End Server Transfers

One of the continuing balance issues in WvW is massive groups moving from one server to the next to obtain sizeable advantage and basically bully other players by overwhelming them with sheer numbers rather than quality of play. I'm not saying some of those commanders are not excellent, but even their abilities are overshadowed by the volume of players. I don't think that was quite the intention of the game style. Some of the million gold owners are seeking to have exchanges with WvW players so they can capitalize on spirit shards to make more gold. But the transfers are really ruining the playstyle and reeking havoc with any efforts of effectively balancing the matching. So, why continue it?While I understand the need for there to be some income generated from WvW surely some other means could be pursued. New mount skins, providing special siege that won't expire, portable siege, bring back cannons. The point is there are other ways to get revenue for the WvW side and server swapping en masse is ultimately destructive to the medium of play.

They should re-link servers every matchup (every week), and limit transfers to once a month, ensuring at least a 75% matchup stability. But they won't do it, because they love that transfer money, the game mode has been a cash cow for a long time.

For some reason ArenaNet doesn't seem to think the gemstore is viable for WvW players.

And if you end server transfers, then what? The "massive groups" would be stuck on a server. What did you solve? Nothing thats what. That server would still have overwhelming numbers and the ither servers would be slowly starved to death.

Messing with transfers is pointless.

Transfers have been a plague on the game since people started transferring en masse during the first Tournament in order to gain a Gold/Silver/Bronze Dolyak Finisher. Example: https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/WvW_Bronze_Dolyak_Finisher video:

(You never see these finishers because people save them, because they are all limited use - it's crazy).

This is why we can't have nice things (i.e. Rewards for Winning).

Removing transfers, however, causes nearly as many problems as it solves, however, specifically, "I can't play with my friend/guild". It's a problem echoed WHEN A SERVER IS FULL STATUS AND UNLINKED! cough cough HINT HINT cough

@"Dawdler.8521" said:And if you end server transfers, then what? The "massive groups" would be stuck on a server. What did you solve? Nothing thats what. That server would still have overwhelming numbers and the ither servers would be slowly starved to death.

Messing with transfers is pointless.

^ This. Disabling server transfers would not solve the problem and would also create lots of players crying in the forums that they can't transfer to play with friends in WvW and stuff, killing even more an already dead game mode. About improved siege with gems, definitely NO, just NO .WvW needs a complete rework, this no one doubts, but we already have a promise for that, and all we can do right now is wait for that.

the only way to solve population issues for good is to rebalance aoe, but it will never happen.

You can't close transfers because some servers will get screwed in the process because general population is not even across the board.You can't relink every week because then it's a full time job for them, since it's done manually with them needing to process weeks worth of data to make appropriate links.

Populations need to be reset and evened out.Links or any kind of reshuffling need to be done automatically.When transfers and population get out of hand, reshuffle populations is needed.In the process of reshuffling, guilds and friends need to be kept together with minor interruption.

Hm sounds like a familiar system in the works to solve the problems...

@Gop.8713 said:The current system is basically just anet throwing up their hands and saying there's nothing they can do about population or coverage. Proposed solutions also have problems, but most would at least be an improvement. With as underplayed as the mode is, I can't believe gems spend on transfers represent a significant source of income for anet or a significant part of the in game economy . . .

EDIT: I'm not really sure it's a huge problem anymore though. I'm linked to the 'third server' in NA t1 this week and even as a solo roamer there have been plenty of viable fights, not the blobfest that dominated the mode in previous months/years. But I still think limiting transfers to the week or so before anet determines the next round of links would be the best immediate solution . . .

I'd rather see World Linking Removed.

Servers with a "moving" average of being the Top 3 Ranked are NOT OPEN to Transfer.

Allow Server Transfers for any Server NOT a Top 3 Ranked, but it will Cost a Lot of Gold & World Ability Points (Which is used to unlock WvW Abilities).

Remove World Linking & Tightly Control Server Transfer options is only the beginning of a new Road Map & Vision on where WvW needs to go....in order to fix this WvW game mode.

REBOOT WvW - Remove World Linking & Implement Changes to WvWhttps://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/comment/1064947/#Comment_1064947

We are in dire need of a Solid Road Map & Vision...with Concrete Steps on what to do, or we will continue to have countless discussions that go in circles & get NOTHING done.

Yours truly,Diku

Credibility requires critical insight & time.

@Malavian.4695 said:One of the continuing balance issues in WvW is massive groups moving from one server to the next to obtain sizeable advantage and basically bully other players by overwhelming them with sheer numbers rather than quality of play. I'm not saying some of those commanders are not excellent, but even their abilities are overshadowed by the volume of players. I don't think that was quite the intention of the game style. Some of the million gold owners are seeking to have exchanges with WvW players so they can capitalize on spirit shards to make more gold. But the transfers are really ruining the playstyle and reeking havoc with any efforts of effectively balancing the matching. So, why continue it?While I understand the need for there to be some income generated from WvW surely some other means could be pursued. New mount skins, providing special siege that won't expire, portable siege, bring back cannons. The point is there are other ways to get revenue for the WvW side and server swapping en masse is ultimately destructive to the medium of play.

