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Thread: Voice Chat System with safeguards and cool uses (Jamming etc.)Optional for nonbroadband users
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RogueCloudwalker
Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:42 pm
#1
Hi! I think that many of us would like to see a voice chat system in the game. In fact, I think its integral to giving a good feel to the space expansion. Of course, this needs to be used reasonably. While there are other ways to do voice chat, I feel that it would be alot more easier to just have this in the game. Also, this would be totally optional for people if they are worried about bandwidth.
Thenumber one thing you can do is put someone on your ignore list and shut them up for good if they are annoying as heck. If they are ignored then their voicewill not be heard by you. Maybe you could have the option of ignoring text or voice only as well. Ignoring or muting in the HalfLife games does wonders for getting rid of the morons.
Otherwise, lets construct some good uses for voice chat.
First, we can havea general system chat - Naboo General Chat, Corellia General Chat, etc. that all players can tap into. Also, you could have a Rebel Naboo System Chat or Imperial Naboo System chat devoted to just faction chat. Only members of that faction can tap into it. (What if you are a slicer? Maybe you can hear it but not talk in it...) This would be the general voice chat channels for each system.
Next, we can have a Guild Chat, but only with members in your system. For instance, your Guild Channel works everywhere, but you can only talk to someone if they are in the same system as you. I could only talk to myguildie if we were both in the Corellia system, but my other guildies near Tatooine won't hear us.
Next, you can create personal ship to ship transmissions using the voice chat. You target a ship, you press a certain key and send a message to create a voice channel. Open a channel to communicate. The other person sees you are trying to talk, and accepts. You can then talk one on one. What would be cool is if you could have a mini holo image of that one person talking to you like the movies...
Next, we have to find a way to implement smaller chats within a large fleet. For instance, you organize by squads. Say, 12 X-Wings to a squad. Then the Squad Leader (Maybe a prof. Squad Leader?) is the leader of the chat. He recieves a special mark that lets him tap into Alliance command voice channel. Other Squad Leaders tie into this channel. So for example, Wedge is Red Leader of Red Group at Endor. He can talk to his 11 wingmates. Also, he can talk with Alliance command and other Squad Leaders in the Command Channel. His wingmates will not be in the command channel. Therefore, everything should work out well as I doubt you will have tons of Squad Leaders. If there are too many, create another command channel and work with both groups on down the line.
Now, lets move to benefits. With these systems, you could talk to virtually anyone. You can coordinate large raids very well.
About jamming - Perhaps both sides could get jamming systems in capital ships, or small jamming craft. You would pick up some static on your channel, perhaps get some voice altering like how the Naboo pilots sound like in the spacefight in Episode I. Your droid or onboard computer would try to compensate but it will continually have to do this. So the static or voice changing would drift in or out during the fight, until you destroyed the jamming craft.Which when you are being jammed will be highlighted immediately. However, the craft has to be in close proximity, and sacrifice something to carry the jamming system. How about no torpedoes?
About slicing - Perhaps slicers (Smugglers)could slice their way into squad or faction level chats. However, the chat is constantlyencrypted, so you would have to continually slice every few minutes or every thirty seconds to continue to hear them without jamming/static. Perhaps a co-pilot or mate in your ship could do this?
About roleplay -
Imperials could order you to power down and be ready to be scanned for contraband. Running and gunning indicates you may have something to hide. However, this could only work at established checkpoints prior to jumping out of the system. There should be other ways to jump out of the system so you don't have to go to the checkpoints, but the checkpoints should be the shortest and fastest way to the other systems. On a timed Smuggler mission, you would have to decide whether you risk the public jump or waiting ona private jump since you would have to coordinate it right.
Potential pirates could threaten you. Rebels can stop stop you etc. I'm sure you can come up with more...
I would be glad to have input on this.
Message Edited by RogueCloudwalker on 06-15-2004 05:11 PM
Kachada
Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:46 pm
#2
Negative, Cloudwalker
such a system would require people to be on broadband internet, which would mean fewer people buying the expansion, which would mean less money for SOE.
Sad, but go check out Teamspeak, and you'll at least be able to talk to guildmates.
such a system would require people to be on broadband internet, which would mean fewer people buying the expansion, which would mean less money for SOE.
Sad, but go check out Teamspeak, and you'll at least be able to talk to guildmates.
RogueCloudwalker
Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:50 pm
#3
Then perhaps they can simply turn off voicechat and never be bothered by it? I'm not lagging due to the Corellia planet chat because I'm not tied into it and on the channel. True, its text, but the same principle can apply to voice chat.
Kachada
Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:58 pm
#4
It would be cool. I'll give you that.
Just don't think it'd happen.
Just don't think it'd happen.
Tych
Tue Jun 15, 2004 3:39 pm
#5
SOE did it with Planetside, though I've never used it, so I could not say how good it is. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility.
Hardburn
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:16 pm
#6
Jamming and slicing are cool ideas, but have an implementation problem. There are two possible ways to implement this:
1) Have the server handle all the traffic. This would take a lot of bandwidth and would likely kill the server.
