Bring back side chat - Or increase range of Direct Chat

[Xianyu 820]

So. Direct chat sucks a major donkey sick. Face it.

Twenty metres? REALLY?

I've heard some people say 40. A HUNDRED would be the minimum I think. You know why?

I can deck someone with a .44 pistol at a hundred metres. I can do it at 200 with a rifle. And 500 with a scope. Yeah, blahblahblah 'hurrrdurrr I can do 1000' well fuck you, buddy. No one gives a shit. I'm referencing numbers for the sake of example.

Twenty-forty metres of communication is NOT enough. You get within twenty metres of someone in this game, you are DEAD.

Normal conversation range is twenty metres, sure. That's talking voice. That's your INSIDE voice.

but you see a guy who's checking a loot spot holding a goddamn shotgun, you're not going to get within twenty metres and ask 'Hey, you friendly?'

No, you're going to stand as far away as possible, catch his attention, and THEN ask them if they're friendly. From a hundred metres away. Not twenty. Not forty.

It literally cripples the ability for survivors to interact seeing as direct chat is their only way to communicate. You know how many times I've let someone get within twenty metres of me without shooting them? Once. And that's because he came up on my flank and I didn't notice him. He didn't notice me either.

If I had of seen him coming from a hundred metres out? I'd have dropped him without hesitation. Why ask if he's friendly if he has to get within TWENTY METRES of me to find out? I don't let ZOMBIES that close.

[Achilles* 1]

I agree, by the time I've got close to ask, they've turned and shot me. I don't mind going back and starting over

its the name of the game, trying to survive etc, but I bet half of the people that have shot me are friendly, just scared I'd shoot them. I've met some good folks using the side chat, and formed groups with said feature. Now I'm just a lonely survivor, shouting friendly when I'm near some dude hoping not to get shot.

I find building.relationships is a key to trust, me shouting "im friendly" isn't always a trust builder. I've met with someone who said they are friendly, then after a minute has killed me for my loot. Knowone trusts knowone atm.

[Xianyu 820]

Yeah, but lack of side chat cripples it even further. I don't let people in that close. I just don't. I shoot them first. Why? Because at that range, it takes a single round to drop you. Game over.

were they friendly? We'll never know, because no one who's played this game more than a day lets people get that close.

[Achilles* 1]

True, but I'm talking mainly about sidechat, 'you in the pub, friendly?' and usually get a good reply, so I know to avoid or band up, now I'm just running in places, see someone, shout friendly...just passing through and get shot. if I know a player's is about and a threat, ill ask friendly (if close enough) and decide on killing. I do miss side chat.

[Nubnut 3]

I'd agree with increasing the range of direct chat, or if we're really pushing it having a "city chat" where everyone within a single sub-zone can speak to each other. As is, teaming up with other people is a huge part of DayZ for me that is more or less impossible now as in order to get close enough to actually speak with them you usually end up dead.

[SystemiK 366]

Hehe, wait till everyone realizes that direct chat aggros the zombies......there is gonna be a shitstorm. I do miss being able to help others figure out the game controls etc in side chat but the level of immersion is definitely better with it gone.

[Achilles* 1]

City chat is a good idea, I like it, many a time I've gone out of range and unable to chat to people. that would most definitely help.

[Z3T4 1]

Maybe make it so that we could actually talk in those radios.

[valiant 1-4 0]

"Who's shooting in Cherno?"

"Any friendlies in Elektro?"

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[guran 1]

Yeah "Direct communication" range really need to be higher. It's 40 meters in the beta patch for Arma 2 which pretty much all servers use. Which leads me to believe that everything related to the chat is decided in the Arma 2 engine and cannot actually by changed in a mod which seems to be really crappy tbh.

Would be so amazing if we could have a few different channels like talk, shout and radios etc in the actual mod.

Rocket removes weapons (you just get a flashlight) when you spawn to see if people will team up with each other.. Well it's not easy to find someone to team up with when the chat just reach 40 meter anyway.

I would definitely not want to have the global chat again though, it sucked. But still the chat system NEEDS an overhaul.

[U.B.C.S. Ravin 326]

I think you should be able to use 'shout'

Where instead of having a limit 40m, it has a 300-400m limit.

But every zombie within lets say 50 or 100m comes towards you.

[Saski1 0]

FFS how can i talk to other people?

I am switching communication mode>Direct Chat<, other person is standing like 2 m away. I am writting "FRIENDLY" "hi", and he is not responding, no one is. WTF?

[Bo0G 7]

Losing side chat was one of the best things to happen to this mod.

Hell. No.

If you must, increase direct to 100M or add a channel for yelling with double the range of direct. Otherwise, live with it.

[Strategos (DayZ) 190]

Remember the further direct chat goes the further people can pinpoint your location from.

In my suggestions thread (link below) i recommended whisper , talk, shout modes like Ravin mentioned above. Also linked to another thread about this stuff.

Combine that with radio communication options and we are golden.