Chat Bubbles: We need an option to enable them for say, yell and emote chat!

[MajikMyst]

You do still have access to the chat information, just not in the format you prefer. I'm not arguing it's not a vaild request, or that it doesn't deserve to be honored, but it is not analagous to having no input whatsoever.

 

My personal preference is for them to be toggle-able to off, because they break what immersion I manage to have in a game. Seriously, I hate them. In other games where they appeared, I switched them off instantaneously. If they are implemented in such a way that I cannot avoid them, it would be as much a dealbreaker for me as it seems their lack would be for you. So hopefully any implementation will take both sides of the issue into account.

 

I agree with this.. If they are implemented and I can't turn them off.. I will most likely not continue to play this game.. As long as they have an option to be turned off.. I am fine with them..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[MajikMyst]

Chat bubbles enhance visual clarity in 3d space.

It's better for communication during combat and gameplay, instead of having your eyes wander to the chatbox.

I'ts not only for RP'ers.

 

During combat?? Speaking is always better than typing.. Get Ventrilo or Teamspeak.. I never look at my chat box during combat.. I have vent.. If I want to tell someone something.. I just talk..

 

Chat bubbles does absolutely nothing for combat.. As for game play on like the fleet.. Chat box is fine.. Seriously.. It is only for RP'ers..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[Glzmo]

I understand that for some chat bubbles is a high priority.. But I hope you can understand that it isn't a high prority to add chat bubbles.. Things need to be fixed and at least made functional.. You all have chat.. It works just fine.. You don't need a bubble to communicate.. We do need some game mechanics to be fixed to help PVP and other things just work and be playable..

Once again:

PVE and PVE issues as well as server merges would be handled by different developer team than chat bubbles anyway, so developing chat bubbles wouldn't take much development time or resources away from those things if any at all.

Seriously, did you even read my whole post? Or are you just trying to ignore everything that refutes your claims on purpose?

 

 

During combat?? Speaking is always better than typing.. Get Ventrilo or Teamspeak.. I never look at my chat box during combat.. I have vent.. If I want to tell someone something.. I just talk..

 

Chat bubbles does absolutely nothing for combat.. As for game play on like the fleet.. Chat box is fine.. Seriously.. It is only for RP'ers..

Wow, what an ignorant statement. It's all just about you, isn't it? You don't even try to see things from other people's perspective.

 

Do you know that there are players out there that cannot speak or hear? Not all people have the privilege to have all senses intact, you know. I bet that thought hasn't ever crossed your mind, huh?

 

For many people, chat bubbles are essential for communication during combat, be it PVE or PVP combat.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Glzmo

[MajikMyst]

Once again:

 

Once again.. How do you know this?? How do you know there are all these developement teams?? Seems to be you are avoiding the issue.. You want chat bubbles to added at the expense of the game and everyone else..

 

You don't know there are all these developement teams.. Do you have any clue how much all these teams cost?? Trust me.. They don't have a special team working on chat bubbles.. They are to many other pressing issues to worry about.. Like changing servers, balance issues, the LFG system, and many other than have to come first..

 

I'm sorry.. They don't have all these development teams you seem to think they have.. While chat bubbles is no doubt a priority.. There are more pressing issues that need attention first.. Like balancing the servers.. Moving people to a higher populated server so they can just play this game.. You need to look at the big picture.. Chat bubbles is just not all that important at the moment.. That isn't to say it isn't important and they will never be added.. They will be added I am sure.. Just not on your time frame..

[MajikMyst]

Seriously, did you even read my whole post? Or are you just trying to ignore everything that refutes your claims on purpose?

 

I read your post.. You refuted nothing and I am wondering if you even understand the issue.. Can you look at the big picture and the over 1 million other people that play this game other than you??

 

We all know you want chat bubbles.. Nobody desputes this.. We despute the time frame you are demanding and the importance you are placing on them..

 

There is no special developement team that can just take on chat bubbles.. They have their hands full with a ton of other issues.. Read any of the patch notes lately?? They are busy doing other things.. Things that are more important than chat bubbles.. I just don't know why that is so hard for you to understand..

[MajikMyst]

You don't even try to see things from other people's perspective..

