Forums » Suggestions

Voice chat to target

Jun 05, 2008 zak.wilson link
I'm very pleased with the addition of voice chat. I understand it's still kind of beta, but as soon as the major kinks are worked out, I'd really like to see a voice chat to target button added. This would serve as an alternative to hails, and should be enabled by default or perhaps be impossible to disable aside from ignoring a specific player.
Jun 05, 2008 zamzx zik link
oh hell yes
Jun 05, 2008 mr_spuck link
not allowing to disable it is a shitty idea
Jun 05, 2008 incarnate link
This is possible, and if people are interested, we'll check into it. However, there are a few current caveats. The most obvious of which is that not everyone has voice chat enabled. Down the road we'll probably enable this by default, but it may be some months before we're confident enough to do this. If you were to try voice-hailing a player with no enabled voice chat, they would simply not hear you.

Aside from that, there are some other issues we would have to work around, dealing with management of "chat channels" and how handle multiple, simultaneous chat scenarios (like being grouped and chatting, and then also hailing someone).. but we'll be checking into all of this stuff.

Ideas like this are great, though, please keep them coming.
Jun 05, 2008 theratt10 link
Will there be some way to possibly filter languages so you don't get hailed by a French guy saying hi and think he's trying to pirate you?
Jun 06, 2008 toshiro link
I thought that was part of the fun. Also, how would you implement such a language filter?

As for the channel selection: Make it like UHFS: you have to actively select the channel, and can only talk to that one channel. Others may be able to listen in, but only one person can talk at one time on one given channel. Channel setup, as I envision it, might look like this:

- hailing channel. Strictly ship-to-ship, no-one can listen into it besides the target. Slight flooding protection (15 seconds hailing delay)

- group channel. Only members of the group may monitor. Flooding protection (15 seconds hailing delay). Groups have a 'moderator' (the leader), s/he can mute and unmute people.

- sector channel. Only players in the same sector can hear it. Stronger flooding protection (30 seconds)

- system channel. Only... you get it. (45 seconds)

- nation channel. See above. (60 seconds)

Now, for channel selection:

If you target a ship and hit the 'talk' button, your channel is limited to that one ship, always.

If you are not targetting another ship, you can choose, either from your PDA or, via bindable commands, directly from your HUD, which channel to chat to.

Once a player is chatting on that channel, he cannot be interrupted until he hits a time-out (much like the chat line limit, perhaps 30 seconds? after that, the hailing delay starts, to give the other girls and guys a chance to talk), i.e. that channel is 'full'. Exceptions to this: group channels, the moderator may cut in (after the delay).

What do you think?
Jun 06, 2008 Dr. Lecter link
I think we need a voice modulator. Sounding like normal people would be so lame ;)
Jun 06, 2008 ingoguy15 link
A voice filter would be awesome, but those delay times appear to be far too much.