A Simple Quick Band Aid fix

OP, I see that your overall goal here is to get the majority of players to permanently quit the game thereby eliminating the login queue.

If I want to play all day that's my choice. Forcing people to only be able to play three hours at a time for a game they PAY for is crap. Sorry.

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Originally Posted by AlaineIV

Force a player to log out after 3 hours of gameplay. I.E they can't que for dungeons, raids, or progress in story.

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Incredibly bad idea. Going by the last few days, this means that I can play less time than it takes for me to queue to get in the game, and it looks like things might be getting worse - it's just taken me almost an hour to move less than 100 places in the queue. It's been over 10,000 long at peak times.

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Also add priority for long time subscribers, 2000+ days of subscribed as well as legacy players given automatic priority.

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A more considered idea, but still basically a bad one. Just because you've been subscribed a long time shouldn't mean your sub is somehow more important. You could even argue the opposite - those subbed for longer are more likely to have completed and be bored of content that others have not even seen yet.

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Ban people (including streamers) using third party tech to by pass the afk automatic log out timers. Also add a queue placement priority for players that are kicked due to timing out in queue or 2002 out of queue.

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These, however, are really good ideas.

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Originally Posted by AlaineIV

Force a player to log out after 3 hours of gameplay. I.E they can't que for dungeons, raids, or progress in story. Also add priority for long time subscribers, 2000+ days of subscribed as well as legacy players given automatic priority. Ban people (including streamers) using third party tech to by pass the afk automatic log out timers. Also add a queue placement priority for players that are kicked due to timing out in queue or 2002 out of queue.

Honestly quick simple fixes that could be done on SE developer end and probably something streamers don't like, but honestly, everyone pays to play this game not just streamers.

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At least the ones that are getting to play are happy, your idea would just make everyone universally mad. At this point there's no way to make everyone happy and the ones like us that don't get to play the game that much or at all will most likely have to suck it up until everyone is done with the MSQ and the server load inevitably goes down but As someone that has limited hours to play the game due to work, I'd rather not play at all than struggling for the next helping of gametime.

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Originally Posted by lezard21

More exceptions can be added like 1 hour in EW areas, I just cited some examples.

Crafter can be done at a later time after Early Access. It's not a priority.

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If you have to have an arm's length list of exceptions to a "solution" then it's not a good solution

The only good solution in OP at all is queue priority for people kicked by 2002 errors. Another fix (with the disclaimer that I'm not sure this is possible either) is to actually keep people's place in the queue for longer so it isn't constantly kicking people to the back of line.

The queues are a self perpetuating problem. The queues are long because a lot of people want to play, but a lot of people don't want to log out because the queues are long, and the waits are made even worse because of the errors kicking people all the way to the end of line, which makes people not want to log off, which keeps the queues long...

Limiting people's playtime based on arbitrary definitions of any one person's definition of "acceptable use of playtime" is both unrealistic and imo far more likely to do harm than good.

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Originally Posted by AlaineIV

Force a player to log out after 3 hours of gameplay. I.E they can't que for dungeons, raids, or progress in story. Also add priority for long time subscribers, 2000+ days of subscribed as well as legacy players given automatic priority. Ban people (including streamers) using third party tech to by pass the afk automatic log out timers. Also add a queue placement priority for players that are kicked due to timing out in queue or 2002 out of queue.

Honestly quick simple fixes that could be done on SE developer end and probably something streamers don't like, but honestly, everyone pays to play this game not just streamers.

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Aaaand why should I be punished with a 3 hour time limit just because I managed to get in..? As long as I am actively playing SE has no business telling me to log out or even worse, doing it for me, it's just as you said, we all pay to play this game. This isn't China here with mandated time limits on the playing of video games. What they should be trying to do is handle the funny derps who log in just to sit in Limsa and circumvent the AFK timer, the funny people who can't stand the idea of being logged off for whatever weird reason even when they aren't playing.

