In-game chat

Who an in-game message reaches, which keys start one, how a line is shown, and how the message list is drawn.

Added in 0.2.0Changed in 0.2.0

Players can chat only in a game against other machines. A player types a line into the editor above the message list, then presses Enter to send it or Escape to discard it. The key that opened the editor decides who receives the line, and the editor’s prompt names them, for example To All: or To Team:.

Line	Opened by	Reaches
To everyone	`ChatToAll` (Enter unless rebound), or the function key whose number matches `Players`, such as `F8` when `Players` is `8`	Every player and observer
To the team	`ChatToAllies`, which is Backspace unless rebound	Every player the sender has allied with
To one player	A function key from `F1` up, one key for each other machine in the match	The player or observer at that machine only
To the observers	`ChatToAllies` pressed by an observer	Every other observer

A team line follows the sender’s alliances only. It reaches a player the sender has allied with even if that player has not allied back.

An observer has no allies, so a team line never reaches an observer. When an observer presses the team key, the line goes to the other observers instead.

Who may open a line

A player still in the game may open any line except the one to the observers.
A defeated player may only open a line to everyone, and the other keys do nothing. In a match with coach mode, a defeated player keeps the team and private lines as well.
An observer may open a line to everyone or to the other observers. The private keys do nothing.

Delivery

The sender’s game sends a line only to the machines the table above lists for it, and the receiving game checks the same rule again before showing it. A receiving game shows a team line only when the sender has allied with the receiving player, and an observers line only when the receiving player is an observer.

A receiving game drops any line from a machine that holds no seat in the match.

Chat does not travel with the game’s orders. A line is shown as soon as it arrives and has no effect on play.

What is shown

A line reads Name: text in the sender’s color. A tag after the name shows who the line was for, as in Name [to team]: text:

Line	Tag
To everyone	none
To the team	`[to team]`
To the observers	`[to observers]`
To one player	`[to Name]`, with the recipient’s name

In a match launched with QuickMatch=yes, every name is shown as the player’s number instead.

The sender’s screen shows each sent line with the same name and tag its recipients see. A team line appears on the sender’s screen even when no ally is there to receive it.

The message list sits at the top of the tactical view and shows up to six rows. It also carries the game’s other notices, such as a player’s defeat. When the list is full, a new row pushes out the oldest one. A line too wide for the view wraps onto extra rows.

Each row added to the list plays IncomingMessage and stays on screen for MessageDelay minutes.

TextBackgroundColor draws a color behind every glyph of the list and of the editor.

Filter keys

3 of 3

Key	Description	Value	When omitted
`MessageDelay`global rules	How long most on-screen messages stay visible.	floating point	`.6`
`IncomingMessage`global rules	Sound played whenever a line is added to the on-screen message list.	sound	`none`
`TextBackgroundColor`client settings		integer	`12`

History

Changed0.2.0In development
Hide player names in a quick match
Added0.2.0In development
Message your team, or the other observers, and choose who a line reaches