The most optimal chat-system is obviously one that can be customized (font, colors, size, etc.), dragged, resized, with tabs, etc. like in MMO’s But unlikely to happen.
There should be at least the following chat-windows/tabs:
Faction Chat
Public Chat
System ‘Chat’ (like server messages from commands, admin messages, server restart messages, etc.)
And input-commands like eb:info should just go into the system chat (automatically) as well in order not to spam global nor your own faction. Whisper window would also be nice because now ingame I can not talk about private stuff with non-faction-members without going to the forum and making a PM.
Another window for Regional-Chat would also be nice so that pirates can announce to the playfield they are currently in to hand over their stuff or whatever.
Or custom channels… But also unlikely to happen.
Why didnt do it like Lineage2 or WoW??? Little window, which could be configured as u wish, and which wouldnt eat half of your screen. I think there is no need to recreate wheel, better use things that already improve their usefulness.
Yeah but this is Unity they will likely have to code it all manually. Customized windows are the most optimal for sure. But yeah… They might take up a loooot of time to code.
As much as I hate to ever say this…just clone WoW’s chat box and functionality, they got it right 13 years ago.
Need to be able to resize chat window, drag chat box around to reposition it, change font size and text style, have different tabs for each chat channel (origin only and whisper chat would be nice). Oh yeah, local chat is a big thing I would like. Basically only ppl within maybe 300m for planet and say 1000m in space would be able to hear what you say in local chat. So ilke yesterday we were trying to help a guy who was having a hard time on starter, just wanted to ask him if he needed help, but it gets lost in global spam. Maybe like a ‘help’ channel so all the noobs can ask their questions in their, etc. Maybe 3D chat bubbles that pop out over the character too…I dunno.
I think with WoW you can make custom chat boxes and pick custom chat channels as well and choose the color of each type of text. Oh yeah a ‘party’ chat would be nice, but I realize their is no kind of RPG ‘forming a group’ system in Empyrion yet.
side note: I don’t know if this is a bug or not, but if I made a SV private last night and another faction member made his private and our SV names were both red to each other.
People should be able to talk to each other without broadcasting to the entire galaxy, and likewise people should be able to play without having to see a specific two person conversation a galaxy away.
I’ll give you a simple and quick idea we need 5 additional tabs in this chat and a bounding box with a lock button unlocks to size its size and a bar to define its opacity, otherwise we need 5 channels in order;
1 - alliance (to speak only with your allies)
2- origin (to speak with members of their origin)
3- local (to talk to those who are in the same playerfield as you)
4- wisper (to speak something in secret with someone)
5-reports (channel related to crimes, wanted players and other things of general interest, as well as important server announcements)
And leave the general chat for other announcements as events and know it for anyone who wants to talk anyway …
These 5 and more the other two channels, general and faction, should greatly improve the dynamics of the servers.
personally i always like the chat GUI for EverQuest 2… some filter options were like this:
here you could filter what you want to see, you can color code them, create own channels ect. As other stated, a short list is:
movable/sizable window for all chat stuff
tabs, for different types of chat, faction/local/system/etc.
colorization (even if the others are not possible, faction/global chat should be different
linkable items in chat dialouge
5)** bug fix for short length, right now seems only enough for a SHORT sentence at best (maybe already fixed not sure)
/r (reply) or /w Whisper (some games use /t = tell) for 1 to 1 communications
localized chat, so as Booyah mentioned, whole server doesnt have to listen to a good-doer offering aid to a newb across the galaxy
ability to /mute or /block chat from someone (might be in already not sure)
not having to type CB: for every command all the time… channels might help with that, CB, AM, EB channels… just type the commands then, no need for prefix anymore.
muli chat box ability, to pop out a new box, maybe i want 2 smaller chat boxes for say global / faction chat but both view-able simultaneously on separate parts of the screen (tabs wont do that)
if tabs used/implemented… have the title bar flash or blink to indicate new messages on that channel
Thanks a lot guys. To give the devs a quick look at such a chat screenshots of the chat (but the options is also nice! good idea) would be quite nice. Just if you can.
I hate the new chat it takes up almost half the screen and we have no way to close it or ignore a channel tell the devs to make it smaller or disposable.