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Originally Posted by Wrytched

Kick players who are not only inactive, but any that have not changed position for more than 30 minutes. There are people who use macros and automation to prevent the 30 minute AFK timeout.

Clear accounts and make more room for other players.

This would only be for a month or two until things settle down.

Unfortunately there are players who are using macros or other means to keep their character "active" so they can stay connected all day to avoid the Login Queue.

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People will just macro teleporting to different maps, or walking back and forth a zone line. This doesn't help and isn't easy to prevent.

I don't think there is an easy bandaid-fix. Something that might help though might indeed be some kind of automated logout after an extended period of time. Dunno, once you reach a continuous 12 hours you get a message you will have to logout in 30min latest or will get a system-logout. After this, you are free to rejoin the queue of course.
Guess 12 hours should be more then enough? And it would help with those that are online for 48hours + already due to macro usage.

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Originally Posted by AlaineIV

What about those that want to even play the game?

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Log in during the morning like the rest of us. The congestion and 2002 errors are caused by everyone trying to play at 8 pm. Instead, go to bed at 8 pm or when you first disconnect, and wake up early.

The part that everyone always forgets in suggestions of this nature is that implementing a system like this actually gets a queue flowing, rather than remaining stagnant. So yes, a forced logout at a session length of <x> hours means everyone would have to queue, however it also means that that everyone's queue times would be shorter. For the shorter the value of <x>, the faster the queue moves.

I'm not a fan of a system like this at this stage - but something of this nature may become necessary if the playerbase continues to be selfish. The present situation in which anyone with a M-F 8-5 job is functionally unable to play the game because people feel entitled to 15 hour uninterrupted play sessions is untenable, especially given the number of people willing to cheat to get them. ArcheAge Unchained suffered from this exact same problem, and we lost half our guild in a week because people could simply never play the game due to others being selfish. And yes, I'm sorry, but if since launch you've logged 50, 60, 70 hours of playtime knowing full well others are stuck in neverending queues, I have little regard for your opinion on the state of queues. "Oh, just log in at 8am and play for 15 hours." is not possible for huge swaths of the playerbase, and you know that.

And for all of you upset you may have to spend 1 hour every 4 hours in queue, you need to seriously ask yourself if FFXIV will be the same game if some of your day-shift friends quit out of frustration over never being able to play, and the answer is 'no.' Something needs to happen, and with the present state of the world just buying more hardware isn't necessarily a possibility, because in many cases it can't be had no matter how much money you're willing to throw at the problem. Neither is throwing game time at people, that's more of a slap in the face than a solution. "Here, have more of something you obviously can't use." is not compensation in any way.

It isn't about selfishness or entitlement. Every single person playing this game is paying for the same access, and has exactly the same amount of freedom to do whatever they want while they're online. None of those people are obligated to give up playing so anyone else can, and to be blunt it isn't up to anyone else what they're doing with that play time - the only people who get to dictate that are Square Enix themselves (beyond obvious things like, y'know, not doing things that break rules or are illegal. Obviously.)

Sure, kicking everyone periodically gets the queues moving and shuffles who's online, but basing it on an entirely arbitrary time limit like what OP suggests doesn't make the queue problem actually go away. Especially not when there are so many errors and issues with the queue process itself. Sure, some people are waiting an hour or less and getting in no problem. Others, on bigger servers though? Not so much. It took me three and a half hours to get into the game on Saturday. I got into the queue at 430, and 2002 errored out of line no less than six times over the course of a 5k+ player queue. And that's only counting actually getting kicked, not the additional 2002 errors trying to get back in line - because I also lost my spot in line once due to getting six (yes 6) DC's in a row just trying to get past the title screen. I didn't get to start playing until after 8 pm. So yeah, if I don't keep playing and playing and playing until I'm literally sick of it, then me logging off anytime after 2 pm means I am not playing again at all that day.