 

Practice what you preach..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[wutru]

Practice what you preach..

 

Except his positives outweigh your negatives.

 

There are more beneficial reasons to have them than not. It's been 6+ months since beta. This issue was brought up then. So there is no more excuse that it cuts into development time.

 

It's all about priority now, and Bioware thinks this isn't a priority, which it should be, because if you put up a poll, i guarantee the majority would choose them over fluff like Legacy.

Edited June 8, 2012 by wutru

[Glzmo]

Once again.. How do you know this?? How do you know there are all these developement teams??

Know? What can you know, right. But the developers said so themselves on several occasions, so I choose to believe them and not you. Why do you think that at the guild summit, for example, the developers said team is working on this, his team is working on that?

Thus the UI team (which would include chat bubbles) is a different team than the one working on combat/balancing (which includes PVE, PVP) the one working on server/database issues (server transfers/merges), content, engine issues, etc..

Bioware is still a comparatively large studio, not a single programmer developing a game. I'm pretty sure that they do have various teams specialized on various fields still, even after the recent round of layoffs.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Glzmo

[MajikMyst]

Do you know that there are players out there that cannot speak or hear? Not all people have the privilege to have all senses intact, you know. I bet that thought hasn't ever crossed your mind, huh?

 

For many people, chat bubbles are essential for communication during combat, be it PVE or PVP combat.

 

Wow.. Seriously dude!! Chat bubbles are not some aid for the handicapped.. Give me a break.. The chat box would do nicely in that chase.. It would be an easy to read nice and uniformed format, you can adjust the box of text, and can be moved to any location on the screen for ease of use..

 

Chat bubbles?? They are constantly moving.. No means to select what you see or don't see.. If you are in a busy area, your screen can be easily overwhelmed with chat bubbles..

 

Please don't try to pass off chat bubbles as some needed aid for the handicapped.. I have played with chat bubbles in other games.. I know what they are.. They are hard to read, especially if someone is moving.. They are horrible at distance..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[MajikMyst]

Know? What can you know, right. But the developers said so themselves on several occasions, so I choose to believe them and not you. Why do you think that at the guild summit, for example, the developers said team is working on this, his team is working on that?

The UI team (which would include chat bubbles) is a different team than the one working on combat/balancing (which includes PVE, PVP) the one working on server/database issues (server transfers/merges), content, etc.. Bioware is a large studio, not a single programmer developing a game. I'm pretty sure that they do have various teams specialized on various fields still, even after the recent round of layoffs.

 

They said they were a high priority and would be added.. I have never denied that.. How does that some how magically mean that have a developement team sitting around doing nothing just waiting to tackle chat bubbles?? That is what I want to know.. How do you know that??

 

You can believe what you want.. But the simple fact is.. I don't think chat bubbles are as much of a priority as you or some of the other folks around here think it is.. All the others folks and myself are saying is that they have more pressing issues to worry about and they do.. That doesn't mean that chat bubbles will never be added.. It just means that it might be awhile before they are.. That is all..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[MajikMyst]

Except his positives outweigh your negatives.:

 

See.. I am not negative.. I am reasonable.. There is a difference.. You all appear to want chat bubbles added to the game at the expense of everyone else and the game itself.. At least that is how I see the current discussion.. I am sure you would disagree..

 

Some are unwilling to simply live with the reality that there are things more important than chat bubbles that need to be fixed and or added before chat bubbles.. That is a simple truth here..

 

Nobody is saying that chat bubbles shouldn't be added.. All we are saying is that they shouldn't be added right now.. There are more pressing things that should be fixed or added first.. That is all we are saying and that is completely reasonable.. It is all anyone has said.. Does this make them negative??

 

Becareful you aren't just reading or seeing what you want to see or read?? If you want to think I am being negative.. Fine.. It would support my belief that people want chat bubbles added at all costs and other people's expense..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[MajikMyst]

There are more beneficial reasons to have them than not. It's been 6+ months since beta. This issue was brought up then. So there is no more excuse that it cuts into development time.

 

It's all about priority now, and Bioware thinks this isn't a priority, which it should be, because if you put up a poll, i guarantee the majority would choose them over fluff like Legacy.

