The anti-Vent.... diatribe.

As of now, I have to say that my experience with Ventrilo has been overwhelmingly negative. It seems to me that if a given group decides they're all Going Vent, all those who are like, "no thanks" are promptly left behind. And for what?:

*A bunch of nonsensical jibber-jabber which often makes me think less of the speakers - because I truly thought they had more going on between their ears that that?!....

*Breaks my immersion severely. I just can't view chitchat about secondary sex characteristics seriously from Uberdark Lord O'Doom [made-up name, there]. I don't want to hear this. For real. I don't *care* about breasts. I know this makes me uncool.... If I hear it in text it is somehow only 50% as offensive. Go figure.

*When a group Goes Vent, suddenly no chat happens to those who are NOT on Vent. Strategy for the last mission of a TF? So solly, Cholly. You're not on Vent, so you have no idea what we're doing. hoo-ha! Welcome to The Completely Silent Task Force. Good times....

*And with that said, welcome to Completely Silent SG Meetings. Great idea. Remind me NOT to log in next time; if you lot are only going to chat on Vent I have no business here. Cya.

*Why must the password change every two weeks? For those of us reluctantly on Vent, this is very offputting. I have to jump through hoops of fire every two weeks so I can keep hearing jibber-jabber about.... secondary sex characteristics? This is an efficient use of my time, HOW?

Perhaps I am old and cranky, or maybe Vent just hates Vista. I neither know nor care.... I just miss the days of text chat, where we could be heroic or villainous in a much less intrusive manner.

you aren't the only one that dislikes vent, but my reasons tend to be largely related from what Ventrilo does NOT do more than what it can make you think of your team-mates. I do agree that teams that organize almost everything on a voice server can really limit the playability of the game for other players.

Specific case in point for me, I use sound cards with Via Envy or C-Media's 8788 / 8787 chips, and many of them just won't run surround sound AND microphone input at the same time under Windows 7.

Analog Output, Digital Output, and Analog Input? Works fine under ALSA on *nix. Broken as all get out on Windows.

This is true, Ventrillo and Vista is a combination to give one headaches...

With a good, tight-knit group of close, mature (though, not necessarily adult!) friends, Vent can be an incredibly useful tool, and a lot of fun. However, that doesn't necessarily describe every SG that uses it. A number of them do it because that's the social norm for big groups in an MMO, these days.

You're right, this can definitely hurt team play for those that choose not to use Vent. Most good groups, however, will work to accommadate you if you voice concerns, such as the lack of chat to keep those not using it in the loop, and the constantly changing password. Vent passwords don't have to be changed, but a lot of the time it's changed if someone leaves the group, in order to keep them out of a Vent channel for a group that they no longer belong to.

You're not alone. I don't like voice chat for the same reasons. I remember one guy who talked about passing a kidney stone in great detail. Then there was the fight over enhancement effects. Conversations inevitably stray into non-gaming topics, and they're often vulgar to boot. But above all, voice chat breaks immersion. I can hear desultory conversation anywhere, but I can only be a superhero online.

Although I have never used it before I can only imagine that I would find myself kicked from every team I ever joined if I used Vent..

As it is I fill the chat window with line after line of silly and only marginally humorous observations and quips about what's going on... usually during battle...

.... and I talk even faster than I type.

I don't like Ventrilo specifically, but I do voice chat with friends over Skype while playing, whenever I can. But only with friends. It can be awkward otherwise... and no matter if you know the people or not, eight people talking at once doesn't end up communicating much. But a couple close friends on a small team? I've had a LOT of great times that way.

As for immersion, I can understand if other people find this a problem, but it's not really a concern for me, personally. (When not voice chatting, I play with unrelated out-of-game music playing.) Just a matter of preference though.

It is really important if you're voice chatting to not ignore non-voice teammates. Team chat silence is definitely a bad thing.

My only issue with Vent is that living in the southern hemisphere makes talking to those in the north a real hassle. With particularly bad connections I can talk and not be heard for almost half a minute.

It's awkward.

i'm actually with you, not a fan of vent. my computer area isnt soundproof, and i have a loud voice, so me speaking is pretty much out of the question, and i find chat easier for coordinating. If your setup is vent friendly then great, but if your team in majority on vent, and you get one pug guy, keep in mind that he cant hear you, so please type relevant details, and say something to them occasionally so that they know you aren't mocking them in the vent group..even if you are, it is just poor form. it can just be kind of an excluded experience.

plus, while it may be silly, i imagine it throws some people when my bass voice comes out of a female character, I know it aint rp, but it may be jarring.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

My SG has a vent server. We enjoy ourselves immensely on it. Vent isn't always bad. Stop being so negative.

