VoIP-How to enticing/lure people to use it?

(LyndonL) #81

My biggest concern is I play all my coop games with voip now, and I have found that I really can’t live (prefer not to) without it. Certain games (Borderlands for one) have really bad text placement for player chat. When I play Borderlands and someone types a message I completely miss it.

If receiving VOIP is off by default on each computer, how would I know that my comms aren’t being received on the other end? I don’t want to get more and more frustrated that someone is supposedly ignoring me when they’re actually not even able to hear me.

Also for those talking about other mediums for chat (on the PC): if you’re playing with friends, you can Shift+Tab and enable voice chat in the Steam chat box. So open up a chat window with your friends, enable voice chat, and you have hot mic to them.

(H0RSE) #82

If receiving VOIP is off by default on each computer, how would I know that my comms aren’t being received on the other end? I don’t want to get more and more frustrated that someone is supposedly ignoring me when they’re actually not even able to hear me.
How would you know they are being received if it is on by default? They could have turned them off. And if you are unsure if they can hear you, type to them to find out.

Brink could turn out to be a bunch of lemmings running around on their own little missions and occasionally intersecting like All Points Bulletin and a microphone would be completely unnecessary.

But that’s just it - mics ARE completely unnecessary, whether you’re playing a well balanced team game, or playing with a bunch of lemmings. VOIP is not a mandatory, essential game function - it is a personal preference and nothing more. It may make things easier or create a more immersive experience actually talking with people, but it is OPTIONAL - more optional than other PC game features - and therefore should remain off until the player chooses otherwise.

(BioSnark) #83

How would you know they are being received if it is on by default? They could have turned them off. And if you are unsure if they can hear you, type to them to find out.

Default is the developer’s recommended setting. It’s reasonable to assume that a majority of people won’t be altering many of those defaults. Having to ask everyone if they can hear you and needing them to respond is a roadblock to communication. You thought “VoIP - How to enticing/lure people to use it?” is a good question? Well that’s how to get people not to use it.

But that’s just it - mics ARE completely unnecessary, whether you’re playing a well balanced team game, or playing with a bunch of lemmings.

I guess that really depends on your definitions of a “well balanced team game” versus a “bunch of lemmings” because in my experience of a “well balanced team game”, a microphone is in no way completely unnecessary and I’ve already cited some of my experience in teambased shooters.

(H0RSE) #84

Default is the developer’s recommended setting. It’s reasonable to assume that a majority of people won’t be altering many of those defaults. Having to ask everyone if they can hear you and needing them to respond is a roadblock to communication.
They could make it so finding the VOIP option is extremely easy - this was suggested for turning it off, so why not for turning it on? But why does everyone need to hear you and why does everyone need to respond? Those players who will be using VOIP will have it enabled. You make it sound like EVERYONE who is getting this game needs to have VOIP on at all times. Not everybody uses voice chat, and those who do, will use it.

I guess that really depends on your definitions of a “well balanced team game” versus a “bunch of lemmings” because in my experience of a “well balanced team game”, a microphone is in no way completely unnecessary and I’ve already cited some of my experience in teambased shooters.

So I guess team-based games that were released before VOIP was available, couldn’t possibly have been “well balanced,” or even playable at all…

necessary
Main Entry: nec·es·sary
1 a : of an inevitable nature : inescapable [B] b /B : logically unavoidable (2) : that cannot be denied without contradiction c : determined or produced by the previous condition of things d : compulsory
2 : absolutely needed : required

VOIP is definitely not that. The only “necessity” associated with voice chat is a personal one; A player enjoys using it, it enhances the game for him, and he can’t imagine playing a game without it - it becomes, “necessary” for him to use it, but not for the game in general. The only other time where it may become necessary, is if certain criteria is set - like clans and/or comp matches requiring players to use voice chat.

unnecessary
Main Entry: un·nec·es·sary
: not necessary

Simple. To the point. And describes exactly what VOIP is.

(LyndonL) #85

Why are you so objected to enabling receiving voip by default???

It’s worked for many many games for many many years up until this point.

(Apples) #86

Brink is not etqw

(BioSnark) #87

Because in a team-based game you want the default to be teamplay even if it can be ‘opted out of.’ Part of that is communication as in not having it blocked by default.

Wow. Okay, I admit using your terminology was a terrible idea but I didn’t want to bother pointing out your weird false dichotomy between “lemming” and “well balanced”. They’re hardly related and in no way are they mutually exclusive but I was going to overlook that and get to what I assumed your point was. Apparently I was wrong in that. Sorry.

I assumed that by “well balanced” vs “lemming” you meant “coordination based team game” vs “lack of same”. Pretending that that is what you meant to say, let me answer that question more fully. In my experience (which I listed some of), In any team-based game that involves any degree of cooperation (eg. not TDM), there must be some sort of communication. Usually this comes in four primary forms, and I’ll list the pros and cons off the top of my head.

  1. Text.
    Pros: unobtrusive (ignored by receiver when busy), recorded (recalled later via console, text window, etc. by receiver), allows pre-set binds (phrases may be bound to keys by transmitter)
    Cons: unobtrusive (unintentionally ignored by receiver when busy), input whore (excludes all other player input for transmitter, not ‘on the fly’)

  2. VoIP.
    Pros: obtrusive (won’t be missed by receiver even when busy), simple input (single key or voice activated for transmitter ‘on the fly’)
    Cons: obtrusive (obstructs other sounds for receiver)

  3. Vsay phrases.
    Pros: semi-obtrusive (won’t be missed by receiver even when busy), semi-recorded (not all games will record via console, text window, etc. by receiver) allows pre-set binds (phrases may be bound to keys by transmitter) semi-simple input (vsay interface complexity for transmitter varies by game)
    Cons: limited (game presets may be lacking or limiting in variety or detail), semi-obtrusive (ignored by receiver due to overuse), semi-complex input (vsay interface complexity for transmitter varies by game)

  4. In-game actions.
    Pros: requires no direct action to transmit
    Cons: easy to miss or misinterpret, difficult to pre-plan player cooperation

As you can probably tell, these are all extremely different and appropriate for different situations and uses. Regarding Brink, I’m not sure if there are vsays or how varied they will be (given that it’s multiplatform) and it appears that SD is also intending to put a roadblock in front of VoIP. This kind of communications limitation isn’t great if you want player coordination and I’m not sure how else I can explain this to you.

