Vent/TS/VOIP

Quick question:

Do we have a vent/TS server and if not do we plan to get one?

Figured I'd ask just out of curiosity.

I have my own 10 man vent, that I use to chill with friends or guildmates from warcraft.
Has a month or two remaining time on it, but like I said its only a 10 man vent.

I have no problem contributing to one, but I asked because I wasn't sure what everybody's preference would be regarding roleplaying/competitiveness/ect.

The in-game VOIP is great but it can be really nice talking to people who aren't right next to you or in your tiny 4-man party and not getting flamed by jerks every 10 minutes.

I don't really have plans of getting one unless there is an overwhelming call for it. I don't really plan on playing competitively, and have survived many other games without it. However, this is by no means a closed issue - if it is wanted, we can certainly make it happen.

hmmm I have mixed feelings on this

a) The small in-game units of 4 stinks big time and limits communication with the guild/clan/crew/us as a whole and vent or teamspeak could be the answer to this.

b) I love hearing the other residents of San Paro trash talk. I think its pretty funny and adds a layer of depth that most games don't have.


so yea I kinda want vent and kinda dont lol

ya...not much help...I know

Ya, I pretty much share your exact thoughts Nyte.

It *would* be nice to have vent just for those times when you don't want to deal with the trash talk but we obviously shouldn't get it if no one will use it.

I like Vent over the in-game VOIP for the fact that I can turn it up over the game. The in-game VOIP seems to lack the ability to put peoples voices over the game. It scales with the game volume, making it hard to hear people in intense firefights or driving around.

Well like I said, I already own a 10 man ventrilo for the time being, and I definately don't mind people using it (Hardly ever anyone on to begin with.) Obviously with a 10 man capacity, I'd probably be a people playing together situation, but for those interested in better team communication its better then nothing.

How does the in game chatter work for us? I did not play around with text once I realized I could use my headset and that the VOIP system was actually better without push to talk activated. But when we are in game are we working with real voice or text? The reason that is a concern is because if we are RPing in a verbal method than Vent might be problematic and "unrealistic" while in a group environment.

RP will not regularly take place over VOIP. As per the charter.

Yea, Over VOIP or any system for that matter would turn it into something... less I think.

Which is what I figured. It was not clear how the chat system worked in game. Anyone with more experience mind shedding some light on that? Is it things like /p for party chat?

And the on topic side, I do enjoy VOIP, but in an RP guild / clan I always found it broke the immersion more than anything.

Yeah, it's pretty typical: /say, /district, /group, /team, /clan, /whisper [name].

We'll obviously use chat for most of our RPing but it will get annoyingly difficult until they add some type of chat-bubble system...

Right now, chat only appears in the standard chat window in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

Nothing wrong with that, is there? Or perhaps, I'm just used to it from MxO?

Nothing wrong with it, per-say, but I much much much prefer a chat bubble system (plus a chat box in the corner) like in Champions.

It makes it much easier to keep track of conversations.

Example: let's say there are two groups of 4 people standing next to each other, each in their own seperate conversation.
A single chat box can get really crowded/confusing REALLY fast with that many people talking to each other and it becomes a royal pain scrolling for what you've missed (making you miss more stuff).

Eleutherophobia wrote:Nothing wrong with that, is there? Or perhaps, I'm just used to it from MxO?

It is a bit residual from MxO. I have to admit that while I was playing DDO over the past four years I had a tendency to forget all about the chat box thanks to their VOIP system. Now, that also was a time while I was playing a game in which I did not both roleplaying after the initial month or two (coming from MxO into DDO you had to at least try, considering the quality of RP in MxO). That kind of thing may occur here and it does present the question of when it is appropriate to VOIP during game play. During missions it is considerably less efficient as a team to communicate via txt, though I can understand wanting to RP in that fashion as well. Last thing I would want is to break the charter because I was warning a fellow Rain Dog that the Enforcers were flanking him via VOIP.

Most likely, solid RPing would be more for when we're hanging out together in the social district or cruisin' around the city hanging out.

I'd imagine voice chat would be choice communication during high action missions.

LupusIntus wrote:Example: let's say there are two groups of 4 people standing next to each other, each in their own seperate conversation. A single chat box can get really crowded/confusing REALLY fast with that many people talking to each other and it becomes a royal pain scrolling for what you've missed (making you miss more stuff).

I'm with Ele on this. Perhaps it's being in MxO that you learn to literally "Filter" what you see. You catch on pretty quick I noticed. And for in-depth stuff I've also noticed that it's more commonplace for people to break off into other parts of the city.

The chat box part is not hard at all, you are right there. I guess the entire thing will take some getting used to considering the play style of APB. Definitely not a point and click style game.

I believe there's no reason that VOIP can't flow with RP, I mean, some of us may need to brush up on our theatrical skills a little but it's still perfectly doable. That being said, if your voice is totally out of line with your character then I can see typing being the way to go.

In regards to missions it's just so much more effective to use VOIP and as much as I'm about the awesome social interactions in this game, I'm also about going out there and raising hell and making mayhem. I also strive to be the best bastard I can and playing in the past few days has shown that a group with good comm's and a solid leadership can really mop up. That's my two cents.

I will enjoy VOIPing an Irish accent, lol.

Well I'm fine with whatever we do, just know that I'm happy to contribute if we decide to get a vent/TS server or whatever.

Hrm, perhaps I need to clear the charter up a bit. There's no problem with using the VOIP, especially during missions - it's an awesome tool, and a great way to interact with people. The only time that it is really unacceptable is when in a really public kind of roleplaying session in which it could reflect badly upon the Rain Dogs.

If you want to roleplay over VOIP, and there's a group out there willing to do it with you, go for it. I just feel like there's something more enriching about having a lasting log of the chat box, rather than trying to remember angsty guy voice 1 yelling over angsty guy voice 2. Though, I do want to look into the voice fonts once they become available.

Edit: I'm still coming off as a jerk. What I'm attempting to express is my opinion on IC speaking coming from the character, and that voice, manner, and eloquence matching the character, while OOC speaking, in my experience thusfar, has been "Oh lookout, N-Tec!" Both entirely useful and even necessary, but awful when in the others context.

I agree with you Eleuth, I personally think that VOIP RPing will be too awkward for most people to participate in (myself included).

Also, you raise a good point that if I'm RPing a selfish jackass and another group of people overhears our VOIP it could give the Rain Dogs a negative image *very* quickly.

I have a small 10 man vent from when I used to play L4D2 competitively with a clan of mine. We don't play anymore, but the vent is still there, and I don't mind paying for it - it's only like 4$ a month. Anyway, here's the info. I'll go and change it around a bit so it's a dedicated Rain Dogs vent.

Host: vent32.light-speed.com
Port: 6878
Password: raindawgs

If anyone wants a specific channel made, feel free to ask.

Also, I see there's a bit of debate over the desire for in character VoIP. I, personally, won't be participating, but I made a channel specifically for in character VoIP talk. Feel free to use it.