Capt's Logbook: Communicating

Captain Anjel's Log                                - by David "AnjelusX" Slauenwhite

February 10th, 1495

 

The oceans of the world are vast, but even when there is no one on the horizon, we do not sail alone. There is a plethora of ways to communicate with other voyagers as we make our ways through the adventures, trials, and discoveries within the world. Look over them, there are many to be used and perhaps a few that would be good to have additionally. Taking a closer look is the theme of this entry, for even though we might spend our days at sea alone moving towards our own goals and achieving our own fame.

The primary method of communication is the chat, within which are several different modes. First of course is to simply speak or “Say”. This talks to those in the immediate vicinity to you and is a great way to communicate, greet, and start up conversations with other voyagers in your close proximity. It is commonly used in the taverns or when you’re standing/sailing close by someone else. While it’s not private, it is of course the first mode of the chat, which is standard with any game.

Next is the “Party” mode which when you’re in a Fleet with other players, working towards completing a quest or simply taking a journey together. Party mode allows players who are Fleeted together to chat, discuss plans of attack, compare notes, or simply enjoy each other’s company as they sail out into the unknown. It’s a great way to keep your team members current on plans and to build a tighter group as you travel and adventure together.

“Tells” are fairly simple and straight forward of course. They are straight whispers between voyagers, a secure way for one person to speak to another about anything they want. Following that is “Shout” which is really the opposite of “Tells” in that it will reach out to players within the area on a larger scale than normal “Say”. For instance if I have something of vital importance to say to the citizens of Venice whom are in town I can shout out to them and they will all see what I have to say. Mind you it’s very public and not really something to be used for casual conversation it is great ways to get the word out about something; or to look for more Fleet members and even recruit Company members.

This brings me to Company chat, which of course is for members of the same company to talk and discuss anything and everything related to life, the seas, and of course company business. This mode reaches all company members regardless of where in the world they might be at any given time. The last regular mode is “Chat Rooms” that you can create and invite other voyagers into for a lively discussion without the fuss of having to form a Fleet. It provides a secure way to have a private conversation with other players no matter where they happen to be and can be expanded or shrank as the room creator desires.

There is a special chat mode that is exclusive to new players and lasts until a certain point following finishing the school quests. This is the “School’ mode, which allows players from all nations to discuss and share their tips, discoveries or ask questions from other players who are further along in the game then they happen to be at that moment. It can only hold 200 people at any given time, but it’s a great forum for players regardless of nation to discuss anything that comes to mind as they move through the world and learn about the trials the oceans hold.

Missing from this, which I truly believe is something that would be very useful is a “Nation” mode which would allow voyagers to discuss and chat with all the other people within their nation. It would be great for times of war, help with taking over ports through investments and building on the new colonies available in the new world. Another addition that would be good to see is perhaps a “Jobs” mode that would allow people to join and discuss the finer points of being either in the Adventurer, Trade, or Battle jobs that are available in the game. This would be a good extension of the School channel for voyagers who might find themselves stuck on a problem and need to reach out to others whom might know the answer to their job or quest related questions.

A part of the chat system, though separate is the Friend’s list which allows you to build up a list of select other voyagers you regularly talk to, fleet with, or may one day form a company with. You invite players to your friends list and can use it to invite those same people to one of your chat rooms. You can also send mail via your friends list so that if one of your friends happens to be off on shore leave and not around to talk to, you can send them a letter for them to collect later.

All in all there are many ways to reach out and communicate with other voyagers, and allow you to build up good friendships through random encounters, Fleeting, Companies, or simply during the school phase of play. A few more options would always be handy and we can hope that they might one day be added, until then…

Fair Breezes and Safe Seas,

Captain Anjelus Xavier Infiniti

Source: UWO Official Fan Page