Well I started off playing eq1 where nobody used vent. Killed every raid mob available without it. Then eq started churning out the shotty elf expansions so I moved on to WoW and quickly got to 60. I downloaded this "vent" thing as it was required for the first raid. After setting it up along with my headset I felt like I was either ready to captain the millenium falcon or start my job at AT&T.

The zone itself was amazing compared to the old eq dungeons, I was really getting into it. We proceeded to clear untill we made it to the first boss where I was ready to put my healing skills to the test. The fight started off pretty intense with the boss unleashing a wave of aoe's, followed by adds at 80%, followed by a dog barking loudly,  followed by the guild leader yelling at his dog, followed by some form of a domestic dispute involving the guild leader, his wife, and the dog. Ahhhh true immersement. After three raids of the nasally guild leader and his twelve year old hindu sidekick yelling at people over ventrilo I quit and solo'd in bg's for the rest of the game.

Then came AoC where anything said outside ventrilo was just completely ignored. Anything said in raid chat was generally followed in vent by "hey did anyone see what he said in raid chat?". After spending 10 minutes talking to myself in a different pve group I broke down and asked the leader for the vent info. After an hour of listening to the ranger breathe deeply into my ear as if he just ran ten feet, and listening to the thirteen year old tank trying to hit on the priest for even longer I logged off of vent and started nuking things indescriminatly.

And now there's WAR. Where we have required ventrilo interviews for guilds, and a pvp centered theme where the pace will be considered too quick for typing. There's always the arguement of "you don't have to use vent" which is great if you plan on living under a bridge and giving ****jobs for raid gear. Or "just use headphones" and have your group chat ignored because you don't feel like repeatedly screaming "GET THE DAMN ORC!" in your home at 2am. I'm not saying vent is bad, there's no doubt that it makes things more efficient. I just think it sucks that it's become such a requirement. Guess it's either time to deal with it or go back to making my armor out of toilet paper.

To be honest, I can see where you're coming from, but voice comms just has too many advantages over typing for people *not* to use it as much as they can.

I've had groups/raids in WoW snatch victory from the jaws of defeat on many, many occasions simply because of the speed that vent allows in first communicating there is a problem (so everyone is aware and can react before they get omgwtfbbqfacepwnd), and then communicating a solution back to the party/raid.  Both of which are nigh-impossible to do typing while simultaniously tracking 5/25/40 health bars and keeping an eye on what the mob is doing.

Now I play Eve, and it's even less practical there since virtually all the combat group content is pvp based and you simply can't predict what will happen in advance - fast, effecient communication is vital to winning the fight, and oftentimes even getting to the fight since the 10 seconds it takes for your baitship or scout to type out what's happening may very well make the difference between a successful engagement and them slipping away.

    Yeha my experiences are pretty similar....We downed many, many raid tarets without ever using vnetrilo then all of a sudden people couldnt survive without it......My experience was similar when I tried vent also....There was a baby crying all the time, people yelling at each other, conversations on the phone while their mic was on, etc etc etc.......To me it completely ruins immersion......You can say what you want but if you ahve half a brain and have some experience in raids you can generally get by without it....in EQ2 I often unplugged it and just played......I refuse to use it now as I'd rather go without than have to deal with all the hassles of using it.

I've yet to have a really positive experience with Vent.  The times I've used it has usually involved quite a few of the aspects of games I hate.  The thing is, the way I play games never really lends itself to vent usage anyways since I preffer to run into the wilds and find people who are out there with like mind as I and group with them.  Usually the groups are small and are formed more for giggles and shits then really getting anything done.  That and I really don't care for having someone dictate how I should play my game and yell at me for something that really does not matter.  I have a very low tollerance for asshattery and will generally walk away from anything I don't like or feel is stupid.

Originally posted by Theocritus

    Yeha my experiences are pretty similar....We downed many, many raid tarets without ever using vnetrilo then all of a sudden people couldnt survive without it......My experience was similar when I tried vent also....There was a baby crying all the time, people yelling at each other, conversations on the phone while their mic was on, etc etc etc.......To me it completely ruins immersion......You can say what you want but if you ahve half a brain and have some experience in raids you can generally get by without it....in EQ2 I often unplugged it and just played......I refuse to use it now as I'd rather go without than have to deal with all the hassles of using it.

I pretty much agree with everything said in this thread so far. And this most closely matches my opinion on the matter.

I'm not a big fan either. I just joined a WAR guild and the first thing I checked out was how everyone sounded on vent. Are there any chatter boxes?

Is there anyone who sounds too young?

So far so good.

But I would be happy without it.

One thing I like about CoX is they have some chats bind setup that are useful in groups, like HELP! (with a whistle blow - I love that one) RUN! and a few others. Combining macro with variables like, target, you can do all sorts of things in chat.

Vent and other live voice chat systems ruin immersion. Personally I hate the concept but since they utilize outside software not connected with the game, there is no way to block this phenomena right? The only acceptable option besides refusing to participate, is playing a MMOG that incorporates live speak as part of the game for all players to use. Preferably with a real life voice masking system so I don't hear a squeeky pimply faced kid's voice coming from a burly dwarf fighter.

