Holding a very well-distinguished IP to support it, Final Fantasy XIV has been one of the most successful MMOs on the market today. The game has been so ludicrously popular that it even sold out digitally earlier this month. However, some players, especially old-timers, may find it disheartening that the latest update, FFXIV Patch 5.58, will now have idle players kicked from the server if they are AFK for more than 30 minutes.
According to the FFXIV Patch 5.58 notes, the reasoning behind this decision is as follows:
This news isn’t too shocking to those familiar with the MMO genre. Many times, developers consider it beneficial to free up data centers by kicking players who have been idle for an extensive period of time. This usually occurs due to a massive influx of players, which causes server speeds and connections to be less than ideal for players. After all, it’s not like anyone will miss seeing a throng of AFK players standing inactively in a plaza.
On the other hand, there are some magical moments that many FFXIV players will miss out on from this new adjustment. Having real players idly dance in market squares or using in-game emotes to pose on top of a structure or hill makes the MMO world feel immersive and alive. The emotes, glamours, and performance actions all play a role in providing even AFK players with a unique sense of expression.
Yet, this change is probably for the best. New players jumping into the game probably aren’t thinking about how many AFK flash mobs are performing on the server. Rather, they just want to experience the game’s rich story, gameplay, and expanded content. While Square Enix has more than enough resources to allow for AFK players, the idle roleplaying doesn’t justify causing a hassle for other players who are more interested in actually playing FFXIV.
