Teamspeak

Teamspeak is the current standard for voice communications while playing Steel Beasts. Teamspeak is voice over IP software that allows users to communicate with each other. Teamspeak may be downloaded here: http://www.teamspeak.com/ After downloading and installing Teamspeak you will need to add the Steel beasts Teamspeak server information, IP 216.22.24.158 and port 8767 there is not a password needed to enter the server or most of the channels. see this helpful wiki entry http://www.steelbeasts.com/sbwiki/index.php/Teamspeak:Logging_in

Teamspeak is straightforward to install in most cases. A new user usually has to set a "push to talk" or transmit button in the settings menu. Users may also choose a sound activated method to transmit, where thee microphone sensitivity is adjusted to begin transmitting when the user begins speaking.Both methods are used however using a button to transmit appears to be the most popular method as it prevents unwanted transmissions caused by external sounds or the need to adjust the sensitivity based on the level of ambient noise around the user.

Once in the SB Teamspeak server a new user is categorized as unregistered or anonymous. A user may become registered by a Server administrator, identified by the letters "SA" behind their login name. Being a registered user allows a user to send text to other users and post text in channels.

Channels

The Steel Beasts Teamspeak server is divided into many different channels, including a Lobby, In Game, a scenario design help channel, a free fire zone, and channels used by various virtual units. Some channels may require a password for entry.

The Lobby is generally the first channel a user enters upon initiation of Teamspeak software. Users are free to discuss nearly any subject matter in the lobby. No games are allowed to be played in the Lobby due to its primary use as a "welcome center".

In Game channel is the primary channel for use when playing Steel Beasts. It has two channels associated with it: In Game Blue, and In Game Red. Players from each team go to their respective channels, which allows private communications within each team.

Sce Design Help channel is the channel used by players to offer and request assistance in designing scenarios and particularly with logic in conditions events and scoring.

Free Fire Zone is the channel meant to be used for chat about most any subject, so that the lobby isn't full of chater which may put off new visitors. As always language is meant to be kept child friendly, but ... it is the free fire zone.

Away from keyboard is self explanatory. A user used to be automatically moved to this channel after a certain period of inactivity, however now it is a channel you may courteously move yourself to when your away, to prevent others from entering a channel and speaking to you and not recieving a reply because your away.

Many established virtual units have their own permanent channel some of which require a password for entry, which the units use for their own SB related activities. Special events such as online campaigns are given a permanent channel for the duration of the event for use by the organizers and participants.

Users may create their own temporary channels, which will terminate when the channel becomes empty.

User privileges

There are several user privileges in the Teamspeak server. Some users are Server Administrators and will have the letters SA behind their name. These users may create channels, register new users, remove and ban troublemakers from the server, and handle other activities related to keeping the server running smoothly. Other users are channel administrators and can perform many of the same functions, the administrators privileges are restricted to that channel. Most users get registered soon after they begin using the Steel Beasts Teamspeak server. Registered users can enter the server address, the users screen name and password into Teamspeak. (somehow link to DarkAngel article) Registered users may post text and links, into a channel, and may send private text messages to other users.

More to come ...

Using TeamSpeak to Facilitate Multi-Channel Battle Nets

This is meant to assist those who will take Battalion or Company command positions and utilize the new Team Speak multi-channel system.

The purpose of the new system is to provide one radio net to company and battalion-level commanders and also place players in respective Company rooms. Therefore, there is also a company net in addition to a battalion net.

TeamSpeak, our comms software, is well suited to facilitating the arrangement described above.

Here you can see what the TeamSpeak rooms for Blue and Red look like presently:

You'll notice some player names are in red. These players are known as "channel commanders" in the TeamSpeak software. The purpose of the "channel commander" role is to create a subnet within the larger channel and subchannel system. All of the Battalion and Company commanders would take the "channel commander" role.

You make yourself channel commander by selecting this option through the "self" menu.

Once this has been selected, your green icon will become steady red. When your icon is red, you are a channel commander! Okay, now how will that help you?

Creating Whispers to Communicate with other Channel Commanders

The way to create two independent battle nets (Battalion between commanders and a sub-channel for those in the same company) is to use the "whispers" feature of TeamSpeak.

Do the following to create a whisper to other channel commanders (that is, of course, if you are a battalion or company commander):

1) Select Settings -> Key Settings from the TeamSpeak menu

2) When the Keybindings Dialog opens up click the "Add" button.

3) You will see the following dialog

Use area (1) in the screenshot above to select the keys you'd like to use for the "whisper." Select the action as indicated in areas 2-4 above. Ensure that the key combination you select is not any key combination used within steel beasts.

You should now be ready to use the TeamSpeak whispers and channel commander features to effect a commander's battalion comms net outside of the company sub-channel.