So And So Is Typing...?

Bugs & Features
#6

You can also always just send a quick ooc check if it’s an issue! ooc=Take your time, but are 'ya still with me?

Going idle/AFK on someone too long is… let’s face it, a thing that happens. XD It’s part of the roleplay and MUCK experience to some degree. (TOTALLY NOT PROJECTING HERE! c_c;;; ) But it’s something you learn to work out between each other. Sometimes social tools are much more powerful than technological features. I feel this is a great example of that. n_n

Also, from a technological standpoint, I’m opposed to having any more frequent of a ‘heartbeat’ to any app than is absolutely necessary for its intended purposes. For many, many, many screeasons!

2 Likes
#7

After considering all of the comments and concerns of how this may reduce the patient and friendliness of the community I have a few ideas:

  1. A command like prompt or ask where the person can send a private question to someone in the room and they can click a little yes or no / green or red (why click a button? well if the user is typing a long message then has to respond to the user by 1st copying it, 2nd delete it, 3rd write a response like respond UserName = yes, 4th paste the text back in. which is annoying on desktop - let alone mobile devices.)

  2. A typing status that can be set by the user to activate when using say, describe, pose and any public chat as to avoid the confusion mentioned by @Raeth’s first post. This could be disabled in settings for a sense of security and personal preference.

  3. A typing command that can get the users status on whether they are typing or not. This could be the most useful, allowing for the UI to stay clean and uncrowded but also allowing them to prompt more one sided, requiring little input from the typing side.

  4. Detect If Browser Tab Is Active or Not in Pure JavaScript - Designcise may be useful in premises to the idea that the user may be typing else-where.

Final Thought:

A comand structured as follows: typing UserName returns a simple message like:

UserName is Typing

or

UserName is not Typing

or, if they are not on that tab then

UserName may be Typing

Overly this would reduce UI cram, give a simple way to check to see if the user is engaged while not distracting them or pressuring them either, give the possibility that they may be typing in external software and also keeps a vanilla command like experience.

[im not used to writing more than this sentence here, this is probally gonna sound like a rammble. Sorry in advanced]

#8

If we do this, we should make it opt-in, since it would otherwise transmit more information than the user may desire otherwise. Additionally the typing activity information should only be shared with those in the same room, as to reinforce encouraging engaged users to be in the same room as one another for roleplay and to reduce instances of undesired monitoring from outside the room.

I’ll be real though, I’ve got a strong bias against the soandso pokes..? energy of people who are being impatient for a reply, even if there are unrelated times where somebody might appreciate knowing you haven’t passed out at the keyboard at least.

#9

Maybe make it an option to activate just like focus? Maybe even tied to focus.
That you only get information that the focused character has already typed : say w user or m user (with user being you).

Not a notice of active typing as that would require constant checking but like a personal activity flag, that they are either interacting with the room or you personally.

Anything beyond giving you the power to opt into an activity check (maybe with a confirm feature like lead and follow) would only result in ‚multiple are typing‘

#10

I understand that folks these days need the instant feed back that ‘I’m important!’ but… Honestly, all this fuss over a ‘I’m typing!’ icon is ridiculous. There is SO much typing that could be going that ISN’T going to be visible to you, and even more things that could happen that would prevent someone from typing. Additionally, you’re going to be adding a LOT of traffic to the server, which now has to parse the typing signals to send to all the connected clients for every single user every time they start or stop typing, and that’s if the server itself isn’t doing any filtering for opt-in/opt-out.

More importantly, learning patience is an important thing to do if you’re going to be an adult. I can’t imagine waiting only 5 minutes for a response before getting concerned that the other end has dropped. If there’s a sudden phone call, or I have to use the restroom, or one of a million other things that can demand my immediate attention (and no, I’m not going to give you a minute-by-minute of my RL to make you feel secure in my attention) then you’re just going to have to wait.

If you require a typing indicator, then this format is NOT for you and you should go to those where such a feature makes sense.

3 Likes
#12

I agree, it should also need to be confirmed by both users so they feel safe and secure. that’s why I thought a typing UserName command would also be best.

2 Likes
#13

Just a technical note:
It will add traffic, of course. But it is manageable. When sending the info back to clients, Resgate does a good job at offloading the service. By restricting the Is typing to only show for the room dwellers, and only when typing commands targeting the room, it should still work well even at scale.

2 Likes
#14

While turning down feature requests as a bad fit for a given service is totally normal and good, it feels a little extreme to me to respond to a technically feasible request with the implication that anyone requesting it isn’t a mature adult and ought to leave the service entirely.