And then what? forcing people to play with other people? lmao, might as well log off.

Only way it'd work is if they closed off T4 and probably T3 while they're at it.

@DeadlySynz.3471 said:Only way it'd work is if they closed off T4 and probably T3 while they're at it.

Close them down, make Maguuma the official teenage angst RP server, and let it ride.

this can be solved by bi monthly booting of people off servers.

The key is you need a way that people can legit transfer but have a system that does not encourage mass regular transfers. Maybe the system tracks the number of times you have transferred and the cost goes up with each jump even when moving to lower pops. Older transfers would expire overtime if a player has not moved in a while.

Make the link server cost the same number of gems as the host server and close transfers in the first two weeks after re-linking.

This isn't a viable fix. All it will do is push a bunch of players out of the game because they don't want to log into a dead, toxic, etc server.

After all this time,

does it look like they care about anything else than making money on this (put into maintenance years ago) mode.

@Inoki.6048 said:After all this time,

does it look like they care about anything else than making money on this (put into maintenance years ago) mode.

well qol improved in wvw. but the mode itself, no. after desert map, the best addition was reverting some maps to alpine.

@Sovereign.1093 said:this can be solved by bi monthly booting of people off servers.

Boot them to where?

i kinda hate the fact that my 1st wvw guild transfered off fow around the 2 year mark..(was a real inner tussle at the time and not a decision taken lighlty at all, server pride was a major factor at that time) . and then disbanded not too long after... (gutted) that set in motion more transfers for me ( searching around for that holy grail feeling of belonging somewhere i guess ) because once u transfered the 1st time u lost the right to have server pride

ofc now there is no server loyalty at all, which is a big shame..... on the other hand i have met some wonderful ppl along the way, who i never would have met otherwise, and had some great times in wvw. (shoutout to my [RISE] ppl on gunnars, and to my [YUM] buds on na - not that many are left playin :( i guess all good things come to an end tho.

transfers nowadays make no diffrence in the sense of trying to build a community or having server pride etc... because linkings are always changing anyways.. really transfers should not have ever been an option at all, or atleast it shoundlt have been as frequently allowed and perhaps should have cost alot more to do so. but anet are were probably happy at the time of mass transfers, big guilds constantly moving around swooping up players, and bandwagon guilds moving to bolster their chances of winning or recruting etc etc... made for alot of gem sales at the time.

@Inoki.6048 said:After all this time,does it look like they care about anything else than making money on this (put into maintenance years ago) mode.

u can look at this in a diffrent way -- if they just wanted to make money - why have they steadily ignored the mode or made so many poor decisions along its progression upto today, which has driven the playerbase away, and alienated those that are left. ( ofc there are still players that are oblivious to anything thats happnend and still maintain wvw is fine )

I have been repeating this for years. Server transfers and stacking is mainly what killed wvw.

Wvw needs to be blown up completely. Transfers need to be stopped completely. Make wvw RvR like in GW1 red v blue. People should be made to pick a side. No transfers then creates server pride and the desire to win the war for your world.

There should be a small reward at the end of each week for the winner and a bigger reward at the end of each month. Then add occasional events/tournaments.

I keep harping back to GW1 yes... but ppl were happy with AB, FA and JQ battles and they fought for their side.

I think I remember that if you did transfer, your guild had to leave your alliance or the whole alliance had to transfer, which meant disbanding and re-forming. The alliance I was in transferred to the other side once every six months to get the Kurzick/Luxon pve points. I dont think the points gave an advantage in AB, FA or JQ battles.

Anyway thats how I remember it... pity they didnt make wvw the same.

At this stage of the game, I say yes to ending transfers. Time after time, it has been shown. Players simply cannot be trusted to do the right thing and not break the system. They will always bandwagon to the winning servers creating imbalances because people hate to lose! Also, transfers pretty much encourage political and manipulative shenanigans among players and guilds. Just blow it up completely. Either make it like gw1, as others have said, or have more frequent server relinks but still allow you to keep your guild and play wvw with them. Come to think it, isn't the latter the whole point of this alliance system? Eehh...it's been so long I completely forgot what this proposed "alliance" system was really about! XD

It's like people talk about server pride in wvw, but honestly, that never really existed as much as people think. People just wanted to go where people went thanks to the fact that they could, at least at first, transfer for FREE. All that really mattered was guild pride, to be honest.

@XenesisII.1540 said:

@Sovereign.1093 said:this can be solved by bi monthly booting of people off servers.

off server. or something like diablo 3 seasons where you have to reapply and join from 0.

vets like us, we diamond. newbs not face fair field. but if seasons apply, just we can go and start play fair field. and just limit the wvw skills so ppl got to choose what to master. after season, you gain those points back to regular wvw. back to being diamond again doing karma farm.

Off server to where? You do know that the actual accounts are on the servers right? booting someone off a server means moving them. So where are you booting them to?

For alliances it will not matter what server you're on, because the worlds are new population pools of the players like what eotm does but on a longer term of two months at a time. Yes just like diablo or path of exile does seasons(although they don't have regular servers you have to pick, you pick normal or season to play).

But right now accounts are on servers, there's isn't anything to boot players to.