Improvement to the Chat Status System 2013-04-03 21:15

Before 2.11, status management controls were handled by two rather obscure commands: /away, which simply blocked all private messages and invitations (guilds, trades, groups, or challenges) and /invisible, which had the same effect, except that it allowed interactions and messages from your friends.

These two commands were largely unknown to most of our players, and they don't really meet everyone's needs. That's why we've transformed these commands into a true interface feature!

How it works

Configuring your status is very easy! There's a cutesy new icon at the right end of the chat bar. It's default state is a green circle, indicating that you are in the Available state. Simply click on that cutey to select a different status for your character.


 

The New Statuses

Here are the different statuese that you can set on yourself and their effects on your interactions with other players:

• Available: This is the default status, you're open for anything!
• Away: When you set this statue, all invitations will be blocked, but you will continue to receive private messages sent to you, to be read when you return. You can also choose to set a custom away message that will automatically be sent to players who contact you, and will also be set in your guild and friend lists. Sending a message or undertaking any inter-player interaction will switch you back to the "Available" status.

• Private: Only players on your friends list can send you private messages or invitations. If you message or interact with a player who is not on your list, you will return to the Available status.
• Solo: The perfect status for when you want to be alone with your thoughts. Solo blocks absolutely all private messages and invitations, even if your beloved spouse is sending them. Sending any invitations or private messages will return you to the Available status.

 

Interface Integration

In the past, you had to send a message to someone to see if they were available or not. Now, you can just take a look at your friend or guild list to quickly see who's available and who isn't.
 
And even though it's not recommended, sometimes you may have to leave in the middle of combat! But now your fellow fighters won't be left out of the loop, because your away status will be shows in a tooltip when mousing over the timeline.
To sum up, this isn't the type of feature that will make it easier for you to kick Count Harebourg's bum, but it will help you avoid embarassing drama: "Why didn't you answer? Oh, you're ignoring me now?! Well SO'S YOUR FACE!" We hope you enjoy your new ability to AFK with serenity.

Many thanks to [Tounakma] for the devblog article!