Typically do.

I'm also not a fan of voice chat. I know it's useful and fun for the people who find it useful and fun, but it's not for me.

Several years ago (issue 4 or 5-ish), I was a participant in an SG that I really liked. There were some great people in it, and I count my time with them as some of the best I've had in the game. But we wound up going our separate ways, and from my end, voice chat was a big part of the reason why.

It's never really appealed to me, as I've said, so when the group started using it, I was a holdout. If I want the TV on or I want to listen to my stereo or something, voice chat gets in the way. I suffer from migraines and was in law school at the time, so by the time I logged into the game, I'd already had a full day of listening to talk, was usually stressed and hurting, and just wanted to slide into neutral and double-Sunless Mire my foes into oblivion. I was also going through an excruciating breakup and... I guess voice chat was too "real"? Having them exist as a costume and text on a screen was just about my comfort level -- it's not that they weren't welcoming, but even "just come on so you can listen" felt like too much for me.

And so it goes. People started talking more on Vent, and while I'm sure they were having a great time, it meant that no one was typing. At some points, it would be seven people on Vent and me as the silent loner. People started to forget that I couldn't hear them, and instructions got lost. I'd wind up hip-deep in purple enemies and find out that we were stealthing the mission; I'd get to the mission door only to find out we weren't doing missions anymore.

Just not my thing. I realize it makes me a throwback -- apparently I'm the guy saying "these 'talkies' will never catch on; when are they going to stop with the gimmicks and go back to making REAL movies?" But it's my comfort level and preference. I'm happier with text chat than with voice.

^^ Perhaps my point, or one of them, is that without Vent these bad manners are much less obtrusive; I never noticed them, so my opinion of the Vent-ers was higher than it is now.

Everyone thinks they're a comedian on Vent. Maybe not so fast.... if I wanted to hear annoying jibber-jabber I could turn on any television [I hate television like... well, metaphors fail me. I just hate it A LOT, trust me]. I hear a lot of annoying crap at work and in the game is my quiet fun-time.

And there is the hidden factor. While tells have always been a part of the game, no sooner does one get onto Vent than half the people on the channel vanish into a private chat channel somewheres. One wonders what is being said that is ever so secret. I cannot state how annoying and divisive this is. Not to mention you have the people not on Vent at all, wondering if they're being chatted about on the regular channel.

Another one of my points, I guess, is this: are you one of those merrily jibberjabbering away on Vent 24/7? Be careful. You might be about to lose a friend or two over it - remember such-and-so? Where IS he these days? Haven't seen him for a while, have you? Did you even notice that person was gone till now? Did you ever consider that sooper-seekrit private channel might have had something to do with it?

Just some food for consideration, take it as [generally speaking] you will.

Well, certainly. Your point isn't "Vent is bad", your point is "If you use Vent, don't be an jackass about it", right? I usually avoid that by not playing with people who are jackasses.

LEGION OF VALOR - Be a part of the Legend!

... I think my chagrin can be laid at the doorstep of, "...but I had no idea these people were really like this." A few of these people I have known for years.

I truly don't get the attraction. Password changes every two weeks, allegedly by itself. People who live across a continent seem to be whispering.... but don't touch those individual volume controls, because everything is now on Mute and you can't hear a thing. Microphones are not recognized all of a sudden. Then tomorrow, they are. Then next day they're not.

It just seems like a huge hassle to me, not fun, but I'm not a techy type anyways. I am now off the soapbox.

I dont use vent, dont like it and never will

I consider this a matter of preference, and don't hold Vent usage against anyone. Paragon City exists in a free country, last I checked. That said, I can relate with you and Cipher and others. I use City of Heroes to wind down, often after a hard day's work. By the time I log in on many nights, I want immersion, I want to be DONE with reality for the day.

People are different. Some people abhor time alone, while others (myself included) need it to recharge. I understand that. In-game, I'm often solo, but otherwise my experience of other characters remains comfortably textual (and it helps that I'm a fast typist). But if it seems like someone's attention is distracted by various other streams of conversation, I'll seek more focused people. I always give mission partners and teams my full attention. It's the right thing to do.

Vent is why I do not play Eve ... I always have the TV on in the background plus my kids always will come ask me questions or need to tell me something and having to wear headphones the whole time I'm on is a pain ....

Plus .... I really ... REALLY do not care to listen to people drone on and on about out of game topics when I'm playing. It is easy for me to ignore in text ... in audio it is almost impossible to ignore. I simply despise Vent and Team Speak and have never used it in Cox nor will I ever.