Please reconsider text chat for consoles

pecheckler

Caroloces wrote: »

I know that this feature will not be part of the initial release to consoles, but I implore ZOS to seriously consider adding this in a future update. I watched the ESO live episode last Friday, and I take issue with one of the console presenters who said that console players will, in a sense, be a different breed from PC players because they will have a tendency to play in a more casual manner (living room couch & TV, feet propped up on coffee table, controller in hand). In this scenario (according to the presenter) a keyboard would be out of place.

This casual manner is not exclusive to console players. It is exactly the way I've been playing ESO since early release, over a year ago. I have a home theater PC, an easy chair, and side table (for mouse). I've got keyboard on lap and my feet propped up on hassock. I think with the advent of Steam, more PC players are adopting the "casual" approach to gaming, rather than the old, antiquated way of sitting at a desk with a traditional PC setup.
I am able to text chat with all 5 of my guilds with complete ease, do zone chat when looking for help, and do all of the maneuvering required to play the game with my keyboard on my lap.

To have voice chat as the only means of communication among players (although I believe it will be a nice feature) is simply insufficient. Can you imagine the myriad amount of distracting conversations occurring in a zone? Even enabling guild chat will break immersion. I have already shelled out my $20 for console transfer (so I can play with my nephew), and I look forward to playing on the PS4, this is a major deficit in the console version.

Anyone who doubts this, watch the Force Strategy video on the console beta (he is very positive in his remarks) where he notes the immersion breaking chatter about burger king(?) in which he is forced to turn off zone voice chat.

Please ZOS, Reconsider this element!

I could not possibly agree more with every single thing you have said.

NewBlacksmurf

Rook_Master wrote: »

ruze84b14_ESO wrote: »

Rook_Master wrote: »

ruze84b14_ESO wrote: »

Rook_Master wrote: »

david271749 wrote: »

Rook_Master wrote: »

Even if they ported zone voice chat to PC I would immediately turn it off.

Have you seen what sort of filth the starter zone chats are filled with post-B2P?

It's the same garbage from pre-B2P.

@Rook_Master

@david271749

The difference was quite stark to me. Before B2P, people were actually helping each other, and chat was on-topic, game-related, and generally friendly.

Now it's full of discussions on politics, religion, drugs, and full of trolls and people trying to get a rise out of others.


The sub definitely kept the maturity at a certain level. Can you just imagine how it will be when it's full of console kids whose parents bought them the game? I shudder thinking about it.

Important note, statistically older and older audiences are playing console games (due to the high price point and entertainment center mentality).

Xbox original was the generation of high school brats. Xbox 360 the generation of college ***hats. And it seems Xbox One is quickly turning into the generation of 'parent with two kids trying to get a game in'.

Not related to Op. Just wanted to make this reply.

That's interesting. I think there is some truth to what you say.

However, the fact that anecdotal reports are already coming in from Beta Testers that zone chat is already a mess is unnerving, since those players went out of their way to specifically apply and play in the Beta. If that is full of trolls and crying babies, then how do you think it's going to be when it goes Live?

I guess my confusion lies in this: how is that different from zone chat on PC?

You're still left with the basics of internet adaptation: ignore them, close the chat (which you can close voice chat, too), and possibly miss the important things you may have wanted to hear.

In this aspect, how is voice chat any different than zone chat? I'm almost forced to advise plaeyrs to ignore them or turn off chat, as I'm constantly being directed in my complaints about the missuse of zone chat in-game.



The real solution to that, in my opinion, is limiting the number of 'heroes' in city environments. The more players squeezed together, the more possibility for disruption. Area voice limits that disruption down to 20 meters or so, unlike Zone chat which shares the whole zone. But (for consoles, at least) it might be wise for ZOS to cut the number of players allowed in one phase down to 20 or so. Especially in town.

As I see it, the limitation of voice-only chat on consoles raises a few concerns:

1. You have to use voice-chat to form groups for dungeons.

Can you imagine everyone screaming at once near the Undaunted tent? "LFG VET PLEDGE GOLD I AM AWESOME DPS PLZZ" That is going to be absolute chaos.


2. No more zone callouts.

There will be no overall faction coordination or callouts in Cyrodiil about enemy movements. No one will be able to announce when Dolmens are up in PvE zones, etc.


There are probably other problems I'm not thinking of, but those are the major ones.

These aren't problems at all because there are systems in place but for whatever reason, people refuse to use them because of whatever personal reasons.

Zone call outs is a negative thing in PvP and it takes away from Cyrodil vs adding value.

How fake is it to see text in a huge zone LFG, WTS, WTB, blah blah blah....so I just turn off zone chat entirely

I'm looking forward to the console experience and welcome the changes from pc