[Suggestion] Yell Chat should be removed

Why does Yell chat really even exist? I mean think about it. Most other MMOs don't allow cross faction chatting and for good reason, and I think Planetside 2 is a splendid example of those reasons. What it primarily boils down to is it promotes toxic behavior. Something that Yell chat is very well known for on Planetside 2 and usually the source of much frustration. I would go as far to say it dissuades new players from sticking around when they see the way people act in Yell chat.

There is very few times I can recall the Yell chat being used for anything but:

• Toxicity
• Complaining
• Spam
• Harassment
• Name Calling / Flaming
• Trolling
• Goading / Baiting
• Cross-faction play

It is never used in a productive or civil manner. Not to mention... why would you ever need to talk to the other faction anyways? What need does the VS, TR, and NC have to talk to one another? They don't and they are at war, which makes Yell chat a pointless feature that is detrimental to everyone's gameplay experience.

Before you go off on a rant and defend Yell chat I want you to honestly think to yourself how many times it has been used for anything but what I stated above. I doubt you can come up with a number of times that surpass the times it was used for bad.

I been around since the game was in CBT and Yell chat is an awful feature that promotes the worst in the internet and has always been that way. This is about cleaning up the game, improving the community, and improving the quality of the new player experience. Yell chat serves no purpose other than misuse and harm and is a feature that needs to go.

Sounds like someone had mean things said to them in yell chat...

At least half the yell chat usage I have seen is non-malicious, essentially boiling down to friendly banter. Anything that is actually toxic is usually either A) Hilarious or B) Extremely relevant. Take these forums for example: when someone b*tches about something, its usually because they either A) need to git gud, allowing us to derive entertainment from telling them just that, or B) have a very valid point *cough* libs *cough*.

By your logic, these forums should be deleted. The only time yell chat is annoying is when someone is spamming it, but that can be avoided by muting them. Also, of all the "toxic behaviours" that you mentioned, only one of them (cross faction play), is exclusive to yell chat - complaining, friendly banter, and faction propaganda are all just as pervasive in region, squad, outfit, and platoon chat, as well as in /tells.

"Hey, does anybody know X?" Or "Does anyone know how to solve Y bug?" Or "Hey, how's weapon Z perform?"

I mean sure there's tons of toxicity, but give two people two voices and they'll disagree soon enough.

Someone got triggered.

The Triggering!

Welcome to the internet.

Yell chat cracks me up. Good times. Good times. Makin' fun of VS Yoga Pants and Drunk Hillbilly NC'ers is part of the TR way.

Stay frosty.

See? This is exactly what I am talking about. No one offered any real counter-argument to what I said. Instead you name call and harass yourselves. Although I appreciate your help supporting my point.

The only person that offered anything was Campagne, thanks for that by the way.

Ya that'll happen when you want to suppress everyone's speech and control what they "should" say based on your belief system.

Imagine that.

Hey I know, let's shut down the forums. No wait, let's shut down the internet!

Good job for reading past the first line of my post. It really demonstrates that fantastic level of maturity that you seem to be so in favour of in yell chat.

If you don't like what is going on in Yell chat, then try promoting more positive conversations. Things that the players around you would enjoy engaging in. If some hateful speech is going on, try changing the subject, if there is anyone else that hates the topic, they will join you in your discussion, and then others are likely to follow.

No, I read everything you said. You simply like yell chat because you find the toxicity entertaining, which is not a good reason to keep it. You acknowledged the poor attitudes of Yell chat, but you disagreed it should be removed because you think it is funny. So as I stated before, "No one offered any real counter-argument to what I said".

Oh don't play the censorship card, it has nothing to do with it. DB offers the ability to report people in chat for Harassment and Vulgar Language, meaning it is in their Code of Conduct that you can't harass people or be vulgar. Removing Yell chat helps to alleviate most of the circumstances in which these two rules are broken.

It is fun and engaging to have Yell chat.

Like the other day I drove deep into enemy territory and put up a Stealth Sundy at an enemy Biolab where the two other factions were fighting. After a few minutes people started trying to goad me into attacking one or the other faction, telling me where enemies were. Others would be semi-confused about what I was doing there, and actually talk with a few of my other victims on where the hell I was.

Or how about that time I did most of Bohemian Rhapsody in Yell-chat with someone else, each doing the next sentence?

