Voice Chat Defaults to Friends Only? Not Good.

(H0RSE) #61

The defaults matter. A very large chunk of the population will not know there is a setting, and will not bother to change it unless they have a reason to change it. Therefore, whatever the default setting is will reflect a major chunk of the population.

Your point? Those people who want it on will turn it on - that solves your problem right there. If people don’t think to turn it on, they obviously either didn’t want it on, or really couldn’t care either way.

“A very large chunk of the population will not know there is a setting?”

Really dude? That’s the best you can come up with? So I guess a very large chunk of the population don’t know what an options menu is or how to access it? I’m surprised they even understood how to install the game. Hell, the way you make it sound, the game should just enable every single setting in the game by default, because people won’t even know that they’re there!

If VOIP was to default to off (friends only) for everyone, I would be talking to half my team at best in most of the games I play.

No you wouldn’t, because voip appears to be a server setting, where if you have it enabled EVERYONE you play with does - you should learn more about the game before getting mad at nothing:

http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=208881&postcount=67
http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=208930&postcount=71
http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=211538&postcount=74 (the last part)

(Mad Hatter) #62

[QUOTE=H0RSE;270535]No you wouldn’t, because voip appears to be a server setting, where if you have it enabled EVERYONE you play with does - you should learn more about the game before getting mad at nothing:

http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=208881&postcount=67
http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=208930&postcount=71
http://www.splashdamage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=211538&postcount=74 (the last part)[/QUOTE]

I just now remember hearing that quote before. Now I feel silly for forgetting that it’s a server/match thing and not an individual thing.

(Jess Alon) #63

On xbox live the first thing I do is form a party with my friends so I don’t have to hear a bunch of people I don’t know talk. And my friends list is full of people who are the same way. So I have my doubts that people of our mindset are in the minority when I’ve found 50 people who don’t enjoy just listening to every idiot with a headset speak. In games like CoD I immediately mute everyone. And because I have to do that. I generally don’t enjoy games like that. In games like BFBC2 the only people I can hear are in my squad. And as long as they are only talking strategy then I’ll listen and sometimes chime in. But half the time those people annoy me and get muted.

It’s not a prejudice. People are annoying sometimes. You should understand that some people actually think so.

(JeP) #64

It’s pretty entretaining seeing each decision from SD that are a bit different from the random FPS being discussed like that, to a point that is clearly absurd, and especially from people that seem close to be OFFENDED by these choices.

I am more like HORSE said to be on the “enemy glow” topic : I’m waiting to get my hand on the game, I can’t see myself whining and bitching about things I haven’t had my hands on…

From a developper point of view, I can’t imagine how these topics may look though.

(H0RSE) #65

Probably ****ing hilarious, then moves into annoying. Like hearing a really funny joke over and over again, until it looses its effect and you can’t stand hearing it anymore.

(JeP) #66

Seems quite right.

(Seyu) #67

I think he does have a point, people may tend to keep the default settings in pub to cater to the majority who’ll want to play ‘the way its meant to be played’.

This is just speculation on my part without proof or anything.

Non-empty servers for Hardcore mode are 530 in BC2 and those for default are 590. This is opposite to what he is asserting but I think it may be due to the age of the game.

Anyway, I like the current settings best. One can always add people to a fireteam to be able to chat to them.

(trigg3r) #68

I have the feeling that if voip would be turned “on” by default, ppl would be complaining in this very same thread that it should be “off”; seriously, it’s getting ridiculously already

like this probably

(JeP) #69

Trigger : I hope not, but that’s a good reference btw ^^

(Linsolv) #70

A thought: If a player is serious enough to invest in a headset (I know that I spend the MAJORITY of my time on the PC and do not use a headset at any point; haven’t used one in over a year and the one I had then is broken) then they’ll probably be serious enough to go looking for a setting. If they don’t have a headset, then for all you know they could not be listening—it’s important, as even if everyone else was just a mindless drone who couldn’t do anything without you telling them to, you would need them to reply with “OK.”

I know because I spent a ton of time in games where I didn’t have a headset for my PS3, and when I went to play with friends, there would be a ton of confusion regarding whether or not I’d heard their callouts/instructions.

