It's a new generation for sure so Discord has worked its way into our lives for faster communication and sharing of information. What are the thoughts today of old school EQ players who didn't have Discord back then? Do you see Discord as an advantage now? Would you rather play Pantheon as old school EQ without the use of a voice system?
Personally I kind of enjoyed the mystere of not knowing who the real person behind the character in game was. Learning to communicate through global chat for group finding or personal chat was part of the fun for me. A bit less immersion breaking also. Macros for mezzes and group buffs.
I don't mind using Discord for other games like first person shooters etc but I think for Pantheon, which is bringing back the old school feel, it would be great if more players truly got into the mechanics that allowed us the freedom of immersion. That includes typing out your strategies and looking for groups in global chat without knowing the real life personality of the character you are playing with.
Does anyone else have these thoughts and feelings or am I outnumbered on this one?
Also, I realize this will be a personal choice in game. I'm just asking to get opinions.
I'm not big on voice gaming, except as you mention in FPS games, where timing and coordination is crucial.
I'm not against listening in on voice during raids and such for directions, but I prefer not to use it during daily groups (except amongst friends). I've had too many instances where someone is hacking/coughing, chewing, yelling at their kids/mom (Grandma, bring me a grape soda), etc. Not to mention some of the stuff people think is funny, that just isn't ,unless your 11 years old.
If voice is required in a regulalr group I wil probably pass and find another or go off soloing.
I relate to this so much, I don't really have a mic for this reason. I liked talking strictly through chat when playing EQ1 and felt something was lost along the way when going into voicechat. I enjoy listening to the in game music and sound effects. I've actually thought of starting a guild based around this topic so that people who don't want to join someone's Discord can still find a group.
With close friends discord is great. The general population and first meeting/grouping I'll just text it up. I have a low tolerance for some personally types and will not wish to spoil my limited game time having to hear from the common folks. Its one of the reasons I walk the streets in a crown, it keeps the riffraff effectively at a proper distance. Its not an overly ostentatious crown, gotta show some humility.
Hiya Corndog, welcome to the forums.
Yes this certainly has come up, it's an important subject to many players. There are several threads already on the subject. VR urges us to keep discussions about a given subject all on one thread, even if it means necroing an old one. However, the search function on these forums isn't exactly the best :)
Here are a couple of the bigger threads:
https://seforums.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/5235/does-voice-chat-ruin-immersion
https://seforums.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/9569/community-debate-text-chat-vs-voice-chat
https://seforums.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/8226/will-voice-chat-ruin-the-game
https://seforums.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/6480/will-voice-chat-be-preferred
See you in Terminus
StoneFish said: Its not an overly ostentatious crown, gotta show some humility.
Your humility is inspiring, my friend!
Welcome, Corndog! I see you've met Jothany haha. "Welcome to the forums. Stop doing it wrong!"
Anyway, I was thrilled when EQ1 players started embracing online voice chat like Vent and Teamspeak. In raids or complex groups or guilds, it was much easier to communicate to teammates or guildies. And you learned much more about each other since you didnt have to type everything you said. I had much more meaningful friendships with guildies after voice chat than before.
And why are so manhy of you saying it's ok for a FPS where teamwork and timing is so critical? I thought that was what everyone has been saying VR needs to do with our combat? No more face rolling on the keys, make it more challenging, make me pay attention, combos and coordination with other group members? You want that or not? If so, why you saying voice chat is not a boon?
I would much prefer it stay separate from the game itself, however. I don't wanna seem like the rude guy when I'm not the only one in chat in a PUG cuz i'm either not in a place where I can have sound OR I just wanna chill and not have to engage convos. But it is definitely a net positive for the community even after accounting for toxic behavior and trolls.
StoneFish said:Its one of the reasons I walk the streets in a crown, it keeps the riffraff effectively at a proper distance. Its not an overly ostentatious crown, gotta show some humility.
A crown does sit upon his head, but alas the emperor is wearing no clothes.
On the subject at hand; I am with Stonefish in liking to keep it text only with strangers, etc... I generally only use voice chat with guildies. That said, if I join a group and am asked to join voice chat I will.
I still remember the old school EQ raids, like NTOV, coordinating 72 people using text hotkeys. I used to have about 3 different channels going during raids, one for open chat with the guild, one for raid leadership discussion, and my friendly Rangers channel which also included a few select other people that weren't actually rangers. All text channels. Good times! Currently I almost never use voice chat when playing games like Destiny unless I'm in an all-clan group doing our weekly pinnacle stuff. But I definitely see the advantage for organization, and during WOW and Rift we used voice chat, although it was heavily restricted with only a few people (raid leaders) having permission to talk during action. So I'll probably still go that route, but I personally probably won't talk all that much.
I hope the content is hard enough to warrant voice comms at the high end. With that said, I will never discord for PUGs. A proper macro system and more importantly graphics for things like Mez are key. In Embers Adrift the AOE root/CC one class gets has no graphic. People never coordinate around that and it is infuriating.
I still hope to have an RP server where people speak to eachother using words in a fun serious manner, but given the common push of MMOs to focus on the player rather than the player character I don't see it as likely.
I did the whole "voice chat like Vent and Teamspeak" Benoni referenced, and it worked well when WoW came out. Prior to this in EQ, I was playing a Bard, and typing in a chat window was not going to happen when pulling/parking and twisting four songs, so voice chat would have been handy for sure. Going to be hard to sidestep this modern convention, but where's there's a will...
