In Shadow Assembly, there is an inactivity timer to see if you aren’t away from keyboard or unresponsive, leading you to clicking “I’m Here” to prove that you are working and playing legitimately.
Blizzard Entertainment Terms of Service and In Game Code of Conduct says that cheating is against the rules, including being AFK to farm to gain an unfair advantage.
All players need to be active to work/play competitively in this virtual world/workplace.
This is a simple suggestion that would greatly improve your application drastically, especially for groups together obtaining monstrous essence for bestiary pages, while keeping a fun, competitive virtual world/workplace.
Or they could just phase bounty areas like they do for Shadow contracts, so trying to complete quests isn’t such a hassle. That’d be a good solution too, as they wouldn’t need to keep increasing the spawn rates. You get your quest done, and people can stop crying.
I get “disconnected for inactivity” even in Westmarch, if I go AFK for more than X minutes (not sure how long). Why not make this “feature” that seems to affect PC players, so it is the same for ALL players, no matter what platform they are using? And of course, make it so it doesn’t count summons’ “activity”.
But what passage in TOS or CoC states AFK farming is a violation?
Using a hack is, using a 3rd party bot is… But those aren’t the only method to farm.
You cite “cheats” but if a player is using in game mechanics, like certain gems and skills, then they are authorized by Blizzard, and not a cheat by definition.
Is it an annoyance to other players, yes. Does it negatively impact other players, yes. Does it give certain players an advantage, yes. Are some classes better at it than others, or does certain clients better than others (phone vs PC), Absolutely.
Is it bannable? I have yet to read a statement that standing in a zone with summons with normal game mechanics running is bannable.
I agree it’s a plague and an annoyance, we have voiced that opinion and something like an ARE YOU THERE button and scaled back rewards . I’ve voiced an opinion of random Butcher fights for inactive players. But despite those measures, certain players will continue to attempt, or continue.
If you see some passage that I missed, please advise and I’ll bring it up the Partners
This dude was crying all morning over afk farming but the 3 people he was crying about were all there in world chat. We even explained what the ToS stated about third party programs and how the game has its own auto attack but he still called it cheating.
If your hero is continuing to earn rewards (XP, items, gems, runes) whilst the player that is supposed to be controlling them is AFK or asleep, they are clearly being granted an advantage over other players not doing this.
Regardless, at its core, this is really simple.
Gaining rewards whilst you do NOT play the game clearly should not be possible.
If you are using standard game mechanics, an argument is made the farming method is authorized. Whether it’s fair to other players it’s not in scope for TOS.
There was a stretch that poison spawned under inactive players, but that was dismissed. But silence Blizzard is accepting that AKF farming is allowable. I do agree it’s an exploration of game mechanics, and the nature should be addressed (by poison or other means). Farming and Assembly
I wouldn’t call it cheating either, because it’s just using skills and essences available to the class. AFK farming should not be allowed, I agree, but sadly it is. So we shouldn’t be focusing on the ToS or anything like that, instead… We can always ask for nerfs. I mean, when a new skill/essence is seen as giving an unfair advantage to a certain class, the topics asking for nerfs are almost immediate. Maybe that could be the way to stop this AFK farming.
I’ve talked with a few people that I know are AFK farmers. Some points from the other side of the farm:
OW is often crowded, I’m just a little bit of noice in one place
I’m only in one spot, you can farm somewhere else
since I’m in a group of 4, I’m collecting gems and selling all my unbound gems on the marketplace. It benefits others
throwaway bot accounts are flooding normal/hell difficulty, with poor builds and names that are clearly randomly generated. Their sole purpose is gem farming, I’m playing my characters, this is just while I sleep/work
while certain players/classes are better at AFK, anyone can do it on any class
I can argue the above arguments, in both directions, it’s just an unrepresented voice in this conversation.
I know in NetEase they allow Farming, but for a limited amount of time. And they just updated this morning that Boon of Plenty extends that timer.
Something for ROW would be appreciated. Reactivating the poison spawn. I used to argo mobs and pull them towards farmers. Auto transport to a safe zone, after timer of inactivity. My favorite suggestion: random Butcher Spawn to clear Cruft.
Problem with a change like that now, is it was accepted for 3+ years. And before there was a corrective action, and then it was removed.
And how long before Action is a subjective decision. Finally as soon as a Corrective Measure is decided, players will find a way to continue what they want to do. IOW: if the timer starts at 5min, players will wiggle the control at 4:45 to continue farming
Feel free to point to the section of the EULA that expressly says you should be able to earn rewards whilst you’re asleep and not in control of your hero and I’ll concede the point.
that is your opinion. Unfortunately for your argument, just walking away from your phone/tablet/pc and letting your character sit there isnt against the rules of the game.
Use your brain for a second surgical snipes, how can they quantify the amount of time someone has to be away from their phone before they are considered cheaters? right now they have not, so it is not against the rules. You are arguing feelings, beliefs, and personal perspective which sadly for many people in the west, are things that no one cares about and dont matter at all to anyone but yourself. Get over it.
feel free to point out the section of the EULA that expressly states any of the approved game play.
The list is for disapproved game play, you failed to produce a SPECIFIC rule stating exactly what is AFK farming and at what point or metric it is defined as cheating.
Mission failed on your end buddy, end of story, thread failed.
in the last months there are many general discussion regarding AFK farming … thinking that this thread is failed is in your right , but maybe other players got a different pov
and regarding the absent time from mobile/pc to be considered AFK , let’s see in future in Chinese version how mani ‘minutes’ players will bought for AFK farming … I think it will be a good time mesure
I used my brain and concluded that a hero gaining rewards whilst the player, that is supposed to be controlling it, is fast asleep is cheating.
You used your brain and concluded that a hero gaining rewards whilst the player, that is supposed to be controlling it, is fast asleep is not cheating.
No, I’m arguing from a very simple principle, i.e. if you’re not playing the game then you don’t get rewards from the game. The principle is that not only do you not get more rewards for cheating, you get the rewards you gained via cheating removed, and you get punished for cheating.
The EULA specifically states about methods not expressly authorised by Blizzard, i.e. anything they haven’t specifically said is okay, is not okay. As the EULA doesn’t say you can farm whilst you’re fast asleep in bed, that is not okay.
Seriously, you guys are arguing that it’s okay for your hero to farm rewards whilst you’re asleep. It’s so fundamentally simple that this is not intended.
How do you know people are asleep? The original poster was arguing about afk farming with a few of us that he was just in a party with. How are we afk when we are responding to him in world chat. Just because we have auto attack on doesn’t mean afk.
