The MMO New World is still struggling with long queues for the popular servers even a week after the release: The problem appears to be “AFK cheaters” who block spots on the servers. Amazon is now taking action against them. A solution has been developed for the problem and those who continue to cheat will face harsh penalties.
This is the problem in New World:
- New World actually had a good start, but the influx is huge. Therefore, players often wait forever in queues before they can access the servers.
- There is actually an “auto-kick”: if players stand AFK in New World for 25 minutes, they get kicked out of the game. But this AFK kick can apparently be easily circumvented. As a result, people who are not actively playing block spots on the servers: people log in in the morning, use an AFK trick, and then go to work or school, but still block a spot on the servers to “reserve” it for themselves so they can play again in the evening.
- Amazon has now announced that it will take action against these AFK cheaters. A new system has been developed, and harsh penalties are threatened.
This is how the AFK kick should actually work: As MeinMMO has tested, the automatic AFK kick in New World happens in such a way that after 20 minutes of inactivity, you receive a message that you need to do something, otherwise you will be kicked from the game.
After a total of 25 minutes without movement, you will indeed be kicked.
AFK kick in New World appears to be easy to circumvent
This is what “AFK” cheating looks like in the game: A user on reddit shows the problem. He says: “People stand in queues for 12 hours,” but in the actual game, many are AFK.
He shows in a video clip that many people have parked their characters in a hut where they run against the wall or jump at regular intervals.
Players are apparently not at their PCs but have found ways to circumvent the AFK timer.
Amazon has developed a solution, threatens AFK cheaters with “harsh penalties”
This is what Amazon says now: In a post early Sunday morning our time, a community manager from Amazon addressed the issue:
- There is a lot of frustration about people circumventing the automatic AFK kick
- This behavior is primarily a problem because the queues are so long
- But now they have found a “new solution” to this problem in order to kick “malicious AFK players”
- Details of the solution are not revealed, but Amazon states they are confident that they can solve the problem with it
- Anyone caught by the AFK kick will initially just be kicked to the main menu. However, those who do this constantly can expect harsher penalties
How does this affect the game? According to initial reports, the AFK timer has now been reduced to 10 minutes. We will inform you on MeinMMO when more details are known about how the new anti-AFK measures in New World look in detail.
The issues of New World with the AFK timer could have been foreseen. Years ago, MMORPGs had major problems with people circumventing queues while they were not in the game:
