PC Player Advantage via Audio

  • m1sterpunch
    Master
    Insider

    I was always baffled why party chat wasn't broadcast into the game as having to watch what you say around enemies with proximity chat was a great feature. That being said, when a crew is in party chat and I can't hear them I will attempt to be in party chat as well since the option is available. PTT allows me to be heard by both crew and enemies and I wish that option was at least available to console players too.

    If they could find a way to restrict 3rd party voice I would be down with it but there's no real way to enforce that seeing that it's been a part of online gaming for decades.

  • they sank
    Ship Mate

    Amen brother!

    Personally, I’ve given up on the hopes of sea of thieves being a balanced player experience. I view it as a lopsided pirate-themed boating experiment. It was worth the $60, and hopefully a game that future developers learn from.

    scratches armpit

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    The xbox players I play with join party/other voip on their phone/laptop with an ear bud and have access to both. Think outside the box. Sea of Thieves and Crossplay are not the disadvantage here... Why are you limiting yourself?

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    @himwhoeatstime You can't stop xbox players from using discord either....

  • Kzoo Kid
    Marauder
    Insider

    It's true that xbox party chat is lame for not allowing you to hear in game chat. It's not as bad as you make it sound though because it doesn't give an advantage. If someone is talking in game chat and you are in a group chat you will probably beat them regardless of what type of chat you are using (xbox players can use discord and PC players can use xbox party chat so this isn't even an Xbox/Pc issue to begin with). And if both teams are in private group chats then again it makes no difference because nobody is talking in game anyways.

  • Nabberwar
    Lord
    Insider

    From a Pc gaming perspective, the whole Game Chat Party Chat, is just stupid. This is foreign to us, we have had some form of out of game chat since the early days of gaming. Where we could always hear both. Whether it be Teamspeak/Ventrilo days, Skype, or now Discord. Time to get with the times Microsoft. Make Discord function the way it should on Xbox.

  • xBluezy
    Master
    Insider

    I don't think this is an issue that Rare has any control over. You should take this request to Microsoft. They need to change how Xbox party chat works on the console so that you can hear both voice channels.

  • Chronodusk
    Commander
    Insider

    Why is it that threads like this always seem to pop up at the same time?

    I don't think there's a lot of control over something like this for Rare. They can't really force everyone to use in game chat. Additionally if you're in Discord, which A LOT of PC AND Xbox players are, you use those voice channels and mute yourself in game. Same thing right?

    If you want covert communications that can't be heard by other crews you have many many options to set this up for yourself because we live in the beautiful age of technology. Cell phones, Discord, Skype, FaceTime, or literally application that allows a group voice chat.

    This is truly a non-issue.

  • pad3
    Marauder
    Insider

    While I don't think it provides a noticeable advantage to PC players, it is true it kind of the limits social experiences.

    @sprungnickel427 a dit dans PC Player Advantage via Audio :

    enable Voice to Text in your Xbox App settings. This allows the voice of other players with open mics, game chat, to be translated on your screen even though you can not heard them in "party".

    Thank you for the tip.

    @dalilama123 a dit dans PC Player Advantage via Audio :

    The xbox players I play with join party/other voip on their phone/laptop with an ear bud and have access to both. Think outside the box. Sea of Thieves and Crossplay are not the disadvantage here... Why are you limiting yourself?

    Yeah... 2 devices, 2 different physical audio sources. No, thank you.
    I'd really appreciate the Discord App on Xbox though.

    @commander-robbo There is actually a shortcut to swith chat: Xbox Button, then View button

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    @pad3 I can send my phones audio through my gaming headset... two sources, one playback.

  • pad3
    Marauder
    Insider

    @dalilama123 Did not think about this solution. Thank you.
    I might consider it if my wallet permit it.

  • Karloss00
    Master
    Insider

    @sprungnickel427
    The simple fix is for Rare to add a push-to-talk button on the console version just like they have with the PC version. They have three unmapped buttons to choose from so it isn't a layout issue.

  • Silenius x

    Guess what, you can also use discord.

  • DaveyJay1984
    Master
    Insider
    Founder

    @galactic-geek This is one of the few PC vs Xbox issues that I absolutely agree with, there are other options for xbox but they are separate. However I believe this is an XBox limitation rather than Rare/SoT.

  • HimWhoEatsTime
    Ship Mate

    The issue I'm most concerned about is that while in party-chat, XBox users can't hear game-chat.

    That its inconvenient to switch is irrelevant. They're deaf if they want to privately communicate with their team. PC users can hear hot mics or pleas for peace, etc. That is what the game is about. Both fighting and talking to and potentially working with other players. That you essentially must treat all players as hostile, when you desire teamwork and private coordination, is a problem.

