Server Consolidation FAQ

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. 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.)

Thank you so much Holly for clearing up all these questions I can stop running around like Chicken Little now

This all sounds awesome, thank you so much EQ2 team!

Wow, a free server transfer period... I was not expecting that

Once again, they have shown that they are listening and reading what the player base is concerned about. I think this goes a long way in answering the main concerns that have been brought up. Thanks Holly and all working on this project. Your attention to player concerns gets a huge kudos from me. Thanks for all you do.

I think I know the answer to this.. but if you decide to take the free transfer... housing goes with you... but you can't take your guild. Even if you are the only one that uses it?... rest have quit the game

Thank you Holly for this reassuring FAQ!

Thank heaven we're not going to have to worry about being at home at able to log in the minute the new server goes live, to log in quickly and snag our names. Have some guildies worried about that that I can reassure.

Sounds like this is all going to be handled well, and sensibly. Here's to it going as smoothly as it sounds! /crosses_fingers

I myself feel a lot better with this being posted. There were a number of things I was nervous about, and am glad you were able to compile a good list of things that the players have been worried about. Thank you!

Holly, thanks for communicating this information to us. Always good to see a red name post on the forums and address questions and concerns that have been raised.

I'm looking forward to the move - I love my Everfrost, but will admit I've been spending most of my time on TLE. I plan to split my time between Stormhold and my new more populated server!

I am not 100% certain I get this, but are you saying that future character transfers, or even ones done after the server consolidation will have everything moved per the new 'guidelines'? I am asking because I have a character on a server I rarely play on but have done a lot of house decorating on and refuse to move her merely because she will loose her dev pick house and her other 8 published house ratings. If the new change to transfers keeps this in tact I really might be interested in moving servers.

Thanks for any further clarification you can provide.

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.
So this "not a merger" merger is going to merge three servers onto one server vs one server merging onto another server. I like the play on words. Oh, and the normal server transfer requirements should now be tossed out the window because with this "not a merger" merger it's proving that all those server transfer requirements are not necessary any more. So, after all is said and done after the smoke clears, and someone still wants to transfer servers with a server token the cost really should be lowered because the transferring process should be easier with all the new infrastructure that is being implemented behind the scenes.

On the character created first keeping their name, you do realize that this instantly invalidates every name on Freeport server, which didn't launch until November 2010, AND every name on Nagafen, which didn't launch until February 2006, if anyone at all has logged in and has that name on Permafrost, which launched with EQ2 in November 2004.

This really is unfair.

Thanks so much for posting this information Holly - very reassuring. Suka and Uwk can relax now

No. Priority is given to whomever has logged on in the last sixty days. If both have logged on in the last sixty days, its by create date. In effect, the people who haven't logged in since 2004 aren't keeping their names. The only time Permafrost has priority is if it both characters logged in in the last sixty days. I'm betting Feldon can do some DB Magic off of EQ2U, but my guess is this is a really small percentage effected.

So every active player on Permafrost automatically gets priority to keep their names over every single active player on Nagafen and Freeport. Then if there's no active player with a certain name on Permafrost, Nagafen automatically gets priority to keep their name over every single player on Freeport.

How unfair!

Quite frankly, getting dumped on a blue server from Nagafen instead of Nagafen's rule set getting fixed to more closely resemble Deathtoll's is a slap in the face enough. And Freeport was instrumental in the F2P/cash shop changes that brought many new players into EQ2. Why should either of them automatically be screwed out of their names just because somebody from Permafrost logs in within 60 days of the merger?

Consolidation is a more appropriate name, because they are taking three servers and consolidating them onto new hardware. If anything a consolidation sounds worse than a merger so I don't think they are intentionally trying to pull wool over our eyes and spin it to be more positive than what it is.

Also, Holly mentions directly in the post that they recoded how server mergers work and that they will consider modifying the transfer process to work the same. Unless they take the time to modify the transfer process, the requirements are not out the window. And why would this make anything cheaper?

If their characters were created before Nagafen or Freeport came up. I still believe you are talking about a very small portion of the population.

Why are you limiting the free server transfer week to only "characters moved". To me that sounds like it will be limited to people on the three new servers and AB will be left out. The people on AB should have the same opportunity to move during that week that the people on the new servers get. It doesn't seem very fair the way it is currently worded.

While I don't care one way or another about the name of my character on Freeport (though I also don't think there are any conflicts), this really is pretty unfair.

In the last, and in my opinion best handled, server merge of any game I've played, actual played time was considered as well as creation date.

It'd be pretty terrible for someone's level 100 long played character created in 2010 to lose their name to a level 1 last string mule that someone created in 2005 and never actually played, just used for storage just because the person with the mule happened to log them in within the last 60 days. Or imo worse yet, a trial herioc character that never really got played or unlocked.

How nice...for YOU. Every single one of my characters is on Nagafen, or Freeport.

This was not thought out very well at all. I really ask Daybreak to reconsider these rules, at least for the Permafrost/Nagafen/Freeport merger.