AFK boot dodgers

[Kandraxx]

It is terrible that SE doesn't cut player time to a max 8 hours a day to let others who you know purchased their product and also pay a subscription fee get a chance to play. But hey, players will be selfish pricks and get away with staying logged on for over 16 hours doing absolutely nothing in game but hiding in their homes so they are not reported.

That’s a can of worms you don’t want to open, ever.

[Eriane_Elis]

I have been reporting them under cheating when I see them, but only after messaging them a couple of times during the evening or day to see if they are actually there. I know people don't HAVE TO reply to you, but I still think most people will at least give you at least minor acknowledgement if you say hi. Usually the people I suspect are using these third party tools are.. probably doing so, because I have never got any reply from the people I suspected.

Some people on my friend list try to hide it by going into the inn, house, or a private apartment. They usually restrict all guess access as if we can't see what they are doing when they go "invisible" for 7+ hours a day.

The key things to look for are:

- AFK for SEVERAL hours in the same place.
- Busy icon
- Hiding the AFK icon
- In apartment, house, or private chambers
- No guest access in apartment, house, or private chambers
- No Teleport for friends in apartment, house, or private chambers
- Some people use the same emote all day in place. That simply isn't practical for the equivalent of an entire work day if someone is actively playing. The average player is going to change spots at least a few times in that period.
- Crowd blending. Some of these people will look for busy crowds and hide the AFK icon to blend in. I'm not fooled.
- Not replying whatsoever in any form. It's possible someone doesn't have a keyboard, because sometimes I swivel my TV around to my bed in order to play when I'm not feeling well, but its not hard to to at least use the auto translation feature. They have phrases for letting people know that you don't have a keyboard on you at the moment. You can also type a sentence with a controller, but it isn't fun.

How do you know someone is AFK in the same place for several hours? They could be chatting with others / FC.
Busy icon is what people like to use when they don't want to be bothered, be invited to guilds / parties, or see spoilers.
Hiding the afk icon with what exactly?
Decorating a house takes days, and if you're really into it, you might also be doing R&D for some really interesting stuff. It's a big culture.
Not everyone wants to invite randoms to their house, I don't.
Again, this point is invalid
You can't use the same emote over and over, you'll get kicked. Same with pressing a single button.
Never seen anyone try to do "crowd bleeding" it sounds stupid to avoid afk. They can easily go in an inn
Your last point -- Not everyone cares to reply to people. There are shy people, antisocial people, people who don't want to bother with others. Lack of keyboard for PS players too, or people playing with a controller away from keyboard. Honestly, why would you bother people who you don't know? I ignore pretty much everyone who isn't on my friend list / guild.

[Chie_M]

- AFK for SEVERAL hours in the same place.

I'm probably talking in linkshells.

- Busy icon

I don't want /tells or trade requests.

- Hiding the AFK icon

Come on, man.

- In apartment, house, or private chambers

My friends and I hang out in my apartment regularly.

- No guest access in apartment, house, or private chambers

So that we're not interrupted, given that we're on an RP realm and I've walked in on people ERPing in my apartment before.

- No Teleport for friends in apartment, house, or private chambers

I only enable teleport when we're planning to meet up.

- Some people use the same emote all day in place. That simply isn't practical for the equivalent of an entire work day if someone is actively playing. The average player is going to change spots at least a few times in that period.

Why are you tracking people's emote patterns instead of playing the game?

- Crowd blending. Some of these people will look for busy crowds and hide the AFK icon to blend in. I'm not fooled.

Heaven forfend I make a cup of tea at the Sharlayan retainer bell.

- Not replying whatsoever in any form. It's possible someone doesn't have a keyboard, because sometimes I swivel my TV around to my bed in order to play when I'm not feeling well, but its not hard to to at least use the auto translation feature. They have phrases for letting people know that you don't have a keyboard on you at the moment. You can also type a sentence with a controller, but it isn't fun.

I generally don't respond to random /tells from strangers, especially not ones accusing me of circumventing AFK timers by hanging out in my locked apartment with my friends.

[SturmChurro]

While I stay logged in when I get on, and AFK regularly for a time, I do log out by evening - before primetime. So don't be mean.

[SamSmoot]

Honestly, you guys should go easy on these Afklers. I also find these kind of behaviour a bit qusetionable or strange but i wouldnt go that far and say SE should kick or bann them. In the end these guys pay the same amount of money to SE like you, maybe even more (glamours, retainers, mounts). Its not their fault that SE is incompetant and not able to provide enough space for everyone. These guys are just a symptom but not the cause.

Actually, the long queues are encouraging more people to avoid AFK. Before, if I had to go AFK for more than 10 minutes to get something done. I'd log off.
Now, I stay on, and return to move my character a bit once in a while so I don't end up in the 2002 game again.

I'm seriously considering hiding in my inn room with the W and A keys wedged down so I run in circles. (Not sure if that will work).

[ijuakos_xqwzts]

I have been reporting them under cheating when I see them, but only after messaging them a couple of times during the evening or day to see if they are actually there. I know people don't HAVE TO reply to you, but I still think most people will at least give you at least minor acknowledgement if you say hi. Usually the people I suspect are using these third party tools are.. probably doing so, because I have never got any reply from the people I suspected.

Some people on my friend list try to hide it by going into the inn, house, or a private apartment. They usually restrict all guess access as if we can't see what they are doing when they go "invisible" for 7+ hours a day.

The key things to look for are:

- AFK for SEVERAL hours in the same place.
- Busy icon
- Hiding the AFK icon
- In apartment, house, or private chambers
- No guest access in apartment, house, or private chambers
- No Teleport for friends in apartment, house, or private chambers
- Some people use the same emote all day in place. That simply isn't practical for the equivalent of an entire work day if someone is actively playing. The average player is going to change spots at least a few times in that period.
- Crowd blending. Some of these people will look for busy crowds and hide the AFK icon to blend in. I'm not fooled.
- Not replying whatsoever in any form. It's possible someone doesn't have a keyboard, because sometimes I swivel my TV around to my bed in order to play when I'm not feeling well, but its not hard to to at least use the auto translation feature. They have phrases for letting people know that you don't have a keyboard on you at the moment. You can also type a sentence with a controller, but it isn't fun.

Did you at least contact them before you start making accusations? The wording in your post strongly suggests you do not. Some "friend".

[sevendog_]

How do you know they are online for 48 hours if you yourself aren't in game for 48 hours? Is there a way to check that?

and when you search their ign, they're online. Not there, but they're online.

[PredatoryCatgirl]

and when you search their ign, they're online. Not there, but they're online.

The reason I disabled this function on my Discord is because it keeps reporting that I'm playing FFXIV until I open another game. I've had it go for weeks before.

[Shibi]

Doesn't discord show that if you are just at the movie screen, before logging in? I don't tell people what i am playing, so am not 100% sure, but I think it's just if the client is active. Doesn't mean they are online. So it's possible that they play, log out and sit at char selection until they want to play again. That they are online at any particular minute isn't a guaranteed 2 days.

[lezard21]

It's really a no brainer how to fix AFK cheaters, aside from bans but we don't have the GMs for that.

Put a hard cap to how long you can stay continually logged in at 12 hours, whether you are moving, crafting, watching a cutscene, ERPing or bot farming. You hit the 12 hour continual logged in mark and BOOM, boot and you get a 12 hour cooldown in which you can't queue again.

If the devs haven't done this already is because they can't be more obvious to how little they care about the queue situation.