Ingame text chat deleted every time i switch characters? Whyyy?

Lebkuchen

Every time i switch characters, my friends text me about something important about their life, and get angry or sad because i did not respond... But i did not see the text, because i switched characters! Well, maybe this does not happen every time i switch characters, but it happens quite a lot. People don't know if i saw the message or not, and i do not know who texted me while i was staring at loading screens. It's especially annoying when i am trying to do the crafting dailies with all my chars.

Would it be possible to stay in chat when you switch chars, or is this a bad idea for some reason?

Lebkuchen

Maybe even after bluescreens and disconnects. They happen to me a lot lately.

SpacemanSpiff1

they can see you logging in and out. why are they getting upset?

fizl101

If they are friends you chat to alot, consider creating a psn group that you can chat in, use the playstation chat function itself, then you wont lose the messages like you would for in game chat. You can use the playstation UI for it, or install the playstation app on your phone

Ragnarok0130

I found the addon”p-chat” saves convos that occurred on other toons which helps with continuity between toons but it won’t work while you are logged out on the character selection screen so it may work as a half measure here. And as Spaceman said your friends can see you logging in/out so the issue here seems to be between your friends’ chai and keyboard.

Dojohoda

Offline mode while doing writs on all of your characters is an option.

Dr_Con

To this day it confounds me how much the chat system lacks.

Lebkuchen

Nobody can see me switching chars. There are a few seconds when i log out and can not see the chat. Sometimes people write me in these few seconds and do not understand why i don't write back.

Psn groups, discord and all the other stuff would work of course, but it is annoying while playing the game.

I can not install addons on playstation.

Offline mode while doing writs is brilliant, thank you!

Still, it would be nice to be able to scroll through all the chat since the moment i first log into the game. And not have it deleted all the time. When i am online for a while, the older chat will disappear too. It would be nice to have options how long the chat is available.

The text chat window does not have a lot of options on playstation. I can not even leave the zonechat. Or guildchats. And i can not move the window or change the color of the background. Maybe i should just switch to PC

SpacemanSpiff1

Lebkuchen wrote: »

Nobody can see me switching chars. There are a few seconds when i log out and can not see the chat. Sometimes people write me in these few seconds and do not understand why i don't write back.

so they can see that you're logged on, but cannot see when you log on and off?

forgive me i am not familiar with console chat. on pc i get chat notifications when friends log on and off.

davidtk

If you will switch to PC there you can use RCHAT or PCHAT asddon, both are same addons for chat with saved history.
Anyway if you will change instance and someone will send message in the right time... you will NOT get this message.
Many times happened to me when i traveled throught wayshrine to other zone and after while i got message like "why you not asnwering me?!" and they just can't understand "i didn't recieve anything while i TP" XD

There is other annoying thing about chat... If you are logged on to the character select screen, game itself consider you as logged in and if someone will try to text you, he will NOT get error "account not found" (because you are logged on loggon server) so the same for offline mode. You appear offline but someone can check you if you are in the game. <- dont know if it works same way on PS/XBOX servers but on the PC it work that way

So on PC you can see [system]### logged on/off

Offline mode is the best for daily crafts

colossalvoids

They absolutely should get the message that you're logged off right after they've sent their message so it's on them really.

belial5221_ESO

They are trying to keep the servers from retaining unneccesary data.It's why they went to the accountwide achieves.Maybe use a phone app or something to text/voice if it's a regular occurance.I'm not sure if xbox or ps has non ingame voice options,but would be another way.It's one of the reasons lots use discord for PC.

DinoZavr

if you play on PC get the pChat addon. it solves the issue.
sorry. irrelevant for consoles

Syldras

If they don't see you logging off (on PC that shows in chat automatically, weird that it doesn't on other systems) and get angry because you miss their text then - how about telling them beforehand that you'll change characters now? Then they can wait with sending their text until you're back.

SilverBride

On PC if a player tries to send a message to someone that is offline they get a system message that the account cannot be found and the message doesn't go through. This doesn't happen on console?

SpiritKitten

I just type 'swapping' in chat if in the middle of a conversation.

opalcity

You could try getting the playstation app for your phone or tablet.

But you could just tell them you are switching chars or you'll BRB.

Lebkuchen

Of course i always say that i switch char when i am in the middle of a conversation. But typing it in all 5 guild chats, and whispering it to all my friends, every time i switch chars would be a little too much

For the people wondering about the notifications when friends log out, log in and switch chars:

You get a 10 second timer and special screen when you log out. In this time you can not see the chat, but people can write to you and you will never see the message.

When you are in character selection people will see you are online in their ingame friendslist and in the guildroster, but their messages will just disappear when they try to send you a text.

At no point you get a notification when someone switches chars in game. You only get playstation notifications when playstation friends turn on their playstation. There is even a bug where the whole game freezes for 1-2 seconds when playstation friends come online or go offline. They do not even have to start ESO to mess with your ESO. But that's another story...

I do not want to play around with a cellphone, tablet or computer while i am holding my controller, sitting on the couch, playing a video game.

The ingame chat is perfect to communicate with people in the game. But in my opinion it could use a few small upgrades. Not deleting the chat every time i switch chars would be a great start.

SilverBride

You could notify your friends that you will be changing characters for a few and will message them when you are finished. That's what I do when I'm doing writs and my friends do the same.

