Ventrilo server?

[viper26]

I was wondering if anyone had a ventrilo server so we could live chat while playing its a wonderfull idea that allows the players to coordinate attacks and just to get to know each other better ,,bringing a great overall experience to the game.

[Kell]

I was wondering if anyone had a ventrilo server so we could live chat while playing its a wonderfull idea that allows the players to coordinate attacks and just to get to know each other better ,,bringing a great overall experience to the game.

Oh yeah.. And then people start knowing eachother oocwise, and they'll start bitching about what one does to the other IC. And they'll start whining about it oocwise. And then the gossiping starts.

And boom, another server gone to hell.

Wonderful idea.

I'm not entirely against it, you have some point. It's just that people really aren't meant to game AND socialise at the same time. Real geeks don't socialise. With a good reason, too. It doesn't mix.

[obsoletenihilist]

Kell's just worried she'll swoon too much because of my Barry White voice.

[blackheart]

I've done teamspeak with other players and it's been quite enjoyable, actually. Sure, there's more OOC chat, but there's something to be said for the ability to say "behind you!" or "i need help!" while hacking away on some goblins or what have you. It's especially helpful during transitions or during periods of lag to be able to continue to communicate naturally. Sure it's not for every encounter or for everyone on the server at once, but it does enrich the experience in certain adventure-minded groups.

To me it's much more natural and useful than typing cryptically, and feels more like PnP. Sure, you RP'ed, but you were looking at the person sitting in the same room with you (passing a joint or whatever), alternating from 'DM voice' to just being you.

Nobody understands anything I write on a PC anyway. At work, I no longer even bother to get into anything complicated or controversial via email, I just pick up the phone and call the person (also no forwards or BCC: possible). Placing 100% of the context with the reader makes failing to communicate a certainty anyway, everything reads harsher than it was written.

Anyway, there are plenty of options (Teamspeak is one), that will let you communicate like this w/o requiring a standalone server or affecting Dasaria's performance/bandwidth. If you're into into it, try it out.

[viper26]

well in response I use it with other games and if you dont want to use it just dont log on , simple but for the most part its more of a plus than negative and for the ppl that dont get along with others just bann them becuase if they cant be a good team player on the voice chat server why would you want them on the regular server

[blackheart]

What's with the Xfire thingy that ships with the game? Is that any good?

[Kell]

You don't think it intervenes with roleplay? How can you realisticly and seriously roleplay when you keep hearing voices?

Have you ever tried roleplaying a man and a woman being intimate while hearing the player behind the character you're playing against, breathing in your ear? Or for that matter, tried playing a hero in a serious, dangerous plot when you hear others giggling over something silly?

Really. It's not productive. Yes, it is when you're playing hack and slash and all that jazz, but if you're a roleplayer it's a no no, heheh.

But hey, it's your party. You wont see me logging in, because it's unnecesarry (partychat anybody?) and distractive.

[Redleafe]

You don't think it intervenes with roleplay? How can you realisticly and seriously roleplay when you keep hearing voices?

Have you ever tried roleplaying a man and a woman being intimate while hearing the player behind the character you're playing against, breathing in your ear? Or for that matter, tried playing a hero in a serious, dangerous plot when you hear others giggling over something silly?

Really. It's not productive. Yes, it is when you're playing hack and slash and all that jazz, but if you're a roleplayer it's a no no, heheh.

But hey, it's your party. You wont see me logging in, because it's unnecesarry (partychat anybody?) and distractive.

I couldn't agree more. Its just not my gig.

[Kell]

Not being a stiffheaded naysayer, btw. Just trying to warn people not to do it if they don't want issues and problems arising because people suddenly think they can say something to them outside the game.

People -do- get bullied a lot over teamspeak, skype, those programs. I've seen it happen a lot. People are manipulative little pricks where it comes to that, certainly when they hear a voice and they hear the tone of the voice and when they start knowing you a little.

[viper26]

I can see were it would interfere with roleplaying , yes. On the other hand if used as a help/party orginization tool, it becomes extremely effective. I do know that bullies do exist in this world and from time to time you will have to deal with them , yes , but I am sure that the voice chat server admins would ban them , and personally i dont expect to find that many at all on a server like this.

