everyone happy with VOIP or not?

[Dynamax 0]

for the last few days of playing 1.08, i have come to hate the ingame VOIP.

there are a few reasons why and what we need changed to put a stop to these infantile children who are making the use of VOIP compleatly useless and totally frustrating.

Please oh please!.. add the function of being able to see who is talking, either via the player list or by a VOIP pop-up in one of the corners that shows the name/s of the players talking. (i much prefer to have this on the player list since we can scroll and see all the names on it.)

everytime im playing there is some dips**t who spams the mic with idiotic music and some other childish garbage, and we have no means of knowing who the hell it is so we can boot them. this leads most playing to either set the radio voulme in Audio Options to zero, or put up with that a$$hole throughout the game. server admins are left with very few options, they can either ignore it, start kicking random players untill they get the right one, or reset their server(which does nothing since the idiot mic spammer just rejoins and continues where he left off).

so please, lets do something about this and give us more power to do more then just put up or shut up.

[jasono 0]

It's unfortunate that the VOIP system gets abused. Last time I was on VOIP it was just used for everyone to shout the F word, instead of useful information.

I know it can't be helped by playing on public servers, but it is worth getting on a Teamspeak server and working as a team with people you know aren't going to ruin a game and act responsibly.

[smellyjelly 0]

I haven't had any problems with people spamming it. I've already posted a few needed tweaks in the 1.08 though:

A message should appear in the above the text saying who's talking in the mic.

A option to mute people. If BIS is going to add this option in the player list, then you minus well add a vote kick button too.

Vehicles and other loud sounds should decrease in volume when someone is talking. This should not happen if they are far away. The mic should also be louder and, if possible, higher quality.

And finally a way to test the mic in the options. I want to be able to hear myself talk to test the volume, quality, ect, and make any improvements to my mic if nessecary.

[frederf 0]

I love it before it Breaks and when it's not abused.

So far I like the VoN system for use with people I know. Unfortunately it's unreliable and cuts out after a while. Will still try to use it though. Everyone lower than a sergeant on Proximity only channel. Really affects game play and seriously gives the privates more control over their situation without constant micromanaging over TeamSpeak.

The "I" screen (score board) does flash with who's talking. The scoreboard is not the best place to see this info because you can't see everyone on the server always. Some small thing on screen or elsewhere would be good. I would like the option of not having the speaker displayed for realism/immersion but most servers probably want the name of speaker displayed.

There seriously needs to be a mute player and channel functions. For example I want to be able to set myself so I mute : GLOBAL, SIDE, but still here PROXIMITY and GROUP channels. That would be awesome and allow TONS more flexibility if you could mute and unmute certain channels while playing. Just simply cycle/change to that channel and hit the mute key to toggle it on and off.

Also there needs to be a way to mute a player client side as well as server side (so he doesn't use so much bandwidth when server muted.)

Another thing is to have a server config option "Automatically mute this player if they talk for more than X seconds continuously." The admin could unmute him if it was accidental but it protects the server from music-abusers and stuck mics. There's no reason that anyone should transmit more than 30 or so seconds continuously. But if you happened to have that need then the server could be configed otherwise.

The music abusers are truely awful because you cannot escape it and the server cannot handle the bandwidth!!! You start to get serious desync errors. If there was ever proof that BIS hates us players, it's the fact they included a toggle VoN transmit key. W---T---F. Music abusers can bring down a fully populated Evolution server (20+ players) in under 10 minutes.

Lastly the game needs PROPER controls. Selecting voice input source, separate volume for VoN transmit and recieve (not tied in with the in-game "radio" slider).

Quote[/b] ]Vehicles and other loud sounds should decrease in volume when someone is talking.

Maybe an option to how much the ambient is damped when listening to VoN? Because where's the realism in "Hey guys, can you turn the war down I'm on the phone"?

In summary:

1. Speaker name notices (client and server option on/off)

2. Selective channel muting (client option)

3. Player muting (client)

4. Player muting, no bandwidth (server)

5. Auto mute for transmit longer than X (server)

6. Audio options for: voice source, transmit volume, receive volume, and ambient damping.

[odjob 0]

In summary:

1. Speaker name notices (client and server option on/off)

2. Selective channel muting (client option)

3. Player muting (client)

4. Player muting, no bandwidth (server)

5. Auto mute for transmit longer than X (server)

6. Audio options for: voice source, transmit volume, receive volume, and ambient damping.

That would be perfect and should not pose any problems for Bis to implement. I vote YES!

[4 IN 1 0]

they have to completely free it from bugs first, it works in LAN with hi speed connections, but it didnt work well over internet, not to speak of the high pingers like me who connet half a world away, sounds are somehow still too limited and its hard to hear ppl over it, cut offs, lags etc, ping related things

i like the concept of this VON function, you could shout over direct speak and only let ppl nearby hear you, which i think is much better concept wise then the BF one, but it needed to be rework, i could live with a lower sound quailty if in exchange a smoother, nonshuttering yet understandable and in most: functioning VON

[ManDay 0]

I think VoiceOverIP is a good thing in ArmA - even without names popping up. If there coem abuse - deal with it or disable it. Only activate VoP if you are sure to play with serious player.

Showing a name that pops up is unrealistic (bleh) and should be evaded. Its good the way it is.

Beside the volume. I can hardly understand anything because it's all so hushed

[Maddmatt 1]

I like the fact that ArmA has VOIP, but there are still some very serious issues with it.

First of all, the toggle VOIP key. This is only used by idiots who leave their mic on either by mistake or to spam the server. Should be removed, the PTT key should be used instead.

