How to: Migrating from Unity for dummies
Preamble
I am posting this guide in the general forum, as I know for long experience how the recipients for this will check this forum first.
Feel free to move it off if it's deemed appropriate.
I apologize for the poor grammar in advance, as my school did not teach English at my times, so I had to learn it by reading forums and chats.
Introduction
It's not very hard to perform the whole Unity to US servers migration procedure, but since I have friends on MSN who still don't understand the whole process, here's an attempt to make it easier, expecially if you happen to be the guy that wants to get their friends back in Istaria.
The best migration happens when you know about it
Don't assume Virtrium contacted your friends. Not a single one of my friends kept their original game log in email address updated. Hence, no one of them knew of the opportunity!
If you feel some friends would like to come back but don't, contact them with MSN / phone / smoke signals and make them aware. You'll be surprised at how many are bored with other MMOs at the moment and almost "beg" to be given an excuse to return here.
At this point you'll want to tell them what to do to come back, since missing the email means they have no pointer on where to start.
This becomes expecially true for those who don't speak English, I was about to create this in my native tongue (very few of them know English enough to do what's needed to return) but then I would not know where to put it.
Starting the process
So you have talked with your friend and he wants to come back. How? Just follow the following chapters.
First of all, everything starts at
https://horizons.istaria.com/
Tell them (if you are the one willing to return, just follow the steps) to use Internet Explorer 6 or above, and to accept "ActiveX" to be installed if / when prompted.
Use the WEB version of everything, including launcher, until the whole migration process is complete.
There might be exceptions, but so far every of my friends has been able to enter the above URL and log in with their Unity credentials.
In case they can't, or don't recall about their user name and password, don't despair, and just skip at the "email" part.
If all goes well, they should not have been logged onto the WEB site but seeing no available characters.
If they formatted their computer or anyway lost the game installation you can direct them at
http://www.istaria.com/trial.php
and have them download the game while you proceed with the steps to bring them back to the game.
Notice: the game is not supported under Windows Vista. The quickest route is to create a dual boot with a Windows XP and install the game there. Look for the several threads dealing with the details for more information about this process.
Getting an account up
Now, the above step was useful to see that everything was in check and to make sure their browser is fine for the game, the next step though is very necessary.
To be eligible for a character migration your friend must have one or more active subscriptions.
This means no trials, and yes, this means he has to pay right now FIRST and proceed with the rest after.
Have them go to
https://accounts.istaria.com/
You'll be presented two links: for Existing Customers and New Customers.
Press the first if the guy (you, if you happen to be the "rescued" guy) could log in, in the game log in screen with his Unity credentials. Then fill in the user name and password as required.
Otherwise go as new customer and follow the instructions.
At no point EVER create a character name with the same name of your Unity one, unless you want to have more difficulties later.
User name, not email
At this point you'd notice how in several places you are prompted for an user name instead of email address.
Unlike Unity, the US version does not just work based on your email, used as key to your account.
In the US version you have an "user name" (try your email name without the stuff past the @ if you don't recall the user name).
You should also have had assigned an user name on Unity.
On the US servers, you can have dozens of sub-accounts under one user name.
Hence, don't be surprised if some pages will accept an email address or user name, while others will only want your user name.
Tip to always get your correct user name: log in the first page with your email address, look the top left of the page that opens. The user name will be listed as "USER: username".
Other tip: you must give a working email address wherever asked to, else the import will not take place. If you can indeed log in providing your Unity credentials but have an expired email address, go to
http://support.istaria.com/support-c...mod_id=2&id=29
and fix it first.
Getting the right account type
While in the account signup page as existing customer, you'll have some choices. As new customer, you'll have to pick the trial option, before what described below "unlocks" (he must not just keep the trial, a full subscription is prerequisite to be eligible for migration).
Now, you / your friend have to decide what you / he need(s).
In the case of a "basic guy" with his plot, he'd have to get a "Gifted" account. If he won't bother with a plot until the plots reclaimation, he can also check the "basic" account.
No one coming from Unity retains his plot, nor a "token", nor novians, so you are pretty much free to pick up your choices.
Another thing that he can see is that a gifted account got some "limits", typically 1 plot (zero with the basic subscription), 1 concurrent log in and so on.
If the guy used to play multiple characters and wants to keep doing it, or his number of characters to transfer is higher than what the giftend / basic accounts allow for, he must purchase multiple accounts before starting the migration, else he will be asked what characters to import and what to leave.
Examples:
Payment options
- basic guy with 1 plot, 3 characters: a gifted sub is more than enough.
- played two characters at the same time, authenticated on Unity as [email protected] and [email protected]: he will use dude1's user name and will have both the characters in [email protected] and [email protected] covered by that user name. Moreover the guy will need 2 base / gifted subscriptions (I suggest gifted).
Unlike on the old Unity, he won't be forced playing two characters at the same time coming from the two Unity email based accounts, he can play anything as long as the count is supported by the accounts he purchased. I.e. if he got 2 gifted subs, he can play any of two characters he imported, at the same time.
The easiest way to go for those who already have it, would be Paypal.
For all the options, issues, questions and answers about Paypal, please check my other guide
Paypal for dummies
http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=16441
out. Otherwise you can go for a traditional credit card payment process.
In selected, dire cases, you may convince Virtrium accepting other forms of "manual" payment, but it's painful at best and I strongly suggest not doing it.
Transfer request
It's finally time to deal with the juicy part of the transfer: telling Virtrium what do you / your friend want migrated and where.
Have him go to
http://community.istaria.com/pg.php/unity_transfer
and read the whole page very well.
Basically, they want a premade email template to be filled in and then sent them for approval.
