A few questions about participating in groups.

Davor · October 2016

Not sure where to ask this question. Sorry if it's in the wrong section. First question. I am playing on PC now, coming from Xbox One. While I never tried using voice chat on the Xbox One I was thinking of trying it for the PC. Thing is, I don't know if the PC version has it. I see now that the Xbox One can have chat support through text now. Again never used it. But playing on the PC now, I am thinking now to be more social and actually try and play with groups. So can I chat with people on the PC with voice or is it only with keyboard only? If we can use voice chat how do you do it?

I was playing in Auridion and was trying one of the, sorry forget the name, where the chains come down from the sky and you fight the minions that come out, someone asked me to join the group. So I did. All of a sudden bunch of boxes show up. I am thinking these are all members of the group. Some in bright red, some in dark red. I think dark red is all members in the group and when lit to bright red I am close to them. Correct?

I am trying to keep up with all the chatter in the text but I am not much a social person so hard for me to adapt what is going on. So since I didn't see anything apply to me, I just kept playing. Thing is, was I being rude? What is expected of me when someone asks me to join a group and there are many members but nobody says anything to me. This group thing is new to me and don't have a clue what to do. I played with them a bit but not sure what I was expected to do.

So having this happen I thought ok, to be so anti social and try this again. So my second question is, what do I do? I know this sounds so stupid for a man almost 50 asking, how to act with other people when playing. If someone asks me to join them. Why would they do it? What is expected from me when I do? Again being anti social almost all my life, it's hard for me to comprehend this MMO play style. I don't want to offend anyone. I have a hard time reading and typing at the same time as well. So I can be slow on the responses if someone is expecting me of something.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Just would like to try and enjoy the MOO experience more, but don't have a clue on what I am doing.

Nestor · October 2016

There is no Voice Chat on the PC, we use something like Discord or Teamspeak or Skype similar. Most guilds have their own preference or even run on different voice systems.

Random Group requests like this near a large even like a Dolmen or World Boss is done for many reasons. For one, right now, with the Plunder Skulls, this assures that everyone gets some exp for every kill as there are so many around. In any event, invites near a large event are up to you, join the group if you want, you can always drop out, no penalties for that.

On the other hand, if someone is asking you to group and say it's just the two of you in the delve, or its a small group, then you really want to do that as you all get exp from every kill, even one you did not get a hit on. Also, duo's get more exp than a solo or a 3/4 group, so partnering up for a delve or two can be quite profitable. Again, you can always drop from the group if it does not work out.

I only text chat when I have nothing else going on, most people are that way. Texting and fighting don't really go together, so don't try. Wait until your between mobs if you have something to say. But, I don't think most Ad Hoc Groups or Pugs really need a lot of talk beyond "You questing or grinding, if questing I will wait for you to talk to the NPCs" or in a group dungeon, who is going to pull what in the upcoming fight. This gets sorted out early on, then people just play together.

What is more important in a PUG is to work with the others without having to talk. For instance, I ran next to a player, ungrouped, who like to use Daedric Mines. But, the best effect is to kite enemies over the mines, so he would drop the mines, I would pull the mobs and back up so they would walk over the mines while he DPS'd them down. Nobody had to talk, we just paid attention to how each other fought and worked out a way to benefit each other.

So, paying attention to your group mates is probably more important than talking to them.

Davor · October 2016

Thank you Nestor, this helps a lot. Greatly appreciated. You have been a great help for me for the last few weeks. Greatly appreciate all your help.

So with all the chatting that is going on, how do I know when someone is asking me something? Will they be saying my name? Also if I want to say something to them, how do I do it? Just say @whoever blah blah blah or is there a different way of doing it?

One more question. Last time I played something like this with MechWarrior 2, I would be chatting with someone and just shooting the crap. Like Hi, how are you, and stuff like that. Do people do that now or would the be frowned apon now in this day and age?

LarsS · October 2016

The social interaction, is an important part of an mmo. Some of the endgame stuff like trial and hard to do of you dont play with friends you know. I suggest you look for a marture and friendly guild, which is willing to introduce you to these aspects of the game. Most guild use some form of voice communication since you need IT to do the endgame and it is a great way to have fun while playing.

Nestor · October 2016

Davor wrote: »

So with all the chatting that is going on, how do I know when someone is asking me something? Will they be saying my name? Also if I want to say something to them, how do I do it? Just say @whoever blah blah blah or is there a different way of doing it?

