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Radio Chat Options


matarky

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Radio frequency channels should be a thing for walkie-talkies, personal radios and ships to get information to your group, and should be set using something like a 4 digit code, so you can just set your group's radio sets to the same code and be able to communicate across distances depending on how much power goes into your radio broadcaster. There could also be radio jammers (force your code to all zeroes and just have that channel always be static) or able to force it onto whatever channel you wanted within a certain distance so that incoming ships or lone explorers can communicate with your tower before they get gunned down by a corporation/nation. 

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Radio frequency channels should be a thing for walkie-talkies, personal radios and ships to get information to your group, and should be set using something like a 4 digit code, so you can just set your group's radio sets to the same code and be able to communicate across distances depending on how much power goes into your radio broadcaster. There could also be radio jammers (force your code to all zeroes and just have that channel always be static) or able to force it onto whatever channel you wanted within a certain distance so that incoming ships or lone explorers can communicate with your tower before they get gunned down by a corporation/nation. 

Interesting idea, but there're much easier options. They're called Skype, Mumble or Teamspeak. We use them for the last 15 years for online games. Hope I got you covered.

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Armed Assault provides good examples how these things can be incorporated into the game, even in an immersive fashion. Besides, if implemented like that you do not have to fiddle around or alt-tab as you change channels, potentially often.

 

Then again I do not expect something like in Arma for starters, but it is a good example nevertheless. It even adds certain sound effects. I'm generally a fan of ingame comms if they are a thing, as you can then also incorporate local chatter which is always useful when interacting with strangers or others in your vicinity. Your average external voice software cannot offer this (without plugins and modification tailored to the game). Is it redundant or does it have no more uses? Of course not, external voice comms are still useful as you do not have to be in a game to communicate or to be "reachable" - but any in-game solution may have advantages.

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Armed Assault provides good examples how these things can be incorporated into the game, even in an immersive fashion. Besides, if implemented like that you do not have to fiddle around or alt-tab as you change channels, potentially often.

 

Then again I do not expect something like in Arma for starters, but it is a good example nevertheless. It even adds certain sound effects. I'm generally a fan of ingame comms if they are a thing, as you can then also incorporate local chatter which is always useful when interacting with strangers or others in your vicinity. Your average external voice software cannot offer this (without plugins and modification tailored to the game). Is it redundant or does it have no more uses? Of course not, external voice comms are still useful as you do not have to be in a game to communicate or to be "reachable" - but any in-game solution may have advantages.

This is not a military simulation game like Arma good sir. I do not see the reason for "fffst" and "pu-pank" to sound every time I press my teamspeak output key. But yes, it would be amazing if there was a voice chat in the game, although, it's a global playerbase, not localised in US. EU and Asia. It's global. And I don't know about you, but I can't undestand russian accents when it comes to english :P

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That's the thing: You don't have to. The in-game option may feature this (if the devs want to add it). Perhaps you can turn it off or customize it further ingame. Even if it was standard ingame, simply use TS or something else then.

 

Everyone profits.

 

As for the global aspect, I guess I'd consider that "immersive" (regardless of whether it can be annoying in specific situations): Many ark ships, different cultural imprints, many languages. *Shrug*

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Interesting idea, but there're much easier options. They're called Skype, Mumble or Teamspeak. We use them for the last 15 years for online games. Hope I got you covered.

True, but the idea is not for ease, which is relative as I can't go onto another planet and invite everyone in some random corporation into my Teamspeak channel. My thought is that it adds gameplay that wouldn't usually be there. I want to get a gang and go space pirate, how do I let them know I'm not just there to destroy their ship, or if I want to maintain a peaceful nation how do I barter with the giant ship that is heading to attack and just sent a probe with a radio input to negotiate? I also believe it would increase immersion as everything is maintained in the game and there is circumstances that wouldn't make sense to be able to talk. As far as having to listen to other people's languages, unless they were on your four digit code, forced you to be on theirs, or you don't have your radio on and have a location based chat on instead, you wouldn't have to hear anyone except who you'd like. 

