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Myrthos
Spoiler of All Fun
Joined: 07 Jul 2001
Posts: 1926
Location: Holland |
| Ekim's Gamer View: Abstract Chatting |
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In this latest installment of Ekim's Gamer View, Ekim discusses the lack of proper tools for chatting in online games. Even in the latest generation of online the tools we have for chatting have not evolved.
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<br>Read Ekim's views on the matter right <a href='http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=506'>here</a>. |
Fri Jan 31, 2003 10:03 pm |
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
I can't wait for the day when MMORPG developers are able to make it so that everyone can just talk.
For example, say there are 10 people about 100 feet away from you. At this distance, you can't hear any of them. As you approach, you start to hear 'chatter' as they are all perhaps talking amongst themselves.
When you get close enough, you could click on one person to turn your attention to him specifically... so that you could hear what he is saying while blocking out what anybody else nearby might be saying.
With taht person targeted you could verbally speak to him and he could speak to you.
Of course some other considerations would need to be implemented. For example, there would need to be a way to prevent people from overhearing what you are saying if you didn't want anonymous people knowing what you were talking about.
In short though, the implementation would resemble real life in that if you see someone standing 100 yards away, you couldn't hear them. But when you walk the distance and are standing right next to them, you could hear them talk.
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The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar |
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Fri Jan 31, 2003 10:13 pm |
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Danicek
The Old One
Joined: 15 Dec 2001
Posts: 5922
Location: Czech Republic |
quote:
Originally posted by Neptiofpovar
I can't wait for the day when MMORPG developers are able to make it so that everyone can just talk.
I think it could not be far away. But it will make games more net-speed-hungry. |
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Sat Feb 01, 2003 8:05 am |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
I don't know... Voice input in a MMORPG could alienate even more peopl than attract them. Think about half of the world for who English is not the first language. Most of them can write English very well, but cannot speak it that much. What do you do about them? And I know a lot of people who can speak english very well but would never like to play with voice activated. I know a few women that would be very reluctant.
Think about this: MMORPGs are already plagued with guys tracking the few real girls that play. I've heard some very frightening stories out there. That system would not let them play as males to avoid that, and it could possibly push them away, not attract them.
Of course there are good points to having a voice chat system, but I don<t know if it would be that much of a good implementation. I could be wrong though.
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Sat Feb 01, 2003 3:05 pm |
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
quote:
Originally posted by Ekim
I don't know... Voice input in a MMORPG could alienate even more peopl than attract them. Think about half of the world for who English is not the first language. Most of them can write English very well, but cannot speak it that much. What do you do about them? And I know a lot of people who can speak english very well but would never like to play with voice activated. I know a few women that would be very reluctant.
But... havnig the ability to be able to just 'talk' in a MMORPG doesn't necessarily mean that alternative means of communication, such as typing as we do right now, would be unavailable.
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The Poster Previously Known As NeptiOfPovar |
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Sat Feb 01, 2003 3:55 pm |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
Atitd currently uses a graphic interface for emotes. It's quite useful, although hot keys would be better.
And I must agree with Ekim on the voice chatting. It wouldn't attract me to a mmorpg.
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Sun Feb 02, 2003 8:07 am |
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Ariel
Harmonious Angel
Joined: 21 Jul 2001
Posts: 432
Location: Germany |
For very simple voice chatting small groups of people who know each other could use Chat Software like Roger Wilco.
But if voice chatting is to work in MMORPGs, I think that those games should a) let you choose your own voice, which is, to a small extend, already implemented in some normal RPGs at least, and b) have functional universal translators like in Star Trek built in. That would be a nice dream, but as it stands it is still an utopia.
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“Through the sounds of falling rain, through the clouds of bitter times
I see the pure grace of your smile, in dreams of the warmth in your eyes” - Tim North |
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Sun Feb 02, 2003 10:46 am |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Neptiofpovar
But... havnig the ability to be able to just 'talk' in a MMORPG doesn't necessarily mean that alternative means of communication, such as typing as we do right now, would be unavailable.
Even if both communications types are present, you<ll run into many situations that could be frustrating for both typers and voice-chatters: imagine you're in a group of 8 people, 4 of which use voice to communicate. The 4 typers would never be fast enough to reply to those who talk even if they could hear them. The 4 voice users would be frustrated because they would have to wait on the typers, and the typers would be frustrated because they would feel they always have to catch-up. Not an ideal situation in my mind.
But as Arhu mentioned, in coordinated groups of friends who all use voice-chat then it would be a tremendous tool, I'll give you that. I just don<t think it's the universal solution to the problem as technology stands right now.
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Sun Feb 02, 2003 3:18 pm |
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TheMadGamer
High Emperor
Joined: 03 May 2002
Posts: 487
Location: Southern California |
quote:
Originally posted by Ekim
Even if both communications types are present, you<ll run into many situations that could be frustrating for both typers and voice-chatters: imagine you're in a group of 8 people, 4 of which use voice to communicate. The 4 typers would never be fast enough to reply to those who talk even if they could hear them. The 4 voice users would be frustrated because they would have to wait on the typers, and the typers would be frustrated because they would feel they always have to catch-up. Not an ideal situation in my mind.
I agree that the above scenerio could happen. But I submit that things like this already do happen anyway.
For example, in my 3+ years of playing EQ, on more than one occassion I've witnessed a group member leaving because, "so and so's lag is causing too much downtime."
That's a case where one person perceives another person's pc hardware or internet connection hardware inferior to the point where they feel they could get a better gaming experience in another group where those perceived hardware issues don't exist.
Technology moves forward. It can be ruthless. And it could definatley create rifts between players who have the latest and greatest and those who do not. But again, this already happens. Further, from my own experience with MMORPGs over the last few years, even if there aren't any hardware issues between players, I find that players create rifts between themselves for all kinds of reasons anyhow... kinda like in real life. I submit that when voice technolgy comes of age and the internet bandwith can support it, that that technology will be just another excuse really, for player A to alienate player B.
But the technology itself would be welcomed because politics aside, it would provide a much more seamless way to communicate, and communicate quickly.
Currently, I have a regular group of friends that play EQ. We all have a Gamevoice and we all are able to talk to one another. And just like upgrading your PC from a 500MHz Pentium 2 to a 2.6GHz Pentium 4, it's hard to go back.
Once you can just 'talk' to your groupmates, anything else just seems slow and ineffective.
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Mon Feb 03, 2003 5:02 pm |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Neptiofpovar
Further, from my own experience with MMORPGs over the last few years, even if there aren't any hardware issues between players, I find that players create rifts between themselves for all kinds of reasons anyhow... kinda like in real life. I submit that when voice technolgy comes of age and the internet bandwith can support it, that that technology will be just another excuse really, for player A to alienate player B.
You know, I couldn't agree with you more! Players create rifts between themselves, and any and all reasons seem good when it happens. Voice communication would just be another gadget to add to the mix. But as it was said many times already, I think it would be a great tool for those who have a close group working together with the same tools. Not everyone has access, or even wants to use voice-chat.
The only tool that everyone can use is written chat. And because of that developpers should first try and make things easier for those of us who type (which to my knowledge we still are over 60% of the game population). First make those broad tools a little better, then we might see where technology leads us. See, my gripe isn't so much with talking in MMORPGs, but in the whole text-based commands. Whether you have voice chat or no, you still have to enter slash commands to produce emotes, or configure your guild. Maybe you could map certain emotes to some voice commands, but I would rather they fix the current tools (i.e. typing commands) before they tackle new technologies. From then on the road would be clear for a better implementation of those technologies, in my opinion 
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Mon Feb 03, 2003 6:55 pm |
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