Project 1999 - Future Merge Options: Would You Like a Choice?

Right now the staff hasn't made any final decisions about how to handle the inevitable merge. I know the optimistic hope is that they will accommodate a full transfer of current Red characters, intact so that all of your pixels are kept safe. But how realistic is that when the time comes? And would it be good for the new server?

I just can't imagine a scenario where flooding Teams with a throng of 60's, geared beyond the ability of what that server's players would be able to complete on their own, would be healthy. This is especially true when you consider that:

1.) There is, and has not been, any real competition at the top on Red for a long time nor does there look to be prior to the merger.

2.) Uncontested farming of Velious (which is out before Teams) for the entire duration of the Teams lifespan leading up to the merger will be primarily done by one guild. Not to mention Velious farming will have started months prior to Teams even launching.

3.) That guild will no doubt intend to move their characters to a single team on the new server.

With these factors in mind a full-item transfer could completely destroy any sense of balance that the new players on the upcoming server are able to establish. I'm curious how the current Red population (and GMs/Devs if they want to chime in) feel about giving players options about where their Red toons end up.

The two most logical choices to preserve the integrity of a new server and allow you to keep your time invested would be either a naked transfer from Red to Teams, or a full transfer from Red to Blue. Let explain a little why:

Red to Teams

An influx of level 60 toons could already be a hassle on the staff when dealing with faction/team/race/deity...whatever factors might be taken into account in regards to which team your character ends up on. However, if those characters were allowed a one-time race/deity change (to determine team destination) and allowed to transfer naked, it would at best add to the depth of that team's roster without completely changing it's ability to raid or PvP.

Red to Blue

I know, it's heresy. It's crazy talk. But maybe it's also the smartest way to allow the Red players more obsessed with pixels than PvP to keep what they focused so hard on. A Red to Teams transfer would completely destroy the balance between teams and flood the economy with more items than demand. However, since Red is about 5 to 10 times less populated than Blue, and Blue has been out significantly longer, moving over 50-100 geared level 60s (if even) would have much less impact. If anything it would add supply a demand that already exists, and potentially allow for another guild at the top to immediately be a contender.

If given those two options the PvP-focused members of Red could head over to Teams and do what they love best and the PvE-minded players could head to the place where PvE is celebrated. The two remaining servers both get something beneficial and the time spent on the to-be-shut-down Red server isn't a total bust. Just curious what everyone thinks, so respond back with some additional thoughts or outright counter-arguments. Discussion about what's going to happen in the future is never bad, so let's hear it.