New Optional Service: Character Copy

[Mercanuis]

A suggestion I would have to SE is a new optional service that would allow players to make a 'copy' of their existing character from one server to another.

It would be nice to be able to be more available for content without having to do twice the amount of work. For example, when I want to help out my Hyperion friends with Coil its easy because my main is there and ready to go. But to do the same for my Balmung friends is hard, because I have to make a new character, level up, grind for gear again, etc.

But if I were able to just have my character on both servers, this problem goes away! Things are now not a matter of time but of choice.

I understand as a software developer/webservice dev that this is easy to say on paper, but hard to possibly implement. A 'copy' of a character could introduce all sorts of problems.

How many other players would be interested in this type of service? How much would you play for such a service? Would SE be able to provide such a service?

[Mercanuis]

I wanted to add to my proposal. I would've added it first post but 1000 char limit

I think for problems 'in-game' I feel as though compromise would be good. So if a copy was to be made, gil, tomes, and inventory could not be transferred over to the copy. Armory items, equipped items, and such would though. This way I can still keep my coil items/relic/etc but I can't break the game (or RMTs can't exploit the system by constantly creating copys. I think making the service cost something helps with this too).

The server side stuff is what would be a bigger issue I think , unless it would be viable to 'key' characters to servers, but that would make characters permanent residents of their servers. It would be trickier in this regard, hence why I think any sort of service like this would require a fee.

[StouterTaru]

Rather than a copy, why not just a temporary transfer with trade/MB/FC locked out? That would let you run around another server, but not interact directly with their economy. They have mentioned looking into cross server party finder (presumably across the same data center)

If you copy just to skip doing content twice, you'll have to do some of it twice when they raise the level cap, add new jobs, extend the story, etc.

[Mercanuis]

I guess that's true. Some content will be made to be done twice when they do create a major update to the level cap, new jobs, or new dungeons. Although I suppose you could fix this by buying another 'copy'. It would depend on the demand and how much an individual player would want to avoid doing the same thing twice.

I'm not sure I'd like a 'transfer' persay like you reccomended, if only because I wouldn't want to have this problem of having to do a transfer all the time. For some players I think they'd only being doing server hopping every now and then. But for a good chunk of players I think they have friends on multiple servers, and would rather just have the permanence of having their 'main' available all the time.

[Lemage]

I didn't want to pay for transfer either, if you're in a rush to quickly do content with other people i'd say run and level before the expansion releases.