Walkie Talkies.

[Miragenz 71]

Edited.

Now after a couple of weeks without the global chat, its clear, to me atleast, that it isnt as fun as it used to be.

You are completely unable to communicate with other survivors in order to meet up, ask for help, identifying friendlies or enemies and general chit chat.

Yeah i know, teamspeak etc. Which isnt always available, doesnt allow contact with every survivor and doesnt work as easily.

I realize that having some magic chat program in a game where realism is the goal doesnt work, because its simply not realistic.

So the idea to implement walkie talkies, a realistic way to communicate with others.

Its just the general idea however, i havent decided yet on range/options/rarity etc.

So now there are a few things i would like to have your input for:

Yes or no, and why.

-Have a walkie talkie as a basic item?

-Walkie talkies need a power source

-Walkie talkies should have multiple/private channels

-Radio towers should play an important role

-Walkie talkies should have some downside to using it / sounds/ give away your position with some gps tracking or w/e

Another idea would be to have cellphones, found on citizens and could have a unique number, downside is that you would need credit or something ( Random thought anyways )

Edited July 22, 2012 by Miragenz

[fapoo 2]

Some locations could hold radios? But cannot be removed from that location?

[Miragenz 71]

Some locations could hold radios? But cannot be removed from that location?

Thats an interesting idea aswell, have some fixed locations from where you can communicate, but i wonder if that isn't going to end up as some trap where bandits are going to camp around.

All depends on what the value would become of having access to the radio.

Maybe it will become some sort of battlefield near the radio location :D

Perhaps if the radio location would be different all the time, but then i wonder what it will be like with people responding to your '' call ''

[.:14A41:.Pvt.p4lztZ 3]

Sounds good to me. But would they always be on? Or only in text? So that you can only whisper (use the walkie feature) when you have one? I know I was having a hard time last night wanting to give a guy info about some loot (he wasn't finding any and getting frustrated), but I didn't want everyone knowing what I wanted to tell him. I was in a sort of loot heaven (ammo, food stuffs, parts, cars, etc) He was a few villages from me at the time. But even if direct worked I couldn't have told him. Some other way would've been nice. Hehe.

[Miragenz 71]

Sounds good to me. But would they always be on? Or only in text? So that you can only whisper (use the walkie feature) when you have one? I know I was having a hard time last night wanting to give a guy info about some loot (he wasn't finding any and getting frustrated)' date=' but I didn't want everyone knowing what I wanted to tell him. I was in a sort of loot heaven (ammo, food stuffs, parts, cars, etc) He was a few villages from me at the time. But even if direct worked I couldn't have told him. Some other way would've been nice. Hehe.

[/quote']

Yeah i was kinda thinking about a walkie talkie giving you access to different chats, and allowing you to receive it.

And as mentioned perhaps some options to allow a more private way of communication between people or groups of people.

Also the batteries as mentioned, or solar power of sorts to limit the use of a walkie talkie if deemed necessary.

[Land Squid 22]

And people who don't have the radios will just use teamspeak or another VOIP client. It's nice from a gameplay/RPG standpoint but with such an easy work around that particular game mechanic the dev's time would probably be better spent elsewhere. :/

[Miragenz 71]

And people who don't have the radios will just use teamspeak or another VOIP client. It's nice from a gameplay/RPG standpoint but with such an easy work around that particular game mechanic the dev's time would probably be better spent elsewhere. :/

Well you're not going to avoid people that will use TS or whatever, and there isn't a problem with that. But that doesnt work if you don't actually know your fellow survivor, i can be on teamspeak and communicate with someone i know, but i can't talk with someone random in Chernarus.

I dont think teamspeak can replace an ingame chat anyways.

Or am i completely missing your point here?

[Land Squid 22]

The point wasn't directed at communicating with strangers. I get that and don't mind the game being limited to direct communication. Just saying that if this was supposed to be targetted at coordinated groups of players that are already working together, it will fail because they will use outside systems to get around the communication restriction. Or, as some servers do, they have their TS information posted as part of the MOTD when you log in. In that case everyone will be able to talk to each other, stranger or friend, and again the communication limitation that was intended has been circumvented. *shrug*

Personally I use Side chat just for bullshitting or helping out players with questions (how do I do X, what server is this, etc.), but never declare anything in-game over it, such as my location or asking who is at what place. That's a sure fire way to bring in the bandits.

[Miragenz 71]

It's not so much to restrict communication as it is to offer a new way of communicating, if players want to communicate they will find a way, but from what i've learned and seen from my years of gaming is that voice chat is used by a very small percentage of players, and often gives problems with being understandable and whatnot.

This will just allow you too have a way of reaching another, or to give through information that others shouldnt hear.

And excuse me if i'm not making sense, i should be sleeping by now.

[x7steelers7x 1]

I think it would be cool to kill someone and take their radio while they're still on the same channel as their unsuspecting friend and trick them for their location

[bloodxgusher 0]

Doesn't the ACRE mod do this already?

[Legacy (DayZ) 1091]

This isn't a bad idea either.

I use to play alot of No More Room in Hell and one of the items being there was the Walkie Talkie, which gained us the ability to talk to whoever had a walkie talkie on them, if we can use this along with Direct Comm with say... Different 'channels' for the radio then it wouldn't be a bad suggestion at all.

[Strategos (DayZ) 190]

I posted this idea in another thread

"

I think Direct connection should be the only chat channel really. Global chat does break my immersion.

Id like it if you could have 3 talk modes which worked whether you were typing or voice chatting.

mode 1 : whispering. typing and talking is only heard by those stood right with you. But zombies will never hear it.

mode 2: Normal range. Typing and talking has a larger radius but can alert zombies that are close to you.

mode 3: shouting. Typing and talking can be heard by people in a large radius but it will draw zombies in your direction."

