Difference between revisions of "Text chat"

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{{stub|Update history about the text chat}}
 
 
[[File:Text Chat.png|400px|right|thumb|General public text chat, involving both [[RED]] and [[BLU]] players]]
 
[[File:Text Chat.png|400px|right|thumb|General public text chat, involving both [[RED]] and [[BLU]] players]]
  
 
{{Quotation|'''The Soldier'''|Got anything funny to say about that, funny man?|sound=Soldier DominationScout09.wav}}
 
{{Quotation|'''The Soldier'''|Got anything funny to say about that, funny man?|sound=Soldier DominationScout09.wav}}
  
The '''text chat''', also simply known as '''chat''', is a [[communication]] feature available only in PC versions of ''Team Fortress 2''. It is displayed in the middle left side of the standard [[Heads-up display|HUD]] (the position may be moved in [[Heads-up_display#Custom_HUDs|custom HUDs]]).
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The '''text chat''', also simply known as '''chat''', is a [[communication]] feature available only in PC versions of ''Team Fortress 2''. It is displayed in the middle left side of the [[Heads-up display|HUD]].
  
 
There are 3 types of chats: public, team, and party chat. Public chat {{DK|Y}} is the general chat which shows messages sent by all players of any team and spectators. It also shows notifications of [[Item drop system|players receiving items]], the status of [[Dueling Mini-Game|duels]], server messages in community servers, etc. Players can send a message only to their team in the team chat {{DK|U|link=no}}, messages sent in the team chat are displayed with a team-coloured "(TEAM)" tag. Team chat also displays the [[voice commands]] from teammates, prefixed by "(Voice)" in team colour. Messages sent by spectating players are prefixed with "*SPEC*" and their names appear white, while messages sent by dead players are prefixed by "*DEAD*".
 
There are 3 types of chats: public, team, and party chat. Public chat {{DK|Y}} is the general chat which shows messages sent by all players of any team and spectators. It also shows notifications of [[Item drop system|players receiving items]], the status of [[Dueling Mini-Game|duels]], server messages in community servers, etc. Players can send a message only to their team in the team chat {{DK|U|link=no}}, messages sent in the team chat are displayed with a team-coloured "(TEAM)" tag. Team chat also displays the [[voice commands]] from teammates, prefixed by "(Voice)" in team colour. Messages sent by spectating players are prefixed with "*SPEC*" and their names appear white, while messages sent by dead players are prefixed by "*DEAD*".
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The party chat {{DK|P|link=no}} is a special chat, which can be accessed by pressing the Chat button on the upper left side of the [[main menu]]. It shows messages sent only by and for [[party]] members and party status. Messages sent here are displayed in the tab that opens when pressing said button, but also in the public chat as green text. Messages also play a [[Media:Chat display text.wav|specific audio cue]].
 
The party chat {{DK|P|link=no}} is a special chat, which can be accessed by pressing the Chat button on the upper left side of the [[main menu]]. It shows messages sent only by and for [[party]] members and party status. Messages sent here are displayed in the tab that opens when pressing said button, but also in the public chat as green text. Messages also play a [[Media:Chat display text.wav|specific audio cue]].
  
Players can also send messages via the [[console]] with the commands {{code|say}}, {{code|say_team}}, and {{code|say_party}}.
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Players can also send messages via the [[console]] with the commands {{code|say}} (for public chat), {{code|say_team}} (for team chat), and {{code|say_party}} (for party chat).
  
 
Specific players can be muted in the PC version via the [[main menu]] by clicking the "Mute players" button near the bottom of the screen.
 
Specific players can be muted in the PC version via the [[main menu]] by clicking the "Mute players" button near the bottom of the screen.
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The user can filter certain entries in the chat by accessing the "Filters" tab in the public chat. The options are the following:
 
The user can filter certain entries in the chat by accessing the "Filters" tab in the public chat. The options are the following:
  
* Joins/Leaves
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* Server Join/disconnect messages
* Name Changes
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* Name changes
* Public Chat (disables messages sent only for all teams)
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* Public chat (disables messages sent only for all teams)
* Server Messages
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* Server messages
* Team Changes
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* Team changes
* Achievement Announce
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* [[Achievements|Achievement]] announcements
  
After sending 2 or 3 messages in a row, players normally must wait 5 seconds to send more messages.
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After sending 2 or 3 messages in a row, players must wait 5 seconds to send more messages. The maximum length of a chat message is 127 characters and any double quotation marks ({{code|"}}) is converted to a single apostrophe instead ({{code|'}}).
  
