Discord

[SteveC]

Anyone using this?
One of the Youtube channels I follow has started a Discord 'thing'. Not sure if I have the time or energy to get involved.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Skype for gamers, I'm told.

[Chris S]

Yep. We use it for group chat on Zwift rides. I'm also on several game servers.

[Kim]

AIUI Discord abuses the term 'server' for familiarity to gamers (where 'server' used to mean server but effectively means 'game universe' in practical terms).  It's not an open platform like IRC where you can run your own server independent of The Man, as you might assume, it's just another social media company where they use 'server' where normal people might say 'group' or something.

From what I've heard, its main features are low-latency for in-game comms, and being Not Facebook.  As ever, whether you need to care about it depends on who you want to communicate with.

[quixoticgeek]

I use it a fair bit, it's a bit like IRC for people who don't remember ICQ.

It's mostly used for text chat, but we can do video and voice occasionally.

J

[Chris S]

To Discord, "server" means "instance".

[Cudzoziemiec]

My son's playing D+D over Discord right this minute!

[Greenbank]

My 11yo is asking for a Discord account so she can talk to her friends whilst playing games (Roblox mostly). It'll save her having to use my mobile (as well) for Facetime.

"All my friends have it and use it" is becoming a common refrain in this house.

[SteveC]

Thanks for that.
I can see the point for things like gaming and D&D, but this is about historical cookery!
I don't think I will be getting heavily involved somehow.

[Greenbank]

Like most things like this Discord's plan seems to be "We're different from the other big players in this market!" but their real long term plan is probably to just get bought out by one of the big players (Skype/Microsoft, Zoom, Facebook, Cisco/Webex) and allow the founders and early employees to cash out handsomely.

[yoav]

Would someone like to tell me, in simple terms, how to use Discord to chat to someone on a Zwift ride? I have the app downloaded, signed up to an account but unsure where to go from there.
Thanks

[Chris S]

Would someone like to tell me, in simple terms, how to use Discord to chat to someone on a Zwift ride? I have the app downloaded, signed up to an account but unsure where to go from there.
Thanks

Essentially, one of yous in the group needs to create a server (think "room" or "session" - server sounds much more than it is) - on a mobile, there's a + on the server list to the left, at the bottom.

When you create a server, you'll get given a URL that others can join - and you're all good to go.

Our experience with it on Zwift is - use PTT, not the auto-detect mechanism for your mic; it's very good at picking up heavy breathing when you're putting in an effort.

[sojournermike]

My 11yo is asking for a Discord account so she can talk to her friends whilst playing games (Roblox mostly). It'll save her having to use my mobile (as well) for Facetime.

"All my friends have it and use it" is becoming a common refrain in this house.

\sarcasmmodeon “Oh, that must make it alright then” \sarcasmmodeoff  is the common response in this house;)

[Cudzoziemiec]

My 11yo is asking for a Discord account so she can talk to her friends whilst playing games (Roblox mostly). It'll save her having to use my mobile (as well) for Facetime.

"All my friends have it and use it" is becoming a common refrain in this house.

\sarcasmmodeon “Oh, that must make it alright then” \sarcasmmodeoff  is the common response in this house;)

Sarcasm Odeon shows all the best films.

[Kim]

"All my friends have it and use it" is becoming a common refrain in this house.

Worked for Facebook.

[quixoticgeek]

Would someone like to tell me, in simple terms, how to use Discord to chat to someone on a Zwift ride? I have the app downloaded, signed up to an account but unsure where to go from there.
Thanks

If it's a simple one to one setup, you will need their ID, start a private message session with them, then click either the phone symbol, or the video symbol, depending on if you want moving pictures, or just sound.

If you want more than that, you'll need to all on the same server, and have a suitable channel to use.

J

[fd3]

I use discord to meet with some friends - if you plan to use your laptop screen to do other stuff (e.g. gaming or work) you don't need the video and this means things run smoother and faster.  My sister has been using it for a while as it works better than alternatives IHHO. 
It did take me us several sessions to remember that you need to not just click on the "server" you are using but also the general char - otherwise people can't hear each other.

[Morat]

It's more like Teams for Gamers IMO. It combines what used to be done with a mix of IRC, Teamspeak, and ICQ into one platform with channels, private messages, voice and more cloudiness to relieve modern gamers of hosting actual servers. It's also infuriatingly chatty with so many notifications that it's impossible to Whack-a-mole it into submission.
Is it suitable for children? I'd say not without supervision, but it entirely depends who is lurking in the channels I guess.

[rogerzilla]

I thought all multiplayer games now had a channel for 14-year olds to indulge in smack talk?  Even Quake III did, 20 years ago.  The level doesn't often rise above "your mum".

[Morat]

I thought all multiplayer games now had a channel for 14-year olds to indulge in smack talk?  Even Quake III did, 20 years ago.  The level doesn't often rise above "your mum".

I think Consoles have chat built in via their web portals (I wouldn't know) but Discord is more PC biased and really useful for flight sims and other games where there are teams. It's so universal and convenient in those situations some game devs just don't bother with reinventing the wheel.