One more question. Last time I played something like this with MechWarrior 2, I would be chatting with someone and just shooting the crap. Like Hi, how are you, and stuff like that. Do people do that now or would the be frowned apon now in this day and age?

There is some chit chat in zone chat, but really, more of it happens in Guild chat. Most of the guilds I am in people have conversations about stuff not game related along with game stuff. If your on the NA PC server, send me an email in game to @Nestor and I can get you in some guilds that will be enjoyable to you. No pressures, just folks who play the game together, or apart as the case may be.

Davor · October 2016

Nestor wrote: »

Davor wrote: »

So with all the chatting that is going on, how do I know when someone is asking me something? Will they be saying my name? Also if I want to say something to them, how do I do it? Just say @whoever blah blah blah or is there a different way of doing it?

One more question. Last time I played something like this with MechWarrior 2, I would be chatting with someone and just shooting the crap. Like Hi, how are you, and stuff like that. Do people do that now or would the be frowned apon now in this day and age?

There is some chit chat in zone chat, but really, more of it happens in Guild chat. Most of the guilds I am in people have conversations about stuff not game related along with game stuff. If your on the NA PC server, send me an email in game to @Nestor and I can get you in some guilds that will be enjoyable to you. No pressures, just folks who play the game together, or apart as the case may be.

I can do that? How will I send you an email? Just use Nestor? no @something.com?

UrQuan · October 2016

Davor wrote: »

Nestor wrote: »

Davor wrote: »

So with all the chatting that is going on, how do I know when someone is asking me something? Will they be saying my name? Also if I want to say something to them, how do I do it? Just say @whoever blah blah blah or is there a different way of doing it?

One more question. Last time I played something like this with MechWarrior 2, I would be chatting with someone and just shooting the crap. Like Hi, how are you, and stuff like that. Do people do that now or would the be frowned apon now in this day and age?

There is some chit chat in zone chat, but really, more of it happens in Guild chat. Most of the guilds I am in people have conversations about stuff not game related along with game stuff. If your on the NA PC server, send me an email in game to @Nestor and I can get you in some guilds that will be enjoyable to you. No pressures, just folks who play the game together, or apart as the case may be.

I can do that? How will I send you an email? Just use Nestor? no @something.com?

When you're in-game and go to your mail (on PC unless you've changed the keybinds it's either the " , " key or the " ' " key - I can never remember which of those opens mail and which one opens the crown store) just type in @Nestor in the recipient field and it will get to him.

Davor · October 2016

Thank you very much UrQuan.

Hot_spur · October 2016

When I join a group, or when I invite someone to join, I always greet the group or new member with a "Hiya." It just seems the polite thing to do. In real life if you walk into the workplace you greet your coworkers, so this is no different for me.

I generally invite the members of the group to become friends. This has two benefits:
1. You can look at your list and know who you've played with previously
2. When you want to create a group, or expand a group, you have a large list of people to invite

Not all of your friends will be online at once, so the larger your list, the more people you have access to.

Eventually, you will reach a point where the only content left is group related unless you start a new character at lvl 1.

If someone in a group pulls off a cool move, I always compliment them. Or if they have a cool costume, I will compliment them on that.

This is a social gaming experience. If you don't treat it as such you miss out on half of the fun.

Davor · October 2016

Hot_spur wrote: »

When I join a group, or when I invite someone to join, I always greet the group or new member with a "Hiya." It just seems the polite thing to do. In real life if you walk into the workplace you greet your coworkers, so this is no different for me.

I generally invite the members of the group to become friends. This has two benefits:
1. You can look at your list and know who you've played with previously
2. When you want to create a group, or expand a group, you have a large list of people to invite

Not all of your friends will be online at once, so the larger your list, the more people you have access to.

Eventually, you will reach a point where the only content left is group related unless you start a new character at lvl 1.

If someone in a group pulls off a cool move, I always compliment them. Or if they have a cool costume, I will compliment them on that.

This is a social gaming experience. If you don't treat it as such you miss out on half of the fun.

Thanks for the comment. Someone added me to a group. I never herd nothing from. I didn't have the chat box on, I had it minimized. How do I know if someone is trying to say something to me? A lot of times it goes so fast and if I take the time to read it, I am not paying attention to what is happening around me then.

