Built in Voice Chat on PC would help solve a lot of problems with PUGs

Kadoin

Nah don't need any more data to add to the latency. Plus I don't want to hear anyone. It will break my immersion!

idk

FrancisCrawford wrote: »

idk wrote: »

I have never seen a top PC game have built-in VoIP and it would seem to be for very good reason.

LOTRO had built-in voice chat. It made Skirmish PUGs a lot more practical and fun.

Guilds usually went to higher-quality voice alternatives, such as Ventrilo or Teamspeak (this was long before Discord and a little before Mumble). But the built-in chat worked fine.

The only game I played that has VoIP was Neverwinter. I had to turn it off because of because more often that not there would be one or two players that would not shut up and talked about stupid stuff not related to the game. That as when someone was not coughing or breathing into the mic.

If Zos added it I would keep it turned off.

Ysbriel

Yes it would be great, people will nay say this but there are a whole lote of Pugs that require having discord even if you will be on mute. I really don’t even understand why are people so against it when game that has a built in voice chat, also has the option of turning it off or mute the mic etcétera.

Hotdog_23

PS4

I admit I don’t use voice chat much in pug groups but when it is needed, I find it very helpful. Don’t really see no point in why that don’t have it included in the game. Now in trials it is pretty much universally required. See nothing wrong with having options available.

Be safe and have fun 😊

thadjarvis

Devil advocating:

1) VC hosted by ESO costs server computing resources. Wouldn’t everyone want those resources put towards game performance instead?

2) Discord will function better than any game designer VC as its highly optimized and can even use phone to completely take performance impact out.

3) It does take tine but generally <1mim to get everyone into a VC channel

4) VC is only “required” when progressing content. Once players know the content well there’s no need for it. If progging ask others to join VC...? If they refuse ESO hosting it won’t change that.

bharathitman

This simply wouldn't work with ESO.

1. It's a casual mmo first and foremost and a majority of the people go to great lengths to avoid doing difficult group content in this game
2. This is a moderated forum, and so is the in-game zone chat / DMs etc. ZOS tends to moderate everything. You can report people for abusive behaviour. Could you imagine the amount of complaints they would get with voice chat for abusive language, racist & sexist comments? Moderating this becomes an exercise in futility

Jeremy

Athyrium93 wrote: »

The number of threads on here about how terrible PUGing is, especially in DLC dungeons seems to come down to a lack of communication in a lot cases. You read so many stories of people running through dungeons leaving their party behind, or missing mechanics, or skipping bosses, ignoring people that ask to do the quest, and/or just generally being new or bad. I imagine most of those people aren't actually jerks, they just don't realize what a problem it can be for others because it's so easy to ignore or miss the tiny little chat icon.
Most of these issues could be solved with better communication, it's hard to type out all the mechanics of a fight, but easy to just say them. It's easy to miss someone asking a question or asking to hold on a second in text chat, but if they could just say it verbally it would be much easier and quicker.
I think it would make the PUG experience a lot better, and a lot more friendly to newer players, since they often get left behind while typing up questions, and just ignored almost as often.

ESO is supposed to be a social game, I know a lot of people like to pretend it's a single player game with uncooperative NPC's instead of other players, but maybe if talking to each other was easier it would actually encourage more social game play... or maybe I'm completely off base and it's awful on console with their voice coms...

What does everyone else think?

I'll pass. Just thinking back to when I used to play LOTRO (which had a built in voice chat) is enough to make me cringe. The benefits this might bring is far outweighed by the negative in my opinion and having your ears assaulted by annoying people who never shut up is not going to make pugs more enjoyable for me. A lot of the people I meet in pugs are annoying enough just in chat. So I can only imagine if I had to listen to them as well. It would be like torture.

The better option is just to make the fights manageable enough to where typing the general strategy before the fight begins is sufficient.

Dusk_Coven

People who don't tell you up front they don't know a dungeon still won't tell you over voice chat.
People who are underqualified / looking for a carry / don't give a skeever's ass about you and are going to speed run and leave you to die -- they still won't tell you any of that over voice chat.

NWO actually has built-in voice chat. People didn't use it just typed everything in chat anyway. The few time people did use it, it was so staticky I coudln't make out what they were saying anyway, so that might have been part of the issue for those people who did want to try it at all.
I think that's a case study to look into before a commitment to adding voice chat.

