TeamSpeak advice -- a different key?

[Michael Hopcroft]

Last weekend I was in my first FG session and voice activation on TeamSpeak was not working with my webcam. So to get it to work I ended up mapping the activation key to F1.

TeamSpeak worked fine for that session, but the next time I tried to use it for a conversation the choice of key wreaked havoc on a whole bunch of other programs I had open (and was referring to_) at the the same time. especially Firefox, which opened a new tab every time I hit the F1 yet to talk and eventually crashed.

Add to that that F1 is perhaps the single most popular choice for a hotkey in virtually any campaign and you have a recipe for potential chaos.

Now I have a normal keyboard. The only "special keys" are intended to control media functions. There are only four of them and they are mapped out in the driver for the keyboard (for the record, it's an Amazon Basics USB keyboard that I got for convenience sake). But I really need to find a way to get TeamSpeak to work and I'm at a loss.

What do those without dedicated keyboards generally do? And is there a way to get voice activation to work reliably so I can have my hands free to type and play (incluidng those dreaded hotkeys)?

[Nickademus]

I use Right Ctrl. I find that I only use Left Ctrl for all my typing needs so the right one never gets touched. I haven't had a conflict with programs using the Ctrl key either.

[Blacky]

I'm using Voice activation and a hotkey auto mute toggle. I got the reflex to mute myself when I don't talk, so that voice activation doesn't detect my screaming at cats, chair noises, lighting a smoke and so on.

I'm using as a Teamspeak "hotkey" a lateral mouse button (Mouse5 in my case), the one just under the thumb. Very fast and efficient.

[Michael Hopcroft]

I'm using as a Teamspeak "hotkey" a lateral mouse button (Mouse5 in my case), the one just under the thumb. Very fast and efficient.

That must be an interesting mouse.

I've been curious about gaming keyboards, but don't play enough shooters or MMOs to make it a truly worthwhile investment. And a gaming mouse? What would I do with it?

[Griogre]

I've always found the Scroll Lock key works well as a push to talk key on the keyboard. It's typically only used by spreadsheets. Nickademus' suggestion isn't bad either though I would suggest right Alt instead, of Ctrl since Ctrl negates some things in FG. I agree with Blacky, that probably the most easy and convenient button to use for push to talk is an extra button on the mouse if you have one, since your hand is always there.

And my personal TeamSpeak setup is exactly like his, except scroll lock being my mute button. Because I usually GM I find voice activated to be best because I will talk and type at the same time, but when I play, and things get noisy, then push to talk is better.

[Blacky]

That must be an interesting mouse.
I've been curious about gaming keyboards, but don't play enough shooters or MMOs to make it a truly worthwhile investment. And a gaming mouse? What would I do with it?
It's an older (but still better than almost any mouse out there) Logitech MX518. Nothing fancy, just mouse4&5 under the thumb (usable for everything, by default it's a back&forward you can use in a web browser, windows manager, etc.) and adjustable speed&precision around the wheel; but it has a very good optic scanner (precise and doesn't fumble under acceleration).

Having more mouse buttons can be used in any number of softwares when you do something a lot. Back&forward or tab browsing is a common usage, but it can be anything you want with half decent drivers.

Gaming mouses can be way too much and overpriced and mostly ugly, but some of them have a reasonable price and a very good scanner. Yes they are sold for gaming, but in fact are good for anything else requiring some precision (like fast moving around 2 or 3 screens, or delicate image manipulation).

If you don't need much, for a basic usage nowadays the Logitech corded M500 is well designed and cheap. At $25 it more expensive than a random noname, but it will last longer and be more efficient. Something better and more expensive (like a G500, somewhat successor to the MX series) would allow more buttons, but more importantly a better driver, adjustable internal weights, a much better scanner, on the fly mouse profiles, and so on. Check serious sites for reviews.

[Laramie Wall]

My table uses teamspeak, and we all have voice activated mics. Works great. Last session, we all kept hearing a tictictic randomly, and realized it was after one player joined. We asked him if he was hearing it. No. "Well, then it's you".
"Can't be, mic only comes on when I hit the space bar."
How often do you use that when you're typing?"

Long pause.

...."Shut up"

[Blacky]

It all depend on the hardware, some on the software (Windows settings and drivers), the environment, etc.

I personnaly finds that a good Voice Detection coupled with a fast auto-mute/unmute works the best for me, but that's me.

[Michael Hopcroft]

Voice activation might be a better fit for my purposes, but my apartment might not cooperate. It's a bit noisy here -- the building is right on one of the busier arteries between Portland and its western suburbs.