Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
How would you handle comms?
GrayKodiak
Member CommonPosts: 576
I have noticed a trend in mmo's over the last decade is for an ever increasing "global" chat box, and to be honest I do not like it.
Back in UO we actually had to get out of the game and use IM's..AOL instance messenger... to get most guild information across easily, obviously that was not the best design, but it was because conversation was only possible if the other party was standing right on your screen. In recent games however I have seen global chats literally be global in nature, I believe DF:UW has a gigantic chat range on its global...it is very unpleasant and is generally used to stroke the epeen and nothing else...I have not seen one useful conversation come across from that chat.
Eve has non distance restricted chat, and many many different possible chat windows, which makes more sense in a sci-fi game.
What do you consider to be the best chat set up, and what would you like to see in a sandbox like game...which EQN is billing itself to be?
Comments
I like having the ability to utilize different chat channels (local, zone, server, guild, party, trade, LFG, etc) and enable/disable/place into their own dedicated chat windows in the UI. Flexibility is key here.
I generally agree that most MMO "global" chat is polluted with nonsense or aggressive dialogue at times, but it does serve its own purpose in allowing the game to feel like an open chat room. Plus, sometimes the conversations can be amusing to participate in.
I voted for the last option, though I don't think your poll is stupid
As long as I can turn off global chat, I'm fine with having it -- especially for help channels. My favorite chat system to date exists in WWII Online. You have regional/town chat for local tactical planning, and global chat is restricted to friendly side. This restriction mostly eliminates the e-peen grandstanding, making PvP much more enjoyable. Another neat feature is that there is local chat, but it is 'garbled' to simulate foreign language if your enemy talks near you.
If you don't have global chat, people are simply going to use other services anyway, as you pointed out. So you might as well have it in game (but again, turning it off if desired).
I think a lot of it comes down to what is the primary chat dictated by the game, if the global chat is on as soon as you start the game, and it is the primary means some people talk to each other (or trade or lfg) then it almost is nerfing your experience if you shut it down, but if it is a tab you open I find most people stick to regional/local chat and normal.
I wonder if Next will have languages, it does not appear to have "factions" at the start like we know them so I imagine everyone is going to be able to talk to each other.
I did like languages in EQ 1. As with many quests in EQ 1, there was a myth that if you maxed Fairie language to 100 and then spoke with the Fairy Queen (who only spawned at a certain time), she would initiate a quest for a sweet Ranger bow (iirc). A friend and I spent hours teaching each other the language until it was maxed, but was never able to initiate the quest. <shrug> Still, it was a cool idea. I'd like to see something like languages in EQN.
With their intention to push SOEmote much harder this time, I would expect an integrated voice chat solution as well. Doesn't preclude them from having text, of course.
Local chat + a shout chat (which is a longer range local chat but not zone wide like in EQ1) + tell of course.
I would pref not seeing a global chat it seems to pollute the community. only global chat i would like to see is a noobie channel so they cna help each other out after x amount of game play time or experience and what n ot u get removed from it.