The guild has come to the decision to use Ventrilo as its primary form of voice communication. It provides clearer sound at the expense of less bandwidth, which is a definate plus.
However, if it's so much better, why doesn't everyone use it? Well, simply put, it can be a real pain to set up the first time around, provided you don't know what to do. Worry not, however! Having gone through the annoyance of figuring out how to set this program up myself, I thought that, in making a guide for everyone to view, it may alleviate this problem all together. So, without further adu, here are the steps to setting up Ventrilo:
First off, you will need to download the Ventrilo client, to allow you to connect to our server, as well as a microphone and speakers. To get the client, you will want to head to www.ventrilo.com (http://www.ventrilo.com).
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/4585/v10gq.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
From there, head to the "Downloads" section, and look for "Clients", picking one appropriate to your particular operating system. At the time of this post, Ventrilo only offers a Windows-based client.
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Install the program and run it for the first time. This is more or less what you should see when you start the program up:
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/7114/v34hq.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Click on the "->" on the top-right corner of the window, across from "User Name". You should get a new window opening up, looking something like this:
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/3998/v41vj.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Click on "New" button on the top row, and input the name that you would like everyone on the server to see you as (preferably, the name of the main character you play in the guild). Hit "OK".
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/1756/v50dv.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Now that you have chosen your name, you may choose to put in a name that is announced to everyone when you join a server. This is optional, and you may skip it if you choose. Generally, you want to keep this short, as a long name can become irratating to listen to after a while. :p
In this example, when I join a server, everyone in the channel I join will hear an announcer say, "Billy has joined the channel."
When you are done, hit "OK" again, and move on to the next step.
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From the main screen again, we're going to click on the "->" one down from the top-right, across from "Server".
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/8032/v78ir.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Again, choose "New", and type in the name you want to call the server you will be joining. The actual name you type here doesn't matter, it's simply so that you are able to remember one server from another.
Hit "OK", and copy in the current Ventrio information, which can be found <a href=http://darkdemocracy.okeechobee.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=XForum&file=viewthread&tid=127>here</a>.
Hit "OK" again, and we'll move on to the last step.
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This time, we are going to click on the "Setup..." button.
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/2917/v96hj.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Most of this is already set up for you, and some of the settings you will want will differ from what is pictured, so let me go into a little detail.
You -will- want to check "Use Push-To-Talk Hotkey". Without this, the microphone will activate whenever you make sound, which means whenever you move your microphone, sneeze, or have the game's volume up, everyone gets to hear it. PLEASE use a hotkey to turn on your microphone... it makes you easier to understand, and can save some embarassment when your doctor calls you to talk about that wierd rash you got last week.
To set the key you want to turn on the microphone, click on the "Hotkey" box, and hit the key you want.
"Play Key Clicks" plays a little sound whenever you press your button to talk. Some people find it annoying, some people like it. Uncheck the box to mute the sound.
"Outbound" will increase or decrease the volume of your microphone, while "Inbound" will adjust the volume you hear everyone else at. As you can see, personally I need to turn my sound up, while my microphone is fine how it is. Knowing what you need really comes from testing it, either with the "Test" button on the bottom left, or hearing feedback from other members of a server. (EX: "Hey Billy, you're really quiet, can you turn up your Outbound so we can hear you better?")
That covers all the important bases. Time to start chatting! Hit "OK" one last time, and then hit the "Connect" button on your main screen (which is all you will need to do from now on when you want to join the server).
http://img218.exs.cx/img218/3800/vc6hp.jpg (http://www.imageshack.us)
Have fun! To switch "groups", so you can speak with your party, or just anyone who is joking the night away, double click on the + next to a group's name. In the pictured scenario, I would double-click on Group1 so I could talk to everyone who was on currently.