Does sidechat ruin anyone elses game?

[the13th (DayZ) 32]

I dont mind side chat, just what i hate are the ones who just make stupid noises . . . . or as i found last night, someone who just screams into their mic for no apparent reason! I was creeping round a bunch of Z's when whoever it was let out a high pitched scream, i jumped, fired into thin air, and ended up with a 20 or so zombie conga . . . . thanks a lot you %#@* !!

Edited January 12, 2013 by the13th

[ManiacMike69 37]

I hate side chat and I hate server that show who's killed who.

Plus when people say over side chat " friendly in Cherno" and stuff it's just not real and it takes away from the game.

To talk to someone u have to be close.

Edited January 12, 2013 by ManiacMike69

[saxo 0]

Since I play the game alone side chat has helped me make a few temporary friends which has helped me enjoy the game alot. I can understand why people who play the game with friends and usually are communicating with each other by some other means don't like it, but for the solo player it improves the game a lot.

Also reading someone who's died to a bandit rage on side chat can be hilarious, the only downside for me with side chat is the whole "is anyone in cherno" crap you inevitably get.

[brzator47@gmail.com 524]

I guess I should have worded the first post better. I'm not really looking for your personal opinions about side chat. I'm looking for your opinions of why there is a trend in the DayZ community to enable it, despite the fact that DayZ has it disabled by default.

For the same reason many servers now have a ridiculous starting loadout, hundreds of vehicles and choppers, 24/7 daylight, or even a modified map with barracks and such near the coast. The first time I played on a sever like that, going from Kamenka to Balota I managed to find more stuff than I could possibly carry.

I don't like side chat. I'm yet to be saved from hackers thanks to it and yet I've been accused of hacking for simply killing someone. Go figure.

[scaramoosh 162]

I like side chat because it encourages people to work together, you can chat to the whole server and organise meet ups which I do a lot. Without side chat you cannot announce you're friendly without bumping in to them, by which point it is too late, though you do need name tags on, that makes the game better too. Hopefully when you can have lots of different clothing you can tell people what you're wearing so they know it is you instead of relying on servers with name tags.

[kaiga12 22]

Side chat in my humble opinion should be a function bound to a lootable/findable communication device or radio with texting capability that is about as rare and hard to find as a GPS. It should be displayed much like the compass or watch. You press a key to look at it, double tap it to lock it on your screen (yes it blocks some of your view) and type into it. If you don't wanna use it just never tap that key.

All voice should be in proximity or on separate radio channels with specific frequencies.

The radio would be use to talk to people I'm not sure I want in my Skype chat.

Also "Side Chat" is an Arma 2 term. I would call it something like "ChernarusNet" or "LingorNet" or what have you.

[Dabaroony 86]

Perhaps the option would be to to give side chat it's own window, or at least be able to toggle between individual chat channels.

I'm a fan of side chat because I'm aware that I'm playing a game. I enjoy the opportunities that can arise from discussions/whining/etc. If I want to feel immersed then I just pretend it isn't there, because I'm a human being with low-moderate willpower and focus.

it's just not real

Edited January 12, 2013 by Dabaroony

[smore98 225]

Unless you have a radio with sattelite connection, and EVERYONE else has a radio connected to the same sattelite, THEN I might feel legit in playing the game.

When I see people on side-chat say where they are at, I just face-palm...

Edited January 12, 2013 by The Smorski

[patriots20068@yahoo.com 100]

Don't like side chat eh? Go to an official server then. Boom.

[beastoverlord 574]

Make it a server/user choice to enable/disable it IMHO.

This. I feel that on the whitelisted private hive I play on, it is all just funny, entertaining, and has good banter from everyone else. This is ONLY because even if you snipe someone, they might be sad, but outside of the game we are all friendly and don't get angry at each other.

I HATE going onto public servers and having the chat filled up with flame wars and just general idiocy.

[Mos1ey 6301]

Hmm... how many of you that say it breaks the immersion of the game use TS Vent or Skype when you play? If so, please stop saying that. Thank You.

Now this is just silly.

There's a huge difference between talking to the people that you're playing with and random people talking in your ear and filling your screen with text, lol.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

I play almost exclusively on main hive servers and the only time I've ever used a 3rd party voice chat was back when US1040 had a public colony and I only ever used it while inside the colony. I even started a thread a long time ago about the possibility of making 3rd party chat useless by hiding the name & randomizing the server you join.

