Any way to disable this new smart un-away system?

[Bluevann]

This change was implemented because too many players complained coming back from AFK and having forgotten to change their status back to not-afk (it's more common than you think, a lot of players play with their name hidden). To play the game with an unnoticed AFK status can be an inconvenience (I've heard so at least. I've never been on AFK status so far so I don't really know. I assume it blocks something?), while to be AFK while your status is non-afk doesn't really seem to cause any problem. Is there any particular reason to want to be displayed as Away From Keyboard without the minimum 5-minutes timer?

[Richiealvian]

Please don't, I love this system!!!!!!


Edit: I was dumb. OP, I agree! I want people to know if I'm actually AFK.

[Donjo]

I think that many people here are forgetting what AFK means: Away From Keyboard.

Yes, "Keyboard". Not "Away from this window". It signifies "I got up and walked away from my keyboard." This shouldn't care whether your keyboard press or mouse movement registered in the game window or out. It still means you're at your keyboard, regardless of what you're doing. In 99% of cases, walking away from the keyboard will not result in a random earthquake, pet, or act of god magically moving the mouse a millimeter to make people think you actually are at your keyboard for 10 minutes or so.

If you've got the game minimized while you're doing something else entirely on your computer, use Busy. That's what it's for. You're busy either doing something you don't want interrupted within the game or doing something on your computer but outside of the game.

If you're going to stand up and walk away from the computer, use Away. That's what it's for. It'll un-away you when you move something because, hey, you're at your keyboard again.

[necrosis]

This change was implemented because too many players complained coming back from AFK and having forgotten to change their status back to not-afk (it's more common than you think, a lot of players play with their name hidden).

Simple fix. Make some kind of on screen icon/message other than the icon next to your name which is off by default.

[Rubeus_Carcer]

I like the system as it is, partially. If you advocate for "making busy let you still see tells", you really need to specify "from my LS or FC or friends list."

This is SE. Be careful what you wish for, or in your next update they'll remove "busy = no tells" completely and you'll be flooded with your RMT spam all over again and have only yourselves to blame for that change. If you're at your keyboard, you aren't AFK. Maybe you're "away" and "AFK" should be its own status, and that I'll agree with, but you're not "AFK."

If I'm "away" and my FC wants to know if I want to run brayflox, it's nice to know that and I want to be asked even if I'm just watching Hulu. If I'm in the middle of an exam then I'm "Busy" and DON'T want to be asked, although why you'd keep the game open in such a case is beyond me considering the resources it pulls, even on a strong computer. If I'm AFK you shouldn't bother asking because, like "Busy", I'm not around.

My 2 cents.

[Leigaon]

The fact you don't see this as a problem is some what bothersome.

I find it bothersome that during an earthquake or your child bumping the desk possibly hurting themselves, while they need attention you're worried about your away status in a video game.

I understand it's a feature that unwillingly places some people from away to active status, but the bottom line is that it's not a giant deal to get worked up over. If your FC / Party Members / Friends have an issue with you taking care of your own child while not responding to a speed run, then it's them that has issues..not the game itself.

Bottom line is this isn't a major issue, it may be annoying but it's nothing that should stop you from performing your tasks. If someone thinks you're ignoring them or what issues they might have then that's just something you're going to have to let them know "I'm busy" for whatever reason you might have.

[Souljacker]

This change was implemented because too many players complained coming back from AFK and having forgotten to change their status back to not-afk

So that's why the rest of us should not be able to use the status at all? It wouldn't even be so bad if you had to perform some amount if actions before the status cancels... but moving the mouse even a micrometer will cancel this status. On high DPI mice, this is extremely easy to do. For those of us who have a keyboard and mouse on a drawer, if I want to use this status I have to push in the drawer, type in the status, then carefully remove my hands from underneath the desk and hope that my cats don't jump up there while I'm gone.

And somehow, this is less inconvenient than someone seeing a chair icon in the middle of their face and realizing "oops, I'm still /away!"

As an aside, there is an /away command in addition to /afk so the idea that this status is only to be used when you are physically away from the keyboard is moot.

Just put the status back the way it was or at least make it so that you have to actually perform an "action" to cancel the status. Just swiping the mouse across the window is ridiculous.

[Souljacker]

That sounds like a decent compromise, no?

What would be an even better "compromise" is putting it back to the way that XI functioned for over a decade (and still does as far as I know), and the way this game functioned for three-ish years, and the way every other mmo in existence functions.

That would be a GREAT compromise.

[mbncd]

I do still think that if the automated un-AFK system must remain in place that it should be tweaked to at least require some sort of actual interaction with the game itself. Moving the mouse to minimise the game or using alt+tab a second too late should not take you out of the away status you just purposely set. Fine if they want talking, moving, interacting, etc to cancel it but at least make it only be cancelled when something is sent to the server, not something client side only.

[Erana]

I think that many people here are forgetting what AFK means: Away From Keyboard.

Yes, "Keyboard". Not "Away from this window". It signifies "I got up and walked away from my keyboard." This shouldn't care whether your keyboard press or mouse movement registered in the game window or out. It still means you're at your keyboard, regardless of what you're doing. In 99% of cases, walking away from the keyboard will not result in a random earthquake, pet, or act of god magically moving the mouse a millimeter to make people think you actually are at your keyboard for 10 minutes or so.

If you've got the game minimized while you're doing something else entirely on your computer, use Busy. That's what it's for. You're busy either doing something you don't want interrupted within the game or doing something on your computer but outside of the game.

If you're going to stand up and walk away from the computer, use Away. That's what it's for. It'll un-away you when you move something because, hey, you're at your keyboard again.

This, although I tend to /away by habit when doing other stuff anyway (gotta start using /busy).
Also if you are changing to another window whilst /away is on, just press that little windows button on your keyboard. It's simple... if you're not stubborn.