Penny-Arcade reviews Left4Dead

[Cloud]

I found this review by Penny-Arcade to be quite amusing. Especially the part about the mic system:

"I was glad to see that the PC version lets you select between Push To Talk and Open Channel for voice, because it's not really a Push To Talk experience. If Donkey Konga is a game that is, at root, about "Clapping With Your Friends," Left 4 Dead is very much about "Saying Oh Shit In A Very Loud Voice." When a torrent of ravenous dead are running down on you, there's no opportunity to extend a pinky and daintily initiate conversation re: your collapsing skull."

I changed mine just now (Options > Audio > Voice Communication Style > Open Microphone) so I can remove one annoying button press in that game. Now to remember to mute my microphone when I'm yelling at my cat / computer / talking to Sara...

Anyway it should be a lot more immersive if people are having conversations in the game instead of reaching for the damn C (by default) or V (default for TF2, which I changed mine to) button all the time.

[The Verge]

Originally Posted by Cloud

Anyway it should be a lot more immersive if people are having conversations in the game instead of reaching for the damn C (by default) or V (default for TF2, which I changed mine to) button all the time.

Not a big fan of the open communication thing... I prefer PTT so that you don't hear people coughing and such.

I use mouse3 for all my games, it works out nice, except when I play as heavy. I just moved the zoom to Z and what ever was on Z to C.

[NightLinks]

I'm with verge, I can't stand the open channel talk. Is annoying when someone is using open channel talk and you can hear the feedback from their speakers when ever you talk or there's a big battle in-game.

[EvanAzzo]

Not to mention if I'm in an argument with someone I don't need my personal matters blasting through everyones speakers xD

[Cloud]

Originally Posted by EvanAzzo

Not to mention if I'm in an argument with someone I don't need my personal matters blasting through everyones speakers xD

Hence the mute button on my headphones... which also eliminates nightlinks' complaint as people with speakers shouldn't use microphones to begin with because hearing the game echo in the background is annoying as shit no matter how often they talk. When I have the setting on (only on l4d, not tf2) I am fully aware that it's on. I played like that last night, and it made it a lot easier to concentrate on shooting things and saving my teammates than worrying about hitting or not hitting a button. I also play in the middle of the night a good portion of the time, so there is no one else to talk to and therefore no arguments to be overheard. I mute my mic if I need to go cough up a lung.

Also I don't like mouse3 or mouse4/5 for mic because I spaz my mouse around too much sniping shit and it doesn't feel right trying to use 3 fingers or move 2 fingers around that much when I'm zooming in all the time and trying to hit my mic to call out enemy locations while shooting people in the face :P