Chat bubbles - do players use them?

Roberthen

Hello, basically the title.

Wall of text
It seems like nobody uses them, when I asked in zone chats some people were even surprised that it can be switched on in this game. Nobody reacts to your hello in open world, nobody reacts to your hello in random dungeons. Maybe players are just rude, maybe they just ignore chat, IDK.

Or is it like RP thing that people dont want their game to look like comic book?

I came from WoW, where chat bubbles are on by default. I switched them on in ESO as well, since I find it more convenient to see chat in front of me in game, while I still play, do dps, dodge etc. than to peek on chat window once in a while.

Peeking makes me 1. ignore chat and missing on things 2. focus on chat and die on mechanics

Bubbles are saves for me, when I miss some bubble I can peek into chat to read full information, but having text in front of me in game is way to luxurious to switch it off.

Actual questions
So, do YOU presonally use them, or not? And why?

D0PAMINE

I do not. Im almost always in Discord when I do group related things.

ArchMikem

Only time I've seen people use the quick chat emotes it's in Cyrodiil when people meet up at front door Sieges or resource flags and we start Hello-ing each other.

Salix_alba

Pc NA

No I don't use them since there is a glut if other things going on screen at any time already. And with the chat window being re sizable and movable, and you can even toggle channels on and off and change the colors to better identify the info you need or want to get out of chat serves the purpose just fine for chatting. Also with add-ons like p-chat you can even toggle how people are addressed by toons name or @handle and many other useful features

Fur_like_snow

No, because it adds unnecessary clutter to my screen.

idk

They are beneficial for raiding, setting it so you see bubbles for group members. Cannot find them to rez them they can type in chat and the chat bubble marks their location.

Outside of that they are of no interest to me.

Morgha_Kul

I always do. It's particularly good for RPers, who will be better able to know when someone nearby is actually talking.

Chaos2088

Didn’t even know this was a thing....

Gythral

No
that what the chat box/discord or another screen is for!

Valykc

I had them on but hardly ever notice it because nobody wants to talk to me 😭

vestahls

I have them on, but I don't do group activities or RP or any of the typical reasons people have them on. I just sometimes communicate with players in the overland, and even when I don't, it's useful when there's a conversation to see who said the thing without having to check the individual usernames. I have to point the reticle at PCs and NPCs to see their names, so if someone's saying something in the immediate area, chat bubbles help.

I have various addons to clean up the clutter from the UI so my screen only has a couple of small things on it, so it's no trouble to put the bubbles on.

Roberthen

idk: Very interexting use of them

Morgha_kul: Exactly, you can see when someone is talking to you, in pugs it is great to learn what you doing wrong etc.

Dopamine: Yes, guild content with discord, but what about pugs, or puggy Cyrodiil, bubbles are good for comunication, Even something like "Left door" may save my life.

Nightowl_74

No, I'm from FFXIV and before that FFXI. The text chat and emote functions (at least on PS4) were one of the hardest things to get used to because they're such a basic component and bubbles would be even more different.

Dojohoda

Yes, chat bubbles are active on one or two of my characters.

TheFM

HAd em on since they were introduced, i think it adds to the game =D

Ysbriel

Yes and they are quite helpful

Ohtimbar

No, I despise clutter. Visual and otherwise.

InaMoonlight

Yep, on everyone else then me. Makes it easier to see where they are in case a /kissthis is needed

bmnoble

Never really noticed the option, then again I main a tank so I don't like clutter on my screen, will have a look, if it gets in the way I won't bother with it. Would not know if anyone is using it though had no reason to look for it.

I mainly just use chat, may not always respond to a hello though, I will generally answer a question if asked other than that the most you will get out of me in a dungeon is: Chest, hs(heavy sack) and looking for X set piece/monster helm will tip.

If there are some low level players in the group in a dungeon that you can skip quest bosses on I will ask if anyone is doing the quest, so they don't miss out on the bosses they need.

I do explain mechanics when asked, sometimes I can't remember them until were in the boss fight, so I will see how the group goes if we wipe I explain and we go again.

If I get a weapon drop at the end that I know to be rare and have no intention of using I will ask if anyone wants it at the end, for example given away 4 of those Inferno staffs everyone is after in city of ash not the best traits but they were happy.

Nestor

I like them for some things, like Raids as mentioned above. Another good use is to find someone for Face to Face trading.

I have them turned on but only for known players so I don't see a bunch of bubbles.

SeaGtGruff

I turned them on long ago after discovering them in the UI settings. I don't use chat too heavily, but the default choice is /say which means players sometimes /say things [EDIT: when I think they'd meant to use /zone] and I'm not sure if they're talking to me or to someone else, so I look around to see if I see a chat bubble.

I also turn on subtitles for the NPCs, but not the additional option that makes the NPCs' speech show up in the chat box. That option can be useful, because I believe it even shows NPC speeches that don't show up in the subtitles, but it's too confusing to have NPC speech intermixed with player chat.

Anumaril

I certainly do use them, but I have them enabled for certain groups of people and not others. If I recall I have them set to OFF for people I do not know, but ON for people I do know or am grouped with.
This generally keeps my screen clean while I do my everyday activities while giving me the useful bonuses you pointed out.

Danikat

I never use them, but as far as I know everything shows up in my chat panel so I'll still see if anyone talks. But I prefer minimal stuff popping up on screen so I'm more likely to notice the stuff which is important.

TheUndeadAmulet

On console they are on by default, so I've always had mine on.

driosketch

I was just about to say no, but realized, yes, I do have them on for just about everything but /zone. I guess I just don't come across a lot of people speaking locally.

Elsonso

I have them fully on, and have since they rolled it out as a "beta".

Hippie4927

I tried playing with them on but it was too much clutter on my screen so I turned them off.

Danikat

driosketch wrote: »

I was just about to say no, but realized, yes, I do have them on for just about everything but /zone. I guess I just don't come across a lot of people speaking locally.

I almost never use the local channel because I'm not sure what the range is, and if the people I'm talking to will hear me. Unless I know they're all very close and zone chat is busy it's easier to use that, or /tell for just 1 person.

Sylvermynx

Don't use them. Don't have chat open. I play solo as my ping is to high to dump on a group (and I'm not really a very friendly person anyway....) Like others have said too, I hate screen clutter.

Kiralyn2000

Yeah, I don't even have the basic chat box open most of the time.

SeaGtGruff

/zone chat has been pretty rank of late. I mean, ranker than usual. It seems to happen every so often, then it gets better for a while-- maybe because the most offensive players get themselves banned, or get bored and move on, or whatever. I'm too old to be offended by dirty talk, but it's embarrassing to see players who think that juvenile dirty talk is funny.