Yoshi-P comments on voice chat support

[ssppiikkeeyy]

I don't agree with most of his reasons:

*There will be times when voice chat will be mandatory for things like instanced raids.

Things already are this way with 3rd party software. Linkshells that "demand" voice chat will do so regardless of it being oficially in the game or not. Not having it in game also creates a problem for PS3 users, who could otherwise join said linkshells but won't be able because they can't use a voice chat.

*A gap will appear between those that have/don’t have a mic.

Same thing as above; it will happen regardless of it being an official voice chat or not.

*In particular, there is a fear that female gamers will get harassed when the say something and will then want to stay away.

While this is true, if we start taking out features because people can be dicks with em, then it's time to remove text chat as well.

totally agree...

[Elexia]

Thing with text chat though, it's not an optional feature lol it's something required (pretty much standard when you play online games as people will be using keyboards lol) voice chat for all intents and purposes is an optional feature and tends to have the main cons he lists. So while agree or disagree they are still pretty good points to decide against an optional feature.

[Coglin]

In particular, there is a fear that female gamers will get harassed when the say something and will then want to stay away.

See now this is such a crap answer. Thats like saying, lets segregate shools by race, sex, and age, that way no one is in ear shot of another group that could possibly say something insulting to another.

My wife and 2 daughters that play, thought this part in particular was funny. In discussing it, my daughter said the hipocricy of the fact that they allow trolls to post profanity, sexist, and insulting comments in writting all over the foruns all day long, but us it as an excuse not to make voice chat.

[Elexia]

See now this is such a crap answer. Thats like saying, lets segregate shools by race, sex, and age

This has been done before, so it's actually not a strange thing at all.

My wife and 2 daughters that play, thought this part in particular was funny.

Just wait till your 2 daughters start getting harassed, unless they're into that sorta thing.

[Geesus]

I don't agree with most of his reasons:

*There will be times when voice chat will be mandatory for things like instanced raids.

Things already are this way with 3rd party software. Linkshells that "demand" voice chat will do so regardless of it being oficially in the game or not. Not having it in game also creates a problem for PS3 users, who could otherwise join said linkshells but won't be able because they can't use a voice chat.

We require it to a degree...wanna do raids u have to log into chat. You don't have to SPEAK but at least listen. Reason? If I say in Ifrit "CRACKS ASHLEY!" U'll move! lol Afterwards when everything calms down and u can type, all U have to say is TY GEE! To heal and buff while typing and maybe running from my own cracks ... typing takes too much time... period.

Just wait till your 2 daughters start getting harassed, unless they're into that sorta thing.

O.o Thaaatttt might have been taking it too far. I'm a single Dad with 2 boys but have a 15 year old step-daughter and while you were most likely being sarcastic..... uhhhhh ... yeah. Just saying.

[Jynx]

Never been a big fan of Voice chatting in MMO's anyways, the chat does me fine 90% of the time and the 10% it doesn't I use Ventrilo and generally just listen in anyways.

Main reason I see here is that it would be a bandwidth hog for them.

[Stanislaw]

All of you seem to forget that this game isn't for English speakers only. As if we have enough user-created problems with languages already with text alone, no need to make it even further complicated.

Also, if voice chat is indeed officially implemented, then that's another thing the GMs will have to rummage through when problems arise. With just text, GMs can scroll through logs easily, whereas in voice chat they don't have the luxury and will have to go through the entire audio recording, not to mention probably breaking several privacy laws in the process by recording voice logs because the game's international. Hence, the cost/performance ratio just don't add up. Unless you're willing to pay more for this game, of course, but then there's the issue of raising the price of the game when not all users will use/be able to use such a service.

Sure, there's the option to separate the cost of such services, but when free-use third party voice chat programs already exist and solve most of the other problems, why bother? So I don't really see a reason why SE should bother with implementing an official one. And I'm usually not the one to be a critic, but I can't help but point out that, given SE's track record, do you guys honestly think they'll manage to implement a voice chat program that's better than the ones already out there? I think SE made the right move in not giving you guys more material to flame at.

[Rhomagus]

The only concern I have, is that I've been in that situation where there is only one person in the party without Voice Chat. It is annoying, but I'll have to let that go when the PS3 version is released.

There are also instances where a girl was in VC but was creeped on pretty hard by someone and never went back, even when the guy wasn't around. I understand that too. I wouldn't have acted the same way but I can't really comment as I'm not a person that has ever had to deal with that.

I would like it if the PS3 released some kind of VC software that was compatible with PC's. I know the PSP has Skype but it's a pretty big bandwidth hog in comparison to some other chat programs out there like Mumble and Ventrilo. I'll have bandwidth troubles in a three way conversation in Skype while I can have a convo with 15 other people in Ventrilo and not worry as much about my voice turning into a robot. Also, if it were accessible through the PS3's XMB and PSN's servers were used for it then bandwidth wouldn't be an issue (for SE at least).

It would be nice if the PS3 had an external VC software that could work with these programs, or vice versa. I'd personally be okay with that. I can understand not having VC for pick up parties but if it were officially supported that would add a lot of pressure for players to have VC even in non linkshell situations. I think the reasons he stated are good enough for not implementing VC but I'd personally rather it be in there considering the nature of gameplay in XIV. Despite auto attack, the game is still too fast paced to really chat in battle. Well, that is unless people actually started using macros regularly again and cast times and TP gain were nerfed significantly but I really don't want that. I actually like the current pace.

[Mikita]

I haven't run into any Japanese LS on my server that uses an external voice chat service.
Nor has anyone ever suggested it in LS chat.

We all use text chat when doing the dungeons and primal fights just fine.


And at this point I just don't want to hear other people's real voices.
If one of my friends is a cute Lalafell and in real life she has a low, husky voice... I really do not want to know. ><;

[Quesse]

I don't want voice chat.

Its funny, I never ran into an LS doing voice chat in FFXI and all of sudden in FFXIV there are quite a few. Obviously its from the WoW influx. Or maybe the 360 crowd.

idk. I don't really care to use it though.