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

[Shingara]

We already know that the reason we dont have chat bubbles is because this engine they have used simply cannot support them without causing insane lag as it renders chat bubbles as physical objects within the game, they have trouble rendering alot of people on this engine so i dont have high hopes for chat bubbles coming in.

 

So beyond a miracle i dont see this issue being resolved unless they addapt the code to a new engine like frostbite. Why they didnt swap out to a new engine the second they realised the limitations of this engine and push the date back i will never know, it would have probably saved them a fortune even if would have cost them time to use a more reliable and malable engine way back when.

 

And even if they started coding the game onto another engine right now i could see the financial costs being right down for the development of swtor content and see content being released at a faster pace then we already see instead of constantly jerry rigging this obviously borked engine.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Shingara

[Kahotep]

We already know that the reason we dont have chat bubbles is because this engine they have used simply cannot support them without causing insane lag as it renders chat bubbles as physical objects within the game, they have trouble rendering alot of people on this engine so i dont have high hopes for chat bubbles coming in.

 

So beyond a miracle i dont see this issue being resolved unless they addapt the code to a new engine like frostbite. Why they didnt swap out to a new engine the second they realised the limitations of this engine and push the date back i will never know, it would have probably saved them a fortune even if would have cost them time to use a more reliable and malable engine way back when.

 

And even if they started coding the game onto another engine right now i could see the financial costs being right down for the development of swtor content and see content being released at a faster pace then we already see instead of constantly jerry rigging this obviously borked engine.

 

If it really is the case that we will never see chat bubbles, then I would like BW to have the decency to say so. Up until now they have strung us along with vague hints that we might get them one day and I have continued to subscribe to this game in the hope that we will.

 

If BW have no intention of giving us chat bubbles, then I have no intention of playing this game. I wish BW would have the guts to actually give me a definitive answer, one way or the other.

[Shingara]

If it really is the case that we will never see chat bubbles, then I would like BW to have the decency to say so. Up until now they have strung us along with vague hints that we might get them one day and I have continued to subscribe to this game in the hope that we will.

 

If BW have no intention of giving us chat bubbles, then I have no intention of playing this game. I wish BW would have the guts to actually give me a definitive answer, one way or the other.

 

ow i dont doubt they have every intention to get chat bubbles to work in this engine. I wouldnt be shocked if they have had people trying todo this since the game first mule kicked them in the face and they realised the problems with the engine. But them wanting todo it and being able to adapt this engine to deliver it without impacting upon game performance is a total different matter.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Shingara

[Kahotep]

ow i dont doubt they have every intention to get chat bubbles to work in this engine. I wouldnt be shocked if they have had people trying todo this since the game first mule kicked them in the face and they realised the problems with the engine. But them wanting todo it and being able to adapt this engine to deliver it without impacting upon game performance is a total different matter.

 

So basically you think they couldn't get chat bubbles working any time soon, even if they wanted to? I tend to agree. I'm actually annoyed at myself at continuing to subscribe to a game in the hope that it might actually work properly one day.

 

I've decided therefore to cancel my subscription. I'm not going to give BW any more of my money until they can get this most basic feature working.

[SawneyRath]

We're in 2013. We sent an SUV sized Rover to Mars. I think, that with today's current tech, even the Hero Engine is capable of a solution to fix and implement Chat Bubbles. SWTOR's code is not even fully Hero Engine, as the dev's had said a few times in the past. Its a combination of Hero and their own coding. I think that they can and will eventually find a way to implement Chat Bubbles.

 

The issues they had with them from beta was the same one they had with nameplates, and yet we have nameplates. I think that Chat Bubbles are just on the low priority list, and not being worked on at the moment.

 

That's okay with me, as long as they do understand how much the community wants them.

[Shingara]

We're in 2013. We sent an SUV sized Rover to Mars. I think, that with today's current tech, even the Hero Engine is capable of a solution to fix and implement Chat Bubbles. SWTOR's code is not even fully Hero Engine, as the dev's had said a few times in the past. Its a combination of Hero and their own coding. I think that they can and will eventually find a way to implement Chat Bubbles.

 

The issues they had with them from beta was the same one they had with nameplates, and yet we have nameplates. I think that Chat Bubbles are just on the low priority list, and not being worked on at the moment.