How do I know if someone is chatting with me through the box, or when you say you go up and say "Hiya" do you do it in public chat? Reason I ask is I am not sure if anyone has approached me or not since I never see anything pop up and had the chat window (Is that what you call the box on the lower left where people talk in public) since it was so distracting and nothing applied to me.

CasNation · October 2016

Davor wrote: »

Hot_spur wrote: »

When I join a group, or when I invite someone to join, I always greet the group or new member with a "Hiya." It just seems the polite thing to do. In real life if you walk into the workplace you greet your coworkers, so this is no different for me.

I generally invite the members of the group to become friends. This has two benefits:
1. You can look at your list and know who you've played with previously
2. When you want to create a group, or expand a group, you have a large list of people to invite

Not all of your friends will be online at once, so the larger your list, the more people you have access to.

Eventually, you will reach a point where the only content left is group related unless you start a new character at lvl 1.

If someone in a group pulls off a cool move, I always compliment them. Or if they have a cool costume, I will compliment them on that.

This is a social gaming experience. If you don't treat it as such you miss out on half of the fun.

Thanks for the comment. Someone added me to a group. I never herd nothing from. I didn't have the chat box on, I had it minimized. How do I know if someone is trying to say something to me? A lot of times it goes so fast and if I take the time to read it, I am not paying attention to what is happening around me then.

How do I know if someone is chatting with me through the box, or when you say you go up and say "Hiya" do you do it in public chat? Reason I ask is I am not sure if anyone has approached me or not since I never see anything pop up and had the chat window (Is that what you call the box on the lower left where people talk in public) since it was so distracting and nothing applied to me.

If you normally play with the chat box minimized, you should consider turning on speech bubbles so that you can see who is saying what without being to overwhelmed. The option is 8n the "social" options tab I think.

However, if you are doing group content with smallish group of people (2-6) it would be wise and considerate to maximize the chat box so that you can see what they are saying.

Davor · October 2016

I will try that out Cass Nation. Can I move the chat box to the right or in a different position? I like to see how much experience points I get for my kills so minimized it. I will try the bubble chat and see how it works for me.

Thanks for the tips greatly appreciated.

Hot_spur · October 2016

Davor wrote: »

A lot of times it goes so fast and if I take the time to read it, I am not paying attention to what is happening around me then.

I agree, a lot of times it fills up pretty fast, especially when people are jabbering in zone chat who should be whispering or using group chat.

But you really should switch to group chat so that the orange convos stand out. Then you can just give that a quick glance. Generally people will not be chatting in a fight unless it is something very important to the group.

CasNation · October 2016

Davor wrote: »

I will try that out Cass Nation. Can I move the chat box to the right or in a different position? I like to see how much experience points I get for my kills so minimized it. I will try the bubble chat and see how it works for me.

Thanks for the tips greatly appreciated.

I think you can move it? Not sure. I know you can resize it. There is also almost certainly an addon that allows you to relocate the chat box to your preferred location. There are also addons that will change where your xp gain text shows up.

ShadowMage · October 2016

i believe you can also set filters on the chat box so that you only see guild chat or group chat.

Nestor · October 2016

Davor wrote: »

I will try that out Cass Nation. Can I move the chat box to the right or in a different position? I like to see how much experience points I get for my kills so minimized it. I will try the bubble chat and see how it works for me.

Thanks for the tips greatly appreciated.

I think you can move it? Not sure. I know you can resize it. There is also almost certainly an addon that allows you to relocate the chat box to your preferred location. There are also addons that will change where your xp gain text shows up.[/quote]

If you can't grab the chat box on the title border and drag it, then you can move it by resizing it. Basically, move the left border to the left, then the right border to the left to move the whole box to the left. If that makes any sense, it does not from what i just typed. But I think it works that way. It has been a while since I moved my chat box, and I had an addon active at the time for it, so not sure what was driving this to make it work.

As for Chat, even in the stock game, you can set up Tabs for Chat and filter what you see on each Tab. I have one tab for Zone, one for Guilds, and one for Group Only. Then I pick the appropriate tab and only see the text chat I want to see. It also helps to assign different colors to different types of chat channels. You can do this in the Social Settings for the game, not from the Chat Window. If you have multiple characters you can get an addon that helps with this.