People can already transfer up to a different progression server though. A "step era" (I'd prefer to call it) server configuration doesn't make much sense to me if you make the transfer easy/free because at that point you're just simulating progression. The only difference is that the user chooses when content is locked/unlocked, opposed to a schedule. You can already pick/choose the content you do freely on live, ignoring a few zone revamps like Split Paw versus Infected Paw. Oddly & speculating from a technical perspective, it might be easier to have a single server with zone instances for each era (not expansion) and to have the player choose which era their toon is attuned to. After the initial coding, that might work better and I could see that server becoming a lower maintenance dumping ground for the mature/dead TLPs. Part of my rationale is that server transfers are already bad/buggy enough now. I'd probably coin "Flexgression" to that server configuration (i.e. Flexible Progression).
I don't think the number of people just plowing leveling over and over would be laddering very much. Not sure what the point of that would be. The only people who are going to rush the progression are the people leveling alts to play on their live server, or to feed from new progression to old progression I guess. Simulating progression, that's kind of the whole point. If I convince a RL friend to try the game, we could play on a progression/ladder server with the end goal being to be on Luclin. I already have to sell my friend on a monthly sub, but for them to end up on Luclin there would be a transfer cost as well. The ladder/progression servers would only be free transfers from a premium server to a non-premium server (or progression to further along progression). Yes, PL and heroics are options for live, but it's hard to sell someone on a game with "pay to level your character" then "I'll will level your character" and at some point you'll get to the few zones that are populated, but you probably wont know how to play. Paragraph 2. WoW does something similar. I am not a WoW player, but occasionally I do trial it. I thought the cross server play in newbie zones was a brilliant idea. If the technical ability exists in EQ, it would be an awesome addition. Especially in old zones. It would be awesome if every server were able to run off similar pick zones. I am sure the population of Nektulos and Qeynos is low or absent on every live server, but cross server play in these zones could work. The idea is simply to get everyone on live who wants to play alts in the same area. Ladder, your "flexgression", cross server instances, how it work doesn't matter. Yes, I am aware of a number of issues with cross server instances, such as trade which underminds crafting, which is why I prefer an option for free upwards transfers, but cross-server grouping is also a good way to stimulate low level play.
