Can anyone confirm how /chan_timeout works?

My understanding from beta chatter is that the timeout value is counted from the implementation of the feature... ie, today. However, I haven't seen any redname confirmation on that.

Can anyone with a concrete understanding (I'd love to see a redname) give us confirmation on this?

Hm, I assumed it was similar to SG demotion, in that it was ongoing. IE, if it's set to 60 days, any time someone hasn't logged in for 60 days, they are removed from the channel. But now that I reread it, the wording is rather ambiguous as to whether it's ongoing, or more of a "per-use" basis.

After having done some fairly significant testing on this command, this is what the command seems to do (at least on Test).


/chan_timeout
Set the channel's time out duration
Syntax: chan_timeout <CHANNEL NAME> <TIME IN DAYS>

Effect: Does nothing.


Actually, that's not entirely correct. If <channel name> does not exist, or if you are not an Op in <channel name>, it tells you that "You are not allowed to perform this action.".

However, if the channel does exist, and if you are an Op in it, it seems to do.... nothing. At least it doesn't seem to function as advertised.

I've tried using it "in advance" (seeing if setting the timeout to 7 at t=0 boots players that remain offline until t=7) and "retroactively" (seeing if setting the timeout to 7 at t=0 immediately boots players that have been offline since t=-7).
I've tried on Ops and non-Ops.
I've tried in Public and Private channels.
(and all combinations of the above)

Nothing.

"In advance" is harder to test for larger timeout durations, but "retroactively" nothing seems to happen up to at least 25 days.


This is all on Test. I don't know if there's an issue with the command that is specific to Test, or if this behavior also extends to the Live servers.


It would be very interesting to see if the command does anything on Live, but personally I'm reluctant to test it on an existing channel until I have more information, and it might not be very easy to find someone that would be willing to join an entirely new channel and then stay offline for 7 days on the Live servers.

If anyone else does test the command on Live, I'd be very interested in hearing the results.


Oh. As far as I know, the idea that it would only count from the time the command was implemented is pure speculation, and was first offered as a possible explanation for why my tests hadn't resulted in anyone being kicked from a channel (failing to take into account that the idea wouldn't explain why my tests hadn't resulted in anyone being kicked from a channel ).
It's very possible that it'll actually work that way, but to my knowledge we have no indication that it actually does.



While I don't know how (or if) the command actually works, this is how I *hope* that the command is *intended* to work:
I hope that when the timeout is set, any player that has not been online for the selected timeout duration is immediately booted from the channel. Once it is set, anyone that reaches a total offline time corresponding to the timeout duration will also be booted.

The alternate possibility, that only people who remain offline for a period corresponding to the timeout duration *after* the timeout is set will be booted, would be a disappointment, and would make the command a fraction as useful as it could have been.

So wait, let me see if I got this right...

There's a command that automatically drops people from a global channel if they haven't logged in in the past X days?

But it doesn't work?

An open letter to NCsoft

This is something I'm also curious about. It would be nice if a red name or someone that actually worked on this feature would elaborate on it so we can put all the guessing to rest before we see unintentional consequences of using this feature.

From the Known Issues:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avatea The command "/chan_timeout <channel name> <duration>" is not working currently.

And yet, on Virtue, the channel 'VirtueUnited' was resurrected precisely because the Ops were able to get it to work to clear out all the old users.

Actually, are you sure that they used the command to clear up space?

VirtueUnited is currently sitting at 1393 members.
As far as I know, there have been at least two channels succeeding it (VU2009 and VU2010). It seems *possible* that 1000+ members have left the channel since it was deprecated, and that it was decided to return to the channel now that they're aware that /chan_timeout will make reaching 2500 members a non-issue.

Someone just said in VU that it was full before I7, now it's not.

I heard back from a VU Op, and it seems that they have not yet had anyone dropped from the channel by using the command. They have plenty of spare room at the moment though, so it makes sense to open the channel anyway since the command is likely to work by the time they'll need it.


I would guess that the member you heard say that the channel was full before i17 just assumed that the command had been used to clear space, since the re-opening of the channel coincided with the supposed addition of the command.

Why hasn't this been linked yet? It's on the known issues list as not functioning.

edit: Oh. It was linked. Several posts above. It is still not functioning, folks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dispari I don't know why Dink thinks she's not as sexy as Jay was. In 5 posts she's already upstaged his entire career.

/chan_timeout now works on the Live servers

/chan_timeout
Set the channel's time out duration
Syntax: chan_desc <CHANNEL NAME> < TIME IN DAYS>


Setting a time out value immediately kicks channel members that have been offline for at least <time in days> days.

Once a time out value has been set, channel members that remain offline long enough to put them above the time out value will be kicked from the channel.

Doing /chan_timeout <channel name> 0
should reset the time out value, and channel members would no longer be kicked for remaining offline.


If you'd set a timeout value while the command did not work, you'll have to set it again to make it work.

Are you saying it works now? Because there's nothing in the patch notes, and it's still filed under "known issues"...

An open letter to NCsoft

So it sounds like there was a bug that kept it from working, now there is a bug that is allowing it to work. Amazing, not all bugs are bad.

Okay, quick check then - after a person gets dropped from a channel due to timeout, do they automatically rejoin it {assuming there is room} once they log back in?

An open letter to NCsoft