 
Several slurs and inappropriate words are filtered by the [https://store.steampowered.com/account/preferences#CommunityContentPreferences Steam Text Filtering], which can be accessed through the [[Advanced options]]; said dialog also allows players to disable public chat altogether.
 
Several slurs and inappropriate words are filtered by the [https://store.steampowered.com/account/preferences#CommunityContentPreferences Steam Text Filtering], which can be accessed through the [[Advanced options]]; said dialog also allows players to disable public chat altogether.
  
There is a maximum of 127 characters for text messages.
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== Disconnect messages ==
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The text chat displays the join and disconnect messages of each player. A variety of different reasons can be seen, these reasons and their meaning are explained in the table below.
  
Any double quotation marks (") will automatically be changed to single quotes (') when messaged.
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{{Disconnect reasons}}
  
 
== Update history ==
 
== Update history ==
{{Update history|
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{{Update history | '''{{Patch name|4|1|2008}}'''
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* Fixed bad characters in the chat string when achievements are announced in languages other than English
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'''{{Patch name|8|13|2009}}'''
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* In-game chat dialog now supports full Unicode characters
 +
 
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'''{{Patch name|12|7|2009}}'''
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* Fixed banned clients being able to spamming{{sic}} a server with the "joined" chat text
 +
 
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'''{{Patch name|12|18|2009}}'''
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* Added a new chat message when players craft an item
 +
 
 +
'''{{Patch name|2|3|2010}}'''
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* Fixed the "{{code|tf_teamtalk}}" server convar not controlling text chat between living/dead teammates
 +
 
 +
'''{{Patch name|8|30|2011}} #1'''
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* Item found notifications now correctly show up in chat
 +
 
 +
{{Patch name|10|13|2011}}
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* [[Strange]] weapon ranking notifications no longer appear as a toast popup on screen; they are still present in the chat window
 +
 
 +
'''{{Patch name|3|22|2012}}'''
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* Fixed a bug that would cause chat-text strange weapon rank up notifications to sometimes display player names as "unknown"
 +
 
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'''{{Patch name|5|10|2012}}'''
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* Added ability for plugin authors to add custom colors in chat messages. Use either:
 +
**\x07 followed by a hex code in RRGGBB format
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**\x08 followed by a hex code with alpha in RRGGBBAA format
 +
 
 +
'''{{Patch name|5|17|2013}} #1'''
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*Fixed a chat exploit that would cause other clients to timeout from dedicated servers
 +
 
 
'''{{Patch name|10|1|2014}}'''
 
'''{{Patch name|10|1|2014}}'''
* When you mute a player, the mute settings now apply to text chat as well as voice chat. If you want the previous behavior, change convar {{cvar|cl_mute_all_comms}} to 0.
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* When you mute a player, the mute settings now apply to text chat as well as [[voice chat]]. If you want the previous behavior, change convar {{cvar|cl_mute_all_comms}} to 0.
 +
 
 +
'''{{Patch name|7|28|2016}}'''
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* Fixed getting a black screen if the chat window was open when the match stats were being shown
 +
 
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'''{{Patch name|11|10|2016}} #1'''
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* Replaced convar {{cvar|tf_teamtalk}} with {{cvar|tf_gravetalk}}
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** When enabled, living players can receive text and voice chat from dead players
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** When disabled, living players cannot hear the dead, regardless of [[Teams|team]]
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** Removes the odd behavior of {{code|tf_teamtalk}} wherein living players were exclusively unable to hear dead players on the other team
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** Defaults to on, except in [[Competitive Mode|Competitive]] matches
  
 
'''{{Patch name|10|20|2017}}''' ([[Jungle Inferno Update]])
 