Or just in general things like tracking down a cheater? I've seen many people ask to keep an eye out for specific characters to see if they cheat, making reports a lot easier if you have a bit more visual proof.

What about all the questions from newbs or returning players? I've had a ton of questions answered myself as well as answered them.

While I agree it does have a fair amount of unpleasant behaviour that, if Yell chat was removed, it would 'reduce' it, however people would easily find another way to promote such behaviour. The game already has a Taunt voice command, people already shoot the corpses of their foes repeatedly after they've killed them (which to me is absolutely hilarious), attempting to corpse hump someone (and getting locked in the crouch position which is also pretty hilarious), using the 'Thanks' and 'Sorry' commands as other forms of taunting, the fact that players can sent Tells to players of another faction with some pretty unsightly things that are far worse than the ones spoken in Yell chat to be honest. I expect this list would grow if Yell chat were to be removed.

Usually the most I see on Yell chat is bickering about how X faction is zerging, or 'Guess you want X faction to win the alert!' if Y faction is fighting Z faction instead. Then there's the occasional 'X faction only won because of max/heavy spam' or, 'X faction can't even take the point..'. The list goes on. What's said in Tells however, is fa more toxic than Yell chat ever is, particularly because messages are more personal and specific to a specific player. I'm willing to bet a lot of people on this forum can say they've received some pretty nasty messages that are far worse than anything posted into Yell chat, I know I have.

It may look like the constant bickering and bantering is toxic, and for some part it is, but what goes on behind the scenes is the more toxic of the two.

The extreme exaggeration makes it hard to take this seriously.

Kinda agree with OP.
But rather than remove it, allow us to disable the Yell feed in our chat box.
Problem solved, everyone who wants / needs it on keeps it. Anyone who doesnt.....well doesnt.

More options / customisation is what is needed.

Heck id quite like to press 'Ignore the entire enemy' at times when i just dont want to see that crap.

erm... NOPE!

Although i agree that it is sometimes really a shame what people talk like in Yellchat, there are also times when it it is just hilariously funny.

@OP: if you don't want to see it just don't look at it but don't try to force your idea down everyone's throat! Yellchat is annoying sometimes but guess what? For me personally, ESF, MAXes and people like you in the forums are annoying as well but i don't ask anyone to remove one of that because it belongs to the game and sometimes it can be fun as well...

Yell chat is the only way to communicate with a player or players on another faction in the same area as you, without knowing their names in advance. Which is useful in some circumstances.

I agree that we should have the option to just turn it off for ourselves, as in most games channels are filterable. That way you can stay in your 'safe space' while the adults have some banter.

Can i just ask you, is this piece of artwork pleasing to your eyes?

Presumably you answered 'Yes' or 'No'
Now tell me why?

My guess is your answer will just boil down to either liking it or disliking it, presonal preference, quantifying your reasoning for liking / disliking it is extremely hard without expressing 'feelings' e.g i dont like the colours, which differ for each and every person in the world.

People can and are the exact same way with profanity, trolling, slander, banter, jokes, etc...... If you can name it you can be sure people have a preference to do with it.
Some people enjoy it, like seeing / reading it, enjoy that side of life.
Others do not enjoy it, they rather not read arguments and abusive often racist (or some other form of prejudice) slander, or even death threats / wishes.

Theres really no need to be derogative about some1 who doesnt like it, its just a preference, and tbh one could equally argue that its the kids who need to **** talk their opponents, not adults, most adults will say GG or something similar, not **** talk.

I also find it a curious observation that the people who dislike it politely ask for it to be removed, whilst the people who like it shoot them down with abusive slander, rather than politely refusing, as OP said, kinda supports his point. Funny that, but i digress.

Also dont forget that preferences can change, as i mentioned earlier in the thread sometimes i cant be arsed, ive had a long long day at work, my head hurts and i just want to relax in my own little bubble for an hour. Why shouldnt i be able to turn off all communication from the enemy and even friendlies if it makes me feel better? I can turn off all in-game voice comms, why not text channels? An option to turn it off / on would allow me to sink into my bubble for an hour, and then re-join the community when i so choose.

Instead of removing it, an option to mute yell chat (and other chats) can be added to the game.

TRIGGERED!

+1

It gives everyone the option to follow it (or not) depending on his/her preferences.