(.Chris.) #88

When you install game and play for first time just have a prompt or something “Do you wish to have VOIP enabled?”

(Senethro) #89

Said this before myself and still think its the best solution.

(Jamieson) #90

Thats not the ideal solution thought is it? The first problem is that quite a few people and quite a large proportion of SD’s target audience (i.e. new people to MP) wont know what VOIP is or what it stands for.

New player: What the hell is VOIP is this some sort of Graphic option or what? Im not clicking Yes to that…

Selects no option.

I honestly can’t see the problem just have the simple interface like ETQW and VOIP on by defualt. If the player wants to change it then fine.

Do you wish to hear global voice chat yes/no
Do you wish to hear team voice chat yes/no
Do you wish to hear fireteam voice chat yes/no.

(AnthonyDa) #91

Do you wish to hear global voice chat ? yes/no
Do you wish to hear team voice chat ? yes/no
Do you wish to hear fireteam voice cha ?t yes/no.
Do you want to reply to more question ? yes/no.
What is your skill ? low/med/high.
Do you want to use Server browser ? yes/no.
Do you want to use lobby system ? yes/no.
Do you like replying to those questions ? yes/no.
Are you sure ? yes/no.
I mean REALLY sure ? yes/no.
Shouldn’t the game use STEAM settings instead of asking for bothering questions ? yes/no.
Should you be able to turn off the voip if you dislike it instead of hunting all disabled feature of the game by default ? yes/no.
Now that you are bored by my questions, will you quit the game ? yes/no.
Do you want more question ? yes/no.
Do you care about customization system ? yes i’m a noob / no i wanted ettv & full competition support instead of that crap.
Sorry the connection to STEAM was lost, you have to restart from the beginning, are you ready ? yes/no.

…

(H0RSE) #92

New player: What the hell is VOIP is this some sort of Graphic option or what? Im not clicking Yes to that…
They could just word it different…

“Would you like to be able to hear and talk to other players using in-game voice chat (VOIP)?” yes/no

maybe they could even further specify that you need a mic or headset to be able to speak with others

(AnthonyDa) #93

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(H0RSE) #94

Steam has VOIP ON by default, so why it should be the opposite in BRINK?

One reason would be because SD believes having VOIP off by default is best for Brink specifically, whereas Steam itself is providing a service for a myriad of games, and also isn’t a “game” in itself, and rather an interface that can be used to communicate without the use of games.

Why BRINK wouldn’t be able to use Steam VOIP?

Was it 100% confirmed that it couldn’t? I thought they were talking about the VOIP SD is providing, not any alternate/optional voice chat methods.

(Jamieson) #95

So let me get this right you have to have Steam to play Brink?

(AnthonyDa) #96

Yes, along with poor VAC.

(otakustar) #97

[QUOTE=AnthonyDa;228010]…
Sorry the connection to STEAM was lost, you have to restart from the beginning, are you ready ? yes/no.

…[/QUOTE]
damn I’m glad that steam thing hasn’t happend to linux yet, hope brink still will :infiltrator:

(Senethro) #98

Perhaps you would like to post a thread about it?

(Jamieson) #99

I did post a thread m8, I know ha ha, but as my friends and people who know me will know I have been dealing with real life issues recently, i.e. my reason for being less active here. As I recall my thread got off track and was mostly speculation. If someone from SD later confirmed it then I don’t know I guess I missed it.

Using Steam is going to cause a number of issues that I quite frankly can’t be bothered to go into. My reasons for buying Brink are fastly decreasing, even If I had the time I doubt I would get it.

SD have really sold there soul on this one, catering to the console crowd, forcing people to use steam, other issues I have mentioned etc.

not happy

(stealth6) #100

nothing wrong with steam or VAC as long as we have dedis :smiley: then you can still admin the server yourself, and then VAC isn’t that bad.
The main example were it’s done badly is MW2, there when there is a cheater you can do absolutely nothing to stop them.

Anyway, I’d agree to having VOIP on by default, well I don’t care if they use it, but if they can at least hear it it helps alot.
The only reason I can think of that you’d want to disable it is if you were playing on a server with a bunch of 10 year olds mic spamming and whatnot.
mm now thinking about it, people breathing into their mic is also a problem, but if you have a mic too you could just tell them how to fix it :smiley: or just mute that single person…
Other then that I can only think of pro’s:

  • it’s alot easier to listen and play, then read and play
  • it’s a more natural form of communication
  • you don’t need to follow typing lessons to be able to communicate quickly :smiley:
  • it encourages teamplay
  • tactics can be better, since you can really guide your team easily

also to one of horses comments, on old games you didn’t have VOIP and back in those days it was alot easier to win imo :smiley: but times change…
Now adays if you kill somebody from a camping position then you position is immediately broadcast over VOIP and you’ll be dead within the minute :smiley:
And another think is that all those old games without VOIP are being played with VOIP now anyway… just use 3rd party programs like teamspeak etc…

so basically typing for me now in games is like going back to the stone age :smiley: VOIP has vastly improved the gaming experience