Praetorium AFKers

Seriously? Why even bother?

I get it. We all get it, it's boring if you've run it several hundred times or more but still it's both stupid and arrogant to believe you're so important that 7 other people should have to run it without you because you're far too "busy" to help. Stupid because there will always be people like me who will call you out for being afk and then get you kicked from the group. Enjoy the queue as dps again.

It's always dps players too. Never had another tank or any healer go afk.

I don't see it often but it does happen. And yeah, it's usually a dps. They aren't as front in center as healers and tanks are.

While I agree it's bogus someone queues in, I don't believe they went afk to read the forums..
(to see this message)

Yeah but sometimes they get creative with it… like they put themselves in combat so you’re unable to kick them.

I’m the same though, I’m not afraid to call people out or initiate a vote kick.

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Originally Posted by Sauteed

While I agree it's bogus someone queues in, I don't believe they went afk to read the forums..
(to see this message)

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Yeah I know I'm just a grumpy shite who wants to rant

well the tanks and healers usually can't go afk because the enemy mobs will kill all the dps lol

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Originally Posted by ArmaDragkun

It's always dps players too. Never had another tank or any healer go afk.

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I was in a run once where both healers decided to AFK through it.

Fun fact, unless both tanks are fresh 50s in artifact gear, you don't need healers for much in Prae.

Doesn't make it any less obnoxious, though.

I honestly don't care what other people are doing in my 95th Prae run. If someone's lame enough to AFK, then fine.

Since I remain front-and-center (except during cutscenes), I know that each encounter will be cleared by me pushing three buttons for twenty or thirty seconds.

Honestly my ego isn't so big that I would get 'upset' because I am 'carrying' someone. It's petty. I'm not there to teach anyone a lesson. I'm not there to place blame and call out people. My "carry" results in one extra push of '3' and two extra pushes of '1'.

I don't play the blame game in life, unless the blame is needed, e.g., someone afk-ing in a premade ultimate raid group.

If someone wants to afk in Prae, it's literally not worth my time or emotion to care. I ain't no Elon Musk where I make eleventy-million dollars an hour. One minute of my time, especially when I'm playing a video game, isn't worth a damn thing.

'But, but, Billy, someone needs to teach them a lesson!"

Yeah, so you either speak to the person, or initiate a kick. Coming here to soapbox over random crap that shouldn't even upset you is very petty. If something like this sets you off, how are you going to cope with the real world, when you have to go out and get a job, and immediately realize that some people do more work, and some people do less work - for the same pay? Whoa... that's gonna set you off something spectacular if you can't even carry someone in Prae and ignore it.

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Originally Posted by ArmaDragkun

Yeah I know I'm just a grumpy shite who wants to rant

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Same

/10char

They could always not tie rewards to it.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

I honestly don't care what other people are doing in my 95th Prae run. If someone's lame enough to AFK, then fine.

Since I remain front-and-center (except during cutscenes), I know that each encounter will be cleared by me pushing three buttons for twenty or thirty seconds.

Honestly my ego isn't so big that I would get 'upset' because I am 'carrying' someone. It's petty. I'm not there to teach anyone a lesson. I'm not there to place blame and call out people. My "carry" results in one extra push of '3' and two extra pushes of '1'.

I don't play the blame game in life, unless the blame is needed, e.g., someone afk-ing in a premade ultimate raid group.

If someone wants to afk in Prae, it's literally not worth my time or emotion to care. I ain't no Elon Musk where I make eleventy-million dollars an hour. One minute of my time, especially when I'm playing a video game, isn't worth a damn thing.

'But, but, Billy, someone needs to teach them a lesson!"

Yeah, so you either speak to the person, or initiate a kick. Coming here to soapbox over random crap that shouldn't even upset you is very petty. If something like this sets you off, how are you going to cope with the real world, when you have to go out and get a job, and immediately realize that some people do more work, and some people do less work - for the same pay? Whoa... that's gonna set you off something spectacular if you can't even carry someone in Prae and ignore it.

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It's not "petty" or egotistical; it's not putting up with someone unwilling to push a few buttons. Prae can be cleared while half asleep and drunk for crying out loud, so there's really no excuse to afk. Period. Don't wanna push 1-3 buttons? You don't get the rewards.

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Originally Posted by Velnora

They could always not tie rewards to it.

