Ok, reading up on this the "Rift Prime Server is a progression server that sounds almost similar to the Singularity Test Servers that Eve Online has with various differences here and there. Let me break it down to several points. I will provide my honest opinion on this.
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While RIFT is a free-to-play game, the RIFT Prime server is an exclusive server that requires RIFT Patron status to access. The RIFT Prime server features a limited in-game credit shop that only contains cosmetic and service items. Expansion unlocks and add-on content – such as souls or equipment slots – are included as part of RIFT Prime server access for all players on the server.
I’m not exactly sure, but I think the Eve Online Singularity Test Server (and various ones like it) require an Omega status to access. I might be wrong on that one as I haven’t read up on that nor have I tested it. This is based on my previous experience of using this server back when Alphas and Omegas weren’t a thing yet.
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Your account works for all RIFT servers, though the two server types are separate. Items are not shared between servers and players cannot transfer characters between the two. Account-wide unlocks obtained on RIFT live servers are not accessible on the RIFT Prime server.
To some extent this is similar to Singularity except CCP will occasionally mirror the Live server assets that a character has into the Test server. But things gained by the player from the Test server are never allowed into the Live server. The only things that come in are any changes made to the UI and other features that were tested in the server. That’s another difference with the two. One is an actual live server that is complete (Rift Prime) and the other is a test bed (Singularity).
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No. RIFT Prime uses its own currency known as Prime Credits which can be purchased from the RIFT Prime in-game or web stores. Prime Credits can only be used on RIFT Prime.
Will the RIFT Prime server remain open once progression ends?
No. Some time after progression ends, the RIFT Prime server will be closed.
This part is something I don’t generally like. It sounds like it’s just printing in-game money into the game by simply buying the money from the company. Of course, this can’t be compared to Eve Online since all ISK has to be earned through in-game actions whether it’s just mission running or selling PLEX into the secondary market. The latter of which never results in ISK creation since it’s just ISK transferred from one player to the other.
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RIFT Prime characters can transfer to RIFT live servers at the end of the Prime server’s content schedule. We intend this server to run for at least a year of progression, so there’s no rush. There will be absolutely no charge for this service.
We’ll provide additional details in coming months on how features gained on the Prime server will combine with features on your live server (such as unlocking something on Prime that is normally an account-wide unlock on Live). Stay tuned for details as we work them out!
Your remaining Prime Credits will be transferred to your normal RIFT Credit balance.
Thankfully this won’t ever happen in Eve Online. Any ISK gained from the singularity test server will never transfer to the live server since the ISK gained in the test server is incompatible with how it’s gained in the live server. And transfer of ISK from one to the other will harm the economy and we saw that happened first hand when CCP (by accident) allowed Eve ISK to be transferred to Dust 514 accounts although that bug that fixed in less than 24 hours when it happened. But that brief moment caused problems in Dust 514 which was in that test server for a limited time but still an overall complete game at the time. Thankfully the ISK was wiped out upon official launch but it did give us a glimpse of what WILL happen if currency is allowed to flow from one game to another.
Another thing that has me worried is how this will affect the Rift Prime players who directly purchased their in-game credits when the Rift Prime server shutsdown eventually. I don’t know how Rift’s economy works but I would worry about it if it’s anything like Eve Online’s economy.
CCP did allow purchasing of special credits that were separate from the in-game credits in Valkyrie (much like AUR) but the game was never directly tied to Eve Online beyond just the lore and it never had a practical economy to begin with which is probably why I was ok with it.
