Voice Communication

SirotSirot Join Date: 2006-12-03 Member: 58851Members
How is it going to be handled? Some games occasionally have horrible voice systems and I am wondering how much work is going to be but into the one for NS2. Also, I am wondering if you will allow the game and voice chat to be separated so that you can have the game playing on the speakers and all the voice chat in the headphones.

For discussion, should commanders in each side get special privileges regarding voice communication? Should there be an option to silence all other marines while you speak or even overlay the commander's voice above theirs so they sound slightly muted over the comms?

Comments

  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    edited November 2008
    I have suggested some "x meter radius" voice comms and comm voice that only talks to the marines on the screen. Some different channels might also be nice so that the casual off-game chat and team chat don't get mixed up unless you want to.

    Can't find them with search though.
  • haymohaymo Join Date: 2005-01-09 Member: 34040Members, NS1 Playtester
    that would be pretty sick having x meter radius voice comm, but you would need to be able to radio your whole team as well.
  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1694612:date=Nov 29 2008, 12:23 PM:name=haymo)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(haymo @ Nov 29 2008, 12:23 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1694612"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->that would be pretty sick having x meter radius voice comm, but you would need to be able to radio your whole team as well.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Ye, two separate buttons for the team radio and squad radio or radius radio. It just makes it a lot easier when you can yell 'Two in the vent to the left' and not every marine around the map has to wonder if it was meant for them. Some neat sound effect could probably help distinquishing the radios from each other.
  • SirotSirot Join Date: 2006-12-03 Member: 58851Members
    I am absolutely love that x-radius idea.

    It would be nice if there was a good way to distinguish global and local voice communication purely by sound without having to look at the screen. That would allow marines to talk to their squadmates and globally to the team simultaneously. I would even say even having an option to divide the two channels by having global chat play from speakers and local from the headset. But that solution is extremely exclusive to a few. Perhaps have local or global chat be processed so that it sounds from a radio?
  • JimydJimyd Join Date: 2003-02-08 Member: 13289Members
    edited November 2008
    I think the seperate voice buttons should work like this.

    +voice: Voice is sent to everyone on the their team (taking sv_alltalk into account).
    +voicecommander: Voice is sent to the Commander only. Anyone can use this button, not just squad leaders (if they implement that idea).

    Also include these options.

    sv_alltalk 0: Teams can only talk to their team.
    sv_alltalk 1: Teams can talk to each other alive or dead.
    sv_alltalk 2: Teams can only talk to each other while they are dead.
    sv_spectalk 0: Spectators can not talk to the Marine and Alien team.
    sv_spectalk 1: Spectators can talk to alive and dead players on the Marine and Alien team.
    sv_spectalk 2: Spectators can only talk to dead players on the Marine and Alien team.

    Another thing, +voicecommander would only send to your team's Commander, regardless of sv_alltalk settings.

    Lastly, Spectators should be allowed to choose if they want to listen to +voice and +voicecommander speak from either team from the Spectator menu (like in Counter-Strike: Source).

    If you include this, +massiveloveforever to you DEV team.
  • AlignAlign Remain Calm Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 5216Forum Moderators, Constellation
    edited November 2008
    Just an idea, but how about a sorta "relay" system? IF marine A is within X of marine B (who is using voicecomm), any marine C within X of marine 2 will hear it, and anyone within X of C will hear it, and so on. In that case a train of marines separated by a room or so will still hear what the marine in front is saying when they're in the back of the train.
    Of course, in rare cases this could result in chains reaching throughout the map so it might as well have been global, but it shouldn't be a common occurence.
  • aeroripperaeroripper Join Date: 2005-02-25 Member: 42471NS1 Playtester, Forum Moderators, Constellation
    I love the "full team voicecomm" and "local area" voicecomm buttons. It'd add a lot to the atmosphere if marines voices trailed off within a certain radius.
  • MastodonMastodon Old Fogie Join Date: 2003-01-09 Member: 12052Members, Constellation
    It's a tricky question because there are so many options.

    I would love to see a multitude of ways to organize voice comm but it could very difficult to make it feasible. For instance, it would be great to have radius comm for the Marines on the ground so that only your mates could hear you. This would both clean up global voice comm and tighten up communication between squaddies. Only the Commander could have global voice chat to keep the team organized. If we were to take it a step farther, it would be astounding if the squad assignments could be used effectively and once a squad is assigned only they can communicate with each other, leaving the commander the option of both global voice and squad-specific voice. Again, this would be complex but useful if it could be pulled off.

    For the Aliens I think global voice should remain in effect as they are meant to work as one unit and there's no Commander to tie the team together. Maybe there could be two ptt buttons, one for radius voice and one for global.
  • Raven_XIRaven_XI Join Date: 2003-01-08 Member: 12032Members, Constellation
    It would be awesome in Pub games but everyone will just use ventrillo in scrims anyway.
  • JimydJimyd Join Date: 2003-02-08 Member: 13289Members
    Locational voice communication and squad voice communication never worked well in any game.

