Suggestion: Allow Free Transfers TO European Data Center

[Taika]

I have a question for you all - did you ignore the "Recommended for EU players" when you picked a world? Is the Chaos data center a more recent development or has it been sectioned off as the EU data center since 2.0 launch? Just curious as I'm not sure this is "unfair" if you knowingly were not playing in the EU data center - not to say they shouldn't allow free transfers from NA>EU.

I've been playing on Balmung since 1.0 when there was no "recommended EU servers". In 2.0 we already had made friends on our server and back then our FC also had NA members in addition to EU members, and as the servers were all located in Canada, we saw no reason to move just because some other servers were newly labeled as "recommended" ones. But as our FC currently has only EU members and lag has been an issue for us in raiding, the situation is very different now that we have the option to move to actual EU servers.

[AriaS]

Legacy player too. I remember the discussion with my FC and since Ragnarok was the only option we had being Legacy players and that didn't have a too good of a reputation in 1.0, we decided to stay on Hyperion since there was no real difference latency wise then. As someone pointed out earlier while we had the choice to play on a EU "recommended" server so did the NA players have that option and some went for the EU route. Yet they have the option to transfer away free (which I think is fair enough) while there is no option for us to transfer there free.

[Ayerinn]

@ Ayerinn did you ignore the "Recommende for EU players" as NA player so you want to move now?? Its the same argument reversed ..... so no Argument at all. If they allow one group to change its just not right the other group has to pay >.>

it was a legitimate question...I was curious. I'm on a NA server and reside in NA (from the start) because why would I choose an EU server?

[Tigerlilyb]

I'm one of those who made NA friends back in v1.0 and since my lag was the same no matter which server I chose, I chose to stay with friends. Who have now quit (go figure).

So now I'm stuck on a laggy server and I have to pay for the benefit of having that lag fixed.

I can understand why they don't want a mass immigration to Chaos but for folks in similar situations to mine, it sucks. I'd really love to move but 28€ for me and my husband is steep. Maybe even if they just cut us some sort of deal, that would be nice too.

[Magistrella]

I've been playing on Balmung since 1.0 when there was no "recommended EU servers". In 2.0 we already had made friends on our server and back then our FC also had NA members in addition to EU members, and as the servers were all located in Canada, we saw no reason to move just because some other servers were newly labeled as "recommended" ones. But as our FC currently has only EU members and lag has been an issue for us in raiding, the situation is very different now that we have the option to move to actual EU servers.

You had the option to transfer to a EU labled legacy server free of charge when 2.0 was released.

So yes, there was a recommended for EU players and if you choose to stay on a NA Server that is your own responsibility.

The Service is for people outside of the EU whose connections would get worse so they can transfer off - if you choose to play on a NA or JP Server from the beginning its your own damn problem *shrug*


/edit: and before the whine starts: If you choose to play with your NA friends from the beginning on a NA Server you most likely choose it because of the people and not because of the ping. That Problem was only going whinerage 1-2 weeks in 2.0 - you couldve choosen to leave right there and then

[Tigerlilyb]

you most likely choose it because of the people and not because of the ping.

That's because the ping was identical regardless of server. "EU server" was just a label and had no impact on how the game handled.

That Problem was only going whinerage 1-2 weeks in 2.0 - you couldve choosen to leave right there and then

Sooo... either stay on a laggy server with friends, or transfer to a different laggy server with no friends? Just because it said EU on it?

[raela]

it was a legitimate question...I was curious. I'm on a NA server and reside in NA (from the start) because why would I choose an EU server?

I had EU friends from another game that said the servers were all in NA anyway so it'd make no difference. Turned out to be a lot larger deal than they made it to be - DF on chaos is miserable when I get home in the evenings, and I've not played with them enough to make up for it. I'm quite excited that I will be able to relocate for free. I don't see the harm in giving a free transfer for anyone wanting to go to chaos as well - just make sure any one account can only get one free transfer.

[Taika]

Sooo... either stay on a laggy server with friends, or transfer to a different laggy server with no friends? Just because it said EU on it?

Exactly. The choice is now completely different because the situation is now completely different: back then all the NA/EU servers were located in the same place, despite the label, so it was a choice between two servers with same lag issues but one of them you had been for a long time and made friends from and the other you had no experience of. There was no reason whatsoever for the older players to move from their familiar servers.

Having new datacenter in Europe makes the choice completely different, because now we can choose between an actual EU server or NA server, and the choice will assumedly have a significant affect on our gameplay. And because of this, SE should offer EU players the option to move there for free, just like they should and are offering NA players the choice to move to the NA servers for free.

[Blitzace]

Whiney people, it can't always be your way. Its nice enough of them to give out ANY free changes what so ever

[BreathlessTao]

100% supporting this. The way it currently is now is: "Here, EU players, this is for you - but pay extra if you want to enjoy it." Which is awful and doesn't make sense.

Yes, there were recommended EU worlds back then. But everyone knew there was no difference between NA ones and these recommended ones, because they were in the same actual physical location. So, why would anyone have cared about a simple label? And since then, with all the mixing, friendships were built and communities formed and investments were made (think housing for example).

Now SE finally gives European players for what they have been asking for since the start (dunno why such a huge company as SE couldn't do this right from the start, when pretty much everyone else can, but that's another subject), people with characters on the worlds affected even get a subscription extension, but there is a twist too. Free server transfers are offered - only AWAY from the affected servers, not TO those. Why? The official post says:

Because the Chaos data center is being relocated, certain players may find they are no longer playing on a desirable World.

The "desirable world" thing goes both ways.

Before:
NA player on NA world - ideal connection, desirable.
NA player on "designated EU" world - ideal connection, desirable.
EU player on NA world - not ideal connection, not desirable.
EU player on "designated EU" world - not ideal connection, not desirable.

After:
NA player on NA world - ideal connection, desirable, same as before with no new options.
NA player on EU world - not ideal connection, not desirable, worse connection than before with better options for optimal.
EU player on NA world - not ideal connection, not desirable, same connection as before with better options for optimal.
EU player on EU world - ideal connection, desirable, new options.

Considering the fact that this change is being made for the benefit of the European players, it is very unfortunate that the NA players are getting a free ticket out of it, while the actual European players have to pay extra to get in on it. And in light of the abovementioned details, if a NA player isn't being held responsible for "not choosing the right world", ie. going for one that was marked as EU, as they do get a free transfer away from Chaos - a European player shouldn't be held responsible for "not choosing the right world", ie. going for one that wasn't marked as EU, either. But they are, for some reason, because there's no free transfer for people to Chaos. It's unfortunate and a very bad move; and that's even ignoring all the progress players might have made since launch, either on a personal or an in-game financial sense, ignoring the transfer restrictions (gil, FCs, etc) and just assuming all Europeans on all NA worlds would automatically want to move to European servers.

And I'm omitting anything Japan-related here, because I especially can't see any reason why JPN players or servers should even be involved in a matter that's purely NA/EU. That region has had its own server cluster from the start, without any sort of "special" designation or hint of uncertainty, while at the same time NA and EU have been sharing the same space with arbitrary marking and a possibility of change sometime in the future.

All in all - either allow the free transfers both ways, as the move creates new situations on both sides, or don't give out free transfers at all because one-way is simply unfair.