  • SprungNickel427
    Marauder
    Insider

    @karloss00 said in PC Player Advantage via Audio:

    @sprungnickel427
    The simple fix is for Rare to add a push-to-talk button on the console version just like they have with the PC version. They have three unmapped buttons to choose from so it isn't a layout issue.

    2 buttons on Dpad unmapped, and Right Stick click I believe. I reassigned my jump to right stick click, away from A button, to maximize my speed and mobility while never taking my fingers of the sticks

  • Garbhchu
    Ship Mate

    I commented on this thread when it was active last month, but since @TargasBR posted a link back here bringing up the audio issue I thought I'd give another comment here, folding in an answer regarding communication.

    Considering @DaliLama123 's question as to why you'd limit yourself to just in-game chat: the answer is fair play.

    There is a pervasive attitude that anything that can be done in-game is not only allowed but to be encouraged, and thus double-gunners and discord chatters abound while many uninterested in exploiting any loophole and quirk in the tech or mechanics winge and whine about "game-breakers." Fair play, however, is not about what can be done but what should be done, and in my experience Brits are generally better at getting this than N. Americans.

    Regarding audio, everyone (in my opinion) should just use game-chat, but you can't expect them to. Crews should communicate well, but many players won't. Finding those players who are good at communicating and do it in such a way that it adds to the game and doesn't become just a pirate-skinned Unreal Tournament (my personal benchmark for multiplayer nastiness) is part of the game's challenge.

    When I started playing I almost always solo-slooped to learn the game. I've started playing more and more on open-crewed brigantines to try and build my list of friends I'd like to play with more, and in-game communication is a key criterion alongside a sense of fair-play. The next phase is to outfit a galleon with a crew I can really work with...

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    @garbhchu Using things everyone has access to is the definition of fair play bud. I'm not sure where you are going here.

  • DreadZepp

    crossplay really is proving to the gaming industry how inadequate console technology actually is. it's just a shame that it's now our responsibility to explain this to console players without them getting insulted. and let me tell you buddy, that isn't easy.

  • SurveyorPete
    Legend
    Insider

    @garbhchu

    Personally, my feeling is that party chat should be disabled in-game.

    But Party Chat is not “in game”. That’s the issue. It is a separate application running simultaneously. You can get the same effect using Skype, or a phone, or CB radio, or playing in the same room.

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    @surveyorpete pirates ships using CB radios for communication. This is a must. Rare needs to make this a local event thing!

    May all your travels be light and easy,
    Dalilama123

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    @garbhchu let’s get roommates to stop pirating together. They have instant communication and that’s not FairPlay!!!!

  • WoftyLama
    Marauder
    Insider

    This is a pirate video game.... this isn’t a competitive championship game. You can pretend to go back and play like it’s the golden age of piracy from your Xbox/pc all you want bud. I’m going to still enjoy the technology of 2019 just as much as you are through your internet.

    If you were out in the open seas in wooden ship working the rigging, you’d be able to sell me in fairness of electronic voice com use or not.

    But again. Causal video game. If for no other reason, It would be impossible to enforce.

  • Zexyony
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    alt text

    I have better idea, let's cut out audio for PC players and leave it for xbox players, I mean then maybe xbox players will be able to kill PC players.

  • they sank
    Ship Mate

    @xot3rm1n4t0rox Agreed. Some players are cool, but I don’t want to hear adolescent players screaming alto-pitch ramblings incessantly into the mic, nor do I want to hear some ego driven trash talker spamming expletives on the ferry of the damned.

    I also don’t want to be unsure as to wether any player whose not on my team is still able to eavesdrop on my conversation. It’s like an extremely mild version of a toilet cam. When you can listen to another crews party chat when they’re unaware anyone is listening, it’s a bit creepy.

    Imagine a young child on pc listening to a 4-man galleon of older xbox players talk about their girlfriends in an explicit manner unaware that other people can hear them. Granted, this occurs all the time during in-game chat but when players are at least aware, I feel that some types of derogatory topics are less likely to be heard by little ears. I’m no saint, but when I can hear kids talking, I do filter my language a bit.

  • vDerickv
    Castaway
    Insider

    @m1sterpunch
    Lets start by saying being able to do this on pc isnt something new.

    You can also do this on xbox.

    By using the xbox app on your phone, and Joining the xbox live party chat on your phone and staying in the in game chat on the xbox.

    The requirement being a phone to do this on xbox.

    And the requirment on pc is to download and run either the xbox app or discord and run it in the background.
    some lower end gaming PC's can be notoriously known to run worse during gameplay with these running in the background. Obv higher end PC's dont experience this.

    Basically I'm just saying if you really want to use this feature on xbox. Its available if you have a phone that can download the xbox app and a mic available on the xbox.