(H0RSE) #71

I know because I spent a ton of time in games where I didn’t have a headset for my PS3, and when I went to play with friends, there would be a ton of confusion regarding whether or not I’d heard their callouts/instructions.

But voip is server based in Brink, so it won’t be an issue guessing if someone has it or not.

(Linsolv) #72

My point is, if you don’t care enough to find a server that has VoIP enabled, why would you care enough to buy a microphone? And if you don’t have a microphone, why does it matter if VoIP is disabled by default, since you can’t use it anyways?

(Bridger) #73

No, they wouldn’t. They won’t turn it on because they think it will be annoying, but it is actually vitally important. If one team uses voice comms correctly and the other team doesn’t, the team without voice comms is in huge. It also makes the game a lot more interesting and fun. They won’t know this if they come into the game with the preconception that it’s annoying, and they won’t turn it on.

If instead, it defaults to On, they can then decide if they like it or not by trying it, rather than prejudging it.

But again, I don’t think it matters, because it does seem to be a server setting. So I’m not sure why you keep reiterating the argument.

(SockDog) #74

So basically the client doesn’t have a choice then and any server set to have VOIP on (or FF of) will be excluded from standard matchmaking (not sure how that’s going to impact matchmaking or server owners on the PC).

And if someone who doesn’t like global/team VOIP but joins a server with it on, I assume they have no ability to switch it off otherwise we’d be right back at the start.

While I understand the philiosphy I’m not sure I agree with splitting a community over something as simple as voice, seems like a lot of babying.

Re what the developers think of forum discussions. I’d like to think between the stupid circular arguments, baiting and poor comprehension they get the underlying message from each side.

(1234567) #75

My husband uses the voice function on some of the games he plays. Whenever I use it, it just ends up being twenty people screaming over each other, so you can’t really understand what they’re saying anyway.

(H0RSE) #76

No, they wouldn’t. They won’t turn it on because they think it will be annoying, but it is actually vitally important.

And this is why your argument fails every time. You even contradict yourself in this statement - some people think it’s annoying, yet it’s vitally important? Which one is it? Annoying or important? It’s only as important as the person playing makes it out to be.

It’s vitally important to you.

If instead, it defaults to On, they can then decide if they like it or not by trying it, rather than prejudging it.

Regardless, voip is an optional feature that requires optional hardware to use. Why would you set such a feature to “on” by default? Especially since it can effect gameplay?

Voip is an optional, advanced setting - for those players that want to use it, they can enable it whenever they want.

(Bridger) #77

[QUOTE=H0RSE;270727]And this is why your argument fails every time. You even contradict yourself in this statement - some people think it’s annoying, yet it’s vitally important? Which one is it? Annoying or important? It’s only as important as the person playing makes it out to be.

It’s vitally important to you.[/quote]

No, it’s pretty clear that a team which is working together will beat a team that is not in any game which rewards teamwork. Voice communication is the most optimal by an order of magnitude. Therefore, it’s important to everyone. See the problem is, they think it’s annoying, and they would be right in some situations, but maybe they haven’t had a positive experience with it yet? Who knows? Opt out gives them the choice to decide for themselves. Opt in will result in people not giving it the chance it deserves.

Regardless, voip is an optional feature that requires optional hardware to use. Why would you set such a feature to “on” by default? Especially since it can effect gameplay?

It requires no additional hardware to hear what I’m saying through it.

Voip is an optional, advanced setting - for those players that want to use it, they can enable it whenever they want.

Disagree, it’s a critical feature in any team based FPS. Even if you don’t want to talk yourself, you should have it on because your teamates are going to be counting on you hearing them. Muting the assholes should be easy. That’s a win win for everyone. :slight_smile:

(DarkangelUK) #78

This is obviously a per person basis as everyone’s different, but I like 1st time setup step-by-step guides at the beginning of things such as this. It talks you through the game, and highlights that the game includes voip… it then displays which option you would prefer.

Global: Everyone can hear you, you can hear everyone that also uses global
Friends: You can only hear friends and only friends can hear you (Default)
Disabled: Voice chat is completely disabled

This makes the player aware that it exists, and gives them the opportunity to choose which they prefer, rather than forcing a default setting on them, or making options hidden to them all together.

(trigg3r) #79

this discussion is beyond pointless

(Jess Alon) #80

It’s been derailed by “opinions”.