 

A number of polls about chat bubbles were done during the beta in the beta forums.. Chat bubbles always lost.. It is wanted by the RP community which happens to be one of if not the smallest MMO community.. This can be seen by the number of RP servers.. There are only 12 RP servers in North America..

 

Again.. As I said in my other posts.. I am not against chat bubbles being implemented.. I think they should.. But there are a lot of other things that need to be fixed and or added before chat bubbles are addressed.. Again, that is a perfectly logical and fair response..

[Botea]

Again.. As I said in my other posts.. I am not against chat bubbles being implemented.. I think they should.. But there are a lot of other things that need to be fixed and or added before chat bubbles are addressed.. Again, that is a perfectly logical and fair response..

 

I am another person who feels that chat bubbles should be added to game sooner rather than later, and yes, I am an RPer. I have to respectfully disagree that it is an issue that should be put off because there are more important things in the game that need to be fixed or added. There are a few very good reasons why by this point it should not be concidered unreasonable for Rpers to start demanding chat bubbles.

 

1. We have lost A LOT of rpers (paying customers) because they are not in the game.

 

It is difficult to RP at times, especialy in large crowded areas like the fleet or during an event being held by players because of chat scroll. They also allow us to notice someone is talking to us when our attention may be somewhere other than at the chat box.

 

2. Chat bubbles fall under the catigory of basic feature that should be in the game.

 

This is 2012.

 

There are several basic features these days that Bio-Ware made the mistake of launching the game without. LFG system (Getting in 1.3. YAY!). UI modification (Added, and it is one of the best in the business!). Apperance tab (the armor customization options added since have been a great compromise, but . . . there are still several items that can't be moddified and are thus un-usable past their respective levels). Character re-imaging process, barbershop or whatever you want to call it is another feature that should be in the game and should have been since launch. Cross faction chat (Yes, Bio-ware had some good reasons to not put it in). And then there's Chat Bubbles.

 

It's just a standard feature that should have been there from the beginning no questions asked. It falls under the list of 'strange things bio-ware left out for a game launch'. And it's also probably one of the easier things on that list to impliment, though I could be wrong.

 

3. There will always be 'something more important that needs to be added or fixed'

 

Rpers have seen it before. They want an update or addition to the game. THey ask the devs for it. they patently wait. They ask again. they wait. They wait YEARS some times for updates they feel are needed. Why? Because the PVE and PVP community (which, to be fair, RPers also do) constantly have something they want that they feel is more important to the game. So . . . we are asking again. Maybe bio-ware will listen.

 

Or maybe they will loose customers over this one, as this IS a feature RPers feel is very basic. WIch brings us to my last point.

 

4. It makes good business sence.

 

RPers want them. It is as simple as that.

 

So . . . why should bio-ware care about what a minority population of the game wants?

 

Simple.

 

RPers tend to update there subs and play MMOs longer than other groups. Also . . . we are probably 10-15% of the population of the game (some industry analists say as high as 20%). We don't necessarily need many new features or content to entertain ourselves. But one thing we do want, one thing we concider a basic tool, is chat bubbles.

 

10-15% of your customers is a small number. But, in terms of business, 10-15% is a lot of your customer base to anger and frustrate. Also, the RP community (...the group of players who will stay with a game for a long time simply out of love of rping their characters) has shrunk, and a big part of it is due to chat bubbles not being in game. Putting them back in may get some of these loyal, long playing, long PAYING custerms to return quickly at a time when bio-ware needs subscription numbers.

Edited June 8, 2012 by Botea

[Zin-Zin]

Hi, PVP guy. PVP is not broken to the point where it is non-functional. To say that people who want to see chat bubbles added *as we were told they would be* shouldn't bother saying anything until you can't chat at all because PVP is broken!! is pretty disingenuous.

 

Last time I checked, I was perfectly able to use my class abilities on another player with the end result of having their health bar get smaller, then one of us ran out of health entirely and died. By your logic, this means that PVP is fine and players with a preference for PVP shouldn't complain until trying to use an offensive ability on another flagged player does nothing.