I have very strong will power and can easily just ignore the side chat, but then what happens when someone uses side chat to talk to me? I will be perceived as not responding to their words(or demands) which could result in my death. Thanks side chat!

I'm all for having a radio as an item, but that is no reason to keep side chat in its current form. Even if voice was disabled in side chat, I still wouldn't want it in DayZ. People can claim it encourages teamwork or makes things happen in game, but I disagree. I've seen plenty of teamwork and things happening on the main hive servers I play on. I've helped people with medical attention many times just by stumbling upon them. Sure, if you were in the woods with a broken leg and passing out, you'd be screwed for finding medical help without something like side chat, but that is part of DayZ that I enjoy more than anything. I've NEVER even considered asking for help outside the game. (forums, medical services, trades)

I'm not saying I'm right and people who disagree are wrong, I'm just genuinely curious about the thinking of people with different opinions. I share my opinions to show where I'm coming from, not because I want everyone to feel the same.

[ZerudaXei 4]

To me, sidechat is okay. I sorta like it, and if I want to stay like, well, more "immersed" as you would say, then I just ignore it. The really annoying thing is when people use their mics on sidechat.

[leverloos 1]

But people using voice chat in side-chat is rather horrible. You can't even mute VOIP entirely, because if you do that, you won't be able to hear someone in Direct Communications if they try asking for help or calling out "friendly" or even "Don't come in/drop your weapon or I shoot."

Uhm... why not? go to audio settings. turn down VON. you wont hear anyone in side chat. but you can still hear people in direct chat near you.

[gloopsgf 35]

Hackers... Hackers and more hackers.

Nice to warn people when someone is in God mode, or to tell admin.

[Falabox 76]

I dont know if I like it or not,cause when I was playing as my side char (mostacho man) a guy started whispering my name making it very creepy,and then he said,Im coming for yooou..... and then in 5 minutes some guy with a axe raped me to death.......

(This is my scariest moment in dayz)

[maxnmike 134]

Now this is just silly.

There's a huge difference between talking to the people that you're playing with and random people talking in your ear and filling your screen with text, lol.

Yes, because no one ever talks about anything but the game in TS and you are not immersed in the game. You are sitting in a chair or on your couch moving these fingers to do this and those fingers to do that and maybe your head if you use trackir but as long as you want to believe you are immersed in the game, knock yourselves out. The rest of us are playing the game.

[Gator Biggs 22]

yeah, i guess sidechat can be an immersion-breaker at times..

..but then so can a murderous barn door.

[Dancing.Russian.Man 1631]

Uhm... why not? go to audio settings. turn down VON. you wont hear anyone in side chat. but you can still hear people in direct chat near you.

It doesn't work like that. VON is a global audio setting. If you turn it down, you won't hear anyone, anywhere, use their mic.

Edit; Learning new things every day, it seems.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Dancing.Russian.Man

[Elias (DayZ) 57]

I really dislike sidechat because, for me, it distracts my attention from he game and makes me lose some of that immersion.

[bad_mojo (DayZ) 1204]

Yes, because no one ever talks about anything but the game in TS and you are not immersed in the game. You are sitting in a chair or on your couch moving these fingers to do this and those fingers to do that and maybe your head if you use trackir but as long as you want to believe you are immersed in the game, knock yourselves out. The rest of us are playing the game.

If you're just playing a game why don't you run your game at 640x480 on the lowest graphics settings? You're just looking at pixels on the screen after all, it doesn't matter how good or bad they appear to your brain.... using your logic.

[tacticaljim 28]

Its dumb. But i see the need for it for now...at least until we get radios working in game. They have been confirmed features for awhile now.

[spankerfist 44]

I like it. Easy to warn about hackers and people seem to do more teamwork. Can be anoying when people scream in chat but mute ftw.

[ididi9 (DayZ) 53]

Most servers I play on have Side Chat on but the admins dont let people use their Mic in it.

[arkaeldren 53]

I have seen quite a few Arma II sessions where the radios have multiple channels. Now this would be a great and easy fix, and it does not break the realism. In fact it adds a great amount of depth, the need to locate a radio to communicate over greater distances.