Voice Chat? Really?

[toddfx]

Exactly how classic is voice chat? Maybe I was just oblivious to it back then but I don't remember voice chat being a part of EQ in 1999.

Recently I am hearing about it a lot on this server. My guild uses it for their weekly meetings and I must admit I do not approve. Chances are I'll probably just quit the guild for that reason exclusively, simply because I will be left out if I choose not to adopt it. I straight up avoided the last meeting because I couldn't be bothered with a headset.

I understand it could be useful for raids when people need to quickly communicate between multiple groups and guilds, but otherwise...why? It seems like a step backwards as far as communication goes. Sure it might be faster than typing, but it's much more difficult to understand multiple people at once and much less reliable for relaying critical information.

The beauty of typing is that you have a log of what people have said. It is impossible to misunderstand somebody and it is unlikely that somebody has to repeat themselves. It doesn't matter how distorted anybody's voice sounds or what other noise may exist in the background. It is universal and generally pretty fool proof. Even if somebody types in broken english or types like a newbie, you can still usually get their point. If somebody speaks too softly or has a weak mic, it's simply impossible to understand them.

My experience with voice chat playing FPS games on PC and X-Box has been less than satisfying. Idiots who don't know how to use it tend to put the mic too close to their mouth or play their background music too loud. They abuse it by making obnoxious noises or constantly start shit because they now have the ability to make verbal insults.

Even on a technical level it has always seemed unreliable. The #1 reason being that you need an extra piece of hardware. And those who don't have it are just SOL. Even if you do have a mic, connections seem finicky and weak. Peoples volume levels are always all over the place and it generally sounds like pure shit. Maybe I have just had cheap brands, but it in my experience it has always been full of problems.

Imagine if half of the server decided to do away with OOC and just start voice chatting...the world would feel empty and the people remaining would be ignored. I think what would happen is that the population would turn even more immature than it already can be. It would be a pure flame-fest, like one of those lame WoW videos you see on YouTube of people cursing eachother out over some loot.

Lame [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]