General Discussion

Mostly everyone has played an immersion game in which a global(or at least zone-based) chat protocol is accessible. What are the advantages and disadvantages of installing such a system in an online gaming environment? Do you think that these advantages/disadvantages extend to real life?

In my opinion, a global chat system can enable communication and also enable an exclusive society. It becomes more easy to locate individuals who excel at their online profession which has obvious benefits for any interdependent gaming environment. However, it is possible that such availability can phase out a games potential for retaining new players. Why? Because as the player base grows and becomes more advanced, the newer players to the game have a larger divide to cross for acceptance into the online community. Essentially, the infrastructure of the gaming society isn't as strong as its weakest link. Rather, it is as strong as its senior category. Obviously, every game service provider must face the issue of assisting new players in becoming integrated into the community or else require development of new games in which new players don't face a community divide. As I see it, those are the two options for a gaming service provider. However, in my opinion, there is really only one option and that is to provide a means for integrating new players into the existing community. Why? Because by separating player bases into different games the gaming provider must provide additional branches in their organization for managing each additional game; in doing so, the gaming provider divides and conquers its own resources. Does that stop some providers? Of course not, instead of providing an equal portion of resources in all of their games they devote just enough human resources to their newest game in an attempt to get their market audience to purchase the new game; in an attempt to raise revenue by selling games rather than monthly fees. Afterall, the poor gamers who have settled into those gaming providers "obsolete" games will have no choice but to migrate to the newest game because all of the resources have been diverted away from the stable gaming environment that the gamers are currently a part of, and into the new game. Back on track, gaming providers have only one true option and that is to help new gamers become accepted into the existing player base, how effectively is this agenda achieved with a global chat system?

Again, the gaming provider has a couple of options. Either it can rely on its existing player base to help integrate new players into the community or it can implement staff for carrying out this purpose. Obviously, the least expensive of the two options is to rely on existing player base. However, what is the existing player bases incentive to carry out such an objective in a way which is desired by the gaming service provider? Many games implement some sort of mentoring system which is purely voluntary. Not many of them provide automated incentives for rewarding their mentors. Which begs the question: is the gaming service provider achieving its objective more effectively by hiring staff to reward their mentors or should the organization simply use their staff to do the mentoring in the first place. Really, it could go either way on this question because not all organizations have qualified professionals who are also qualified gamers. The other option is automated incentives which seems the most practical and efficient to me.

What sort of automated incentives can be included to motivate existing players to help out newbies. I believe this is one option which is heavily under-used for end-game players. Escorting newbies around zones can be as challenging as anything, even for end-game players. High end gear or enhancements could be given to players who escort players through instances(instances because otherwise the system might be abused by zerg groups). The rewards in an automated incentive system shouldn't be dispensed per review of the escorted newbie for reasons of game balance and exploitation. Perhaps another type of incentive could be strategy guides(automated) for high-end raid encounters. Anyone who has lead a raid knows that it is complicated to manage so many people; wouldn't it be convenient if much of the management could be delegated to an automation system.

The forementioned might seem odd on first glance for appearing contrary to anti-power-levelling efforts. Let me be clear, the newbie doesn't receive any exceptional exp for being escorted. The next question which arises is "why would the newbie want to go on the escort?" The newbie will be able to learn the ropes as well as fight and earn exp by fighting monsters which are appropriately difficult for their level. Both the escort and newbie will have reserved monsters which will only attack each as specified. Not only do both parties gain exp, but they communicate and establish a relationship which fosters a sort of buddy system helping to retain the new players(and end-game player also depending on incentives).

So far, I have spoken mostly in favor of global chat. When would proximity chat systems be effective? When the death penalty for failing a task isn't over-taxing. Harsh exp and loot penalties cause people to be more selective about the people they associate with online. If a game service provider wants to encourage a diverse grouping setting then penalties have to be reduced for failing tasks. Some of the opposition to lenient penalties might argue that without the penalties the players will never learn how to make the right moves in combat(task settings). Their reasoning is that the death penalty is what motivates the party members to do their part. In my opinion, the penalty is a poor solution to underlying gameplay issues. Players will become better at their professions by playing with diverse styles of professions, not by spending half of their gaming hours in the local resurrection house. Essentially, the advantage of proximity chatting settings is that individual player characters are immersed in a diverse setting and are required to become adaptable to that setting making them a more skilled-diverse group contributor. Really, how much can a player learn by grouping with the same five people day-in day-out and grinding with their same styles on a daily basis.