Adding walkie talkies to this would make for a great way to communicate safely with your friends.

[Renegade0260 3]

Good idea, could it not be implemented easily by allowing only direct comms as default, but if you own a walkie talkie, it allows access to global chat/comms.

[Miragenz 71]

Good idea' date=' could it not be implemented easily by allowing only direct comms as default, but if you own a walkie talkie, it allows access to global chat/comms.

[/quote']

Yeah that was basicly what i had in mind, atleast giving you access to different means of communication other then the direct chat.

---

This isn't a bad idea either.

I use to play alot of No More Room in Hell and one of the items being there was the Walkie Talkie' date='[/b'] which gained us the ability to talk to whoever had a walkie talkie on them, if we can use this along with Direct Comm with say... Different 'channels' for the radio then it wouldn't be a bad suggestion at all.

Yeah thats about it, the walkie talkie would allow you to communicate with whomever had a walkie talkie aswell, and you can only receive those messages when you have a walkie talie.

And for the channels, i mentioned that as frequencies, i'm not quite sure what a good way would be to use this, but i would like having private channels or something, or atleast a chat for survivors or bandits only.

Doesn't the ACRE mod do this already?

I am unfamiliar with the ACRE mod, but it appears to be something that adds TS to arma? Or atleast something similar. So i assume the server would need to be running this, i dont know if it would be compatible.

[.:14A41:.Pvt.p4lztZ 3]

I'm finding it hard to want to add anything like this in, really. The time it would take to find it would most likely not be worth it anyway. You'll just be dead at some point anyway and have to do it all over again. And if they were random spots well yeah meh. So I'm not sure how that would work out in the end. I guess if your ultra lucky (don't die ever!) it'll be useful. Plus once they fix direct chat text/VON there would be no need 'cause it would work this way anyway, but without the need for a walkie in your inventory. /shrug

The idea of the sound coming from a walkie though when someone is on VON chatting with someone would be cool. Not sure if that's a feature already or not. Haven't played the actual game.

[terrvik 2409]

I definitely think radios of some kind should be added. Once you have one you can switch between chat channels and write to whoever else has one. You could try to reach other survivors or whatever. I also think the radio should have a power on/off state. If you don't turn it off a radio static buzz sound thingy will sound everytime someone writes in the chat which should of course be audible for other survivors/bandits as well as zombies.

[mosscd13 0]

Actually... reading through this. I just changed my mind about this subject. I fully believe walkie talkies and maybe another type of radio should be added. Only direct chat until you find a walkie talkie, which opens up pm's with anyone who has a walkie talkie, or a radio, which can be broadcast to anyone else with a radio. You could also have different equipment to only receive transmissions. I dunno. I can see this game going in alot of directions. I just hope the majority agree in some way, shape or form with my vision. I don't want to see this go down the same path as alot of other games.

[Miragenz 71]

I think it has to be adjusted properly depending on the options it provides' date=' it's going to be pointless if its that rare that only 1 or 2 persons have it, maybe you can make it rather easy to find one, just not give it from the start. It all depends really on what options it gives.

[hr']

I also think the radio should have a power on/off state. If you don't turn it off a radio static buzz sound thingy will sound everytime someone writes in the chat which should of course be audible for other survivors/bandits as well as zombies.

I like that idea, of it giving off a buzz of sorts, or some sort of beep when you transmit a message, requiring you to be abit more tactical about it, and making it a more real life object rather then some ingame chat.

[Miragenz 71]

Based on what i read it seems as if the radio shouldnt be too rare anyways, pointless to have one when its so care you have very few people to communicate with.

Might be an idea to add variations, for sending or receiving, maybe a difference between bandits and survivors.

Or something that allows you to listen in certain chats.

[Sarissofoi 40]

What abvout diffrent custom frequencies for radio?

Say you make a channel on 102.7 frequency and anyone can hear or read what you speak/write if he use his radio on this frequency.

So if anyone can find your frequency he can hear you.

On the other hand he need to check many frequencies.

[Miragenz 71]

What abvout diffrent custom frequencies for radio?

That was something i was thinking about aswell, although im not entirely sure how to put that into practice, but you could put frequencies as channels to begin with, however i'm not sure how far you want to go into the custom frequency thing, it shouldnt become this complicated item with a ton of options or frequencies.

So will have to find a good balance in those things.

[spacingtonflioniv 2]

Wouldn't matter. People will get around it using Teamspeak/Ventrilo/etc.

[Miragenz 71]

Wouldn't matter. People will get around it using Teamspeak/Ventrilo/etc.

But that's not the point, its not to limit people in their communication, its about adding an extra item that allows communication between random survivors etc.

Also voice chat is very rarely used in online gaming, only a small percentage actually talks, even then they are mostly 12y kids who are mad over something.

Its just about messages, in game chat.

[spacingtonflioniv 2]

Wouldn't matter. People will get around it using Teamspeak/Ventrilo/etc.

But that's not the point' date=' its not to limit people in their communication, its about adding an extra item that allows communication between random survivors etc.

Also voice chat is very rarely used in online gaming, only a small percentage actually talks, even then they are mostly 12y kids who are mad over something.

Its just about messages, in game chat.

[/quote']

Ah, that's fair. I suppose it works as a means for creating a direct line between a group of people with talkies who switch to the same channel, but you could just as easily use skype.

As for not many people using voice chat, I don't quite agree but that doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't use it. For a game like this especially, the immediacy of voice and the fact that it won't prevent you from being able to do anything else (in the way that typing into chat does) makes it far more valuable.

It doesn't seem like a bad idea, just seems to me like a mechanic that the technology is already there for you to create yourselves.