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In principal the idea is good, in practice in game voip tends to be so poorly implemented most people don't even try to see if it works they just use whatever they've been using for every other game. 

 

I don't dislike the idea, but i don't think it will be widely used even if implemented.

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In principal the idea is good, in practice in game voip tends to be so poorly implemented most people don't even try to see if it works they just use whatever they've been using for every other game. 

 

I don't dislike the idea, but i don't think it will be widely used even if implemented.

 

I suppose that is the key aspect: quality. If the quality and not just quality but "usefulness" is good enough, people will use this. This is especially useful for those who do not have any voice server or similar. Regardless of prices or free versions, the could start right away instead of somehow finding a place first.

 

Just mentioning this as potential positive side effect for some.

 

Time will tell.

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Regardless of external VoIP's, the game will still need one to commune with people outside of your group. Unless you prefer to spend your days typing.

But making people use a radio sounds interesting if it can be balanced right when compared to communication dishes on bases and ships.

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This is not a military simulation game like Arma good sir. I do not see the reason for "fffst" and "pu-pank" to sound every time I press my teamspeak output key. But yes, it would be amazing if there was a voice chat in the game, although, it's a global playerbase, not localised in US. EU and Asia. It's global. And I don't know about you, but I can't undestand russian accents when it comes to english :P

Funny I can hardly understand English accent when it comes to English :-P. Of course when it comes to other accents I can understand almost perfectly. Lack of ability to understand other accents or languages shouldn't be obstruction for voice chat implementation.

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Funny I can hardly understand English accent when it comes to English :-P. Of course when it comes to other accents I can understand almost perfectly. Lack of ability to understand other accents or languages shouldn't be obstruction for voice chat implementation.

Funny story, when I was 14 I was in Scotland for a small weekend trip when my father was attending a convention on electrical engineering and I got lost in a village, back in 2004. I found a scottish sheperd to guide me back to where my hotel was, GPS not being a thing on mobiles yet. I am raised by a young age by parents who speak english and let me tell you, I had one heck of a hard time figuring out the scottish brogue. Now imagine that in a VoIP, in a game. People would be confusled to say the least :P

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Funny story, when I was 14 I was in Scotland for a small weekend trip when my father was attending a convention on electrical engineering and I got lost in a village, back in 2004. I found a scottish sheperd to guide me back to where my hotel was, GPS not being a thing on mobiles yet. I am raised by a young age by parents who speak english and let me tell you, I had one heck of a hard time figuring out the scottish brogue. Now imagine that in a VoIP, in a game. People would be confusled to say the least :P

And that is why it should be implemented. Some of player adventures will be caused by misunderstanding due fatal conversations. There are lot of other advantages, not only for game it self but also for community. DU would encourage players to learn common language, they could have place to practice it for a tiny little price :-D. What else? Cities on planets like New London, Novaya Moskva, Nowa Warszawa and others inspired onto our well known cities. Nations, corporations bringing together mates from same country, culture. It would be great, really great to hear all languages on international market, hearing all this fancy accents. Maybe this game instead building walls would bring us all together, closer than ever. I can't see any cons against in-game voip, except for massive transfer and processor usage, but hey - communication can be handled by other server.

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Most people will just stick to their voice softwares. A voice ingame could just be useful to speak to players that are not the one you play with usually, but even here, a lot of people just disable the feature, others use it to annoy, and the rest don't have a mic. So, the real question is, since isn't going to be much useful, is it worth the time to add such a thing into the game? That's something only NQ can answer. 

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And that is why it should be implemented. Some of player adventures will be caused by misunderstanding due fatal conversations. There are lot of other advantages, not only for game it self but also for community. DU would encourage players to learn common language, they could have place to practice it for a tiny little price :-D. What else? Cities on planets like New London, Novaya Moskva, Nowa Warszawa and others inspired onto our well known cities. Nations, corporations bringing together mates from same country, culture. It would be great, really great to hear all languages on international market, hearing all this fancy accents. Maybe this game instead building walls would bring us all together, closer than ever. I can't see any cons against in-game voip, except for massive transfer and processor usage, but hey - communication can be handled by other server.

In most MMOs I've played, I interacted with Russian, Ukrainian and the msot awkward culprits, Hungarians, who barely spoke english and we used simple terms to communicate.

 

"LFM [insert dungeon name here]" "WTB [item name here] X-times". It's very easy to communcate with text to be honest, it's until a player gets a grip on the in-game memes and slangs.

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Most people will just stick to their voice softwares. A voice ingame could just be useful to speak to players that are not the one you play with usually, but even here, a lot of people just disable the feature, others use it to annoy, and the rest don't have a mic. So, the real question is, since isn't going to be much useful, is it worth the time to add such a thing into the game? That's something only NQ can answer.

They will use such softwares cause they are reliable and familiar. However if DU will offer in-game reliable, easy tu use communication system people will turn their backs to external software. So if NQ will do it like other dev teams it will be pointless, but I believe they are smart and will do something as fresh as everything else. Interstellar communicator for all Ark passengers! It's no longer request it's demand :-D!

 

I'll add something else. I like to play 7 days to die. Of course it has close proximity communication, push to talk system but for long distances you have to write or use TS, mumble, Skype, cell phone whatever works for you. Personally I use TS while playing in group... There is always problem with choosing server, one player rather to talk on this server, other on that. It's hard to find compromise in large group. Chanel usually has to be opened so anyone can come, friends, friend of other friend and so on and it's great but... Often people can play other games, sometimes they just want to talk, they are joining chanel and talking about something else, you can hear dinosaurs while shooting at zombies. It's not big problem but it's really annoying, it's hard to get into game so there is solution. Tell those other guys to get a hell outta here or leave by yourself. First option is OK, you don't have to do anything but other might be real pain in the ass. You press alt tab, you play alpha game, game crush... You know what I mean. Communication have to be in game for those who want to play it, if you want to use TS, fine, but certainly lot of players will not.

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Over the years i have seen piles and piles of good reasons for a game to have voip, i have also seen a few good implementations of voip in games. and in the end the vast majority just use 3rd party programs for comms. i can not even think of a single example of a game that got even moderate use of its in game voip.

 

i think the use of 3rd party programs for comms has just gotten far too ingrained into the general population of gamers. to the point that i think making something like widgets that we could use to interface with our 3rd party programs would be more useful. im sure there is more than likely a mountain of issue's with an idea like that, but it would at least get used by a good number of players.

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Over the years i have seen piles and piles of good reasons for a game to have voip, i have also seen a few good implementations of voip in games. and in the end the vast majority just use 3rd party programs for comms. i can not even think of a single example of a game that got even moderate use of its in game voip.

 

i think the use of 3rd party programs for comms has just gotten far too ingrained into the general population of gamers. to the point that i think making something like widgets that we could use to interface with our 3rd party programs would be more useful. im sure there is more than likely a mountain of issue's with an idea like that, but it would at least get used by a good number of players.

Interesting idea. It wouldn't solve problem with close proximity conversation... Or maybe it could? General chat in area muting/tuning volume depending on distance from each other? This could actually be best solution, it wouldn't require any resources, after all server knows distances between players. Yea, great idea, everybody would be happy :-D.

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I would be much more interested in mumble integration, or a web api like eve, where I can create channels and access control based on the permissions I give my corp/nation/nonprofit and the relationship status with outside individuals and groups.

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There will be no stop to meta-chat in this game. The best way to utilize such items- use it to link two in game objects rather than communications. This could be ship inventories, HUD updating, AI linking, radar etc.

 

A secondary antenna being a line of sight laser/radio antenna may also work.

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