DayZ is a much better game with side chat enabled.

[Forgewolf 70]

Just to keep you informed it was removed due to the high level of spamming ruining the immersion for other players. As far as I know the intention is to have radio's in the standalone, problem solved!

Could have crated the option to disable or enable side chat visibility.. But Radios are fine too.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

I think the problem with that is that they're trying to create a survival game. Having a mystical global chat box takes away that feeling of isolation. However, can you imagine finding your first radio and trying to find other peoples frequenicies, and then trying to figure out if you can trust them? See how much better that sounds?

Edited October 19, 2012 by Fraggle

[Hetstaine 10852]

^^^

[Bearded McGee 121]

I'd actually like to see someone try a middleman here.

Some sort of median between side and direct.

"Anyone in cherno" would be heard by those in cherno as long as the speaker is in there also. Making the boundary between sectors the frontier between the regions (which is the nearest named point on the map, if you spawn there, you know which location it is)

Radios could even be implemented into this.

Better yet, have radio tiers.

Military radios, even the current models, don't have that much range. Certainly nothing past any obstacles.

Relays must be placed in the region at the high points (often an AWACS).

Shitty radios can have a very short range (under a km, without interference and obstacles) while higher grade civilian radios can reach further and through obstacles to a certain extent.

Now, not only would you have a shorter range to radios, but finding a high point would be the best way to reach far away survivors.

Think about it, Green Mountain would be the only location in Chernarus where a radio could reach almost everywhere (along maybe the top of certain radio towers and buildings)!

People say "radios are coming, much better than sidechat!"

I don't agree. Having magical radios is no better than magical chat.

Hard limitations need to be brought to keep the radios in line with what one would actually find in post-apocalyptic Chernarus.

Couple this with the ability to leave messages around and the need to use specific frequencies (along with encrypted radio signals from high-end terminals and portable-stations) and this could lead to a whole lot of meta.

How about CB equipped vehicles?

Edited October 19, 2012 by Axelord FTW

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Your above ideas are basically describing the ACRE mod. It's an amazing Arma mod that recreates radio's in game, complete with static, terrain variables and so on. Rocket has said he loves Acre but it would have to be a simplified version to work with DayZ.

[Michaelvoodoo25 3120]

So Radios in game would give the impression of Walking dead season 1, ya know where he talks into his radio in the hopes his m8 relies! Your gonna get a Chernarus Radio Channel somwwhere along the lines. My main concern will be will the sound of radio carry? There you are in the thick of a Infected Hoard and your m8 speaks into radio and says "boo" or worse still the fuckers on the frequencies play screaming zombie sounds or "I see you!"

I've only been annoyed in game when Idiotic kids (under 20) use the chat and just whine, or the typical "hello? can you hear me?" but I must admit the WASSSUUUPPP guys have brightened up a few games.

[mercuss 4]

Side Chat, people actually playing at night using flares/lights, winchesters/lee enfields being the most common, no as50s everywhere... That was a much funner game. I can see where people are coming from when they say that Sidechat has no place in a survival game, and really I would agree, if the rest of the game lived up to that survival theme. I'm looking forward to standalone and I really hope it brings back that feel of the game before it really blew up.

[Bearded McGee 121]

You're gonna get a Chernarus Radio Channel somwhere along the lines.

http://images.wikia..../What_if_I..ogg

Now what if I, the all powerful Three Dog, bow-wow-wow, were to tell you that somewhere right here in Chernogorsk City, is a place with lots of trees!

[Faceman Peck 93]

Side chat may be fun but its like voice in many ways it contributes to lag and load times. Furthermore, I don't need to talk to the people I'm trying to kill for the most part. I got my homies playing in vent, that's all I need

[Bongofish 22]

I think the problem with that is that they're trying to create a survival game. Having a mystical global chat box takes away that feeling of isolation. However, can you imagine finding your first radio and trying to find other peoples frequenicies, and then trying to figure out if you can trust them? See how much better that sounds?

Most people use some kind of voip while playing so I doubt most people consider it to be immersion breaking. Or they don't care.

Seems to me that most people that are against it are snipers who don't like it because it makes it easier to teack them down and then use the immersion excuse while happily talking to their friends on skype or whatever.

Personally I think that side chat makes the game better. It helps to create interesting situations that wouldn't happen without it. I say have it but let people disable it. That way people who think it breaks immersion can turn it off but people who want to build communities can still use it. Win-win.

