Open letter to Fdev

[Cmdr_Crane]

Dear FDEV

About two weeks ago I made a decision to switch from playing Elite Dangerous Horizons on my Xbox One to playing ED Odyssey on the PC. I spent a few days mulling over whether to transfer my credit balance from my Xbox commander to my old pc account from way back when I first began playing on my lap top about six years ago.

I decided that I should go ahead and get my credits transferred and with that in mind, I liquidated my assets on my Xbox account and began the process of decommissioning my fleet carrier. This takes one week to complete. I was totally fine with this, I knew it would take this long when I bought it.

A few days after I'd done this Fdev made the announcement that you were cancelling all further development of the console version of Elite Dangerous. I was fine with this also, as I've stated, I'd already made the switch to pc and bought the Odyssey DLC and begun playing. I am thoroughly enjoying it, by the way.

Now comes the bit I'm not totally fine with. In fact, I'm really quite vexed. (I'm understating things here)

In your infinite wisdom (sarcasm), you have decided to suspend all asset transfers until you have investigated whether it will be possible to migrate all the data from an xbox or ps4 account for those commanders who wish to make the switch from console to pc.

While I agree that these investigations are vital to support the console playerbase that wants to make that transfer, suspending all credit transfers is self-defeating.

Fdev, you need to let your playerbase make some decisions for themselves. Instead of suspending all transfers, let us make the informed choice to wait for the outcome of your policy review or proceed with a credit transfer now. We know what we're doing.

Rant over

Yours sincerely

Cmdr_Crane

 

[Northpin]

While i try to understand what your issue is, i really cannot.

Using the (currently blocked) transfer function, you'll only transfer the cash value of your assets.
Nothing more. No ranks, no unlocks, no materials, no cosmetics. Nothing except credits.

And you can transfer the credits between your XB account and your newly created PC account rather easily by using a carrier (the one you have on XB or the carrier of a friend that you trust)

So if you are dead set to re-start on PC, you can do it without being tied to FDev.
However, after they setup the new transfer process - you have the chance to have transferred more than credits during the transfer process.

 

[tafkabb]

Credits are ridiculously easy to earn, and under the current system, just to transfer credits alone, your Xbox commander will be erased. That's never made sense to me.
Personally I'm waiting for full account migration and until then, it doesn't matter whether credit transfer is working or not.

 

[amigacooke]

I’d suggest the OP is vexed as Frontier have suspended (probably to improve the service eventually) even the minimal transfer service they had previously provided.

 

[The Lawful]

Thank you for writing an Open Letter and keeping the tradition alive!

O7,

 

[Northpin]

I’d suggest the OP is vexed as Frontier have suspended (probably to improve the service eventually) even the minimal transfer service they had previously provided.

Ofc they did suspended it

If they migrate a console cmdr now, then in 1-2 months when they come out with a more suitable transfer process, the commander that lost their console progress during transfer would be more than miffed and the entire process will fire back at FDev.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

We're all different here and will have different things that are a 'must' for a transfer. The OP has been an adult about the situation, seen that the current policy now is credit transfer only and is happy about it. If that's good enough, what's the problem?

The issue would be if someone transferred and then complained about it after the policy changed (in which case all that needs to happen is people be given a warning beforehand that they may get a better transfer if they wait), but this doesn't seem like it would be the case here.

I suspect though that since FDev know they could post that message here, on Twitter/Facebook etc, and even have it as a full screen pop up reminder in game every 5 minutes, people would still complain when they transferred before the policy change it's just giving themselves an easier life.

 

[Dillon Fallon]

Ofc they did suspended it

If they migrate a console cmdr now, then in 1-2 months when they come out with a more suitable transfer process, the commander that lost their console progress during transfer would be more than miffed and the entire process will fire back at FDev.

"We are currently looking at making changes to our platform transfer policy, so if you hold off until this is finalised, you might find you can transfer more than just credits to your PC account. Are you sure you want to do this now?"

That's all that's needed. My six year old would get this if I explained some of the wording.

 

[amigacooke]

Ofc they did suspended it

If they migrate a console cmdr now, then in 1-2 months when they come out with a more suitable transfer process, the commander that lost their console progress during transfer would be more than miffed and the entire process will fire back at FDev.

The lock down on ED communications since the start of the year suggests that the decision on consoles had, by that point, already been made. Perhaps Frontier could have investigated full transfers then rather than apparently waiting until the dirty deed was announced.

 

[Northpin]

"We are currently looking at making changes to our platform transfer policy, so if you hold off until this is finalised, you might find you can transfer more than just credits to your PC account. Are you sure you want to do this now?"

That's all that's needed. My six year old would get this if I explained some of the wording.

Well, yes, but we tend to behave less rationally when a bar of chocolate is given at a later date to anyone else except us that, at this moment, we say we aint need no chocolate.

I mean we can all act nice and adult now, but if i get to transfer all my xb progress in 2 months while you only get some lousy credits now, you might go "i changed my mind, i want my progress too. Make it happen FDev! What you waiting for? Get on it!"

As i said, it's not like we cannot transfer credits without involving FDev
We can and it takes less time than opening a ticket to FDev and waiting for an answer.

 

[amigacooke]

Well, yes, but we tend to behave less rationally when a bar of chocolate is given at a later date to anyone else except us that, at this moment, we say we aint need no chocolate.

I mean we can all act nice and adult now, but if i get to transfer all my xb progress in 2 months while you only get some lousy credits now, you might go "i changed my mind, i want my progress too. Make it happen FDev! What you waiting for? Get on it!"

