Could a taunt system be possible like in Age of Mythology, or something? You press a key on the number pad and it plays an assigned .WAV file in a directory? like..

WAV folder, have files NUMBERED 1-9 in a WAV folder for use as taunts.

I remember this from UT a few years back...

I like the idea!

Might need to meter it to 1 or two taunts per x seconds though.

I think Duke Nukem started with that, remember.......
Its time to kick ass or chew bubblegum, and I am all outta gum!!!!

Just remember to put my favorite one:

BAH!

I can record my own Bah if you want ... cough cough...eggg..*clearing my throat*

I have done voice acting for a few Command And Conquer Mods out there so I am up to the task. Also RA2/YR has good taunts that would fit in. If you want to preview my voice go to www.moddb.com and search for Dawno of the Legions download it install to your tiberian sun directory build a Nightclaw as the bsl side and you will hear my voice.

no pre-set taunts, thats what I say. Allow anybody to pick any 9 .WAVs they have and use them. I want to use some 300 rips. >_>

The only obvious problem with taunts is moderating/censoring them.

Unless the .WAV files are logged & saved by the server for later review by admins, then unscrupulous players might get away with any level of offensive taunts that can't be confirmed (or denied) later on by inspecting the game logs.


Any ideas how to combat that except by the server storing ALL .WAV files sent by players during a game -- which could end up being very storage intensive on the server side.



What is a reasonable, average file size to limit the .WAV files transmitted? When to transmit them to all other players? At the start of each game, or whenever used?

Obviously, each specific taunt file only need be transmitted to every other player only once per game. Thereafter, the local copy of each specific .WAV file could be replayed from cache -- at least until the end of the current game whereupon all cached .WAV files could be flushed. (Maybe keep all .WAV files longer than a game, perhaps as long as the local client game session is active.)


Another possibility is to generate a unique .WAV file name for each taunt file sent by each player & have the local client save ALL taunt files -- until flushed manually by the user. This way, the specific .WAV file is sent by unique file name; & if not yet downloaded, is downloaded for the first time; but if already downloaded, then replayed from cache.

This way, players can switch taunt files whenever they like, cache other players' taunt files as long as they like, & downloads of the .WAV files occur only when any player doesn't have the file cached.

Also, this allows multiple players to send exactly the same or similar .WAV files, but since the server wouldn't know the files are exact or similar; multiple, unique files names would be created for each players' instance of a .WAV file.


In addition, taunts do NOT have to be in real-time. In other words, if a player already has a taunt file cached, then it will replay the cached .WAV file as soon as possible after receiving the taunt .WAV file name from the server.

But if a player's client needs to download a taunt file from the server, then the download can take as long as necessary in a background process & play whenever it is received. Gameplay does NOT need to be held up because some players haven't finished downloading a .WAV file.

Well taunt files could be handled no different then any other mod file..

Held and operated by the server, in case of a mod the user downloads the taunt files with the rest of the content.

Invent a new XML file that gives the user a list of available taunts.

This:
1) Keeps control in the moderator/administrators hands - and if users for whatever reason don't approve of the taunt sounds... they can leave the server as quickly as they entered.

2) This keeps everyone on the same page... there's no waiting for sounds to download as they already have them.. and its a safe way to assure everyone has the same taunts (person A cannot send person B a taunt that person B does not have).

personally I do not approve of censorship in taunts if a person doesn't like a little smash talk they can leave. I think the UT series came up with the best compromise for it by having an option to turn so called "inpropper" taunts off but that would destroy EMC's vision of having the users using their own custom taunts.

The problem is that this isn't Unreal-Tournament... it's Scorched-Earth3D..

We have members of all ages, from age 5 up to age 80+, so many forms
of 'trash-talk' and insulting behavior isn't suitable for the games.

Taunting players with a Vocal message is fine if the game allows
Voice-chat capacity. But since scorched is all pre-send files, players
cannot spread thier own new wav files or taunts to eachother.
If the type of voice taunting you intend is anything to match the language
that i've had to 'Filter' from my servers.., i don't think that i want my children,
or other players parents/grandparents anywhere near the pc..

What Thrax said.