Feedback:User/Mythwyn/Proximity Based Voice Chat

Proximity Based Voice Chat
User	Mythwyn
Categories	Player interaction

Guild Wars 2 needs a built-in, proximity triggered voice chat system.

With trade shows like GDC 2011, the scope of what ArenaNet is doing with GW2 is becoming clear. Per the presenters, an In-the-game experience, "paying attention to the toon instead of studing the UI", for dodging and the world and events around you. They also talked about Not just being a button mashing game and not auto attacking, that you have to use a skill to attack. "Ambient voice work... to avoid the whole notion of having to read lots of walls of text."

This is great and everyone is very excited, but the one thing that is not in the game demos is player to player communication. What Anet has created so far is fantastic, but when it comes to social networking, meeting players, forming friendships and parties or simply trying to organize attacks, are we going to have to catch names, type in text, and read responses just the same way it always is? Part of the reason I solo so much, I can't type fast, and I don't pay attention to the chat window, Ventrio and simular programs solve this only for players that already know each other.

GW2 needs to be a class changing game, what players have been seeking for a long time would do this. A built in, cloud based proximity triggered voice chat system. This would be a perfect fit for GW2, In fact to for all the work your doing so far, it may be nessasary, as, stopping to type is going to ruin the effect or play style your tring to provide.

It should work like this: You enable the in-game voice chat interface, you have a mic and based on thier X,Y,Z, players within earshot with voice enabled would have thier mic conversations directed to others within range, much like the real world, and the npc conversation work.

The interface would show names of players in range and allow you to save them as friend or add them to a party to extend range. Parties would be moved into a tree with a designated leader. In event areas this would allow for organization with out the typing or distraction. You move into an area and have the voice enabled players show on a radar like graphic. Dolby's Axon pro has something like this. [[1]]

If you ended up in a major event like the shatter, with mutiple leaders/parties, a leader can submit to another parties leader for the event, or silence other parties or individuals for keeping the conversation clear. There is much more to consider as features but I think the basics are covered. Something that eliminates the need to type or to watch a text conversation, is a must for GW2 as these things will only detract from the amazing things your trying to do.

It would be something no other game of this type has sucsessfully implimented. A game changing feature. A feature that in and of it's self would bring people to play and more importantly stay and they easily find and work with new players and friends. For myself I would at least need a Speech to text feature, like my android phone has, otherwise I'll be soloing GW2 just like I did with GW1 and eventually lost interest.

This person sums it up better then I can http://www.pacifiermusic.com/page7/files/fac8a8785958a187de46bc795ae7f771-3.html

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Please, I know there is intrest, this is something that would put this game beyond the competition.

Mythwyn 06:13, 16 March 2011 (UTC)