New version: multiplayer and chatting

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Gargantor
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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Gargantor » Mon Oct 05, 2015 3:27 pm

I might be late for all this but for the love of everything that is holy... please give us some kind of lexicon chat for public MP.
How else are people supposed to talk about setting up a private game together if the phrase chat doesnt contain enough and all words for that, neither will -apparently- everyone have a WQ account to PM them. Plus people might not want to mess around with PMs in the first place.

The good ol' way so far was to talk about the details together and then have someone create the game with a password and off we went. Phrase chat wont really give us the freedom to discuss the desired private game settings on the spot.

I for one hated... No... despised having to come over to the website and having to search for the username of the person, and then PM them all the game details while trying to set the game up. If you were not fast enough, people thought you failed making it and made another open game. No lexicon chat and only phrased chat will be a pain, I tell you. A pain. A major pain for the players.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by roguemoon » Mon Oct 05, 2015 4:04 pm

Gargantor wrote:I might be late for all this but for the love of everything that is holy... please give us some kind of lexicon chat for public MP.
How else are people supposed to talk about setting up a private game together if the phrase chat doesnt contain enough and all words for that, neither will -apparently- everyone have a WQ account to PM them. Plus people might not want to mess around with PMs in the first place.

The good ol' way so far was to talk about the details together and then have someone create the game with a password and off we went. Phrase chat wont really give us the freedom to discuss the desired private game settings on the spot.

I for one hated... No... despised having to come over to the website and having to search for the username of the person, and then PM them all the game details while trying to set the game up. If you were not fast enough, people thought you failed making it and made another open game. No lexicon chat and only phrased chat will be a pain, I tell you. A pain. A major pain for the players.

Perhaps some sort of feature that can invite players to a private game can be implemented?

I used to think that getting rid of the lexicon chat was also a bad idea but I've seen a lot of people abuse it, so I understand why it's being removed from public games. In all honesty if people want the lexicon chat to stick around so much they shouldn't be using it inappropriately. Maybe in the future WQ will consider adding it again to public games?

EDIT: Also, I imagine we would be able to post invitations to private games on the forums so people could hang out with the unrestricted chat, but again it's up to the players to make sure they're being responsible with this and not letting it get out of hand.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Lilly Shane » Mon Oct 05, 2015 11:09 pm

Gargantor wrote:I might be late for all this but for the love of everything that is holy... please give us some kind of lexicon chat for public MP.
How else are people supposed to talk about setting up a private game together if the phrase chat doesnt contain enough and all words for that, neither will -apparently- everyone have a WQ account to PM them. Plus people might not want to mess around with PMs in the first place.

The good ol' way so far was to talk about the details together and then have someone create the game with a password and off we went. Phrase chat wont really give us the freedom to discuss the desired private game settings on the spot.

I for one hated... No... despised having to come over to the website and having to search for the username of the person, and then PM them all the game details while trying to set the game up. If you were not fast enough, people thought you failed making it and made another open game. No lexicon chat and only phrased chat will be a pain, I tell you. A pain. A major pain for the players.
roguemoon wrote:Perhaps some sort of feature that can invite players to a private game can be implemented?

I used to think that getting rid of the lexicon chat was also a bad idea but I've seen a lot of people abuse it, so I understand why it's being removed from public games. In all honesty if people want the lexicon chat to stick around so much they shouldn't be using it inappropriately. Maybe in the future WQ will consider adding it again to public games?

EDIT: Also, I imagine we would be able to post invitations to private games on the forums so people could hang out with the unrestricted chat, but again it's up to the players to make sure they're being responsible with this and not letting it get out of hand.
I can agree with wanting to keep the lexicon chat, and that removing it would be a royal pain, however, I can also agree with roguemoon. An invitation feature would be a nice implement. However, at the same time, I'm still leaning more to keeping lexicon. Most of the people I meet in-game are not active on the forum at all, therefore, I can only meet them in open multiplayer games, when and if they're online. I can't communicate with them through the forum, they simply don't use it. And therefore, I would love to keep lexicon so we could continue to roleplay in-game. Otherwise, how the heck else am I ever going to communicate and schedule games with them? Besides attempting to email them...

Either way, it's ultimately up to what the developers decide is best for the ability to chat. At least we can chat at all right? I would like to see the lexicon chat stay, but that's my opinion, ultimately, it doesn't count, so, yeah. Perhaps they'll come up with something else, time will tell.

  • Edit

It would also be nice to allowed more than five players at a time within a server. I imagine the limit is due to bandwidth and taxing the servers, but one day, I would hope to be allowed up to 10 players in a server.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Wolvencall » Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:01 pm

It would be pretty fun to add up to ten but I do believe it might be hard for some people's connections. Also when they implement the new map it will lessen the feel for a. Larger multiplayer push and keep us entertained which is good. There's so much to do before we set a goal like that into action I believe

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Gargantor » Tue Oct 06, 2015 1:15 pm

roguemoon wrote: Perhaps some sort of feature that can invite players to a private game can be implemented?

