What do you dislike the most about online gaming sessions?

[dsatow]

With Omicron on the horizon, I figure I'd ask another pandemic question about gaming online.  We all know the benefits of gaming online but what do you hate most about it?

 

Personally for me, the most aggravating aspect (though I have problems with most of the items noted in the poll) is when we get to the plot twist/surprise and everyone begins talking at once.  IRL, even if you can't understand everyone talking at once, you know they are talking.  But the conferencing software doesn't handle this well, usually muting people silent.  I also hate that sometimes, conference calls will drop parts of the conversation making it unhearable, making you ask them to repeat the last thing they spoke.

 

What about you?  

[Sketchpad]

My issue with online gaming is the lack of technology experience that my group has. Far too many times did we have noise issues that could've been solved by tweaking the tech or just muting a mic.

[Duke Bushido]

My "other" should be read as "most of the above, and a whole lot more."

 

For simplicity' s sake, let's sum it up with this:

 

I have been told that it is glaringly obvious, but just in case I've been being put on, I will state it clearly:

 

I am an extrovert.  I'm am an extra-extra extrovert.  When I get together, I like to be amongst my friends.  All of those things that lead so many introverts to online socializing-  all those little layers of "between us" that give them the comfort they need to engage others (no judgement; I am genuinely happy that this has helped a large section of the population find and carry on meaningful friendships that might not have been possible for them ore-internet)-  those same layers are, to me, barriers to experiencing the company of someone else.  Frankly, the best thing to come out of "socializing" on this very board is the possibility that I may be able this month to meet- for real, in person- one of the people I thoroughly enjoy "socializing" with here and in e-mail.  I am,doing everything I can to make sure my schedule is wide open and the Leviathan stays fully-feuled at all times.

 

There are thousands of hours devoted to understanding- or at least learning how to interact with on their own comfort level- introverted people, but not really so much about what is needed and why for extroverts, save that "well, most of know what we're getting at."

 

The bottom line is that physical presence provides a shared intimate energy that absolutely nothing else does.  "Getting together with friends online" just isn't even close to getting together with friends in person.

 

 

On a much lesser note, when most of your friends are extroverts, you tend to end up not finding them online a lot, either, meaning that you end up accepting a lot of invites from relative strangers, only to find yourself committed to playing in a group that you later discover is either not compatible with your play style, or composed of some very unesttlling personalities....

 

 

[Derek Hiemforth]

1 gets the vote, but 3 is close behind.

 

I'm particularly surprised at how 1 continues to be an ongoing issue.  Like, it's impossible to imagine that the missed communications due to excess background noise from unmuted folks, or from folks talking over each other/the GM, isn't bothering everyone. And yet, it persists, even among player groups where everyone is tech-savvy, and they all are used to teleconference norms from online meetings, etc.

 

Seriously, people... if you aren't speaking, mute yourself!  And learn that you can't just talk over each other like you might in person (though frankly, this is a pet peeve of mine in person, too).  It's not just a problem in hearing everything clearly... it's also a problem in that it leads to better-behaved players getting less playing time because they don't just blast over people.

 

As for #3, I'm grateful for having online gaming as an option, and it's definitely much better than nothing (something I was skeptical of, pre-pandemic). But it's still not nearly as good as being able to really socialize in person with folks.

 

 

[Jhamin]

On 12/1/2021 at 7:34 PM, Derek Hiemforth said:

I'm particularly surprised at how 1 continues to be an ongoing issue. 

 

I noticed that paid services seem to have much better audio than free ones.  My theory is that both the audio and video quality is much lower on the free services to both save money and give you a reason to upgrade.

 

When my group started gaming online during Covid we tried all the free services: Google Meet, Zoom (free), Skype, and one more I'm not thinking of.  I kept noticing that the quality of the experience was much worse than the Microsoft Teams and Paid Zoom meetings I was participating in for work during the day.

 

Because I'm a computer guy for a living I actually pay for a bundle of Microsoft products for my own education.  This comes with an Office 365 tenant and I realized that I actually had Teams licenses I wasn't using.  So my Wife and I became licensed Teams users and after setting it up correctly I could invite the rest of the group as guests.  As long as a licensed user starts the meeting we get the better audio and video quality.  Our audio issues almost immediately went away.

