I've been doing extensive playtesting on afk farming (over half my games easily). I'm looking for ideas to get the most out of it.

Variation 1(skirmish): spawn in MCC, drop uplink in far direction so all keyboard users are tempted to spawn in it, afk.
Variation 2(ambush): spawn, kill reds, drop uplink in a hidden corner, hide and go afk.

Variation 2 requires more work, but produces more loot based on your hiding luck. Variation 1 is pretty certain loot per game, but long duration.

Tip for afkers: A squad seems like the perfect solution; as the leader can rotate and games get shorter. Afking in a squad would also bypass the war barge wait and just accommodate you to click MCC spawn if you notice. My alt "afk farming" will always accept squad requests, add if interested.

Share ideas to improve the yield, please :)

Why would you post this garbage. Don't give people any ideas

the droplink actually works, i scored a 100 WP in the MCC with one they were spawning at it for whatever reason

also a logi with 3 nanohives for the ragers friendly firing the AFKers, make sure they have enough ammo up there

maybe i'll make a logi with 2 nanos and a droplink..

And people wonder why I want friendly fire. (facepalm)

I have that fit, although I usually use it for actually playing the game...

...this is a fascinating idea though.

Read as: "CCP, when are you going to go after AFK farming in Dust?!"

A duct tape setup for getting WP is a bit on the verge of exploiting. Afk farming is the kind of entrepreneurship where you sign up for anti-piracy protection on a ship and just don't move a finger when **** hits the fan. I can see bad entrepreneurship all over new Eden, heck its even in that future vision trailer where lazy mercs get the reset button from a dread on orbit.

There is no idle timer kick currently except when waiting for a spawn.

When do I afk farm, one might ask. Let's put it like this: I don't play dust to afk. I afk to play dust with better guns. Just picked a fresh batch of Thales, while watching tv.

So it's more in the vein of a merc who kicks back because he's hourly and the client is dumb enough to pay just as well for a job not done, caveat emptor? i think I see the distinction and that's fair enough, but this kind of "ethical AFK'er" approach isn't a group charter.

Exploiters gonna exploit, and while they ruin the game for some CCP inadequately addressing the issue ruins the game for more.

I've been doing extensive playtesting on afk farming (over half my games easily). I'm looking for ideas to get the most out of it.

Variation 1(skirmish): spawn in MCC, drop uplink in far direction so all keyboard users are tempted to spawn in it, afk.
Variation 2(ambush): spawn, kill reds, drop uplink in a hidden corner, hide and go afk.

Variation 2 requires more work, but produces more loot based on your hiding luck. Variation 1 is pretty certain loot per game, but long duration.

Tip for afkers: A squad seems like the perfect solution; as the leader can rotate and games get shorter. Afking in a squad would also bypass the war barge wait and just accommodate you to click MCC spawn if you notice. My alt "afk farming" will always accept squad requests, add if interested.

Share ideas to improve the yield, please :)

CCP wholly endorses AFK activities in EVE so this is not really any different.

I've been doing extensive playtesting on afk farming (over half my games easily). I'm looking for ideas to get the most out of it.

Variation 1(skirmish): spawn in MCC, drop uplink in far direction so all keyboard users are tempted to spawn in it, afk.
Variation 2(ambush): spawn, kill reds, drop uplink in a hidden corner, hide and go afk.

Variation 2 requires more work, but produces more loot based on your hiding luck. Variation 1 is pretty certain loot per game, but long duration.

Tip for afkers: A squad seems like the perfect solution; as the leader can rotate and games get shorter. Afking in a squad would also bypass the war barge wait and just accommodate you to click MCC spawn if you notice. My alt "afk farming" will always accept squad requests, add if interested.

Share ideas to improve the yield, please :)

my issue is im not being rewarded for playing the game i can do nothing and still make the same SP, the 1500 extra is not incentive, this whole system is fail resulting in us afkin for the sake of the eve player gaining passive sp or w/e, so in a way it's a protest against a failed experimental system in place for not rewarding us for doing well in the game while incentive to camp the MCC with mysterious bonus SP is in place. and dont no one start on me with that "bigger picture meta gaming" non sense were stuck in limbo here, there is no meta game unless u call the travesty of 8 vs 8 epic.

no ones trying to ruin pub match game here, if your expecting some randoms to carry you thru a pub match your doing it wrong. that seems to be the biggest problem of ppl vs afkers, because the afkers are not helping to win? the afkers are in protest of a failed system they are not trying to ruin the game, they're trying to prove that the system is failed incentives to play the match. the system does not work from an FPS standpoint. you make stupid systems they get explouted- thats the nature of online gaming.

congrats you are right below child molesters on my list of the worst types of people.

Lazy scum bag brags about not being able to play a game.

