Dear Uber, is there any chance of a rethink on global chat?

Not that I'm against it, but note that a global chat will have an impact on the forums

A forums and a chat serve distinct need:
The forums is for delayed communication. You post a question and a while later you get an answer. You don't care if the others are online at the same time you post
A chat is used to directly see who is online and directly talk to people who are right there. It's immensly helpful to talk about random nonsense as well as very helpful to directly ask a question to all players online who may want to play for example PTE. I am sure I would be able to play a lot more PTE 1vs1 if we had a chat.

I rather stay on topic.

Tatsujb, what would be the limits you feel this chat system could be taken too?

no tag or quote, you're lucky I caught that.

uhm? I'm going to need you to clarify on that one. Do you mean the "extremes" and "would want"?

What has happened to PAStats IRC, why is this left unmentioned?

If I remember correctly it was all tat stuff proposed here....

the issue is that a chat system, just like a matchmaking system, can only work if it is thrown in front of people. People who do not even know what a mod is need to find it easily. Those people never even
visit this forums and without an ingame chat where they can be told the forums exist they will never be here.

I also admit that my implementation of the pa stats ingame irc windows is not optimal in terms of useability. A better implementation would be more like an uberbar chat windows, but with a user list in the right, so you can see who is in the chatroom.

I think all of this is available when you use IRC, even the offline chat proposed somewhere in this thread...

It was merely a hint, that something like that already exists and might e worth to be looked at.

And I TOTALLY agree that a chat system HAS to be opt out, at least if multiplayer has been chosen.

How far could the chat system be expanded? What additional features could be included.

(Just stirring up the discussion with something other then a bump)

just install pastats and it adds the pastats irc channel link

oh! I was totally right to ask for a clarification, now I know what you meant.

and that's a very good question!

the answer : I do not fully know. There are certainly possibilities well beyond the stretch of my imagination.

but as some people have pointed out. It would be a more fulfilled UBER social where you could start group chats or channels, the main channel would be the great HQ. the hangout where everybody at least sneaks a glance or says hi to the world everytime they pop on.

Soon it would become a habit to use the global chat more than private or public smaller channels, group chats and PMs simply because of that great feeling that what you have to say concerns a broader audience and having more people bounce off of it and this feeling of belonging you get from getting a "hello" and "hey, man I heard you're really good on this map, come join us we're hosting one right now here's the link" (yes cuz we'd have hotlinks to hosted games, very practical indeed within any point of the PA engine but practical as well for people not even playing at the time for who it would open up the client or the browser-based replay client (one can dream)).

A new player sees this first when opening the game for the first time and he need only type:

"errr ...hi.

I'm new here,

I haven't played RTS before but I'm willing to learn can I just get a few pointers?"

and then he gets a flux of answers and even a Private message from someone proposing to be his own private tutor for free. (now this bit, I'm really not making up since it's exactly what I do on FAF whenever I spot a newbie.)

You like the feeling of belonging? of family? I know I do. Here's a great example that I love giving everytime.

Nothing. I do say Nothing.

gets people on FAF pumped up and roaring and cheering and picking sides and huddling up, and starting a bbfl relationships with anyone carrying the same flag as much as Galactic War season whenever they occur.

It's unique to FAF but I don't see why this can't be duplicated in PA, here's how it works:

You watch the GW trailer, then you are given a very difficult decision :

You must pick your favourite race out of the four. and the only one you'll be able to play throughout the entirety of the GW season. Also you will be a "commander" but you must elect a supreme commander one out of that race which shall reign as king and commander over all members of the people who chose that race.

and then throughout the season the four races battle it out across a galaxy and attempt to conquer it entirely. The first ones to be totaly annihilated winkwink suffer crushing humiliating shame (as I and the rest of the UEF had to) and the members of the race that win the Galactic War get to boast their incontestable superiority.

Hilarity ensues.

people on the forums in PMs and global chat try to get their favourite players on their side.

of course it's difficult because people generally have an affinity to a certain race and when given the choice of what race they'll play for a month and a half don't hesitate for a split second.

Everyone feels a unison coming over them, you play the part whether real-life friend or real life enemy you taunt and mock the ones belonging to another race and huddle close with the ones from your race. You blast out your race's slogan in the global chat "UNITE!" and provoke the opponents with "cybran scum!", "aeon heretics!"

you discuss strategies and organisation, who does what at what time and how with the support of who. who gives orders in absence of the supreme commander. what does the hierarchy tree look like.

all of this thanks to what one thing?

well the race chat channel of course! where only people of that race can join the channel!

it's frankly the most fun I've ever had.

considering it requires a group effort with ALL of the players, rookies and newbs being the centrepiece of all this as new GW avatars start of with free teleportation, and pitching each group in concurrence against one another, it gets the community going in a way I've never seen elsewhere.

so yeah. all that to say, the applications are limitless. I had not anticipated GW's use of the chat before I witnessed it.

and I can't say that in all my 8 years of being on a global chat daily I've ever had one bad experience. I think that says alot for it's contents.

Uber, please, oh pretty please, add this function.

No, we should have a voice balance discussion. It would be amazing.

:X

this is how you do it

I genuinely liked it and then unliked it just so I could like it again.


No way is 'unliked' a real word...