[Suggestion] an Auto log out feature

[Antipika]

Then you can save even more power, instead of just having the game log you out, you can use the power saving settings in Windows to automatically shut down your PC or put it into sleep mode.

Alternatively, you can take a second to type /shutdown if you're going to be away for an extended period.

Almost all of those players standing around AFK are doing so because they choose to do so, not because of some system forced upon them by the lack of an auto-logout feature. Those same people would simply turn it off given the choice so they can continue to stand around AFK.

Off course I can also close the game client and shut down my PC. But that's not the point here. If I am running tasks in background on my computer, I don't want to turn it off (i.e. AFK'ing on IRC, download/sharing files, etc.) however I want it to consume less power, just enough to do whats it needs to do. That is called efficiency.

That is also why hardware manufacturers have been striving for in the past decade, making hardware greener than ever, since computer usage increase with time, we want to "have it all" (stay connected 24/7) while consuming less power.

Latest GPU became super effective. While before power saving profiles used to only be "2D" (i.e. no game started) and "3D" (game started), now GPUs can simply only use the power they need according to the task they are being given. Running an old game that doesn't require much power = won't use lot of GPU ressources, cards will receive less voltage. Running a game at a lower framerate will automatically consume less power etc.

Your solution is basically like saying "You want to save energy? Just turn all lights off" while mine is "You want to save energy? Use eco light bulbs instead". But then again if such a feature is implemented (could it be framerate limitation while game is running in background or auto-disconnect after X minutes) I don't really see why anyone would complain as long as users got the choice

All that matters. Having the choice. More features is always better than no feature.

Also on the power note, I've calculated FFXIV to cost me around 1.5pence an hour to run (in £) which is not much really.

Yeah that's a realistic value for average hardware. For high end hower, it would be a bit higher. With a 250 watts gap (between IDLE and charge), @10pence a kWh that's 2.5pence.

I know it's still not that much, especially since people could say "if you can afford high end hardware, you should be able to afford the money to pay your electricity bill", that's true! But if I can pay less, get the same results with no effort, then why not ^^