What effect will new voice chat have on lag and bandwidth ?

what does this have to do with anything??????????
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DOH we know it can be turned off......... no point here

Good question. I believe the correct pronunciation is "ha ha ha", or possibly "he he he" if you prefer. For the "ROF" part, a couple of good hard slaps to the nearest convenient floor board should provide the necessary ambiance. If you do actually roll, I'd recommend a wireless headset, or a free-standing microphone. Don't want you strangling yourself, now.

Sound is almost always off on my system anyway, for performance reasons. Talking to me audibly will be a complete waste of time, and will be ignnored.

The architecture of the PC, including Routers and servers are the various 'ports' built into the system to control various aspects of routed/incoming formats of data. TCP and UDP ports are designed to stream such things as music, movie streams and voice. Most servers outside your own network are well behaved, some are not, they will actively search for an open port to gain access. If they use the incorrect port that can place more strain on your client software and CPU cycles, in some cases fighting for control against legitimate API calls each CPU cycle. This can cause problems of degrading and sometimes crashes.

With regard to SL using 90-99% of your PC resources, thats simply the OS doing its job. If you preset the OS to allow programme preferences over say eye candy or services, much the same way you can set spooling for your printer, then you are getting exactly what you ask for.

Actually, I think Yikone raises an interesting point there. I wonder if 'talkers' will be seen as griefers in some areas. If I just think about the kinds of experiences I have had on Xbox Live with voice, I can imagine how some people's weird vocal habits could destroy the 'sound engineering' of some of SL's more interesting places and builds.

From my own personal perspective of playing other 'games' online, when in an area with a mixture of those with, and those without voice, I stick to typing. This is simply because, although my ears maybe stereo, the bit in between is mono, I find myself typing what my ears are hearing

You are saying I have no point?

People should stop complaining about voice... because is just another add-on that will only be used by the education and business community (and probably sex business) in SL. Others will mostly ignore the "feature". Is that so hard for you to understand Usagi?

LOL - this is a total impractical solution to an on/off switch

I think you were trying to be helpful. Please remember detailed technical descriptions on how to do something that should be an "on/off" button do not count as (your words) "easy enough"

Just don`t understand it is all

Until a few weeks ago I was on the Staff at IVAO, a MS Flight Simulator Multi Play thing. There we used Teamspeak (TS) running on dedicated servers and there was no impact that I knew of on Lag (FPS). I have also run a TS Server on my own PC while using some pretty greedy other software again no noticable difference.

IVAO is global. There were some whose English was not very good. There was always a text option which was either like Chat or IM in SL. I found that Text "IM" there did slow me down by maybe one or two Frames per Second if I was "flying" but that was due to a glitch in my graphics drivers not the fault of any server. Never a problem as ATC though.

Voice using TS was always using "Push To Talk". That means if you want to say something you hold down a key of your choice, let go of that key and noone can hear you but you can still hear them.

More than one talking at a time meant that noone could figure out what the other was saying, kind of like RL I guess.

If the Voice Software / Servers they intend to use are anything like the TS they use at IVAO then great. If it is more like Skype then ouch!

IMHO voice in SL is a waste of time. Talking at the same time won't work so the only use I can think of is IM. For that I would suggest Teamspeak which is easy to use and doesn't kill your PC, forget anything LL offers. As I say IMHO.

[EDIT]

By the way. With TS you have "Channels" which are kinda like chatrooms. As far as SL goes that would be IM just easier to have a multi IM. Create a "Channel" have a chat, leave it the "Channel" dissapears.

Andrew

I can see this as a great addition for some segments of SL residents, mainly more structured settings for teaching and business. The ones who need it, will use it.

As a recreational landowner, however, I will proably deselect this option. Definitely if it costs more money to use that feature. I might enjoy one-on-one conversations with a very few select friends, but I much prefer the text-based chat with the rest of the population.

If nothing else, it would be just too weird sitting at my computer and forcing my family to listen to a one-sided conversation with some noob that wandered onto my land.

"Sir, have you noticed that you're naked?"

"It's in your Clothing folder."

"Right-click on a piece of clothing and drag it onto yourself."

"I agree, it's not really your style."

"No, I don't think so."

"If you repeat that again, I'll be forced to eject you from this area."

"Oh yeah? Well that just earned you an Eject AND a ban!"

Yeah, it probably wont affect people in these extreme ways as people think Gaybot. Just because most of these posts are complaints doesn't mean the majority is against this new feature. It may just mean that the people that feel it will interrupt their experience are "voicing" their opinions. The people that may enjoy it, or already use voice through 3rd party programs to chat with their friends, may not feel compelled to reply. I have heard quite a few good points regarding the problems that may arise, but in Second Life there is a workaround for almost everything if it bothers you terribly.