Personally I have no problem lietening to an experienced raid leader or pvp squad commander over vent.

What drives me crazy is just hanging out in the Vent lobby for general chit chat. The last thing I wanna hear while playing an MMO is how the Tank had an argument with his boss, or the healer is thinking of upgrading his video card. Small talk is de worst

Originally posted by fugue14

After setting it up along with my headset I felt like I was either ready to captain the millenium falcon or start my job at AT&T.

That made my day, funny as hell.

You really have to get used to it, we  used roger wilco back in 2000 for online games its not going away.

The key is too keep it small, have seperate channels in the vent, divide raids into class channels.

Never use vent personally, Got a mic and everything, but it just doesn't do anything for me.

Prefer to type, which ive never found to be as restricting as people say it is.

Thats just me though :P

I've begun telling everybody who asks me to get on Vent that I'm deaf...

One Guild Leader disbanded the whole guild because he didn't want somebody who couldn't be on Vent, but the guild stood up and said he was discriminating against deaf people.
(I feel kind of bad about that.)

Headsets give me a headache.  I have insanely accute hearing, I sit in my room in complete silence normally... most people can't hear my TV I keep it so low, and I don't listen to music much (if at all)...  And I absolutely hate the moronic garbage that gets spewed over Vent/TS when it happens. 

I've played TONS of games with no sound at all, including FPS style games.  I found the process to be quite enjoyable without sound.  There have been times when my game machine did not even have speakers hooked up, let alone a headset for Vent.

Saying you're Deaf works... normally they assign somebody to talk to you in chat.  But you should be a good player if you're going to do that, since it's extra work for somebody.

Originally posted by CaesarsGhost

I've begun telling everybody who asks me to get on Vent that I'm deaf...

I have actually started to do this too. I don't want to chat with people online.

I type very fast and nothing beats typing in straight forward and understandable communication.

I don't want to wear a headset, I don't want to hear anyone interrupting my music constantly, I just don't want to have to deal with all the problems, yes problems, that vent adds to a game.

Overall, vent and teamspeak etc is starting to become the most annoying thing of MMO ever. I never thought something could overtake my hate for too much grind, but then there was voice chat...GRRRR. Seriously, I hate it.

The seceret to Vent is using push to talk key.

I agree with the op.

This is an older take on voice chat in general, but i think it still applies.

http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/enzyme/032008/1309_the-blessing-and-curse-that-is-teamspeakventVoiP

I agree vent is required,whether its raiding or high end PvP,for other general stuff you can always type.

Originally posted by InTheSea

Originally posted by CaesarsGhost

I've begun telling everybody who asks me to get on Vent that I'm deaf...

 

I have actually started to do this too. I don't want to chat with people online...

 

excellent idea - i'm gunna start to do this too 

and to avoid all those pesky /tells , im gunna tell these ppl i'm blind (will they fall for it?)

I have been using voice chat programs for use with games since before broad band internet, so its been many, many years. The key things I find to enjoy it is know the people, keep the groups on small, and use push to talk. Most the people I talk to I have known for years at a time, and while I haven't met some in person, its much more friendly and personal than reading text I think.

Some games I simply can't imagine not having it, like planetside.

There is one person who refuses to use push to talk, but it only makes for good comedy. He manages to have a new ring tone on his phone everyday, and he seems to know the craziest people ever. I don't get to hear phrases in my normal daily life offline like "My god is that a dead rat in your toilet !?".

I agree with the OP. I too using vent n much prefer to type. I enjoy my gametime on a casual basis. But just because I am in my computer room playing a MMO doesn't mean I hafta shut out the rest of my family for a couple hours. 

This may sound crazy I know, but hearing my baby son cry, or joking with my wife, or even having my other kids watch me play are far more important than some kid telling me to kill XXX monster for him. Crazy to think family comes first over a MMO I know...but I am silly that way eh?

Any experience I have had with Vent has been full of stupid idol chat, or background noises. Nothing said cannot be done in type.  Besides if you are with a decent group, each player should know how to play his/her character, without being told. If you hafta tell ppl how to play their char then they shouldn't be part of the group.

Ventrilo is the AIDS of internet gaming.

What i hate most is having to cop with teenagers under 19, i'm already too old for this at 26.

Honestly, i'm positive there is a way for developers to block voice chat. Either by allocating all audio channels, preventing any other program from using them in the game. Or if that isn't possible i'm sure they could think of something.

I remember playing Doom Online, and Quake with a fractional T1 when it was still new. And never remember any Doom or Quake clans using voice chat. We would talk between matches IRC and discuss what we were going to do, or how to win in games like CTF.

In EQ , RZ server, i never ran across a voice chat using guild or group. Some of the encounters were very difficult, but people would instinctively know what to do.

Enchanters knew how and when to mez, DPS knew which targets to hit (without raid targets), Tanks knew how to hold agro. All this was done without voice chat.

Voice Chat helps those who are new to the genre or can't type. Its really just a crutch.

P.S. If you ever ran in 8 man group in DAoC you also know why Vent isn't required to compete in PvP either. Again, knowing how to play, and how the classes around you play, makes you respond quicker then listening to vent.