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Can we get integrated voice control like that offered by VoiceAttack in Star Citizen?

TL;DRThey're looking at voice control but only where it makes sense, worrying it would work like macros that remove skill, and favor it mainly for wingman orders rather than ordinary cockpit controls.

Ben LesnickDirector of Community Engagement and Online Strategy

So we're certainly looking at all sorts of voice control stuff. My conversations with Chris have been that it has to be something that makes sense. I remember adding Game Commander, not our Game Commander, but the Game Commander software, the old Microsoft device. And it had a profile for Wing Commander, and you could tell it, autopilot, fire missile. That's not a fun space. You don't tell your airplane what to do. So as long as it makes sense.

Matt ShermanDesigner

And one thing also that's kind of odd, at least to me from a design standpoint on things, especially like VoiceAttack, is realistically there's no difference between VoiceAttack and AutoHotkey. So it also becomes a question of really how much do you guys want the game to be macroed out? Because if I can do five programmed commands as a single VoiceAttack prompt, I can do those five commands as a G-key macro or some other device macro, and does everyone want the game to become automated like that? Do you want to take any choice and skill out on that side of it versus having that reactive in-the-moment stuff? And like Ben said, that's just about making sure however it's implemented makes sense and feels right for the game as a whole.

Alyssa DelhotalAssociate Marketing Producer

Yeah, that exact reason is why you can't make strings of spellcast macros in World of Warcraft anymore, because it took away all of the skill required and people were just exploiting the crap out of it in PvP.

Ben LesnickDirector of Community Engagement and Online Strategy

So I've always thought, one of the things that takes you out of Wing Commander is the communication process, ordering your wingman around, C and pick, oh, attack target, C, withdraw. That's what I would replace with voice stuff, the wingman controls, but ordinary cockpit controls, not so much.

Matt ShermanDesigner

It's like one command, one action. That totally makes sense. Those are good options to have when it does make sense. One command, 12 actions, it's like, well, that's garbage.

Reverse the Verse›August 14th, 2015·
Published on this date.16 Aug 2015