I used to think that getting rid of the lexicon chat was also a bad idea but I've seen a lot of people abuse it, so I understand why it's being removed from public games. In all honesty if people want the lexicon chat to stick around so much they shouldn't be using it inappropriately. Maybe in the future WQ will consider adding it again to public games?

EDIT: Also, I imagine we would be able to post invitations to private games on the forums so people could hang out with the unrestricted chat, but again it's up to the players to make sure they're being responsible with this and not letting it get out of hand.
Still not good enough. What about talking about the setting? What about someone wanting to go on a new map instead? How will they tell IF anyone even wants to make a private game, or who will make it in the first place? And what about roleplayers or discussions within the chat? Messing around and playing a pack only goes so far. I have been in plenty chats where people first played a normal pack but eventually something must have happened or else they would have gotten bored and left. Roleplay is or at least was a major pull of the game and mostly the only reason people even came on WQ. Playing a pack with phrases and no chatting is neat. But it gets boring and repetitive.

You know what truly trashed the chat lexicon? It wasnt the players. Trolls and teens are everywhere. Especially when children are involved should one know that things are bound to happen.

It was the staff.

I know it sounds harsh but this is the truth. They should have implemented a better way to keep the chats safe. GMs should have been patrolling around often, keeping an eye on the children, checking the games and issuing punishments on the spot. Instead, we had Cana dealing with reports 24/7, sometimes bans and warnings getting issued weeks late. It wasnt her fault. It was the lack of staff and the game's all too limiting structure, not enabling any GM feature.

THAT was what ruined the chat and not the players.

There are tons of games that have trolls and 'curious' teens but what keeps them at bay is the staff's persistent presence and a well-organized team that separately handled the safety and reports.

WQ needs this.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Neamara » Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:01 pm

Gargantor wrote:It was the staff.

I know it sounds harsh but this is the truth. They should have implemented a better way to keep the chats safe.
Remember, funding is not unlimited, nor is WolfQuest developed by a big company with many staff members at their disposal. There's only so much the team can do before those resources are either depleted or time has run out.
Gargantor wrote:GMs should have been patrolling around often, keeping an eye on the children, checking the games and issuing punishments on the spot. Instead, we had Cana dealing with reports 24/7, sometimes bans and warnings getting issued weeks late. It wasnt her fault. It was the lack of staff and the game's all too limiting structure, not enabling any GM feature.
Actually, the Report Team effectively replaced that mod expectation back in June 2011- http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=85&t=52047. There have been moderators in the Report Team who focused on both duties, but not all mods are willing to patrol due to disinterest, lack of time to dedicate to thorough game patrolling/reporting or for their own reasons.

In all fairness, requests to help Cana with reports, warning and banning was made back in the day by some former members of the Report Team, but she declined their offers.
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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Whitetigress55 » Tue Oct 06, 2015 5:28 pm

Gargantor wrote:
roguemoon wrote:
You know what truly trashed the chat lexicon? It wasnt the players. Trolls and teens are everywhere. Especially when children are involved should one know that things are bound to happen.

It was the staff.

I know it sounds harsh but this is the truth. They should have implemented a better way to keep the chats safe. GMs should have been patrolling around often, keeping an eye on the children, checking the games and issuing punishments on the spot. Instead, we had Cana dealing with reports 24/7, sometimes bans and warnings getting issued weeks late. It wasnt her fault. It was the lack of staff and the game's all too limiting structure, not enabling any GM feature.
This isn't the staff's fault at all! People have lives outside of wolfquest. We just can't expect them to always be there for every single second of their time! This is mainly the players' fault. Like roguemoon said, it's quite unlikely chat would ever be unlimited if it weren't for the players using the chat the wrong way.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by AmberZeWolf » Wed Oct 07, 2015 4:28 am

I know everyone is upset about lexion chat going but I don't think WQ was made to roleplay. It's for learning and more likely learning games don't normally have this awesome multiplayer. Be happy that your playing this rare game that apparently doesn't fufill your public lexion chat. It's for the children's safety. Because players roleplayed the worst things imaginable like wolves mating. And that is bad. This is the reason lexion must be shut down for public. Argue all you want, I agree lexion should be taken down in public.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Nor-easter Forecast » Wed Oct 07, 2015 7:02 am

Okay, let's all take a deep breath here. Remember that this is all speculative–-the WQ team has stated what they are going to do.

