Should the logout timer be removed?

[runevirage]

*Update* - Jagex is planning a January update that will increase the logout timer to 5 minutes. I think most of us will see this as a welcome change.

 

 

 

Thank you alphakoldes and Cha0sx for the following info:

 

 

 

For anyone with worries...

 

 

 

[hide=Hi]

(RSOF)Quick find code: 16-17-173-58176370

 

Auto Logout Clarification

 

02-Jan-2009 17:22:00

 

Last edited on 02-Jan-2009 17:28:01 by Andrew

 

You will be relieved to hear that the proposed change to the auto-logout timer should NOT reduce your chances of survival in the case of a lost connection/power cut/crashed computer etc..

 

 

 

In RuneScape there are currently 3 logout related timers:

 

 

 

1) There is an 'idle' timer. This is currently set to 90 seconds, and auto logs you out if you haven't moved the mouse or pressed a key for 90 seconds. This is the one we are proposing to increase up to 5 mins.

 

 

 

2) There is a 'lost connecton' timer, which detects long periods with no network communication from your computer. (e.g. bad lag, or lost connection, or crash). This removes players who have lost connection. This is set to 30 seconds. This is NOT CHANGING.

 

 

 

3) There is a 3rd timer, to stop people deliberately unplugging their network during combat to escape combat, this waits an additional 60 seconds if you lose connection during combat. This is also NOT CHANGING.

 

 

 

As you can see neither the combat or lost connection timers are being adjusted. Only the 'idle' timer which is used in non combat situations to detect people who have left their computer unattended.

 

 

 

As to the REASON it is being changed. It is because it is a (very) common request that it be made a bit longer, which we are responding to. The most common example of where this helps is if you are playing the game and doing something else at the same time. For example say you have your character cutting down a tree, and are also reading the RuneScape forums (keeping a careful eye on your other window to watch for random events, but not interacting with it), at the moment after 90 seconds of forum reading the other window will suddenly logout, which is annoying. So it's upped to 5 minutes now.

 

 

 

Finally for people who are worried this will increase the risk of AFK cheating. We considered this, but aren't overly worried it will, since the timer we are increasing wasn't really made as an anti-cheat measure anyway, and wasn't effective at preventing that anyway. It was possible to bypass by simply leaving something holding down a key on the keyboard anyway.

 

 

 

 

02-Jan-2009 17:36:55

 

Last edited on 02-Jan-2009 17:39:32 by Andrew

 

Mod Vince is head of the RuneScape content team. (The team which makes the game itself, which is responsible for the vast majority of the updates and upgrades you see).

 

 

 

I am head of the Game Engine team. (the team which makes the underlieing technology which the game runs on top of). Most the stuff we do you don't even realise we are doing.

 

 

 

So my team typically improves the capabilities of the game engine, and the RuneScape team then goes and uses those new features to make cool things.

 

 

 

So if it is something technical like trying to make the game work on more computers, or load faster, or adjusting networking code, or adding entirely new capabilities it would be my team. If its making a new quest or rebalancing a weapon, or deciding the high alch prices of items, or indeed just about anything to do with the game design itself it is Vince's team.

[/hide]

 

 

 

So it looks like even you whiners worried about evil chickens have nothing to worry about :P

 

 

 

Original Post:

 

 

 

Many things have changed since the beginning of Runescape, however one thing that has always stayed the same is the logout timer, the time before the game will automatically log you out while you're inactive. In the beginning, it was a good way to stop macroers, however with this many years to improve their techniques I imagine any macroers have long bypassed this function. Also, with the RWT updates I also imagine that said macroers are dramatically decreased in number, thus I think this artifact of Runescape's past doesn't really need to exist anymore.

 

 

 

The logout timer is 90 seconds and starts ticking the second you aren't clicking anything or moving the camera. This means while you're playing RS, you have a fairly small window to do anything else, be it feeding the dog, using the bathroom, or checking the TiVo for a program. Even hanging around in a forum can be a struggle when you have to alt tab every 60 seconds or so. Not only is this a problem in and of itself, it is also a strange thing to upkeep when every other MMO out there such as World of Warcraft or Guild Wars don't have a logout timer (even games like Dragonfable keep you logged in indefinitely).

 

 

 

What other reasons might they have to want to keep it other than to stop macroers? Perhaps server costs, however if you look at the number of people on RS compared to the maximum capacity, they can clearly handle even double its current capacity without a hitch. I don't think server costs are that expensive anyway, so this isn't a very likely candidate. One other possibility is to stop afk training, but if you think about it there aren't that many skills you can afk train. Afk training is also incredibly loosely enforced, as is made testament by the hundreds of people who train at bandits everyday. Personally, I think there's absolutely no reason for it to exist anymore, and Jagex are just keeping it there since it's always been there, or are too lazy to remove it.

