How quiet should FC chat be before you quit?

Is there anything eerier than twenty people being online at once, with no one saying anything? Is there anything more annoying than getting recruited into an FC with the promise of socialization and help, only to be immediately shunted into a dead chat where no one ever says anything to you again beyond your initial welcome? What's the point of being in a social group where no one speaks? How long should you stay in a quiet FC?

Edit* Just for a little clarity, I like the Free Company my main is in, and I'm not complaining about them and wondering if I should quit. This topic is just water cooler conversation about other FC's where playing with them is no different than playing solo because it's so quiet.

You can quit at any point, whether they are active or not. Though Joining a social group doesn't mean they will spend forever on chat.

If you've mentioned to the FC that you were there for social interaction... and there is none? Just leave. There are many out there looking for people and unless you've got some sort of.. weird.. obligation. I can understand maybe it's finals week or golden week and it being quiet for a few days, but if it's just DEAD when you're on all the time? Doesn't seem like they've got going on what you wanted. It's not going to hurt anyone.

That really depends on what you want from an FC, doesnt it?
If you're looking for an active chat and the FC doesnt provide one (and you cant "compensate" with LS or anything like that): Leave and find an FC that does provide you the things you're looking for. Whats the point in staying in an FC that doesnt fit your needs? Wether those are just chatting, doing content, helping or even just having the right FC-buffs up?

Its basically pretty much: Stay as long as you want. And honestly, if you're coming to the forums to make a thread about it... you should probably leave your FC right now.

Our chat is normally pretty quiet, with randoms outbursts, but everyone is cool and happy with that - so there isnt a general answer about when an FC is to quiet. The only question is: when is it to quiet for you?

Can you hear a pin drop? Might be time to jet.

Did you consider actively socializing and starting discussions in the FC chat yourself? Maybe be the change you want to see? Being proactive?

As someone who normally would not engage in social discussion all the time of any online game I play(ed), I can tell you that sometimes people like to play games for the purpose of the game itself, rather than the actual social interaction. I realize that's unusual for some people, particularly those of a younger generation, but people of all ages do get attached to games primarily for the reason of the game. The socializing is often not going to be ahead of that. I would think most people would be sensible enough to use other social mediums for such interaction, if that were their priority.

That lecture moment said, dead chat is inevitable at times, even for a social group of 20+ people. Do what you think you gotta do.

Are you trying to start any conversations? Somebody needs to do it. :p

Also, if you take a look at the FC I'm in - it's advertised as chatty, but sometimes we've plenty of stuff going in-game, and sometimes it's more dead than desert. Some fault comes to it that we've few restricted linkshells going (officers for example), along with Discord, so people can be active there instead by either posting stuff or talking via voice-chat.

Just seen couple recruits joining in, never saying a word, not even "hi" upon logging in and then leaving through door silently while grumbling about lack of noise in FC.

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Originally Posted by Khalithar

Did you consider actively socializing and starting discussions in the FC chat yourself? Maybe be the change you want to see? Being proactive?

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Oh, I'm a chatty Kathy, no worries there. I hang out with like-minded people, but I have alts on different servers who're in some pretty quiet guilds. Just curious how others deal with the sound of silence.

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Originally Posted by Welsper59

--I realize that's unusual for some people, particularly those of a younger generation--

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Now, I find it interesting that you'd phrase it that way, because I'm actually an older player who started in Everquest back in '99, and from my perspective "dead chats" are a recent phenomenon that started within the last three years or so in MMO gaming. Definitely more so with younger players, who've got tons more things to get distracted by.

Just move all your alts to your main server so you can be Dat alt boi.

Does your FC have a voice chat channel by any chance? It's possible they spend most of their time talking in there rather than in-game. If not, you might want to leave and find an FC you feel more comfortable in.

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Originally Posted by Galgarion

Now, I find it interesting that you'd phrase it that way, because I'm actually an older player who started in Everquest back in '99, and from my perspective "dead chats" are a recent phenomenon that started within the last three years or so in MMO gaming. Definitely more so with younger players, who've got tons more things to get distracted by.

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I think I'm mistaken to have said it the way that I did. I was linking the want of any form of online interaction (i.e. the general concept of online multiplayer) to the want for chatter. Never really played online games much until XI and WoW launch, which were after high school, so I certainly remember the feeling of being lost in this "new" genre and wanting to just chat with people in general and not just do the grind. My work allows me to interact with college kids and some of them are gamers. From my discussions with them, not to mention any online social medium, I gained the idea that much of the younger generation don't realize people may sometimes like to play games in solitude, including with an online game (to an extent).

I mostly communicate via Teamspeak anyways, why use the fc chat then?

I tend to be one of those that will talk if the FC start up, but due to the social and communication difficulties I mentioned in the raid loot thread, I'm often nervous about starting the conversation myself. Funnily enough, there seems to be a lot more people getting diagnosed with social and communication related disabilities, which may also explain it. Could it be you're with a lot of people who have these sorts of disabilities and whom haven't told you about it?

