We have been working toward our Server Consolidation plans and saw a lot of great questions and want to address as many as we can. Here you’ll find answers to the questions we could answer. We’ll update as we go!
General
Q: How is this server consolidation different than server merges of the past?
A: We’re not merging one server’s data into another. A consolidation means all characters from the designated origin servers are moved onto a new server.
Q: How will we be able to retain names if others have the same name?
A: In the event of duplicate character names during the consolidation, priority will be given to the character who has logged in to the game within the past sixty (60) days. If multiple characters have logged in within the past sixty (60) days, then the character which was created first will retain their name. Other same-named characters will have an "X" (or several) added to their names automatically until their name is unique. Each player that is auto-renamed this way will get a rename potion to change their name.
Q: If my character’s name is taken or modified, will I be given a rename potion?
A: Yes, every character that is automatically renamed will be granted a rename potion to use at your convenience.
Q: Will we get free character transfers?
A: Once the consolidations are complete for all of the worlds, we will open up a one-time free character transfer period for one week for those characters who were moved. This free transfer option will expire after one week.
Q: Will there be any elimination of characters altogether based on level, cash reserves, etc.?
A: No, there will be no elimination of characters.
Q: Should we clear our mailboxes out before the consolidation happens?
A: Mail will get transferred over to the new servers. If you would like to clean your mailbox, it will help reduce the needed down time.
Q: When is this server consolidation going to happen? And when will the cross-server dungeons going to be running?
A: We don't have a definite date for the consolidations yet. We're currently looking at the end of September, but that may change. It takes time to make sure we're ready for server changes of this scale. Also this is a relatively new process that we're running this time, since we have the goal of keeping
everything with your characters. The foundation of these consolidations share the same foundation as cross-server dungeons also. In the current schedule, we'll return to working on cross-server dungeons when the server consolidations are completed and stable.
Banks
Q: Should I take the things I have in the bank or shared bank out?
A: There is no need to take anything out of the bank or shared bank. They'll all be transferred completely.
Q: Will the shared bank stay behind, attached to its original server, like in previous server shutdowns or with other character transfers?
A: This server consolidation will not behave like a character transfer nor will it behave like a server closing. We have been working for more than a year to implement all of the underlying technology that will enable us to bring over all of the data, as well as smooth out the server consolidation process.
Housing and Player-Designed Dungeons
Q: Does housing stuff all have to be packed into the moving crate for each house? Will housing templates be saved? (How do you do that? I forget!)
A: We are not planning any loss of anything in these consolidations. It's always good to save your housing templates, however it will not be required. Tip: go to your house, open the house window, and hit save. It'll prompt you for a template name, enter one, and then click Okay.
Q: I have numerous dungeons that are used for storage for my decorating items. Will we need -- and be provided enough time -- to move items from dungeons to a house prior to consolidation?
A: No need, they'll all get moved to the new server.
Q: I and several friends HAVE done character moves and had published houses disappear, dungeons go missing along with content, random house items go missing, and anything in the bank gone. How will this server consolidation be different?
A: As mentioned above this is a completely separate process and not tied into our current character transfer system. We are considering converting our current character transfer system to using this process once the server consolidations have completed.
Q: Will paid house rent transfer?
A: Yes.
Q: Will depots transfer?
A: Yes, personal as well as guild depots will transfer.
Q: Will player written books and housing trophies be safe in your house, or should we move them to our bags/bank/house vault?
A: They will be safe in the houses.
Q: Will housing trophies still have our house info and date obtained on them, or will they now be blank?
A: They will still have your house info and date obtained.
Q: Are objects in our moving crates safe?
A: Yes.
Q: What if we've used a house item expander? Will our expanded items be safe?
A: Yes.
Q: Is it safe to assume that the files in our saved house layouts within the EQII folders will be preserved?
A: Yes they'll still be there. Just remember to not delete them off your hard drive.
Q: Do we need to empty house vaults ?
A: No.
Guilds
Q: Should I be emptying my guild hall office so I don't lose the furniture I crafted and placed there?
A: No, all guilds and guild halls will be moved onto the same server. All housing will be moved as well.
Q: If our names change, how will our guildmates know who we are? How will the guild still be together if everyone is renamed?
A: The names that do conflict will be renamed according to the method listed above. In the guild roster everyone will keep their notes, rank, and anything else tied to that character. If a character is renamed it will be automatically updated in the guild rosters. All characters that are auto-renamed will have the option to do a free name change. If the free name change is used it will automatically update the name in the guild roster as well.
Q: How will you handle guild names?
A: Guild names will be handled similarly to character names. If two or more guilds have the same name, we will append "X" to conflicting guilds and both guilds will be offered a free guild name change. If there is no leader in your guild, you'll need to /petition to initiate a vote for a new leader.
Q: I don't know if this is true, but people on my server have said that guilds are often deleted when the servers were merged. Is this true, and if it is, what can I do to make sure that my guild will not be deleted?
A: This is not true for this server consolidation.
(If you want more information on servers being consolidation and general background, please see the original post
HERE.)
19/08/2015, 10h31
