Aloha Everyone!
As most of us already know, ioN's sick new map will be coming soon and we will get to play it for a very long time and I think that we can make a minor change that will facilitate a much more pleasant experience.
I'm sure that at some point during your time on the Moonshade RP server, you've had to talk over someone that is spamming their mic to speak to another player.....or maybe you were forced to "voice_enable 0" altogether because someone is screaming "ABUSE" into the microphone while you're just trying to chill in your base. Quite honestly I hate hearing the drama in the Casino, cops yelling at people for camping the bank with crime, and I really hate listening to people repeatedly asking to be let out of jail over the microphone all at the same time.
The solution is fairly straightforward; Localized Communications. This is something that you can find on plenty of servers in Half-Life, Gmod, and Counter-Strike (and yes, ARMA mods). It will let you know who in your proximity can hear your mic and will be limited to a certain range deemed fit for the new map by the devs. If you need to contact a player across the map, using the all-chat text will be your only way of doing that within the server. I understand that some people may find this ridiculous but in the long run, it will make for fun gang/war situations and it will also make the map feel bigger and not as packed.
It's also important to look at the cons of implementing such a feature. New players may not get the attention they need right away if they happen to spawn in a no-man zone. They can (and will) be confused when no one answers them when they shout out on the mic. There may need to be a way for an online admin to switch the mic communication from local to global to avoid such a problem. Another drawback is that you will somewhat be able to locate AFK players on the map by seeing who is able to hear you in the communication "box" on your UI (If that also gets put in) in conjunction with your radar.
That's pretty much the basic points that I wanted to throw out there. I'm sure that if we can get some traction on this subject from the community, then the devs will have no problem implementing this feature. I would have liked to make a poll of some sort on this subject, but I believe that is a right reserved for administrators only.
If anyone has any additional input on how this system could be tailored to better fit the needs of the community, or if you simply agree (or disagree), please make your voice heard below.
Your friend,
Aloha Snackbar!!!
