VoIP embedding

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chaossdragon
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VoIP embedding

Post by chaossdragon »

I see a lot of Skype users, and personally I'm not a fan.

I run a Teamspeak 3 server for my sessions with maptools, and I got to thinking if its possible to maybe build in VoIP connection feature.

instead of loading both maptools and teamspeak (or your VoIP of choice), you load MT and under a special tab connect to ...
then input the IP/address, port, user_name/pass (if required) and it acts as a client (with or without a window to show server connection status)

I know teamspeak has a means/method for intergrating its connection protocol with various other software, and is becoming a gaming standard (along with Ventrilo)

just a thought, and probably not a good one, but one I figured I'd throw out to the wolves so to speak heh.

**may have posted this in the wrong thread... my bad

neofax
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by neofax »

At best, you would probably get mumble as at least it is open source. Problem is that their are no JAVA based VoIP servers that I can think of and if you just bundled the client what is the use? The DM or someone would have to run a server or buy a server.

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Azhrei
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Azhrei »

I hope to integrate something like jlGUI 3.1 into the next MT version. I notice it supports the SPEEX codec format but that doesn't necessarily mean it knows how to connect to a particular audio/voip server. It seems likely that it should be something that can be added.

jlGUI has a WinAmp-compatible skinnable interface too, and a very complete feature set. It'll be a nice addition. 8)

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aliasmask
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by aliasmask »

Music and integrated voice chat... that'll be an extra helping of awesome sauce.

Craig
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Craig »

Azhrei wrote:I hope to integrate something like jlGUI 3.1 into the next MT version. I notice it supports the SPEEX codec format but that doesn't necessarily mean it knows how to connect to a particular audio/voip server. It seems likely that it should be something that can be added.
You would also need to add the whole voice input part. With that and the connection to the VOIP server and implementing the transfer protocols thats the vast majority of a VOIP solution that needs to be added :)

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Azhrei
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Azhrei »

Yep, good point. It looks like the JLayer library (the one that adds MP3 support to Java) doesn't include any kind of mic support. So an extension to the MP3SPI library (the Service Provider Interface library) that adds the mic as a sound source would be needed and that might take a lot of work. :|

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Notsonoble
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Notsonoble »

How does one eat an elephant?

One bite at a time...

Start with your plan to integrate jkGUI for 1.4 (or 1.5), then work on the voip in the one after that.
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Craig
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Craig »

Notsonoble wrote:How does one eat an elephant?

One bite at a time...

Start with your plan to integrate jkGUI for 1.4 (or 1.5), then work on the voip in the one after that.
Its not that simple. There is only finite time and resources, eating this elephant would mean very little time left for anything else. Given that there are already many other VOIP products that can be used it seems like a small an awful small benefit compared to other things that this time could be spent on.

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Azhrei
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Azhrei »

Having said that, once there is a framework in place for 1.4 perhaps someone else would want to look into it. I'm all for adding sound (especially if it can be easily) but voip just seems... "redundant". At least given that (as Craig says) there are so many apps out there that will do it so much better than MT ever will.

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Bone White
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Bone White »

I think it'd just be easier porting an open-source or free-to-modify for use in MapTool if anything, rather than developing one from scratch but I agree with the majority, time is better spent on what MapTool is used for, before developing new features that people cover with other programs.

Nanolathe
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Nanolathe »

Adding in Attack sounds (for attacks), Dice roll effects (surprisingly enough, for dice rolls), Music for atmosphere... GOD I want music... and just anything to make the game we run feel a little more "alive"; I'm all for.

For VoIP there are quite a lot of services, many of which are free, and have little to zero impact on Maptools' running; I already have

I see VoIP as a colossal waste of time for Maptool Dev(s) as everything I could want from a VoIP is already catered for by multiple other sources. Sound effects and other Action/Sound synchronisation across all players is not currently catered for by anything that I'm aware of (if there is a simple program that I'm not aware of please feel free to correct me) and as such, I'm much more interested in it as a feature than VoIP.

If there's a vote between 'Sounds', 'Music' and 'VoIP' My vote is firmly on Music, followed closely by sound. VoIP is an option I would abstain from 8)

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Azhrei
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Azhrei »

Nanolathe wrote:Sound effects and other Action/Sound synchronisation across all players is not currently catered for by anything that I'm aware of (if there is a simple program that I'm not aware of please feel free to correct me) and as such, I'm much more interested in it as a feature than VoIP.
There are loopback/proxy services which can do this. You run a "proxy" sound server and you route your music player into it as well as your mic input signal(s). Then the proxy sends/receives it's data to your voip client. So instead of the voip client receiving it's data directly from the mic, it receives it from an extra layer of software that acts as a muxer (or multiplexor if you prefer the longhand word ;)).

I would assume that DirectX would have some kind of support for that on Windows, but maybe not. On a Linux system it's not too difficult unless the voip client you're using has a hard-coded list of device inputs instead of a dynamic list of choices as determined by the system (probably an ALSA or JACK config file, if I remember my acronyms correctly).

neofax
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by neofax »

Azhrei wrote:I would assume that DirectX would have some kind of support for that on Windows, but maybe not. On a Linux system it's not too difficult unless the voip client you're using has a hard-coded list of device inputs instead of a dynamic list of choices as determined by the system (probably an ALSA or JACK config file, if I remember my acronyms correctly).
The loopback device or "hear what I hear" as VIA and Creative call it is loaded based on the driver(however, you may need to un-disable it). If your driver company does not provide this capability you need to buy one that does and there are many for around $30. Problem is many VOIP systems sound like crap using this IMHO. I try to mute my mic and use WINAMP which has the capability of telling what your direct output is so it is fairly easy to setup. As for Linux, I would use PulseAudio to handle this as it is relatively easy and if the distro does their job properly(or their WIKI in mycase), it works out of the box with minimal fuss. ALSA and JACK are a PITA to do this with and I wouldn't suggest JACK to a linux user unless they wanted to use their system for crazy audiophile stuff it is really designed for pro type audio and not amateur.

Also, you could setup a icecast server fairly easy or some other music server(MPD I think can do this on linux(at least it does over the LAN as I used to do this)). If you have a DD-WRT capable router, you can install Tomato(IIRC) and use one of the packages that installs a very small icecast server on your router that can handle this. Same with VOIP using Murmur/Mumble.

Nanolathe
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Nanolathe »

I have no idea how to handle IceCast, I've tried on multiple occasions now and I just can't set up a server that works. If someone has a comprehensive set-by-step guide that a NON-tech person can understand, then maybe I could try again, but right now it's just not user friendly. I have no idea how to add a source and I can't find an "Icecast for Dummies" which I would really need :oops: .

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Azhrei
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Re: VoIP embedding

Post by Azhrei »

Hm, VLC can stream audio and video... Can it be told to feed the stream into a voip application? Looking at the various options and settings it doesn't look like it. :|

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