[Stormknife]

I can see were it would interfere with roleplaying , yes. On the other hand if used as a help/party orginization tool, it becomes extremely effective. I do know that bullies do exist in this world and from time to time you will have to deal with them , yes , but I am sure that the voice chat server admins would ban them , and personally i dont expect to find that many at all on a server like this.

Trying to RP while simultaneously being in TS/Vent is damn near impossible. I've tried it in at least 2 other games with the same end result.

There's also the fact that it, by its nature, is going to automatically exclude everyone who's not logged into the TS/Vent server if they just happen upon your little group. Discussing high treason against the empire? Just do it on TS and make sure you've banned Minuvas (who I can't help but think of when you make your "If they can't play well with others, just ban them" thing...he's not exactly the most likeable character of all time). As a disclaimer, I do think Minuvas kicks ***...he just happens to be my example.

Voicechat is for raids and instanced dungeons. Dasaria has neither, at least not in the WoW sense. Oh, and for DMs coordinating events.

[Maevan2]

It also makes it more difficult for DMs as they don't really know what the group is up to: what kind of group are they? to they roleplay? where will it go next? do they have a plan? do they care about the DM's intervention at all?

And i think you shouldn't expect getting XP for roleplaying if the DMs cannot see it

[dallbee]

Kell & co. raise some good points against TeamSpeak/Ventrilo/Skype/etc, but several other people here also raise good points FOR it.
In actual fact, in my experience the "happy medium" is somewhere in between -I've seen TS work wonderfully in the past, if smartly implemented and not abused.

To wit:

I agree that during roleplay moments when two (or a few) characters are having serious, in-character interaction, it can be all kinds of disorienting to hear one of the dudes on your TeamSpeak server munching a snack or talking to someone else in the background.
Or, worse yet, trying to converse with someone else on the team over the top of the other people's RP. That's a big peeve.

TS does have its considerable merits, though - primarily in combat situations, when a party is out questing, exploring, or running a high-level quest. For those cases, when things can get pretty heated in the midst of a tough fight, the ability to communicate naturally without taking your attention away to type is invaluable.

So, in short:
TS for roleplay and light socializing: BAD
TS for combat communication, organization, and group outings into the fray: GOOD

If this idea were pursued at all, it stands to reason that a few simple ground rules can go a long way too make it agreeable to everyone, just like the rules in place for everyday server play.
Maybe parties not involved in an RP scene muting themselves, for example. Or guidelines on limiting abusive language. Or keeping OOC chatter to a minimum. Whatever.

There will be "chat-griefers", natch, but if enough people take exception to someone's inappropriate use of TeamSpeak or Ventrilo, the offending party can be easily banned from the chat server .

--D

[Kell]

It also makes it more difficult for DMs as they don't really know what the group is up to: what kind of group are they? to they roleplay? where will it go next? do they have a plan? do they care about the DM's intervention at all?

Thank you, Maevan.

[Stormknife]

Maybe parties not involved in an RP scene muting themselves, for example. Or guidelines on limiting abusive language. Or keeping OOC chatter to a minimum. Whatever.

There's something else to consider as well. Can the average person install TS, properly configure TS, and connect to a TS server easily? In my experience, the answer is a resounding "No" even for IT people like myself. The program is a royal pain the first time you set it up.

The other consideration: should TS to be a requirement? If it used relatively widely across the server, it becomes a requirement that players use it. If it's not used at all, well, it's not serving much of a point, so why have it? There's also the fact that some people, like myself, get splitting headaches if they use TS or Ventrilo for more than 20 minutes or so (I'm like that with TS, a friend of mine has that problem with Vent).

Using it for OOC coordination of a group I can sort of see, except that it will spill over to DM events. Where you would normally be yelling "Look out! Behind you!", you're saying it in TS. If the DMs aren't in the server, they don't know that the players noticed that...and if the DMs are using TS to coordinate the events they're running, I'm pretty sure they can't also listen in on the player channel. Similarly, it becomes stupidly easy for people who have no way to communicate with their group to do just that. Yes, you can do that with party chat and tells, but the DMs at least know that's going on and can react accordingly.