It's inconvenient to sell with /say when there is zone chats
I can't argue that this has worked for other games, but ESO tries to be different, and more like other ES games. Subtitles have been in both voiced TES games in the past, I think, in my own opinion, that it would work in ESO as well. I was stating "where the health bars are" as a means of saying "at the bottom of the screen", not to say "show the health bars when talking".
my view was that you'd only see the chats of a person you were looking at, unless they were whispering.
then again, my brain is not accustomed to chat bubbles since I haven't read comics in 20 years. Even back then, had little interest for them. I wouldn't feel immersed to walk into a city in first person and have an almost solid ceiling of chat bubbles above my head, blotting out the sun better than any blood-cursed arrow. this may be why they left the whole thing out... too many varying opinions.
Unfortunetly, ESO also has a need to be an MMORPG with millions of players in the world. Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, whatever, didnt need any chat bubbles *because* they are fully voiced - funny enough, the player character dont speak at all.
You cannot put full game voice on a player character. Or a million player characters. It just doesnt work. We need text and because needing text, we need speech bubbles. With voice, you can determine distance and location. That's what a speech bubble does to text, it replace the actual voice in a 3D space. Without it, its like watching TV with the sound volume off. Good luck determining which person in a crowd that just yelled the subtitle on the screen - assuming the yell is even in the subtitles.
To me, that's exactly what standing in a city in the ESO beta felt like. I was watching a busy, crowded city filled with voices, conversations, yelling... with the volume off. So all I saw was people standing still staring at each other with a blank expression.
It was pretty damn scary if you ask me. Like a quieter version of a zombie apocalypse.
Chat bubbles would have to be limited to /say of course, but I definitely want them. They make RP a lot easier... RP in SWTOR was a nightmare because of their refusal to add speech bubbles.
/say and /group, IMO.
And nothing else.
How about a /chat_bubble command? Kind of like a chat bubble channel one can use?
I'de be disabling them instantly.
I can only imagine going into a city and catching a screenful of chat bubbles. Some people even coloring their text a nice annoying purple to stick out.
This. I'm indifferent about them being in, if they can be turned off. If they are put in, mine will certainly be off. IMO, they are more of a pain than not, but I have no qualms about people who like them using them with each other.
Cartoony? It's a computer game
It's disappointing they don't have chat bubbles. Let's hope somewhere, sometime, they see the light and change their mind. Though I seriously doubt that from what's already been said by them previously. At least give us the 'choice', a word development loves throwing around.
Well you could have a non cartoon type chat bubble. Or even text without a bubble with a mark above the chat host. You could even bind in a '/rpsay' or something. So that only rp's will use it.
Offhand, I'd say the person you quoted played SWG, and offhand, I'd say you didn't. Or you might be a little more understanding of his point.
That said, I personally am not against most things like chat bubbles that you would like if I can disable them.
Yes, chatting in this game is completely disconnected. I'm all for this.
I could go for scrolls or like a text rounded rectangle.... but white and black comic book type chat bubbles would be a no for me.... and I love RP and I think being able to read what people are saying next to you on screen would be useful.... but so far I haven't had an issue with talking with people.... but its not obvious - you need to know who people are to follow the chat.