Network Leadership required Change how communication systems in-game work.

Requires Network Leadership to review

What does this suggestion change/add/remove:

Change how communication works in regards to using externals such as TeamSpeak3, discord etc for ingame conversation, callouts and scenario response to use in game systems already established.

Add new frequency bands for leadership of departments / introduce new way of communication ingame similar but separate to radios.

Remove the requirement for any person on the server to have to use teamspeak3 [or any other external communications system outside the game] for communication about in game scenarios and general conversation.




Has something similar been suggested before?:

Not that I know of.



If so, why is your suggestion different?:

My suggestion is to have an official staff ruling on the use of TeamSpeak and preferably its removal as a REQUIREMENT from the server in ANY instance as well as discord and any other externals for in game communication or any communication in that area, obviously for OOC issues or discussion people can use discord and whatever else they wish. This is purely for the removal of external comms, mainly TS3, as a requirement that can be enforced for anyone on the server.



Possible Positives of the suggestion (At least 2):

As this technically isn't a server rule, I could not find it, however it being forced upon departments and MTF for "easier communications" by SA and FCOM this becomes a semi staff issue and I would staff to provide and official ruling for this please.

Additionally the lack of clear guidelines on what information from said 'Secondary comms' can be used in character leads to lots of moments that borderline on meta gaming, information being said such as SCP callouts for someone else to call out during combat, information you cant verify was communicated before or after death. Also the constant mixing of casual conversation and supposedly in character information makes it difficult to decypher.

This has time and time led to teamspeak being used as a platform to incite drama and division within the playerbase as people complain about departments out of character while interacting with them in character.

Teamspeak takes down the quality of roleplay substantially as people either cannot hear properly, are busy conversing or have it muted and miss out on this in/out of character callouts.

As well as these facts, teamspeak is harder to monitor and therefore moderate by staff due to the exclusivity of chats for obvious reasons however this means if someone says something that violates server rules it might not get reported which causes problems of its own.

Finally, from a roleplay perspective how does it make sense that for example someone like ISD/A1/O1 witness me do something and telepathically summon a small army to detain me without speaking a word text or vocally ingame. This is a metagaming issue which also falls into the monitoring issue as people wont incriminate their friends or department members over something small which I wouldn't be able to prove nor would staff.

Using radios would resolve every issue on this. It would also lead to it being able to be monitered by staff quickly and efficiently as well as meaning players can clip footage with more ease, and roleplay and conversation being improved drastically.




Possible Negatives of the suggestion:

Besides the slightest inconvenience of using a different key to PPT on the radio there are literally no negatives to this.


Based on the Positives & Negatives, why should this suggestion be accepted:


This suggestion should be accepted because it improves roleplay quality, transparency, fairness, and staff oversight. Removing the requirement for external communication platforms such as TeamSpeak3 and Discord would ensure that in-character communication occurs through in-game systems that can be witnessed, recorded, and moderated. It would reduce metagaming concerns, prevent off-platform coordination that cannot be properly monitored, improve accountability, and create more immersive interactions by encouraging players to rely on radios and proximity communication rather than third-party applications. While the change introduces a minor inconvenience in requiring players to use in-game radio systems, the benefits to immersion, evidence gathering, moderation, and overall server consistency significantly outweigh that drawback.



- Kind Regards
- Maksim "Enigma"


P.S

I just want to clarify I think people are mistaking my suggestion. I do NOT want/am pushing for TS3 Removal or even discord, I am instead pushing for it to not be a REQUIREMENT for IC Comms and therefore no punishment IC for not using it. Teamspeak is important for staff and higher clearance personnel to communicate easily but ultimately for the average player and combative departments it just opens the doorway to inappropriate conduct and conversation including metagaming etc and it's use as IC Comms shouldn't be enforced but rather a choice in the same way as sitting in discord vcs with your friends.
 
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-Support

Metagaming will happen no matter what, however removing TS will just remove many forms of communications people have; and force them to utilize things they're not used to - now of course that's how change happens I won't deny that - however TS is the easiest, fastest and best way for people to communicate. Radios are flawed with how they work with the game, they can be useful I won't deny. TS on the other hand takes the cake for communication between personnel.
 
+support

This is one of the few things I disagree with many of my peers on... In my opinion TS is an OOC communication, I don't think it should be used for IC communications. I will say that discord should be kept since the announcement system to their departments is not really replaceable in game. However I do agree that TS should be pushed to the side in favor for in game communication dominance.
 
Team speak wont be removed as per the FAQ for suggestions stating they reject it.

But id love to have it treated as auxiliary comms, and you not be punsihed for not using it.

Long and less ranty story short, IC comms like radio and /c should take priority, teamspeak gets in the way and only the department in principle can hear it, people triple broadcast in local, TS and radio, and people can be constantly nattering in teamspeak making it difficult to hear in game comms. To top it all off, they are used interchnably (somone will aska question in TS, then get a reply in game), TS is treated as a hybrid OOC/IC thing as well, and at least it might be easier to enforce rules from just one in game thing than lucking out a mod was in the room and decided to enforce them.

So + support for having it banished to the ether as a personal choice, vs forced on you. I personally dont find it fun to be ear raped and have found it a lot more pleasant playing when i dont use teamspeak. (also UK Nu7 uses discord for meetings yet E11 uses discord, at least pick a damn lane and standardise it)
 
Am I a major fan of solely using IC comms (Radios or chat comms) for communication? Absolutely! I think it greatly adds to the immersion, especially since people will not be able to silently communicate with eachother while standing in the same room, which is some slop that I dislike and will never participate in.

I do not expect this to pass, but would be happy if it did all the same.
 
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+Support
Funny enough I've always disliked teamspeak as it tends to take away the aspect of playing a game and being more involved and invested inside the game, being in TS tends to take that constant in-game communication out.
If you look at party games, SCP games, and other games that involve local VOIP or radio use, it is a ton more immersive and generally lends to a more enjoyable experience playing.
 
Horrific font choice mate, please lock in with the font

That being said, changes to TS being a necessity would be interesting but I don't think discord will ever be removed - it is far too much of a good way to balance and deal with things OOCly and organizing things when you can't always be in-game.

Our lives are not those of our characters so sadly we are not existing 24/7.
 
-Support

Metagaming will happen no matter what, however removing TS will just remove many forms of communications people have; and force them to utilize things they're not used to - now of course that's how change happens I won't deny that - however TS is the easiest, fastest and best way for people to communicate. Radios are flawed with how they work with the game, they can be useful I won't deny. TS on the other hand takes the cake for communication between personnel.
There are many ways to talk in-game and that's how the roleplay works. Magic telepath communication doesn't make any sense
 
-Support

Metagaming will happen no matter what, however removing TS will just remove many forms of communications people have; and force them to utilize things they're not used to - now of course that's how change happens I won't deny that - however TS is the easiest, fastest and best way for people to communicate. Radios are flawed with how they work with the game, they can be useful I won't deny. TS on the other hand takes the cake for communication between personnel.
Could you please elaborate on how radios are flawed in use and got teamspeak is as you say "the best way for people to communicate"
 
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