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Then nobody would join the roulette and new players would get stuck.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

Honestly my ego isn't so big that I would get 'upset' because I am 'carrying' someone. It's petty. I'm not there to teach anyone a lesson. I'm not there to place blame and call out people. My "carry" results in one extra push of '3' and two extra pushes of '1'.

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I don’t care. MSQ is about 35-45 minutes long & everyone should pull their weight. Why should one lazy individual do absolutely nothing and still get the same amount of rewards as everyone else? It’s not right and it’s not fair on me or the team. If I have to endure that place then so does everyone else who signed up to that duty.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

I honestly don't care what other people are doing in my 95th Prae run. If someone's lame enough to AFK, then fine.

Since I remain front-and-center (except during cutscenes), I know that each encounter will be cleared by me pushing three buttons for twenty or thirty seconds.

Honestly my ego isn't so big that I would get 'upset' because I am 'carrying' someone. It's petty. I'm not there to teach anyone a lesson. I'm not there to place blame and call out people. My "carry" results in one extra push of '3' and two extra pushes of '1'.

I don't play the blame game in life, unless the blame is needed, e.g., someone afk-ing in a premade ultimate raid group.

If someone wants to afk in Prae, it's literally not worth my time or emotion to care. I ain't no Elon Musk where I make eleventy-million dollars an hour. One minute of my time, especially when I'm playing a video game, isn't worth a damn thing.

'But, but, Billy, someone needs to teach them a lesson!"

Yeah, so you either speak to the person, or initiate a kick. Coming here to soapbox over random crap that shouldn't even upset you is very petty. If something like this sets you off, how are you going to cope with the real world, when you have to go out and get a job, and immediately realize that some people do more work, and some people do less work - for the same pay? Whoa... that's gonna set you off something spectacular if you can't even carry someone in Prae and ignore it.

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Sounds to me you're very emotionally invested in my forum post. Are you sure you're as cool and collected as you claim to be? Maybe you need to have a glass of water and chill because everyone else has been chill and you've come on like I've just made a 4 page post about afk players demanding they be beheaded and their family deported to a deserted island.

NGL I fell asleep several times

I've seen this a LOT of late, especially during the current Moogle Tome event. It's incredibly frustrating. It's gotten to a point where I've seen folks getting more stupidly "creative" with how they afk by standing with the group around bosses, or auto-following someone else.

I always try to vote-kick if I see someone doing it, but because most of Prae is broken (because the first few groups get skipped) it's bloody difficult, so anymore I've started just reporting everyone I see doing it. I provide times and details, and the GMs seem to be highly appreciative of it.

People not willing to do something as simple as play the game don't deserve rewards, period. And the only people I can imagine being ok with it are likely folks who do it themselves.

https://i.gifer.com/origin/fd/fd210c...7524_w200.webp

I personally call them out in chat politely.

“Hm, I wonder why ‘X’ is still over by the first mobs? AFK maybe?” Then I will stop, typically right before Lahabrea, make sure everyone knows it’s about to happen, initiate votekick, and theyre kicked. This gives them plenty of time to get their butt into gear and join up. It also means that if they’re AFK for rewards, then they’ve just wasted 45 minutes of their life and now have to queue again AND go thru another 45 minutes again.

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Originally Posted by MilkieTea

I personally call them out in chat politely.

“Hm, I wonder why ‘X’ is still over by the first mobs? AFK maybe?” Then I will stop, typically right before Lahabrea, make sure everyone knows it’s about to happen, initiate votekick, and theyre kicked. This gives them plenty of time to get their butt into gear and join up. It also means that if they’re AFK for rewards, then they’ve just wasted 45 minutes of their life and now have to queue again AND go thru another 45 minutes again.

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I'll always ask them for example "Everything ok?" or "You good?" Give them a chance ect but 99% of the time they are just trying to be lazy and as you said they get to enjoy another 45 minute wait! :D

I haven't had this problem until the last week or so. But every Praetorium run this week has had at least 1 AFK. Since you don't leave combat until after Nero to be able to kick AFK players, we decided to wait until Lahabrea to kick both people. Zero rewards for them, and their replacements got the reward for almost no effort. It's a win win :)

I've never cared and I'm gonna continue to not care. These are some of the worst designed dungeons I've ever seen and SE seems to know it lmao. I'd fully support them being changed into solo dungeons, rewards be darned. They should've been from the start.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

I honestly don't care what other people are doing in my 95th Prae run. If someone's lame enough to AFK, then fine.