'''{{Patch name|10|20|2017}}''' ([[Jungle Inferno Update]])
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'''{{Patch name|6|16|2020}}'''
 
'''{{Patch name|6|16|2020}}'''
* Restricted certain new accounts from using chat in official matchmaking modes
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* Restricted certain new accounts from using chat in [[Matchmaking|official matchmaking modes]]
* Added "Enable text chat" and "Enable voice chat" options to the top of the Advanced Options dialog to disable in-game text and voice chat
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** Work is ongoing to mitigate the use of new and [[Account types|free accounts]] for abusive purposes
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* Added "Enable text chat" and "Enable voice chat" options to the top of the [[Multiplayer options#Advanced multiplayer options|Advanced Options dialog]] to disable in-game text and voice chat
  
 
'''{{Patch name|6|24|2020}}'''
 
'''{{Patch name|6|24|2020}}'''
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'''{{Patch name|6|21|2022}}'''
 
'''{{Patch name|6|21|2022}}'''
 
* Fixed an exploit related to clearing the in-game text chat
 
* Fixed an exploit related to clearing the in-game text chat
}}
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'''{{Patch name|8|31|2023}}'''
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* Fixed SourceTV not recording in-game chat for [[Mann vs. Machine]] defenders}}
  
 
== Bugs ==
 
== Bugs ==
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File:Speech typing.png|An unused ellipsis bubble was going to be used to indicate typing, similar to the one used in ''[[l4d:Left 4 Dead|Left 4 Dead]]''.
 
File:Speech typing.png|An unused ellipsis bubble was going to be used to indicate typing, similar to the one used in ''[[l4d:Left 4 Dead|Left 4 Dead]]''.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
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== See also ==
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* [[Voice chat]]
  
 
== References ==
 
== References ==

Latest revision as of 13:27, 1 January 2025

General public text chat, involving both RED and BLU players
Got anything funny to say about that, funny man?
The Soldier

The text chat, also simply known as chat, is a communication feature available only in PC versions of Team Fortress 2. It is displayed in the middle left side of the HUD.

There are 3 types of chats: public, team, and party chat. Public chat (default key: Y) is the general chat which shows messages sent by all players of any team and spectators. It also shows notifications of players receiving items, the status of duels, server messages in community servers, etc. Players can send a message only to their team in the team chat (default key: U), messages sent in the team chat are displayed with a team-coloured "(TEAM)" tag. Team chat also displays the voice commands from teammates, prefixed by "(Voice)" in team colour. Messages sent by spectating players are prefixed with "*SPEC*" and their names appear white, while messages sent by dead players are prefixed by "*DEAD*".

The party chat (default key: P) is a special chat, which can be accessed by pressing the Chat button on the upper left side of the main menu. It shows messages sent only by and for party members and party status. Messages sent here are displayed in the tab that opens when pressing said button, but also in the public chat as green text. Messages also play a specific audio cue.

Players can also send messages via the console with the commands say (for public chat), say_team (for team chat), and say_party (for party chat).

Specific players can be muted in the PC version via the main menu by clicking the "Mute players" button near the bottom of the screen.

As of June 16, 2020 Patch, in order to use the public chat in Valve official servers, a player must have a premium account and a non-limited user account on Steam. Players can still use the party chat without restrictions and this restriction does not affect community servers.

Chat filter and restrictions

The user can filter certain entries in the chat by accessing the "Filters" tab in the public chat. The options are the following:

  • Server Join/disconnect messages
  • Name changes
  • Public chat (disables messages sent only for all teams)
  • Server messages
  • Team changes
  • Achievement announcements

After sending 2 or 3 messages in a row, players must wait 5 seconds to send more messages. The maximum length of a chat message is 127 characters and any double quotation marks (") is converted to a single apostrophe instead (').

Several slurs and inappropriate words are filtered by the Steam Text Filtering, which can be accessed through the Advanced options; said dialog also allows players to disable public chat altogether.

Disconnect messages

The text chat displays the join and disconnect messages of each player. A variety of different reasons can be seen, these reasons and their meaning are explained in the table below.

