68 replies to this topic

[Jon Gotham]

Solahma, on 16 April 2014 - 06:32 PM, said:

Another good, different suggestion. Way to think out-of-the box
This type of voip would be closer to an in-game version of TS where the individual player finds a persistent channel Instead of putting people in the same drop into a voip channel automatically? I'd love to hear more about your idea.


I don't think you came across rude at all, we are just discussing our opinions here

I have to put a disclaimer in-as many seem to take me the wrong way, quite often >.>
By clan channel I meant some persistent that runs constantly after you log in. After you are invited into the unit or clan the game remembers you "belong" to that unit and automatically puts you into that channel when in training grounds, mechlab etc...
When you form a group and click launch it would transfer you to lance chat-adding any randoms that are needed to make up the space, if required. During the match unit voice would be disabled but you could have a text chat that could "PM" to any members online. This would be for important clan/unit notices if you happen to be in game at the time.
Otherwise if what others have suggested happens-team wide voip no restrictions your personal chatter and unit chatter would be constantly intruded upon and you would be reduced to game specific chatter only. Losing the social chatter that often goes on in games and being forced into the voices of randoms.
I'm very keen to preserve the social chatter units and clans currently enjoy. Any move to force team wide voip could potentially spoil the experience for many people that have bothered to group up.
I would not be happy for people who want the benefits of grouping but can't be bothered or view it as a "hassle" to spoil people's enjoyment. After all, my "effort" lasted 30 minutes-ONCE.

I think a TS style structure but built in could be really handy-you could even link it to actual TS clients somehow?

[W0LFMAN]

I'm real excited to finally get VOIP in game, I've been pushing for this ever sense I first played the game.
I think it should be done with a command channel (lance leaders and commander) and a lance channel (just your lance, alpha, beta, etc) and the commander should be able to talk to all. That is my hope, and I can't wait to see it in game.

Keep up the good work!

P.S. If you don't want VOIP, is it because you don't want us Public match players to communicate? That make it a little harder to "pub stomp" us?

Edited by W0LFMAN, 21 April 2014 - 04:11 PM.

[CheeseThief]

VOIP? Meh.

I'm one of those players that abuses before thinking, and I happen to have a microphone sitting in front of me. Players like me, trolls with horrible taste in music, people who fail to set their talk settings up correctly, screechy little kids, clueless teammates who's plans I don't want to hear, stoners, drunk people. I don't want to have to put up with that in case the rare occasion comes along where someone has something insightful to say.

If I want to talk with friends I will talk to them on my currently set up TS3/Mumble/Vent server, in game VOIP is unmoderated and will get in the way of my TS3/Mumble/Vent chat and so will be permanently turned off.

I would very much like a com-rose with lots of useful quick talk commands, as well as maybe automatically playing radio calls when actions are taken (UAV up!), PGI can even charge me extra for new pilot voices.

But VOIP? Getting turned off the instant it turns up.

Edited by CheeseThief, 21 April 2014 - 04:28 PM.

[Zaggeron]

I find it very disappointing that so many of the veteran players are against built-in VOIP. I've played in many games that have built-in VOIP and only occasionally find truly annoying players. It seems to me that any drawbacks related to squeakly voiced foul-mouthed young people are more than outweighed by the advantages of being able to quickly communicate the whereabouts of enemy mechs, my mech status, on-the-fly strategies and the like. I want to be able to do this and I want to be able to do this on an ad hoc basis not by virtue of being in an organized clan or group.

If this functionality were added, you'd see plenty of examples of people making friends in their games. That *never* happens now. Everyone is basically anonymous and there are no pressing reasons to add some random player to your friend's list. This cycle perpetuates itself and it enforces this rift between the premades and so-called pugs.

What you'd see if you enabled some reasonable version of voice chat in game are pugs making friends, forming premades of their own thereby enhancing the game play for all. It would be reasonable to presume that once this were in place and people were forming ad hoc -- which of my friends are online -- groups, that the silly condition that there can only be one group per team would simply go away -- made obsolete by the fact that the social aspects of the game will have improved ten fold and many more people will be grouping up.