    1) Most of the times only 2 people in your squad had voice, and 1 of them wouldn't be the squad leader.

    2) Radius voice doesn't work if you were to include a voice over radio command (so basically the whole team). Why, because why would you nerf yourself for "atmosphere".

    3) Organized play would use Ventrillo and the like to circumvent all this extra work.

    4) Example game is BF2, nobody talked unless it was baby smack talk like if they were playing Halo.

    5) What would work and make everyone happy?

    This:

    I think the seperate voice buttons should work like this.

    +voice: Voice is sent to everyone on the their team (taking sv_alltalk into account).
    +voicecommander: Voice is sent to the Commander only. Anyone can use this button, not just squad leaders (if they implement that idea).

    Also include these options.

    sv_alltalk 0: Teams can only talk to their team.
    sv_alltalk 1: Teams can talk to each other alive or dead.
    sv_alltalk 2: Teams can only talk to each other while they are dead.
    sv_spectalk 0: Spectators can not talk to the Marine and Alien team.
    sv_spectalk 1: Spectators can talk to alive and dead players on the Marine and Alien team.
    sv_spectalk 2: Spectators can only talk to dead players on the Marine and Alien team.

    Another thing, +voicecommander would only send to your team's Commander, regardless of sv_alltalk settings.

    Lastly, Spectators should be allowed to choose if they want to listen to +voice and +voicecommander speak from either team from the Spectator menu (like in Counter-Strike: Source).

    If you include this, +massiveloveforever to you DEV team.
  • SirotSirot Join Date: 2006-12-03 Member: 58851Members
    Don't repeat itself, even though I agree on your statements regarding radial squad orders (atleast for marines).
  • NicksaerianNicksaerian Join Date: 2008-10-15 Member: 65207Members, Constellation
    Why would my radio trail off only after a couple dozen meters? Even the crappiest radios we have today aren't that bad, and this is supposed to be a futuristic game. Unless the squad-based aspect of NS2 is really bumped up to say... Battlefield style, then even squad comm won't really be worth it. In NS1 you can't even tell what squad you're in or who is in the squad with you.
  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1694775:date=Dec 1 2008, 05:10 PM:name=Nicksaerian)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nicksaerian @ Dec 1 2008, 05:10 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1694775"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Why would my radio trail off only after a couple dozen meters? Even the crappiest radios we have today aren't that bad, and this is supposed to be a futuristic game. Unless the squad-based aspect of NS2 is really bumped up to say... Battlefield style, then even squad comm won't really be worth it. In NS1 you can't even tell what squad you're in or who is in the squad with you.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    I just want to have a way for a group to communicate without messing up the communication for the rest of the team. It also makes the communication a little more 'personal' so that people don't ignore it in the first place as it happens on spamtastic voice comms. At least I could do so much more with a communication medhod like that. "Shoot that RT, I'll guard", "Let's powerbuild, we can't handle that incoming fade anyway.", "One, two, three, ATTACK!". All those are used in competetive play, but take no amazing gaming sense or skill to pull off. By the radius voice those could be brought a little better to the 'personal space' of the pubbers as its only heard by the players involved in the very situation.

    The learning curve also smoothens up as the experienced players can better communicate to the newbies quickly. Right now its often just painful to try to handle the tough situations and hope the guy next to you does the exact right thing as you can't communicate directly to him.
  • TinCanTinCan Join Date: 2006-12-11 Member: 59010Members
    edited December 2008
    radius comm or squad comm would be a great benefit.
    <!--coloro:#FF8C00--><span style="color:#FF8C00"><!--/coloro-->
    Perhaps have local or global chat be processed so that it sounds from a radio?<!--colorc--></span><!--/colorc-->
    Or just a simple sound (like a tweet) before and after the message to indicate which channel. Different tones for different channels/


    oH, and please do not release it until the mute function works perfectly.
    It would also be nice to be able to see quickly if you are muted by anyone.
  • NicksaerianNicksaerian Join Date: 2008-10-15 Member: 65207Members, Constellation
    edited December 2008
    I get what you're saying. I do think NS should have better squad usage. The only other game I have a good reference to is BF2142 (not sure if it's a prime example or not, just the only one I have). There people can start a squad, join one, then the squad leader can give orders to his squad. The commander can also give orders to squad leader when are then automatically passed on to the squad. A more integrated use of squads would make squad based comm more useful. My only concern about short range radio is what happens when the person you really want to talk to in your area JUST leaves it. You get mobbed or discover something but while you're honking away on local chat, he's running off someplace else, then you realize it and swap to global, but by that time it's no good.

    Oh, on a side note. Will commanders in NS2 be able to hear anything on the map like they do in NS1? I got to thinking that a commander should only be able to hear what his marines can hear.
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