than anyone else?

Who knows? But they obviously have some sort of reason. Maybe they actually rent server space? Something like cloud storage? Hard to say...

If SE ever tells me, I'll let you know. :P

It's not even an actual restriction, because you still have the same amount of storage space spread across the same number of characters, the only difference is how hard or easy it is to transfer between them. Even if you never transferred anything, your other characters can fill their storage space with their own items.

Except it is a restriction, and alts will allow a majority of players to get around it. Yes, you're right in that it's the same inventory slots per character. If one were to play each character just as often and collect a similar amount of items on each, then the inventory space will be filled with each own character's stuff.

But let's face reality: most players won't be using those alts for that. Let's say alt mailing was introduced. Those who only play one or two characters will suddenly make 6 or 7 more. Just like in every other MMORPG that allows mailing to alts, these additional characters will be used almost solely for storage space; as bank alts. It would quickly become the norm to have a full array of characters so that you can have a ton of bank alt space. The average player will fill out there character slots for this purpose. I mean, why not? It's a dollar more a month for more space than you can ever use. Best part is, many of these characters will remain unused and their inventories empty, because the other characters before it have yet to be filled up.

It's all just one giant mess that wastes a lot of space on the FFXIV database (all the unnecessary character data). And, for reasons truly known only to them, SE considers data storage to be this huge premium. They will simply never waste it like this.

Not to mention that it would kill their income from extra retainer services, but that's another matter entirely. <.<

Anyway, in nearly every other MMORPG I've played, I was an altaholic. I sympathize with the desire to use your main's fortunes to make the lives of your alts easier. Something should be done, but SE will never do it if it allows bank alts. Maybe it could be as simple as only allowing mailing Gil cross-character and not items?

[Niwashi]

Who knows? But they obviously have some sort of reason. Maybe they actually rent server space? Something like cloud storage? Hard to say...

If SE ever tells me, I'll let you know. :P

For someone who doesn't know, you seem quite convinced that such a restriction actually exists. This game does certainly have a lot of hardware related limitations, but all the ones I've heard about relate to their game servers rather than their database servers. Passive storage of logged out characters is a different beast than active character inventory that you're carrying around while playing.

Not to mention that it would kill their income from extra retainer services, but that's another matter entirely. <.<

Not really. Players will still prefer to have their inventory available to the character they expect to use it. Stopping by a retainer bell is a whole lot easier than logging out, changing characters, logging back in, finding the item(s) your other character wants, going to a mail moogle and sending the items, logging out again, switching back to your first character, logging in again, and picking up your mail. While it's true that the ability to mail stuff to our alts would make bank alts possible, it wouldn't make them as convenient as retainers are.

Maybe it could be as simple as only allowing mailing Gil cross-character and not items?

Defeats the point if you're trying to let one character take care of all your crafting, providing the gear for all your other characters. Gil isn't the main thing that needs transferring.

[Vandril]

For someone who doesn't know, you seem quite convinced that such a restriction actually exists.

That's because me not knowing the reasons why SE wants the restrictions has no bearing on the fact that there is, in fact, an inventory restriction. Inventory is limited, therefore it is restricted.

I'm honestly not even understanding what you're trying to get at, here. Are we even talking about the same restriction?

This game does certainly have a lot of hardware related limitations, but all the ones I've heard about relate to their game servers rather than their database servers. Passive storage of logged out characters is a different beast than active character inventory that you're carrying around while playing.

They haven't done much to differentiate between the world servers and the database servers (both of which may even be handled by the same physical machines, for all we know) when they talk about their hardware limitations as an excuse not to implement certain changes. Inventory space, for example - which, unless I misremember, they've time and time again denied adding to due to worries of character data size - would hit database servers far, far harder than they would the game servers, especially considering the whole "all inventory data is backed up every few seconds" gig.

Not really. Players will still prefer to have their inventory available to the character they expect to use it. Stopping by a retainer bell is a whole lot easier than logging out, changing characters, logging back in, finding the item(s) your other character wants, going to a mail moogle and sending the items, logging out again, switching back to your first character, logging in again, and picking up your mail. While it's true that the ability to mail stuff to our alts would make bank alts possible, it wouldn't make them as convenient as retainers are.

Which doesn't change the fact that their income from the extra retainers would take a huge hit. Sure, many will keep their extra retainers for the convenience. But the flip side of the coin is also true - a ton of people would be happy to stop paying an extra $2+ for their subscription fee every month in exchange for inventory being a little more time-consuming.

It wouldn't outright remove the profit from additional retainers, but it would drastically impact just how profitable they are.

But, as I stated previously, all of this about retainers is rather beside the point. I only brought it up as another reason why Square would likely never implement any further systems that would facilitate bank alts.

Defeats the point if you're trying to let one character take care of all your crafting, providing the gear for all your other characters. Gil isn't the main thing that needs transferring.

Not quite true. You could always buy the crafted gear with the gil sent from your main, and then sell the gear your main crafted, instead. You can also buy from your other character on an alt from the market board, no? Then you can just sell yourself the item after sending the gil to your alt. It sounds like it would solve the problem quite well. The only time I can imagine this being an issue is if you're trying to transfer some piece of gear or item with a worth in the millions of gil - market board tax wouldn't be so negligible, then.

All in all, it would allow the same-account transfer of Gil via mail and items via market board for a small tax, all the while discouraging bank alts and thus not breaking the inventory limitation.