Global Chat Beta on Live Official Thread

Just a question I can't seem to find an answer to:

When you create a channel, invite a few players, who eventually log out, and then you log out yourself, is the channel still there the next time you log in? And if so, does the first person to log in become the Operator? The .pdf doesn't seem to touch on this at all. When I logged back in, somehow the channel was still there, but I was no longer the Operator, and couldn't invite anyone anymore.

Can anyone shed some light?

The channel exists until everyone deliberately leaves it. logging off does not remove you from a channel.

Okay. Anyone figured out how to chat in a channel via a bind?

My standard bind does not work:

/bind rctrl+s "beginchat send "Silver Moon" "

See the problem?

Observations:

1) The 'hide/unhide' buttons seem to be unstable; /chatbeta 1/0 is required to change this toggle.

2) Logging in as a new/different character seems to reset the global status to 'hide':
= good, so that players can choose which toons can remain incognito;
= bad, in that the '/chatbeta 1' command must be entered each time a more socialable toon is being logged into. Can the system be coded to remember which toons are preferred hidden and which are not?

3) Hiding in Global Chat does not seem to affect the 'server' status of a toon on another's 'friends' list. This makes the 'hide' function in Global chat useless.

4) The 'Shard' column (which should be renamed 'Server', btw) in the Global list does not appear to be functional.

you might need to put in a "/" before send so it says:

/bind rctrl+s "beginchat /send "Silver Moon" "

I haven't tried it, but I think you need the slash for tells if you bind them. This might be the same way. Then again, this whole quote naming convention might be messing it up.

I think I've found a bug:

With the chatbeta active I cannot add a new tab to my chat window. The "add tab" function is greyed out.

I apologize beforehand is this has been mentioned, it's a big thread.

Problem/Issue: No feedback when I try to add a global friend. There is no indication of "username does not exist!" or "Friend request sent!" so I can't tell if I'm mis-typing or what.

The "invite" window, which lists the users on-channel, ought to be renamed to "Channel" or "Channel Options" or something. Also, it has no blue or red buttons to manipulate or close the window. You have to click tabs and uncheck the bubble to get it to close.

My friend is having a problem with getting into Global Chat.
He types /chatbeta 1 and get this response:
"chatbeta 1 args, you have 3. Allow your client to participate in the Chat Server Beta Testing. Specify '1' to allow, '0' to disable chatbeta <int>"

What is this and how do we get him onto the global chat?

(fixed the original post... I had typed it wrong into the post. My friend types it in correctly.)

[ QUOTE ]
Also, I just verified that the test server IS included in global chat (by joining the Kill Skuls channel from Test)- so if you are on Test you can chat with your friends on live. Woot!

[/ QUOTE ]

FYI - I just found out that this will be removed. We need to keep test global chat separate from live global chat so that we can test updates over there. Sorry about that!

I will look into getting the PDF in HTML format and/or added to the support documentation.

CJ

These are things I found a bit problematic with the global chat (other than the previously mentioned, defaulting to making it so you always speak in global chat channel, and not on the default for your active tab). Some others have said about, but it doesn't hurt to restate problems.

*Can't add people with _ in their names via the add friend box. You must use the /gfriend command.

* Global friends tab of the friends list does not allow width resizing. It would be good to be able to resize the width, and just have a scrolling bar appear if you make it too thin to view all the data at once.

* Global friends does not always show all the relevant columns on first open, nor does it allow you to scroll sideways to see them if the window is too small. This only occured the first time I opened it; I could only see the first few columns and attempts to resize it failed. After the first time, it resized it to show all colomns.

* Global chat channel defaults to being added to your main chat tab at the bottom. Perhaps have a dialogue box asking if you want to make a new tab for it, or place it as a prexisting tab? As making a new tab for each channel it something many players will want to do, it wouldn't hurt to make it a bit easier for them.

* 'Channel Members' box has no obvious way to close it, other than clicking 'leave channel'. It confuses people, making them think they have to 'leave channel' to get rid of it. You currently have to enter the menu (right clicking on the chat tab) and select the option again to turn off the 'Channel Members' box. It does not have an easy close window circle, like all other windows in the game interface have.

*When on mission maps, location is a code, not a user-friendly sentence. Warehouse_45_Layout_02... etc. This seems to be for all mission maps. Zones display correctly.

[ QUOTE ]
No feedback when I try to add a global friend. There is no indication of "username does not exist!" or "Friend request sent!" so I can't tell if I'm mis-typing or what.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have to correct this statement after further testing. Feedback DOES occur when I remember to use "@" when inviting. However, if I simply attempt to add the character name and not the global name(referred to as player name in documentation... I'd recommend character instead of player.) and they aren't online or don't exist, I get no feedback. The only feedback character name adding seems to generate is if they aren't in the chat beta yet.