 

To get back to the topic on hand, those of you who say that chat bubbles do nothing but clog your screen are not using them right. They're incredibly useful at events where you pan your camera to only see the people who are actually talking to you, not the entire room. In this way, the visual of the chat appearing in the 3d space simulates the inability to hear conversations from across a crowded, noisy room.

 

And can we please put to rest the whole "OMG I DON"T WANT TO USE CHAT BUBBLES THEY BETTER BE TOGGLABLE!!!" It says in the initial post and in fact in the thread title, an OPTION to enable chat bubbles. Believe me, I will be waving a pitchfork right along with you if bubbles are added and can't be toggled off.

 

Again, this IS actually a basic game feature for a segment of the player base and I don't think it's unreasonable to keep asking for information regarding WHEN this feature is getting added since it was implied to be 'on the table' after UI customization went in.

 

They've also already addressed a number of the issues that caused the lag when bubbles were enabled in beta so can we please also let that dead horse just rot away too?

[MajikMyst]

-snip-

 

4. It makes good business sence.

 

RPers want them. It is as simple as that.

 

So . . . why should bio-ware care about what a minority population of the game wants?

Simple.

 

RPers tend to update there subs and play MMOs longer than other groups. Also . . . we are probably 10-15% of the population of the game (some industry analists say as high as 20%). We don't necessarily need many new features or content to entertain ourselves. But one thing we do want, one thing we concider a basic tool, is chat bubbles.

 

I am sure the RP crowd has just as much turn over as any other clique in the game.. So you claim that RP'ers are more loyal is pretty much debunked. See this thread if you don't believe me.. You are right in your assessment of the population..

 

But how can you say it is good business sense to care about what 15% to the expense of the 85% that want something else?? That isn't good business sense.. Your 15% is only about 180k to 260k people.. This game has over a million.. Why should they cater to the 220K at the expense of the 1.2 million that are remaining??

 

Bioware is doing what they should.. They are listening to the majority..

 

Again, I do feel that chat bubbles should be added.. I just feel there are a lot of things that are more important..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[MajikMyst]

Hi, PVP guy. PVP is not broken to the point where it is non-functional. To say that people who want to see chat bubbles added *as we were told they would be* shouldn't bother saying anything until you can't chat at all because PVP is broken!! is pretty disingenuous.

 

-snip-

 

Actually the remark is quite accurate.. Try poking around at these very forums and read the issues that PVP is currently facing.. Many care calling for the complete rebuild of Ilum because unless you have a computer made by the gods, you can't do ilum with only a reasonable hit to performance.. So yes.. Parts of PVP for many folks is broken.. There are pleanty of other issues as well.. The biggest and simplest being.. Only people that have medium to high end computers can reasonably do PVP.. That to me says that PVP is broke..

 

People that want chat bubbles can still chat.. They are not asking for anything that will allow them to do something they can't already do today.. There is nothing preventing them from chatting with someone.. I know it is important to some people, but can we try to keep it in perspective in relation the community as a whole?? You can chat.. While you may prefer that your chat box is over someone's head in a little bubble, you can still chat without that bubble..

 

There are many things that many folks can't do which are important to a larger population of the game.. I am simply asking for understanding here..

 

I have never said that chat bubbles should never be added.. I have always said there are other more important things that need to be added or fixed first..

 

That is not disingenuous.. It is simply the truth..

Edited June 8, 2012 by MajikMyst

[Zin-Zin]

Actually what you said was, "Talk to me when your chat stop working and you can't talk to someone at all.. Maybe then you will understand where the rest of us are comming from.. "

 

That's essentially telling people who want chat bubbles to **** until the entire system is broken.

 

PVP in Ilum being horrid is only a small part of the PVP game. You can still PVP in warzones just fine. Not to mention that the people working on PVP balance and other PVP related issues really are not going to be the UI team. There's no reason that chat bubbles can't be worked on concurrent with other issues and no one in favor of chat bubbles has been saying to drop everything else until chat bubbles are in. So take your own advice. PVP is not completely broken, just like the chat system. Therefore, you shouldn't be speaking of PVP issues until such time comes when you can't damage another player with your offensive abilities. Kind of a draconian view to have, isn't it.

