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Post by Nola on Feb 26, 2017 7:52:23 GMT
Hello all,
Arguably the most vital decision we need to make is how exactly we'll be playing STAB. We have traditionally used a customized IRC server, but that can get fairly complicated, and to be frank, we're not sure we have anyone who knows how to do it.
However, since we have this opportunity to perhaps modernize the game a bit, we thought we'd proposed some new options, and also see if any of you had any suggestions of your own. The two main options we're looking at are Discord, a web-based voice chat server with group chat functions, and Mibbit, which is a browser-based IRC client that's pretty simple to use and has some handy bonuses.
For my preference, I'd probably choose Discord over Mibbit. I've been using Mibbit for well over a month while running Tempest missions, and it's a nice enough client, but it's got one niggling issue: smilies. It makes using :: for actions a bit of a pain, and we'd either need to alter the protocol to include a space between them, or use some other protocol like -- or something. It's a small thing, but an annoying thing.
Discord is nice because you can set up groups pretty easy, meaning each ship would get its own dedicated channel. It also allows for voice chat, which some players have expressed interest in on occasion.
Given how important this issue is, I'm going to ask all of you to please respond with either a preference or a suggestion. The sooner we can get this resolved, the sooner we can get started playing!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2017 9:13:16 GMT
I've not used either, but after checking them out I think Discord looks good (assuming you can have two chat rooms open at once for OOC). I like that it is also possible to use in browser. Additionally, it looks more modern compared to mibbit, which I know isn't a major point, but I like it and it may be easier to draw new players in with a more modern look. And voice chat. Yes, that'll be fun.
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Post by CO_Capt_Savage on Mar 2, 2017 2:02:25 GMT
So far I do like Mibbit as well, and the smiley face is annoying. My question here would be could you access the Mibbit IRC's using a "Client" instead of the in chat. If you could essentially "Bring your own client" that might help with the appeal and solve the "Smiley" face issue.
My only issue with discord is it's not set up with a chat that is seemingly conducive to simming. However without trying it I cannot say it's a bad idea. I use Discord for gaming and keeping up with friends, so I'm somewhat familiar with it. I think it is a great platform. Voice is neat, but trying to Sim using voice can be problematic when you have a bunch of people trying to talk all at once.
But hey I'll try nearly anything at least once. Within reason. LOL
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Post by Nola on Mar 2, 2017 2:06:18 GMT
As I understand it, yes, you can connect to any Mibbit room via an IRC client. Discord does have a text chat system, but I'm not sure if you can be in two group chats at once (i.e. a mission room and OOC room). I'll look into that this evening.
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Post by Shawna on Mar 2, 2017 2:40:25 GMT
You can absolutely be in as many rooms on Discord as you want! you can make so many subrooms it's ridiculous. You can't window them like in IRC, but flipping between the two rooms isn't any different for me as from irc.
You can also change your nick in different servers. Not, say, between an IC and OOC room, but if you're on one server on Tempest and also have a character on the Bremen server, you can be in both servers at once and have a different nick going on. You can also @ someone and a notification can pop up specifically saying you've been pinged or talked about or messaged.
I honestly rarely use the voice chat system except for fun things like karaoke or for serious things like a bunch of mods getting together to discuss business, but I haven't had any issues with it.
We would have to change the way we type some of our :: and * and etc protocols, but I honestly think once we sort out the symbols we might want to use for things, Discord will make it even easier to express ourselves. (Italics! Bless my soul, italics and bolding!)
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Post by Nola on Mar 2, 2017 3:06:22 GMT
How newbie-friendly would you say Discord is, Shawna? As far as learning how to use it, I mean.
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Post by Shawna on Mar 2, 2017 3:14:49 GMT
It can take some poking around to understand what everything is and does, and where everything is, but I don't think it's too hard to just set up and go for the basic functions of 'join/get invited to a ship/server', 'set up username', 'start chatting'. Honestly I find it easier than IRC, but that might not be saying much tbh.
I'd recommend a test mission or two just to work out the kinks, but it's pretty straightforward, and if people wanna start getting deeper into the options, there are plenty of helpful guides on how to work Discord to boot.
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Babs
Lore Committee
Posts: 210
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Post by Babs on Mar 2, 2017 4:21:35 GMT
I prefer a chat platform to voice.. simply because I've always been better at writing things out vs. yelling things out in a group. Plus, it's easier for me to focus on the game if I don't have extra distractions going on. Everyone's different, but that's what works best for me.
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Post by Shawna on Mar 2, 2017 4:28:32 GMT
Absolutely wouldn't recommend using voice for rp purposes. But STAB karaoke nights!
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Post by spacedaisy on Mar 2, 2017 8:50:45 GMT
Dan, didn't we try to use Discord for a short period when we tried to resurrect a DA sim back some time ago? It was fun, but I never used the voice personally, seems to me that others did. I didn't stick with it as long back then. My biggest concern whatever we use is the ease of access and use. We have someone who uses his iPad to play, and whatever we use needs to be iPad friendly. I'm comfortable with mibbit, so it's my inclination but I'm not opposed to something else if it fits better.
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Post by CO_Capt_Savage on Mar 2, 2017 14:17:29 GMT
No, previously we used a program called "Teamspeak" which was just for background chatter, questions, etc. Yeah it was nice to have that banter a bit, but it certainly could be a distraction. It's nice to have the option to talk to people while Simming too. It's easy for quick questions, and sidebars regarding things. It actually wouldn't be bad as far as an OOC chat goes. People can listen in and not have to talk. As far as ease of use with Discord regarding OOC, yes you can create another channel and yes you have to switch back and forth or you can go old school Simming and just use (( )) for OOC chat like we used to back in the day in the IC channel. spacedaisy: I know discord pretty much works on just about any operating system. I know they do support iOS so he should be good. If you would like to have him download it, I can pull him into the one we use for gaming to test it with him so we can be certain.
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Rascal
Lore Committee
Posts: 120
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Post by Rascal on Mar 2, 2017 21:45:44 GMT
My vote is on the purely text based solution. Using voice chat in game would be difficult to maintain for me personally, as I'm not living my own. Yet, occasional (planned/announced) voice events can be fun ;-) I'm a long time IRC fan, been using mIRC continuously since the late nineties (Even paying for it. Yeah, I know.). There are numerous decent IRCd hosting providers, many with a web based client and bots to boot, but none are free. Expect to dish out USD 15 to 20 per month for a full service. You'd get pro-level hand-off server management and hardware, though. That said, I'm up for trying anything that allows for a near identical game experience to what we're used to. Including the two channel mission/ooc channel system, please
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Post by Nola on Mar 2, 2017 21:51:14 GMT
To clarify, there are no plans to use voice for RP purposes. The idea with Discord would be to simply have OOC voice chat be an option, but obviously not required. That being said, there's no reason we can't use both!
We could use Mibbit for the actual playing/OOC chat, but we could also have an official Discord server to facilitate voice chat, and maybe even run some just-for-fun out-of-mission events. Does that sound agreeable to folks?
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Rascal
Lore Committee
Posts: 120
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Post by Rascal on Mar 2, 2017 22:32:57 GMT
Sure, that's worth trying!
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Post by CO_Capt_Savage on Mar 3, 2017 0:47:45 GMT
Sounds interesting to me. I'm game.
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