Headset vs desktop mic & speakers

[Luthorcrow]

Err what?

I mean when you talk it turns the sound down, then when you aren't talking it's normal, win win it would seem to me.

I coulda swear when I used Roger Wilco back in the day it did this, don't see why Vent/TS wouldn't support something so simple yet very easy to do.

Man, not to be cruel but if you are going to weight on a topic, don't you think you should have a least a kernel of knowledge? If you are not familar with Vent or TS then you obviosuly haven't been playing with a team online for a very long time.

To answer your question, no it doesn't. Even with a headset speakers are a major desitraction. Needless to say, you want to play speakers? Have fun with SP because that's were you are likely to end up after pissing everyone off.

 

[Stiler]

If when you're speaking it turns down the sound that you hear, then how do you expect to hear an opponent come up behind you or something important your teammate says? You won't.

Well, on the footstep sounds I guess you wouldn't but still, doesn't seem that'd happen too often, unless you talk all the time . I don't really talk much (on my 360) unless it's important or something, IE - telling the team where someone is hiding or something.

As far as team mates talking goes, this is going back to my question I asked about pc headsets/mics.

On the 360 it works where your headset will only play voices out of it and your speakers play the game sounds and such.

Is there no PC-based headset that can do this? Where you would only hear the voices come from the headset and the game sounds come from your speakers and such? That's how I'd like to have it set up personally. That way I can clearly hear the voice communication and still use my speakers.

Man, not to be cruel but if you are going to weight on a topic, don't you think you should have a least a kernel of knowledge? If you are not familar with Vent or TS then you obviosuly haven't been playing with a team online for a very long time.

To answer your question, no it doesn't. Even with a headset speakers are a major desitraction. Needless to say, you want to play speakers? Have fun with SP because that's were you are likely to end up after pissing everyone off.

I play in numerous online games but I don't take them too seriously or "pro" playing, just simple good natured fun with some friends. We don't all have mics unless we're playing on the consoles.

If you see my first comment in the thread I didn't pop in witih any info rather then pose a question that I felt was acceptable for the topic about headsets/mics. I didn't say I was on the know about TS/Vent or anything.


I haven't had a PC mic for a few years now but I've been meaning to get one to be able to use vent and TS for pc games that I play online.

I used Roger wilco back in the day when it was popular before TS/Vent.

I just don't see what makes you think it wouldn't be simple for a program to simply lower the volume on your speakers when you talk so that the problem of people hearing your backround sounds or echo's is then no longer a problem?

You click a button to talk, the program automatically lowers your speakers and once you're done talking it goes back to normal, bada bing bada boom.

Why can't this be done? It solves your problem of backround noise/echoing and it doesn't force people to use crappy non-surround sound headsets with mics or such and allows them to use their normal speakers. Win Win, the people who like headsets are fine, the people who like speakers better are fine, everyone would be happy...

edit - I'm not the only one who thinks about this, though not for a game.
http://forum.teamspeak.com/showthread.php?t=27403&page=2

I could have swore though that this was already a feature in RW/Vent/TS or one of them, or maybe it was a game I'm thinking of with built in voice support, I don't remember.

 

[Luthorcrow]

I play in numerous online games but I don't take them too seriously or "pro" playing, just simple good natured fun with some friends. We don't all have mics unless we're playing on the consoles...

I just don't see what makes you think it wouldn't be simple for a program to simply lower the volume on your speakers when you talk so that the problem of people hearing your backround sounds or echo's is then no longer a problem?

You click a button to talk, the program automatically lowers your speakers and once you're done talking it goes back to normal, bada bing bada boom...

Why can't this be done?...

I hear what you are saying. It could be done, no doubt but hasn't been done because it is feature no one wants. There are several reasons for this. Let me preface by saying the same issues that I am talking about that effect teams effect you when you're casually pubbing with your friends. It's not just a comp thing. But here is why it would not be a good feature.

1) In most FPS you stay on a constant move or alert state because you die if you don't. Lowering your alert state to talk would make you vulnerable. Keep in mind that as much as what you see, sound plays a huge part in knowing if the enemy is near, shooting at you etc. If the game volume lowered every time someone talked you would die more.

2) TS/Vent whatever is not just for comp. There are plenty of public gathering Vent/TS for causal gaming communities. Having the game volume drop would imped socializing and causal play. If the game volume constantly drops while your friends tell jokes and generally B.S., after a while the need to hear the game is going to start competing wtih the fun of B.S.ing. Having both is just more fun.

3) Competitive play at LANs is a headset / headphone affair. As a result it extends into online play. Its better to practice as play.

5.1 etc speakers are kickass but only for SP games. Vent/TS have bi-directional (game and voice) because its better for comp and its better for socializing.

 

[Stiler]

I hear what you are saying. It could be done, no doubt but hasn't been done because it is feature no one wants. There are several reasons for this. Let me preface by saying the same issues that I am talking about that effect teams effect you when you're casually pubbing with your friends. It's not just a comp thing. But here is why it would not be a good feature.

1) In most FPS you stay on a constant move or alert state because you die if you don't. Lowering your alert state to talk would make you vulnerable. Keep in mind that as much as what you see, sound plays a huge part in knowing if the enemy is near, shooting at you etc. If the game volume lowered every time someone talked you would die more.

