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Apologies to players with menu chat

AuthorMessage
Survivor
Jul 05, 2009
10
I will no longer be accepting requests for help from menu chat players. Please do not think me rude or take it personally. Really I would love to help but you only have menu chat. Oftentimes I find that lower level players with menu chat(since they are usually young kids) need more instruction or information than menu chat is capable of. I just had to let two kids die because there was no way for me to say, "let's flee so I can reset my deck and we'll come right back and get these guys." All I could say was "Run" and they did not. I did not friend them before battle because I had been soloing it with no problem. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that the number of minions increases with the number of fighters and I was unprepared. I couldn't tell that to them either so I'm sure they think I just bailed on them. I did not mean to. I waited in the commons for a while but it was so crowded and the chat record from the tower was gone. I couldn't remember their names while I was surrounded by so many similar variations. I am so very sorry I let them down.

To KI and anyone else who may know.....
I think I understand the reasoning behind the menu chat restrictions(bad adults and bad language) and agree that the children should be protected. Having said that, and knowing that text chat is filtered for the same reasons, isn't there something that can be done? In protecting these kids, they also miss opportunities to learn battle strategy, gaming etiquette, logical thinking and who knows what else from the good and responsible adults in the Spiral. I know you have said before that the chats will not change but if someone could tell me why menu chat players cannot at least see the other chats I would really appreciate it. Menu chat players would still be unable to reveal personal info to potential predators, helpful adults with open chat would likely refrain from bad language and the current menu chat is sufficient for the kids to respond to those helping them so I see no increased risk to their safety but I don't have kids. So someone please tell me... What am I missing?

Explorer
Nov 07, 2009
61
I totally agree! My sister used to have to look over at my screen or ask me to find out what other players were saying in battle. The menu chat available just isn't sufficient to be able to discuss potential strategies, and it often ends with confusion or death when you can't communicate properly.

Anna Winterflame- lvl 50 balance
Belgrim Foebreaker- lvl 10 Death

Defender
May 31, 2010
167
You would think others would in fact refrain from the obscene language , but they don't. It is amazing how they get around the chat filters in the game. The commons has to be the worst areas for this. I guess it is because the area is free, and one banned player after another can create another free character and continue to be abusive. Not only an issue with cursing , but I also witnessed two female avatars , have a very long and detailed cyber session in the middle of the pond in the commons. I did report it , then waited around for at least 30 minutes while the session continued and they laughed about being reported. Nothing was done to stop this. least in the 30 minutes that I stayed there.
Then we have my run in with the predator , who knew the child could not give out personal information , instead they were asking the child a series of yes and no questions , about where they lived, real name , etc.
I have a friend whose young 8yr child , recently started playing the game. I assured his mom , the game would be safe for him. Allowing him to see all chat , would be harmful IMO , least it my harm my friendship with his mom. I do agree however that the text chat menu could use a revamp , with some added/removed , but ..allowing kids to see all chat isn't the way to go.
I also suggested to KI , that maybe to allow volunteer GMs that only have the ability to mute players for a short time that have been reported , while they decide on whether or not a ban , is needed for the player. I think this would help to decrease some of the language reports. But it won't keep them from happening.

Defender
Jan 25, 2010
177
During conversation with a stranger you can click on their name in the chat box and that will bring up them up in the upper right hand corner then you have a chance to add friends, sometimes chat is available too.

Actually clicking on anyone's name in the chat box brings them up that way and you can add friend, trade or whatever.

I like using it to look at peoples gear and stats lol.

Survivor
Jul 05, 2009
10
@jaronuts

I knew the click trick which is what I tried when I got to the commons only to discover the chat box is localized(or either there were so many commons comments that I just didn't look back far enough. It was quite crowded then.) It does not tell you the spells they know or show you their deck set-up which could make for a lengthy convo (that can't be had in menu chat) when trying to help them learn battle strategy.

@MsSandy121

The yes/no thing never occurred to me. But I must ask how you are certain that convo was between a child and a predator? Could it have been two adults? I say this because I had a similar convo myself with another adult who then told me how to set up my open chat. Of course he may not have been an adult himself, or even a guy for that matter. I have male and female characters in all the games I play. Have you determined my gender yet? As far as those girls in the pond.... to go to such lengths to stifle this kind of behavior through the implementation of multiple chat systems and then have a half an hour after they've been reported pass with no action is amazing. Seems to defeat the purpose (unless the purpose is simply a marketing strategy). That particular exchange does actually help me understand the need for menu chat children to be unable to see text and open chat though. Kids are bombarded with these types of images and dialogue everywhere they turn. Television, magazines, music, friends and older siblings, even real world adults they have contact with. All of these things expose them to and inform them on the "subject". It would be nice if they could play somewhere safe from those adult things.

