Amazon is rolling out a new AFK detection system that the company hopes will reduce strain on its servers.
The company’s New World MMO has become a massive hit with nearly one million concurrent players signing on Sunday night. With that type of user surge, the company is aiming to boot “bad faith AFK players.”
The company has not said how long the New World’s AFT timers take to kick in. PC Gamer tested the system and received a boot notice after 25 minutes.
Users receive a notice that they will be kicked after 20 minutes AFK. The notice appears in the top-right corner of the screen, providing a five-minute window to avoid getting the boot.
Some unscrupulous users have discovered ways to avoid AFK detection and Amazon has promised to continue fighting frustrations felt by users.
Other users have become frustrated by the long queue times and have stayed connected by setting up simple macros that allow for minimal movements that keep them connected to the game according to Dot ESports.
Community manager HardcoreHenry wrote on the New World forums that Amazon continues to fight AFK but they would not provide further details about the system.
“We will not disclose the details of how the solution works, but we will say that we have every confidence that players who are playing New World normally will not experience any issues. Initially, being caught by our detection solution will result in a quick kick to the main menu. If the behavior continues, more harsh penalties will be applied.”
We’re not sure at this time what those “more harsh penalties” will entail. It could result in temporary and outright bans if the AFK abuses continue after warnings from the new platform.
Not everyone is happy with the decision, some users say long queue times have resulted in being considered AFK when, in fact, they are simply trying to log into the platform.
Amazon is rolling out the New World AFK detection system over an undisclosed period of time. That means some users will start to experience shorter queue times but the full effects may not be felt for a little while longer.