What prevents grouping up by folks now is the fact that there are no tools for social organization within the game. There is not even a "recent players" list. Of course, those against the plebes having any built-in communication tools will simply say "Just go to some website of a MWO group or clan and petition the members for admittance. Then, again outside the game itself, arrange a time to meetup on TS or something, and so forth. I know a bunch of people like to play that way, but just because that is the way you prefer to team up is no argument that that should be the only option for people wanting a team experience.

[Abaddonis]

The incoming glory of public VOIP will be glorious and terrible.

I'm getting shot guy who doesn't know where he is or who is doing the shooting.
I'm so stoned right now guy.
Playing music over chat guy.
Eating while talking guy.
Worst connection in the world guy.
Raging, try hard spaz guy.
Trolls, trolls and more trolls.

Doesn't matter how it's implemented, the players will ruin it.

[Zaggeron]

Abaddonis, on 21 April 2014 - 05:15 PM, said:

The incoming glory of public VOIP will be glorious and terrible.

I'm getting shot guy who doesn't know where he is or who is doing the shooting.
I'm so stoned right now guy.
Playing music over chat guy.
Eating while talking guy.
Worst connection in the world guy.
Raging, try hard spaz guy.
Trolls, trolls and more trolls.

Doesn't matter how it's implemented, the players will ruin it.

Classic case of WCSS -- Worst Case Scenario Syndrome.

The actual worst case is in the 60 seconds while the teams are forming up before launch you have to decide whether you are going to click the "mute all" button. With one single click you have returned your experience to what it was before VOIP was introduced. Then if you are dropping with people you know simply click the "allow VOIP" next to their name. Simple. If you don't like it or don't want to hear people simply mute them. Why should your fear that some 13 year old will insult your manhood prevent others from having a team experience especially when you can prevent all vocal contact with the pugsters by simply muting all.

[Abaddonis]

Zagg, have you ever been on public voice chat before? If not, prepare yourself. If you have, then you know what the worst case is and what to expect. Don't think honorable mech jousters are any better than the rest of the internet mouth breathers.

[Kassatsu]

Lance members should be able to freely voice chat with their own lance. Anyone that takes lance command would be able to chat with their lance and the company commander. Company commander could speak with one lance, his own lance, or the entire team.

Crazy, I know, but it just might encourage people to... Do the exact same thing they've been doing by not spending half a second to call out their grid location when they spot an enemy.

Also, no matter how it's implemented, external VOIP programs will ALWAYS be used by (most) premade groups, whether to avoid using the in-game one (which is often terrible) or so that they aren't discussing the latest weather patterns with the rest of their team, chances are there's going to be some third party VOIP program in use.

[Zaggeron]

Abaddonis, on 21 April 2014 - 06:18 PM, said:

Zagg, have you ever been on public voice chat before? If not, prepare yourself. If you have, then you know what the worst case is and what to expect. Don't think honorable mech jousters are any better than the rest of the internet mouth breathers.

I have. On many games. I used to play a lot of Xbox 360 and every game on that system has built in VOIP. And you know what? It really isn't all that bad. Sure you get the occasional hyper-active kiddie who thinks he's all that, but it is easy enough to mute them. Most of the time the people who would really be annoying if they talked are with their friends in their private voice chat -- the Xbox party system is basically the equivalent of a premade but without the expectation of any skill .

In fact, with games that drew a more patient crowd -- The Rainbow Six series comes to mind -- the chat was absolutely essential. Most of my online friends were made by chatting with them in RB6. This to me seems like a more organic social experience -- you make friends by talking to people, then you're grouping up with them and their friends, etc.

I haven't played this game for very long -- about a month -- so my bracket is probably still quite low, but even in the depths of solo pugging I see lots of people trying to make an effort to communicate in game and it is a shame that there are no easy ways to do that in your standard solo drop.

If the mute and select options were implemented well, I really don't see this as a problem. And, as I mentioned, the benefits both to individual players and the community as a whole could really outweigh the bad aspects.

Edited by Zaggeron, 21 April 2014 - 06:54 PM.