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EVE Online News - Voice Communication
Posted by Laura Genender on Mar 08, 2007 | 26 comments in our forums
CCP introduces integrated voice software into EVE, creating a more immersive enviroment and adopting one of the communication systems that many guilds in many MMOs use today.
Game Developers Conference, San Francisco, CA - March 7, 2007 - CCP Games, the world's largest independent game developer, today announced the integration of voice communication into leading Sci-Fi Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG), EVE Online. Players will now be able to speak to each other for better coordination, negotiation, socializing and planning. The addition of voice adds a new dimension to the award-winning game used by over 160,000 active players.
EVE Voice gives players the ability to communicate with each other directly from within the game without the use of third party communication applications. This will enhance coordination of players during intense gameplay such as battles, improve inter-player negotiations, enrich planning and bring a new facet to social interaction, as it will now be an integrated part of the game.
"EVE Online is a deeply strategic, open-ended game in which thousands of players must cooperate and compete," said Magnus Bergsson, chief marketing officer at CCP Games. "We recently had a fleet battle with more than 1,000 players in one sector of the EVE universe. The amount of communication between those players in planning and executing these maneuvers is vast. Adding integrated voice will not just enhance gameplay by accelerating those plans and allowing players to react quickly as situations unfold in-game, but it will give combat pilots a strategic advantage."
"Being avid EVE players ourselves, providing voice to the EVE community is a tremendous experience for us," said Monty Sharma, vice president marketing at Vivox. "The level of play in EVE is incredibly sophisticated. Adding voice to a world of this caliber, so that it is accessible to the thousands of EVE players simply and easily, will augment the game in many ways. We know that EVE's players will make the most of these new features, and we're excited to watch the creative ways in which the players will use them to reach their goals."
EVE Voice features
EVE Voice is fully integrated into the EVE client software, eliminating the need for third party applications, which take up computer resources, require a dedicated voice server, and pose a security risk. Features of EVE Voice include:
- High quality - offers sound quality which is considerably higher than other IP-based communication applications
- Player to player direct chat - with talk indicator to show which player is speaking
- Group chat - allowing corporation, fleet, or alliance members to communicate one-to-many within a dedicated audio channel
- Sub-group chat - allowing smaller groups within a corporation, such as a squad or gang, to discuss specific topics among themselves
- Group leader talk - instantly mutes other players on the group's audio channel ensuring the leader's instructions can be heard clearly during crucial times, such as in the heat of battle
- Map integration - shows where players are when speaking, allowing better coordination of tactical assaults, reconnaissance or search and rescue missions
- Moderator controls - allows leaders to kick other players off the audio channel (in case of abuse, for instance), to mute them (so they can hear but not be heard), ban (prevent them from accessing the audio channel) and un-ban players
EVE Voice has been developed in partnership with Vivox, the leading provider of integrated voice services for online games, which will also operate the service. See also partnership announcement from May 10, 2006 for details.
EVE Voice will be available from late March 2007 as an optional feature for players at a price of $10 for unlimited usage for 12 months. Players can access the updated client software here: http://www.eve-online.com/download/ Players must use a compatible headset and microphone to take advantage of the call quality offered by EVE Voice.
- fully integrated into the client
that's the nice part, a standardized integrated system, where everyone can audibly talk to everyone else in the world.
Hopefully ALL mmogs will adopt this as THE standard way to communicate ingame, eliminating the aggravating text system altogether. For hearing impaired players or those who listen to music while playing, make the text system optional.
I would add that you will only need one voice account period.
If you have multiple characters or even multiple EVE accounts, you will still only need to purchase the $10 per Year voice service once.
No word on group accounts yet, but the possibility of Corp or Alliance level accounts was briefly mentioned a few months ago.
One more thing:
Out of game support is planned but not yet implemented, so you do have to be logged into the game to have access to the voice service. But if I heard right, the Vivox process keeps running for a while after the game closes (read accidentally crashes or disconnects) so you can in contact with people in the game if you loss connection.
The feature list is quite complete. I like the voice indicators on the map/overlay and the moderator features are soooo needed, and the fact that very large groups can communicate is just amazing. Turbine may have been the first to intergrate voice over IP in DDO. But CCP really took it 10 levels higher. Competition is GOOD (tm). I hope other games like WoW, EQ2 and such adopt voice over IP. As it is essential to modern fast moving MMOs out there. I would PAY to have my entire raid group in moderated voice channel in games like EQ2.
Good job CCP on taking a good features and making it so useful that you will be at a disadvantage if you don't use it. I mean that as a compliment.
