Chat On

Chat On
P
C gaming has so much going for it
in comparison to console gaming.
With the right hardware, the games
generally look better, run faster, cost
less, support gameplay-enhancing
mods, and have a much longer
shelf life. But if we had to pick one
area where console gamers have a
superior experience, it would be
multiplayer chat.
Don’t get us wrong, being able to
choose from half a dozen different
communication applications is a
strength of the PC platform in many
ways. When you have to install and
configure a new chat application every
time you hit up a LAN party, however,
it can become tedious. This month,
we’re taking a close look at some of
the best communication platforms
available and offering a few quick
tutorials to get you quickly chatting
with your friends.
Ventrilo
One of the oldest and best VoIP
options available is Ventrilo ( www
.ventrilo.com ), which offers client
software that’s free to download and
use, and server rental for a reasonable
fee. Many LAN parties will have
the server side already set up and
running, so configuring the client and
connecting to the LAN is usually all
you need to do.
As we went to press, we grabbed the
64-bit Ventrilo Client version 3.0.8,
available from the Download link on
the left side of the home page. Once
installed, you’ll get the option to view
the online tutorial, and we recommend
clicking Yes. To begin, there are up to
four things you’ll need from whoever
is running the server. If at a LAN
party, the admins probably have this
information readily available; if not,
ask. You’ll need to know the name of
the server, the server’s hostname or IP
The next time you go to a LAN party, look for a sign like this to obtain the host name and port number to
use the event’s Ventrilo server.
address, the server’s port number, and
if necessary, the server password.
To configure the client for the
first time, start by creating your user
account. Upon launch, the Ventrilo
client will display with a number of
blank fields at the top of the interface
and a large blank square below. This
is where the server and connected
users will appear in a familiar file tree
layout. Click the button to the right
of the User Name drop-down menu
(which will be empty the first time
you use Ventrilo), then click New
from the Setup User screen. Input a
name—this can be your real name,
a handle, or anything else you want.
Keep in mind that this is the name
that others will see in the users list,
so make it something your friends are
likely to associate with you. Click OK,
click OK again, then click the right-
configure the audio, key
bindings, event sounds,
and other settings, click
the Setup button from
the right side of the
client window.
By default, the client
is set to voice activation
mode, which begins
transmitting your voice
as soon as your mic
p i c k s u p s o u n d . Yo u
can change to a PT T
(push-to-talk) option by
clicking Setup, and then
clicking the Use Push To
Talk Hotkey checkbox.
The Hotkey field will
display the current
setting; put your cursor
there and press a key to
Ventrilo is one of the earliest Client/Server-based VoIP services, and change it. If you simply
it’s still one of the best.
click in the hotkey field
and close the menu,
though, the PTT hotkey
hand button adjacent to Server, click
becomes your left mouse button, and
New, and add a name for the server in
your friends will only hear you as you
the first field. Make the server name
fire your weapon.
something you’ll recognize so you can
easily reconnect when you want to
Ventrilo’s strengths are its highly
come back to it. After clicking OK,
configurable client, free usage, and
you’ll be free to fill out the Hostname
affordable ser ver rental (a couple
Or IP, Port Number, and Password
bucks a month, prices vary by
fields that correspond to the server
hosting company). It’s also easy on
you’re trying to connect to. When
CPU resources, but like most VoIP
finished, click OK, then click the
applications, Ventrilo is sensitive to
Connect button to log on.
latency and bandwidth.
When properly set up and
connected, you should be able to
Mumble
double-click various channels on
When people talk about multiplayer
the server to join and begin talking
chat, Mumble (www.mumble.com) is usually
to others on the same channel. To
one of the top three applications they
mention. Like the aforementioned program,
Mumble is a server/client-based tool in
which individual users can download,
install, and configure a free client, then
connect to servers that are hosted on
a for-pay basis. From the home page,
you can click the large Mumble Client
button (version 1.2.8 as we went to
press) to begin the download process,
and then click Run and complete
the installation.
Upon Mumble’s initial launch, a
handy Audio Tuning Wizard will pop
up to walk you through the process. (If
you ever want it back after the initial
launch, you can get it by clicking the
Configure button from the menu
bar, then selecting Audio Wizard.)
Handily, this utility temporarily
loops audio through your speakers
for testing, but it reverts back to a
normal configuration once you have
completed the wizard.
Follow the prompts to make sure
your mic is performing optimally,
star ting with the input (discrete
microphone or headset mic) and
output device (speakers, headset,
or headphones).
The Device tuning page lets you
move a slider to increase or decrease
the amount of audio your audio
hardware needs to buffer to give you
an uninterrupted and jitter-free chat
experience.
