So I don't have a mic. So what?

[Contun]

I don't mind people without mics at all, but playing with one makes the game much easier.

 

[IxionIndustries]

I believe that if you go online with the intent of playing a co-op based game, it's just common courtesy to have a mic or a good method of communication.

I don't game on PC, but I'd imagine the full keyboard makes it easier to communicate without a mic. XBox live, however, has no support for keyboard messages to your party and the like. It's fine if you want to play like a competitive game or a deathmatch or something, but games where the emphasis is on co-op, you should really try to have a mic, unless you don't speak their language or can't speak at all (as some people in my other mic thread have brought up).

Some people can manage to be good co-operative team mates without the use of a mic, but these people are few and far between.

It is also considered courteous to not kick someone just because they don't own a mic, which is what the OP is talking about.

 

[setting_son]

I have the mic for the 360 but it's hardly worth it. Either nobody talks and it's pointless or EVERYONE talks and they're obnoxious 14 year olds broadcasting hip-hop, which is equally pointless.

Hey!
I take issue with that. I fit into the teenager demographic, and I hate hip-hop. Also I generally don't yell into my mic like hell is after me, although there are some exceptions. Usually it consists of "Nice kill" "Enemy here" "heal me" or something else like that.

And I play L4D and TF2 and such on the PC with a mic, but it doesn't bother me when people don't have one. When people do start singing I wanna kill 'em ^.^

It was handy for L4D I'll admit but I find you're very lucky in ANY game to find a crowd of people who use the mic to co-ordinate their efforts rather than as a device for annoying the living daylights out of everyone else in the room.

I made the mistake of playing Halo 3 yesterday and was stuck with some kid who wouldnt stop whining about homework, a man who kept rapping in the style of Vanilla Ice, three fellow brits who turned the game into a massive swearfest and a 16 year old American girl who was actually trying to use the mic for teamplay. I know you can mute the annoying ones but mid game I didnt feel like going through a bunch of menus and being shot to death while standing still

 

[Kollega]

Most people i play with wish i DID NOT use my mic. They can keep dreaming.

On topic,microphone is considered a neccesity in more team-oriented games,especially L4D. You can still be a teamplayer by being supportive and listening to orders,but you're still a bit troubled because you can't give feedback or warnings.

But calling microphone-less people "assholes" just qualifies whoever said that as a jerk.

 

[andrat]

I have the mic for the 360 but it's hardly worth it. Either nobody talks and it's pointless or EVERYONE talks and they're obnoxious 14 year olds broadcasting hip-hop, which is equally pointless.

Hey!
I take issue with that. I fit into the teenager demographic, and I hate hip-hop. Also I generally don't yell into my mic like hell is after me, although there are some exceptions. Usually it consists of "Nice kill" "Enemy here" "heal me" or something else like that.

And I play L4D and TF2 and such on the PC with a mic, but it doesn't bother me when people don't have one. When people do start singing I wanna kill 'em ^.^

It was handy for L4D I'll admit but I find you're very lucky in ANY game to find a crowd of people who use the mic to co-ordinate their efforts rather than as a device for annoying the living daylights out of everyone else in the room.

I made the mistake of playing Halo 3 yesterday and was stuck with some kid who wouldnt stop whining about homework, a man who kept rapping in the style of Vanilla Ice, three fellow brits who turned the game into a massive swearfest and a 16 year old American girl who was actually trying to use the mic for teamplay. I know you can mute the annoying ones but mid game I didnt feel like going through a bunch of menus and being shot to death while standing still

On Halo 3 yes, unless I'm playing with friends, I don't bother using a mic. But it's very rare that on PC I find a group of people who are dipshits. It does happen though.

 

[[zonking great]]

So what? SO WHAT?!

If you are playing games that require teamwork, it is useful to know what your peers are up to.
If you do not see that, you are an idiot.
"LOL I M GONNA RUN OVR DERE"

 

[setting_son]

I have the mic for the 360 but it's hardly worth it. Either nobody talks and it's pointless or EVERYONE talks and they're obnoxious 14 year olds broadcasting hip-hop, which is equally pointless.

Hey!
I take issue with that. I fit into the teenager demographic, and I hate hip-hop. Also I generally don't yell into my mic like hell is after me, although there are some exceptions. Usually it consists of "Nice kill" "Enemy here" "heal me" or something else like that.

And I play L4D and TF2 and such on the PC with a mic, but it doesn't bother me when people don't have one. When people do start singing I wanna kill 'em ^.^

It was handy for L4D I'll admit but I find you're very lucky in ANY game to find a crowd of people who use the mic to co-ordinate their efforts rather than as a device for annoying the living daylights out of everyone else in the room.

I made the mistake of playing Halo 3 yesterday and was stuck with some kid who wouldnt stop whining about homework, a man who kept rapping in the style of Vanilla Ice, three fellow brits who turned the game into a massive swearfest and a 16 year old American girl who was actually trying to use the mic for teamplay. I know you can mute the annoying ones but mid game I didnt feel like going through a bunch of menus and being shot to death while standing still

On Halo 3 yes, unless I'm playing with friends, I don't bother using a mic. But it's very rare that on PC I find a group of people who are dipshits. It does happen though.

Good point. I always use the mic when playing Battlefield 2. Suppose it's not a problem with the system so much as it is with the clientelle.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

I hate to say this but there is logic for a need for a microphone.

Having mics drastically improves communication which can improve alertness to situations and eventually leading to an easier time through the game.

Sorry....but I'm with microphone people on this one.

Mics are cheap these days anyway, why not buy one and then it's easier on everyone.

L4D is a particular example of a game where communication is downright nessecary for success. A team with mics will do better than a team with no mics, that's generally what I've observed from Versus games anyway.

 

[TPiddy]

It is also considered courteous to not kick someone just because they don't own a mic, which is what the OP is talking about.

It is the host of a game's right to choose who they want to play with. I don't kick people personally but I also generally don't play a lot of online games requiring mics. However, if someone joins my Borderlands game, has no mic and just goes off where ever, I may kick them because the simple act of them being in the game makes all of the enemies harder and if they're not contributing to the team they are a detriment to it.

 

[DesertHawk]

I wouldn't fault anyone for not having a mic. To be honest, I usually don't even use mine. Normally, this shouldn't really hamper your multiplayer experience, or anyone elses for that matter, for your standard public games.

Now, if you want to get into clan/serious team gaming; you should really consider using one. Communication can be key for a successful strategy. It's not fair to your teamates to impose on them, the handicap of not being able to communicate with you effectively. It can lead to frustration, and an all around poor experience for everyone. It's not elitest to expect someone to have, and USE, their mics when aim is for serious team gaming. You don't want to use a mic, that is fine, that's what public games are for.

 

[b4k4]

I don't know about PC gaming, but on the 360 I never use my mic for in game chat (because LIVE seems to work opposite from your quote, anyone I've run into who *does* talk usually turns out to be an asshole. So I only ever use my 360 headset when im in a party with my friends.

I'm curious as to what games people are playing where they meet all these LIVE assholes?? I have met a few in my time, but I've mostly played Gears and L4D online and the vast majority of people I've met have been nice people and fun to play with.

Stuff where it's competitive tend to have the assholes. Of course, the sort that will continually send you messages after you leave the game/lobby they're in are a rare breed, but they end up using text instead of voice, so lack of mic does nothing to stop them. But when you're sitting in a lobby there's alot of people who do nothing but scream obscenities at anyone who's gamertag catches their eye.

Their comments lose effectiveness on me, because the kind of people who understand my gamertag at a glance usually aren't the kind who engage in being dicks online.