I'm looking forward to using it and glad CCP are innovating!
Does this mean Eve Online's review rating deserves to go up?!
This is just a canned game offering a solution for one game. Gamers play multiple games. When you are on the road for a business trip playing solitare and want to pop onto TS or Vent and say hello to your corp mates, you want a system that works.
When half your fleet leaves to go play WoW:TBC because it brougt them back to the game, what do you do? You make a WoW channel on your TS or Vent server and the group stays together.
These systems do not bring anything to the game over Vent or TS, except for control for the game company. It is the same as using the guild websites over at the Sony Station. Pay, its fair or okay. DDon't pay and its shut off to you. Who here hasn't played a game and then looked up old friends to see if they are around, ask them how the game is, and come back in for a bit? Its part of the dynamic of MMO's.
Thumbs down on the features, because it is nothing new, just wrapped in a bad offering for gamers as consumers.
I really should watch my reply, and level set it.
I use TS. If you comment on this topic, be sure to tell us if you currently use a voice servers, such as TS or Vent, and who pays for it for your group. A few of the replies so far, its about voice is new to a game and replaces text.
Eve's new voice communication has the following features, which I think are new - TS or Vent does not have them, I think:
- Talk indicator to show which player is speaking
- Group leader talk - instantly mutes other players on the group's audio channel ensuring the leader's instructions can be heard clearly during crucial times, such as in the heat of battle
- Map integration - shows where players are when speaking, allowing better coordination of tactical assaults, reconnaissance or search and rescue missions
Also, I'm glad you're finding a use for TS and Vent I can learn from! Talking to your mates in Azeroth while you're mining in Eve / fighting BoB / fighting GoonSwarm sounds cool.
It's all about more choice, which has to be a good thing.
Who is talking - Common ocurtesy "Hi, who said ?" learn peoples names, and really, how many strangers wonder into your channels every day?
Channel Commander -
Multiple key kinds
They both have features. TS and Vent are very feature rich applications.
There are no new features to this EVE offering except once you stop playing EVE and paying their fee, your mates will be shut out of the conversation. And to me, that is not a feature.
All well and good until the cluster goes down, mission lag etc. At least with Ventrillo you can let them know you have CTD.
Given recent stability issues I fail to see how CCPs bandwidth problems will be solved by adding VOIP...
Or you could read the comments in the thread.
Again, if you were actually up to date with the state of the game and CCP's plans with Vivox you would know that the game hasn't had stability issues for several months. And that the VoIP service doesn't even use CCP's servers but a set owned by a 3rd party company (Vivox) who's sole business is providing voice chat for online games. This is the same company that manages the VoIP for Second Life, the upcoming Fallen Earth, and other games. EVE's server bandwidth will not be affected by the service in the slightest, and has infact already been deployed to the main server Tranquility for limited public test.
What a joke..........$10 dollars for what? This is like the capital one add boys.......here come the vikings!
My thoughts on the issue: http://mmostrategyguides.com/eve_integrated_voice_eve_onlin.html
I have mixed feelings about voice and MMOs... it gives and takes from the experience.
$10 (83 cents a month) isn't that big of a deal... it could be much much worse!
Pfff, I'll give it a pass.
I stick to TS.
If your in a corporation/alliance that already uses TS/Vent, your might not see a reason to have Eve Online's in-house comms.
BUT... If you wanted to talk a stranger who has suddenly appeared, at the moment you'd have to use the keyboard in most cases.
If everyone used Eve Online's new comms system, no one would have to type messages. Obviously, you'd have to buy a microphone and pay the $10. The extra cost is a pain but it seems worth it for the ease of communicating in sudden unexpected circumstances (which seems to be the rule, rather than the exception).
The success of the new system will depend on the number of people who use it.
I hope we all use the new communication system because it will make Eve just that bit better and unique.
It's natural for people to always think in the bright side, but hey, the culture EVE promote is more griefers to do spamming and smack talk. Just read the EVE-O forum you will see more and more people deliver harsh comments with retard words like "can i have your stuff?", "kthxbye", "mmmkay" etc. Just perpare for the worst.
Another interesting scenario is, male behind sexy cutie avatar will keep their mouth shut to avoid exposure of true identity. And vice cersa for female behing macho eye-patched man avatar will do the same to avoid voice spamming from desperate men...."ooo, sweet voice", "where u stay?", "how old r u?", "wanna hv 1 nite stand?" etc.
Ha ha, you never know......may be more interesting things happen after that. Can't wait to see.
Anyway, I still stay in TS .
