With long waiting times a distant memory, the Final Fantasy XIV team is ready to return to normal by letting people stay connected forever, no matter how much time passes without, you know, really playing Massive multiplayer online game.
In July 2021, Final Fantasy XIV introduced a system that expelled players after 30 minutes of inactivity. This was aimed at mitigating the growing congestion of the game server before the release of the highly anticipated Endwalker expansion that December. Unfortunately, he didn’t do much. Overwhelming popularity often led to hours of sign-in queues. But things have calmed down these days. Players are once again free of AFK to the fullest, a feature that sets Final Fantasy XIV apart from its contemporaries.
When Final Fantasy XIV implemented these automatic logins, I was surprised that the game didn’t rip people off doing nothing. When it comes to maintaining stability online, it only makes sense. Attracting tens of thousands of players at a time means doing everything you can to ensure that servers are not overloaded. Other persistent online games like World of Warcraft, Runescape, and Lost Ark, for example, have long had their own AFK timers.
Final Fantasy XIV – and, by extension, its player base – is different from other MMOs. Its lack of an AFK player boot system makes the world feel fuller and more alive. Traveling to any of the bustling city centers of Final Fantasy XIV can be an overwhelming experience, as you often come across a multitude of players passing by. In fact, some people never close the session, preferring to let their characters dance the time between game sessions in public areas.
As such, the Final Fantasy XIV team’s decision to eliminate the AFK timer is proving to be popular among the MMO’s passionate community.
“When I started, there was a guy on the road at Black Shroud for a solid week,” a player from the Final Fantasy XIV subreddit said in response to the news. “I was blown away. Now, I almost never close the session, for no particular reason, so I understand.”
“Before [Endwalker] released, there was always a boy on the stairs in front of the Etheryte in Ul’Dah doing the [Bee’s Knees dance]”I referred to him as Pope Meth because of his colorful dress (or lack thereof), and for the first time in months, I saw him again this morning.”
“I alt-tab to the [free company] home every day, keeping the background music, ”said a third party. “I think I’m probably not alone with that. Other people never log out. Modern computers have the ability to keep up [Final Fantasy XIV] open without preventing anything else. You can literally play other games while [it’s] current. I sign in when I turn on my PC, I sign out when I turn it off “.
The social aspects of Final Fantasy XIV often make players achieve personal goals outside of traditional content, such as making their character as brilliant as possible.
Square Enix is enjoying a winning streak after Endwalker contributed to a “sharp rise” in subscriptions, making it one of the company’s most profitable efforts during the previous fiscal year. Aside from removing the AFK timer, Final Fantasy XIV has also received smaller mechanical tweaks and additional content using the current “Newfound Adventure” patch, which in part should lead directly to its next major story.