 

That's okay with me, as long as they do understand how much the community wants them.

 

sorry but what they said is this is so far from the hero engine that it can no longer be classed or called the hero engine, the coding they have done and the coding to the game are all on this engine that they have jerry rigged from the hero engine. The limitations that remain within the game are a result of the limitations they have already removed or gotten around resulting in the engine we have today.

 

They have admited that adapting this engine to what it is within its current state is what cost the most and exorbarent amounts of cash that resulted in swtor costing so much. And lets be brutal, if they cannot increase the questlog size due to these limitations and they havnt gotten chat bubbles in already after all this time, because dont forget this isnt a new problem, this is an old problem from early beta then i dont see this being resolved any time soon if at all.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Shingara

[SawneyRath]

Engine aside, I still believe we can and will eventually get Chat Bubbles.

 

I would like an update on the progress, but I can understand the priorities and such the Devs have.

[anonnn]

We already know that the reason we dont have chat bubbles is because this engine they have used simply cannot support them without causing insane lag as it renders chat bubbles as physical objects within the game, they have trouble rendering alot of people on this engine so i dont have high hopes for chat bubbles coming in.

 

So beyond a miracle i dont see this issue being resolved unless ...

...

 

I don't see any reason that they can't use the FlyText system to throw Chat Bubbles into the space above the head... it just wouldn't have a non-variable rising speed and might have to have a maximum character length. With a slightly contrasting color alternation they could make individual messages still distinct above the head, without having to render any box around the text.

[anonnn]

I don't see any reason that they can't use the FlyText system to throw Chat Bubbles into the space above the head... it just wouldn't have a non-variable rising speed and might have to have a maximum character length. With a slightly contrasting color alternation they could make individual messages still distinct above the head, without having to render any box around the text.

 

... and FlyText chat bubbles wouldn't be as disruptive to the visual environment, especially if you consider a crowded area...!

[LordArtemis]

I would suggest they enable bubbles for group chat. Only your group members would see the bubbles, so that should not effect other players.

[SawneyRath]

I would suggest they enable bubbles for group chat. Only your group members would see the bubbles, so that should not effect other players.

 

I think a simple Toggle on/off will be enough. No need to complicate it further. Just Bubbles for /say /emote, and /yell with an option to enable/disable them would be perfect.

 

Group Only is too limiting to the amount of players you could interact with.

[kirorx]

ow i dont doubt they have every intention to get chat bubbles to work in this engine. I wouldnt be shocked if they have had people trying todo this since the game first mule kicked them in the face and they realised the problems with the engine. But them wanting todo it and being able to adapt this engine to deliver it without impacting upon game performance is a total different matter.

 

This is the case

 

Most games have chat bubbles and I am sure they want to add them but after a year and a half, it seems pretty obvious that chat bubbles my not be possible.

 

This is probably not something they just left out or put on the back burner, it's probably just not possible on this engine

[LordArtemis]

I think a simple Toggle on/off will be enough. No need to complicate it further. Just Bubbles for /say /emote, and /yell with an option to enable/disable them would be perfect.

 

Group Only is too limiting to the amount of players you could interact with.

 

I would agree it's pretty limiting, but I think it might be a compromise that could get it into the game in some limited form. As I understand it, having it enabled before caused severe lag. At least with this setup the lag, if present at all, would be limited due to the fact that only a few people on your screen would be using the bubbles at one time.

 

I believe that the feature would be most useful during group play...though it would be great to have it work across the entire game, it may not be feasible under this engine.

[SawneyRath]

I would agree it's pretty limiting, but I think it might be a compromise that could get it into the game in some limited form. As I understand it, having it enabled before caused severe lag. At least with this setup the lag, if present at all, would be limited due to the fact that only a few people on your screen would be using the bubbles at one time.

 

I believe that the feature would be most useful during group play...though it would be great to have it work across the entire game, it may not be feasible under this engine.

 

I see what your getting at. If that is the only way to get bubbles in, I'd be happy with it. At least until they can figure out how to do it better.

 

I do recall them saying that Bubbles were something they wanted to add, and do it right though, so I figure if we get them, it'll be a pretty substantial system, at which they worked on getting it right (Hopefully).