1) English is not my native tongue. - Are there not people from all around the world that play this game? Maybe we can learn about our different languages at the same time. Second Life can be a melting pot too. I will gladly talk to someone with a strong accent or a person who doesn't speak English well. I have a friend with a strong Scottish accent and we have spoken on many occasions using voice programs. (He is hard to understand, lol)

2) Omg! The griefers are going to use this to destroy SL! - Nah, if someone is griefing using the voice feature, then they were most likely using orbiters, pushers, and vehicles to annoy you also. Mute, eject, ban, report. If possible, mute them on voice.

3) I'm shy. - That's ok. You don't have to speak. This feature is not going to be everywhere on the grid and completely unstoppable. I'm sure someone in Second Life will chat with you in text. (4 million people, alts, and bots to choose from)

4) I'm going to be pressured, ostracized, and secluded because I wont participate. - I seriously doubt that, lol. That sounds so extreme. Who is going to demand things from you that you don't want to give and call themselves your friend? That's not a "friend" you need.

5) But I'm a guy that pretends to be a girl/I'm having an online affair/My life as a dragon is over. - So out of 4 million users with 1 million logging in for the past 2 months and 38,000 online at once, you cannot find someone to roleplay with that doesn't mind using text? That is unfortunate; perhaps Second Life doesn't have what you are looking for.

6) We're going to lag and all of the hardware at Linden Labs is going to catch on fire because of VoIP. - Hmmm....possibly....lol...but we haven't seen it in action yet. Let's give it a chance. If it turns out to be a problem, SL will get rid of it just like they did First Land.

7) Busy areas are going to be noisy, and I will go crazy from all the talking at clubs and events. - Not all clubs will be on sims with this feature. This technology is supposed to fade voices out at a distance. It may be like a RL social situation where you either tell the person making too much noise to shut up; or you could move away from them. I have a feeling the mute button will function for this voice feature. Who knows, maybe someone will script an object to block the voice program within a certain distance. (Made specifically for clubs or other sections of sims)

I am deaf. - This is the only complaint that I sympathize with. It is something that cannot be avoided. If my friend were deaf and I knew so, I would definitely chat with them in text and not let them be excluded. In fact, I think events hosted only in voice could offer a translator of sorts to type out everything that is being said. (Fast typers, maybe volunteers or paid residents)

I'm sure those are not all the complaints, but they are the ones that made me ponder what's in the future not too far out yonder. The complaints over a simple feature that has not yet been implemented are making me nauseous. Can we please just give it a chance and let the problems arise as they do? I hope someone found some of these suggestions make a little sense. Imagine what people thought when Linden dollars were first introduced in exchange for real life dollars. Second Life is a unique place with a unique community; we can make it work if we want to. If you don't like the feature, just shut it off, lol.

I think the voice option would work really well for someone talking to an audience. Like say a class or an interview or any kind of presentation. The only problem I'd have is that I like to sometimes go afk during a class and it's nice to be able to scroll back in chat history to pick up what I missed.

I know that live music events certainly make me feel strangely in-sync with the virtual world. Hmmm. I wonder if this will be a boon to live music venues. Perhaps more open mic nights or something.

Excellent answers there.

For those worrying about being rejected because you don't use voice, I don't think you really have anything to worry about. Even though I speak english and have no problem talking to people, I will not be using the voice feature... unless I am in a specific situation that requires it. These situations will be rare. I would hazard to bet that the majority of folk in SL will go this route.

i can see how voice in SL can be abused if implemented improperly. If it was sim-wide, a griefer could come in to spam the entire sim with extremely loud noises. If it was setup to work for group sessions that would become a menace. Ding Ding "*STATIC* HEY EVERYBODY!!! I OPENED UP MY NEW CLUB COME DANCE FOR MONEY*STATIC*!!! *screeching sound of a mic too close to a speaker*".

This made me laugh since you quote AND agree with yourself.

While its probably true Voice chat will not be as bad as many who are complaining fear -

Ill guarantee you it will be worse than your optomistic post and that of many other supporters.

It will most certainly fall in the middle.

I say that becuase voice on a limited variety exists now and many have been affected by it or participated. A universal voice chat will of course amplify the good and BAD of the current results of voice chat mixed with Second Life interactions.

What will eventually happen is that some areas will become "voice chat" areas and others will become "no voice chat" areas. People who feel strongly one way or the other will segretate themselves into those areas.