@everyone

I'm kind of wondering if the restrictions themselves aren't exacerbating the problem. As I said in my OP, I don't have children; however, I've watched many children as they grew up and I once was a child myself. I remember the drive to find a way to get around things simply to get around things. This chat system may actually be "bait". In the threads regarding an adults only realm, I've seen comments effectively stating that children do not have text chat or open chat without their parents permission because it must be set up through the parent account. I believe these posters are naive. Children can guess, find, crack their parents passwords and give themselves open chat and then undo it when they log off without anyone being the wiser. Maybe not a 7 or 8 year old but probably a 10 or 11 year old and most definitely a 14 or 15 year old. This means that child/predator could have been two kids and the girls in the pond may have just been playing "shock the yard" (and could have been anyone). It never surprises me how adult they can sound when you're not looking at them. I'm sure most parents try to be good parents and most parents want to believe their kids would never be manipulative or deceitful or unruly. Their "precious darlings" would never do something like that. Well, I'm here to tell you they will and maybe they already are. They are very wily these youngsters (it's actually part of their job to push the envelop and test the boundaries as they grow up). This "age-faking" can be reversed as well with adults appearing to be kids. Predators are wily too. If the 'toon is a stranger, there is no way for anyone to know who's driving. Kids even have credit cards of their own. I also play a F2P MMORPG that is just huge and I haven't noticed any chat restrictions or problems with vulgarity or predatory behavior whatsoever. Now that's not to say I haven't missed it because it is pretty big and I will be going out there after this post to verify any restrictions and observe for bad behavior and will report my findings here later. It may appear that I digress but I do not as I actually see a few issues interconnected here that may not have any solution. The adults only realm threads seem to have been started because people (probably mostly kids) join in battles without asking or being asked and this causes problems. I do not recall an option in menu chat that says "may I join you?" When an uninvited person with menu chat steps on a sigil and we back out we cannot help them by saying "Please ask before inserting yourself into my, our, someone elses' plan". Rather than an adult only realm, I think a better solution would be a menu chat only realm. A predator can't hunt with the menu chat. There is no vulgarity in the menu chat. The problem there is the parents who rightfully wish to quest with their children or friend's children. It could be set up where menu chatters could enter the text and open realms with text or open accompaniment like an R rated movie but then there are the kid "password hackers" and the kids with credit cards. So it seems there is no solution to the problems created by the solution created to prevent the problems that may have been created by the solution. Sounds like this game is actually run by the Feds.

Sorry for the length of this post (and sorry again if I made you die when I fled). After such a rant I do feel it necessary to say I have no intention of leaving this game if this does not change. I love W101 and I will continue to spend my real money on my subscription and crowns whenever I wish. I think it is a fantastic game and won't be going anywhere anytime soon. I just can't help you if you only have menu chat and I am still sorry about it.

See you in the Spiral.

Survivor
May 19, 2009
4
There has to be a way to say 'Don't use that, you are wasting my trap!' because all I can say is 'no' but nobody understands! The fact that people can't talk drives me absolutely insane! Non-talkers always waste my traps and ruin the entire battle.

Survivor
Jul 05, 2009
10
Okay, I have my report about profanity in the other game I referenced earlier. It is there and it is prevalent but you have to keep your eyes on the chat box constantly to see it. I'm too focused on gameplay to really notice it. The forums there even have threads complaining about it. Policy states such behavior is punishable but enforcement appears to be lax.

Delver
Sep 26, 2009
227
My problem with the menu chat is that i cant find what i want to say in time to save my traps or other things. I really dont mind that to much and its also hard to not have text chat. I started to play w101 a while ago and for the first 2 months where i wasnt a member, i had only menu chat. It was really annoying i can guess that some people who came up to me with a bunch of "..." in their chat bubbles had called me a noob. Its true that i dont friend menu chat people now but i still think there should be a bigger menu chat list and an easier way to find whats in it. :) thats my opinion.

Destiny (lvl 50 death, storm) (lvl 16? balance)