Mail System
Overview
The Mail System allows characters and players to send messages and items between each other. Originally only able to send text messages between characters of the same faction, on the same server, Issue 17 introduced a second tier of mail, "global mail", allowing a player to send messages, items, and influence/infamy to any Global Chat Handle.
A character must be level 10 to send any kind of mail. A character of any level may receive mail, including global mail with attachments.
Mail Tiers
Character Level
At the character level, only text messages can be sent. Additionally, a message can only be sent to another character on the same server as the sender, and of the same faction as the sender. Character to character mail has no time limit on when the mail must be read by, and can be saved indefinitely in the character's mailbox.
Character to character mail will only show up in the receiving character's mailbox; no other characters on that player's account will receive the mail.
Global Level
At the global level, text messages, items, and influence/infamy can be sent from one global to either the same global (players sending themselves mail) or to another global. A common mistake when attempting to send mail with attachments is forgetting to include the commercial-at (@) before the global handle.
- Any tradeable item can be sent by global mail. Only one item can be attached per global mail.
- Up to 999,999,999 (1 less than a billion) influence/infamy can be attached per global mail. This can be in addition to an item.
- Mail with attachments cannot be deleted until the attachment has been claimed. There is an option to return to sender.
- A maximum of 20 global mails can be in a mailbox at any one time. Attempting to send a global mail with a full mailbox will result in an error. Sending a global mail to someone with a full mailbox will result in the mail being "bounced back" to the sender.
- Mail that has been "bounced back" can exceed the limit of 20 global mails.
- Global mail sent to oneself will be kept for a maximum of 60 days, after which it will be deleted.
- Mail that has been "bounced back" from a full mailbox will be kept for a maximum of 60 days, after which it will be deleted. This also applies to items that have been manually returned to sender from another account.
- Mail sent to an inactive account has no official time-limit details yet.
- Mail sent to an active account has no official time-limit details yet.
- There is a column in the email window that indicates how much time each piece of mail has before being auto-deleted.
- Originally, the devs planned to make it so only character of the same faction as the originating sender can claim the items/influence/infamy attached to a global mail. This was changed before it went live. Attachments can be claimed by characters any faction, regardless of the faction of the sender.
A quick example of how to send items between characters on the same account (in the example, "@GlobalName" is the player's global handle) was posted[1] by pohsyb on the Official Forums:
- Logon RichHero
- Send Awesomething to @GlobalName
- Note that you have new mail with Awesomething attached
- Log off RichHero.
- Log on PoorVillain.
- Note you have Email with Awesomething attached.
- Try to claim it greedy villain, go on I dare you.
- No you cannot have item! You are villain!
- Log on PoorHero.
- Note you have Email with Awesomething attached.
- Claim Awesomething.
Deletion/Duplication Errors
Occasionally, received mail will disappear from the mail system. This is most common after maintenance of the mail server. Mail server maintenance can result in missing or duplicated item(s)/inf. If a player loses something and can remember specifics about the item(s)/inf, a GM may be able to recover the item(s)/inf from backup logs. If a player duplicated item(s)/inf in their mailbox, GMs will not revoke the duplications.[2]
Historical
This section contains information that no longer applies to the current version of Homecoming: City of Heroes/Villains. It is provided for historical purposes.
- When first implemented, the Global Mail system's auto-delete feature was 30 days instead of 60, and there was no countdown to deletion of ones' emails. Both of these changes were implemented in the June 23, 2010, patch.