I'll try to keep it short. According to in-game rule #2:
Quote... Roleplaying or preparing a roleplay with a player that is currently AFK would be powergaming.
I suggest this bit be removed completely, as it's prone to abuse. The person who is engaging in roleplay with an AFKer is NOT a powergamer. That has never been the case. The person who is AFKing is at fault, not the one roleplaying. If you're in-game then you are supposed to be In Character 100% of the time, unless you're on admin duty or were specifically told by an admin to stop roleplaying.
Don't agree? Here are two example situations that will be an hourly occurrence if this rule isn't modified accordingly:
- You're a criminal, and you spot someone out in the open. You go near them, take out your gun and initiate a robbery. Your target instantly goes AFK before you even come up to him - he's not blind, he can see you from a mile away. You miss your chance to screenshot him being not AFK (if he isn't tabbed there will be no time clock icon next to his username), so all you can do is back away and pray no cop saw you pull out a gun in public. Your target walks away later on, freely, knowing who you are, while you just put yourself in danger for absolutely nothing.
- You're a cop, and you see a guy on the sidewalk who matches a warrant or APB. You get out of your cruiser and plan to arrest him. He immediately tabs out, going AFK, and in 10 or so minutes when the AFK timer clicks in he automatically gets kicked out of the game. You have no other choice but to observe the criminal get away scot-free. Unless you have screenshots of him not being tabbed, of course, in that case you have the option of making a forum report - but then again, who prefers writing lengthy forum reports over roleplaying in-game?
Obviously, this loophole will result in a slew of in-game and forum reports once the server opens, so I say we deal with it now, rather than later.
AFKing should only be allowed when a person is out of the public eye, i.e. is in a place where people can't usually reach him, e.g. within his locked house. Furthermore, AFKing should be done at one's own risk. AFKers should not be protected either. I suggest the quoted sentence above be removed from the in-game rules. In the meanwhile, the following (or something of similar nature) can be added elsewhere instead:
- You are allowed to be AFK (Away From Keyboard) for up to 10 minutes, provided you are not in a highly populated area or an area where people are likely to attempt to roleplay with you. AFK in public at own risk.