After clicking Next, you’ll get a
volume slider that lets you prevent
the mic from picking up background
sounds and focus solely on your voice.
The Voice Activity Detection screen
is where you can set how and when the
Like the others we’ve covered, TeamSpeak
offers a free client application, but users can
also host servers (with up to 32 slots) on a
not-for-profit basis for free.
software transmits your voice. Click
Push To Talk and input a hotkey in the
adjacent field, click Raw Amplitude
From Input (the default setting), or
click Signal-To-Noise Ratio to choose
the option you want. This screen also
advises you to move the slider to keep
your utterances in the yellow or green
zone and ambient noises you don’t
want transmitted in red.
The Quality & Notifications page
lets you select Low (16Kbps, 60ms per
packet), Balanced (40Kbps, 20ms per
packet by default), and High (72Kbps,
10ms per packet) quality settings. This
last setting is recommended for highbandwidth connections, such as those
you’re likely to encounter at a LAN party.
This page also lets you disable/enable a
text-to-speech notifications option.
The Positional Audio page ensures
your speakers are properly configured
to let speech appear to emanate
from the direction of the associated
in-game players. When you’re done,
there’s a checkbox that lets you submit
anonymous statistics to Mumble. Make
your selection and click Finish.
When you’re ready to connect to
a server, you can click Server, then
C o n n e c t f ro m t h e t o p m e n u t o
connect to a public server, or click Add
New to input the server details from
the private server host (such as a LAN
party server), including the Label,
Address, Port, and Username.
We like Mumble’s easily accessible
public servers for finding new players,
and its built-in configuration wizard
also tends to solve the most common
audio hardware issues that users are
likely to encounter prior to connecting
to a server.
TeamSpeak
Another popular client/server
VoIP option is TeamSpeak ( www.
teamsp eak .com ) . L i k e t h e o t h e r s
we’ve covered, TeamSpeak offers
a free client application, but users
can also host servers (with up to 32
slots) on a not-for-profit basis for
free. If you want more slots, you
Mumble’s Audio Tuning Wizard is easy to use.
You can use one of Mumble’s free public servers if you aren’t ready to start renting right away.
can get a free server license with
up to 512 slots, but you need to
register the server with TeamSpeak
and it must be connected to the
Internet at all times.
As we went to press, TeamSpeak 3
was the latest version available. Upon
installation, the Setup Wizard pops up
to walk you through the process.
The first step is to choose a
nickname, which is simply the name
that shows up in the chat server.
The next page lets you click radio
buttons to select Push-To-Talk or
Voice Activation for your preferred
microphone settings. If you select the
former, you can also indicate your
preferred PTT hotkey.
The next setup step is to fine-tune your
mic sensitivity using a familiar slider. The
goal with TeamSpeak’s slider is to begin
speaking at a normal volume and adjust
the slider so that the sound bar remains
on the right side of the divider while
ambient sounds that the mic registers
when you’re silent remain on the left.
The next page lets you configure
hotkeys to mute the mic and speaker.
TeamSpeak’s Setup Wizard has a handy slider
that lets you reduce the amount of ambient noise
that the mic picks up.
If you are using the PTT setting, then
you won’t need to set up a mic mute
function, but if you’re using Voice
Activation, your friends probably don’t
want to be privy to you admonishing
your cat or negotiating with your
spouse/parents. Muting the speakers is
a good way to give people within your
immediate vicinity your undivided
attention, at least for a short while.
The following screen lets you choose
your preferred sound pack, which are
spoken messages that indicate certain
TeamSpeak-specific interactions, such
as “channel switched,” “user left your
channel,” and “channel created.” There
are radio buttons for Male and Female.
Make your selection and click Next.
The final page lets you click
checkboxes to open bookmarks (or
saved servers), view the list of currently
available public servers, and rent your
own server.
To connect to an existing server,
you’ll need a label, address, and the
server password if applicable. From
the main TeamSpeak window, click
Bookmarks, Manage Bookmarks, then
click Add Bookmark to create a new
one. At the bottom of the screen, input
the server details and click Apply.
The big selling point of TeamSpeak
is the support for free servers, which
should work just fine for smaller groups
of friends, and large (non-profit) LAN
Although we don’t typically
associate Skype with
gaming, there’s no denying
it’s one of the better VoIP
applications available for
the PC.
parties can also get in on the action
with a 512-slot registered server.
Curse Voice
The popular World of Warcraft, Rift,
Skyrim, Runes of Magic, Minecraft, and
World of Tanks mod aggregator Curse (www.
curse.com) also happens to have a good
VoIP offering built into its client software.
