Time to deal with those hiding in their house to afk

[Soraki-Muppe]

Ya, time to do something about them.
Today I was logging in before primetime in order do the event, getting in is not a problem around that time.
Then to enter my house in order to deal with retainers which I like to do inside my house. Took a few tries to get in due to the housing server being under a lot of stress.
Then I did the event and wanted to get into my house again, this time I was unable to due to the same housing server issue.

This is not on SE but rather on those who hide inside their houses while they do things in order to not get kicked for being afk, which they most certainly are. This is something SE should look into, perhaps by sending a big message that pops up in the center of the screen of those who stay inside their house for more then 1h, if the person does not respond to the message within 30min they get kicked. Pretty sure this would make it possible for more people to actually play.

[Jin-]

Glad it hasn't spread out to Shirogane District yet

[DamianFatale]

I am sick of this as well, but unless Square Enix forces them out, they won't. People are always justifying their own reasons on why they think they should break the rules, even though Square Enix themselves updated the forced log out to include the previously well used bypasses. It's like people can't accept the fact that staying logged in to sleep or go to work is also affecting the game. The servers are stretched beyond anything they have ever been before. The game is barely working.

It's so ironic when people complain about things but then do things that are known to make it worse anyway. People have been begging them to do forced server resets to kick them out, and Square Enix doesn't seem like they will at this point. It's insanely frustrating. If they just did one or two forced log outs every day, then all the people sleeping or at work would get screwed out into the lobby and no longer be taking up space.

[Eriane_Elis]

If I wanted to dodge an AFK timer I would just go anywhere, even in public. I don't think dodging a timer is against the ToS, it's just bad manners. What I do like to do is craft, make money and even figure new ways to design houses (there are various discords on this subject and it's a way of life for many). Please stop spreading this nonsense, people shouldn't be kicked for playing the game they are paying for.

[PredatoryCatgirl]

I don't think dodging a timer is against the ToS, it's just bad manners.

Dodging a timer isn't against TOS. Using a bot to do it is.

[LittlePandemonium]

I thought we were mad at people who don't use their houses and deprive someone else of one

[DamianFatale]

I thought we were mad at people who don't use their houses and deprive someone else of one

Is staying afk in your house using it? Hmm..

[LittlePandemonium]

Is staying afk in your house using it? Hmm..

Yes. But you also don't know that they're AFK. You're just looking for another reason to be mad at other players.

[Viirin]

Dodging a timer isn't against TOS. Using a bot to do it is.

Do we have a working definition of what SE considers a "bot"? I ask because, using a bot, at least what I consider a bot, to dodge an afk timer would be overengineering something that can be done pretty simply. A lot of players have Logitech G keyboards (or an equivalent from some other manufacturer) with macro keys that you could easily configure to keep you from idling for 30 minutes. Is that a bot?

Someone with a fairly basic keyboard could get a small weight and place it on their W key so their character is constantly running forward into a wall. Is that a bot?

A controller user I suppose could tape their analog stick so their character constantly moves.

It's a simple thing to bypass. If it's not actually against the rules to bypass it, it probably should be. If I was using any of those methods, I would expect to get kicked with some sort of temp ban if I was caught - I have no idea if that's what actually happens or not though.

[Rin_Kuroi]

Do we have a working definition of what SE considers a "bot"? I ask because, using a bot, at least what I consider a bot, to dodge an afk timer would be overengineering something that can be done pretty simply. A lot of players have Logitech G keyboards (or an equivalent from some other manufacturer) with macro keys that you could easily configure to keep you from idling for 30 minutes. Is that a bot?

Someone with a fairly basic keyboard could get a small weight and place it on their W key so their character is constantly running forward into a wall. Is that a bot?

A controller user I suppose could tape their analog stick so their character constantly moves.

It's a simple thing to bypass. If it's not actually against the rules to bypass it, it probably should be. If I was using any of those methods, I would expect to get kicked with some sort of temp ban if I was caught - I have no idea if that's what actually happens or not though.

You make some good points. Dealing with the house afkers seems more like addressing a symptom and not the problem.