For all PC gamers we all know that good quality hardware is of the utmost importance for effective game play – a good video card, a fast response monitor etc., but for all those who game online we also know the importance of communication especially when one participates amongst a large collective of players when one wrong move can not only lead to your demise and the loss of import items, experience, position/territory but it usually means the demise of your team mates also, and we all know how we hate to be the person who fingers can be pointed on that it was your fault.
With most online games of this generation communication is of the utmost importance and that is where programs/software like “Ventrilo” come in handy sometimes it is not just a matter of relaying information it is a matter of relaying information as detailed as possible, if you are killed by a group it is easy to type “incoming”, “look out” or some half assed lazy and sometimes useless feedback to your group at times you need just a bit more if not a WHOLE lot more so if one tried typing “look out there are four guys coming around the corner they have…….” most likely by time you press the enter key or even before that your team mates have been wiped out this is where in game chat excels keeps ones fingers free so their lips can flap “lookout out there a four guys coming around the corner, one is a sniper on top of the blue building one has a LMG (Light Machine Gun) coming to from the left and the others are coming from the right” (we FPS players know that situation all too well) that blows right by in seconds VALUBLE seconds over a program like Ventrilo so whether you are telling your team “don’t go over there a Rogue is stealth”, “We have a Hurricane, Rifter & Thrasher jumping through Gate XHOKL”, “HEAL!!! the tank, get aggro off the healer” it is all made easy with Ventrilo.
There are other programs out there as well such as “Team Speak” and some persons even use good old “Xfire” (which is actually an in game messenger with voice capabilities) but when you have large groups that one needs advance features such as creative specific groups/rooms, dictating who has admins rights etc., a robust, clear and reliable stream of communication with such as a “Fleet Commanders and Wing Commanders” commanding at times perhaps even 100 or more individuals (you Eve Online people know what I’m talking about) then programs such as Ventrilo and Team Speak have been tried and proven over and over again to deliver.
But for such level of performance a price must be paid for a proper Ventrilo experience one will most likely be required to pay for their “Vent” servers I was told that a machine could be set up to run the server or that they are some free servers out there but that is not something that seems to be practiced often and usually have several trade offs.
Here is a link to Ventrilo and also links to other programs that you online gamers may want to give a go:
2 responses to “Tools Of The Online Gamer: Ventrilo”
Getting information across quickly is essential to performing well in games. You then need to consider that programs like Ventrilo have more latency than other programs like Mumble.
That is why I made sure to mention several other programs, I have heard of “Mumble” it was being used by another gaming clan that was playing against the one I was in I was introduced to “Ventrilo” from back in the days when I played “WoW” we never had an issue with it and when I started playing “Eve Online” I was introduced to “Team Speak” which I also never had any issues with I may go as far as to state I prefer “Team Speak” because of this little ad on that it had that made you see the name of the person talking in game perhaps Vent has that also I’m not sure.
What have been your experiences with latency issues with “Vent”?