2) Do it Peer-to-Peer, with the server almost completely ignorant of the chat traffic. This solves the bandwidth problem, but is very open to cheeting.
The reason cheeting becomes a problem is that you have to trust each client to do the right thing. Say you have a slicer on your chat frequency. How do you say that this slicer sucessfully sliced your system? How do you know that their computer isn't just sending out data making it appear that they are slicing the system? These are not easy problems to solve.
I suggest getting Roger Wilco with your guild mates and the the devs focus on other things.
RogueCloudwalker
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:21 pm
#7
The Devs have said before that their chat systems are an entirely different server that links up with the galaxy servers. The jamming and slicing parts would only work on those who have the voice system on, presumably those that have the broadband connection. The chat server would handle the traffic, not the galaxy server. The reasons why guild chat and other things were lost before was that the chat server needed some work while the galaxy was fine.
WylotheUber
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:21 pm
#8
This sounds like a good idea. It would rock if it was implemented, but as posted before, it'd cause horrid lag.
Mkappus
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:26 pm
#9
Voicechat is a wonderful thing, but it will never be offered by SOE.
If SOE included voice chat they would have to:
1. Buy new servers to support it
2. Buy more bandwidth from their providers to support it
We can all use after market products and have voice chat for our own groups, and it costs SOE nothing.
Also, I can't imagine a planetary chat. If you have more than 10 people in it, how in the world could you ever hope to have a conversation or anything reasonably coherent? Voicechat only works for groups of people who are trying to coordinate activities. You have to haveetiquette in the chatroom so that it can be used. Public chat channels would be pure chaos. So a planetary chat, or a rebel chat would never work.
Sputty
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:27 pm
#10
Tych wrote:
SOE did it with Planetside, though I've never used it, so I could not say how good it is. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility.
Except that it's dependant on thje host's bandwidth meaning most of the time it sucks
RogueCloudwalker
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:31 pm
#11
I honestly don't think it was cause horrid lag. I mean, the SE doesn't even take up as much power as the ground game does. You don't have to render terrain, which is the big hog of comp resources. I can understand it causing lag if you are on a 22.6 modem, maybe even up to 56k. You can the chat off and cut your connection to the chat server for voice. But the thing is that you will have the resources to run this. The chat server is different from the galaxy server, so it shouldn't be overkill. As well, with the reduced load from the game being less intensive to render it can be done. Look at it this way. If youcan run Unreal Tournament 2004 with voice on without trouble with your ping, then you can do this. The expansion probably won't take up as much as Unreal does with its large maps, weapons, particle shots etc.
RogueCloudwalker
Tue Jun 15, 2004 4:39 pm
#12
Mkappus wrote:
Voicechat is a wonderful thing, but it will never be offered by SOE.
If SOE included voice chat they would have to:
1. Buy new servers to support it
2. Buy more bandwidth from their providers to support it
We can all use after market products and have voice chat for our own groups, and it costs SOE nothing.
Also, I can't imagine a planetary chat. If you have more than 10 people in it, how in the world could you ever hope to have a conversation or anything reasonably coherent? Voicechat only works for groups of people who are trying to coordinate activities. You have to haveetiquette in the chatroom so that it can be used. Public chat channels would be pure chaos. So a planetary chat, or a rebel chat would never work.
I can't even imagine more than 10 people being in a planetary channel since I'm from Kettemoor and I would have a better chance of finding more people only in Coronet or Theed. I think you can subdivide the planetary channels as well to talk to who you want. Otherwise, you could just make a personal one on one channel. If you don't have proper etiquette then you put on the mute/ignore list and are never heard from again.
Spudsin
Tue Jun 15, 2004 5:13 pm
#13
voice chat eats up a TON of bandwidth. Had a friend LISTENING (56k is asymetrical, it didn;'t have enough bandwidth to get his voice out)to teamspeak, and every time somebody spoke, his connection lagged baddley. Listenign to 3 people in a pvp battle in theed, they stomped all over each other and couldn't really be understood at many points. And they where coordinating their fighting via it.. It was much better than typing for quick messages, but clarity is lacking
TeamSpeaks MINIMUMUM badwidth is 6Kbits/s. Thats a FULL PAGE of text every second that somebody talks. Worse, it's usually not very clear. IT's highest setting (befor unlimited is 128Kb/s, equalling 14 pages per second. That's higher than low-end DSL and almost 2-channel ISDN(144)
Obviously if you're not on a high end broadband connection, you can't use good quality voice, and still have bandwidth left over to actually play the game.
TeamSpeaks MINIMUMUM badwidth is 6Kbits/s. Thats a FULL PAGE of text every second that somebody talks. Worse, it's usually not very clear. IT's highest setting (befor unlimited is 128Kb/s, equalling 14 pages per second. That's higher than low-end DSL and almost 2-channel ISDN(144)
Obviously if you're not on a high end broadband connection, you can't use good quality voice, and still have bandwidth left over to actually play the game.
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