15 replies to this topic

[Harabic]

This is a fun Game, but as a newbie and no open chat system, I find my self playing quick games without knowing anyone or getting a chance to talk to anyone. I find my self playing around 3-6 games a night before I get bored and go to another game. Is there any way to get an open chat to talk to other players while waiting for my mech to come out of battle?

[Leone]

You mean like friending someone and chatting in game? Or are you talking like, with teamspeak something?

Cuz we can do both. Bottom of your mechbay, just to the right of the LFG button, there's a social button. Friend folk. Chat. It's not the best system, an it's more like leaving messages as your jumpships pass in the night, but it's there. Or you could download a third party application such as teamspeak, and hit up one of the various teamspeaks floating around.

Me, I just hop onna forums.

~Leone

[mailin]

Or, in game, simply press the Caps Lock button and talk.

[Sky Hawk]

Ingame you need to find some "Friend"s.

Spoiler

But, outside there are more: various TS servers, twitch, etc.. Just look around a bit..

[mailin]

on Comstar.na there is even a channel where Pugs can go that are looking for a group to drop with.

[Tarl Cabot]

Unfortunately PGI has yet to include an actual chat lobby. The only chat lobby while not in a combat drop is for Faction Warfare and that is a Minor faction interface. There is also one for Units, but then you have to be in a unit.

I doubt we will get anything, be it a Minor faction (Kurita) lobby + Major (Innersphere) faction, unless or until PGI moves to a newer engine.

PGI currently expects players to do most of their chat/contact OUTSIDE the game interface. Remember, PGI is a small company, they likely yell things out or use some sort of internal messaging. /trout slap...

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 23 April 2016 - 02:49 PM.

[Koniving]

Harabic, on 23 April 2016 - 02:10 PM, said:

This is a fun Game, but as a newbie and no open chat system, I find my self playing quick games without knowing anyone or getting a chance to talk to anyone. I find my self playing around 3-6 games a night before I get bored and go to another game. Is there any way to get an open chat to talk to other players while waiting for my mech to come out of battle?

Out of fear of the occasional pick-up gamer spewing toxic "ZOMG Die Noob" texts, you will notice that there's a few options about disabling specific kinds of chat. "All chat" is disabled by default. Team chat might be as well but not certain.

You will find that after enabling them you will have a much easier time seeing the socializing going on between them.

More in a bit; girlfriend is back to watch her show.

[Void Angel]

Team chat isn't disabled - they want you to talk to your team, they just don't want trolls on the other team to have default access. =)

[Koniving]

Harabic, on 23 April 2016 - 02:10 PM, said:

This is a fun Game, but as a newbie and no open chat system, I find my self playing quick games without knowing anyone or getting a chance to talk to anyone. I find my self playing around 3-6 games a night before I get bored and go to another game. Is there any way to get an open chat to talk to other players while waiting for my mech to come out of battle?

Continuing from where I left off (we were revisiting the early 90s with Wayne's World. Excellent!)

In between matches, you could open faction chat once you have joined a faction.
Beyond this, yes there's LFG. Usually though the times when I'm not in match I just spruce up a mech or choose another one to use and jump into the action. If I `Really` want that mech back for action so bad... Well that's when the wait gets boring.

-----------

This said, among the dozens upon dozens of ideas I'm known for, one of them was a general lobby based on the Bar scene from the first Mechwarrior in 1989.

With more up-to-date-graphics

(Image from the 1993 Japanese remake.)
Mind you -- the most likely reason this sort of thing doesn't exist is probably quite simple. Most Free to play games are plagued with spam bots in the general chats.

[Rhavin]

As soon as there's an open chat system there will be someone advertising grinding out exp and cbills for cash, or faction points, or whatever. And that would suck. Without an in game economy I don't see any point in haveing a general chat outside of faction and unit play.

[CJ Daxion]

Rhavin, on 23 April 2016 - 09:07 PM, said:

As soon as there's an open chat system there will be someone advertising grinding out exp and cbills for cash, or faction points, or whatever. And that would suck. Without an in game economy I don't see any point in haveing a general chat outside of faction and unit play.

So don't join those channels then, that is pretty easy.. No clue why you don't see the point of general chat..


Meeting new people..

Just talking mechs while you are waiting for a friend to show up..

Help out new players that have questions..

