They could simply make it an archievement and provide an npc who sells them for free like the challenge mode gear
archievements are accountwide so would work without any coding
the core reason they had no solution for this is more likely
"give us money for server transfer"
Last edited by mmoc1be018301a; 2012-12-26 at 04:37 PM.
On my previous job (BMMORPG, incidentally), my first assignment was to implement currency exchange auction with cross-server support. Took two weeks. And yes, I inherited exactly 8+ years old and very convoluted code initially written by two project founders that were good "visioneers", but quite the mediocre programmers. On my last work, my first assignment as a training was to make changes to live project that serves 600m daily impressions in Japan. Somehow I managed it and still didn't get Nobel's prize from this "obviously impossible and inhuman" task. Just believe me (you have no issue with believing, right). This IS stuff that gets done each and every day.
Last edited by rowaasr13; 2012-12-26 at 04:41 PM.
You are trying to trivialize an entirely new system by glossing over the details. This list is a high level list of what needs to be done...You need to be familiar with the systems involved to make a more indepth list
1) you need somewhere to put this data, you suggested wherever achievements are stored. I wouldn't put it literally in the same DB
2) you need a way of removing an item from the local realm and inserting it into this new system
--Get Item data from local realm (select field1,...fieldn from someitemdbtable(s) where item_instance_id=###)//May already exist in some form....may just be making it available to this new system.
--CreateItemInBoAB(field1,...fieldn)
--DeleteItem(item_instance_id) //probably already exists, but needs to be available to new system
3) you need a way of removing an item from this new system and creating it on the realm.
--simular to 2
4) checks to make sure if this fails for whatever reason you don't get things like duplicate items/transferring non heirloom items etc.
--things like making sure the item was created in BoAB before destroying it on the local realm what to do when it can be created but not destroyed...etc
It's a lot simpler of a thing for them to program then they would tell us. They've created the possibility of inviting players from across other realms, immediately transferring one of the two players to the other's realm as quickly as accepting the group invite. Mail is a lot easier than that. You can send something from 1 character to another on the same realm in less than a second... The idea of sending it to another realm is as easy as taking the information from one realm and applying it to another toon on another realm. It would work the same way that the satchel system works when leveling a toon: if your bags are full, it gets put in the mailbox, and you just go pick it up as if it was "looted" from the mailbox.
looms issue in reallife words:
u have 2 containers
1# glass ball filled with water, it has gold fish in it
2# glass ball filled with water, it has "castle" in it
what u want to do is, to send 1# gold fish into 2# glass ball so it would have "castle". keep in mind those r BALLS, they r closed sphares (hey dont ask me how the fish gets oxygen, not my buissness). SO how do u place gold fish in the 2nd tank without breaking the tank, without spilling water, without making life or other fish in 1# tank miserable due to ur acivities?
on topic, the only reason i see them dont want to do this, is due to paid realm x-fer. PPL saying that x-fering item over realms wouldnt be instant. Hello? have u ever done LFD/LFR? Ppl char data gets transfered to so called "instance servers" all the time. How long do u have to w8? days? months? or maybe less then 1sec?
Only issue with mail now is that, it doesnt have server adress field. By default every mail is send to ur server and u cant change that. So would have to alter mail ui to have new field contaning it. A slight rewriting of the mailbox code (prolly just adding few new methods). They dont need to write the connectivity/x-fer code, its already written, they can simply reuse the "server->instace server->(orgin) server" or CRZ related "TECH".
Its funny when someone says he doesnt have req tech to do something. Imagine a stoneworker saying he cant make a triangle cuz he only has the technology to make squares.
Last edited by mmoc33f932b687; 2012-12-26 at 05:15 PM.
And? How anything on this list is remotely NOT trivial? Not to mention that most DBs in existence can handle this for you almost automatically and I have EXTREMELY high doubt that even if Blizzard have custom DB solution, those methods were not implemented in it years ago.
For me, something trivial takes minutes or an hour to implement. That is something I can do because its a good idea. But if trivial for you is something that can be completed in weeks...than our issue is what we define as trivial.
---------- Post added 2012-12-26 at 04:58 PM ----------
I didn't say it was hard. But more involved. Building a new system always requires thought.
It would take about 2 weeks because it does not rely solely on you, but you have to wait for artists to finish the artwork (if you reuse, this becomes a joke), UI designers to make up their mind about where to put what button, game designers to make up their mind about how to access the feature. In fact, your job is laughably easy, but you have to put up with others, who only like to hassle over details (personal experience).
Implementing is probably fastest part in itself. It's QA that really takes time. And yes, 1 programmer + 1 tester spending a week on a trivial feature is quite the norm in industry. They generally have at least dozen more people to work on other stuff meanwhile and programmer could be already working on next thing when QA guy works on testing.