[ QUOTE ]
He types /chat beta 1 and get this response:
"chatbeta 1 args, you have 3. Allow your client to participate in the Chat Server Beta Testing. Specify '1' to allow, '0' to disable chatbeta <int>"

[/ QUOTE ]

It's /chatbeta 1, not /chat beta 1

[ QUOTE ]
FYI - I just found out that this will be removed. We need to keep test global chat separate from live global chat so that we can test updates over there. Sorry about that!

I will look into getting the PDF in HTML format and/or added to the support documentation.

CJ

[/ QUOTE ]

I think many people would value keeping Training Room on live global chat.

Can't testing of new versions or improvements be handled via a /chatbeta switch like how it is now? That way, the same mechanism can be used to include the live servers into test.

So, is the Global Handle that we choose now the one that we are going to keep permanently?

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
He types /chat beta 1 and get this response:
"chatbeta 1 args, you have 3. Allow your client to participate in the Chat Server Beta Testing. Specify '1' to allow, '0' to disable chatbeta <int>"

[/ QUOTE ]

It's /chatbeta 1, not /chat beta 1

[/ QUOTE ]

To make it clear: That's not my friend's problem.
I fixed my original post (my mistake in writing onto the board, not an in-game mistake).

Edit:
It's fixed. He was apparantly adding his name in with the command.

Ok this is my first opinion and ideas on global chat. these things are not all bugs they just seem counter intuitive or problem causeing.

1 people should be able to alter capitalization in thier names freely without using thier change. looking at my name im sure you can see why i say this. the L is mistatken for an i or 1 often. not a huge problem in forums but moreso inside the game.

2 when joining a channal you must type the channal name in lower case. the first instinct is type it like it is but if you do that it says no such room. this will cause confusion.

3 one of my global friends listed as online im trying to chat with though it insists they are off line. when i click on chat id expect to pop up the /tell @globalname, and not /tell normalname,

Here are some additons id like to see,
some way to list public channals,
the various chats in different colours
more tabs available for variious channal favorates

Another problem is names with "_" in them cannot be invited to private channels. OR, I just couldn't do it. But that's ok, I had to re-log to get my "Invite" button anyways.

Comment:

I understand why the 1-time name limitation is in place (at least, I'm guessing I do)... but I'm wondering if you would reconsider and opt for a slightly more lenient stance. Something like resetting everyone's status every 3 months so that you could change if you find that you're unhappy with what you've settled on.

Not sure why I'm suggesting this. I doubt it'll ever get read or considered. But, eh, I guess I care enough to comment.

I like gchat. Nice job, devs.

-RC

I think we need a one of those small buttons on the bottom to change to the Global Chat channel. Dont know if its been suggested yet, but if it has my apologies for reiterating.

Its a pain in the [censored] changing to the channel.

Anyone else having problems Unhiding from Global Chat?

I used the /ghide command, and now there's nothing I can do to Unhide from Global Chat. I've clicked on the Unhide button about a dozen times, but it doesnt seem to work.

When in the global friend list when I right click and select chat it will put the toon's name. I would think it should put the handle in so it could go across servers. Using the Toon's name will either go to the wrong person on the server you are on or get a message that the person isn't online or doesn't exist.

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone else having problems Unhiding from Global Chat?

I used the /ghide command, and now there's nothing I can do to Unhide from Global Chat. I've clicked on the Unhide button about a dozen times, but it doesnt seem to work.

[/ QUOTE ]

try /gunhide maybe?

One other thing I might add. In the global friends list, perhaps a column for what server your friends are on. Again, my apologies if this has been mentioned already.

How 'bout adding a dang refresh button?

Or am i experiencing the problem with the "unhide"?

When someone logs a different character on and types the command to start the chat they still aren't showing up in the friends list as online.

Some bugs I just reported:

1) Right clicking on a player in the Global tab under Friends will use their hero name for chat when it should be using their @handle.

2) For a consistent naming convention the "Shard" column should be renamed "Server" -- nowhere else in the game client or game docs are they referred to as Shards.

3) Status should be renamed to Character -- unless its going to show something other than a character name or OFFLINE.

4) As others have see Map is showing the map filename and not the actual name of the map for display when a person is in a mission. Likely this is just a busted LUT.

5) The Global tab doesn't like to resize properly, and you have to play games expanding and contracting it and then clicking through tabs so it will show all the neat columns -- including Team Size.

NOTE: Please add Team Size to Supergroup and Friends windows.