Suggestion: Server-Wide Chat Channel

[Kimikryo]

the world channel got even canceld in EU WoW because of all the spam, and I am happy that this isnt included in FFXI
City Channel would be cool instead of city zone only. SO for each city, in the city it self, you see shouts from port also in the other city zones

[Icestein]

the world channel got even canceld in EU WoW because of all the spam, and I am happy that this isnt included in FFXI
City Channel would be cool instead of city zone only. SO for each city, in the city it self, you see shouts from port also in the other city zones

See, I don't like the idea of a universal chat channel, but will often find myself putting off other, more productive, things and instead opting to sit in port jeuno in case a shout that interests me pops up. I wouldn't be entirely opposed to being able to view a zones shouts in a different area, especially if I could only contribute to it if I was in the zone.

[Lithera]

Would love a world wide shout/chat channel for the times my 2 social LSes were not in AFK land. Also would come in handy to escape the occasional bad party. If you have never been in one then you are a lucky sob. Also what if you just logged on somewhere else besides your server's shout zone and didn't know someone was looking for help on this or that but ur LS mates didn't know right away that you just got on? Or were on a mule crafting in a starter city or sending stuff to your main? Not everyone is gonna know the names of your mules nor does everyone have then in jeuno either.

[rog]

the world channel got even canceld in EU WoW because of all the spam, and I am happy that this isnt included in FFXI
City Channel would be cool instead of city zone only. SO for each city, in the city it self, you see shouts from port also in the other city zones

5 min delay between shouts would make it impossible to spam.

[Xilk]

I've seen these discussions before. I think chat channels would be a fantastic idea. However, the devil is in the details, and being able to easily filter these completely OFF is a necessity.

I think if you had a channel for basically... every Seacom topic, which you can turn on or off at will would be just right.

How much of your gametime is wasted because you are shouting for a group? You are restricted to very few zones to have any reasonable hope of finding like minded gamers. The Seacom are decent, but they are not as powerful as global chat channels could be.
Keep a Trading channel JUST for trading. butying/selling all goes in one channel. No one else needs to see it or hear it at all.

MIssions? Well now you have 1 place to go to find people interested in the same mission or quest. And you can find them here no matter where else you are in Vana'diel. You could be farming crafting materials in the idle time while trying to find people for the quest or mission you are really aiming for.

Once your groups is assembled? turn off the chat filter.

Global chats would further alleviate congestion. You could make any place your 'home' and adventure out from there.

Chat channels are easier to moderate than the number of zones that exist in the game.

[Kimikryo]

5 min delay between shouts would make it impossible to spam.

a 5 min delay between shouts would make shouts for certain events impossible

[rog]

a 5 min delay between shouts would make shouts for certain events impossible

No it wouldn't. You don't need to shout more than once every 5 mins when trying to put a group together. Ever. Everyone in the world will see it (unless they have it filtered, in which case they clearly aren't interested). if they want to go, they'll go, and shouting more will not change that.

[Alhanelem]

^
Pretty much true. Shouting fequent is necessay in a single area because people come and go from the area. Such behavior isn't necessary if everyone is able to see it.

[Gwynplaine]

How about this:
3 different settings in chat filters as well as text commands.
Filter Off - The server chat filter is set to off and you will see all chat in any zone.
Contextual Filter - This setting automatically turns the filter off when entering towns and automatically turns it on outside towns.
Permanent On Filter - Server chat is filtered out completely until you turn it off again.

Type commands could be something like:
/servchat off
/servchat on
/servchat town

And it goes without saying that a minimum wait time between messages and standard things like the same limits that apply to shouts and tells now should be used.

[Gaspee]

It would eliminate the need for shouting, and would make it far easier to assemble a group. Coupled with an option to shut it off... it looks like a win/win to me!