Your Character is Already Logged In Woes

[RakaMaimhov]

So, those of you claiming it's purely the internet connection? Yeah, whatever.

The 90k's are not always related to internet connection. If it were, then everyone using the same connection would potentially suffer 90k's at the same time, or at least would see lag or other connection difficulties when others on that connection were experiencing 90k's. This does not happen.

Also, what on earth is your problem with making adjustments to the log-in process to help fix this issue? They could do something as simple as require you to enter your 1-time password or something when you try to log in and it detects you're already connected.

It can be a person's local internet connection, their ISP, connection/latency (pathways, like backroads and highways and such) issues on internet backbones that cause issues staying connected to the game. Among other things.

Your idea about entering 1-time password is good, though. I wonder if they're able to implement this?

[Viridiana]

Also, what on earth is your problem with making adjustments to the log-in process to help fix this issue? They could do something as simple as require you to enter your 1-time password or something when you try to log in and it detects you're already connected.

Honestly, in the time it takes to fully d/c, I could close the game entirely, re-enter my normal password, have them email me a 1-time password, and re-enter all that info, and still make it back in faster than what we have now.

[Kyriea]

how would you feel if you saw a drop you had been running months trying to get, disconnected, and were unable to log back in before the chest timer expired because your character was still online?

Try seeing a drop you've been waiting years to get (PLD AF2 body in FFXI) only to "cast lots" and get dc'ed. Coming back to find the other PLD got it because it was gonna fall to the floor and having to wait another few months at least to get it again.

But I got over it, because eye candy isn't incredibly important to me and in the long run I'd be a lot more upset if my account got hacked and I lost everything.

[Shurrikhan]

Honestly, in the time it takes to fully d/c, I could close the game entirely, re-enter my normal password, have them email me a 1-time password, and re-enter all that info, and still make it back in faster than what we have now.

This. It can often take 2-5 minutes for it to actually DC me, during which party members stumble and blink across the screen, acting out up to an entire half of a long fight, without my being able to do anything. Now add the minute+ wait for it to log your out after the drawn-out DC...

[ToffeeCoffee]

Just got DC'd on last boss in Copperbell HM for my High Level roulette...let the 3102 woes begin...
Did they kill the boss, if so did I get rewarded...or did they wipe and are waiting going on 10 minutes for my return...or did they kick me for being Offline and I just wasted my time and effort.
My girlfriend is still online on her game on another computer same network/connection...so yeah SE what's up with that.

[Viridiana]

Now add the minute+ wait for it to log your out after the drawn-out DC...

God, I wish it were only a minute+. Usually closer to 5, if not longer.

[Darki]

Please, SE, fix this! Make it so requesting to log back in disconnects our character.

If SE did that then anyone with your password could kick you off while you were playing the game. It needs to stay how it is for security reasons.

[Tupsi]

So, those of you claiming it's purely the internet connection? Yeah, whatever.

Post your tracert to SE's servers - Otherwise you can't disregard that it's your connection getting basically destroyed due to certain routes that numerous companies have confirmed are the issue, even with other MMOs lately.

Also, what on earth is your problem with making adjustments to the log-in process to help fix this issue?

I promise you the second they do you'll have tons of people complaining:

"You shouldn't be able to log in and kick yourself off if you're already online, it makes no sense!"

Remember how badly people wanted the AFK auto kick and how quickly it spun to people wanting to get rid of it?

[Kletian]

Erm, in XI you can knock people/yourself offline if you log in - which was a source of many woes due to hacking.

When window remote Desktop tries to connect to a computer that has another user logged in, it allows the active user to reject the new connection. Why not do something like that, so if you were DCed, you can wait 30 seconds for your dead process to time out the reject request, whereas if a hacker tried it, as long as you weren't afk you could not only stop them, but perhaps flag their IP/MAC address as a hacker.

[Kouren]

This post isn't about the disconnects, which I realize can be caused by a wide range of different problems, some of which are not related to FFXIV at all. It's about the reconnect process; something isolated entirely to the game.

Again, FFXIV is the only MMO (I personally know of) that suffers such an atrocious reconnect system. I won't claim to be a networking or programming expert with an actionable plan to resolve it, but I do know if dozens of other games can find ways much better than 5+ minute "Your Character is Already Logged In" sessions to handle it, this one can too.

To stay on point, disconnects are not always related to internet failure, and currently cause you to lose all rights to drops and group progress. If your teammate DCs during combat, it takes him so long to get back, you might as well wipe and wait. You have no hope of lotting the item you may have wanted, and you get to ping the login server an arbitrary amount of time, until finally it decides to release your character and allow you to log back in. Yes, account security is important, but how is this a good system to handle it?