I was going to post on Gauntlet hangouts but there didn’t seem to be an appropriate category.
I am likely to be a majority hangout gamer and I’d like to make my experience as immersive as possible. Any tips on equipment (headsets)- software (Roll20, Hangout apps etc) the community could recommend?
and any help on resources, guides, player finding (to draw them into Gauntlet of course!) etc you might have….
and any help on resources, guides, player finding (to draw them into Gauntlet of course!) etc you might have….
Invest in a good webcam, headset & microphone. You’d be surprised how much that increases your enjoyment of the game
Invest in a good webcam, headset & microphone. You’d be surprised how much that increases your enjoyment of the game
Gauntlet Hangouts with the Roll20 plugin works pretty well. Most story games can be run with just Hangouts and a Google Sheet.
Gauntlet Hangouts with the Roll20 plugin works pretty well. Most story games can be run with just Hangouts and a Google Sheet.
Any recommendations Ferrell Riley
Any recommendations Ferrell Riley
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Honestly? As bad as they sometimes are a gaming headset is a good idea. Turtle Beach or Logitech, something you’ll be ok wearing for a few hours.
Webcams are a bit trickier, something about 720p or so. Once again, you can skimp here, but remember the image quality is what other people are going to see for a few hours, and being able to see responsiveness helps imho with online sessions. Logitech seems to have the market here
Honestly? As bad as they sometimes are a gaming headset is a good idea. Turtle Beach or Logitech, something you’ll be ok wearing for a few hours.
Webcams are a bit trickier, something about 720p or so. Once again, you can skimp here, but remember the image quality is what other people are going to see for a few hours, and being able to see responsiveness helps imho with online sessions. Logitech seems to have the market here
I think a headset is vital if you’re going to be broadcasting/recording. Otherwise, you can usually get by with just your computer speakers and the Mute button.
I think a headset is vital if you’re going to be broadcasting/recording. Otherwise, you can usually get by with just your computer speakers and the Mute button.
I consider a headset common courtesy. Even if you mute when you aren’t speaking, the experience of a dialog with someone using speakers often means I am hearing myself talk on delay, which is really disconcerting for me and almost always leads to me finding ways of not talking directly to that player.
I consider a headset common courtesy. Even if you mute when you aren’t speaking, the experience of a dialog with someone using speakers often means I am hearing myself talk on delay, which is really disconcerting for me and almost always leads to me finding ways of not talking directly to that player.
A somewhat working webcam is not all that expensive and makes it way more enjoyable to play with the other person. Of course you can do hangout games without cameras.
What is more important is a bearable sound quality. On your end good headphones can help.
For the other players you need at least a standard quality microphone. Even if you do not go an buy a headset right way you should use headphoes with an internal microphone. To avoid the echo Richard is talking about.
I personally have Logitech camera that cost around 60€, Sennheiser headphones I also use for my mp3 player when I am running and my Zoom H2n recorder, which is overkill as a microphone but I own it allready.
Many webcams allready have a microphone build in. Many of those are allright. So if you own headphones you are comfortable with you can just buy a webcam with an internal microphone and be done with it.
A somewhat working webcam is not all that expensive and makes it way more enjoyable to play with the other person. Of course you can do hangout games without cameras.
What is more important is a bearable sound quality. On your end good headphones can help.
For the other players you need at least a standard quality microphone. Even if you do not go an buy a headset right way you should use headphoes with an internal microphone. To avoid the echo Richard is talking about.
I personally have Logitech camera that cost around 60€, Sennheiser headphones I also use for my mp3 player when I am running and my Zoom H2n recorder, which is overkill as a microphone but I own it allready.
Many webcams allready have a microphone build in. Many of those are allright. So if you own headphones you are comfortable with you can just buy a webcam with an internal microphone and be done with it.
If you need a webcam, the Logitech c270 is pretty good. It’s like $25 and has solid picture quality. It also has a decent enough built-in mic that you should be OK as long as you are in a quiet room.
I totally agree on the headphones part. Hangouts is pretty good about filtering out echo, but it’s not perfect. I use a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M30 because they feel fantastic. The sound quality on any headphones should be fine, so I think comfort should be the primary consideration since you’re going to need to wear them for 3-4 hours at a time.
If you need a webcam, the Logitech c270 is pretty good. It’s like $25 and has solid picture quality. It also has a decent enough built-in mic that you should be OK as long as you are in a quiet room.
I totally agree on the headphones part. Hangouts is pretty good about filtering out echo, but it’s not perfect. I use a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M30 because they feel fantastic. The sound quality on any headphones should be fine, so I think comfort should be the primary consideration since you’re going to need to wear them for 3-4 hours at a time.
A very comfy chair, you will be sitting there for hours.
A very comfy chair, you will be sitting there for hours.
A thing I often forget: if you have an auto-backup system (e.g. Time Machine) connected by Wi-Fi, turn it off for the duration of the session.
A thing I often forget: if you have an auto-backup system (e.g. Time Machine) connected by Wi-Fi, turn it off for the duration of the session.