#15

While I don’t think the point was made in the most… eloquent manner, many who’ve asked us for this in the past want us to be Just Like Discord and we’re just not that.

I think it could be nice but I also think it’s likely to be an utter dramabomb. For every ‘poking soandso’ solved by this request there’s a nosy sort who’s going to needle you about ‘that typing you’re doing that’s not at meeeeee’. So put me on the list of ‘make it opt in if you do this’.

2 Likes
#16

Yeah… to be clear, I think the question was worth asking, and examining, and I too feel convinced that Wolfery’s simulationist philosophy wouldn’t mesh with this feature.

#17

Eh. A couple old guard vets not being on board doesn’t mean that the concept shouldn’t be explored and talked out for sake of figuring out what we can or can’t do and how to implement it in a healthy way.

I admit to having reservations about the idea as far as implementing it whole hog, but harnessing it in a theoretical good way could be neat so long as people can opt in.

1 Like
Writing system and tag system improvement
#18

I am still under the assumption that if, we should only introduce it as an option.
We don’t need a universal typing indicator. That would be overkill and not immersive.
I don’t want it either as an option like focus to get activated without the others knowing.
The most IC option to tackle it would be the following:

Command

Has their focus on player, following player’s every action with interest.
Type ‘allow player’ to let player witness you.

The person, who requested has now access to a basic version of is typing if their console begins with the following commands:

  • say
  • :
  • w/whisper player
  • m/message player (If same room)
  • @player =

I would exclude ooc messages as these are not something you would be witnessing when being all ears IC. My two cents.

#19

Whether I am typing or not is no one’s business, to be honest. And I likely won’t care who is typing or not in a crowded room. This is probably great for private messaging apps and similar. For this kind of environment, it is intrusive in one direction, and noisy in the other. If it is implemented, I hope it is made opt-in both for seeing the notifications, and said notifications being made for your behalf.

5 Likes
#20
3 Likes
#21

I’d like to hide my whisperfucking, thank you.

1 Like
#22

Thats why I suggested that it would only trigger to the one ‚witnessing‘ that they see you actively whispering when w player = true.
It wouldn’t trigger with w player2 = true.

#23

Hi, been a while, if this feature was implemented I think it should absolutely be implemented as an opt in command like focus so that you can only see when the focused player is typing either a say, pose or a ooc. It should not pick up a mail, message, whisper so that it will keep people’s privacy.

So just to recap:

  • it should only been seen on a player you are focusing and who has accepted the focus
  • you should not be able to see the typing of any whisper, mail or message (anything not directed to a whole room)
  • you should only be able to see when people are typing with a say, pose or ooc.
#24

I am a slow typer, and can see a feature like that being helpful, but at the same time i can see it being incredibly difficult to implement.

3 Likes
#25

Glad I found this thread before I foolishly made my own.

As a new player to Wolfery and coming from a lot of other communities with typing indicators, it is a bit of a rough transition and occasionally I’m finding myself unsure if people are aware of a post order, or who’s next, but generally over the last week I’ve seen that there is a ‘vibe’ of sorts and that people tend to hang out with others and for the most part, be open to include others.

Not Having a typing indicator isn’t the end of the world, it’s just taking some time for me to get used to it and if the general consensus so far is to not include it and it will cause traffic, then it might be best not to have it. Within a week, was able to meet a lot of cool people and get a feel for how they type and such, and it’s not so bad not having typing indicators.

That’s my opinion on the matter after forking the Git and wondering if people wanted this as a feature.

1 Like
#26

Hi Ayshe! And thanks for the thoughts.

I still think this is something we may try out.
You can see the discussion above, and it is a bit opinionated. But it does have its uses. And I don’t worry much about traffic myself - that part is manageable. And it is good to know what might be hurdles for newcomers.

But, I think that if I would implement it, it would be:

  1. Opt in - a Player Setting would allow you to turn off sharing “is typing” info
  2. Room scoped - You must be in the same room to see if someone is typing
  3. Public commands - It would only signal you as typing if you are making a public say, ooc, pose, describe, or address command. Possibly roll as well. Not for whisper, message, etc.
  4. In room indicator - A discrete indicator would be added to the In Room list.

Git? Oh, you are a coder? Neat! :grin:
But the mucklet-client Git repository only contains the client. This feature would also need some server-side updates. But there are other client-only issues on GitHub that I would love help with too. Just saying :wink:

2 Likes