Would it be feasible to add a Pause Queue feature?

[Shurrikhan]

So, this is for anyone who happens to have some knowledge about how queues might work in cross-server high-population settings such as XIV.

Would it be feasible to allow players to pause their positions in queue, allowing other players to pass them while they take care of irl business so they don't have to risk the queue popping over the comparatively brief time they're absent and the entirety of their progress being wasted?

Alternatively... if it turns out that such would be possible... would anyone like this feature?




Responses:

Problems I'm seeing is like many things, it can be abused causing huge problems with the DF queues. Pausing to run to the restroom sounds ideal, but then again there are those who just pause it and take a nap, cook dinner, cut the grass, hoping that when they come back they can take pause off and have less of a wait time.

Putting aside the unlikelihood of having no limit to the maximum pause time, or frequency of pauses, available, this is still a non-issue. So you have more people using the queue who otherwise could not have and fewer failed pops (where you're held in suspense for 45 seconds, are disappointed, and repeat until a DPS hasn't gone off somewhere amid their 30-minute queue). How is that any worse than just having, say, a larger playerbase who more rarely leave their computers? At worst, roles in need get more instant while the roles least in need have a higher maximum queue number, identically to simply having more players using the Duty Finder, since... that's all that's effectively happening.


By the time you're in position #1, your queue will have already popped. You cannot hit pause then and literally break the queue system. So I'm not sure what you're worried about here.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if a player starts a queue when they get home, among cooking and answering emails and whatever else, pausing their queue whenever they leave their computer or wouldn't have time to complete the full run, and gradually making their way up the queue over the next 90 minutes; at worst, some people will enter the dungeon when still at queue position #7 because in-role positions #2 through #6 happen to be paused, which looks odd, but... is entirely harmless. But, if we wish to take issue with that, it's as simple as putting in a max number of time per pause, pauses per hour or day, and/or total time paused per hour or day.

[DrWho2010]

if you're busy IRL DON'T QUEUE. it's as simple as that. the game will be there when you get back.

[Almandaragal]

if you're busy IRL DON'T QUEUE. it's as simple as that. the game will be there when you get back.

While the OP didn't state as much, I'm pretty sure the idea is for when things unexpectedly pop up on you while in queue. Sure, this is mainly "just" a DPS problem, but that "more than 30 min" wait time is plenty enough time for something to pop up. Something that could literally take just a minute and a half can screw your queue attempt up, simply because the queue pops faster than the average was showing, or someone came to the door, etc. You know, little things that you could tell a party mid-dungeon "just a sec, gotta get the door" or something.

That said, I totally get and typically agree with the "if you're busy, don't queue". That part is pretty standard for most players. It's the unexpected "I just heard a crash, need to see if the cat/dog just destroyed something quick" type issues that this would help address. While I'd personally like something like this, even if I'd almost never get use out of it, I just don't see it happening, especially with Trusts existing now.

Overall, is it an interesting idea? Yes. If it could be implemented properly would I like to see it in game? Yes. Is it actually necessary? Not really. Those of us who play DPS just have this risk, unfortunately.

[Arazehl]

Problems I'm seeing is like many things, it can be abused causing huge problems with the DF queues. Pausing to run to the restroom sounds ideal, but then again there are those who just pause it and take a nap, cook dinner, cut the grass, hoping that when they come back they can take pause off and have less of a wait time.

I see this as causing a big pile up in the queue as well. Even more so than it is now with the huge player base that FFXIV has. Players, jumping paused players queues, I am not sure this would work in theory, I think the way the queue is set up now it has it own limit cap. I don't want to see the limit cap to fill up with players on pause, sort of like when the Firmament Fate system filled and players would get locked out.

[Rongway]

I mostly agree with DW and Almandrigal in re: don't queue if you're busy, but it would be fine to add this if it were implemented reasonably.

I see this as causing a big pile up in the queue as well. Even more so than it is now with the huge player base that FFXIV has.

It doesn't need to. Make it so that anyone who's paused the queue can only advance as far as queue position #2. If a person in party has the queue paused, nobody in the party can advance ahead of position #2.

For everyone else skipping over the paused people, it would be little different from when you're in a roulette, and a duty would-pop except you don't have access to the specific duty, so it offers it to the first eligible person in queue instead of you. There is no pileup there either.

Problems I'm seeing is like many things, it can be abused causing huge problems with the DF queues. Pausing to run to the restroom sounds ideal, but then again there are those who just pause it and take a nap, cook dinner, cut the grass, hoping that when they come back they can take pause off and have less of a wait time.

This is easily handled by capping your pause time to 5 or 10 minutes before it either A) ejects you from queue or B) force unpauses your queue.

[Feronar]

World of Warcraft lets you pause duty finder queues. You can pause an active duty queue simply by entering the Proving Grounds. Not only that, but it also allows you to chain-queue multiple duties simultaneously, such that if one pops and you enter, all other queues are paused until you complete the current one. For example you can chain-queue all 3 wings of LFR Battle of Dazar'alor simultaneously. When one of them pops, the others will be paused. When you complete the duty, the others will be immediately unpaused, and the next one will typically pop very quickly. It's not uncommon for the next duty queue to pop within seconds of the the current duty's final boss dying.

I would like it if FF14 were to add a feature like that.

[Alaeacus]

Pause queue? You mean like, saving your place in line? If you are 15th in line, walk away and come back at a later time, are you expecting yourself to automatically be 15th in line again? What if someone else is 15th, walks away, you are 15th later, then you walk away, and both of you 15th's come back to the line at the same time...who gets the 15th spot? WHat about the person who stayed in line and currently is 15th. How is it fair that you automatically get to jump ahead of them just because you chose to return at that time?

Do you see how easily the idea starts to fall apart if you just think about it for a sec?

If you simply mean: Pause the queue on your UI just so it won't kick you out, but let people go ahead of you until you return. Then that is fine, as long as you move to the back of the queue immediately after you return. If you expect to be anywhere but the end of the queue when you unpause, than it's automatically a terribly unfair idea.

[Risvertasashi]

I know the pain of queuing as DPS - and it seems like you have time so you go to the bathroom or something, and then oops, you missed it. But... how often does this really happen 3 times in a day, giving you the penalty?

Take the chance, most of the time it won't happen and when you come back from the bathroom (or getting a drink/snack/etc), you'll be fine. If you do miss it, that's why there's leniency before penalties apply.

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But as for longer term "queue saving", I wouldn't support this. People would do things like queue while at work/school/etc, pause for their priority queue when they get home, and then a bunch of people doing this would, unfairly, stack up delays for people that didn't do this.

[Shurrikhan]

People would do things like queue while at work/school/etc, pause for their priority queue when they get home, and then a bunch of people doing this would, unfairly, stack up delays for people that didn't do this.

Ignoring the obvious limitations that can be placed on any such system, such as as maximum duration before the pause is broken, making that impossible, how is 72 people in line in front of you different than 72 people in line in line in front of you (where 15 of them just came back from a pause, long or otherwise)?

At worst, it amount to more people in the queue because more people won't have been ejected from it. That higher population of users is something we usually want, because it generally reduces queue times for all but the most inflated role(s).

[Canadane]

I mean I would take such a feature, but I wouldn't fight for it.
For the most part it is kinda unnecessary. Unless you're brand new, you know what you're getting into with a DPS queue...