So it's more in the vein of a merc who kicks back because he's hourly and the client is dumb enough to pay just as well for a job not done, caveat emptor? i think I see the distinction and that's fair enough, but this kind of "ethical AFK'er" approach isn't a group charter.

Exploiters gonna exploit, and while they ruin the game for some CCP inadequately addressing the issue ruins the game for more.

Dear Devs,

You said you were tracking the AFK farming issue and actively working on a fix. My first suggestion is to track this Jerk (tm) and find out if he is A: Trolling, B: A fine example of Seraphin, C: Actually AFK farming.

Regardless of what you find, my previously emailed suggestion should be applied to Any character from the email addresses associated with this individual and possibly all associated IP address as mentioned. Yes, the included Google search will help with the task.

Enjoy yourselves now that you have found a target for your experiments.

the droplink actually works, i scored a 100 WP in the MCC with one they were spawning at it for whatever reason

also a logi with 3 nanohives for the ragers friendly firing the AFKers, make sure they have enough ammo up there

maybe i'll make a logi with 2 nanos and a droplink..

Why would you post this garbage. Don't give people any ideas

whats funny, is that if you actually play terribly, you'll get more points

enjoy your punishments

enjoy your punishments

enjoy your punishments

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.

- Abraham Lincoln

This is just sad... This game has a 7 year skill tree. Are you going to AFK farm for 7 years? What's the point, if, when you do actually play, you fail because you have no idea how to navigate the battlefield? Wow, you have 30 Thales! You'll probably die 10 times without notching a single kill while wielding the fruits of your AFK labor. Only the most ethically depraved and emotionally bankrupt of players resort to this behavior.

The most common justification I have heard for doing this is: "I can watch TV while earning SP at the same time!". Congratulations, you lazy SOB, you just watched the entire first season of Firefly for the 10th time while milking the system and contributing absolutely nothing to the community. Now go wipe the cheeto dust off your fingers and pick up your controller so I can relieve you of the Prototype level suits and officer weapons you so pitifully command, using all of your might as an AFK farmer.

Protest my balls. I am in agreement that CCP needs to do something about AFK farming. I don't think turning on friendly-fire is the solution, as I do not think we should ever have to resort to team killing to correct the system, but I do think that AFK timeouts could be easily implemented. The situation is frustrating, but it takes a certain type of person to derive satisfaction from the rewards gained by gaming the system, whether it be in feigned protest or not, and that person deserves no recognition, credit or respect.

I'm not normally one to wax philosophical on a video game forum, but I do find this quote appropriate:



Every DUST 514 player has the power to take advantage of a system that is currently broken. It is those that can deal with the adversity of this situation, while not sacrificing their character, who truly appreciate this game and are most deserving of success.

Honestly what's the point?
yeah u get sp big whoop
I play games to have fun
what's the point of unlocking gear if ur just gonna camp in the mcc
some people confuse the crape out of me

The point is:
- I don't have time for dust
- I want to play eve instead
- I want to focus in chatting and arranging my contacts in dust
if any of these apply, you can add in isk and loot gain (officer guns) by spawning in MCC.

The point for making a fuss about it is:
- I want recognition and afk contacts to improve the farming yield, by fielding a squad of afkers and speeding up games. Currently, getting afk squad is hard because of a lack in participants willing to get the most out of this. I'm not trying to stir things up, rather i want to take this activity to next level by creating a farming nexus.

I have made an "AFK Farming" channel i want members in. I suggest making an alt for the purpose, so your w/l ratio is not destroyed along your reputation. We will not encourage or be associated with botting or duct tape farm mechanics. Just simple afk farming with power in numbers. If this activity gets gm/ccp hate, I'll stop it right away.

This is just sad... This game has a 7 year skill tree. Are you going to AFK farm for 7 years? What's the point, if, when you do actually play, you fail because you have no idea how to navigate the battlefield? Wow, you have 30 Thales! You'll probably die 10 times without notching a single kill while wielding the fruits of your AFK labor. Only the most ethically depraved and emotionally bankrupt of players resort to this behavior.

The most common justification I have heard for doing this is: "I can watch TV while earning SP at the same time!". Congratulations, you lazy SOB, you just watched the entire first season of Firefly for the 10th time while milking the system and contributing absolutely nothing to the community. Now go wipe the cheeto dust off your fingers and pick up your controller so I can relieve you of the Prototype level suits and officer weapons you so pitifully command, using all of your might as an AFK farmer.

Protest my balls. I am in agreement that CCP needs to do something about AFK farming. I don't think turning on friendly-fire is the solution, as I do not think we should ever have to resort to team killing to correct the system, but I do think that AFK timeouts could be easily implemented. The situation is frustrating, but it takes a certain type of person to derive satisfaction from the rewards gained by gaming the system, whether it be in feigned protest or not, and that person deserves no recognition, credit or respect.

