zamzx: nothing is set in stone, but we're working with an external API here that we don't actually control. So, to some extent, implementing features is about determining what we want, then working with the other company to see what the best route is, and otherwise adjusting how the feature can be implemented on our end. To date, they've done quite a bit of work on our behalf, expanding interfaces and porting to new platforms, so the codebase is still flexible enough that a lot of things are possible. There are some current limitations, but these may change over time, or have work-arounds developed.

To date, we've mostly been focusing on getting the simple Grouping use-case to work reliably, and building all the interface stuff needed to make it usable. Over this period, we've been gradually learning about how this library works and what is feasible at the moment (future API changes notwithstanding). Guild-wide voice chat and generalized channels are the next obvious use-case, but any steps in that direction will have to have some more architectural thinking put into them (again, based on limitations that are changing and that we're still learning about).

In any event, the most useful thing is to tell us what kind of chat features you would like to see, under ideal circumstances, and then we'll see how close to that we can get.. based on which limitations are flexible, and which ones simply need to be worked around.

Obviously, please post those ideas to Suggestions rather than to this thread.

This is one of the best updates I've seen in a long time. Combat will be so much more fluid now, no more need to create chat binds to call targets!

I won't settle for anything less than HD video chat. Then, when I'm hailed, I can say "on screen," and it will be. Otherwise I'm leaving this game and not recommending it to anyone ever.

the universe will splode when you hear my girly man voice.

Oops.

[06/06/08 05:51:39] Found driver: "OpenGL Reference GKGL driver". Type 5, Version 70.0. Load @0x02250000
[06/06/08 05:51:39] Instantiate address: 0225AF00
[06/06/08 05:51:39] Can't load driver drivers\gkvc.dll
Input driver initialized.
Error loading drivers\gkvc.dll
[06/06/08 05:51:59] Flight-Assist mode disabled.

Guess that's why nothing appeared to be working for me in regards to the group voice chat (nobody could hear me, I couldn't hear anyone). On the upside, the rest of the game worked fine, modular design and good error handling be blessed. Maybe Win98 support needs an asterisk?

...Or did you hear about my singing beforehand?

ray: I thought I had tried to make it work in-station, but I think I was just on the wrong screen (a screen where my ptt key, a, had a predefined purpose) and that threw me off. Subsequent testing has been perfectly fine, it works great for me now. Keep up the good work!

Denji

Just tested it :D
Awesome, only problem I had was from my side. My voice gets some background noise, but other than that I can hear other people clearly.

IRS: do you still have to start the game without the updater? The Linux version can't load the voice chat stuff unless it's run from that thing. Maybe it behaves the same way under windows.

Y'all kick ass, devs. Finally some decent voice comm support for VO in Linux (TS - client uses only OSS, which means it sucks bad, Ventrilo - no Linux client I know of) !!!
Keep up the good work :)

mr_spuck: Yes, I'm still running it sans updater, but the one-time run I still get from the updater had the same problem with voice chat.

I looked at the thread in the Linux forum, and drazed posted a problem that behaves in the exact same manner as mine. It appears that it may not be the OS if it's happening across platforms, and may be related to the changes in the latest patch from his report.

So far works far beyond expectations, very nice. I just had a single crash to the desktop, but no way of telling why. Report submitted.

The ducking (sound dampening when people are talking) seems a bit extreme on my end. Is the amount of "duck" configurable?

Duck... Duck... GOOSE!
/me runs

Yes. Options > Voice Chat. :P

Just tried it out, it works great. Sometimes got a bit of feedback (even though I was wearing headphones), but I was told that the built-in mic on my MacBook was, in Ecka's words, "clear as a bell." Good work.

Chaos : That feedback was probably because of someone else using mic+speakers instead of mic+headphones.

That would make sense.

Aye , I had voice chat running throughout a nation war and big pirate / trader furball sunday evening , over a period of about 8 hours . It worked perfectly throughout , I'm rather impressed ...

Voice chat ate the Deneb Run, YAY for voice chat!.