Global Chat

[AliceKaye]

I have mixed feelings on this. I like the idea of being able to chat with more people while I fight mobs and craft my brains out, but after having witnessed "trade chat" in WoW and global chat in other games, I'm hesitant to implement this in FFXIV for fear of crazy nuts who spam non-stop.

[Preypacer]

Here's the thing that I don't like about the typical implementation of global chat channels...

People never use the channels for what they're intended for.

People looking to trade or sell or buy something will typically just use whatever is the most active channel and spam it to get it in front of the most eyeballs.

People who have no reason to be in the trade channel will be in there talking their heads off about everything but trading/selling/buying.

"Just disable the channel if you don't like it" should never have to be a suggestion to deal with it, because then you're missing out on discussion you might actually want to follow or want to be part of. So, the solution of "just disable the chat window if you don't like it" should never be a required, nor suggested option.

/blist-ing people? Perhaps, though again.. not really an elegant solution to the issue and more of a band-aid to deal with a less than ideal one.

I've wondered if a system like this could be useful...

For trade, only trade-specific messages will be processed. And how do you control this? By automating it.

For example, you could tag items in your inventory as something you want to buy/sell or trade, and then enabling a sort of "advertise" toggle. If you don't have the item in your inventory to tag as a "WTB" then perhaps a system similar to the auto-translator where you locate the item that way and select it could work.

You can enter a custom message (like the search comment function in XI). Enabling it will basically automatically post an update to the trade channel on your behalf in certain intervals... like every 2 minutes or something.

The itmes you're buying/selling/trading could show up as linkable items, so people can click on them and have the item's stats show up in a pop-up window, much like you can in some other MMOs.

No regular discussion can take place in that channel, you can not manually enter messages to it. If you're interested in discussing a possible transaction with someone, you PM them personally and discuss it that way, or group up and talk in party chat or something.

Further, trade chat can only take place in the trade channel. Filters would be implemented to prevent, or at least greatly reduce, the effectiveness of trade-type messages in regular chat. This would be the much trickier part, I think, as you know people will always try to find ways around it. But I still think it would help more than hinder.

This would be beneficial in a few ways..
1. No spam of WTB, WTS etc filling up the chat log - especially with how often some like to spam them.
2. People don't have to either manually type or even use up macro space to post the messages.. It happens automatically for them.
3. Trade-specific messages stay where they belong, keeping the regular chat channels specific to regular discussion.

I think a system like that could have merit if well implemented.

[Rentahamster]

Here's the thing that I don't like about the typical implementation of global chat channels...

People never use the channels for what they're intended for.

People looking to trade or sell or buy something will typically just use whatever is the most active channel and spam it to get it in front of the most eyeballs.

I addressed this problem in my outline for what I would think would be a good implementation of a server-wide shout channel.

Additional Chat Log Improvements:

Add the functions /l1, /l2, /l3, /l4 etc so that we can change linkshells without having to access the menu.

Add more tabs for each window.

Add more categories for chat text color. Specifically, the ability to alter only the chat log text about "parry", "evade", and "block", so that it is easier to use reactionary skills like Phalanx, Fracture, Haymaker, and Jarring Strike.

Add 4 new global shout categories that broadcast to the entire server rather than just the immediate area. Each one would be for each of the different languages (Japanese, English, German, French) (/jp, /en, /gr, /fr)

Add 1 global shout category just for party finding. Limit each player to one shout per 20 minutes to prevent spamming.

Add 1 global shout category just for buying/selling. Limit each player to one shout per 20 minutes to prevent spamming.

If we had more tabs, we could also set a tab to be specifically one channel in order to cut unnecessary spam in your own "general" chat tab.

[Reliquia]

Additional Chat Log Improvements:

Add the functions /l1, /l2, /l3, /l4 etc so that we can change linkshells without having to access the menu.

Add more tabs for each window.

Add more categories for chat text color. Specifically, the ability to alter only the chat log text about "parry", "evade", and "block", so that it is easier to use reactionary skills like Phalanx, Fracture, Haymaker, and Jarring Strike.

Add 4 new global shout categories that broadcast to the entire server rather than just the immediate area. Each one would be for each of the different languages (Japanese, English, German, French) (/jp, /en, /gr, /fr)

Add 1 global shout category just for party finding. Limit each player to one shout per 20 minutes to prevent spamming.

Add 1 global shout category just for buying/selling. Limit each player to one shout per 20 minutes to prevent spamming.

Font colors and /ls1, 2, 3 and so forth is fine. But I think that too many chat tabs basically works like a forum with too many sub-forums. Basically some sections end up not being used and become obsolete and most of the community in-game will most of the time be in the main city. In a forum it is fine since the communication isn't as momentary as in-game. But overall I say simplicity rather than quantity.

[Fieros]

most of the community in-game will most of the time be in the main city.

This is a huge problem in itself. Players should be out in the world adventuring, unless you are suggesting most of the players are crafting most of the time.

But overall I say simplicity rather than quantity.

Agreed.

[Reliquia]

This is a huge problem in itself. Players should be out in the world adventuring, unless you are suggesting most of the players are crafting most of the time.


Agreed.

That depends, most content is out there. But there are many conveniences about hanging out in the main citiese's, I spent a lot of time in Jeuno in FFXI and most of it wasn't necessarily bad. Checking and studying AH or MW in this case, questing, crafting, just hanging out while waiting for something to happen (ls events or parties). It serves the purpose of a middle point. While you do these things maybe you are keeping an eye out for a pt being formed. If you also join a PT it's the easiest place to gather together before venturing out into a camp.

Then again I think FFXI did a great thing by creating the dynamis city raids, because that way there was a large amount of players visiting all the original nations and hanging out there before the start of the event. Which would create a crowd, and sometimes the newbies would pass by and crash into a wall shocked at the awesome high lvl gear and such. Good times.

[Rentahamster]

Font colors and /ls1, 2, 3 and so forth is fine. But I think that too many chat tabs basically works like a forum with too many sub-forums.

The UI is customizable. Everything is optional. If you don't want them, don't activate the extra chat tabs, just like you can do now.

[Reliquia]

The UI is customizable. Everything is optional. If you don't want them, don't activate the extra chat tabs, just like you can do now.

In that case I don't see a problem with it, as long as you can turn off the global chat so your chat scroll doesn't flood over when you are busy doing for example linkshell events and end-game content in the future.

[Blarp]

They just needs to scrap the chat system they have. Give us tabs, user created channels, PW protected channels, global channel, etc. You know, chat that is designed for a 2010 MMO and not a graphical MUD from last decade.

[Crux]

Having no World chat or Global chat makes this game feel dead for a newcomer. You see all the people but there is no talking. No one answers /say or /sh out in the field. This game doesn't hold your hand, it isn't super easy to get in a LS (need to physically get to the person) so I could see how new people could get frustrated by not being able to communicate with anyone when they start and just log off and never come back.

1. Make ignoring/reporting easy (Rift and Aion do a good job at this) Right click name and report/spam in the same click.
2. Don't make a short ignore list and the user must be able to clear list in one click.
3. Gil Sellers will and have used shout, so they need to be dealt with anyway. They will just stand in the city and /sh.