Then, as already mentioned, the fact that you can't tell who's talking. It should show it in the player list, when you press 'P'. Makes it easy to find idiots who abuse it.

Mute function for both clients and servers.

All the vote/admin features could be at the playerlist screen. There is already a kick button for admins, so why can't everything go there? The mute buttons can also go there.

The way VOIP is at the moment, I think many people will still prefer TS. Especially for public servers. It just needs those few extra features.

[ManDay 0]

I agree. I still insist the currently talking player will not be displayed in-game but can only be checked through the playerlist.

Your other ideas are also very nice. but what is a ptt?

[Maddmatt 1]

I agree. I still insist the currently talking player will not be displayed in-game but can only be checked through the playerlist.

Your other ideas are also very nice. but what is a ptt?

PTT= Push to talk. It's the button that you need to hold down to talk, instead of the toggle one. Having a button to toggle it seems to cause many people to leave it on by mistake, and also makes it easier for the morons who like to spam the VOIP, such as by playing annoying music.

[ManDay 0]

Oh yes. Well thats is absolutly true as well. Up to now I though PPT had been the only thing implemented. Toggling doesnt make any sense in my eyes either.

[fish44 0]

Yes, Im very happy with my VOIP, which is Team speak. Lots of control over channels, mute, whisper, etc. Well recomended.

[Matt23 0]

is there an awkward thing with using voip in arma. I haven't heard a single person use it once for the 3 months I had this game.

I try using it and no one responds talking, they just type "we can hear you".

I made my transition over from bf2-project reality(whole different play from reg bf2). There wouldint be a game where people didn't use voip, I don't understand why its so under-used in this game.

[HulkingUnicorn 0]

The sound quality is quite muddy, and the volume is extremely low. Start shooting or sit in a vehicle and you can only hear some muted noises.

In the direct channel people can't hear me from 1m distance if I don't shout, and even then it's hard to hear. I haven't even heard a squeak from people standing next to me - I only see their lips move  

So until the volume is fixed you can't use the VOIP reliably (which may be why it's not being used much).

[ManDay 0]

So until the volume is fixed you can't use the VOIP reliably (which may be why it's not being used much).

!!!

@all you who know the .bin's by heart: Can you tell us where to find the setting for the volume so we can fix it manually?

[Maddmatt 1]

I have heard VOIP work at a good volume before. You can adjust the volume of your mic in your windows/soundcard drivers settings.

Also, make sure that microphone boost is turned on! The setting should be where the volume control is.

[ManDay 0]

The issue is found at the other end of the line - not where the mic is. The issue is that the OUTPUT is way too quiet - not the INPUT.

[Maddmatt 1]

The issue is found at the other end of the line - not where the mic is. The issue is that the OUTPUT is way too quiet - not the INPUT.

Louder input makes the output louder.

As I said before, I have heard VOIP work at a decent volume, so I blame the user

[ManDay 0]

Absolutly not. Please don't take it personal but I really don't like that attitude "Of course its not ArmA whats to blame here - it's evrything else, but definitly not ArmA" (sorry).

When a user never encountered problems with his microphone - neither in other Games, nor in TS, nor in any other VoIP program, then it's definitly not the user who has to reconfigure his microphone in windows but its rather ArmA which has to be fixed with its output.

[Maddmatt 1]

Absolutly not. Please don't take it personal but I really don't like that attitude "Of course its not ArmA whats to blame here - it's evrything else, but definitly not ArmA" (sorry).

When a user never encountered problems with his microphone - neither in other Games, nor in TS, nor in any other VoIP program, then it's definitly not the user who has to reconfigure his microphone in windows but its rather ArmA which has to be fixed with its output.

Maybe, I'll hopefully get to test it properly this week.

[andersson 285]

I lowered effects volume to 5 and cranked radio up to 10.

Then I can hear my buddies. But ofcourse the AI are very audible...

It would be good to have a separate volumcontroller for VOIP.

[-=seany=- 5]

Since buying Arma I have yet to see a server that is using the in built VoIP. The odd time Ill hear maybe one person speak on it. This is the most annoying thing for me about ArmA. I was really looking forward to being able to jump into games and start communicating and working as a team with the voice software without have to mess around with other third party programs. Which, unfortunately seems to be what all the servers I go on are doing. I really hope its use picks up since this last patch.

[jdski 0]

3rd party apps like TS or Roger Wilco etc, might be more reliable or have better sound quality, but not everyone is going to have those programs.

The problem when people stick to using TS is that they become isolated from everyone else, and then they tend not to use the ingame voice to communicate with others.

What I would like to see is when someone is transmiting on a specific channel, you can tell which channel they are trasmitting on. So they're ename would come up in the color of that channel when they transmit. It may not be realistic to see this, but unless people follow proper radio protocol and anounce who they are when speaking, it is needed.

Having the different channels tied into the game, vehicle, group, direct is a nice feature over using 3rd party apps.

[KeyCat 131]

i like the concept of this VON function, you could shout over direct speak and only let ppl nearby hear you...

Since we used TeamSpeak since Resistance days I haven't had a chance to try out the built in VOIP function yet. Wonder if enemy AI react to your voice over DirectSpeak if they are nearby, anyone tested?

Nice suggestions Frederf! I remember that the volume settings was an issue when trying VOIP pre Resistance days. Hope to see improvements in the future since I to really like the concept and especially DirectSpeak if AI also hears you, would add to the general atmosphere to keep quite on sneaky co-op missions.

/KC

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

Yep, the ingame VON is crap. Thank god for TS.

I don't really care if they fix it or not, there are so many other things to be fixed/added to the game.

And I never play on public servers anyway, since BI forgot to add that anti-cheat stuff they were so proud of...