Xbox players have another huge disadvantage because of how game chat works. When on pc, the game chat is still enabled if you are in a party chat. Pc gamers also have access to discord and other chat systems.
This matters because it gives pc gamers a huge advantage during stealth situations. They can communicate during stealth whereas Xbox gamers can’t.
Just allow xbox users to listen into game chat while still in a party would be good enough.
That is exactly why this is a huge issue. PC can both talk in private and in game, while Xbox can only be one way or the other. It only takes a few seconds to switch from xbox party chat to in game chat but during combat there is no time so you either reveal your plans to the enemy or are unable to communicate with the enemy. The advantage is insane.
My temporary work around:
Currently to get around this I have an ear bud mic that I have hooked into discord for my fleet (https://fleetofthieves.com/). While my xbox headset sits over that. I then just mute and unmute my game chat with a toggle on my xbox headset. This technique requires a crew using a voip service other than xbox party chat for primary crew chat, an earbud w/mic, and a Xbox headset that can fit over the earbud.
I dunno, I guess for me I just don’t stay in game chat during a battle.
If for some reason I’m surprised by someone I had no idea was there and I’m in game chat and can’t find a safe place for 3 seconds to switch I just don’t say anything and act.
Usually though I have plenty of time to decide if I should go to game chat or party chat.
Getting snuck up on in the ocean is kinda like getting hit by a train at a railroad crossing you messed up somewhere.
I’m pretty sure you can still hear other crews while on an Xbox. I’m on a pc and while in a party I can’t communicate in game, it might work if I enable push to talk, don’t really use it to be honest.
But one guy I crew up with regularly is on a Xbox and he seems to hear other players when we are in party chat.
@warlordwoody22
The advantage comes into play when you can switch during combat. Before combat you typically make a plan of attack; during combat this plan usually doesn't go 100%, so you need to adjust and give out orders per situation. If the other side can hear you then you have already failed. But if your crew is not speaking to each other then you will most likely fail. Now what happens when you start using words to confuse the enemy. If you cant privately tell your own crew to dismiss the following you will just confuse your own crew as well.
Its also extremely difficult to make peace with a crew when not in game chat. Which is disadvantageous to have on all the time.
The best thing for Sea of Thieves would be to find a way to block all VOIP services and for everyone to be in game chat all the time. The game is far more entertaining when you must actually be conscious of who can here you and when.
I guess I’ve just never personally been in a situation where I couldn’t switch out of game chat and into party chat yet and don’t feel at a disadvantage over communication
It’s easy enough to spot a sail way out and we switch to party chat ahead of a combat situation and after they’ve sunk or we sunk is when it’s time to switch back and hand out congratulations or apologies depending
I’ve had it happen sometimes when people use the megaphone, I can hear them when I’m in party chat occasionally
@warlordwoody22 I’m certain that when I play the division in party chat, I can still hear others in the dark area. I remember times when people would call us out because we were in the party chat.
I honestly think this dilemma is a decision Rare have made. They want people in the game chat and not in parties. They just underestimated the pc player base.
@warlordwoody22 Sounds really unpractical when the solution would be so easy for Rare and Microsoft to fix.
@warlordwoody22 said in why is game chat disabled when in a party chat?:
It’s actually an issue for Microsoft and how their party works, not something rare can change.
I don’t find myself at a disadvantage on console with the current feature, like at all. When I want to be in game chat I am, when I don’t I’m not, it’s pretty easy to flip back and forth tbh.
One thing that is confusing is the following:
Sometimes on Rainbow Six Siege, I will be in a party but can also hear game chat. It is a bug/glitch but the randoms on our team will be making callouts and we can hear them.
This has also happened on SoT but very rarely. We will be in a XBL Party and I will hear the other ships communications. Sometimes only I can hear them but my teammates cannot. Obviously I cannot reply to them without going to game-chat because of no push to talk option.
I also hate the poor sound quality of game-chat within games in general. The xbox party is just clearer. If they could work on that I would use game chat more often.
@warlordwoody22
Next time your on the seas stuck in party chat think of the different ways that you could use your voice to your advantage but now cant. You will see that you are limiting yourself.
I think some of the responses are missing the point. The disadvantage on xbox isnt "trying to find the time to safely switch chat". Its that xboxers cant be communicating with their crew in party chat AND listen to the enemy game chat during battle, without having to navigate menus.
For example:
"I just dropped their anchor. One of them just said they jumped off with a keg, so look out".
This could play out very differently depending on who can hear who.
In those situations I switch to game chat, it doesn’t prevent comms with team because we all switch at same time.
I get how some would like it otherwise, for me it’s just not a disadvantage. Everyone has a different opinion on the matter and that’s cool.
Microsoft should hear them though.
i'm sitting here reading all thes xbox issues about party chat and game chat not working simultaneously.
and as a PC player all i'm thinking is that that they just need to add the push to talk feature to the xbox app for pc... i have 2 kids, 1 dog, 1 neighbor playing drums and another yelling at eachother while outside construction workers breaking the street to fix something for the 12th time this week and my landlord banging at the door telling me to keep it down... that's not fair for the other 3 crew members on the xbox app party forcing me to keep a live mic.
The biggest issue I've found is that when I Party Chat ALL IN GAM CHAT is muted. Meaning you cant hear your in game crew using in game chat, you cant see their talking Bubble either, and you cant hear other crews near you. This provides a huge advantage to those in game because party chat users hear NOTHING. Conversely neither do in game users--but the issue negates a major point about communication in game.
Sometimes I'm chilling with friends who dont play SOT and talking with them. When I cant he was r or communicate with in game it messes me up. Xbox and Rare need to communicate a way that Xbox users can still hear in game chat when in party chat. The switching feature is fine, ots usable, but the problem comes from in game chat being entirely muted when in party chat. That needs to be corrected for xbox.
@archangel-timmy Darn, you beat me to it by 1 lousy post!
Anyways, what he described is what I use, and I can vouch for how effective it is. There is no imbalance as a result of this feature. Move along...
@xadohesaruvi why necro a 12 month old post ? Forum rules anyone ?
@Deckhands a lock for this one might be in order
@xadohesaruvi Ahoy maties!
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