Matrix Games Forums

Long-time lurker, first-time poster. I'm a big fan of Xfire when playing games. I'd LIKE to get H3 added, but it tends to take a few more than 1 person suggesting it, and I can't think of a better place to suggest than here.

Aside from 'Xfire in-game' support, which lets you take screenshots and chat within the game, for even just 'supported games', it can track how much time you spend playing it, and let others on your buddies list know when you are playing it (shows 'currently playing' game).

Seems like it generally only takes 5 or 6 people posting to get some action on it, and I created a thread on the Xfire forums requesting this.

If anyone uses this app, and thinks H3 would be great to add to it - PLEASE POST THERE IN SUPPORT OF THIS! I'd very much like to get H3 added to my games list! FWIW, while it certainly has a bias towards the newest triple-A shooters, naval games are well represented. 'Silent Hunter 3' and 'Silent Hunter 4' are both in, and have 'in-game' support, 'Dangerous Waters' is in, etc. (And if you already use it, and play the above games - feel free to add me. I'm "XanderF" in Xfire, too!)

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Hey ya Alex,
Short of using X-Fire, Team Speak is another option for voice comms. Granted, you do not get the neat in game information; i.e. how many and which games you are playing. Then again I don't think I'd want anyone to know how much HarpoonANW I've playing[;)] Setting up a TS server is really quite easy, I did it in about 5 minutes after reading your post.
Have fun, shoot early and often,
Jeff

VCDH - can't quite tell from your post, but perhaps you might be expecting more from Xfire than it is. As roeddog mentions, it's basically just an online chat tool. Very like Teamspeak, indeed, (or any other - Yahoo Messenger, MSN, etc) but offers a few more specific game-related things than those tools, which are pretty cool, IMHO.

- First, for even the most basic game functionality, it tracks time you spend playing the game.
- If the game engine and/or level of interest is high enough (or the tech allows it), they can do an overlay they refer to as "Xfire in-game". You map a key to it, and hitting that brings up the Xfire chat window *in the game*. For games that don't otherwise have chat - such as 'Oblivion', completely lacking multiplayer at all, for example - it's great to let you talk with other friends playing other games. This chat capability is totally cross-game, too - I've had cases where I am playing 'Silent Hunter III', and chatting with other guys from my office currently playing Counterstrike or Battlefield.
- Relevant to the above point, most the other chat client options are voice-only. For shooters, or flight sims, where things are happening fast and often...that makes sense. But naval games, including H3...well....they are a LOT slower paced. Having voice chat is almost more of a burden, then, as there is some unspoken pressure for dialog when really you are just spending hours mostly thinking. The fact that the chat client can be so easily integrated is great, then.
- Having an Xfire profile gives you a basic kind of 'home page' - shows your game stats, time playing each, uploaded screenshots, etc.

You can see my profile right here, for an example of some pretty basic stuff that can be done with it.

In any case, I certainly do not think there is any implication of them handling support or anything. On all titles they handle, that's always the purvue of the publishers.

To answer your other question regarding where messages are seen...they could be seen in the UI. It's possible, but I don't know the details on what makes it easy for them to do or not. Both the recent 'Silent Hunter' games support that, for example, but 'Dangerous Waters' does not. A random Google search turns up this image of what it looks like in on game (with one specific Xfire skin, there are many). I'm pretty sure nothing from the developer/publisher needs to happen at all, what games they add seems to be all about how much interest their users show in various titles.