Automatic Vacation Roster

[Spazz]

Being recently made experienced in the subject matter of accounts timing out due to circumstance beyond the player's control, I've come up with an idea.

I myself, due to computer crash, didn't have the chance to put my account on vacation, and there are various other ways that a player may have to be gone or just not able to log on where vacation is an unattainable luxury.

To combat this, I suggest an Automatic Vacation function, which can be activated by the player, I suggest a GM approved roster to prevent abuse or just everybody activating it and defeating the purpose of vacation mode not being automatic right now for everyone.

Once on such a list, if a player doesn't log in for some amount of time (perhaps one or two weeks) their account is automatically placed in vacation until they return, simple in function, though I imagine it'd take a fair amount of programming.

I believe such a thing would help keep real life from killing off our charries

[trexdino]

I like it, it would make the game a lot easier to stay in.

[Talapus]

Needing to approve each roster would be a strain on our already limited staff. And if this was just an option, it would defeat the whole purpose of accounts timing out. Even with computer crashes and the like, people should be able to get at least a moment of internet time in the 20 days or so that they can set their account on vacation (through the library, work, school, friends house or similar), excepting the long term unexpected hospital stays .

[Spazz]

Yeah, I realize it'd be a strain on staff, and I'd already mentioned the consequence to it just being an option. And not always do you get net access, I had to be away right after the crash, and I didn't have the availability of net access right away when I got back.

Sometimes work also interferes, but that's more with people who have jobs that require them to be gone at a moment's notice for who knows how long.

As a counter, I suggest making the process more time consuming for the player, and make them provide all the info on their account for the staff, so as to make it easier on the staff, and somewhat discouraging all but the players who really need it from applying. Perhaps a freeze on your login until the request is processed.

Though such a freeze also has it's own disadvantages, because if staff were unavailable/bogged down, the player would be out of the game for a long period of time possibly, causing complaints. Instead, maybe costing you a full 200 minutes would be a better approach (and denying you from requesting if you have less), that way making only the serious apply, as it forces downtime on you.

Like said before, I'm in this to reduce RL's grip on our charries, a lot of people don't think of cantr first when misfortune befalls them IRL, and are often distracted from cantr as a result.

[N-Aldwitch]

Make the 20 day timeout, a 40 day timeout for people who have played for 1+ year.

duh..

That is so stupid, to delete an account from someone who has played for over a year. Obviously if they've logged in consistently at least once every 19 days for a year.. it means they're dedicated. Why delete their account for inactivity? Seems dumb.

[Chris Johnson]

I'm sorry - 2 warning Emails about account inactivity are sent out to players (3 days before and 1 day before cancellation) . Players also have the ability to place their account on vacation.

I understand sometimes there are circumstances where people don't do anything about this and accounts time out, it is unfortuate but we don't intend changing the current system.

Moved to rejected suggestions

[Doug R.]

[size=18] Obviously if they've logged in consistently at least once every 19 days for a year.. it means they're dedicated. Why delete their account for inactivity? Seems dumb.

If they're so dedicated, why did they let their account time out?

Seriously. Sorry if I sound cold-hearted, but unless you're in a coma, there are countless ways to get your account on vacation mode.

-Go to an internet cafe
-Go to a public library or other public facility that has web access
-Ask a friend if you could hop on his computer for a second
-Ask a neighbor to use their computer if you don't have any local friends
-Ask your spouse/significant/best friend to do it for you

If someone thinks of these and choses not to do them, then their account isn't that important to them. If they don't think of them, then their account is -really- not important to them.

If none of these are viable options, you have bigger problems than Cantr.

[SekoETC]

True. Although I guess someone should have asked someone to put Spazz' account on leave when he came to chat and was frustrated because he couldn't log in...

[Doug R.]

How did he get chat access but not access to cantr.net? If he couldn't login because his account was already gone, then it would have been too late anyway.

[SekoETC]

It was earlier when Cantr was experiencing horrible lag. Bad timing I guess.

[the_antisocial_hermit]

No, it had something to do with his browser. It wasn't letting him access Cantr somehow. I don't remember exactly what he said it was doing, but it was something to do with the browser being messed up when it came to Cantr. You don't have to have a working browser to get into the IRC.

[Chris Johnson]

If a support message had been sent to ProgD or the Players Department via a staff member in chat then we would have put the account on vacation - No message to came to me through normal channels in this case - This is immaterial though to this suggestion whicj has been rejected

I'm locking this thread as it really doesn't need further debate, there are already ways and means to control when an account times out - an automatic vacation setting is not needed.

[Spazz]

Darn, and here I thought it was a good one. Yes, a lot of people have the ability of an alternate login place, I found myself, due to profession, SoL on that standpoint though.

About the browser, it kept performing illegal operations when visiting cantr and a number of other websites, both firefox and ie did this.