Disconnect messages
Message Meaning
Disconnected by user User manually disconnected from the server.
Removed from match by system User was taken to another match by the matchmaking system.
User was VAC banned from secure server User was caught cheating and was banned from the server by the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), or tried to connect to a VAC-secured server while having a VAC ban for Team Fortress 2.
Steam auth ticket has been canceled The game crashed during loading, the "auth ticket" refers to a user identification system used by Steam's networking.
An issue with your computer is blocking the VAC system. Third-party software is interfering with the user's game or with their Steam client which prevents VAC from working. See this Steam Support article for help.
Issued too many commands to server. Certain console commands[Which?] can cause the server to lag, inputting too many of these commands kicks the player to prevent server lag.
Buffer overflow in net message Caused by an overflow of information in networking messages. Most often happens in Mann vs. Machine when refunding a large amount of upgrades or when changing classes with a large amount of upgrades, and in other game modes when too many players are using the voice chat.
This Steam account does not own this game. Please login to the correct Steam account. The account has been locked by Valve and cannot play on VAC secured servers.
Bad challenge Something went wrong when connecting to the server, can be caused by slow connection.
Connection failed after 4 retries The client cannot establish a connection with the server.

Update history

April 1, 2008 Patch
  • Fixed bad characters in the chat string when achievements are announced in languages other than English

August 13, 2009 Patch

  • In-game chat dialog now supports full Unicode characters

December 7, 2009 Patch

  • Fixed banned clients being able to spamming(sic) a server with the "joined" chat text

December 18, 2009 Patch

  • Added a new chat message when players craft an item

February 3, 2010 Patch

  • Fixed the "tf_teamtalk" server convar not controlling text chat between living/dead teammates

August 30, 2011 Patch #1

  • Item found notifications now correctly show up in chat

October 13, 2011 Patch

  • Strange weapon ranking notifications no longer appear as a toast popup on screen; they are still present in the chat window

March 22, 2012 Patch

  • Fixed a bug that would cause chat-text strange weapon rank up notifications to sometimes display player names as "unknown"

May 10, 2012 Patch

  • Added ability for plugin authors to add custom colors in chat messages. Use either:
    • \x07 followed by a hex code in RRGGBB format
    • \x08 followed by a hex code with alpha in RRGGBBAA format

May 17, 2013 Patch #1

  • Fixed a chat exploit that would cause other clients to timeout from dedicated servers

October 1, 2014 Patch

  • When you mute a player, the mute settings now apply to text chat as well as voice chat. If you want the previous behavior, change convar cl_mute_all_comms to 0.

July 28, 2016 Patch

  • Fixed getting a black screen if the chat window was open when the match stats were being shown

November 10, 2016 Patch #1

  • Replaced convar tf_teamtalk with tf_gravetalk
    • When enabled, living players can receive text and voice chat from dead players
    • When disabled, living players cannot hear the dead, regardless of team
    • Removes the odd behavior of tf_teamtalk wherein living players were exclusively unable to hear dead players on the other team
    • Defaults to on, except in Competitive matches

October 20, 2017 Patch (Jungle Inferno Update)

  • Added a global party chat system that allows party members to chat with each other from anywhere in the game
    • Party chat is printed in the in-game chat interface when in a game
    • Added ConCommand "say_party" (default bind 'p') that allows for party members in a game to chat with other party members using the in-game chat interface (similar to how "say_team" works for chatting amongst your team) and with members not in a game

June 16, 2020 Patch

June 24, 2020 Patch

  • Added rate limit checks for in-game text chat

October 1, 2020 Patch

  • Added support for Steam Text Filtering for persona names and chat. This is enabled by default.
    • You can update your settings in the Adv. Options dialog
    • You can also update your settings by opting into the Steam Lab

June 22, 2021 Patch

  • Removed the disconnect reason from the message when players leave the server

June 21, 2022 Patch

  • Fixed an exploit related to clearing the in-game text chat

August 31, 2023 Patch

Bugs

  • On certain resolutions, party chat shrinks every time a player opens and closes it.
  • If a message consisting of the maximum amount of spaces is sent, the next few chat message will appear in full white, rather than in the team colour.[1]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. Video showing off text colour bug.