AFK timers exist for a reason in MMOs and other online games. Players who sit in a game AFK take up a server slot and resources that could be used by other players. And when new games roll out, this particular problem becomes very pronounced. The launch of New World has been beset by claims of massive login queues with thousands of players stuck in hours-long lines to get into the game.
Queues for the game have been absurdly long, but are getting better. As more players join though, it could be a huge problem. The servers had a peak of 700,000 concurrent users during launch, and will likely remain high, so fixing these issues remains a high priority.
But worry not if you’re having this kind of trouble, the developers are aware of the problem and working on some fixes. The developers were intentionally vague, as they don’t want players to know what’s coming, and come up with a workaround. These changes will be rolled out over the next few days, with it likely that AFK detection will be made more aggressive.
New World AFK Timers have been getting abused since launch, with players using automated software and even ingenious mechanical devices to fool the timer. Typically players will be booted from the server for being AFK after 25 minutes, also receiving a warning at the 20-minute mark. Currently, players can avoid this by simply keeping inputs flowing from their mouse and keyboard. Some players have even taken to taping their mice to oscillating fans to imitate inputs.
It’s not clear what those who continue to abuse the New World AFK Timers will face in terms of consequences. With some changes to the backend code, it’s going to be harder to evade any backlash though, so players will either have to log off or get more creative. If the issue continues to get worse, we may even see some punishments doled out. Though it’s unlikely, bans and timeouts could be on the table for users found continuing to abuse the AFK timers.
