Voice Chat (using www.e4net.com)

I would like to suggest that someone at Linden Lab go check out www.e4net.com (a high quality low cost VOIP product - $5/month). I tested it with another SL beta member last night and it worked perfectly (and transparently) with SL! It is unlike all the 'other' game/business VOIP products on the market. This one works and voice quality is as clear as a phone call next door.

We were able to voice chat while participating with others in SL. There was no interference with SL sounds, and there was no measurable impact on SL frame rate performance. This could be an 'option' you could offer SL members (by partnering with E4Net).

I have used the technology behind E4Net for three years, it has been used by over 2 million users (under a previous company www.firetalk.com). This is a 'battle tested' and proven product. I have talked with people from all over the world with e4 Chat with perfect clairity and very low latency. The service even works at 56K modem speeds, so it is a very low data rate compared to SL.

I know the founder and developer of E4Net and would be glad to put the right people together if Linden Lab is interested. I would also be glad to 'demo' E4Net to any Linden folks.

I sooo don't want voice chat added to SL. I realize I'm probably in the minority, but here's my reasoning behind not wanting it.

I can handle seeing "Shebang, you're a bleeping bleep bleep b***h" typed however many times someone feels the need to type it.

I cannot handle *hearing* them say it. Nor do I want my kids who are watching tv just around the corner from my computer hearing someone say that (or worse).

No, I don't want to turn off sounds completely, nor do I want to use headphones.

I also think there would be bandwidth issues for a lot of people -- SL is already highly bandwidth intensive. Adding in voice chat is just going to make things worse IMO.

IF voice chat is added, *please* make a seperate control in the sound options for those of us who not only don't want to Talk, but don't want to hear others Talk either, and yet still want to be able to hear the sound effects.

I don't mean to rain on your parade, Mickey -- I know a lot of people want voice chat.

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Im not sure I want it either. I think it would make the game very noisy. I'm not totally against it but playing devils advocate, heres some thoughts...

I think about when Ive attended classes and people have had to ask something, or interject something every other word. (Yes some of it is valid, useful & helpful but some of it is just ppl wanting to be pesty).

Also how would you deal with any big group? ... or being in proximity to a big group? Is the chat queued or will people be talking all over each other? What about the possibilites of people just going around shouting for no reason?

Also what if it is an ingame option and you choose not to use it? Will that divide the community?

I think its great its out there as an option for ppl who want it but I personally am not sure I would want it as an in game feature.

Ahh, I totally understand your concerns. and that is the cool thing about e4net's software. it is among other things, an opt-in type of technology.

I am not sugesting that this be like walking into a building full of people and you can hear them all talking. Not at all.

This is much more like IM messages. only those using the software AND having added they friends to their contact list AND having started a call (and the other(s) accepting the call), would hear each other. Everyone else in SL would be unaware of any voice chats going on.

There is NO bandwidth impact on anyone not using this voice chat software, as the voice data is only passed directly between those in the VOIP chat conversation. There is no data of the voice chat going across SL servers. And for users of the VOIP technology, the data rate is less than modem speeds, a DSL connection (required by SL) would not be impacted by it.

Just like people in SL can multiple private IMs going on that no one else is aware of, many multiple voice chats can be going on with this because they are only between the parties in each call.

I am not suggesting that this technology be 'integrated' into the SL servers. There is no need for that in my opinion.

Right now there is nothing preventing you or I or anyone from using e4 chat with SL. They work together, and quite transparently, its just that I have to 'call' my SL buddy from the separate application, and then switch back into SL. ANd I have to have set up by buddy with E4 Chat ahead of time. I am only suggesting that maybe there could be a way for Linden to make the 'call' connection easier in SL. Or to provide info in the AV's profile that they have an E4Chat ID and what it is (again opt-in). so that SL user who want to talk with other Sl users, can do so easily.

