Can someone tell me why everyone is upset about the logout timer?

Now if they could just do something about the gold sell spammers....

No one is upset. An inactivity timer is industry standard. Nothing new or controversial here.

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Originally Posted by Sebastien

No one is upset. An inactivity timer is industry standard. Nothing new or controversial here.

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The numerous posts where people are explicitly voicing their disapproval would serve to disprove your point.

I, however, am glad they added it. Everyone else who just wants to idle all day can suck it.

Just a question here, if you're a DPS it takes about 45-60 minutes to get a que for the average dungeon. If you queue up for DF and then afk for 30 minutes, still at your computer but say.. watching a movie on another screen, will it auto-disconnect you?

I'm absolutely, 100% behind this 30-minute AFK timer. I don't understand why they didn't think to implement one from the very beginning. Every MMORPG should have one, especially early on when server stability/capacity are such major issues.

A half hour is plenty of time to take care of an emergency, or simply go to the bathroom, grab a snack, etc. Any more time than that, and -- hate to tell you, but you stopped playing the game a while ago. Therefore, out you go. When you come back, the game isn't going to stop you from logging back in, unless there is some kind of server crisis like we had at launch. And in that case, people staying logged in and AFK 24/7 were contributing to the problem. If you need more than 30 minutes to do something, and real life is keeping you from your game... blame life, don't blame the game.

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Originally Posted by Onimal

The problem with AFK Timers comes in during instances. I have had many times where an FC'er needs to take his kid to school or something, which means he's gone for 30 min. So all of us just take a 1quick break and come back. THis timer will prevent that, which is lame.

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If your other party members don't have a problem with waiting around, I'm not going to tell you it's not a "legit" excuse to be AFK. But, offering up a real-life reason for why you have to leave the game for an extended period is irrelevant. The fact is, AFK timers are not instituted as punishments for standing around -- they are there for practical reasons, in a system where server capacity is finite. The people who are actively playing need those spots, a lot more than someone who hasn't even touched their keyboard in over 30 minutes. Meanwhile, even if there isn't a queue to get in, you are putting undue strain on the servers just by being (not) there.
I mean, if you're driving on the highway, and your kid in the back seat throws up, do you stop the car in the middle of the lane and go "Away From Wheel" for 30+ minutes, holding up traffic while you tend to your totally legit real-life emergency? No, of course not. You find a place to pull over, because the roads are for driving and not for parking. The validity of your excuse just does not enter into the equation.

Don't get me wrong, your situation is understandable. People don't always have a choice about when they have to set the game aside, and can't be sure when they'll be back. It can be frustrating to lose out on in-game progress because of stuff like that. But, it's not Square Enix's job to design their online infrastructure to cater to AFK players who have left home to drive their kids to school, while there are people actively trying to enjoy the game right now. Just as you decided that real life was more of a priority than playing the game, Square Enix has to prioritize server integrity VS your real-life scenario. Honestly, I would rather play an MMO that values its own server integrity over some AFK guy who may or may not come back. And so would you, in the long run, even if it sucks at certain moments.

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Originally Posted by DoctorPepper

Just a question here, if you're a DPS it takes about 45-60 minutes to get a que for the average dungeon. If you queue up for DF and then afk for 30 minutes, still at your computer but say.. watching a movie on another screen, will it auto-disconnect you?

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Yes, inactivity in the game is where the logout function kicks in, unless you're running a multi-window keystroke program anyway. So if you're doing something on your desktop, that time you spend on it is time spent AFK in FFXIV.

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Originally Posted by Tiggy

The numerous posts where the same people are explicitly voicing their disapproval would serve to disprove your point.

I, however, am glad they added it. Everyone else who just wants to idle all day can suck it.

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Fixed that for ya. And to those saying 1017 was fixed last week. Not in JP servers. I play on Tonberry and Durandal and both were challenging to get in to during peak hours and especially weekends, though admittedly not as bad as before the Sept 4 maintenance, but still far from fixed.

If I am set at making 99 bowls of soup will i be logged while my character is auto creating?

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Originally Posted by silentwill

Fixed that for ya. And to those saying 1017 was fixed last week. Not in JP servers. I play on Tonberry and Durandal and both were challenging to get in to during peak hours and especially weekends, though admittedly not as bad as before the Sept 4 maintenance, but still far from fixed.

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No, you didn't.

It is true that currently there are no log-in issues. Many people would think this means removing afk people is not necessary. However, remember, they increased the maximum allowed concurrent players on the servers. Currently there are more people logged in at once than the game was designed for. It is very likely that SE will want to lower the cap back down eventually to help with server performance. Removing afk players may be the only way to do this without having huge log-in queues.

Of course another reason for the afk logout could be due to opening up sales again, as well as character creations. They are letting more players into the servers. They have to off-set the influx somehow.