Mutefriendlyness

Suggestions
#1

Dear OrbusVR developers

I am luna tinysmoll on twitch and i am a mute, i physically cannot speak, due to reasons id like to keep private, however i would like to see some implementation of mutefriendlyness in the form of ability to use sign language, a pen on the avatar or a little chatbox you can spawn in,

i know these work because i have implemented those options in a vrchat world using unity and they have been a great success.

if you have questions feel free to contact me and i would love to help develop a keyboard/pen system to help out fellow mutes on orbus vr

kind regards luna (tinysmoll)

16 Likes
#2

A text box would be great for the above reasons and for those who have an alt character but feel their voice is too distinctive, and they would be recognised as soon as they spoke.

#3

This would help for some players I know that have anxiety issues so severe they become non verbal at times.

Edit:
Would also really like it for myself because I dont become non verbal but end up stuttering and it gets really frustrating and feels very helpless at those times. I have had people mock it in game in the past as well and generally just mute them but still would be a good option.

2 Likes
#4

Until something can be developed, there is a messaging system already in place. There was one player in old Orbus who never spoke. She used the message system for all chatting and was proficient enough with it to be able to communicate during end-game content, I believe. The biggest downside is you have to be friends with the person you are trying to chat with in-game.

3 Likes
#5

The current in game messaging system is functional to an extent, however severely inconvenient while playing end game content and/or talking to new people, forcing players like me to rely on outside methods of communication (e.g., discord bots and TTS). Though, even those can’t be used when talking to players you’d see on the streets of Highsteppe because of the need to exchange usernames. In game messaging can barely account for this because the message option is only available if you and the player are friends.

I’d suggest at the very least adding the option to start a group chat in the messaging tab to minimize the need for another person to relay info from one player to the rest of the group.

Edit: Added info on the struggle of talking to new faces and gave a suggestion

4 Likes
#6

i havent figured that one out yet because i am very very new but i will see

#7

I would absolutely love finger tracking so we could use ASL in game. I’m hard of hearing but can’t wear my hearing aids with my headset. I’d prefer to sign when possible but it’s not really a thing I can do considering the game won’t track my fingers or thumb :confused:

3 Likes
#8

another reason they should also update the tutorial, in the game now you almost always have to ask for help, but if you cant speak your basically stuck

#9

In “Wave” (VR sound/music/event portal) you can paint in the air.

Obviously something similar in Orbus could be abused to grief with (much like the darkness arrow).

However, a similar system to quickly write/draw on a virtual sketch pad would work wonders both for getting understood as well as adding your own personality (just like a voice does).

This virtual pad could f ex be held and shown in the other hand or simply be shown above the users head (and rotated to face towards each clients view so it is never obscured).

Sure, that could potentially be abused with vulgar etc drawings as well, but the same goes for many other games using similar drawing mechanics for various mechanics (or compared to similar spoken issues), so all in all i do not see any downsides to such a system.

The drawing system is already there (runemage), all that is needed on top is projecting this onto a surface (like f ex in Half-Life Alyx) and a few interface options/customizations to use it.

1 Like
#10

making a trailsystemto drawbis easy but making it as such that it syncs up to eople and doesnt turn in unreadable scribbles is the hard part

#11

Wild idea - bad pitch;

Why not just make Runemage Spell path visible within a given radius? It could even be made into a graphics effect on/off in settings…

cool.

#12

Because Highsteppe would be overrun with obscene drawings.

#13

That’s a fair point; but I assume graphitti is always a problem in cities.

#14

There’s a way to text message people in game but you have to have them friended to do it. I think allowing players to do it off of the nearby players menu would actually be a great quality of life addition as well as something that would help with this.

Aside from being mute some players don’t have microphones and the game will sometimes bug out and take away players audio. Its really hard to convey to a player that the reason you keep trying to friend them is because they can’t hear you when they can’t hear you.

3 Likes
#16

Emotes/words that pop up above the head. Is probably what i would go for. Also possibly group messages.

#17

surface drawing is a bit harder than using a trail renderer for the rune mage, you need to make constraints and triggers and i dont remember which engine orbusvr was made in,

as far as i am concerned the fact that orbusvr relies on microphone communication so much is a bit disheartening to me as i have near to no way of communication at this point in time

2 Likes
#18

It runs in unity, So it shouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world. But regardless, Free form writing would be the best.

And i’m so sorry to hear that your experience playing the game hasn’t be the best due to your ability to not be able to use a microphone. That’s kinda the problem that i’ve been seeing for quite some time now. Is that most mute players end up quitting.

But maybe we can push something to be done about it! I do hope to see a solution soon.

Regardless, Go around and join some Orbus servers on discord. A lot of them have options for you to use chat within their discord and someone reads out what you say for everyone to hear. I remember having to do that for someone in a raid.

#19

I dont talk and i havent quit yet, i have found good friends that dont mind waiting for me to text them ingame (yourself included) and have found my experience quite fulfilling despite my limitations. However, i do agree free form writing would be good, or at least an option to text players around you and players in your fellowship.

#20

Im really happy to hear that! I know how frustrating this game can be without the ability to use a microphone. But despite that it does seem like you’re having fun!

And yeah, I totally don’t mind waiting for people to text me. I think the only thing that bothers me about texting is that its still not as efficient as it could be. Like a freeform writing system or perhaps an improved text system could be. Because its clear the messaging system is supposed to be used for long distance requests. And not on the fly communication.

We 100% need something to be done for players who cannot use a microphone to allow them to more easily communicate with others.

1 Like
#21

Since v14 I get to hear others but not talk to them. This happens almost every time I log on, to get my microphone.back is to re-log. The lack of a efficient text message system would really help reassure people I am not ignoring them. So I think I am beginning to understand how frustrating it is not to talk to other players.

5 Likes