Netfone and Ghost Recon

[Corporal Koppi]

My friends and I intend to try Netfone (www.haxialsoftware.com) for voice communication during Ghost Recon Games. We're all on cable modem, so we're hoping for decent results.

Is there anyne here who has used Netfone within Ghost Recon?

Is there any particular process required to use the two apps together? I'm assuming if I launch Netfone, make connections to other players, then launch Ghost Recon that Netfone will still function while Ghost Recon is running.

We're using a mix of PCs and Macs. Would anyone suggest using voice transmission software other than Netfone for voice communication in Ghost Recon?

Thanks, Ghost Recon wouldn't be my favorite game without *DAMN!

[Mr.Mellow]

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Mac and PC versions of NetFone are not compatible. The only program that works between Macs and PCs, that I'm aware of, is Roger Wilco. RW is pretty buggy and I don't think there's an OSX version.

[corporal Koppi]

I've tested Netfone between a Mac and a PC and the application works very well.

What I'm more concerned with is using it in conjuction with Ghost Recon. I haven't used voice communication software before. Is there any special consideration for using voice apps (Netfone, Roger Wilco, etc.) within Ghost Recon?

Will Ghost Recon simply allow a voice application to run in the background, without hogging the sound or interntet ports?

Thanks!

[Supernatural Pie]

The two run together well. Doesn't even slow the game down much, either.

No purchase necessary. Details inside.

[Mr.Mellow]

Yep, they work just fine together. Just make sure you balance out your sounds in Ghost Recon so you can hear your friends voices.

[Mr. Lothario]

     The only caveat is that Ghost Recon is a bandwidth hog. You'll want to set NetFone to the lowest sample rate (5512 Hz) so that it requires the least bandwidth for transmission (2.7KB/sec/connection). I advise the use of a latency setting no lower than 250, and preferably 500. When playing Ghost Recon and using NF, NF starts dropping packets, even on good connections. A 250-500ms latency will combat that, and should keep everyone's voices coming through smoothly.

     Keep an eye on www.teamspeak.org. They are makers of the free VoIP program TeamSpeak (what a coincidence). TS is specifically targeted at gamers, and is very bandwidth-friendly and low-latency (you hear people quickly). They are going to be developing an OS X version once they've finalized the next major release of the Windows and Linux clients. So, sooner or later, there will be something better than NF. For now, NF is the best choice for Macs.

[[[EUR]] HoloGram]

TS is great. I use it for PC and RvS. great voice quallity, low bandwith

[x1|sixshooter]

Until then NF will serve you fine, if you keep latency and rate down to a minimum, you should be able to have a cb without any lag. The only problem ive had with it, is not lag in GHR but lag on netphone, where there will be a minute difference from me to reciever and back again. This fortunately only happens when ytalking to people with 56 k modems, coz NF was specifically made for DSL or higher.... therefor you should be fine.

[Mr. Lothario]

     Keeping latency to a minimum is a mistake. In NetFone, "latency" refers to the amount of time between when the speaker speaks and the receiver hears. As the sender sets his latency higher, the receiving client will hold on to packets for that long before playing the audio contained in them. A higher latency setting, therefore, gives the receiving client more time to ask for new copies of dropped packets, which results in less skipping or dropping out of the audio. It also, of course, results in a delay between transmission and reception. 250ms-500ms latency is a good compromise. Any broadband connection can transmit with no dropped packets with a 500ms latency, and the delay is only half a second. 250ms is useable by some connections, and is especially useable if you are not connected to many people, and reduces the delay to only a quarter of a second, which is nearly imperceptible.

     I keep my latency on 500ms all the time, and I've never had a problem with either dropped packets or with the half-second delay.

[Tim Leary:SOG]

iChat a/v works good for Mac users btw as a "teamspeak" application

[*DAMN Elandrion]

there's another VoIP app we should keep an eye on: Ventrilo. It's currently in development for OS X, Windows and other *nix flavours. The Server's already out for OS X.

Elandrion

[Mr. Lothario]

     After this thread was resurrected, I realized that I hadn't checked on the development of TeamSpeak for OS X in some time, so I did so.

     I checked their forums, where the developers post the latest news, and found a thread containing a single post from a "Stephen P. Jobs", saying that he'd had extensive discussions with the TeamSpeak developers, and finally they'd decided not to port TeamSpeak to OS X after all. My first thought was that it was a fake, but it was several days old, right at the top of the forum, and hadn't been deleted by their very active mods. Therefore, I think it's true.

     So, fuck them in the asshole with a big rubber dick, then break it off and beat them to death with it. Looks like we'll have to keep making do with NF.