Thread #13: Advanced Anti-AFK Penalty

Subject: [Suggestion] Advanced Anti-AFK Penalty: The Genestealer Cult Transformation & Reward Forfeiture

Dear Dev Team,

To combat inactive players and bots who abandon matches, we propose a lore-accurate penalty system tied directly to the narrative of the War for Vigilus. This mechanic combines strict gameplay punishment with the planet's actual lore.

Instead of simply handing an inactive player's assets over to a passive standard AI, we suggest implementing a Genestealer Cult Transformation System:

• The Trigger: If a player remains AFK or performs zero strategic actions for more than 48 hours, their account is flagged as "Compromised."

• The Unit Transformation: All of their remaining armies and bases are instantly converted into the Genestealer Cults faction under the control of an aggressive, hostile PvE AI. Their units visually and mechanically swap to Genestealer Cult equivalents, turning their empire into a dangerous xenos threat for everyone nearby.

• Total Reward Forfeiture: Once this transformation happens, the player is completely disqualified from receiving any match rewards. They will forfeit all gold, progression points, profile XP, and end-of-match unit extractions, even if their alliance or faction wins the game.

This fits the lore perfectly, as the Cult of the Pauper Princes launched an uprising from the under-hives during the war. Strategically, an inactive neighbor turns from an easy resource farm into a dangerous threat, while the total loss of rewards gives players a massive psychological reason to never abandon their matches.