Honestly I'd be more okay with them doing periodic server restarts or something. I vaguely remember them doing that for Stormblood. At least then it's just a blanket reset for everyone instead of "you are specifically only allocated x hours regardless of what you're doing or who you're playing with"

I'd love for them to do something more to make this situation less frustrating, but I'd frankly rather wait for the servers to chill out naturally than deal with a forced limit on how long I can play the game.

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Originally Posted by Avidria

It isn't about selfishness or entitlement. Every single person playing this game is paying for the same access, and has exactly the same amount of freedom to do whatever they want while they're online. None of those people are obligated to give up playing so anyone else can, and to be blunt it isn't up to anyone else what they're doing with that play time - the only people who get to dictate that are Square Enix themselves (beyond obvious things like, y'know, not doing things that break rules or are illegal. Obviously.)

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Being equally blunt, that's a poor argument when the company cannot PROVIDE everyone with 'the same access', nor should I be obligated to give up playing entirely just so they can have 15 hour sessions. I am paying for equal time, I want equal time within my means to use it. See? That argument goes both ways. When resources are abundant and unlimited, that's attitude is *fine.* When they are scarce, it is *not fine.*

Imagine going to an amusement park and wanting to get on the hot new ride, queueing up in the line, only to discover after about an hour it's only moving at like 10% of the speed it should realistically move at. And then you discover the reason for that is because half the people on the ride continue to ride it over and over and over, and the staff aren't kicking them off, and then when you complain the people in line say "well, they paid as much for their tickets as we all did." and then shrug at you. The notion that any single human being on the planet is going to be acceptable with that answer is just laughable. The reason that it works the way it does - you get "so much time" then you get back in line if you want more - is because that is the means that has long since been accepted as the most equitable way to distribute a resource of that type when everyone's paying the same amount for "access."

To reject any attempt to inject any equity into the situation is selfishness and entitlement. It's done out of the notion of "well someday, it'll be my turn to ride the ride as much as I want to until I'm sick of it." Yeah, except you forgot the key part - the same people who can't join the line until it's longest probably also have to be home by midnight.

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but I'd frankly rather wait for the servers to chill out naturally than deal with a forced limit on how long I can play the game.

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That's nice that you're fine with that, but I'm not and I'd prefer they implement something to more equitably distribute the burden of having to queue amongst the playerbase.

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Originally Posted by Atma

Being equally blunt, that's a poor argument when the company cannot PROVIDE everyone with 'the same access', nor should I be obligated to give up playing entirely just so they can have 15 hour sessions. I am paying for equal time, I want equal time within my means to use it. See? That argument goes both ways. When resources are abundant and unlimited, that's attitude is *fine.* When they are scarce, it is *not fine.*

To reject any attempt to inject any equity into the situation is selfishness and entitlement. It's done out of the notion of "well someday, it'll be my turn to ride the ride as much as I want to until I'm sick of it." Yeah, except you forgot the key part - the same people who can't join the line until it's longest probably also have to be home by midnight.

That's nice that you're fine with that, but I'm not and I'd prefer they implement something to more equitably distribute the burden of having to queue amongst the playerbase.

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But the player having a 15 hour play session made a choice to adjust their life to allow for such a thing.

Just like I made a choice to not attempt to take off work today (it would have likely gotten denied due to other circumstances) and am now sitting in a queue waiting to get online.

And if you limit everyone to say 3 hours, what's to stop everyone from trying to play during the same 3 hours? Now you have a worse situation.

If you force players to register for a time slot, then you have friends who get split up because they can't get into the same time spot. And some people like to progress together with their friends through the MSQ as much as possible so that they can talk about the game and not have to worry about who is ahead of whom for the sake of avoiding spoilers.

And what happens if a player is in a cut scene or duty at their end of time hits?

The solution, while it would potentially work to solve the problem, would create a host of other probable problems that I put at a higher value than the current problem. And I'm currently experiencing the fruits of said problem (in queue or attempting to get in queue since about 40 minutes ago, hoping to not get dropped during dinner).