I'm not normally one to wax philosophical on a video game forum, but I do find this quote appropriate:



Every DUST 514 player has the power to take advantage of a system that is currently broken. It is those that can deal with the adversity of this situation, while not sacrificing their character, who truly appreciate this game and are most deserving of success.

you sound upset. maybe the game would be more enjoyable if the game wasn't same all the way through. the only reason people do the matches is because you need to get your daily allotment of SP. especially when there isn't any corp mates on and it's Tuesday.

playing forever just to reach the annoying cap is just poor game design.

I "do" the matches because I enjoy playing the game. Reaching the cap, for me, is an organic process. I'm not so much upset as I am confused as to why people want to AFK farm (and in the case of trollsroyce, want to organize entire squads to do this).

When I unlock a new tier of weapons/suits/modules, I want to feel like I earned it through my gameplay. Garnering a bunch of SP by AFK farming and using that SP to unlock high-level rewards would be a Pyrrhic victory. Sure, I may have "won the battle" by unlocking that high-level gear without actually putting in any effort, but in doing so, I've negated my own sense of achievement. Ultimately, this takes a huge toll on a typical player's continued ability to enjoy the game, and will eventually ruin it completely.

BGoat: your point is very good and from the perspective of an eve vet, one of the primary things that burns people out in that game.
However, I don't set my goals to unlocking stuff at all. Gear is just a means of accomplishing what I want to be - which is still a bit blurred. Perhaps a top 10 all time sniper in the long run? Perhaps a link in the chain of a large, planet holding alliance? Gear unlocks are just an arbitrary goal towards those examples. Because of this, the only sense of gratification in getting a shiny gun is "ohh shiny, can use this in a corp match later on" instead of "ohh shiny, I really deserve this for my hard fought battle".

I effing hate you and everything you stand for. It would be better if you were a team killer.

Though, if you do create a squad / corp of afk'ers, we can at least know when we have been gifted with a bum leg and redline snipe the entire match.

For you scrub players who don't know, I get an average of 12k sp per skirmish with my main. If you are not also, your doing something wrong. Maybe stop being a terrible sniper?

This discussion aside it's amazing how unbalanced CCP treat people on these forums.

If I suggested a CCP, ISD or pro-CCP forumite was lower than a child molester you could expect me to be drummed out of here in moments.

However, when you want to say something that is pro-CCP you can obviously say it any way you like.

congrats you are right below child molesters on my list of the worst types of people.

how was that pro ccp? that was anti *******. you farm WP, you hurt the community. **** every WP farmer in the *******. Is this ccps problem? yes they ****** up on that ****, but any one who does that **** deserves to be force fed a bucket of dicks.

maybe people don't want to spend 10 hours a week just to gain the minimum requirements to progress in the game. the SP is what people are after. why bother equipping level 1 crap when T2 is what you want and need to actually be effective.

What makes it worst is that you are forced to go through that in order to gain your weekly allotment of SP.

Interesting topic, which seems to come back in any online xp (sp) based game...

Here are the questions that I think are relevant to this subject:

1. Why do people AFK farm?
2. Is AFK farming actually a problem?
3. How could you prevent AFK farming?

1 Because this game has gotten really boring. People either red line or get red lined. There is no clear incentive to play pubs right now. Corp matches dont give you SP.

2 No

3 Make the game more interesting and playable

Interesting topic, which seems to come back in any online xp (sp) based game...

Here are the questions that I think are relevant to this subject:

1. Why do people AFK farm?
2. Is AFK farming actually a problem?
3. How could you prevent AFK farming?

1 is easy: because they can. Anything based on "gain" will lead people to want gain as much as they can as fast as they can. People feel they are missing out if they don't.

2 is rather difficult... you could argue that it's "not playing the game as intended", but you could also argue "in real life you can be a slacker too". My biggest issue with it is that you will have people doing it not because they think it's right, or fun, but because they feel obliged to, just to keep up. That is potentially lessening the experience for others.

3 is easy again: there are lots of ways. However which way is good/best, that's not so easy. The first thing that springs to mind would be to not count a player in the MCC or redzone as "participating", so it would only register the time spent in an area where you can be killed by enemies. Sure, you could still hide somewhere, but it would be much harder.

Other options include friendly fire (though that opens up loads of other abuse issues, even though I think it would make sense), input requirements (easily circumvented with auto fire controllers, programmable keyboards or even a rubber band), only reward actual accomplishment (which leads to certain types of player having a hard time gaining SP) and of course the good old "report, check, penalize" option (which is not full proof, is a lot of work for CCP and will be abused as well).

Conclusion: if it were up to me, I'd go with the "MCC and Redzone are not counted as participating". Would also prevent redzone snipers (I don't mind snipers at all... as long as I can find them and kill them). The only real problem I see is for a redzoned team, but the chances of that happening might be less with no AFK players :D