Is there an aversion to voice chat recently?

[jozzcooper]

I think the crux of it is that voice chat seemed the rule rather than the exception at one time.

As a member of a guild that spends most evenings questing together, it can be jarring to do a morning quest or two with a random group, none of whom use voice. Unless I don't feel like using voice, I will use the mic a couple of times just to "break the ice". This usually seems to pull one or two people out into voice chat, although with less frequency lately.

Nobody has to use a mic, or even type for that matter. Some folks are quiet throughout, but respond to instruction and exhibit good teamwork. The fact of the matter is that communication in the game can be poor. Voice chat isn't ideal, but typing in the midst of an important fight is tough sledding. When things get hectic, people are probably listening to the guy on voice instead of anyone typing. The conundrum becomes: how confident do you feel in letting someone else do the driving?

My personal feeling: it's kinda nice to relax chatting with a group of folks.

[kurand]

I think the crux of it is that voice chat seemed the rule rather than the exception at one time.

As a member of a guild that spends most evenings questing together, it can be jarring to do a morning quest or two with a random group, none of whom use voice. Unless I don't feel like using voice, I will use the mic a couple of times just to "break the ice". This usually seems to pull one or two people out into voice chat, although with less frequency lately.

Nobody has to use a mic, or even type for that matter. Some folks are quiet throughout, but respond to instruction and exhibit good teamwork. The fact of the matter is that communication in the game can be poor. Voice chat isn't ideal, but typing in the midst of an important fight is tough sledding. When things get hectic, people are probably listening to the guy on voice instead of anyone typing. The conundrum becomes: how confident do you feel in letting someone else do the driving?

My personal feeling: it's kinda nice to relax chatting with a group of folks.

Not that hard to keep an eye on chat while listening to other people talk.As a raid leader in WoW i put effort into teaching our raid groups how to read chat and listen at the same time,it's a valuable skill when you got someone explaining the raid and a secondary person asking if anyone needs buffs or whatnot.

The real problem comes when you got some idiots doing whole class build discussion in VC while running a dungeon and no one can get over them because they are talking so much.

VC is useful,but not so useful that a group should require it.havingsome drunk ass thinking he is roleplaying a drunk dwarf monk named classname-ass swearing at people over voicechat is not my idea of having agood time,especially when that monk is putting out less dps than the rogue who thinks throwing daggers is worthwhile.

As i said,the only reason to use voice chat is for friends to talk and for the raid leader to give instructions.

[Club'in]

Thank you for your opinion, but I will choose when I will or wont use voice chat while playing video games. Because, to be perfectly honest, in my opinion, there is NOTHING that has ever happened or ever will happen in a game that I find important enough to use it when I'm not in the mood to.

No excuses, I just don't care how a bunch of strangers feel about how I do things in my spare time. If that makes me anti-social, so be it. But at least I'm not the one who insists others to do things in a way that works best for me while doing something that matters as little as playing a video game.

You're right, that did sound anti-social. I guess consideration is getting tossed right out the window with communication.

[Club'in]

Only people who think highly of themselves need voice chat.

The only real reason to use voice chat is if you know the people and want to talk to them,or your a raid leader and need to give instructions.

Okay... I take it momma pounded "don't talk to strangers" into your head WAY too much.

[zorander6]

Okay... I take it momma pounded "don't talk to strangers" into your head WAY too much.

Sorry but no, I talk to people I know because I know my weird humor won't offend them. How can I tell if a kid is on the line?

[Club'in]

I think the crux of it is that voice chat seemed the rule rather than the exception at one time.

As a member of a guild that spends most evenings questing together, it can be jarring to do a morning quest or two with a random group, none of whom use voice. Unless I don't feel like using voice, I will use the mic a couple of times just to "break the ice". This usually seems to pull one or two people out into voice chat, although with less frequency lately.

Nobody has to use a mic, or even type for that matter. Some folks are quiet throughout, but respond to instruction and exhibit good teamwork. The fact of the matter is that communication in the game can be poor. Voice chat isn't ideal, but typing in the midst of an important fight is tough sledding. When things get hectic, people are probably listening to the guy on voice instead of anyone typing. The conundrum becomes: how confident do you feel in letting someone else do the driving?

My personal feeling: it's kinda nice to relax chatting with a group of folks.

This crystallizes my experience nicely. Thank you for chiming in. I guess I've spent 90% of my time with guild the last two years, and I had no idea how bad it's gotten out there. DDO Unlimited (and it's community) has become quite a different game from three years ago, apparently.

[Club'in]

VC is useful,but not so useful that a group should require it.havingsome drunk ass thinking he is roleplaying a drunk dwarf monk named classname-ass swearing at people over voicechat is not my idea of having agood time,especially when that monk is putting out less dps than the rogue who thinks throwing daggers is worthwhile.

