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by Brian Cutaia 
Mar 9th 2011 at 7:00PM
It was before my time, but I still hear nostalgic stories about how TeamSpeak was once the voice communication service of choice for MMO gamers. Barring a few potential holdouts -- who I must assume are raiding from nondescript shacks in the mountains of Montana -- there's been a very clear sea change that has placed Ventrilo quite comfortably at the top of the heap. If you raid, chances are you have Vent.
Like its predecessors, though, Vent has competitors of its own vying to overthrow the current king of speech. Perhaps the one getting the most attention right now is Mumble, which boasts low latency, clear sound, and the pseudo-celebrity endorsements of more than a few WoW Insider staffers.
Personally, my guild started using Mumble a few months ago and hasn't looked back. Now, this is partly because one of my officers pimps it out like she's getting paid, but mostly because so many of the guildies just plain think it's better. We've run into some problems -- mainly with installation or getting the not-always-intuitive client to work properly -- but for better or worse, it looks like we've been transformed into a Mumble guild. We've even started requesting that puggies download it before raids, promising them that they'll never again want to return to Ventrilo.
So, have you tried Mumble yet, either of your own volition or due to peer (to peer) pressure? Did you feel like there were benefits, or did you find yourself missing Vent? Do you think it will ever become as ubiquitous as Vent or will it eventually fade into obscurity? Most importantly, what will you Vent loyalists do the next time you enter a raid and the leader sends you their Mumble info?
| Mumble | |
|---|---|
| TeamSpeak | |
| Ventrilo | |
| In-game voice system |
Filed under: Guest Posts
Reader Comments (Page 7 of 7)
Shadda Mar 12th 2011 10:24PM
I've never tried Mumble. Never having had an issue with Vent, I've never had a reason to.
Rlghteous Mar 10th 2011 2:41PM
I prefer Skype over all. i have it as an app on my phone as well so if anyone ever wants to know if i can make it to a raid they can always get ahold of me when im not logged in.
dalairenweb Mar 10th 2011 3:23PM
For our guild it's Ventrilo, our guild leader hosts server-side part at his workplace.
But if we need to go with PUG - Mumble is our choice, there is a player on Galacrond (Rus), Kudrin, who made wow9.ru free mumble server, so most people prefer free voice service.
As I know on other russian servers people mostly prefer Raid Call.
For me it's like a private room for our gang where our plans for guild progression won't generate gossips outside (Ventrilo) and a city street where everyone meets everyone standing here and there (Mumble).
As for technical performance in my opinion Ventrilo is more delicate with my guildmates voices.
richardjarrell Mar 10th 2011 6:06PM
My guild uses Vent only because everyone seems to have it. We never have to have people get new software. I have heard nothing but good from people about Mumble but I would think people wouldn't embrace the change so well.
gutserker Mar 10th 2011 11:02PM
My guild uses Team Speak, and i personally think its fairly close to Mumble in many respects. It doesnt take a person experienced in complicated program terminology to figure out, has attenuation, decent quality (i'd say almost on par with Mumble), and a good voice activation sensitivity. its biggest drawback i think, for my own use, is the 3D mapping for users, I have to redo the mapping EVERY time someone new shows up, and it auto-assumes I dont want to map them in 3D.
I hate Ventrilo in almost every way.
Mumble I would be willing to switch too and probably not look back if we switched.
DarthUY Mar 11th 2011 7:10AM
no raidcall? lol