[Terminator]

Release notes for 1.114September 8th, 2009

    * Many changes to Live Video (beta):
          o Reduced default broadcast bandwidth usage
          o Reduced CPU usage while broadcasting (though it is still significant)
          o Fixed many smaller problems
    * Fixed problems with logging into @msn.com accounts
    * Fixed a problem logging in if you have over 5000 remote screenshots
    * Fixed a serious problem some users experienced if IE8 is installed
    * Vastly improved community search
    * New games supported:
      Smash Online    Freespace 2    Wolfenstein    Champions Online
      Joint Operations: Combined Arms Gold    Still Life 2    The Sims 2 University Life Collection    AI War
      CrimeCraft    Divinity II: Ego Draconis    Runaway Gift    Raven Squad

Enjoy!
Chris Kirmse
General Manager, Xfire

[FUBAR-BDHR]

And this is news?  http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=60377.0

People have been using it for almost 9 months.  It's purely optional and I personally don't use it and hate the idea of voice chat in FS2. 

[The E]

Well, it doesn't detect my FS2 install. So much for that.

[IronBeer]

It's purely optional and I personally don't use it and hate the idea of voice chat in FS2. 

How come you don't like the idea of voice chat?

[FUBAR-BDHR]

It breaks the whole spirit of FS2 multi where you get together and discuss strategy before the mission then fly it.  If you can't hit 1 or 2 and type a message then it probably doesn't need to be said.  That's the problem with gaming today.  Everyone wants hurry up kill, die, respawn, kill, die, respawn, etc.  They don't even want to wait for a game or form a strategy. 

Also it gives teams using it an advantage over teams that don't or can't.  For instance I like to listen to loud music when flying so I can't use voice chat.  Should that be a penalty in game play?

[Flipside]

I don't mind team chat, but I must admit, there are some games where it really doesn't help, things like UT etc, for example, teams either work or not, no amount of shouting would change that, people either naturally fall into a role in the team, or it all tends to go wrong.

Freespace 2 has limited advantage to my mind, you'd need to have awareness of every ship in your wing for it to really help, and the chances are everyone is going to be off doing their own thing and not be in a position to help another player, even if they needed it.

It's fun from an immersion point of view, and might be of use to squads who play together regularly, but from the point of view of furballs, or throw-together teams, I'd see it more as a gimmick than a useful tool.

[Mongoose]

I've admittedly never played FS2 multi, but I'd always imagined that voice chat would be just about indispensable for coordinating one's team.  If you take the time to sit still and type something, you're just asking to be offed (there's a reason "type-killing" is in the general gaming vernacular).  When you need to react to changing battle conditions at a moment's notice and let your wingmen know where they're supposed to be, voice chat is definitely the most efficient means to do so.  Plus, there's the whole immersion factor; I found myself having a great deal of fun with the voice recognition function the one time I enabled it, and that was just with CPU wingmen.

(I really need to stop taking ten minutes to actually submit posts...)

[ninsei]

Well, it doesn't detect my FS2 install. So much for that.

You can point it manually to your freespace directory.

I wonder if the autopatcher applies scp patches?

[The E]

I wonder if the autopatcher applies scp patches?

No. THAT I can guarantee. XFire does NOT distribute the SCP (or FSU) enhancements.