172 replies to this topic

[Strykewolf]

Some folks use it, some folks don't. I listen but, rarely talk.

[Roadkill]

NeoCodex, on 24 March 2015 - 04:58 AM, said:

So the problem is right there where we knew it was: euros can't speak English. It's not our primary language and we're just not used to. It takes enough effort to speak to your unit on TS, but forcing your broken English on total pug strangers trough bad quality ingame voip

All of you speak English better than 99% of Americans speak any foreign language.

Consider that you don't need to speak complete sentences - something short like "Roadkill spider behind" tells me everything I need to know. Troop information is also pretty simple. If you know numbers 1-10 and letters a-k you can communicate a tremendous amount of useful information with a simple "6 in D8."

Many (many) years ago I spoke German fluently and have recently learned tourist-level Portuguese. With an hour's effort I could probably communicate useful information over VOIP in either language. I wouldn't be able to give orders, but then again I wouldn't need to be able to.

[WonderSparks]

I liked the whole idea of it, but I have never used this "VoIP" myself just yet, nor do I hear it in use with any frequency. (Just my luck, of course )
Still, I feel the implementation of it was indeed a good move, and it does help a bit when someone actually uses it constructively. For instance the other night I saw a UAV up and just as I finished typing "Enemy UAV up" someone else said it verbally. So unless you are a super-fast typist and make sense while doing so, it is still generally faster to speak instead, making it a valuable tool for those who can/do use it.

_{Maybe if I can get a quick test done to see how loud my voice is in-game with this stand-up microphone I will give it a shot. Durr hurr}

[Nori Silverrage]

VOIP doesn't work consistently for me. Sometimes I press it and it works, other times nothing. I pretty much have to do a mic check every game...

[MechWarrior3671771]

I've found it to be incredibly useful, esp in a scout where stopping to type is suicide.

Seen several games won because of good leadership on VOIP.

[Suko]

I use it almost every game. Nothing major, but quick callouts for things like UAVs, Direwolf's lurking around a corner, or a large group of ECM-covered enemies migrating to a location.

I've also noticed that if/when someone takes a commanding role and gives a command, most of the time it is followed. This all depends on the way the request is made. If it's phrased like "You're all a bunch of *******, move into the center!", then it's usually ignored or ridiculed. However, if it's someone giving a direct order of "group up at B4 to push on X", then usually it's followed with decent results.

[KharnZor]

I think its great. When used.

[terrycloth]

I use it instead of typing. But I don't often have much to say.

The one time I gave tactical advice people followed it, but it tuned out not to actually work for the team. (most of the enemies were playing peek-and-hide north of us, but 3 heavy mechs were south of us, so I told them to push south -- somehow, two of the three enemies got away and we wasted enough time hunting for them that the rest of their team realized we'd left and caught up. I think we actually won but it was not because of that maneuver)

But there have been a few games where people gave good advice and we roflstomped the enemies.

...and a few games where people gave bad advice and we lost and then they blamed us for being losers. For some reason, the blame was in text. Maybe typing is easier than talking once you're dead?

[Vahnn]

Suko, on 24 March 2015 - 10:56 AM, said:

all depends on the way the request is made. If it's phrased like "You're all a bunch of *******, move into the center!", then it's usually ignored or ridiculed. However, if it's someone giving a direct order of "group up at B4 to push on X", then usually it's followed with decent results.

This. I try to' suggest' orders in a calm, level tone, as clearly and concisely as possible. For instance, "Our assaults are covering the tunnel. Can we get a couple lights to cap Gamma while Johnny caps Theta?" Things like that usually get a great response. If none of the lights go, I hit Q and find the closest light to that objective, then ask him by name. If still no response, usually means they don't hear you, typing it out quickly usually works at that point.

Never freak out, never press that voip key when upset, wait to cool down. Even if you directly witness somebody ******* up, never yell. It's that fastest way to make sure that person will ignore everything you say.

Edited by Vahnn, 24 March 2015 - 11:25 AM.

[Sean von Steinike]

I've seen (heard) it used to good effect, and some not so good effect. I don't think it was a waste of resources, just that people are used to not having it, may not even know it exists, and it does give problems for some users.

[Krivvan]

It's used about as much as it's used in other games with in-game VoIP. That's one reason why I've said it wouldn't be some glorious overnight fix.

[Mad Strike]

I use it in all my pug matches but saddly VOIP quality varies individualy be the one that speaks or the one that listens......im my case 40% of times this happens and fortunatly someone on my team tells me about it , that way i can stop trying to make call that end up sounding like SWISH WULL GO TFFO FIFTREE.

[Funkmaster Rick]

I find the in-game comms to be absolutely necessary. I could not stomach the ego-shattering grind that is this game without voice comms.

Since their induction, I have become a proficient PUB Commander. It is no easy task. There are a number of obstacles:

1. At least 10% of the entire playerbase plays this game with the in-game voice comms AND all of the chat functions disabled. They want nothing to do with people. They have no desire whatsoever to communicate, strategize, or even to assist their team. They won't drop UAVs, they won't flank, they won't even hold a corner against enemies more than half their weight. They are little better than shambling zombies, and happy to be so.

2. A smaller contingent of the community actively hates everybody. I've spotted a wide variety of potential personality disorders and serious social issues. These are people who leave their comms on, but if someone dares actually use them, they will complain loudly. I had a match a couple of days back where I was giving sound tactical advice but, more than that, was calling out enemy locations and battlefield developments. I just wanted to make sure people knew what was going on so they could make intelligent decisions. One of my allies starts giving me crap over comms... for using comms.