[Fraggle (DayZ) 15720]

Most people use some kind of voip while playing so I doubt most people consider it to be immersion breaking. Or they don't care.

Seems to me that most people that are against it are snipers who don't like it because it makes it easier to teack them down and then use the immersion excuse while happily talking to their friends on skype or whatever.

Personally I think that side chat makes the game better. It helps to create interesting situations that wouldn't happen without it. I say have it but let people disable it. That way people who think it breaks immersion can turn it off but people who want to build communities can still use it. Win-win.

Err, have you got any sources other than "most people" and "it seems to me"? No offence, I take your point but don't try and back it up with imaginary statistics :) .

[Inception. 9443]

and always results in my ears bleeding from some idiot that decides to scream over the mic despite servers having rules against it,

This.

[Mr Nasty 1023]

HAM Radios ftw!!!!

If a radio is implemented there should be fully functional ones located around military spawns but you should also be able to 'craft' one by finding parts etc spread out across the map.

[jingled@hotmail.com 86]

I can't stand side chat, it ruins the immersion of the game, increases metagaming and always results in my ears bleeding from some idiot that decides to scream over the mic despite servers having rules against it, I like the randomness of player encounters with it off and find myself killing people just because they are annoying when it's on.

no wonder you 2 got to be Mods. Dear god so much ass-licking.

[pcgnBobo 20]

This issue is a double-edged sword.

It does promote community in all the ways the other guy mentioned. It does "liven it up" a bit. But immersion is definitely an issue.

Not because of the magical chat box on screen. I don't care how minimalistic the interface becomes I'm not going to forget I'm playing a video game.

What breaks immersion is the fact that there's so much drama potential in side chat. When you start to realize 90% of the players are below 19 (yes I made up this statistic) and all they have to say is dramatic woes of ignorance/naivety/uselessness then you start to forget you're not trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Instead you, and everyone else, become personally attached to pissing matches and Melrose Place-esque episodes of melodrama.

The world is not full of emotional headcases under 19 when zombies have taken over, killed most the population, or most the population become zombies. The people left will be the strong, the confused, the adaptable, the survivors. You will get all different colors of personality, all different ages of people, all with varying degrees of perception on survival.

This together on side chat is an amazing thing. Talk about immersion.

[hawc 63]

lol @ people saying chat ruins the immersion while they are hiking with a main rotor assembly, engine parts and fuel tank parts in their backpack.

Edited October 19, 2012 by Hawc

[FreshmeatDK 22]

I play on a private, passworded server (1HW in UK). The sidechat is on, but voice is disabled with a pointer to a multiple channel TeamSpeak. While I sometimes wish for a possibility to shout 'Friendly', we dont get anyone screaming at one another. The passwording ensures that people are a bit more mature.

The side chat makes everyone a lot more friendly. Yes, we are carebears. I'd much rather be that than paranoid killers. We gratulate one another one lucky finds and good firefights, and I've been apologized to when someone shot me due to a panic reaction. When someone got shot after asking for help, people started wondering who the killer was. All this lead to interesting situations. I play to be entertained, and nothing would recreate being hungry, cold and sleep deprived. Been there, done that, wasn't funny.

Sidechat alters the game seriously, but I don't play to relive existential angst. I play for building and gathering, with the enemies beeing the undead. It might not be exactly what Rocket wished for, but it shows how the game tells my story, not something forced down my throat.

[Imafighter 236]

Just to keep you informed it was removed due to the high level of spamming ruining the immersion for other players. As far as I know the intention is to have radio's in the standalone, problem solved!

There will still be the option for side chat...right?

[Swineflew 480]

I can't stand side chat, it ruins the immersion of the game, increases metagaming and always results in my ears bleeding from some idiot that decides to scream over the mic despite servers having rules against it, I like the randomness of player encounters with it off and find myself killing people just because they are annoying when it's on.

So allow side chat to be turned off.

Metagaming is a good thing. I can't imagine that's even up for argument.

And I was under the impression we were talking about text chat. Even with a radio I'm not interested in listening to your average gamer talk. I've been on Xbox live, text is a better option.

If it was up to you how would you identify someone annoying you? no nametags, no chat, just a voice calling out from somewhere nearby. if you see someone hopefully it's the one annoying you and not someone passing by. Unless you KOS, then I guess it wouldn't matter either way.