[SlayerNL]

You know, as much i'd love to see BioWare implement features like a basic "chat bubble" option,

Knowing BioWare... it won't be anytime soon. I'm guessing they are working on other features instead.

Features which they think are more valueble. I do not know which features those are but knowing BioWare... it won't be something we (the community, the players) put as top priority.

 

Chat bubbles is pretty common in-games actually. (or at least in MMO's). Even the game that was considered the biggest MMO has it. So if BioWare has the ambition to be better, they sure as hell HAVE TO implement it.

And clearly, from what i can see is that quitte abit of people are un-subscribing from this game because BioWare lacks to implement such basic feature. And the more people un-subscribe, the less money they get.

 

So if BioWare is smart, If they wanna start earning some "real" money, they are gonna work in it.

[FuryoftheStars]

Well, I've kind of skimmed through this one.

 

I can say that I see and agree with people's PoV on wanting this put in. And forgive me, I'm definitely not saying that it should have no priority... especially after having been requested for over a year now. But, I guess I'm failing to see where this is a "need" or "must have" vers a really big "want". Especially in the sense to where it should be taking a higher priority over actual game altering problems (I know not everyone feels that way, but reading through the thread, it's obvious to me that some do).

 

I don't see where this would really add any "realism" as I know I saw a couple quotes from a few months ago. It's not like in RL we have chat bubbles that appear over our heads.... But yes, it would help you identify more easily who is saying what, assuming you aren't in a crowded area where the chat bubbles are over lapping each other... which kind of defeats the purpose, IMO.

 

I also remember seeing one post in here from someone saying they wanted to say "thanks" to someone else for helping them, but didn't get a response and felt as though the lack of a chat bubble was the reason why (or rather, if chat bubbles had been present, the recipient of the thanks would've noticed and replied). I hate saying this, but even if chat bubbles were in, he probably wouldn't have gotten a response anyway... and I'm not saying this to be rude or some how imply there is something wrong with the person who felt this way... I'm saying it because of how I feel about random-dude-X that he was trying to communicate with. If he didn't reply, then he probably was not paying attention to/caring about the chat window, maybe even had it closed. And if that's the case, even if there had been chat bubbles, he probably would've had that turned off, too. On top of that, chat bubbles are being asked for what? Say, yell, emote... maybe whisper? What's the range of /say? 20m? Most people who randomly help do so, then take off back to their next thing. "/say"ing thanks to someone has a good chance of being done once their out of range. You want to thank someone, whisper, which has an audio cue to the recipient. If they're even half paying attention, they'll see it and reply (if they care). Chat bubbles would not help with this.

 

Finally, I fail to see where people cannot get along without it. How do you think people used to do it before chat bubbles were even first introduced? With any game I get into, if it has chat bubbles (and the option for them), I turn them off. I then create additional tabs in the chat window. The first of these? A "zoneless" chat. The only things it will show are say, yell, emote, group, guild (unless I'm in a *very* active guild, then I may move this to its own tab), and whisper. Everything else is turned off in it. If I'm in a situation where I need or want to pay attention to these forms of chat without worrying about the nonsense that usually goes on in General, this is the tab I open. I've even quite often dragged the various tabs out to create multiple windows to monitor each.

 

Again, I'm not saying that they shouldn't add this to the game... you have my sympathies and even my support... but this is not a game altering "need".

 

EDIT: Heh... wall-o-text... didn't mean for that... seemed like a lot less while typing it up....

Edited April 22, 2013 by FuryoftheStars

[SlayerNL]

Well, I've kind of skimmed through this one.

 

I can say that I see and agree with people's PoV on wanting this put in. And forgive me, I'm definitely not saying that it should have no priority... especially after having been requested for over a year now. But, I guess I'm failing to see where this is a "need" or "must have" vers a really big "want". Especially in the sense to where it should be taking a higher priority over actual game altering problems (I know not everyone feels that way, but reading through the thread, it's obvious to me that some do).

 

I don't see where this would really add any "realism" as I know I saw a couple quotes from a few months ago. It's not like in RL we have chat bubbles that appear over our heads.... But yes, it would help you identify more easily who is saying what, assuming you aren't in a crowded area where the chat bubbles are over lapping each other... which kind of defeats the purpose, IMO.

