How long is "a break" to you?

[Catwho]

The discussion around housing brought up an important point - often we tell people who are feeling burned out to take "a break" from the game and go do something else for a while. (That something else may be another MMO or an offline game or something not video game related at all.)

The general recommendation previously was to unsub until the next patch, which was usually no more than 1-3 months away. However, the long delay of 3.1 has now sparked concerns that future patches will also be thinner.

How long do you think "a break" is? (I personally think about a month is good, but do others go for much longer periods of time?)

Do you unsub during breaks? (I don't. I want SE to have money. I still pay for XI....)

[LaylaTsarra]

I have too much to do so no I don't unsub.

[Gralna]

the weekend

[Dante_V]

I haven't taken one yet but I have been considering it. I don't know how long. The sub fee is slowly starting to be gretaer than the value of content coming down the pipe. The 3 month updates are perfect imo. If it drags out longer or the cycle extends then I don't really see myself continuing. AT this point I'm literally getting on to raid and cap esos. It's becoming more of an inconvenience. than anything else. The whole house relinquishment thing would actually make me less likely to come back if I did unsub. Just my opinion.

[WinterLuna]

In my FC, if someone has been inactive for 60 days and hasn't said they will be back, I usually kick them. A month to me would be a typical break, then I give another 30 days incase they decide to come back, but any more (in my experience) means they have either quit or won't be back for a long time.

[StrejdaTom]

I once haven't played for 5 months, but I wouldn't call that a break and definitely wouldn't expect my house to still stand.

2-4 weeks sound like a break to me, but if I had nothing to do in game between every patch and had to take 2-3 months breaks twice a year (or even worse) I would consider switching to other game. 2-3 months aren't a small break in my opinion, especially if it happens more often.

[worldofneil]

The general recommendation previously was to unsub until the next patch, which was usually no more than 1-3 months away.

Sorry, but general recommendation, by WHO? :S

How long do you think "a break" is?

From XIV? About 2 days? (so a weekend?) Longest break I've personally taken since 2.0 came out was a week when GTA V came out on PC. Other than that I login most days if only just to do trial roulette, give retainers new works and other basic things like that. How long I stay on per day depends on what I want to do and/or if friends are playing other games.

I certainly don't think I'm going to have a problem with the 45 day housing inactivity (if you have a subscription and actively log into the game, you're likely to go into the house at some point if only to use/sell to the vendors)

[Kerii]

Unlike many people, I play the game every day for several hours. The way I do this and keep myself from getting burned out is that I have ceased content grind, I do not bother with gear, and honestly I just do things at my own snail pace. I always have more to do, and I'm never burned out so much that I don't feel like paying my subscription fee. What does turn me off to the game is actually the community, in the pubic sense. Concepts like making friends in an MMO, treating it like a hobby instead of a job, and even the difference between subscribing to a service versus purchasing an item are tough concepts for some people.

I do take breaks though. I log in for a few minutes to say hi, and maybe cycle retainers, and then I log out and do other things. A break for me is however long I need, and if I find something else that's a better hobby then I wish XIV luck because it was fun while it lasted.

[Dree-Elle]

In my FC, if someone has been inactive for 60 days and hasn't said they will be back, I usually kick them. A month to me would be a typical break, then I give another 30 days in case they decide to come back, but any more (in my experience) means they have either quit or won't be back for a long time.

Same here. I do make exceptions, such as for players who are known to have recurring financial troubles (and won't accept donations), but by and large, those who drop out for extended periods of time without bothering to leave any notice whatsoever tend to be uncommitted, both to the FC, and to the game itself.

[Dyvid]

For me it would be a month. Also I'm on the six month plan so I can't really unsub when bored.