One extra issue which comes into play when proximity chatting is implemented is that people must have a probability to encounter another player character in close proximity. The solution is to implement a rotating exp scale in zones of similar levels. By doing so, players will be encouraged to migrate to various locations in the virtual universe. In doing so, the players will cross paths with other players and have grouping opportunities.

Feel free to comment and make improvements/suggestions/criticize.

A lot of it has to do with what the player is there to do. Are you going to play the game or sit and chat all night via Barrens Chat style?  I think developers should start putting heavy filters and limits on general chat because of the growing popularity of spammers. If you are talking in chat all day/night then you must be bored and not playing the game. Then you get put on my ignore list or reported. I think they should get rid of chat. If you need help or a question just use a /who command for your area and ask someone nearby with a simple personal message.

Global chat is a standard feature of MMO's, and all MMO's from now on will include it, because that's what players want.

Lack of global chat only accomplishes one thing, frustrating the players, and making them all use third party software to communicate, which is a pain in the arse.

If you want to play the game with no global chat, then just turn it off.

Global chats okay, personally I like the way it is in FFXI, their is no global chat, but theirs a limited ranged shout unless you get a linkshell

So personally, I would like to see more mmos without a global chat.

We had it in SWG, planetary chat, but no one used it. Most people talked in /tell, guild, group or spacial chat. I liked the fact the channels were dead and spammers didn't even bother with it.  Sure people spammed, but in spacial, and you could get away from it or mute it easier than having it flash across your screen while you were out in the wild.

The problem with global chat is that players abuse it to discuss crap.  But more importantly it becomes an area where "old timers" abuse newcomers.  Thereby alienating newcomers to a game.  This is a problem in any game where the population reaches a size whereby it is possible to become anonymous.  Or reroll enough characters to have anonymous "alts".

As most of us know, MMO's are about communities, and WOW has in many ways become to large for its own good, the vast majority of players know nothing about MMO's other than WOW and don't understand why MMO veterans become disgusted with WOW on a regular basis.  The don't understand the lack of community building experiences in WOW and how its either raid (can't even say pvp since arenas arrived) or chat.  And the chat experience in any of the populated areas is essentially spammed by people with big mouths and no thought, or hoping to piss off as many as they can.

A mentoring system of sorts is a good idea but its also a bad idea, if you get rewards for mentoring a lowbie it's just another system whereby people will abuse it, (aka roll with someone they know and not help out newbies over and over so they can maxx whatever reward is available)

Originally posted by tillamook

We had it in SWG, planetary chat, but no one used it. Most people talked in /tell, guild, group or spacial chat. I liked the fact the channels were dead and spammers didn't even bother with it.  Sure people spammed, but in spacial, and you could get away from it or mute it easier than having it flash across your screen while you were out in the wild.

I agree with this.

In SWG cities felt alive and kicking, because people were actually speakin.. There were what you could call "city noise"...

In AoC or EQ2 or Vanguard or Whatever game these days.. Everything is just sterile... No life no nothing.. Everything being said is done so on some global channel... And the day someone actually speaks to you in spatial is the day you get a heartattack because of the shock of someone actually speaking in the area.

I'd pay big money for a Sandbox game with good spatial chat and no global outside of guild chat.

Originally posted by tillamook

We had it in SWG, planetary chat, but no one used it. Most people talked in /tell, guild, group or spacial chat. I liked the fact the channels were dead and spammers didn't even bother with it.  Sure people spammed, but in spacial, and you could get away from it or mute it easier than having it flash across your screen while you were out in the wild.

I agree totally.

Global chat is a nightmare, and I personally have a strong dislike for practically being forced to use it in modern games.