As i said, it's not like we cannot transfer credits without involving FDev
We can and it takes less time than opening a ticket to FDev and waiting for an answer.

Surely the new improved process wouldn't necessarily not have the 'features' of the present process? It's sort of classic Frontier, you can't do what you want right now, but in the future it may be so much better.

 

[Northpin]

Surely the new improved process wouldn't necessarily not have the 'features' of the present process? It's sort of classic Frontier, you can't do what you want right now, but in the future it may be so much better.

No idea what it will have or what will it miss.
I'm waiting to see how it goes - but i'm in a more or less fortunate position since i already have 2 pc alts.

(but i would still hate to lose or to give up all the progress on xb and the rather unique cosmetics i have in that account - and there are people on consoles that still have those marvelous legacy 5A prismatics fitted on a Cutter)

 

[Cmdr Aos_Si]

Where does it say transfers are suspended? I submitted a request for credit transfer yesterday and just got the standard email that they would process it as quickly as possible.

Hi,

This is an auto-reply letting you know that Frontier Customer Support have received your support ticket REF: (xxxxxx) and it will be reviewed by our Customer Support team.

Due to current demand on the team, it may take longer than usual to respond platform transfer tickets. We will be in touch with you as soon as possible to assist further.

To add additional comments or messages, please reply to this email.

Best Regards,
Frontier Customer Support
Frontier Developments PLC

 

[Northpin]

Where does it say transfers are suspended? I submitted a request for credit transfer yesterday and just got the standard email that they would process it as quickly as possible.

Hi,

This is an auto-reply letting you know that Frontier Customer Support have received your support ticket REF: (xxxxxx) and it will be reviewed by our Customer Support team.

Due to current demand on the team, it may take longer than usual to respond platform transfer tickets. We will be in touch with you as soon as possible to assist further.

To add additional comments or messages, please reply to this email.

Best Regards,
Frontier Customer Support
Frontier Developments PLC

They announced it on Twitter (someone posted the links on the forums)
And someone else linked a more detailed response from the Support regarding this matter.

As in: transfers are suspended now, they will get through the support tickets requesting transfers when they will have a new procedure in place.

 

[tafkabb]

Where does it say transfers are suspended? I submitted a request for credit transfer yesterday and just got the standard email that they would process it as quickly as possible.

Hi,

This is an auto-reply letting you know that Frontier Customer Support have received your support ticket REF: (xxxxxx) and it will be reviewed by our Customer Support team.

Due to current demand on the team, it may take longer than usual to respond platform transfer tickets. We will be in touch with you as soon as possible to assist further.

To add additional comments or messages, please reply to this email.

Best Regards,
Frontier Customer Support
Frontier Developments PLC

Free or Paid Account transfer to pc?

i have both my pc account with odyssey and xbox account linked to same email. my xbox account has so much process my pc not as much as only bought when was on sale even tho i paid full price for odyssey. Can devs allow a full save transfer/merger from xbox to pc, i would hope it was free but i...

forums.frontier.co.uk

 

[Cmdr Aos_Si]

@BongoBaggins @Northpin
It seems strange that there is no mention in the automated response to the support ticket. It just says it might take a little longer than usual. Nor is there any mention on the official forums of the account transfer being suspended.

Until we see it announced here by an offical account I would take it with a pinch of salt. I will update on my account transfer progress as and when I get further info.

 

[Thatchinho]

We know what we're doing.

You appear to have made the classic conflation of ‘I’ with ‘we’.

There’s always people who get the wrong end of the stick, listen to what some random on the internet says rather than what FD says, or frankly just make stuff up.

From how it’s described, the current transfer would no be revertable when it’s done. So all the data for the full transfer would be lost if someone changed their mind.

And there would always be people who did the current transfer in the spur of the moment and then on reflection would wish they’d waited for a full transfer.

Plus there’s the people who don’t follow what’s going on, and completely miss that there’s a better transfer option being investigated, and who would have waited if they’d known.

Overall, much as you’ve got a point OP, putting the current transfer option on hold is still the right thing to do in the circumstances IMHO.

 

[Cmdr_Crane]

While i try to understand what your issue is, i really cannot.

Using the (currently blocked) transfer function, you'll only transfer the cash value of your assets.
Nothing more. No ranks, no unlocks, no materials, no cosmetics. Nothing except credits.

And you can transfer the credits between your XB account and your newly created PC account rather easily by using a carrier (the one you have on XB or the carrier of a friend that you trust)

So if you are dead set to re-start on PC, you can do it without being tied to FDev.
However, after they setup the new transfer process - you have the chance to have transferred more than credits during the transfer proces

I’d suggest the OP is vexed as Frontier have suspended (probably to improve the service eventually) even the minimal transfer service they had previously provided.

Surely the new improved process wouldn't necessarily not have the 'features' of the present process? It's sort of classic Frontier, you can't do what you want right now, but in the future it may be so much better.

Its always "jam tomorrow"

 

[Cmdr Aos_Si]

Just listening to Frameshift Live now. @Arthur Tolmie says that transfers are 'kind of on hold'. Does this mean that all transfer requests are on hold no matter what? Or does it mean that players who have asked for a full account transfer have their request on hold?

Like the OP, I have just asked for the credit transfer so I am happy to renounce the PS4 account and take the credits. I don't how how it benefits anyone to put normal transfers on hold.

Edit to add question mark

 

[Northpin]

Seems that all are on hold - check the Support response kindly provided in post #15 by @BongoBaggins