Concern with Pc Players and Console Players

[Warthain]

i for one would never play an mmo in a console, and yes teamspeak is a must have in every guild of every mmo ive played, saying it isnt required is bullshit has it makes everything faster and smoother, and allows for mid fight isntant communication ...

[ruinedmirage]

Because you shouldn't play MMO on consoles from the beginning.

Computers are for making documents and spreadsheets. Video game consoles are for playing video games.

Then again, I play FFXIV on my computer (using a 360 controller, but still) >.>;;

Then again, I consider MMOs in general one step above social network games, slightly better than facebook..............

And I should stop talking soon.

[Autumnfire]

I think it depends on whats available to most players in the FC. A couple of us in our group play on a PS3 by choice and we use mumble on our laptops or phones. I saw your point that not everything is available on say... the android market for example, but I think it would be up to the FC leader to set up a service thats available to the biggest amount of their FC members.

[Sixmp]

i for one would never play an mmo in a console, and yes teamspeak is a must have in every guild of every mmo ive played, saying it isnt required is bullshit has it makes everything faster and smoother, and allows for mid fight isntant communication ...

So you are admitting that you lack the skill to work through game content unless you can hear someone telling you what to do?

It is convenient nothing more. I have never played an MMO with coms and none of the guilds/linkshells i have been in ever required it. We completed content just fine. If you are aware of your surroundings and you know what is going on and trust the people you are playing with then it isn't essential.
Stating it is required is just lies. Plenty of people play without it and do just as well as people who do use them.

People like to make others play the way they want. So naturally people who cannot be bothered to type will insist on people needing to use something.

[Churchill]

You don't seem to have accomplished much, imagine what TS3 could do for you.

[Alcyon_Densetsu]

I'm really sorry but the argument that voice chat doesn't improve coordination and team play is just fallacious. Even if it could be done as efficiently via text chat, it takes away your attention from the field. It would be like asking a football team to read/write SMS texts from the captain and the coach during a match. It's just not possible. Communication by text is just not as efficient as communication by voice, we've known that for thousands of years…

• Can you manage without voice chat?
  —> Probably, depending on the difficulty on the content and the pre-existing experience of players and initial level of team play.
• Is text as efficient?
  —> Certainly not.
  Just look at other very competitive (hard) games based on team play, such as FPS/RTS/MOBA team and the likes: do you see any of these teams using text chat instead of voice chat? No.
• Is it nice, does it please everyone to hear/speak during combat?
  —> Arguably, no (though some like it very much). I say it comes with playing in a team, like you do in reality.
  And once you're used to it, it's certainly simple, and quite appreciable, to be able to just "say something", like "I can't <do action X>, can you <player Y>?" or "beware, <event Z> is coming". And even short of hard content, it's just a nice way to have fun during play, with your friends, casually talking and making jokes. It has a lot of this old feeling of just sitting with a friend and a couple of controllers in front of the screen. Personally, it gives me that old console feeling on PC.
• Is there a better alternative?
  —> Short of sitting in the same room and talking through air, I don't know of any.

That being said, is it SE's fault that there's no in-game voice chat? I don't think so, since in most MMO's players prefer third-party solutions anyway (better quality usually). And the PS3 just wouldn't be able to do it since the FF XIV client already pushes it to its limits.

It also falls within FC leaders responsibility to make sure that everyone can access their tools, such as voice chat. This is why we chose Mumble in my FC, because it's available on smartphones and as an open-source program it's usually cheaper (could actually be free).

From a strictly theoretical standpoint, there could be possibilities to allow a smartphone/tablet to do that job. A Mumble or TeamSpeak app + headphone/mic + some input device to be able to push a button to talk could theoretically do the job (like a button you'd stick on your controller, or a pedal or something — i don't know of any though, though pedals exist for PC's and work wonders to free gamers' hands for push-to-talk).

I think MMO's are rather new on consoles, and until this gen (PS3, X1) they weren't up to the task of multitasking apps; and as such voice chatting during games is a feature very much in its infancy on consoles. Therefore as far as reality is concerned, you're better off with a PC for now (if you wish to do competitive content or simply facilitate and improve your team play). I sincerely hope either smart devices and/or consoles will step up their game to allow for players to be as competitive, team-play wise, as PC players, in the near future. I really do. The sooner, the better. Until we figure out telepathy or something, voice chats aren't going away. It's been 15+ years we use them, and there hasn't been a better alternative found yet.

[Ghasto]

We have 2 PS3 players in our Coil group (and have pugged others) and they all join us in our mumble room, it isn't that hard to get into.

[Lithera]

I certainly agree that it would be nice if there was an equally available voice chat for everyone, but it's hardly a necessity. Anything you need to do can be coordinated with a combination of macros and Focus Target. Including Rot Passing. Even though PS3 doesn't yet have focus target, all it requires is the person before the PS3er to have a "Passed Rot!" macro. THe PS3er doesn't need Focus Target or voice chat to move to the next person when their counter hits 5s. Turn 2 Silence rotations are nothing compared to the full party stun rotations we used to have in FFXI and we did that entirely with macros

[Sixmp]

words

It doesn't make it a necessity. It doesn't mean people who do not want to use coms will be unable to complete content.

That is the point being made.
Yes some people like it. Some people feel they do better using it. Some people feel they do better without it.

Football teams usually talk to the coach when play is stopped. While the game is actually being played they may shout to each other a little but choices are being made from experience and what they can see. Unless football has changed so much that they are running around with mics and headphones in their ears now.

[Sylve]

However Warthain it isn't right for Console gamers to figure out a solution the goal of SE was to make the solution to prevent this, it isn't fair nor right

No MMO is built with the specific requirement for voice communication. You can clear all content without it, provided the players know the fight. People want Voice Comms for Coil due to it being easier to speak out about things that are happening, than to type it.

Voice makes it easier but is not an actual requirement to play.

Surely you have a PC in the house somewhere. Invest in a wireless headset and set up a Voice Comms program on your PC. Problem solved.