 

We also now have a teams channel with it's own Wiki, File Storage, and Chat dedicated to each of our campaigns.  Not really practical for a normal group but it's working pretty well for us.

[Derek Hiemforth]

3 hours ago, Jhamin said:

I noticed that paid services seem to have much better audio than free ones. 

 

I've noticed that too, but I was speaking less to the quality of the connections and more to the habits of the participants. It feels like many folks continue to talk simultaneously when they are talking, and not go on mute when they're not talking. I think it's a matter of learning the different rhythm that conversations have online, and of sticking to the etiquette of talking one person at a time, more than it is a technological hurdle.   

[bluesguy]

We were gaming online prior to Covid-19 and we used free audio/video services.  Once Covid-19 hit and it became clear that the church I belonged to needed a way to communicate plus communicate with family I purchased a Zoom license. 

 

My biggest issue is how poorly some members of the group handle the technology. 

[Christopher R Taylor]

Quote

I am an extrovert.  I'm am an extra-extra extrovert.

 

I am rather not, and in fact the older I get the less vert I become. Its not really by nature, its just exhausting being around other people, especially ones I do not know.  But I still miss sitting around with my buds and rolling dice and having fun at the table.  Online is just not the same.

[Spence]

I marked 1-4, but the reality for me is none of the existing virtual thingies are even close plus they have expended most of their resources on irrelevant drivel. 

 

Dice rollers, character sheets, auto-trackers if anything are drivel.  And then they fail on the few things that actually need to happen.  Maps, position of things (people, monsters,erc) and most importantly communication between players and being able to SEE THE PLAYERS real time. 

 

A GM guides a game in real time making on the fly adjustments based on player reactions.  At the table I can literally "feel" the fun factor of my players.  Online is like trying to tie knots when your fingers are completely numb. You can't.  I know I've tried. 

 

One day someone will have an epiphany and design an actual VTT system that can actually meet the core needs instead of wasting time on cheap bling.

 

 

 

[Scott Ruggels]

This is interesting, as I had to move online since 2015 as I had no car by that time, and was isolated in Los Angeles. I fell in with a group of  people from Second Life that wanted to play D&D online. So I played.  Being refugees from Second Life, none of use used our cameras, and still do not. We used Roll 20 for maps and tokens, and first Skype, and then Discord for voice. I think it has just been the years of using these tools that the group has just adapted to the people talk one at a time, and otherwise sit silent and listen. In the early days , yes, everyone tried to talk over each other, but that hasn't been a problem since. The original group split into two, and both groups continue.  Now we have played a lot of other systems than 5e D&D, such as Traveller, Savage Worlds, but unfortunately no Herosystem (yet).  in my current situation I a mostly without a car, but can borrow one for shopping, doctor's appointments, and special events,  but otherwise I am stuck at home in the rural part of California, north of the Bay Area, so Online gaming will have to stay.  I think the problem of players talking over each other is something a group has to adapt out of, but it may take a few years, as it did with us. I think NOT having face cameras on has helped with that. Most of the players are represented with a square piece of artwork of their character, or an abstract shape. The other thing that helped is that there are multiple public and private text channels available for massages to be passed, or player's intended action spelled out, with the die rolls. Now I am seeing an increase of people playing Hero products of one sort or another popping up on the Hero Discord, so there are venues for people to game, but you have to go there to find Hero, otherwise it's endless D&D 5e, Pathfinder 1e, Shadowrun, or WoD, on Roll 20. Hell, I might be having to run a game of Cyberpunk Red, when the current GM gets tired and wants to hand off the baton.

[Spence]

41 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

This is interesting, as I had to move

Snipped

 

Proof that there is no such thing as one size fits all

 

I'm certainly glad that existing systems work for you.  (Seriously said with no unanticipated meanings)

 

For myself the lack of communication, including visual, crushes my ability to run a game.  I've relied on being able to visually track my players reactions since the late 70s.  To the point that I cannot operate without it. 