Since I remain front-and-center (except during cutscenes), I know that each encounter will be cleared by me pushing three buttons for twenty or thirty seconds.

Honestly my ego isn't so big that I would get 'upset' because I am 'carrying' someone. It's petty. I'm not there to teach anyone a lesson. I'm not there to place blame and call out people. My "carry" results in one extra push of '3' and two extra pushes of '1'.

I don't play the blame game in life, unless the blame is needed, e.g., someone afk-ing in a premade ultimate raid group.

If someone wants to afk in Prae, it's literally not worth my time or emotion to care. I ain't no Elon Musk where I make eleventy-million dollars an hour. One minute of my time, especially when I'm playing a video game, isn't worth a damn thing.

'But, but, Billy, someone needs to teach them a lesson!"

Yeah, so you either speak to the person, or initiate a kick. Coming here to soapbox over random crap that shouldn't even upset you is very petty. If something like this sets you off, how are you going to cope with the real world, when you have to go out and get a job, and immediately realize that some people do more work, and some people do less work - for the same pay? Whoa... that's gonna set you off something spectacular if you can't even carry someone in Prae and ignore it.

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If you tolerate this sort of behavior and fail to call it out, it promotes the idea that antisocial behavior is acceptable.

AFKing is antisocial behavior. It is blatant disregard for the enjoyment of other people in the duty, especially of those who might actually need your help.

Just initiate a vote kick. People will usually vote kick an afker in my experience. Most people just don't pay attention in prae enough to notice someone's afk.

How long of an afk?

Because if its just 5-6 minutes before/after cutscene I doubt its afk at all probably doesnt realize or is just zoned out. The place gets so old and makes it so hard to remain focus. I found myself staring at the screen my last run not even knowing what I was doing half ways through it.

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Originally Posted by SherlottaEryut

Yeah but sometimes they get creative with it… like they put themselves in combat so you’re unable to kick them.

I’m the same though, I’m not afraid to call people out or initiate a vote kick.

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What do you mean? This is how you run Prae.

The instance is 45 minutes; clockwork. And out of those 45 minutes, you spend maybe five of those minutes actually controlling your character. The longest of that being the Magitek derby. The rest is all cut scenes. Prae is literally a short movie.

Of course, that doesn't excuse going AFK. I'm pretty sure that is actually against the ToS, and those players can be reported. We are required to participate in the little combat that still takes place in the dungeon. Even though most players just soak it up; I agree and anyone not participating should be kicked.

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Originally Posted by Gemina

Of course, that doesn't excuse going AFK. I'm pretty sure that is actually against the ToS, and those players can be reported.

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If they actually announce in chat that they're gonna AFK and get carried, then you can report it. If they just stand there without saying a word, then there's technically nothing to report.

This is just the natural outcome of content being undertuned. Why put in any effort of your own when the party already has the two people necessary for the clear? It’s not like you’re going to make the cutscenes any faster or improve your reward by performing well.

I don’t agree with this mindset, but I do recognize it exists and is encouraged by the xp/tomestone daily (low effort, high reward).

Square has needed to redo these instances for a long time, but if they’re not going to do that they need to be brought into the difficulty spectrum (from “free” to “easy”) so players will be incentivized to pull the brakes long enough to kick freeloaders.

If the content is intended to be low-effort, I want the content to be balanced in such a way that two or three people afk appreciably causes effort from those remaining. The community will happily sort itself out at that point if it's there to just get the roulette.

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Originally Posted by TheMightyMollusk

If they actually announce in chat that they're gonna AFK and get carried, then you can report it. If they just stand there without saying a word, then there's technically nothing to report.

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There's an ambiguity there that allows them to turn their heads on such reports. However, they are well within their means to discipline any player who is AFK while combat is taking place. However, I think the caveat to that is a player would have to be AFK long enough for the server to register it. If that's the case, that would mean disciplinary action taken on this offense would actually be very rare, especially when considering players can take care of those who are AFK on their own. This is exactly what the vote kick system is for, and how it should be used.

Reminds of me gym class: Not going to participate? Take an F for the day, and see yourself out of the class so you're not in the way.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

my ego

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This isn't about your ego, it's about basic etiquette.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

my ego

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Originally Posted by Shironeko_Narunyan

This isn't about your ego, it's about basic etiquette.

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I would argue it's also not about your ego, because they aren't just doing this to you -- but also to the rest of the group, and to any other group they can, as long as they get away with it.