I don't see why all 5 guilds would need notified unless you are in an active conversation with all of them at the time.

blue_peaceful_Manticore

Dr_Con wrote: »

To this day it confounds me how much the chat system lacks.

You call this chat system? lol
Cuz we can talk with others? omg

nuttytom

of all the things wrong with this game and you complain about this. get pchat addon lol

davidtk

SilverBride wrote: »

On PC if a player tries to send a message to someone that is offline they get a system message that the account cannot be found and the message doesn't go through. This doesn't happen on console?

On PC chat errors works this way:
"Account not found" will show up if the account is really logged off from char select screen (only Login button or cerendials).
So if you will do daily crafts and changing toons, sender who whispering to you via "/tell @account " will NOT see this error because game chat consider account as logged even when no toon is loaded. Sender still CAN send message but it will dissappear without any error. You will not get sender's message.

"Character not found" will show up only if the toon is logged off when sender will whisper to the you to loaded toon via "/tell CharacterName"

If you will have "Offline" mode "Account not found" will NOT show up because account is logged on login server.
"Character not found" will NOT show up if you will try whisper actualy loaded character.

So if this work on every platform...
If the sender does not receive an error message during the relog of the recipient's character (daily crafts), then the sender does not have to notice that his message did not go and disappeared.
BUT still friend will SEE system message that Account logged off with CharName...

But I using rchat addon on PC.

nuttytom wrote: »

of all the things wrong with this game and you complain about this. get pchat addon lol

He playing on the console...

SilverBride

davidtk wrote: »

SilverBride wrote: »

On PC if a player tries to send a message to someone that is offline they get a system message that the account cannot be found and the message doesn't go through. This doesn't happen on console?

On PC chat errors works this way:
"Account not found" will show up if the account is really logged off from char select screen (only Login button or cerendials).
So if you will do daily crafts and changing toons, sender who whispering to you via "/tell @account " will NOT see this error because game chat consider account as logged even when no toon is loaded. Sender still CAN send message but it will dissappear without any error. You will not get sender's message.

"Character not found" will show up only if the toon is logged off when sender will whisper to the you to loaded toon via "/tell CharacterName"

If you will have "Offline" mode "Account not found" will NOT show up because account is logged on login server.
"Character not found" will NOT show up if you will try whisper actualy loaded character.

So if this work on every platform...
If the sender does not receive an error message during the relog of the recipient's character (daily crafts), then the sender does not have to notice that his message did not go and disappeared.
BUT still friend will SEE system message that Account logged off with CharName...

But I using rchat addon on PC.

All I know is there is some kind of error or the message simply does not show in the chat window because it wasn't received. I have never known of a message going through if the player was logged off the character or completely out of the game either one.

At least this is how it is on PC. I am not sure if console is different.

davidtk

SilverBride wrote: »

All I know is there is some kind of error or the message simply does not show in the chat window because it wasn't received. I have never known of a message going through if the player was logged off the character or completely out of the game.

At least this is how it is on PC. I am not sure if console is different.

I had a person in friend list long ago what didn't understood why i just sometimes playing in the offline mode. And it was sometimes strange how that person knew that I am in the game even in the offline. And because I play with wife we made some test with chat. So I discovered how it works and when error messages show up and when not.

And because I don't have a console I only know how it works on the PC.

Kiralyn2000

Dr_Con wrote: »

To this day it confounds me how much the chat system lacks.

I'm not sure I've played any MMO that had chat remembered/active across character changes.

TaSheen

Kiralyn2000 wrote: »

Dr_Con wrote: »

To this day it confounds me how much the chat system lacks.

I'm not sure I've played any MMO that had chat remembered/active across character changes.

Me either. I did have an addon in WoW that saved chat to a file for later review, but then the author abandoned it so *shrug*.

Lebkuchen

nuttytom wrote: »

of all the things wrong with this game and you complain about this. get pchat addon lol

@nuttytom Don't worry, i complain about all the important stuff too. But since nobody seems to be able and/or willing to fix any of that i tought i would try to talk about a smaller problem that many CONSOLE players have been dealing with. You know, the people with Xbox and Playstation. The ones where you can not "get an addon lol..." It would be easy and cheap to improve the chat, and it could be sold as a nice little quality of life upgrade, for players who just want to relax and play this game on their tv.

Paulytnz

Syldras wrote: »

If they don't see you logging off (on PC that shows in chat automatically, weird that it doesn't on other systems) and get angry because you miss their text then - how about telling them beforehand that you'll change characters now? Then they can wait with sending their text until you're back.

Yeah it does not show when friends come online or go offline. However, if the friend is offline just as you hit enter it says - no such player exists or some such.

Four_Fingers

Would require saving everybody's chat streams junk and all so they can be retrieved on another character, imagine the added system load.

Danikat

Four_Fingers wrote: »

Would require saving everybody's chat streams junk and all so they can be retrieved on another character, imagine the added system load.

There are addons which can do it on PC. I assume they save it locally, so ZOS could do the same thing if they wanted to.

fred4

Yeah, why can't the chat box stay during area loading screens and while relogging? Why can't you chat while you wait? This used to bother me on my old PC. Less so, since I upgraded to a recent processor and gen 4 SSD, as loading screens and relogging is now much faster. Would be especially useful, though, when switching character for a PUG trial and you need to be re-invited by someone who is neither a friend nor in one of your guilds.