3. Reception quality differs from player to player, but most of them seem to have crappy microphones. The ones with good microphones, I can mostly understand if they're speaking up. In general, the system could use a better codec or something.

4. PUBs get tunnel vision, plain and simple.

I recall a multitude of matches where I happened to be piloting an Atlas while the team decided, tacitly, that Nascar meta was the best meta. I'd do my best, but I'd fall behind. As soon as I'd start falling behind, I'd get on comms and request escort, assistance, any kind of help. Then I'd get shot in the back. I'd call for help multiple times, spend the better part of two minutes doing my best to dodge the light 'mech snipers that had figured out our 'strategy' and decided to pick at the rear element. Turning around is a deathtrap, of course; you've got to do SOMETHING to keep them from having their way with you, but actually turning around and walking backwards gets you left farther behind. But, like many other MOBAs, there is a subsection of players who simply doesn't care that it's a team game.

But for all that, the voice comms are absolutely necessary to this game. I've had matches where I called out tactical information, saw my team respond, and we won gloriously. I've saved allied pilots with voice call-outs at least a hundred times. Voice call-outs keep that one guy from wandering off to die because he didn't realize what direction we were pushing in. I've asked light 'mechs with jump jets to stay back and scout a location and they've listened, and it saved our team. I've timed flanking manoeuvres, I've focused our teams fire, I've even given the occasional speech that turned our team from gibbering cowards into an unstoppable juggernaut of destruction.

Let me repeat that:
I have successfully used voice comms to turn the cowardice meta into a glorious charge of doom.

That would not have been possible with just text. It takes voice comms to capture everyone's attention and help them play better. Without voice comms, the only thing you can do when your team is cowering behind cover and won't even step forward five feet to help save the life of an ally is to cower yourself, and just hope you'll lose quickly. With voice comms in-game, you can sometimes fix the terrible, terrible lack of courage that plagues the PUB queue and turn it into glorious victory, whipping the conscripts into shape.

In-game voice comms are the single best solution to the cowardice meta, and I use the comms as often as I can. As should you.

You know, unless your mic sucks.

[Green Mamba]

I hear it used almost every game including using it myself even if I am in a TS group, so you must be in different games than me...Ill add it should have been put ingame during closed Beta.Maybe the people you are dropping with have grown accustomed to not having Global Voip so they are in a habit of not using it

[Bishop Steiner]

Jimmy Page, on 24 March 2015 - 02:55 AM, said:

For years all the puggers screamed about how they need VOIP to be successful in MWO. That teams were OP and that they refuse to try to use Team Speak for coordination. PGI finally delivers......and no one uses it! I hear someone speak every 10 games or so. This was essentially a waste of resources implementing it. Just like 3pv. Opinions?

Yup.

It's a playerbase issue. Most either don't use it,. or ignore it if someone tried to take lead. Or you have the usual idiots who find it a great platform to vomit out raw sewage.

But hey, it's always PGIs fault....none of the issues come from the cesspool that the player base resides in, in gamerworld.

[Sir Wulfrick]

I certainly wouldn't agree that the player base is a failure. In my experience MWO does not appear to have attracted the worst of the attention-span-of-a-concussed-duckling COD player base and the in-game chatter that I've heard, whilst usually limited, appears to be generally useful information.

There are the occasional arm chair generals who believe themselves to be the best thing for military strategy since the invention of the map but the best actually useful comments are generally suggestions rather than some clown attempting to bark orders at everyone. That type of usage results only in the "who the f&£^ put you in charge clown shoes?" response from most players, whereas reasoned and helpful information and suggestions are far more likely to help the team.

The one person who I've ever muted was a rather special window licker (who will not be identified, but you know who you are) who managed, during the course of an entire CW match, to do <100 damage with no kills, mostly in an LRM Atlas (LRM assault mechs - just say no!) and then proceeded to lecture the entire team about how we had all failed his glorious leadership. Uh-huh.

In-game comms is a very good thing. It will never allow a 12-man PuG team to out-class an organised, trained team but anything that raises the bar is a very good thing and ought to be encouraged. The audio quality could use some work, but WiP and all that sort of thing...

[Lightfoot]

I use it. It wins on Mordor and Alpine PUGs.

Player units will like it the most I think. I am wondering how CW will work with Mercenary Units, like will they get Clan mechs first, what ranks and bonuses apply? Mercs should get bonus pay/xp for working for a struggling faction for instance. Better RP. Waiting on a reason to join a Merc unit before I join anything though, but player units use comms always.

[Elizander]

Nori Silverrage, on 24 March 2015 - 10:29 AM, said:

VOIP doesn't work consistently for me. Sometimes I press it and it works, other times nothing. I pretty much have to do a mic check every game...

I've experienced not hearing people talk while others reply in chat to someone talking. Not sure what the cause is.

[Catra Lanis]

Elizander, on 24 March 2015 - 03:23 AM, said:

VIOP is a good addition. Sometimes it even wins games. Other times it's entertaining banter during a round while you're hunting down that last powered down light mech that holds KDR above all else.

That would be me. First to hide, Last to power down! is my units motto.

[stjobe]

At least for me, it's not a player base issue. For me, it's a game issue.

As in, I can't get the damn thing to work.

I listen, and I even type responses, but I can't get the blasted game to pick up my mic or recognize the push-to-talk key I assigned.

And almost every drop (I'd say 3 out of 4), there's someone talking. And once someone talks, usually another does as well.

It's not always helpful, but it's more often helpful than it is harmful.