Fun fact: That disability is also why I'm content with just running the logistics of FCs (e.g. workshop and airships), and leaving the bits that involve interacting with other people to others who are more capable of it.

I usually don't actively seek out socially active guilds in my MMO's, but I always consider it a welcome bonus. It's nice to be able to chat with others and make friends with your guild buddies.

In my case, I got recruited into this FC when I was still a wee babby Lancer, and they were very social and they've helped me out a lot on my route to becoming the amazingly talented and handsome player I am today. I'm very happy with my FC as it is, and I've made a lot of friends here. I'm happy that I was lucky on my first try, and I probably won't be looking for anything different for a long time.

Most people use voice communication programs, sadly we're in a time were people can't form sentences or multi task. Of course companies won't tell you that, or that in most companies, if you're joining these programs, everybody is buddy buddy and you feel like an outsider, or gotta listen to non sense all day for example that somebody watered their plants etc. I would say, if the company chat is always non existing (in my case I wouldn't mind), but you're one of the people that actually like to chat with somebody, you might want to look somewhere else. GL in finding one that has the same interests and are willing to help and socialize.

When there's a 60 people online and you say:

- Hello there!
-> no one responds

- Anyone wants to do some roulettes? Expert/Trial/Leveling?
-> still no one responds

And then there's zero messages and empty FC chat for another 4+ hours, despite even more (70+) people online.


p.s. note: this is a real thing, that i saw in the past.

In our case; our FC chat is almost always dead. Our Discord server however... always people online and chatting about.
We just hate typing when instead we can talk normally. We have a few people just listen in and type responses.
Often people are quite shy at the beginning, but we're a very laid back group and folks open up shortly after that.

An entire FC that doesn't communicate in any way? Not worth being there in my opinion.

That sounds like an FC I would leave. They've made it quite obvious that the have no interest in you other than adding numbers to their fc. Find a new one that has people who are helpful and who like to chat a bit. Good luck! :)

As some people have stated, if they're not chatty in the FC, check to see about a FC Discord. Most likely they'll be socializing in there. It seems like just recently people have been getting a lot more comfortable with the idea of socializing with random people on the internet via voice and through video. It's kind of cool to see the shift but equally scary for someone like me who is too reclusive and shy to even attempt using those methods. Granted I rarely ever chat in my FC either but they do use both outlets for chatting in equal measure. Different strokes, I guess.

My last FC was so quiet. Every now and then there'd be 2 or 3 people on discord's voice chat but it was generally as dead as in game (and this was with 50-70 people online). So I rounded up the other people that did talk/join when I tried to get group activities going and we started our own FC. Now we're active daily both in game and on discord :)

I find with most social FCs you will run into times when people are focused on what they are doing at the moment. There will be quiet times and chatty times based on how many people are idle.

Join social linkshells, never have to worry about FC activity again and you're not limited to one single social chat.

FCs can be hit or miss tbh, some people complain FC chat is too spammy, other people complain it's too quiet, and then there's those FCs that focus more on voice. With social linkshells you don't have to worry about any of that.

My FC is probably a far outlier on this, but we never use the chat because we also have a linkshell where all the talking happens. There are a few people who aren't in the LS and aren't anyone's alt that I've never spoken to, who I'm guessing joined just to have access to house benefits and FC buffs.

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Originally Posted by Galgarion

Is there anything eerier than twenty people being online at once, with no one saying anything?

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You'd be right spooked in my FC; 50+ people online and not a word said for hours.

Why?

Because we're playing the game.

When fc never talks to you or helps you with quests or answer questions might have is when its time to leave and find another fc.

I would say look into voice chat if they have that.

MY guild chat for the most part is quite, because everyone is in discord.

Been like that for years going all the way back to ffxi, outside the hello everyone and rare comment in game. People typically do not type things when they can simply talk to one another. I have had people quit and tell me it is because we never do anything and no one is ever talking. All this while we are in the middle of scheduled guild events with 20+ppl on discord. Most communities with Discord/teamspeak ect utilize that for socialization now days. Lets you get to know ppl better and easier to communicate.

If they are not active in either well probably time to find something else.

I don't particularly have a problem with quiet FCs; sometimes members are busy, on Discord, or generally otherwise occupied.

What infuriates me are FCs that recruit and then flat out ignore members when they say hello or ask for help/ roulettes/ dungeons, etc. It's not even a matter of being social, it's just incredibly rude. It takes five seconds to acknowledge what someone has said, even if you are busy.

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Originally Posted by Lunaxia

It takes five seconds to acknowledge what someone has said, even if you are busy.

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Same thing with inviting people to do stuff...just throwing an invite with ZERO words is rather rude...and I think that's why NOBODY talks in the FC I'm in when I get online. Hell, the LS that the guy who did that to me has gone eerily quiet whenever I'm online now. All because I said "Use words when inviting people for stuff"...only 4 FC members are in that LS too.