Let's talk Discord
Have you ever played an online game with people but had a difficult time communicating with them? Some games don't have built-in communication features, which makes it hard to coordinate raids with your guild, when to jump out from behind a corner, and where everyone should be focusing their DPS (damage per second).
It's super handy! Do you use Ventrilo, Teamspeak, or Discord for your gaming coordination? If so, let me know! Do you use other communication software/apps for coordinating gaming efforts? Comment below and share the tools you use!
Discord solves this problem.
I'll admit it- I'm a total gamer nerd. I've had to limit my gaming this last year due to school, but I've used communication programs for gaming since college. Back then, I was very into MMORPG games, coordinating raids, pvp, and grinding parties with my guild through Ventrillo (aka Vent). Vent was fantastic because it allowed you to speak with others in your guild, but was a separate program that required you to minimize your game screen to adjust volume, change channels, and play with settings. It also meant that if you were offline and your guild needed you, they needed your actual phone number to text and ask for help. Ventrilo servers cost money, so guilds would often ask everyone to chip in to keep it running.
Discord is the best of Ventrilo, Teamspeak, and any generic messaging app all rolled into one. Not only can you use it to speak with friends and guild mates while playing a game, it also includes an overlay that allows you to adjust volume and change channels without ever exiting your game screen. It is also available as a phone app where people can message in group chats or in private messages. One of the most useful features is that people can be tagged. Similar to facebook and twitter, if you type "@username" it will send that person a notification to open the Discord app and see why they have been mentioned. "@everyone" will message everyone that belongs to a channel to summon help or share important information as needed.
I use Discord right now for Pokemon Go. Yep, that's right, I still play! Pokemon Go has implemented a LOT of new features since it began 2 years ago, including friends lists, new pokemon, raid battles, and trading. However, there is no way to communicate in the game and coordinate raid battles since at least 6 people are generally needed to beat legendary Pokemon raids. This is where Discord comes in. We can communicate and coordinate to make sure there's enough people for a raid, and everything is arranged by location.
Discord is the best of Ventrilo, Teamspeak, and any generic messaging app all rolled into one. Not only can you use it to speak with friends and guild mates while playing a game, it also includes an overlay that allows you to adjust volume and change channels without ever exiting your game screen. It is also available as a phone app where people can message in group chats or in private messages. One of the most useful features is that people can be tagged. Similar to facebook and twitter, if you type "@username" it will send that person a notification to open the Discord app and see why they have been mentioned. "@everyone" will message everyone that belongs to a channel to summon help or share important information as needed.
I use Discord right now for Pokemon Go. Yep, that's right, I still play! Pokemon Go has implemented a LOT of new features since it began 2 years ago, including friends lists, new pokemon, raid battles, and trading. However, there is no way to communicate in the game and coordinate raid battles since at least 6 people are generally needed to beat legendary Pokemon raids. This is where Discord comes in. We can communicate and coordinate to make sure there's enough people for a raid, and everything is arranged by location.
It's super handy! Do you use Ventrilo, Teamspeak, or Discord for your gaming coordination? If so, let me know! Do you use other communication software/apps for coordinating gaming efforts? Comment below and share the tools you use!
Very interesting software to solve a problem for today's gamers. I am not a gamer, although I used to play FPSs like Half Life and Counter Strike in multiplayer mode, so I understand the challenges of communicating in the game. I think it would be a completely different experience if I were to play those games again and had the ability to actually talk with my teammates. On another note, I think it's ironic this program is called "discord" which by definition means disagreement between people, which can hopefully be resolved by using the program : )
ReplyDeleteHah, I'm glad you caught the irony!
DeleteIt's interesting now because most multiplayer console games have built-in voice chat, and if they don't you can set up party chats. Most gaming companies have thought ahead enough to determine which games need it built in, and which aren't as crucial. But, the moment you log off, you can't communicate with those people anymore, which is where Discord comes in for FPS games. If you have a regular group of people you play with, you probably want to be able to coordinate when you'll play together before you log in, in addition to voice chat once you're playing.