2) TS/Vent whatever is not just for comp. There are plenty of public gathering Vent/TS for causal gaming communities. Having the game volume drop would imped socializing and causal play. If the game volume constantly drops while your friends tell jokes and generally B.S., after a while the need to hear the game is going to start competing wtih the fun of B.S.ing. Having both is just more fun.

3) Competitive play at LANs is a headset / headphone affair. As a result it extends into online play. Its better to practice as play.

5.1 etc speakers are kickass but only for SP games. Vent/TS have bi-directional (game and voice) because its better for comp and its better for socializing.

Ah, I mean that it'd only lower when you talk, not when others talk,

If there was a way to send the voice to a headset only (like how the 360 handles it) then you could do this and only have the volume go lower when you speak, so that you hear sounds fine as well as your friends talking, just one through the speakers and the other through the headset.

As you can see, I'm coming mostly from a console perspective since i haven't used a mic for pc gaming in years.

However I have played a lot online on both and with the console playing online games like CoD 4, Halo 3, R6 vegas 2, etc I have never really had a problem with talking/hearing people or anyone complaining about echoing or sounds coming through.

Though I do turn my volume down when I'm online so it's not too loud. I play in some clans for some of the games and with friends time to time among general pick up games, but never had anyone complain about that sort of stuff. Though I normally don't find myself talking when there's a ton of things going on, rather then simple pointng out of enemies and locations among other things.

I just think there's a possible way for pc based voice comm to make the best of both types of users without pissing off other, if it could work like I talked about, with the volume tuning down when you talk, and allowing other players voices to go into your headset while the game sounds are on your speakers.

 

[evanisthecoastie]

Ah, I mean that it'd only lower when you talk, not when others talk

For me, i can give info on why this COULD be bad in one situation.

you're competing online in competitive CS, youve played since 1.3, and youve finally attained the status of CAL M, and need this win to move up to CAL P.

the map: De_Dust2, the bomb is planted, your on catwalk, and you dont know where the enemy currently is.

you press tab, all of your teammates are dead, and its a 1 on 1 situation.

you slowly walk toward the bomb, no sound is heard.

(most teams will NEVER press their Vent key once dead, they use ingame sound to talk to eachother/bitch about how they died. one of these teammates could hold crucial info of where the enemy went after they died)

you remember your teammate was killed by the planter, you press your vent key and your sound goes down, while talking you dont hear the enemy made a miss-step/quickswitched his knife/zoomed in with his awp/reloaded something because your volume went too low.

While walking toward the bomb the T used the oldest trick in the book and went around the green boxes in the bombsite and deag's you in the back of the head.

you fail and do not advance to CAL P, your team hates you. you play in a slump for matches upon matches, team breaks up.

you quit CS.





THIS IS NOT A PERSONAL STORY FROM ME damnit, dont try it lol.

 

[Karant]

Using a desktop mic with speakers will not make you many friends online.

I don't know, you'll fit right in with the rest of the Counter-Strike kiddies.

 

[sculelos]

I use a Desktop mic and headphones and I sound pretty good. I have a very small amount of wind noise coming from my mic because of my pc fans but everyone can hear what I'm saying fine and I don't think it's annoying at all. I used it for some online phone calls and no one has said anything about it so I'm not sure if anyone notices as it still sounds at least as good as most phones.

 

[SAW]

Ive already posted in this thread, but I had a situation happen to me yesterday in TF2 which suits this thread and was what I was talkin about in my first post (or was it my second post).

I got accused of using some sort of SPY detector in TF2. This dude playing a spy (on the other team of course) kept on trying to sneak up on me in 2Fort. Every time he would get close to me, I'd end up shooting him dead, often before he even got to me.

Now, lets understand one thing about me and gaming. I DONT cheat. Im totally against it and HATE people who do it. In RL, I cant stand thieves and liars. CANT STAND THEM!!!!! Well, that rolls over into my gaming as well and to me, a cheater is both a thief and a liar. I hate it when other people do it so I definately am not going to do it myself.

So, this guy, after about 10 kills caused by myself (heh), he started in on saying how Im using some sort of spy bot cause "NO ONE CAN KNOW WHEN A SPY IS AROUND ALL THE TIME". I guess I can understand his point of view, but, IMO, he wasnt that great of a spy anyways. After a few times killing him, My senses were tuned in, heh. I knew he was going to keep on coming after me for revenge.

I could HEAR him running towards me, cause I was wearing my headphones. I never noticed the footsteps of others when I used the speakers alone. But with the headset, its like I can hear a cricket from across the map.

Also, that Doppler effect is extreme. I can hear the footsteps and I can tell from which direction its coming from, so I turn in that direction.

Sure, I was shooting everything that moved, teammates or not, so im sure that played into the figures some, so eventually, I was bound to shoot this dude.

No one else thought I was cheating, just this dude, so he ends up leaving that server and I go on playing continuing my killing spree

Headsets are AWESOME!!!!!

 

[vraskal]

For fps games, headsets are the best, for any other games, speakers give better sound.