As i said,the only reason to use voice chat is for friends to talk and for the raid leader to give instructions.

This is quite an exaggeration. Four years in this game, and I've encountered ONE person who spent any time trying to be "in character" through the entire quest. And yes, that was really weird. Don't build your strawman's house on quicksand.

[Acers13]

Yeah I have seen the Kid hate on a couple occasions, soon as they talk - booted. I don't get it take them on their play not the sound of their voice.

I'd boot them np. Cause A lot of the time i agree. Some kids get on with music blaring in the background and a high pitched voice and its just really annoying. I just grouped with a 12 year old the other day and he kept saying "Suck It, Suck It" so when the leader wouldn't boot him the rest of the group left. Personally i prefer a mic but sometimes i have a minor studdering problem When i get Annoyed or get to excited lol.

[Narmolanya]

I had used it quite a bit up to about two months ago. I don't know what happened but recently when I use it people can't understand what I am saying. I hate to repeat myself 14 times so it's just quicker to typemost often.

I don't know what the deal is with not being able to hear me. I have used both my pcs at home and voice chatted in a group of my two accounts to check sound quality and it came through just fine.

I suspect the influx of non native english speakers.

[phalaeo]

Also, I am still working on making it so when i use in game chat, i automagically auto-tune everything i say so i sound like t-pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmsho...eature=related

I will give you a Large Scale if you tell me how to Auto-Tune myself over in game VC.

[Lissyl]

Looks like I'm a clear minority. I positively despise the existence of voice chat. I've hated it since the very first day someone made me download Vent on WoW. From that day on, any chance of enjoying the designed music for a level is virtually destroyed by 'that one person'. You know the one. Mic too high (and can't pronounce my name, is it really that hard?). "HEY LEEZEL WHATS GOING ON!" Or the opposite. "**whisperwhisperwhispersomethingmumblewhisper **" The crying child in the background -- I don't mind that there is a child present, although I think I'd see why he or she is crying, but it's inevitable that ~that's~ the person who doesn't have Push-To-Talk enabled. The late teen talking over some horribly redone dub of music he pirated in a bulk torrent. The woman who just ~has~ to laugh obnoxiously loud at everything said while attempting to clumsily flirt with people (and sadly, I'm referring to about two people in particular with that one...). The number of people who can't figure out how a mic or headset works, the person with the mic next to the speakers and NO headset, usually also not on PTT. The one with the mic that sounds like the opening of Comfortably Numb ("You are only coming through in waves...your lips are moving, but I can't hear what you're saying...").

Add to that the annoyances that voice chat has brought about. Like the guy who finally gets exasperated and types "ARE YOU NEW TO THIS QUEST" after I've said it no less than ~nine~ times in party chat, only to respond, "NO, YOU DIDN'T ~SAY~ IT OUT LOUD, I DON'T READ PARTY CHAT". Well aren't you special?! About the only thing that voice chat has made easy is that it lets people assume I'm a guy. "What, a chick who won't talk? Oh that's definitely a guy." Cool, now leave me alone, I'm not here to look for a date anyways. I'm here to play DDO, and specifically, depending on alt, to either blow up some morally black-and-white bad guys, or to heal my friends. To quest, to enjoy the world Turbine has built, and yes, to enjoy the music that they put ~in~ that world.

Now that I've ranted a bit though, I never turn voice off, either. I get that most people, or many people, want to use it and as much as I can't stand it, I'll adjust my settings and listen to them. That's part of being a group, yannow. You take the good with the bad. But I'll still type. So please...extend the same courtesy to me, read what I have to say when we're actually moving (as opposed to when we're resting, when I tend to say silly things because that's how I am ), and the quest will work itself out. I promise.

Edit: Must be early for me still, I didn't mean to quote anyone in particular.

[Lorz]

Maybe some people are better at multitasking than others.

Ask any of the people I regularly group with if I can effectively communicate via typing while I am in the thick of things. I will reiterate again: speaking has almost nothing to do with listening.

First off Rest...man calm down...nobody is attacking you for not using voice, but you have certainly shown that it is a touchy subject with you. As for why voice is important....RAIDS...plain and simple...nobody has time to read when it is happening in real time. Ive seen more than a few saved by quick communications in real time while players where saving their backsides and saving the day. That right there is a perfect example of WHY typing is not as good as vocal communication.

Another perfectly good example is here vs in game. Here you have to determine the voice the writer is using...and this leads to jokes not coming across funny and people reacting poorly. (See your own posts this thread for a prime example of poor behavior). With voice you can hear the sarcasm...and i dont have you point it out to you.