All this being true, but, if I'm on a role-play server I will do my best to use voice chat in parties and groups as the characters I am playing. When I played D&D the greatest laughs and fun exchanges came when we were roleplaying the characters we had. I look forward to my Halfling being a complete creation of my imagination and I'll communicate in any medium as that fiction.
Time sensitive raiding and guilds make some VOIP a requirement for the most part. I've used it in every major MMO for high level play. It's one thing playing with randos, but I will always be in the guild's voip. I played with the same guild for over 10 years, I already know their voices and can play them in my head.
In general I'm not too concerned with advantages and disadvantages players might have. For me it's not a competition so that part doesn't matter. As far as voice chat is concerned, I really try to enjoy the game as the developers have designed it. The put sounds into the game with a purpose, music, effects, etc. I want to hear that, not human voices on discord.
Benonai said:And why are so manhy of you saying it's ok for a FPS where teamwork and timing is so critical? I thought that was what everyone has been saying VR needs to do with our combat? No more face rolling on the keys, make it more challenging, make me pay attention, combos and coordination with other group members? You want that or not? If so, why you saying voice chat is not a boon?
I don't want action combat, twitch response type gameplay. Maybe those of us against "forced"(For lack of a better term) voice chat, aren't the same one asking for those features you mention.
I am not against voice chat, I just prefer not to listen to the mature adults who talk like pre-teens, or the inconsiderate folks who slurp, chew, sneeze/cough into an open mic. Or the family player who has their kids screaming in the background for us all to listen to. I get that sometimes the mic pics up background sounds, but I have encountered way too many that have no live mic etiquette or consideration.
As I said, I fully understand using it in raids and such, it just simplifies coordination and such, but in a daily PUG with strangers, I am more than likely to avoid group that insist on voice chat, or at the least if the voice chat is as I described above, I will inform them I need to excuse myself from the group.
Maybe my view is jaded from so many bad experiences, but it's my experience. Maybe players in PRoTF will surprise me, but history tells me I'm probably more right than wrong. :)
I don't like voice gaming. So many negatives as we all know if we are honest and beyond that specifically for MMORPGs it often encourages a higher pace than is neither tactically a good idea or is pleasant.
Having said that, it is great *IF* you have a group of players that you have actually come to know and have a similar playstyle to.
So, I would not like to see voice comms be the 'defacto' in Pantheon as I feel it would incur the above negatives and lead to many folks being effectively excluded for not wanting to use them, *but* I absolutely understand the desire and need for some folks and in some circumstances.
I think the ideal would be for Pantheon to not have their own and let folks use Discord if they want.
As a player, it 100% depends on what I'm doing. Roleplaying, soloing, or quick dungeon runs, I really rather not get into voice chat. If it is a complex dungeon run or a raid, I find voice necessary. I am incredibly shy anyway, so I'm more comfortable on voice if I know who I am gaming with.
Grobobos said:Vandraad said:I wont group with people who aren't in Discord. Typing is so 1999. You can't type fast enough to get pertinent and critical information to the group in a timely manner.
Sometimes you can not... kids screaming, playing a bit during a pause at work, ...
And that is fine..for you. Not for me. I require the use of voice comms.
And that is fine..for you. Not for me. I require the use of voice comms.
Yup, definitely nothing wrong with people having different playstyles or preferences or guilds or (the list goes on). Voice comms is simply a preference, some people will use it always, some will use it sometimes, some will use it never. But we'll all die by falling off a cliff just the same!
In a multi group event with alot of mechanics, or even some mechanics, or perhaps one rinky-dink mechanic to allow those who snear at/or are scared of raiding a chance to get their feet wet and test the waters I think a raid leader can make a big difference. A good leader can make even a wipe seem fun, and I think Discord or voice chat helps with that as all can hear in real time. In fact, I think this might become a cottage industry in that certain multi-group/Raid leaders will be sought out to lead because it is known they are good or they will be able to coax a successful "event" win or lose. I'm talking entertainment or sorts. Remember how people thought- oh pshaw, no one wil pay you to play games no one will watch and now there are twitchers everywhere. How much would you pay to have some of the voice actors involved with Critical Role play a one-shot DnD? If you've ever played with people who have been in the armed forces and are used to dealing with people of all intelligence ranges (and its NOT like the drill sargeant in "Full metal jacket") they're actually nice and suprisingly patient even under game-stress. In exciting, multi-group events I think having voice-chat leadership is helpful expecially if you need to switch tactics fast.
Personally I do not like talking in voice chat, just a personal preference. I do it when I have to for pvp, raids and such, otherwise I don't have discord open. However, I appreciate the want/need for voice chat even in games with slower combat like this. Hearing the orders from a raid leader instead of having to search for his messages in chat is invaluable. When there is chaos it is easy for me to miss something in chat.
I wouldn't mind if they had some sort of built in ui element that shows who is talking so I wouldn't have to use an overlay. I used to have a G keyboard where the names popped up on the little screen, I miss that built in functionality, it was really nice.
I also see where you are coming from though when talking about immersion and stuff. It didn't break it for me per se, but there are always those people who change who they are or how they treat you when they hear an actual girl behind the female character. That is probably why I avoid it as often as I do. You would think they would have figured out by now that no, GIRL does not stand for "guy in real life" and we enjoy playing games too lol /awkward /hide