Idle/AFK Indication

[Desma Marr]

Like a second chat bubble with some sort of visual distinction from the normal one to show that they're afk?

[Syrena Exan]

Exactly.

[Skrassk]

An /afk command that shows an AFK symbol over their head would be interesting but also annoying to see someone sat there with a symbol over their head just for the sake of going afk (could also be abused by people deliberately looking to avoid interaction with certain people), I believe somewhere it states if you plan to go afk, find a corner out of the way where people won't interact or spectate till you return though I've yet to see anyone actually do this.

As for class, if you need to take a phone call or something a simple PM to the teacher to inform them, that way there is no chance of them interacting with you till you state otherwise.

It's getting annoying how people are announcing publicly they are going AFK, a simple PM to the person(s) they are interacting with is all that is needed, and you can easily piggyback the tell command:

/tell azra Going afk, need to answer the phone;tell voth Going afk, need to answer the phone.

Saves having press enter each time to tell different people.

[Soh Raun]

Creating an /afk command is possible, and showing an unobtrusive icon above the head is possible. It isn't even hard to implement, so feel free to come up with an icon suggestion that will make everyone find the idea genius.

[Alehk Thol]

Shameless self-advertising, though I could probably do something far more inventive these days:



Would certainly break immersion, I feel.

I think this old one might suit the purpose:



It's a little more considerate towards the setting.

[Ahkro Cerinla]

I am mostly with Skrassk on this one.
I've had times where I had to go AFK, simply told the people involved. As long as others keep doing the same, it shouldn't warrant the need of a seperate command, I think.

[Oberon]

I would be in support of this feature if it allowed you to actually set a status by typing something in console like...

/rpafk ::Oberon seems to be preoccupied by looking into the mist of the waterfall, and does not seem to notice your presence.::

And have that pop up if someone aims at you just like the name indicator does. Other than that it's just as Alehk said, pointless immersion shattering. A perpetual chatbox while you're sitting somewhere achieves the same purpose. People get the idea.

So while it would be "easy to implement" the question is "should we implement it?" I'm leaning towards "No" considering it's not really adding any functionality to the mod or our community.

[Alehk Thol]

I'm posting this because Tergos asked me to.



Strictly speaking, Skrassk is right in his approach. However, an /afk command could still be beneficial regardless. I've gone to absurd lengths (didn't occur to me to hit spectator) to hide somewhere appropriate only to have people come up to interact. If used properly, it can still be of some use. I'd like to have Alehk take a snooze on a sofa in the cantina and happily /afk, that'd (I hope) class as appropriate AFK'ing. It's something that can be RP'd around.

[Kieran Orion]

I use those speech bubbles too. How much effort would it take to just put inside them something silly like "ZzzZzz" Lol, that'd give a pretty clear indication wouldn't it ?

[Syrena Exan]

For those who are saying it's easy enough to just SAY afk, part of the point of this would to to cover people who go AFK unexpectedly, or if someone who was not there before walks up to you 5 minutes later, with no prior knowledge that you are AFK. The point is to avoid those moments when you walk up to someone who appears to be meditating, or just sitting, saying 'Hi', and then having to awkwardly RP that they don't hear you or are in lala land. To me, that is a bit less realistic than just walking on by because they're obviously not 'awake'.

I myself think the icon above the head is the best idea for this. its small, it's no more intrusive than the chat bubble, and it's easily distinguishable. I think, however, after speaking to Amoné, that this icon should be placed slightly lower than the chat bubble, and made to be very small. Like a small circle icon. This way it does not clutter the screen too much, and if someone happens to AFK with their bubble up, the two won't overlap and hide the icon. I could possibly design one that even looks like it's connected to the chat bubble, or resdesign both to appear as interlocking icons.

[Kieran Orion]

I'd be all for that. I think the icon's needed, personally and for that exact reason. I don't want others reminding someone that I said afk ten minutes prior because I had to take a call. I don't go afk unless it's something urgent, and it's not common but if I do get a call or something, I'd like to know that people aren't coming up to me and trying to talk, thinking I'm just ignoring them.

So yeah, all for Syrena's last comment. My two cents.

[Quasar]

A subtle animation would look better.

[Syrena Exan]

Except by making it an animation, you remove the ability to AFK in an animation of your choosing, or it would break the current animation if it was unexpected, possibly leaving them looking strange. An animation is also more immersion breaking than a small icon, since we already have chat bubble icons anyway.

[Quasar]

It doesn't have to break out, I think.

[Esth Me'sku]

Needs to be subtle for me to approve of the idea! If it's anything to enormous, I disapprove of the idea all together. Just make it simple, easy. Not to big, not to small. Just gives people the idea that they *are* AFK.

I personally would just say to change our chat bubble with the ". . ." to just be "ZzzZzz" or something similar. Otherwise it would kind of mess up the RPing.