This is why...we are not silent mute creatures...we have VOICE.

(it is optional...but it is not a negative...if you think it is...youve got some issues you need to deal with....the world is full of people and you will have to interact at some point.)

/snarky on...and it doesnt matter if you use it or not to me...Im /squelching all of ya!
//Push to talk is your friend and mine!

[ellamonster]

I find that the biggest problem with the voice chat is being able to hear people. Sometimes when I play there are people that can’t hear anyone when everyone else can hear them fine. And there are some people that no one can hear at all.

I have all my other sounds set to 1% and voice chat set to 100%

I still can’t hear some people unless I turn all other sound off completely. And then there will be a battle right behind me and I won’t even know it.

A lot of the time I just give up and type. My typing has improved tenfold since I started this game so it’s not really a problem.

This.

Plus I play to relax, I always have my speakers on so I can hear instructions, but I avoid voice sometime so as not to get dragged into arguments. I absolutely hate people telling others how to play, not offering advice, but how to PLAY. So I stay off voice a lot.

I have been playing since the original beta, I know how to play lol. Anyways that is a major reason why I stay off chat in PuGs.

[Gremmlynn]

You're right, that did sound anti-social. I guess consideration is getting tossed right out the window with communication.

Asocial at best. Anti-social would be more along the lines not using voice to spite another. As far as consideration goes, I don't tell you how live your life or play your games and would appreciate you be considerate enough to reciprocate.

[Ainimache]

I just wanted to throw another data point into this argument: Free players don't get voice. They can hear it, but cannot use their mic's. Premium, and of course VIP, do, but not F2P.

So some of those players you have encountered simply don't have it available to them.

[Teldurn]

Personally, I don't like/use voice chat for three primary reasons. There are others, but these are the ones with greatest weight.

1. I like listening to the music in the game. I also enjoy the audio cues of when there are hostiles nearby that you can't see. (This is a great help with oozes who like to sneak up behind me)
2. Having someone prattle on about anything, game-related or not, breaks immersion for me. I don't want to hear it. After all, I am roleplaying, mostly all the time.
3. Last but not least, I don't own a mic. So I don't use it.

[Gremmlynn]

I just wanted to throw another data point into this argument: Free players don't get voice. They can hear it, but cannot use their mic's. Premium, and of course VIP, do, but not F2P.

So some of those players you have encountered simply don't have it available to them.

Then I guess my F2P accounts are bugged because voice works fine for me.

[Club'in]

I just wanted to throw another data point into this argument: Free players don't get voice. They can hear it, but cannot use their mic's. Premium, and of course VIP, do, but not F2P.

So some of those players you have encountered simply don't have it available to them.

I was not aware of that fact. That's it right there. Doesn't explain the not listening part, but is the most prevalent/influential reason I've heard from this thread. They can't...gotcha.

[zorander6]

I was able to use voice when F2P, not sure if they changed something or not. It was just a pain to get set up so I could hear everyone.

[rest]

First off Rest...man calm down...nobody is attacking you for not using voice, but you have certainly shown that it is a touchy subject with you. As for why voice is important....RAIDS...plain and simple...nobody has time to read when it is happening in real time. Ive seen more than a few saved by quick communications in real time while players where saving their backsides and saving the day. That right there is a perfect example of WHY typing is not as good as vocal communication.

Another perfectly good example is here vs in game. Here you have to determine the voice the writer is using...and this leads to jokes not coming across funny and people reacting poorly. (See your own posts this thread for a prime example of poor behavior). With voice you can hear the sarcasm...and i dont have you point it out to you.

This is why...we are not silent mute creatures...we have VOICE.

(it is optional...but it is not a negative...if you think it is...youve got some issues you need to deal with....the world is full of people and you will have to interact at some point.)

/snarky on...and it doesnt matter if you use it or not to me...Im /squelching all of ya!
//Push to talk is your friend and mine!

I don't feel attacked so no worries on that part of it.

Maybe I'm just spoiled because I tend to run with the same people who know I don't use voice chat so they make sure to read party chat. I've never had a raid wipe because I don't use voice chat. I love to short man raids with my friends. Me and 2 friends in VoD/Shroud/Hound and no problem because of my typing. I guess I just don't get why voice chat is SO important.

I don't lead raids. Or parties for that matter. I just don't enjoy it. That means I don't have to be the one giving instructions if I ever decide to PUG again. Again VC is not vital to my success in game.

I simply disagree that the OPs problem is with people using (or not using) voice chat. His is one of getting people to listen. Whether that be listening to his vocal communications or through typed messages, I bet he would find the same results: people need to learn how to listen.