 

[Christopher R Taylor]

We played Champions and Star Wars Savage Worlds with a guy from England.  We were all together and he was a camera pointed at the game board, over Skype I think it was.  Then we all started to stay home and play online over maptools and a couple of other programs.  None of them really were easy, nice, and clean enough to truly be great.

[Scott Ruggels]

On the other hand, the Beta of the Hero mod for Tabletop Simulator works really well, specifically for Hero.  It uses Hero Designer files to input characters into the game. There are several sets of miniatures and props and location useable for a Cham[ions game (Far more for generic Western European Fantasy, though), and there are a couple of games going on as testing continues.  The downside is that you need a good internet connection, and a good game rig P.C. to run it, otherwise it will freeze the P.C. and crash to desktop.  I've liked the combats I have played on that system, as it automatically does the Pythagorean calculations between characters at different altitudes, and also automatically calculated range mods and adjusted die rolls.  It's a very good mod, specifically for Hero, but it's not yet ready for the public use apparently. Questions about it should be directed to the Hero Discord.

 

[Spence]

Now none of this should be taken as a criticism of the work done on the Table Top Hero mod.

I definitely lack the skills to do it myself. 

This is just me commenting on a few points as I see them applying to me and my gaming style.

 

23 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

On the other hand, the Beta of the Hero mod for Tabletop Simulator works really well, specifically for Hero.  It uses Hero Designer files to input characters into the game. There are several sets of miniatures and props and location useable for a Cham[ions game (Far more for generic Western European Fantasy, though), and there are a couple of games going on as testing continues.  The downside is that you need a good internet connection, and a good game rig P.C. to run it, otherwise it will freeze the P.C. and crash to desktop. 

 

The machine and internet connection is not an issue right now.  But I still hold that "entering characters" is a complete waste and unless there is a "completely turn this off" option I'll probably pass.  I have yet to run peoples characters for them and beyond needing it during adventure building (for balance and making sure the to weave individual character information into the campaign) I don't need to see it.   I will help new players at first but beyond that, no.  And if a player is "cheating" I just don't play with them again. 

 

23 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

I've liked the combats I have played on that system, as it automatically does the Pythagorean calculations between characters at different altitudes, and also automatically calculated range mods and adjusted die rolls.

 

Now this is something that is actually useful, a point to point calculator.  Does it do Line of Sight too?

 

23 minutes ago, Scott Ruggels said:

Questions about it should be directed to the Hero Discord.

 

Discord?  Discord?  What is this Discord you speak of?    

 

Kidding

 

But I just recently joined(?) my first discord (forum??) for Dragonflight in Oct.  It seems kind of disjointed and all water fall instead of a usable and searchable forum. 

[schir1964]

10 hours ago, Spence said:

...

The machine and internet connection is not an issue right now.  But I still hold that "entering characters" is a complete waste and unless there is a "completely turn this off" option I'll probably pass.  I have yet to run peoples characters for them and beyond needing it during adventure building (for balance and making sure the to weave individual character information into the campaign) I don't need to see it.   I will help new players at first but beyond that, no.  And if a player is "cheating" I just don't play with them again. 

...

 

As far as I can tell nearly everything is optional. The only reason for uploading the character data is that there is a tool that allows the GM to track phases and who is in the lineup. Brennel has created a video that details all the tools that are currently available. The tracking of stat levels and such are actually manual and every player needs to take responsibility for adjusting them (if you are even bothering using that tool). The dice rollers are nice and the common log window shows all dice rolls made.

[tkdguy]

Tabletop Simulator gameplay was mostly fine, except for the audio. Everyone involved had to adjust their sound levels so that if I played music, it wouldn't be too loud. But you have to dig around to find out how to do it. Not a hard fix, but I wish the GM had some kind of option to help the players. Also, if someone wasn't wearing headphones, I had a lot of echo when I spoke, and that made running the game harder than usual. I had to go a few words at a time and wait for until I stopped hearing my own voice. It wasn't on my end because I had conversations with other players without a problem. I also had that problem when teaching online using Adobe Connect.

 

Aside from that, the biggest problem was like in real life: people not showing up after saying they would.

[Cygnia]

I can't smack a player upside the head with the Handbook right then and there when they make poop jokes.