Jeremy

Dusk_Coven wrote: »

People who don't tell you up front they don't know a dungeon still won't tell you over voice chat.
People who are underqualified / looking for a carry / don't give a skeever's ass about you and are going to speed run and leave you to die -- they still won't tell you any of that over voice chat.

Yeah I agree.

Having a voice chat wouldn't solve the legitimate concerns the OP has. ___ ____ who are in a rush would still just ignore newer players and leave them behind without a second thought. The only difference is they would probably get ridiculed in chat while it happens - or have to endure listening to the player brag about how awesome his or her DPS is while some stupid TV show echos in the background.

Integral1900

Nice suggestion but it will never happen.

ZOS themselves said before that they have no interest in doing something like that because I’d rather leave it to third-party systems.

Also, to be frank, four players with no interest in communication are not going to talk to each other whether they have voice chat or not

AgaTheGreat

If I pug I don't use voice chat even though the game puts me in the group channel at grouping. I doubt having a built in voice chat on PC would solve your pain points. Although I find it weird that PC client doesn't have that, let me just tell you on consoles it's only really used in organised groups. Not pick up ones. 🤷‍♀

Elwendryll

Well. I agree that a dungeon with a lead giving calls makes everything easier (I make calls all the times when we run dungeons, it became an habit).

For some dungeons that require communication, like vLoM HM boss fight for example, we just share a discord invite link... (And you can still manage with text...)
On the other hand :

You'd need people to have a mic, understand/speak english, and be willing to listen/talk. If it's not possible to explain mechanics over text, it's not going to be easy over voice.

It's just so intrusive. I don't want random peoples able to talk to me without my consent. Having trolls over a mic is so annoying.

Really, Guild Finder > Group Finder.

Linaleah

AgaTheGreat wrote: »

If I pug I don't use voice chat even though the game puts me in the group channel at grouping. I doubt having a built in voice chat on PC would solve your pain points. Although I find it weird that PC client doesn't have that, let me just tell you on consoles it's only really used in organised groups. Not pick up ones. 🤷‍♀

PC doesn't have it because on pc you have multiple options for much better outside voice programs that have been around for ages. current popular seems to be discord, but teamspeak, etc is still around.

Opalblade

SmukkeHeks wrote: »

It’s a two way responsibility. If you want to speed run, it’s as much own responsibility as the one, who’s there for the quests and exploring.

For me, I’m not using voice chat. Because “how we talk to and about each other” are also a very wide concept. And I’ll sometimes talk to my cats. Nothing much, just daily small talk. I’ll be classified as weird in a heartbeat.

I have a similar reason for not using voice chat, except the pet I'm talking to is a parrot who will also most likely try to join in on whatever conversation I'm having. Usually he starts screeching and yelling insults because he's a little turd who doesn't like anyone he doesn't recognize the voice of. He also likes to repeat the weirdest crap at the worst possible times, so yeah. If they ever add voice chat, I really hope people don't start making it a requirement because I honestly don't know what I'd do about that.

witchdoctor

Not doing PUGs solves a lot of the problems with PUGs.

L_Nici

Great Idea, task the dying server with the sending of voice on top that guarantees a better experience.

Gythral

witchdoctor wrote: »

Not doing PUGs solves a lot of the problems with PUGs.

Is the only solution, if you have a problem with PUGs

Casual VOIP is commonly available for PCs,. just few want to use it, becuase, too often, those that DO want it, are too fond of thier own voice...

unfortunately...

Cadbury

I have a mic. I'm just not very talkative.
As others have said, adding ingame voice on PC is largely redundant as Discord exists

Milli_Rabbit

I 100% agree. Here is my experience. It's 50/50 whether I get good dps or bad dps. And it seems to be I either get 20k total or 80-100k total (if I'm tanking/healing). For the half that do really solid damage, they 80-90% of the time really do care to learn mechanics and complete the content. Having VC in-game would help in those cases. However, the low dps group will not be helped as the mechanics aren't the issue in that case.

AWinterWolf

I rarely use vc unless it's for a guild raid, I'm personally not interested in vc in dungeons and the like, especially if I cannot mute it, so I don't have to hear the kids crying in the background, the heavy nose breathing and the rest, BUT I can see why it would be useful, especially when people are new to the dungeon, but Discord can be incredibly useful for this instead, as I can literally invite them, have them join a channel and explain, if they ask if I can explain in voice.