Example of email for a basic guy that just wants his character to be migrated:
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Username Character Transfer
Content:
Hello,
I'd like to get my Unity characters back and I'm sending in my request right now.
Here's my old account info:
Old Account User Name: imbadude
Old Account Email: [email protected]
Old Account Name: Alex or Alexander Knafla
Old Account Address:
Zschopauer Str. 169 A
09126 Chemnitz, Germany
Current User Name: imbadude
Current Email: [email protected]
Unity Characters:
Ort (or maybe Ortt) -> Chaos
Ort Cleaver (or Ort Cleavor) -> Chaos
Cleavis Maximum -> Order
Mule8822 -> Don't transfer
Mule8823 -> Don't transfer
Gary TooToo or Gary ToTo -> Don't transfer
If the old EU email is still the same used in the just created US account, feel free to keep it!
Since the process is manual, you can be flexible on what you say. I.e. if you forgot if your character name was "Alila" or "Attila" you can specify both: "Alila or maybe Attila".
A friend of mine did not recall any but her main character name at all and yet she could get them all migrated. She just said to transfer everything, as long as you have subscriptions enough (gifted sub lets you have 7 characters) it's fine.
An important yet overlooked detail: make sure you end up in the same server where your friends are!
Many went on to Chaos, but others on Order and Blight, make sure about your destination before sending the above email.
In case you change your mind after you have been migrated, you can still be moved between servers, for a fee.
You'll have to return in the
https://accounts.istaria.com/member.php
and, under "Membership Type", pick "Character Transfer Token".
In case you had multiple Unity accounts you will just list them all at the beginning of the email:
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Username Character Transfer
Content:
Hello,
I'd like to get my Unity characters back and I'm sending in my request right now.
Here's my old accounts info:
Old Account User Name: imbadude
Old Account Email: [email protected]
Old Account Name: Alex or Alexander Knafla
Old Account Address:
Zschopauer Str. 169 A
09126 Chemnitz, Germany
Old Account User Name: seconddude
Old Account Email: [email protected]
Old Account Name: Alex or Alexander Knafla
Old Account Address:
Zschopauer Str. 169 A
09126 Chemnitz, Germany
Current User Name: imbadude
Current Email: [email protected]
Unity Characters:
Ort (or maybe Ortt) -> Chaos
Ort Cleaver (or Ort Cleavor) -> Chaos
Cleavis Maximum -> Order
Mule8822 -> Don't transfer
Mule8823 -> Don't transfer
Gary TooToo or Gary ToTo -> Don't transfer
Mary -> Chaos
BabyJoe -> Chaos
Mule2ndAccnt -> Don't transfer
As you see, they will all be put under "imbadude". The characters Mary, BabyJoe and Mule2ndAccnt come from the second account.
If you request a migration for too many characters, those not "fitting" in your subscription won't be imported. You will get a warning email about them being left out and what do you want to do about them.
The quickest fix, of course, is to keep more flagged as "Don't transfer" or to purchase enough characters slots by getting multiple subscriptions.
If your email software allows for it, have it mark the email so that you get a message when it's read. The worst part would be to have your email never arriving and you did not even know that!
If you move to Order, make sure your characters names are compatible with their roleplay restrictions first.
Waiting for the transfer
Once sent the email, relax. You may have to wait for 1 day, 2 days... even one week, depending on the load. The bulk has already been processed so you should experience a minor wait.
Once your characters are processed, you should get a confirmation.
One thing they don't tell you, is how all your characters - not just duplicate names found on the server - will have an "_unity" suffix.
Don't despair.
While waiting for the migration to be processed, go to:
http://support.istaria.com
That URL is the trouble tickets URL, very different from the Unity one.
Despite you'd assume that subscribing to the game automaticaly enables you on to the support site, it is not so.
You have to click on the "Register" link and follow the steps to have your support site log in activated.
Do not leave the password field blank while registering! If you forget to fill it in, a glitch in the system won't let you change it afterwards and you'll have to contact the support to have it reset.
The great day comes, you have been migrated!
Finally you live again!
Log in, browse the "Unity" chats if you want for a smoother ride in the new community while aided by old people you surely know.
You'll notice how your name has that "_unity" bit sticking around.
Only now (not before the migration is finished), open a ticked in the support site listed in the section above and ask if they could please remove the _unity bit.
After they process your ticket (1-3 days), they will (only technical way to achieve that) flag all your character names as "offending the naming policies".
You should also get an email stating how your characters names have a long number associated to them ("biote number", an unique identifier the game assigns them).
After this, the next time you log in into the WEB site for starting the game, you'll get warnings about your characters must chose a new name as they offend the naming policies (disregard it).
You should get a list of your character names, stating both the respective associate number and original name, and boxes to fill in with the new Name and Second Name.
Fill in your names as you want them in game (basically you omit the _unity suffix, but you can also give completely new names if you want).
Once done, you should have the list of your renamed characters on the right, ready to be clicked to select what one to play.
You'll notice how the site "forgets" your characters second names and leaves them apparently blank on the WEB page, but once in game you'll see you kept everything.
Final step
Now you get back in game and are almost good to go!
You'll notice how all your hotkeys are gone. If you want to recover the icons, you can go in your character's "prefs/hotkeys" folder, and rename all the pictures from "unity" to the server name you migrated to.
For proceduers on how to automate that, have a look at
http://community.istaria.com/forum/s...t=18182&page=2
Notice that you'll recover the icons, but not necessarily the full use of all the hotkeys. Macros referencing items or skills whose internal code on Unity was different than on the US servers (basically the newer skills created after the game release) will have to be remade.
Having the icons restored will help though.
And now, have fun and be ready to live again, among old and new friends!
Re: How to: Migrating from Unity for dummies
Originally Posted by algenon
