City Of Heroes: Positron versus Anti-Auto-AFKers

In an effort to reduce lag times in heavy traffic areas, game developers have introduced an auto-AFK and auto-Logout feature on the test server. This feature forces a player into AFK status after 5 minutes, then logs them out after 15. There is a 2 minute warning before the auto-logout.

Positron says:

The reason for this change is to allievate the framerate and lag issues many players have in areas of massive concentration of players (Ms. Liberty, Trams, Trainers, Stores, Icon, etc.). The fact that AFK powerlevelers will be affected (to some degree) is a side effect, one that we think the community as a whole should see as beneficial. (Yes, we are well aware at how "easy" it can be to circumvent AFK detection.)

While explaining the reasons behind the auto-AFK/Logout feature, Positron mentions powerleveling, something primary developer Statesman has already commented upon:

Statesman:

we are going to be ratcheting up the difficulty of higher levels, meaning that someone trying to "power level" someone will find it more challenging. If someone wants to do that, bravo, but I think we'll see the issue resolve itself....

Players familiar with other MMORPGs know that towns and travel centers are choked with AFK toons hawking everything from blaster pistols to trollslayer axes. CoH by no means has the lag issues caused in other games by their economy.

The issue seems to have fallen down two sides however:

Grendl74 says:

I am 100% -for- auto-logging people standing in busy sections of the game. I cannot say that all or most, are being power leveled. Some are, and that isn't a problem with me. What is a problem for me, and others, is that the lag it causes is stressful.

While others, as Lurkerfish, maintain:

Auto-logout? No. Nuh-uh. Never. Not in a mission, not outside a mission. Even ignoring out the current Exemplar-TF issues (which the devs stubbornly insist is "working as designed"), there's just too many ways Real Life interrupts the game. I sympathize with the lag issue---I dread going by the train station in Talos Island---but it's just way too punishing for those who've managed to balance real life with gaming.

Two very good arguments have been made against the auto-AFK/Logout feature that do not involve MMO "political views."

The first is that auto-AFK/Logout is easy to circumvent. Even Positron cedes that the methods are simple and well known. Everything from a foreign object jammed against the space bar to the famous "drinking bird" pendulum can be used to make it appear that there is activity.

This means that instead of stationary AFK toons at the various locations heroes will be met with spinning superheroes or forever leaping avengers.

The second is an issue with the Gamepad. Players using this control device are reporting that they are marked auto-AFK every 5 minutes because the CoH programming does not recognize its input in the same manner as the keyboard.

Though the stated purpose of the auto-AFK/logout feature is to cut down on lag, Positron proposes a no xp, no badge addition once the character has gone AFK. Says Positron:

A couple people mentioned "No XP or Rewards for AFK". Does anyone disagree with this philosophy? If you do, I'd like to hear your reasons for endorsing reward for no risk.

On the surface this seems cut and dried. Of course no risk should equal no reward, but as one poster points out, is this really the case?

Spooky1:

Sure, as soon as you make AFK people indestructible, immune to train conductors, and invulnerable to all types of damage from the environment and forms of griefing. Until then, there's risk in simply logging in.

It's supremely irritating that you would attempt to turn this into a right side/wrong side argument. If you've already made up your mind, Positron, why not just implement it and quit baiting people into MMO philosophy ambushes?

Ouch. Spooky1 goes on to make another solid point:

The point of most of the threads is that it won't effect the AFK PLers, it will only effect Mr. Dad and Ms. Mom who get up to fix some Spaghetti-Os.

Warcabbits brings up another real-life scenario:

I'm sorry, Pos, but while I understand your concerns, I do frequently AFK for periods of time unexpectedly. While I can play CoH on my work computer, work chews me up now and again. Having CoH dump me randomly would disturb my casual RP. Not to mention, of course, the emergency bio-break issue, the "Oh, no, the cat got out" issue, and so on. Not to mention the "My boss called me at home" issue.

After only six hours, the thread has racked up seven pages of talk. In the original threads the winds seemed to blow against auto-AFK/Logout. On Positron's officially established one, however, it seems just the opposite.

This looks to be an issue that may become a forum hot spot for weeks to come.