 

 

 

I really think it's a necessary move to, ideally, remove the logout timer completely, however I would also settle for an extension to 5 minutes in order to give players more breathing room to do other things alongside playing Runescape.

[Arixe]

The sheer amount of randoms we have at the moment would conflict with this idea. You would probably die before it ticked to ten minutes. :?

[Grimy_Bunyip]

the timer is there for a reason, removing it might bring problems

 

 

 

however i wouldnt mind having a "oh snap bathroom break" button (that isnt the logout button)

[Tennis_Ace]

Obviously no.

[Dragons_Might]

I'd love to see this, we all would.

 

 

 

But knowing jagex? They'll want to "protect" the idiots who go afk and people would go on their account. They even say something along the lines of this in the stronghold of security. (How long am I alloud to go afk? Never. Someone can mess with your acc yada yada) Seriously who does that? I doubt many families would do this... And if your playing at a library... well if you go afk at a library while doing anything your an idiot.

 

 

 

And anyways is it really hard to overpower someone to take their computer and mess with them? :lol:

 

 

 

 

 

and EDIT:

The sheer amount of randoms we have at the moment would conflict with this idea. You would probably die before it ticked to ten minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

Open up an interface (A skill, bank, etc) No randoms.

[RSgamer]

No. No. No. NO.

 

 

 

It's there for a reason. Plus, it's only what... 30 seconds?

 

 

 

Knowing jagex, they'd lower it to 1 second.

[harbringerjm]

Actually, making it longer would be a problem, as it would make it take longer to get back in when your window closes accidentaly.

 

 

 

That said, a 5-min "Forum/bathroom/etc" pause that you can disable when you get back would be nice.

 

 

 

Edit: Wow, that was some fancy irony. Moments after I posted this, I changed between tabs and my window just closed. Is someone from here hacking my computer?

[runevirage]

the timer is there for a reason, removing it might bring problems

 

 

 

What reason? What problems?

 

 

 

Obviously no.

 

 

 

But why?

[Grimy_Bunyip]

the timer is there for a reason, removing it might bring problems

 

 

 

What reason?

 

 

 

Obviously no.

 

 

 

But why?

 

 

 

person A and person B get some cheap armor and flowers

 

A and B go to a PVP single way combat hotspot

 

person A and B wail on each other with flowers, leaving their computers on overnight

 

A and B junk pk each other subsequently after amassing 24 hour's worth of PVP drop potential from a hotspot zone

 

 

 

and of course person A and B could do the same thing with earth strike splashing, getting massive drop potential while training magic for no effort at all

 

 

 

^^ that's why

[Tbfgraphx14]

Keep a weight on a key rotating the map to keep logged in when afk for something like bathroom or getting food etc.

 

 

 

Anything reasonably heavy works. Standardized metric weight sets are ideal to put on a key but people don't just have those. I use a little cast steel guitar clock from Universal Studios :thumbup:

 

 

 

Tape usually does the trick aswell.

[harbringerjm]

Keep a weight on a key rotating the map to keep logged in when afk for something like bathroom or getting food etc.

 

 

 

Anything reasonably heavy works. Standardized metric weight sets are ideal to put on a key but people don't just have those. I use a little cast steel guitar clock from Universal Studios :thumbup:

 

 

 

I would, except that a) I still seem to log off unless I actually press the keys, ie release pressure and apply again instead of holding down, and B) my laptop keyboard is a hassle to rig.

[runevirage]

 

 

 

person A and person B get some cheap armor and flowers

 

A and B go to a PVP single way combat hotspot

 

person A and B wail on each other with flowers, leaving their computers on overnight

 

A and B junk pk each other subsequently after amassing 24 hour's worth of PVP drop potential from a hotspot zone

 

 

 

and of course person A and B could do the same thing with earth strike splashing, getting massive drop potential while training magic for no effort at all

 

 

 

^^ that's why

 

 

 

As others have said, you can simply tape or weight a key down in order to prevent being logged out, so this is already possible. Also, do you really think that 2 people, even with little to nothing on, would survive in a pvp hotspot for overnight without dying?

[harbringerjm]

 

 

 

person A and person B get some cheap armor and flowers

 

A and B go to a PVP single way combat hotspot

 

person A and B wail on each other with flowers, leaving their computers on overnight

 

A and B junk pk each other subsequently after amassing 24 hour's worth of PVP drop potential from a hotspot zone

 

 

 

and of course person A and B could do the same thing with earth strike splashing, getting massive drop potential while training magic for no effort at all

 

 

 

^^ that's why

 

 

 

As others have said, you can simply tape or weight a key down in order to prevent being logged out, so this is already possible. Also, do you really think that 2 people, even with little to nothing on, would survive in a pvp hotspot for overnight without dying?