But on that matter, why does it matter if it is about ego? What's wrong with not wanting to be a total chump who does all the work for a freeloading parasite? I thought FFXIV was the "you don't pay my sub" game, not the "I'm your sub, I pay you" game!

I've had to unintentionally AFK before because of irl issues, such as my dog throwing up on my bed or having to give my mother and grandmother their insulin injections. I do give players a heads up that I will brb but that hasn't stopped people from attempting (and sometimes succeeding) to kick me from groups.

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Originally Posted by TheMightyMollusk

If they actually announce in chat that they're gonna AFK and get carried, then you can report it. If they just stand there without saying a word, then there's technically nothing to report.

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There's now a section in Prohibited Activities that specifically mentions uncooperative behavior, including refusal to assist your party in a reasonable fashion.

If you queue for the duty, then there's a reasonable expectation that you're going to assist the group in defeating the enemies within the duty. If you aren't participating, then that could be considered uncooperative behavior if reported.

SE isn't likely to take action against an account after a single incident but if the same player ends up reported on multiple occasions likely they'd do something.

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Originally Posted by van_arn

If the content is intended to be low-effort, I want the content to be balanced in such a way that two or three people afk appreciably causes effort from those remaining. The community will happily sort itself out at that point if it's there to just get the roulette.

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Yeah, I mean, you can literally clear Prae with 3 people. People being afk makes maybe 5 minutes difference in a dungeon that's mostly cutscenes anyway. There's almost no actual gameplay involved at all.

Like, I don't deliberately afk out of Prae runs (I'm also usually a tank or healer, so), but I'm also not gonna sit tabbed in watching a cutscene I've seen 50 times either. Spending half the dungeon afk is just the nature of the beast at this point. Lmao

I'm just glad they haven't tried to repeat this kind of godawful design choice. Some dungeon cutscenes are still a little overlong imo, but not nearly this bad.

So yeah. Any other dungeon I'm absolutely gonna kick a dude who's afk. Prae though? Honestly barely even noticeable. I think you'd have to actively try to wipe to anything in there at this point, even with half a group.

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Originally Posted by Avidria

Yeah, I mean, you can literally clear Prae with 3 people. People being afk makes maybe 5 minutes difference in a dungeon that's mostly cutscenes anyway. There's almost no actual gameplay involved at all.

Like, I don't deliberately afk out of Prae runs (I'm also usually a tank or healer, so), but I'm also not gonna sit tabbed in watching a cutscene I've seen 50 times either. Spending half the dungeon afk is just the nature of the beast at this point. Lmao

I'm just glad they haven't tried to repeat this kind of godawful design choice. Some dungeon cutscenes are still a little overlong imo, but not nearly this bad.

So yeah. Any other dungeon I'm absolutely gonna kick a dude who's afk. Prae though? Honestly barely even noticeable. I think you'd have to actively try to wipe to anything in there at this point, even with half a group.

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That's my biggest condemnation of Praetorium: if there's no gameplay involved, it doesn't really have a right to exist as a queued duty.

So I've been running MSQ roulette to level my DRK for role quest (I have no intention to tank in proper content, so I'm running the content that my lack of skill will have the least impact on) and wound up with two stories. One where the other tank AFKed, I just didn't grasp it till Ultima.

And one where I didn't realise how tired I was until halfway through the run, tried to push through, and fell asleep right before Lahabrea. Woke up a few minutes later alone in a burning castrum with two new commends.

That's a pretty common reaction to Lahabrea's speeches, really.

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Originally Posted by Velnora

They could always not tie rewards to it.

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I would say enjoy your massive queue times. The only reason most of those people walk in Prae is because it gives a huge chunk of XP.

Who cares, I generally just push on through and ignore them if it happens. It's not often, and it goes by quick if you don't complain anyway.

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Originally Posted by ArmaDragkun

It's always dps players too. Never had another tank or any healer go afk.

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Well that's neat, usually for me it's the other way. I usually tank or heal, and half the time the other tank or heal just turns off and does nothing.

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Originally Posted by Breakbeat

Honestly my ego isn't so big that I would get 'upset' because I am 'carrying' someone. It's petty.

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Please, tell us all how your ego isn't so big.

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Originally Posted by TheMightyMollusk

That's a pretty common reaction to Lahabrea's speeches, really.

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and Gaius.. and Nero... omg they never shut up.