Let their voices be unheard: Halo: Reach has an auto-mute feature

by Griffin McElroy on Sep 15th 2010 4:00PM

Blatant violations of standard netiquette practices have become sorrowfully commonplace in the online gaming arena -- so commonplace, in fact, that it sometimes just doesn't even feel worth it to mute your insufferable teammates. If you're planning on sinking a good chunk of your life into Halo: Reach, we ask that you muster up the resolve to keep on muting -- not just for yourself, but for the world.

Bungie's Tyson Green (using the pseudonym "Ferrex") recently informed Ars Technica that Reach has a rather democratic auto-mute feature, which "notices, warns, and eventually defaults players to being muted when they enter games, if they are muted by enough people over a period of time." So, remain ever vigilant in the face of stupidity, dear friends. We thank you in advance.

Via: Halo.Bungie.org
Source: Ars Technica

Tags: auto-mute, bungie, community, Halo-Reach, microsoft, Microsoft-Game-Studios, multiplayer, mute, online, xbox, xbox-live

Reader Comments (101)

Thank god. They should have to wear a special in game helmet with a dunce hat as well as being default corked.

@Dirty

It would be awesome if Bungie/Microsoft bought the rights to Rick Ashtley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" song that plays over the speakers and headset of these noise violators.

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power

They should play something terrible like Justin Bieber or Nickelback.

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power

they should just replay their own voices after they talkin over and over and over through the tv speakers and their headsets.

@Dirty Wow I thought auto mute was brilliant till I read your idea, brillianter!

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power

They should play this sound file over and over:

"MOM! YOU SAID YOU'D GET ME WHATEVER I WANTED TO DRINK AND I SAID A MOUNTAIN DEW AND NOW I WANT CHOCOLATE MILK!"

@Dirty

Damn, with this, I might just consider trying this game out now once the budget permits.

I'm glad somebody up there heard me.

@TheMichaelJackson

I lol'd!

This auto-mute feature doesn't really apply to me since i join a friends party or make a party of my own for friends of my to join in.

If you don't wanna hear whiny 12 yr old's screaming into your mic cause they wanted the weapon you just happened to pick up, just make your own party or join a friends party instead.

There is a god in heaven!

@MICHAEL ATKINSON

Doubtful - but great news nonetheless :)

@MICHAEL ATKINSON this should happen in all online games,imagine the laughs to see a player with a cork in their gob!

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga

I didn't see him trying to annoy anybody. He didn't even call out any religion of any type out. He was stating his beliefs.

Oh, but I forgot. This is the internet. Anybody with a different opinion than one's own is instantly labeled as a troll and downvoted into the depths of Hell with the rest of the heathens.

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga
Well, he said "doubtful", so I guess that would technically make him an agnostic troll :-/

@TasticBycrom I would buy your argument, but lets be real how many TRUE agnostics go out of their way to throw a snide remark. They usually don't since we as I am in that group can't say there is or isn't a "God", on the other hand atheist's have no hesitation.

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga

Not everyone who does not believe in god or heave is an atheist.

@BrokenTriforce If you can't see what he meant by "doubtful", which was a response to someone merely stating "god in heaven", then you need to sharpen your reading skills. The OP was just stating something innocuos and wasn't preaching on the other had his remark was a trollish jab.

@Deschain True, but again how many Buddhist do you see out there claiming there is no "God".

@MICHAEL ATKINSON

Can we all shut the hell up and agree that EVERYONE believes in Captain Planet?

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga
I need to sharpen my reading skills? Yeah. I probably do. Thanks for trying to get me to argue with you but IDGAF.

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga

" @Axcalibur There always has to be an athesit troll trying to annoy others that believe in some force whether its God, Nirvana, Mt. Olympus, etc. . Good thing I hate everyone equally not matter what they do or don't believe in since a douchbag will always be a douchbag no matter what.
Reply
"

always? first time i saw someone like that on joystiq, either way, take it easy pal, don't wanna burst an artery.

@TasticBycrom
"I guess that would technically make him an agnostic troll"
good spot! :)

@The angry pro consumer gaming ga
buddhists do not believe in god. as a buddhist, i would know.

@BrianH
"....bust an artery."

Shhh, no wait... I wanna watch. ^_^

Awesome this is going on as soon as I get home.

@Victoryismine52
I've been muting all lately but I'm going to just start doing it to the ones that deserve it thanks Bungie

For that feature alone, it should be game of the year.

@Pennegan

I so totally agree.

@Pennegan

Sounds like someone hasn't played Metroid: Other M :p

But, this definitely will be contender for Xbox 360 game of the year :)

@Axcalibur Are you high?

