I'm trying to find a way to view active players while playing the game. I'd like to get something like this, http://www.vendetta-online.com/h/active.html , mapped to a key or alias.

Also is there a way to get character info on a player, if they are not in your sector? If an Itani is talking to a Sergo and doesn't realize the voice on the other end as Sergo, it throws RP off a bit.

There's a bot called IRC.
Add it to your buddy list and it'll tell you whos online :D

it throws RP off a bit.

Not really, can you tell someone's nationality just by how they sound on your radio? Long range communications are very useful for spreading disinformation as well as diplomatic initiatives, precicely BECAUSE you cant tell who exactly is on the other end.

@Spellcast - Not all but most people have accents that you can get an idea of where they are from, even within the US you can tell an east coaster from a west coaster, or a middle states person. And distinquishing other countries is even easier, although there are ALWAYS acceptions.

With that said, if you really want to know what each persons nationality is, I'd suggest playing in a window and keeping the active players list up in a brower window. Or keeping IRC client up and monitor channel /100 to see.

Also, it's serCo B^)

Thanks Demonen

Spellcast and others,
Well, I'd like to think thank 2-3 thousand years in the future, the comms are all video, but I suppose, I could always just play it cautious and ask people to identify themselves...

How the hell are you supposed to fly a spaceship and use a video comm at the same time? Video comms would be too distracting and potentially dangerous to the pilot. Besides, what's to stop someone from using a avatar to hide behind? And how do you show the faces of every single person on 100? I'm with spell. RP wise, it makes sense not to know who you're talking to.

[EDIT] Besides, if you hang around the game for a while, you'll get to know a helluva lot more about all the players than their nationalities!

/me hears the ghost of Alamar laughing maniacally in the background.

I don't think any kind of instant communication besides sector and in-system hails/msgs was supposed to be in character. Of course, this is entirely up to us players, but communication between different solar systems (such as 100, /msg, nation chat and such) is really very, very unrealistic. If a ship cannot travel faster than the speed of light without the use of wormholes, how could information?

Dan Simmons features a tech in his novels that enables communication over the vast distances of space. Constantly open warpgates (essentially, a wormhole that is kept open all the time) with a gargantuan cable that runs from world to world. The information actually travels physically from one solar system to the next, but bypassing light years of travelling time by going through that one, great cable, which in turn runs through the warpgates. Entirely possible within the technological context of VO, I suppose, but if this exists, I really would like it to be supplemented by similar warpgates in space, which would allow us to jump without the battery drain thingie.

Not because I believe it would add anything to the game :-D , but for technological consistency.

(lol, I'm just imagining a screen with about 100 faces all talking at the same time.) I was thinking more along the lines of one on one communication as opposed to a group channel. I never considered 100 for RP uses anyway. I read somewhere that 300 is supposed to be reserved for RP, but I don't think I've seen anyone use it yet.

Anyway, just thought it would be nice to know a little about who is who to RP a little prejudicial tension when Itani gets a unexpected comm from a Sergo (there is an ongoing war afterall). Perhaps then as you get to know a person in game, the tension is over come.

*shrugs* either way, my question was answered, so to each their own.

and it's still ser_c_o NOT sergo!!!

I like Sergo.

And I'm with Dave, I like seeing who's online at any given moment.

Alamar's (previously stated) idea of mystery and intrigue is neat, though - not knowing who's around, eventually identifying people by what ship they fly and their piloting style. No channel 100, only in-sector chat, etc. But then I think that new players would REALLY be lonely.

I prefer Serco, thank you. Sergo sounds about as stupid as Itanni, Corfus or Orrion.

And I agree with Spellcast.

O Serg(i)o, Serg(i)o! wherefore art thou Serg(i)o?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

hehe, sorry

Yah, there are just too few people on the server atm for there to be a strictly in-sector/system chat. Plus, every MMO has a universal chat channel.

One simple way to know who's on is to yell on 100:

YOU ALL SUX0R!

That will give you a figure that's about 80% accurate.

Nah, start praising EVE and dissing VO on 100. THEN you'll know :)