Chapter 8.5 Communication

Communications
Proximity chat will not only be a feature with voice chat, but it will also be a text chat feature. So players who which to engage in social and political secrecy can do so. This means every player can plan their battle tactics, heists, rumors and gossip and other plans of secrecy.

Text Chat Limitations
In regular speech, players have a radius around them in which their text will appear in chat history, as well as the text appearing above the character's head. Outside of this radius, player will still see a chat bubble of the same size, but won't see the text inside it, unless they approach in the radius before the speech bubble disappears. However, inner radiuses, like low, and whispers will not even show a speech bubble if not close enough.

Voice Chat Limitations
Regular voice chat, has the same radius limitations and the same controls. However, it will be up to individual players if they prefer to roleplay the level of vocal volume to match the radius types.

Voice and Speech Radius Toggles
In each of these levels of speech, the radius of increases or shrinks for secrecy or announcements.

Levels of speech:

• Each of these options will timeout back to normal by default after there is some time of silence. You can turn this off, or adjust the timer in the core menu settings

• These appear as an icon in your UI near your chat history

  • Whisper

    • Only people right next to you will hear

  • Low

    • Small radius, often shares an area among a small or normal table

  • Normal

    • Normal radius, will be heard a normal distance

  • Loud

    • Can be heard in an extended distance

  • Shout

    • Can be heard in a further extended distance

  • Group Shout

    • Will allow you voice to be heard within a member list (such as a party, battalion within a much larger limit in the same area type

  • There will not be an option for outpost wide, or global wide chats

    • Communication will always be proximity based to ensure secrecy and encourage strategy before groups separate to perform actions away from others

Listening Traits and Riftcraft
At character creation, characters can increase their listening radius to certain degrees. With lower level listening traits showing small but blank word balloons to detect whispering, with higher ones being able to hear. Optional character flaw options can lessen the listening radius for more character points.

Enclosed Room Communication Limits
Typically, enclosed rooms will cut off the listening radius. However, players can use Riftcraft to listen into rooms where radiuses overlap enclosed walls and closed doors and windows. Thus, a player can put their ear to the wall, door, or window, and will be able to hear if they are close enough. Higher quality crafted walls and doors can lessen or negate this effect, but higher listening skills, crime proficiency, a criminal tools may compete with it in response. This will leave riftmist (crime trail) at the listened location as an espionage crime.

Identified Characters
Characters won't have name plates (their username/character names floating over their heads.) Players will introduce themselves. By default, players and NPC who are not identified by you, their names will appear as "???" in the chat history. In a heard radius, text that states, "My name is _____" and other variances of the sort, will place a name onto the character's chat history automatically. Players who have not identified themselves, or use voice chat, you can right click on their chat history, or on the character, and add a name or title. You can also modify these at any time, just in case you find out their real name later on if they lied.

Aliases
When players offer a friend, party, claim/outpost membership, service signups (inns), or other group request, the player who sends the request will need to identify themselves. Example: "_____ requests a party/to join your party." A player must select or create a visible identifier to appear on the recipient’s invite list. This may differ from their true name. This is a default selected drop down menu, with the player's true name selected, but a player can create a new name, or select a name from other identities. This now identifies them, and they will show their given name in the chat text history. Aliases allows players to avoid being identified when trying to keep a low profile in new areas of the world.

Chat History
All chat history will appear for 5 minutes, then fade away. However, the actual game system will keep records in the case of report investigations. Note that chat history for voice chat will appear as, "Name: (Voice chat)" or something of the sort and will also fade in 5 minutes.

Distance Communications
Players can craft and send letters using a post office, in which NPC, domesticated birds, canines, felines and other "smart" animals to send. Players can also engage in post office delivery if desired. But most long distance communications is not instantaneous, except for in few instances. Players with the right unlocked context can use falsemana to create radio systems and speaker systems across properties. Radios and speakers have their own sound radiuses as well, but can be expanded with radio towers with enough scholar culture. This is intended for players to consider larger battle tactics, economic growth, and construction plans by playing it smart. Consider utilizing scouts, informants, or technological advances to achieve long distance goals.