Guild Wars 2

I transferred to Eredon Terrace on the 13th for an unbugged Temple of Balthazar. This was to obtain the remaining shards necessary to finish Sunrise. After successfully completing the event on the 14th, I made the greatsword and prepared to return home to Jade Quarry (My home server since launch).

When the 24 hour wait expired, I tried to return to Jade Quarry, but it was locked due to “Full” status. Since then I’ve been checking the server list multiple times per day, and it has never once dipped below “Full.” I confirmed with my guild, and it does appear that there are a huge number of transfers to Jade Quarry this week, probably due to taking the #1 WvW spot last week. The same thing appears to be happening to Isle of Janthir, which is dominating 4-6 this week.

I tried to submit a ticket, but ANet will not transfer anyone to servers showing “Full.” I guess I don’t understand the WvW bandwagon thing. Why flock en masse to a server that is dominating? We’ve had some weeks recently where at times, we have owned every single contestable point in all maps. That’s not fun pvp.

If paid server transfers were activated, a lot of this flip-flopping would stop. Either that or give incentives to join less dominant servers. Until then, I’ll keep checking Jade Quarry server status at all hours of the day, so I can eventually return home.

And it would also ensure that the current over populated servers stay that way

So incentives first, then enable paid transfers.

Hearte.6852:

I guess I don’t understand the WvW bandwagon thing. Why flock en masse to a server that is dominating? We’ve had some weeks recently where at times, we have owned every single contestable point in all maps. That’s not fun pvp.

Server wins, ppl go there.
Server lose, ppl abandon it.

Simple as that .

Hearte.6852:

If paid server transfers were activated, a lot of this flip-flopping would stop. Either that or give incentives to join less dominant servers. Until then, I’ll keep checking Jade Quarry server status at all hours of the day, so I can eventually return home.

Free trasnfer surely messed up a LOT with the wvw. Really a lot – to the point of the state we can see now.

But closing now transfers would probably “freeze” populations, with all the unbalance that is all around – and this could be even worse than extending free transfer duration.

Or, other option, they haven’t get the guesting thing working yet.

You were probably typing to my original post when I replied, but I think enabling some incentive system for transferring to less dominant servers some time before enabling paid server transfers would help balance populations. Then going forward, would keep matches more balanced and fun.

Free transfers are not a problem, free transfers with a feeble 24 hour limit is, they should make it 30 days.

The problem with longer transfer times is that WvW is supposed to be a very dynamic, self-balancing system. This would lead to one server absolutely dominating for much longer periods with no hope for change. With some kind of incentive system to join less dominating servers, WvW matches would auto-balance themselves.

Hearte.6852:

With some kind of incentive system to join less dominating servers, WvW matches would auto-balance themselves.

They’r planning to make transfer to lower tier pop servers cheaper.

But…

is just me or somebody else think that that’s not such a great incentive – and ppl won’t move?

Yeah that doesn’t seem very appealing. Why leave a server that has the best rolling bonuses and easy access to every jumping puzzle?

Hearte.6852:

The problem with longer transfer times is that WvW is supposed to be a very dynamic, self-balancing system. This would lead to one server absolutely dominating for much longer periods with no hope for change. With some kind of incentive system to join less dominating servers, WvW matches would auto-balance themselves.

The self balancing has nothing to do with player transfers, it is in fact player transfers that is mucking it up, by stopping the self balancing mechanism of servers sorting themselves in to well matched tiers from working properly.

I really don’t get this.

WE, the community of the game, are pretty united in that we want the free server transfers to end.

We actually WANT ANet to charge money for this feature.

And yet they’re not doing it.

It’s like people are calling “shut up and take my money” while ANet is saying “no”…all while making the game worse.

The damage was already done, and as I commented in another thread, as soon as Anet announces any change to transfers, weather switching to paid or adding a longer timer, people will flood the top servers on the list with transfer requests and many other servers will suffer for it.

The problem is that there doesn’t seem to be a good way to ensure balance if they were to stop the free transfers. Give a deadline for free transfers, and people will all make last minute switches to the “winning” server, and as a result there will be a huge imbalance in populations.

If you keep it free, this issue where people switch around all the time will continue.

Incentives to switch…what would those be? I agree there needs to be a reason for people to choose less populated servers to balance out populations, however there’s not really much you can offer people that won’t cause a swarm and thus re-imbalance the populations, and/or cause people to go on a crying spree about how ANet is unfair again because they didn’t get some reward for switching because people switched too fast if it was a good incentive.

Honestly World Transfers should have been free for one week after launch. Once the game launched and the servers stabilized, there wasn’t really much reason to keep free transfers in my opinion, that I know of. I don’t remember this server hopping thing happening until recently, when the 1 week matches started.

From my perspective I see this as the only option to resolve this issue 100%.
Pick a Tuesday and take the servers offline, reset everyone’s home server and all the server rankings to date so that all the servers will be new again, the only thing to be saved is the players characters gear etc, they wont be changed.
Give the community like a weeks warning to make proper preparations for their friends and guilds.

Next and I see this as the only option to avoid flooding of the top servers at when they are restored is to completely rename the servers, then went the servers are restored and people login, no one will know who the top servers gonna be and we can let the community settle, keep free transfers open for 24 hours to let people find their friends/guilds etc then close it and make it a paid service with a 30 day timer.

Its an extreme measure sure but this is the only way to restore a balance to the servers without condemning other servers to death due to population shortage.

What about allowing free transfers from high population servers to low population servers, make everything else paid. I know its not an original idea (I believe WoW did this) but it allows people to move out of full servers with the understanding that they’re not going back unless they pay for it. Lots of people will move just so that they can do things such as WvW again without waiting in queue for hours or actually manage to tag mobs and get loot from doing events.

This would allow people to hop off the bandwagon when they realize how full its getting, while stopping new people from getting on.

Ground Stop.9538:

What about allowing free transfers from high population servers to low population servers, make everything else paid. I know its not an original idea (I believe WoW did this) but it allows people to move out of full servers with the understanding that they’re not going back unless they pay for it. Lots of people will move just so that they can do things such as WvW again without waiting in queue for hours or actually manage to tag mobs and get loot from doing events.

This would allow people to hop off the bandwagon when they realize how full its getting, while stopping new people from getting on.

This makes sense, yes.

In general they should slowly “phase” out the free transfers, keeping those free that go to low population realms.

They can still give new accounts a 2-3 week grace period so they end up with their friends, but in general, these free transfers must end.

It’s gone beyond paid now, some people are willing to throw money at it (and some people have made a kitten tonne in game), it needs to have a wvw restriction on transfer.

On transfer locked out of wvw until the end of the next match up, imo.