 

I also remember seeing one post in here from someone saying they wanted to say "thanks" to someone else for helping them, but didn't get a response and felt as though the lack of a chat bubble was the reason why (or rather, if chat bubbles had been present, the recipient of the thanks would've noticed and replied). I hate saying this, but even if chat bubbles were in, he probably wouldn't have gotten a response anyway... and I'm not saying this to be rude or some how imply there is something wrong with the person who felt this way... I'm saying it because of how I feel about random-dude-X that he was trying to communicate with. If he didn't reply, then he probably was not paying attention to/caring about the chat window, maybe even had it closed. And if that's the case, even if there had been chat bubbles, he probably would've had that turned off, too. On top of that, chat bubbles are being asked for what? Say, yell, emote... maybe whisper? What's the range of /say? 20m? Most people who randomly help do so, then take off back to their next thing. "/say"ing thanks to someone has a good chance of being done once their out of range. You want to thank someone, whisper, which has an audio cue to the recipient. If they're even half paying attention, they'll see it and reply (if they care). Chat bubbles would not help with this.

 

Finally, I fail to see where people cannot get along without it. How do you think people used to do it before chat bubbles were even first introduced? With any game I get into, if it has chat bubbles (and the option for them), I turn them off. I then create additional tabs in the chat window. The first of these? A "zoneless" chat. The only things it will show are say, yell, emote, group, guild (unless I'm in a *very* active guild, then I may move this to its own tab), and whisper. Everything else is turned off in it. If I'm in a situation where I need or want to pay attention to these forms of chat without worrying about the nonsense that usually goes on in General, this is the tab I open. I've even quite often dragged the various tabs out to create multiple windows to monitor each.

 

Again, I'm not saying that they shouldn't add this to the game... you have my sympathies and even my support... but this is not a game altering "need".

 

EDIT: Heh... wall-o-text... didn't mean for that... seemed like a lot less while typing it up....

 

I agree with at least 1 thing you said here. And that's the one where u said that you fail to see people get along without it for the exact same reason(s) as you mentioned. I mean, before chat bubbles were even introduced, no one complained (or at least hardly anyone had "chat bubbles" as suggestion).

 

However, over the years, and after playing several mmo's by now, chat bubbles has become something (how shall i say?) something that's more or less part of the game. it's kinda standard to put in an MMO. And clearly, from what i can see, it's important to have this feature. Lots of people want it. (including me) For me, the main reason i want chat bubbles is because it's easier to spot who says or does what and wether or not if that person is closeby.

 

The point is, a game that was / is massivily played by over 10 million people world wide like World of Warcraft has chat bubbles too and we all know that World of Warcraft was a huge succes back then, so why not put them in a game like this too?

 

Simply put:

Chat bubbles belong in an MMO like this

Edited April 22, 2013 by SlayerNL

[LordArtemis]

Well, I would actually like to see three improvements to groups...chat bubbles, ops style character list as an option for ALL groups AND a "target of target" icon that appears next to the character pane in ops mode.

 

I sincerely believe all three changes would vastly improve group play.

[Glzmo]

Well, I would actually like to see three improvements to groups...chat bubbles, ops style character list as an option for ALL groups AND a "target of target" icon that appears next to the character pane in ops mode.

 

I sincerely believe all three changes would vastly improve group play.

They certainly would.

[Aries_cz]

HeroEngine documentation states that it is possible to have chat bubbles, so the talks about the negine not supporting it are bullcrap. Yes, BW did sort of mistake by heavily modifying the code of the engine, so any upgrades to it are difficult, but it should be possible

[Lingtan]

I support this thread. I've been wanting chat bubbles since this game went live. As a role player and attending events, it is nearly impossible to have a conversation with the player next to you - unless you add the 50 other people in the vicinity to your ignore list.

[LanceCorporalDan]

Still supporting. Show some love to the rp crowd will ya

[The_Bull]

i missed this from the beginning.

[ZirusZero]

Still supporting. Where are they?

[SawneyRath]

I have to hope that if they aren't with 2.1 (Which would be a pleasant surprise) that they come with 2.2....

 

I want Chat Bubbles so bad... Every time I play another MMO and I see them I get so excited... Lol.