For that extra money I want audio effects like radio squak, background noise in dedspace and electronic combat, AI comm, Station comm, communication jamming eqipment, eavesdropping equipment, and other ingame functionality. Also I would have to have garentees that ISP packet shaving would be NO issue. And even then if this became a major requirement of the game, officially or not, I would have to consider if playing this game is now too expensive for the expirience.
I think you've got a mixture of good ideas, interesting ideas, and bad ideas:
Good ideas
Station comm - good for organising a team to travel through gates that might be camped.
Interesting ideas
AI comm - but your proposal needs a bit more work.
Radio squak, background noise could add to immersion, but might get annoying.
Communication jamming and eavesdropping equipment - this would really put people off the new system, so TS and Vent would have to be banned! If you could ban TS/Vent it's actually a good idea!
Bad ideas
10$ is barely two pints of beer - and this is the yearly fee. I think the idea of parting with cash, however small, is mostly just psychological.
I was going on old information. When the Idea was first being introduced it was being bandied about at 5 to 7 bucks A MONTH. I just assumed that that $10 fee was going to be monthly (also conversion to my currency didn't help, and I did that wrong in myhead too D'OH).
$10 bucks a year isn't so bad. Use TS for a few months putting a few bucks aside and you got it for a year. Thats assuming it is stable and better than most cruddy integrated voice.
If the company was smart they would charge $3.40 every 2 months and if you didn't miss more than a total of 4 months, after you had paid three times you got the rest of that year for free.
Problem is on which software is it implented windows 2000, windows XP or Windows Vista.
I for example use windows 2000 professional when that voice was installed on eve. Eve did not work at all anymore. I put a line in my cache to get eve worked again. And for such a feature i much pay? Now they asked us too give feedback over this feature. Do they also pay for the feedback we give them.
Use give me TS or better Ventrilo.
There is no book no guidance nothing how it worked.
Which headphone should i use USB or through the soundcard?
Or make a system every one can use and paying for something what does NOT work. I think those who would get it do not know where they have too spend there money on.
AK over 60M Skillpoints
Can you track the IPs of the people who log on to your voice chat with Vivox? If you can't, then it seems to me that Vivox just isn't as useful than private voice servers for intelligence gathering purposes.
Can you stage logon/logoff traps with Vivox? If you can't, then it seems to me that Vivox just isn't as useful than private voice servers for metagaming purposes.
Can people who do not want to hear voices now, and do not use any voice program block voice, and keep sounds? Or is this Vivox going to ram someone's voice through the audio whether the person on the receiving end wants it, or not? If its integrated to the point where people who have no desire to use it have to deal with it, then it seems to me this is just going to make the game so much more unpalateable.
What Vivox seems to forget is that fast oral communication in the context of play is only one advantage voice software provides. There are plenty of other advantages that a third party communications network provides that go beyond the game into the metagame, and its this metagaming function that forms the basis of the competitive advantage for the most powerful clans/alliances/guilds/corps. Voice software is a tool that allows the users to influence the game specifically because the tool is separate from the game. When it gets integrated, most of the utility of the tool is diminished.
Even if you are just a troll I will humor you.
No you can not, all voice go to a central server where it's mixed and sent back to the clients, the only IP you can log is the one on the central server.An "offline" client has been mentioned several times. It will not be available from the start but will probably come later so both yes and no.
If you don't pay for the voice upgrade you want here a single thing, and even if you do you will have to activilly join the voice channels you want to listen to.
I don't think they have forgotten anything, while the inital offering is a bit bare more features that allow most of these things (expect IP tracking) will come in time.
It seems to me that in a game like EVE, anyone who gets in on a voice tool that doesn't allow for IP tracking, flexability, and the ability to use it in a "morally flexible" fashion is putting themselves at a disadvantage over those who are able to do so. I mean, alliances like BoB take the game so seriously, they aren't going to jump into a system unless they can monitor who is on their voice comms. We aren't just talking the character here, but the players behind the characters. You can only do that by monitoring the user's unique IP, which also allows one to monitor their external forums, launch reprisals in the form of DOS, etc.
Is it the sort of things that should belong in EVE? No, but the alliances want EVE to be about data mining, and against internet anonymity. I don't think that EVE is willing or able to really go back, given how many in the big time game are so paranoid about spies, theives, and hackers that they refuse to game with anyone whom they can't affix to a RL profile somewhere.
What Vivox doesn't understand is that if alliances can't win using their tool, their tool is useless. TS/Vent users have so many more advantages, both licit and illicit, that you'd be a fool to give that up for a system that doesn't allow monitoring, and system profiling.