Samadhi

Leave my mic unplugged due to voice dysphoria.
but, then, the question really is what issue is voice comms supposed to solve?
never talk, but people treat me like the best tank

BRCOURTN

Voice chat would be extremely beneficial. If youre pugging trials in craglorn, on console theres usually a leader who can direct people. Voice helps a ton there. Direct and quick feedback is way more beneficial than text chat.

And for pugging dungeons. When I played on xbox, especially in vet DLC dungeons, people wouldn't talk kn voice chat until we wiped 4 times on a boss. Then suddenly everyone has a mic and is willing to communicate to get it done.

You may be thinking that these things shouldn't be pugged anyways, but they are, often, and voice chat would at least help that by a lot.

UGotBenched91

gatekeeper13 wrote: »

Toxicity is already out of control in chat box. Imagine having a voice chat too.

Discord is fine for those who want to communicate more effectively.

Eh PC players rely on discord way too much IMO. Xbox has open voice chat and it was mostly fine.

Nemeliom

Athyrium93 wrote: »

The number of threads on here about how terrible PUGing is, especially in DLC dungeons seems to come down to a lack of communication in a lot cases. You read so many stories of people running through dungeons leaving their party behind, or missing mechanics, or skipping bosses, ignoring people that ask to do the quest, and/or just generally being new or bad. I imagine most of those people aren't actually jerks, they just don't realize what a problem it can be for others because it's so easy to ignore or miss the tiny little chat icon.
Most of these issues could be solved with better communication, it's hard to type out all the mechanics of a fight, but easy to just say them. It's easy to miss someone asking a question or asking to hold on a second in text chat, but if they could just say it verbally it would be much easier and quicker.
I think it would make the PUG experience a lot better, and a lot more friendly to newer players, since they often get left behind while typing up questions, and just ignored almost as often.

ESO is supposed to be a social game, I know a lot of people like to pretend it's a single player game with uncooperative NPC's instead of other players, but maybe if talking to each other was easier it would actually encourage more social game play... or maybe I'm completely off base and it's awful on console with their voice coms...

What does everyone else think?

ZOS needs to choose between building lots of things:
-new content
-game balance
-performance
-etc
-etc
.
.
-voice chat

Voice chat already exists in many forms and for free. Guess what's going to happen?

When you don't have unlimited resources, you need to choose what to work on. They really have bigger priorities.

doomette

Opalblade wrote: »

SmukkeHeks wrote: »

It’s a two way responsibility. If you want to speed run, it’s as much own responsibility as the one, who’s there for the quests and exploring.

For me, I’m not using voice chat. Because “how we talk to and about each other” are also a very wide concept. And I’ll sometimes talk to my cats. Nothing much, just daily small talk. I’ll be classified as weird in a heartbeat.

I have a similar reason for not using voice chat, except the pet I'm talking to is a parrot who will also most likely try to join in on whatever conversation I'm having. Usually he starts screeching and yelling insults because he's a little turd who doesn't like anyone he doesn't recognize the voice of. He also likes to repeat the weirdest crap at the worst possible times, so yeah. If they ever add voice chat, I really hope people don't start making it a requirement because I honestly don't know what I'd do about that.

I don’t know, if I heard someone’s foul-mouthed parrot over party chat, I think it would make my night. 😆

On topic, I’m glad there’s a built-in option with XBox, even though I mostly just use it with guildies after some bad experiences with troglodytic randos. Better to have it and not need it than not have it and need it, basically.

Hapexamendios

More often than not I'll leave the voice chat in a PUG because someone thinks everyone needs to hear their tastes in music or YouTube.

BRCOURTN

Hapexamendios wrote: »

More often than not I'll leave the voice chat in a PUG because someone thinks everyone needs to hear their tastes in music or YouTube.

you can just mute the obnoxious person

d0e1ow

Does a post from July count as a necro? I've been thinking a lot about how having voice chat in groups at the very least would be nice. Very convenient. It seems like it was in the cards at one point per this old post on reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/2tfb48/welcome_to_the_eso_tamriel_unlimited_aua/cnykuhu/

I wonder what happened. Not surprising to see so many people against it. I kind of understand as alot of the times I don't really feel like talking, but the ease of being able to slide into voice chat while in the client for dungeons or PvP would be great. Even having optional proximity chat might be nice. I've met basically no people randomly while playing this game, but I run by 100's every day. Even in guilds they are just silent and barely speak, tabbed out in Discord I suspect.

Would be nice to have a tool to facilitate meeting people "in the game". MMO's have gotten too fast paced to be able to sit and type like we used to do in Everquest. Voice chat is the only way now.