My opinion is that the phrase chat is a good thing. I don't play multi-player precisely because of the freedom the current chat gives players. You're lucky if you can find a "wolf pack" game between all the high school, vampire, saving and graphic meat servers. Even if you do, chances are the role play will go something along the lines of walks down the hill and drinks from the creek ; smells the wind and howls ; hears wolf howl, then lays down. As if it can get any more boring, each of these sections is accompanied by five minutes of silence. The only lively RPs I've ever entered were unrealistic ones. Even if WQ had the funds to moderate every server 24/7 (which they don't), would it be worth it? I argue no.

The deal with the phrase chat is this; it makes MP work the way the team intended it to. Read what the website has to say about what players can do on MP:
Get the Game wrote:Form a pack with 2-5 players in public or private multiplayer sessions. Explore the worlds of Amethyst Mountain or Slough Creek together, hunting elk and chasing coyotes. Work as a team to bring down a powerful bull elk.
Nowhere in there does it mention role playing, even realistic role plays. MP is meant to teach people how to hunt and (with the co-op) raise pups cooperatively. The phrase chat does not hinder that at all. Yeah it's a clunky form of communication, but it gets the point across.

Also in the description of what people can do in MP:
Get the Game wrote:Chat with other players
Chat... you mean like: Hello. Nice to see you again! How are you? Good. What's up? Nothing. What do you want to do? Hang on, hey come look it this! What's over there?

^ All options in the old phrase chat, never mind the new one.

And seriously, what's the big deal if you have to get a PM on the forum before you can enter a private game? It's not like its hard to get a forum account and it will likely draw new users. There's also an option to get an email whenever you receive a PM so you don't have to check regularly. Maybe we could even add phrase options like the private game password will be __(insert any random word available). Then it still offers a choice for players who want to avoid bumping into meat-hunters or unrealistic role-play.

I think the phrase chat is a very good thing. Roguemoon mentioned that trolls and teens are everywhere. That's absolutely correct. And wherever they are they will find ways to circumvent the rules, no matter how heavily policed a game is. I think it's better that we confine them and their nastiness to their own private games so they leave the kids and serious users alone. Besides, while most of us on the forums may be older, this game was geared towards kids. If we want to keep the title of a "safe" game parents can feel comfortable spending money on, we need to have a safe place for their kids.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by AmberZeWolf » Wed Oct 07, 2015 7:17 am

It feels good knowing I'm not alone here. Because I hate being alone on a single opinion. Thanks Lobo_Laughing for the support. I get worried about young players because the roleplayers who wanna roleplay graphic stuff.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by SilkenGalaxy » Wed Oct 07, 2015 7:48 am

Lobo Laughing wrote:Okay, let's all take a deep breath here. Remember that this is all speculative–-the WQ team has stated what they are going to do.

My opinion is that the phrase chat is a good thing. I don't play multi-player precisely because of the freedom the current chat gives players. You're lucky if you can find a "wolf pack" game between all the high school, vampire, saving and graphic meat servers. Even if you do, chances are the role play will go something along the lines of walks down the hill and drinks from the creek ; smells the wind and howls ; hears wolf howl, then lays down. As if it can get any more boring, each of these sections is accompanied by five minutes of silence. The only lively RPs I've ever entered were unrealistic ones. Even if WQ had the funds to moderate every server 24/7 (which they don't), would it be worth it? I argue no.

The deal with the phrase chat is this; it makes MP work the way the team intended it to. Read what the website has to say about what players can do on MP:
Get the Game wrote:Form a pack with 2-5 players in public or private multiplayer sessions. Explore the worlds of Amethyst Mountain or Slough Creek together, hunting elk and chasing coyotes. Work as a team to bring down a powerful bull elk.
Nowhere in there does it mention role playing, even realistic role plays. MP is meant to teach people how to hunt and (with the co-op) raise pups cooperatively. The phrase chat does not hinder that at all. Yeah it's a clunky form of communication, but it gets the point across.

Also in the description of what people can do in MP:
Get the Game wrote:Chat with other players
Chat... you mean like: Hello. Nice to see you again! How are you? Good. What's up? Nothing. What do you want to do? Hang on, hey come look it this! What's over there?

^ All options in the old phrase chat, never mind the new one.

And seriously, what's the big deal if you have to get a PM on the forum before you can enter a private game? It's not like its hard to get a forum account and it will likely draw new users. There's also an option to get an email whenever you receive a PM so you don't have to check regularly. Maybe we could even add phrase options like the private game password will be __(insert any random word available). Then it still offers a choice for players who want to avoid bumping into meat-hunters or unrealistic role-play.

I think the phrase chat is a very good thing. Roguemoon mentioned that trolls and teens are everywhere. That's absolutely correct. And wherever they are they will find ways to circumvent the rules, no matter how heavily policed a game is. I think it's better that we confine them and their nastiness to their own private games so they leave the kids and serious users alone. Besides, while most of us on the forums may be older, this game was geared towards kids. If we want to keep the title of a "safe" game parents can feel comfortable spending money on, we need to have a safe place for their kids.
Very wise words, Lobo Laughing. I totally agree with you there!