I use Second Life as a virtual reality social game of sorts. I'm used to text in such virtual reality. I personally wouldn't use voice unless it were really well-implemented (little to no delay, private conversations, avoiding griefers).

If one were going to use Second Life for business conferences or educational purposes, I'd think that voice implementation is vital. Effective text socialization is a skill that requires a lot of experience to develop. Everyone knows how to talk without extra training.

So it will be helpful to some users in some circumstances, not helpful to everyone in all circumstances. Just like anything else, relaly.

Voice chat doesn't need a lot of bandwidth. Keep in mind that the bandwidth of a 64 kbs music stream exceeds the bandwidth from an ordinary phone line. It would not require the same bandwidth as one would want for music. Ordinary conversations can be conducted just fine with a fraction of that for streaming music.

Besides, with audio on, I already get an unhealthy dose of pre-recorded sounds triggered by gestures. Female avatars with adult movie sound samples playing all the time regularly pass by me. I'm thankful for "Mute."

Will those of us who choose not to participate in voice chat need to wear a floater that says "Don't talk at me, I'm not listening?"

What I want to know is how we are supposed to document griefing that takes place in voice chat - will it be recorded? Or will it literally be a he said/she said reporting system?

If I don't want to participate in voice chat, I don't want to have to explain to people why. Text chat puts everyone on equal ground - you don't have to tell someone in game "sorry, I can't voice chat with you because I'm Deaf/have a speech impediment/English is my 3rd language/I'm famous and you might recognize my voice/etc."

Having grown up around deaf people, I have seen how modern technology has served a wonderful role in putting the deaf on equal footing in communicating with non-deaf people. In SL as it stands, there's no way to tell if someone can hear or not unless they tell you. Consider that perhaps deaf people may like being equals in SL communications , and don't want to have to be singled out again when voice chat comes in by having to tell people they are deaf in order to not be excluded.

In addition: The same applies to people who have stuttering problems or other speech impediments. In SL people currently don't have to be limited by these disabilities. I realize that change comes, and that it's inevitable. But I hope that others realize that there's a downside too.

I would never interrogate someone and demand they tell me why they don't want to talk. I feel people with impaired hearing are still equals in Second Life even if they announce their disability. That applies to other disabilities mentioned. If someone doesn't want to voice with me for undisclosed reasons, that's perfectly fine with me. I will respect a person's privacy. I will still talk to them in text; I enjoy both forms of communications on the net. The suggestion of using a text translator in voiced events could be done without mentioning they are there for those with disabilities. It could also be used for those who read English easier than they hear it, the program's voice range not reaching people farther away, reviewing something that was said on voice in text, and other things I didn't think of. I may be a little optimistic hoping for all of the above, but I'm just trying to find answers for the inevitable which may not be permanent.

Yes: the blog notes this as an opt-out system, and that some sort of indicator will be on your avatar if you do not use voice.

Probably the worse part of this idea to me: it should be opt-in, with an indicator if you are voice enabled.

Mari

I keep seing a lot about talking, but not a lot about listening. What happens when someone comes within voice radius of me and starts talking? I will have voice off. Will they know I can't hear them if they are similar to many of the new residents I've come across lately -- those who largely opted out of help island and don't know how to wear clothing, let alone "that widget means they cannot hear the voice chat we've opted you into"

How will I know they are talking, so I can tell them "chat, please." Especially when I've had to deal with many new folks who "chat" with me in IM in spite of my in-world replies?

My example strikes me as being a bit of a "tower of Babel," with the liklihood that both sides will be misunderstood.

This sounds like it will be messy in open chat, particularly with new residents.

Of course, I also expect this to be, once the initial novelty wears off, a feature that will not be much used, relegated to education/concert/large business use. So even though it is being forced on us (by forced, I mean it being opt-out, and therefore automatically on, including again, all those new residents), I suspect it will end up being a largely unused by the masses feature, like in-world video.

Mari

quite frankly has lindens gone nuts?

u cant control peoples voices,

what about scary old men who "play [bad word there]? lol

how can we mute those weird people?

btw those just questions,

but i think hearing hot american guys is awsome idea lmao.

thumbs up.

Believe me, it's not all it's cranked up to be....

They feel turning off voice on your side will stop this. But what about the ones that comes in say ******* *** ***** ** ****** ****** ***

This is going to be a big problem to control jerks from saying childish and outright taky remarks in middle of a busy club, mall or etc.......

yes we all knew this There.com rash was coming to second life. But we never knew the population was going to be 4 million.....Its jsut going to be ONE BIG VOICE Mess

Usagi