  • they sank
    Ship Mate

    @vderickv So it’s confirmed that both pc and console players are able to “eavesdrop” on other players? Im no gaming tech, but I’d like to understand what would make it possible so that no one can hear my xbox live party chat other than my xbox live party. Does this occur in other games besides SoT?

  • vDerickv
    Castaway
    Insider

    @they-sank
    simply a mute button on your mic to prevent anyone in gsmechat to hear you While in the box party on your phone which you would never have to mute. You would only ever have to worry about muting in game chat. Iv used this method personally on xbox many times. it works the same just different.

  • Barnacle Blake
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    Game chat is a lot more immersive. Having to be quite when sneaking on a enemy ship or using code words setting up a mutiny in a failing alliance.

  • muffinstuffingu
    Insider

    how is this an advantage you shouldn't be in game chat. you should be in a xbox live party(simple solution) then they can't hear you in game chat, most of the time PC players are used as translators between crews and it gets annoying. nobody should be using game chat. Besides you would have to be willing to talk and they would have to be too making this a friendly encounter to start with, making the complaint about advantage moot and if things turn sour in the middle of chatting just dont give any information that would be advantageous to another crew until you get 1 sec to swap. or get discord on your phone put it on speaker and mute your mic when your saying something you don't want the other crew to know, many ways around this problem

  • they sank
    Ship Mate

    @vderickv it’s the same but different? Sounds totally justifiable. Kinda like how aborting a child is the same as birthing a child, just different. A lil bit.

  • A Cranky Eskimo
    Master
    Insider
    Founder

    Being able to use the same headset to hear both while being muted on one is definetly an advantage.... telling someone to take off their headset and try to listen through earbuds to be able hear both not only makes game audio harder to hear, but likely causes echo issues for most peoples group.

    Pc players being able to be in chat and have game audio in the same headset while having a PTT key to respond in game chat in an undeniable advantage...

    As usual people try to diminish issues on this forum for whatever pathetic reasons lol, while attempting to demean people and say its pathetic to not just deal with imbalances. Whats pathetic is that these people even respond when according to them its a non issue. What reason do you have for being here saying that then??? you just like bolstering your egos for having dealt with these issues for accepting them as they are and that makes you better than someone who would like equality in a created medium like a video game?

    Not the biggest issue ever but it is true and the amount of people that hang around this forum just to be trolls on threads like this is really pretty embarrassing.

  • vorondil1394
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @a-cranky-eskimo said in PC Player Advantage via Audio:

    As usual people try to diminish issues on this forum for whatever pathetic reasons lol, while attempting to demean people and say its pathetic to not just deal with imbalances. Whats pathetic is that these people even respond when according to them its a non issue. What reason do you have for being here saying that then??? you just like bolstering your egos for having dealt with these issues for accepting them as they are and that makes you better than someone who would like equality in a created medium like a video game?

    A lot of people probably respond simply so that if Rare is watching, they don't get the false idea that "everyone" thinks it's a problem. I'm sure there are a lot of people who respond to bolster their ego, as you suggest, but there are also plenty of people with more valid reasons.

    Edit: Not making any statements on the specific audio issue, just pointing out that not everyone who says it isn't an issue is a troll

  • A Cranky Eskimo
    Master
    Insider
    Founder

    @vorondil1 said in PC Player Advantage via Audio:

    @a-cranky-eskimo said in PC Player Advantage via Audio:

    As usual people try to diminish issues on this forum for whatever pathetic reasons lol, while attempting to demean people and say its pathetic to not just deal with imbalances. Whats pathetic is that these people even respond when according to them its a non issue. What reason do you have for being here saying that then??? you just like bolstering your egos for having dealt with these issues for accepting them as they are and that makes you better than someone who would like equality in a created medium like a video game?

    A lot of people probably respond simply so that if Rare is watching, they don't get the false idea that "everyone" thinks it's a problem. I'm sure there are a lot of people who respond to bolster their ego, as you suggest, but there are also plenty of people with more valid reasons.

    Edit: Not making any statements on the specific audio issue, just pointing out that not everyone who says it isn't an issue is a troll

    Seems like ever since launch the trolls have outnumbered people who are uninformed or whos opinion is that it dosnt matter, and while people are allowed to say that an issue isnt an issue, because they dont care, that dosnt speak to actual facts and disparities of ability such as this voice thing.

    We mentioned this way back in early alpha days right after they admitted crossplay was happeneing after they tried to prove that crossplay was viable by having internal pc players join without telling xbox testers. That really worked out. Lol....

    But yeah i guess generalizations are never right to make when people are concerned, not everyone is a troll, and ive been told i need to work on my tone so that might be it.

  • vorondil1394
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @a-cranky-eskimo oh the trolls definitely outnumber us! The trick is just to avoid joining them (it's kinda like an infectious disease). I'm a bit over-zealous to jump on people making generalizations, so sorry if I did that :/

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