 

 

 

He said single-way.

[Resonae]

So, basically you think people should be able to stay logged in forever, therefore clogging up the servers more than we need. And don't say they wouldn't do that, they WOULD.

[Pinkbullet3]

So, basically you think people should be able to stay logged in forever, therefore clogging up the servers more than we need. And don't say they wouldn't do that, they WOULD.

 

 

 

The timer's fine. The only change I would make is perhaps just a tad longer. (2 minutes?)

[compfreak847]

So, basically you think people should be able to stay logged in forever, therefore clogging up the servers more than we need. And don't say they wouldn't do that, they WOULD.

 

 

 

The timer's fine. The only change I would make is perhaps just a tad longer. (2 minutes?)

 

Why? The rules are against being away from the keyboard. So you hit the log out button when you go to feed the dog.

[Omali]

So, basically you think people should be able to stay logged in forever, therefore clogging up the servers more than we need. And don't say they wouldn't do that, they WOULD.

 

 

 

The timer's fine. The only change I would make is perhaps just a tad longer. (2 minutes?)

 

Why? The rules are against being away from the keyboard. So you hit the log out button when you go to feed the dog.

 

 

 

I usually get logged out because I'm falling asleep while leveling a boring skill (fishing, woodcutting). I'd like to see the timer not log you out while you're engaging in an activity, with the timer activating when there's no response from the client (IE: Disconnection). This would keep the asleep-at-the-wheel people from being logged out, while at the same time protecting those who lose connection.

[Master_Smither]

There is no reason for people to stay logged on forever without doing anything so there is no reason to get rid of it. Sure we go to the bathroom but you could always hit the log out button that way your sure you don't get a random or something. I realy can't see why they should take it away. Not to mention if people would just stay logged on with a skills interface open and maybe go watch TV and fall aslepe theres 1 extra player that is clogging the server. If you don't want the logout timer log off when you go to the bathroom or go play another game.

[Wongtong]

No, sometimes I accidentally close the tab/window I'm playing Runescape in, and if there was no logout timer then I would have no way of logging out (since it wouldn't allow me to log back in).

[Returned3]

I hate how everytime my character logs off after I have just came back from peeing.

[doomy]

I hate how everytime my character logs off after I have just came back from peeing.

 

Sums it up.

[ankie1992]

I think it should be extended to about 3 minutes, 90 seconds is just too short and I am somewhat paranoid about even attempting to multi-task whilst playing in fear of being logged out.

 

 

 

Just while reading this topic I was logged out 2x :thumbdown:

[runevirage]

No, sometimes I accidentally close the tab/window I'm playing Runescape in, and if there was no logout timer then I would have no way of logging out (since it wouldn't allow me to log back in).

 

 

 

RS logs you out the second the window closes, or you move away from the page, the only exception is when your computer freezes, which under normal circumstances shouldn't ever happen.

 

 

 

So, basically you think people should be able to stay logged in forever, therefore clogging up the servers more than we need. And don't say they wouldn't do that, they WOULD.

 

 

 

There is no reason for people to stay logged on forever without doing anything so there is no reason to get rid of it. Sure we go to the bathroom but you could always hit the log out button that way your sure you don't get a random or something. I realy can't see why they should take it away. Not to mention if people would just stay logged on with a skills interface open and maybe go watch TV and fall aslepe theres 1 extra player that is clogging the server.

 

 

 

The intention of getting rid of the logout timer isn't to stay logged on forever, it's simply to give the player more freedom to do other things while playing Runescape. Every other MMO doesn't have a logout timer, so clearly it's not a matter of clogging the servers (and players log out of WoW or GW when they're done anyway, as often other people have to use the computer as well). I suppose there could be the issue of people just making dozens of accounts and overpopulating the cities and training areas, if that's what you mean, but then perhaps this feature should be members only? Then they really wouldn't have a valid reason to keep a logout timer.

 

 

 

I hate how everytime my character logs off after I have just came back from peeing.

 

 

 

I think it should be extended to about 3 minutes, 90 seconds is just too short and I am somewhat paranoid about even attempting to multi-task whilst playing in fear of being logged out.

 

 

 

Just while reading this topic I was logged out 2x :thumbdown:

 

 

 

QFT

[Makoto_the_Phoenix]

...Naah. Sure, there are things that are so damn monotonous when you're playing, but if you figure you're going to walk AFK for a minute, why not log out anyway? You really don't know when a random will come along and slow everything you're doing down.

[GrandHustleMovement]

I hate how everytime my character logs off after I have just came back from peeing.

 

Hahahahaha. :