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Koa » Wed Oct 07, 2015 1:10 pm

Regarding the "inability" to organize private games with other players:
General:
  • • User accounts with achievements, friends lists, packs, and messaging.
http://wolfquest.org/bb/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=75088

There's the in-game messaging system, and there's also the forum's messaging system, itself. There should be no problems organizing games.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Gargantor » Wed Oct 07, 2015 2:22 pm

All I am saying is, that maybe roleplaying was not meant to be part of MP but there is no question about it that 80-60% of the population were roleplayers. Without them, WQ would have lost funding sooner because not many would have played it.

It is wise to make a decision according to what is good for the goal and what is good for the popularity. Sure, you can make a phrased chat restricted game about learning about wolves without giving people the chance to develop some kind of plot. But that will cost you roughly that 80-60% of players who come to roleplay. New players will come but how long can you play the same 'plot' over and over before you decide to play something else?

So, what do you prefer? The game's goal? Or popularity?

After all these years, WQ isnt really one of kind anymore, so one cannot keep relying on people being drawn in because 'you can play as a wolf'.

Sure, not all roleplays are about wolves but it can be easily solved by removing specific words. Surely, for a wolf roleplay you wont need the word 'vampire' or 'teen' or 'dragon' or 'whale'.

Whitetigress55 wrote:This isn't the staff's fault at all! People have lives outside of wolfquest. We just can't expect them to always be there for every single second of their time! This is mainly the players' fault. Like roguemoon said, it's quite unlikely chat would ever be unlimited if it weren't for the players using the chat the wrong way.

Sorry to burst your bubble but if you volunteer to be staff somewhere, then you are to do your job. Yes, you have a life outside of being a staff member but you volunteered because apprently you have the time and the resources to be part of regulating gameplay. If you dont have the time, then dont be staff. This is how it works everywhere. This is why such arguments make no sense at all.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Nor-easter Forecast » Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:15 pm

Gargantor wrote:So, what do you prefer? The game's goal? Or popularity?
The game's goal.

Allow me to back up. You are absolutely correct in the statement that role-play was unintended but became a huge part of the WQ game. I also agree that the game should cater in some form to what is most popular, but I'm afraid our similarities end there. These are my respectful thoughts in regards to your other points:

First of all, WQ does not get funding through its players. Donations, when they existed, were few and far between. It's wonderful that WQ reaches so many people, but it is an extremely selective game and (my understanding is that) almost all funding is determined based on if it is educational or not. If the game looses its educational value, even of millions of people are playing it, funders will likely discontinue their input. Why? Eduweb and previously the Minnesota Zoo created WQ to teach middle-schoolers to care about a misunderstood animal, not to give teens and young adults a location for their nonsense. A few learning children is a lot more important to WQ's studies than a bunch of annoying people who think elk are moose.

Secondly, WQ was not designed to be a game people played over and over again. It's educational, which means you learn it and you leave it. High player turnover. Besides, someone who buys 2.7 and plays the game once offers just as much support as if they'd played the game fifteen times.

Thirdly...
(you just nailed my pet peeve, so I apologize in advance if I get a little snappish)
you're right, words like "vampire" and "dragon" are not necessary in a wolf game and they can be easily removed. How do you think we got to the current useless lexicon??? People said mate. That was bad so the word mate was removed. People said mat. The word mat was removed. People said pair. The word pair was removed. People said couple. The word couple was removed. People said gender. Gender was removed. People said girl/boy. Girl/boy was removed. People said female/male. Female/male was removed. Now it's meat and alas/led. Get the picture?

Take a word out and someone will come up with a replacement. It's an endless unstoppable cycle that ultimately strips every word from the english dictionary. Attempting to remove words from the lexicon is literally chasing our own tails.

So I prefer the game's goal, because I think preserving the integrity of a safe, educational game is more valuable (both in currency and moral issues) than catering to the majority of the irresponsible MP population. If trouble-makers want to continue their (insert colorful and derogatory word here) let them do so unhindered by lexicon in their own private game. Get them out of the way so new users can focus on what's important–-namely learning and feeling comfortable in the MP community. If they grow confident and want to start roleplaying, then they have this community and private games. The phrase chat doesn't stop people from role-playing. It merely places a buffer between potentially unrealistic/nasty things and kids/first time players. In my view, if someone is mature enough to risk online role-playing then they are mature enough to message their friends and set up a private game together.

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Re: New version: multiplayer and chatting

Post by Wolvencall » Wed Oct 07, 2015 5:29 pm

Semper you took the words right out of my mouth :) i've been wanting to voice something like that but i didn't know how. Thank you!

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