If this feature was in Metroid: Other M, Samus would have been universally muted by now.

@koehler83 - Agreed. They turned Samus into a whiny **** (pick your favorite four letter word). The gameplay was fun (except for first person moments) but man did they destroy her character.

@BananaBoat

I chose 'bort' as my favorite four letter word. What did I win?

@Captain Planet Planeteer Power
Barclay, Barry, Bert, Bort? Who the hell names their kid Bort?

@NemesisCW
"Come along Bort."
"Are you talking to me?"
*sigh* "No, my son is also named Bort."

@Pennegan

+1 fgor game of the year

@Pennegan
are you talking to me??
no, my son is also named Bort!

Mute button, your my heero...
*Camrons voice a la Feriss Bueller's Day Off*

@Negatron: Ferris Negatron...Ferris*...

@Negatron I hate it for all those people that come in with background noise and get muted because that shit is annoying....lol....

But yea they are my hero as well....more games really do need this

@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi

I hope this doesn't end up like Bungie's matchmaking: an awesome idea that no one else manages to copy.

It's ashame xbox live can't implement that feature for their service...

@Razorlution On the other hand the fact that Bungie will now grace every platform with said technology is comforting.

@Razorlution
Yeah, great way to get rid of 80% of your paying customers (5-13 year olds) They're all gonna get muted within the first month and quit subscribing. Or maybe they'll buy multiple accounts...

@Razorlution

No...*every online application* needs this feature.

I have my Live settings so I can only hear / talk to / receive messages from people who are on my friends list. Problem solved, with minimal hassle. My past experiences with voice chat on XBL is that voice communicating with strangers, even when you are on the same team, is more often than not more annoying and irritating than it is helpful.

@WMcPete

Agreed - when playing deathmatch or any team based game where strategy is not needed. But as soon as you start playing a game like Capture the Flag or whatever, then it's good to keep open communication with even strangers. In my experience, the strategy game modes are less likely to include the annoying gamers. More often then not, annoying gamers are of the simple mind variety, so deathmatch is all they CAN play. :)

@WMcPete i don't really want to do that, partly because some of the best, most fun experiences i've had on LIVE are when i played with some strangers and ended joining their party. i did that a lot in halo 2, and a couple times in the Reach beta.

@maveric101

This has no impact on that what so ever. The only people who are getting blocked are those who have done enough shit to get muted by a lot of people.

If i could be really real for moment, i would give a $h!t about this automute if my game %&(^* worked ,

Thanks bungie for Making a Game that doesn't work if you have launch Console

even its disc installed how do you get read disc error ..?!??!?!??!

@Come on Chang

Works on my launch console. Sounds like you have a personal problem.

@xJimmeh nope, go to bungie.net look at forums its at the time DISC ERROR ,

sounds more like your lucky

| 1 | 2 | 3 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Halo: Reach

Let their voices be unheard: Halo: Reach has an auto-mute feature

Reader Comments (101)

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:04PM Dirty said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:19PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:01PM TheMichaelJackson said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:15PM blazinsmokey said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:37PM krash411 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 8:31PM Misfit Toy said

Posted: Sep 16th 2010 1:34AM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Sep 20th 2010 12:32PM aCanadianGuy said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:05PM MICHAEL ATKINSON said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:08PM Axcalibur said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:08PM MICHAEL ATKINSON said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:49PM BrokenTriforce said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:50PM TasticBycrom said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:55PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:00PM Deschain said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:01PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:03PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:11PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:15PM BrokenTriforce said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:34PM BrianH said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:49PM trickyd said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 9:51PM damnreds said

Posted: Sep 16th 2010 1:40AM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:06PM Victoryismine52 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:07PM Victoryismine52 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:06PM Pennegan said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:06PM ExShoryuuken said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:09PM Axcalibur said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:20PM koehler83 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:42PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:14PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 5:59PM NemesisCW said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:34PM scratchh said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:37PM hyghwayman said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:39PM gevenstaines said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:06PM Negatron said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:11PM Negatron said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:37PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 7:45PM Chareth Cutestory said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:08PM Razorlution said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:35PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 11:37PM Themoreyouknow said

Posted: Sep 16th 2010 1:50AM ShadowXIII said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:09PM WMcPete said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:19PM Axcalibur said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 6:58PM maveric101 said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 7:49PM This Little Man Says His Name Is said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:09PM Come on Chang said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:19PM xJimmeh said

Posted: Sep 15th 2010 4:26PM Come on Chang said

Halo: Reach Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is a stranger in a strange land

Silver Lining: I Am Alive's unfeeling world

Game Of Thrones and the paradoxes of adaptation

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW