Interested in your thoughts on World Chat. Versus the Forum.

IMO:
When World Chat first started, my first thought was "huh?" It didn't seem to add to the social connected-ness of the game, and immediately was a place where random players would post inappropriate comments, nastiness, and "verbal experimentation."

Recently, World Chat appears to have been successfully used to coordinate a MOM-GLOM for Parrothead's MORAFication. Yea!

But aside from that singular event, World Chat and its value to the DF community still puzzles me.

One other random thought: I've promoted joining the Forum to several players while in-game. Some are excited about it, some are not. After scanning World Chat the other day, I concluded that many of these new players think that "Forum" (whether mentioned by someone in-game, or if they see the button to press in the game menus) means World Chat! Of course we know that's incorrect, but it's imaginable that they start up another game, see the World Chat screen, and think, "Oh *that's* the forum? Big deal!"

Just looking for your thoughts.

Manfred

Manny,

Before the great update abyss, I often used squad chat to coordinate with fellow M.O.Ms on which server and side to choose. There was a bit of chit chat, but still useful.

World chat is pretty much just babble. Occasionally, I'll flip through and answer questions when they're thrown out. Most of what I see is really just garbage and usually at least one or 2 Tourette's episodes. For a good while I'd hit the report button. Not seeing anything leading towards a correction, I've all but stopped except for the most horrendous offenses.

I still direct folks to the forum.

Not being in a squad myself... what's Squad Chat?

Ahh. Good point.

Not sure if its the same in the latest version and having lost my squad affiliation to that update, I no longer have it. Anyway, before... If you were in a squad the game recognized it and would offer you the option of "chat" (world chat) or "squad chat". Squad chat was a private area just for those flying the squad banner. Unfortunately, imposters could essentially "hack" into it by hijacking an unauthorized tag. It was still pretty cool to have a (semi) private venue for chatting.

I cant use world chat at all.

Well myself i use it to let friends know when and where I'm in game and so far I've had good luck with it, Now when I see inappropriate use of it i simply tap on that remark and report it. Sometimes ill chat with people on it and then go on to game.

Squad chat?

From what I've seen the past couple days, world chat is worthless babble. -Did I spell that right? - Anyway, half of what I've seen in it seems to be some guy asking if there are any girls there. I don't see much point to it.

Same here and usually I just go right into a game anyway so I never even let it load. Even the few times I have seen someone on it I post to have no reply since they left to go in game..

I haven't seen much use for it, usually someone using vulgar language or unreadable babble. I generally ignore it and go to game.

I don't find much use to it for now either myself. But it has some purpose sometimes... the squadron chat can be helpful and the world chat is helpful to some newbies that have no clue what to do. I've seen several times they asking which button to press or what's a squadron, and others replying.

So in general, it's just another feature of the game, although not much used.

I do agree that many people think it's the forum. I ask lots if new enigma pilots to go to the forum and introduce themselves, and I usually find them posting on world chat.

I find the squad chat a bit hit and miss. I have two accounts in enigma and sometimes they done see the same squad chat, items missing only a very short history etc.

Ever since Manny posted this thread, I've been spending a little more time looking at world chat. There is some good stuff going on there. New guys asking questions and getting answer. There's still plenty of vulgarity and nonsense, but some valuable stuff too.

There is some confusion about the forum I think too.

The biggest thing I think I see coming is squad recruitment. There seems to be a lot of squads with just noobs in them. All of their recruitment and squad communication is on world chat. I don't see it really impacting existing squads. However, I do foresee a time in the very near future where there will be a collection of what all the forum folks see as "real" squads and something else.

Im actually going to use the CHAT to post recent TEAMKILLERS . Now that three got banned maybe it will calm down some. Hope so

Yes, the world chat is a giant punch bowl, full of turds. Facebook goofballs. Pretty useless. It should be a rank sensitive thing. Only level 10 and above. Also severely needs a mute/ban button for moderation.

If it was up to me...
I'd get rid of the chat,
Put a" how to "in its place for newbies.

And then put in a team chat "grape vine" in the game. So the team can coordinate
And put strategies together without telling the other team

It could be just two return buttons with the chat icon.
One for public broadcast. ..
One for team broadcast.

I think it would give the game a 100÷ improvement!
We could get real leaders in the game!
And maybe even monthly leadership awards on the forum!

I think there's a lot of potential here!

I agree FOX, its just turning into a cesspool of crap. I think it may give the impression that anything goes when it comes to the language. They don't seem to care. I see some of it in the games now until we tell them to knock it off.