Ventrilo: Did it progress or destroy the MMORPG experience?

[Mardur]

Originally Posted by mwatt [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It didn't ruin the game because I just refuse to use it. It breaks the immersion, horribly.
Learn to type everyone.

I'm probably within the top 1% of fastest typers in the P99 community and I absolutely cannot text-communicate and play the game effectively. It's impossible. Once you begin typing, you lose your ability to do anything useful besides like, auto run.

By the way, everyone who in one way or another told me I was wrong, never gave any evidence supporting how I'm wrong. Blanket statements just make you look dumb. This was my favorite:

Originally Posted by Snaggles [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

There are plenty of reasons why it's bad that has nothing to do LARP'ing. Absolutes seldom hold weight in life [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

"It's bad, but I can't tell you why. Also absolutes are bad."

[MrSparkle001]

Originally Posted by Mardur [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

If you don't like voice communication, talking on the phone, etc, have fun not being successful in life.

Let me put it another way then: In flight sims I love voice communication. There is something so awesome about talking to your wingman or other allied pilots. For me that same awesomeness does not happen with games like Everquest, at all.

Voice communication in flight sims = the best thing since TrackIR. Voice communication in MMORPGs = annoying.

As for talking on the phone, I'm reminded of that Family Guy episode where Peter turns feminine and calls Quagmire. Guys don't talk on the phone like that. They use the phone, but they don't talk like that. I don't like it unless there's something important to talk about.

I also might be in the extreme minority in that voice communication in a MMORPG completely ruins my concentration ingame. I've tried vent in WoW, and my performance took a nosedive. It's fine when I'm flying my flight sim, but in games like this it's more a distraction than a tool. I'm odd that way.

[Ceros]

Originally Posted by toddfx [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I can understand it being used in a high stress situations where lots of people are communicating together without time to type

I believe it's the opposite. During a raid encounter, my guess is that only the raid leader and perhaps officers are permitted to speak in most guilds. The biggest benefit is that people don't miss instructions that may otherwise quickly scroll by unseen.

It's hard to imagine a competitive guild not using ventrilo or something similar. Not everyone likes it, but it definitely has the potential to drastically improve communication and coordination if used properly.

With that said, I don't like it for reasons expressed already. It breaks immersion, etc.. If not properly moderated or if the raid leader is a moron, it can easily induce headaches worse than those from guildchat text alone.

[Daldaen]

EQ Classic is an extremely slow paced game, relative to the pace of other MMOs out there. You almost never don't have time to type if you aren't a terribly slow typer.

I've played EQLive for 12 years and I've typed stuff out the entire time. I've used vent, but even when I'm in vent I prefer to type out stuff. I don't have to worry about being talked over, or having my mic near me etc.

[aubie]

Pay attention. If voice communication is required to be successful, it's not the type of game I'm looking for (or at least not community-wise). Focus is on consuming content at the fastest pace possible = no fun. Ventrillo in; I'm out. But, it's probably a good method for separating play styles.

[Mardur]

Curious what classes you guys play. Especially the ones that are adamant that typing doesn't affect your playing abilities.

I'm assuming all you immersion people are just cripplingly antisocial and using that as an excuse.

There's zero negatives to voice communication besides like the $15 you have to spend on a headset. Communicating with other players is fun. That's why we play EQ.

[SirAlvarex]

I greatly dislike voice communication in MMO's. I dealt with it in EQ2, mostly because the guild I was in was enjoyable to speak with. Same with the clan I competed with in Counter Strike: Source and Rainbow Six.

However, every other time I've used voice outside of my EQ2 guild and FPS clans, it's been filled with obnoxious people. Hell, I've been that obnoxious person in chat before as well.

Is it good for organizing? Sure. But just like my problem with the initial use of twitter, I don't need to hear about that awesome dump you just took. Or become intimately aware of the fact that your kids are extremely loud. Or the heavy breathing that I'm sure makes you great on those old 1-900 lines.

[Arrisard]

I used to have the same bias against voice, but then I realized I was talking to people I interacted with ingame as actual friends and not just characters in my little fantasy immersion. How's school/family/work, play any other good games lately, see the game the other night, etc etc.

So, I guess it just depends on what you play for. EQ has evolved for me from a fantasy immersion to playing a game with friends, and with that, my expectations, desires, and playstyle has evolved along with it.

For groupage and raids, most anything can be done in text no question - however there is also little question, imo, as to what advantages voice brings to the table over text. Not to mention, playing a bard it's been a relief as well.

So I can understand while people don't like it. I can understand why people desire, and sometimes require, it. The only stupid thing I can see in this whole thing is "NO, YOU CAN'T BE HAVING FUN LIKE THAT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT HOW I HAVE FUN". Then again, that seems to be the basis for a lot of stupidity on these forums, anyway.

[mwatt]

Originally Posted by Mardur [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I'm probably within the top 1% of fastest typers in the P99 community and I absolutely cannot text-communicate and play the game effectively. It's impossible. Once you begin typing, you lose your ability to do anything useful besides like, auto run.

By the way, everyone who in one way or another told me I was wrong, never gave any evidence supporting how I'm wrong. Blanket statements just make you look dumb. This was my favorite:



"It's bad, but I can't tell you why. Also absolutes are bad."

There are a few times when voice is EASIER than text - no question about that. The most common are probably running while typing, complicated grouping scenarios and many raiding scenarios.

However, just because something is easier, doesn't make it more fun. For me, it greatly damages my immersion. Granted, if I'm fighting an Orc, I know I'm not REALLY fighting an orc. Yet, there is something to experiencing 3D graphics instead of text, nice animation, moody surroundings. It makes the game more fun for me if the play is thematic. Talking to the real people by voice that are behind the character images messes this up for me. Plus some of the people I have had to group with over the years... I definitely DON'T want to know anything more about them than I have to.

I will grant you that in raid scenarios, it's obviously more effective to speak rather than write, and that can make the difference between winning and loosing. I'm not much for raiding anyway - and voice is one reason why - but to me, it's kind of like cheating to have to use voice. Mind you, I said for ME. I'm not telling anyone else how to play.

[Tux]

Originally Posted by Mardur [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Anyone who thinks it's bad are just nostalgia LARP nerds. These are probably the same guys who are in that Youtube thunder bolt video.

Funny, I find it the exact opposite. I dislike vent because it normally immediately dispels the idea that I'm playing the game with people I'd actually respect in real life.

The vast majority of people will be more effective in game with vent, I doubt many would dispute that. My personal choice is that it just makes the game less fun and is therefor not worth it.