In game communication

[Bez]

We haven't talked about this on the forum yet so I thought it was time to bring it up.
As it doesn't look like The Crew will have an in-game chat feature the only way to communicate will be with the built in voice chat useing a mic and head phones.
Or use one of the many other voice chat systems like Team Speak
Personally I don't mind using voice chat in games like this as it makes driving and chatting a lot easier to do at the same time.

On the other hand I also know this is not a popular choice with a lot of the TDU2 players who much prefer to use the text chat in the game, so what are your opinions on this?

[Beardroid91]

Imo not having a chatbox is a huge flaw

Because the chatbox is a great feature to have, while voice chat imo is just stupid, because there will always be some moron who either screams or plays silly music, and lol how would anyone get along - because some people are not good at talking the English, let alone understanding it, it would just be a sick combo of english, german and russian... plain stupid imo

So not having a chat box option would be a huge flaw... So why don't they just give us the option to choose between voice and chatbox?

Because if they like you said, where trying to get TDU players, then what in the world where they thinking when they came up with this BS idea...!

Anyway just my heated thoughts on it

[MadManCK]

A lot of players prefer in game text chat, above playing with a headset and mic.

Typing while driving is not optimal, but it beats having to listen to kiddos who are called to dinner by mommie, or are singing along with lady gaga.
Maybe on a closed session it can be fun, but i will most likely never wear a headphone and mic. I didn´t wear one during the playtest either. I prefered listening to the built in crappy TV speakers and the surround set in the playseat instead.

On the Ubi Forum are some hefty discussions about this subject.

I think the Ivory devs should include a text chat and SMS function in the game. Also accessible through the external app for tablets and smartphones.

That would benefit a lot of players.

[blehz]

Yeah I think it would be a huge flaw to leave it out.
I get it, it needs voice. But leaving text chat out is not gonna work.

I plan to play this on my TV with a controller (not a wheel racer anymore), and might buy a headset if there is appeal in the crew to do voice chat.
Still, that doesn't mean text chat should be left out. It's a must-have for PC.
Everyone hates the yelling kids, Russians and music playing 'voice chat' morons. And I guess it won't be different in this game. Let's at least hope it can be switched on/off for freeride/crew/friends/etc... .

I think SMS is a pretty good idea MadManCK, or at least something similar. And that it can be used in the app would be super. I think I read something like that, that the app will give you the features to organise things for the evening.

Maybe some of these suggestions should be added to the wishlist?

[Miao]

Imo not having a chatbox is a huge flaw

Because the chatbox is a great feature to have, while voice chat imo is just stupid, because there will always be some moron who either screams or plays silly music, and lol how would anyone get along - because some people are not good at talking the English, let alone understanding it, it would just be a sick combo of english, german and russian... plain stupid imo

So not having a chat box option would be a huge flaw... So why don't they just give us the option to choose between voice and chatbox?

Because if they like you said, where trying to get TDU players, then what in the world where they thinking when they came up with this BS idea...!

Anyway just my heated thoughts on it

We have the same opinion.

[MadManCK]

Yes, that app is a very interesting feature.

But i still don't know exactly how the organizing etc. will work.
If there will be a full SMS function built in, we can use that simultaneously when playing the game.

1. It will give stats from yourself and from friends as well. And the ability to organize and plan events
2. It will give you full remote access to your savegame, so you can upgrade and tune rides and customize them.
3. And the third option is a game that will get you access to more content.

But i don't know if it can serve as a replacement for in game chat for example. If it does, it won't be a problem for me to use the tablet somewhere along the racing cockpit. More games will make use of tablets in the future. Some will provide telemetry data on it for example.
The added Crew functionality sounds like some extra fun.

PS Bear is on the same page as me, i see, lol

[Deceitful-Fox]

I'm with you guys 100%, some of the best friends I ever made in gaming were on Midnight Club 3, a game released eight years ago! A game with a cruise mode and text chat. It means that you can communicate with everyone, even people without mics, and sound quality is no longer a barrier. I hate voice chat because it never ever works as intended. There is always a point where you can't understand each other, either because of accent or sound quality or lag. None of that matters with a simple text chat. I understand there may be some complexities of including a chat because there are only ever eight people together at once, and those eight people change all the time as you drive, but if TDU could pull it off, so can The Crew. It would be implemented best I think if a little speech bubble popped up over your car when you typed a message, so people in your vicinity could see it.

[Bez]

Wile I do agree chat should be an option in the game I still think voice chat is a better option, I fully understand some people that don't use English as a first language might have a problem with this (that's why we need both)
As for been against voice chat because of having to listen to other people shouting or twisting on in the background, this is not a valid argument as you can always use a private chat like Team Speak.

[Deceitful-Fox]

That's true, but with private chat you never get to make new friends. Ivory Tower talks a lot about the sense of community it fostered in TDU, and how it hopes to recreate that, but how on earth will there be any sense of community if most of the people you come across are either silent or using third part voice chat (so you can't hear them)?

[MadManCK]

My statement does not involve 3rd party software. And i don't want to run parallel programs while playing games, as they can cause instability etc.

Same goes for Steam chat. You can't continue to play while the text box is open.

The argument is strictly to what the game provides. You can probably switch off in game voice chat. At least i hope so. It was very annoying in Grid2, as sometimes a race started without the opportunity to switch it off during the event. And the voice chat in TDU2 could cause lag in the game. There are more reasons not to use it.

And typing is something that is more user friendly. In addition to that, i like to play games over the theatre surround system here, or through my built-in sound system in the cockpit.
Headphones are no option. I just don't like them