 

Those of us who have been waiting for improvements to the antiquated chat system would like some kind of update from BioWare regarding when to expect this or whether or not to expect it at all, just like PVP players keep demanding to know about Ranked Warzones and Ilum fixes. I don't troll your threads, please stop trolling this one.

[Glzmo]

Another Q&A Blog has been published and yet again there was no new information on chat bubbles.

 

Once again, a new question thread for next week Q&A Blog is up. Please ask them to give us more information about chat bubbles in the following thread if you care about them:

 

Official Q&A Thread for June 15th Blog Post

Edited June 9, 2012 by Glzmo

[Botea]

There are many things that many folks can't do which are important to a larger population of the game.. I am simply asking for understanding here.

 

So are we. You keep saying you're not asking for them not to be added, just to be put off until 'more important things' are added or fixed.

 

That's great! But bio-ware has said in the past that the dev team is divided up into groups. One for PVE one for PVP, one for UI and so on. Chat bubbles fall under U.I. They mentioned some time back that now that the U.I. upgrades where done, chat bubbles where one of the next things to be worked on and put in the game.

 

So, in a way the reason we're mentioning it is not becaues we don't think it's never going to get added. We just want an update on that comment from them and we havn't had one since before 1.2. Truth be told, I'd be happy even to hear 'we have pushed it back due to more important things' at this point. Mostly we just want to know that they are aware we still REALLY want it.

 

Also you mentioned Illum. They have already said they plan to re-do illium's open world war zone some time later this year. I bet one of the changes will adress the problems you're talking about with PVP there.

Edited June 9, 2012 by Botea

[Xarimath]

I agree for the Chat Bubbles.

 

For Rping they are essential!

[AlyxDinas]

Some are unwilling to simply live with the reality that there are things more important than chat bubbles that need to be fixed and or added before chat bubbles.. That is a simple truth here..

 

And here's another truth, champ. They were in previous builds of the game. I know. I tested that stuff. I played them at press events. They existed. They can exist again. Hell, in older builds, you could tweak your ini file to turn them back on. Assuming that this is a complicated this is foolish. Even if they were put in with a toggle, there is not very much work to be done because the coding, and here's the shocker.....exists already.

 

BioWare should get on this. QoL features like this are ten times better than the mess that is Legacy.

Edited June 10, 2012 by AlyxDinas

[Mirura]

..... Edited February 12, 2018 by Mirura

[SawneyRath]

Bump for Chat Bubbles. Still want them.

[Exen_Dar]

Last i remember hearing from the devs on the issue was aaaaaaaaages ago, if i remember correctly, they said they needed to get the 1.2 custom UI interface done first before chat bubbles could be re-implemented (remember they were briefly in beta).

 

Only problem, is 1.2 has come and gone, 1.4 is meant to be a content patch, which leaves 1.3 as the 'features' patch, and no chat bubbles (a feature) in sight nor talked about by the devs.

 

The terrible chat system in place is awful since 1.2, with people mistelling all over the shop. Combine that with no chat bubbles on the horizon, and Bioware wonder why they're losing customers left right and center?

 

 

Irony of ironies, this 1.3 patch is called "allies" and with group finder, is meant to make the game more easily accessible and social....

 

....just not TOO social folks, otherwise you'll die in a wall of chatspam.

 

They should've named the patch "Limited Allies"

 

 

We need chat bubbles Bioware. If you cant work that out by now, and you cant work out how to implement it 6 months after release, then you're failing in your duties as professional game developers.

[Elfindreams]

You do still have access to the chat information, just not in the format you prefer. I'm not arguing it's not a vaild request, or that it doesn't deserve to be honored, but it is not analagous to having no input whatsoever.

 

My personal preference is for them to be toggle-able to off, because they break what immersion I manage to have in a game. Seriously, I hate them. In other games where they appeared, I switched them off instantaneously. If they are implemented in such a way that I cannot avoid them, it would be as much a dealbreaker for me as it seems their lack would be for you. So hopefully any implementation will take both sides of the issue into account.

 

You miss the point, in the message you quoted he answers your statement... again imagine if all combat was done through a little window, no particle effects, no anything, just <so and so> hit <so and so> for <x> damage.

 

You would still have access to the combat information, just not in the format you prefer.

 

Doesn't mean combat would be any less broken.