To give it a try, simply visit www.curse.com
/client, click Download for PC, and then
follow the prompts to download and install
the utility.
When the utility launches, you’ll be
prompted to sign in or register a new
account. Once signed in, the Curse Voice
setup wizard launches. The first step is
to fill out the personal profile, which is
designed to help your friends more easily
locate you on the service. Fields to fill out
include your real name or a nickname,
city, state, country, and a few words that
describe you. Click Next when you’re
finished, or click Skip to move on.
The Friend Sync step lets you
associate friends lists from other
You can bookmark servers in TeamSpeak to make connecting later easy.
Curse makes adding friends to your contact list easy.
Curse Voice‘s Friend Sync feature makes it easier for the people you already know to find you.
The Curse Voice settings page gives you a lot of control over your communication experience.
applications you use, including Battle.
net, Steam, Skype, and League of
Legends with Curse. Click Next to
c o m p l e t e t h e w a l k t h ro u g h , t h e n
launch one of the aforementioned
applications to allow the Curse Client
to use your username as an alias for
those trying to connect with you.
To set up the Voice aspect of the
software, click the gear icon to the
right of your username and click
Settings. Click the Voice tab from
the left side of the screen and you’ll
be able to configure the microphone
volume, boost, and automatic gain
control; the speaker and headphone
volume; and set voice transmission
to a sound detection or PTT mode.
If you uncheck the box in front of
Automatically Adjust Voice Activation
Level, you’ll get a slider that lets you
minimize the chances of ambient
noises being transmitted while making
sure your voice comes across loud and
clear. When finished, click Done to
close the Voice settings box.
When you click the Create button,
you launch an isolated voice chat room
that you can easily invite friends to
join, whether they’re on your Curse
friends list or not. Just click the Copy
URL button and send it to your friend.
If he or she has Curse, clicking the link
will launch the app and place them
into your session. If not, they’ll have
a handy download link so they can get
started quickly.
Curse has made creating a multiuser
VoIP chat session easier than ever, and
we also like how easy it is to invite,
join, and find friends.
Skype
A l t h o u g h w e d o n’t t y p i c a l l y
associate Skype ( www.skype.com ) with
gaming, there’s no denying it’s one of
the better VoIP applications available
for the PC. Upon downloading the
Skype For Windows application (there
are Mac and Linux versions available,
as well), you’ll get prompts to install
t h e Sk y p e C l i c k To C a l l c a l l i n g
service, make MSN your home page,
icon. You can also add additional users
by clicking the Add People icon.
Skype has a very streamlined interface
that’s easy to use. We also like the call
quality and we experienced little to no
latency issues when using the software.
The fact that VoIP calling to other PCs is
free is a nice bonus.
Skype is a good (and cheap) option for those who don’t want to fuss with server rental.
and Bing your default search engine.
These latter options are the result of
Microsoft’s 2011 acquisition of Skype.
When the utility launches, you’ll
have the option to log in using an
existing Skype username and password
or your Microsoft account login
credentials. You can opt to merge your
Skype and Microsoft accounts on the
following page. Click I Agree – Join
Skype to move on to the audio and
video configuration screens.
Click Continue to see the Speakers,
Microphone, and Video setup
page. From here you can choose the
appropriate devices, test them, and
uncheck the associated box to manually
adjust the microphone cutoff. This can
help keep ambient noises to a minimum
yet make sure your friends hear you.
Click Continue to proceed.
Next, you’re tasked with adding a
profile picture, or click Add Later to skip
this step. Once you click Start Using
Skype, the client interface loads. Existing
Skype contacts or Windows Live
Messenger friends associated with your
Microsoft account will automatically
appear in your Contacts list, but you can
search for other Skype users by clicking
Contacts and searching your Facebook
friends, Outlook address book, or the
Skype Directory.
Initiating a conversation is as easy as
clicking a contact and clicking the Call
Finding new contacts in Skype is intuitive and simple.
Pwn Home
Although this is hardly an
e x h a u s t i v e c o l l e c t i o n o f Vo I P
applications, any one of them can help
you connect with your friends and
enhance your overall experience. Voice
communication is easily one of the
most important facets of multiplayer
gaming, whether you’re gaming at a
LAN party, on the road, or at home.
For gamers who prefer to use the
ser ver/client style communication
platforms, we found Ventrilo, Mumble,
and TeamSpeak each to have distinct
advantages. If you’re looking to cut the
server out of the equation, both Skype
and Curse Voice are fuss free options
that don’t let lag or long latencies slow
you down. Win as a team or die alone,
it’s up to you. ■