If SL people want (or require) the sound of silence when in-world, I fully support them. But I would like to have a richer more 'engaging' SL experiece, and adding voice does that. My test last nite was very enlightning, it had more impact than switching from B&W to Color TV.

I was able to 'collaborate' with my friend to build things that with text only communications would have totally impeded our progress.

I think we 'can have our cake and eat it too' in this instance. You get no garbage voice messages that you don't want (and no bandwidth impact on you), and I get 'full imersion' communication with my friends who choose to use VOIP.

So more like an opt-in (and paid for, obviously) plug-in type of thing?

I could get behind that. The profiles would need to indicate whether or not that person has that ability/plug-in/account/whatever. Make it a lil button on said profile to initiate the call to 'em. Yeah. And keep it one-to-one (as many one-to-one's as you can handle at the same time). I still don't want it for myself, but I know a lot of people will. So ok, it's got my vote if that's how it'd work.

=)

(Like my vote means a hill of beans.. heh)
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It can be more than one-to-one, in that the e4chat supports 'conference calls' you can have many-to-many. Again all opt-in, just like you don't have to answer the phone when it rings.

The developer tells me that he has a 'stripped down' version that is voice only (with contact list stuff), the current E4Chat does so much more that just voice (web sharing, document sharing, etc...) Lindens could negotiate a 'bulk rate' to get the subscription fee to be less than the current $5/month.

The developer also tells me that his client software is easily 'integrated' (for call making and seeing who else is online with VOIP while in the game) into other applications like SL.

Anyway, this software is being used by other game groups, to high success.

So... If anyone at Linden is listening, and interested, hehe. E4Net would be glad to get a call from you to talk about the possibilities. Ask for Jim Morris.

Well, i tried it and it much better than i thought...and I had my reservations going in, i can tell you.

One thing i was worried was hearing that same awful distortion that makes me sound like a cartoon character when i used other voice-over-the-net applications...other than the occasional skips, it was like talking over the phone...I sounded like me

Another thing I was concerned about losing some of the "reality" of SL, and the shielding that the "fantasy" gives and feeling more vulnerable...but it actually expanded the fantasy of the game, as though i could speak in 3D as well as see in it.

We could see and talk about events as they were happening, and share comments that were either too complex to type or not worth moving your hands from the mouse to the keyboard. I head real laughter and chuckles...instead of the ubiquitous LOL. Sometimes i feel so bottled up behind the keyboard, it was nice to be able to speak freely.

Beyond just having a more fun and valuable experience with your friends in SL, the software alse makes group chats and moderated chats available. Town meetings, entertainment events, and classes could all be enhanced by a voice application.

Ok well the more I hear the more interesting it sounds. I'm still unsure if it'd be something I would use or not but I can more clearly see its value. It's also a relief to hear that its not just a bunch of noise.

Anyone who is interested can get a 15 day free trial of E4 Chat (www.e4chat.com). I would be glad to have a voice chat with anyone interested in trying it out, you gotta have someone to talk with to test it right

If you want to test it with me, my E4Chat ID is: M-Andy

You would add that to your contact list, and if I am online, a telephone icon appears next to the ID. The other cool thing about E4Chat is that you can leave 'voicemail' for someone. Just like calling your friend's house when their not home and leaving a message on the answering machine.

BTW, I am not affiliated with E4Net.com in any way other than knowing the developer. I have no monitary connection with them.

I could not help snickering at the image I was getting from that. I don't care either way, but I probably wouldn't use it.

As an opt-in idea I am all for it. voice chat is wonderful if it's not all envasive.

I tend to play a lot of FPS's and using side clients to chat with some of my teammates or buddies I like

being on counter strike and listening to every lil 12 year old gutter mouth I dont. but CS doesnt give me decent controls for their voice chat.

If treated as calls (either person to person or group), I would be most willing to see this added to SL. sometimes taking the time to type out everything to a group of friends, when you could be chatting (and building all at the same time) via voice, is a total pain.