Talk about game play modes, or mech builds

Recruit people, or just chat about guilds

community building

and yes, even people looking to group up to grind c-bills or faction or what ever.. I have zero problem with people wanting to do that, as long as they do it in the right channel


The list goes on an on.. the game needs a system like battle.net Lobby, with a few standard chat channels, and then the ability to make your own channels, both private and public. It only adds to the game, and community.

Koniving, on 23 April 2016 - 03:56 PM, said:

Mind you -- the most likely reason this sort of thing doesn't exist is probably quite simple. Most Free to play games are plagued with spam bots in the general chats.

a simple report/mute in today's chat's would be more than sufficient to deal with that

Edited by CJ Daxion, 25 April 2016 - 09:56 AM.

[Koniving]

CJ Daxion, on 25 April 2016 - 09:54 AM, said:

a simple report/mute in today's chat's would be more than sufficient to deal with that

Still leaves the wasted bandwidth that they consume and names created specifically to try and make those 'sale' services.

------------



MWO caters to the Killers with the game itself.

MWO has achievements for Achievers.

MWO USED to cater to explorers -- things like the old Forest Colony buildings having one or two hidden and fully furnished rooms (with a 1980s television and a blurry magazine of PCGamer with MWO on the cover, couch and trash littering the floor).
Forest Colony Alts -- with and without the cargo ship.
Frozen City's naval cruise vessel which used to have a lot more detail back when it was close to out of bounds, as well as the street lights that only occasionally appeared.
The golf course on top of a building in River City, and the clock on the Citadel. Oh and the ONE light pole in the entire game that could be knocked over for over 2 years.
Terra Therma: The dead Commando, the Catapult buried in a lava-slide, and the mystical levitating cargo container, as well as three safe places to camp inside volcanos without the effects of lava heat, with ports to shoot out from.
Crimson Strait: Has a gas station.

Sadly, exploring isn't fighting, even if this occurs while scouting or hunting/waiting to ambush enemies such as here. And so far as I can tell, PGI has stopped catering to this desire. But maybe I'm wrong?

It tries to cater to the socializers with the forums, though a general chat would have more players logging into the game at any one time just to sit and chat rather than just hanging out on the forums. This would have them more likely to be around to jump into CW matches which are far more sociable than standard matches.

Edited by Koniving, 25 April 2016 - 10:13 AM.

[Tarl Cabot]

Could always put a restriction on when one can use Chat system. Complete the Academy training and perform 10+ drops. Add min x amount of chat attempts in a 5 minute period until player has completed an x amount of drops. Still keep a limit of how many sends one can do in a 5 minute period.

[JC Daxion]

Tarl Cabot, on 25 April 2016 - 07:01 PM, said:

Could always put a restriction on when one can use Chat system. Complete the Academy training and perform 10+ drops. Add min x amount of chat attempts in a 5 minute period until player has completed an x amount of drops. Still keep a limit of how many sends one can do in a 5 minute period.

Or could even keep it like the forums.. You only get access to one channel, and very limited, till you get to 25 matches, not to mention, anti-spam monitoring. Most people don't get all that creative when making bots, just repeating the same phrase.. i can't see how that would be that hard to add. I mean if they can find aim bots, a spam bot has to be easy in comparison.



As far as bandwidth, i can't see it taking up that much, a simple chat server could run the 3 zones. It's not like ping maters on chat.


Not to mention, they could even make an app so people could access it from phones, to help keep in touch with their friends/community.. Would be great for those that just like helping folks in say a General help channel.

[WildVector]

Finding a community really isn't hard IF YOU BROWSE THE FORUMS.

BUT A FAIR WARNING, you'll notice a huge difference going from a solo player to group queue.

IF 2 or more group members have rank 2 or higher, you will be paired with enemy groups of rank 2 or higher. And that's a huge skill gap difference.

With the new system of matchmaking, it's easier to solo queue by far. BUT you do miss on the closed community experience.

So if you don't want to add friendly players you meet during matches I direct you to http://mwomercs.com/...then-look-here/

Or you can browse the separate language based communities, most have different mercenary units affiliated and they are friendly to any group drops outside their training/war schedules.

[Nokadota Aririnkichiri]

You've just contradicted yourself using fun and boring in the same line, which is it fun of boring, i'm confused.