MenaceInc
Staff Member
Something that a lot of you may not be aware of is that MforMature actually has it's own Mumble server. It hasn't had many people on it since it launched, mainly when members of MfM have been playing Left 4 Dead 2 or Team Fortress 2.
Now you may be wondering, "What is Mumble?". Well, it's a low latency VoIP application that can be installed on Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux. It also doesn't charge a license fee for hosting the server unlike Teamspeak or Ventrillo which allows communities like ours to benefit.
I know what you're thinking, "Sounds great, where do I get it?". Well, in this guide, I'll walk through the setup of Mumble so that you can join in.
What you'll need:
*The Mumble setup file
* A microphone/headset
You can grab the Mumble setup file here [Mumble setup].
As for a microphone or headset, you can get them at many high street retailers but what I would personally recommend is the Plantronics 377 headset [Plantronics 377's on Amazon.co.uk]
[Installation]
Installation is fairly easy so I won't be covering it in great detail. Most users can just hit enter for the default options since there's nothing optional included with the setup like toolbars. It does allow you to change the install directory or the start menu folder if you need to.
[Making a certificate]
The first screen you come across when you run Mumble for the first time is the Audio Wizard prompt. You can just click no since you can configure this in the Windows Control Panel.
This next bit is important since it helps identify you to the Mumble server. What we're going to do is make a self-signed certificate which means that there's no password to lose or forget. Just click on "Create a new certificate" and then hit Next.
The next screen will ask you for for your name and email address however this aren't necessary. They are useful for extra security though.
The certificate you are making will be used to verify your identity for connecting to the server. Best make a backup of it incase you need to reinstall. Just click Save As to choose where to save the backup to. In my example I chose my Desktop.
[Adding the MfM server]
Now to the interesting stuff. You'll be presented with a list of Mumble servers worldwide. What we're interested in is adding our server. So click on the Add New button.
You'll be asked for server details so just fill out the box as such.
For the example, I used David as my username.
You'll now be brought back to the server browser window and MforMature will be added and ready to connect to. Firstly though, we need to setup a few things in the client to ensure that everyone isn't mic spammed by accident. For now, click on Cancel.
[Setting up the client]
Mumble by default is set to use voice activation which most of the time works fine but no one wants to hear breathing into the microphone when they're trying to listen for enemies. So we're going to enable Push-to-Talk. Click on Configure and then settings. On the first page should be a drop down box so click on it and select Push To Talk.
Then click on Shortcuts on the left side. On this screen just hit on add and it'll add an Unassigned shortcut. Click on Unassigned and this will show a drop down box so select Push-to-Talk.
You'll have to set a button to be able to actually use the shortcut so click on the area below shortcut and press your desired key. I would recommend Alt since it's not used for anything in most games and you can easily hit it with your thumb while your hand is over WASD but it's completely up to you.
Another really useful feature of Mumble is the fact that it has an Overlay. It pops up in the corner of your game screen and shows you who is talking. Unfortunately by default it shows everyone connected and yourself. You should configure it to show only who's talking and take yourself away from the list. You can do this by clicking the Overlay section on the left and selecting/deselecting the options.
While you're in the settings, you may want to change the layout to a more compact version. Click on User Interface on the left section and click on Stacked. From here you can also choose a custom skin if you want.
One last thing you may want to turn off is Text-To-Speech. It can get really annoying with a lot of text being pasted into the chat log. Click on Configure, then untick Text-To-Speech.
[Connecting to the server]
Now that the client is setup all nice and proper, it's now time to connect and chat. Click on Server and then Connect. Select MforMature as the server and then hit Connect.
The next screen may be a bit alarming but it's nothing to be worried about. It's just that we self-signed our server certificate. Click on Yes.
Again, the next screen may seem worrying but it's nothing to worry about. It'll ask you for the password to the server. It's the usual MforMature private server password.
For the purpose of moderation, I hope you understand that I don't give it out here but if you just ask a member of Staff or even come onto the IRC and we'll be able to help you.
Once that's done you're connected! To go into a channel you just double click the channel name. One last thing you will want to do is register your username. You can do this by right clicking your name and clicking on Register.
[Chat]
There's nothing else to it really. Just jump on and have a chat.
Now you may be wondering, "What is Mumble?". Well, it's a low latency VoIP application that can be installed on Windows, Mac OS X and GNU/Linux. It also doesn't charge a license fee for hosting the server unlike Teamspeak or Ventrillo which allows communities like ours to benefit.
I know what you're thinking, "Sounds great, where do I get it?". Well, in this guide, I'll walk through the setup of Mumble so that you can join in.
What you'll need:
*The Mumble setup file
* A microphone/headset
You can grab the Mumble setup file here [Mumble setup].
As for a microphone or headset, you can get them at many high street retailers but what I would personally recommend is the Plantronics 377 headset [Plantronics 377's on Amazon.co.uk]
[Installation]
Installation is fairly easy so I won't be covering it in great detail. Most users can just hit enter for the default options since there's nothing optional included with the setup like toolbars. It does allow you to change the install directory or the start menu folder if you need to.
[Making a certificate]
The first screen you come across when you run Mumble for the first time is the Audio Wizard prompt. You can just click no since you can configure this in the Windows Control Panel.
This next bit is important since it helps identify you to the Mumble server. What we're going to do is make a self-signed certificate which means that there's no password to lose or forget. Just click on "Create a new certificate" and then hit Next.
The next screen will ask you for for your name and email address however this aren't necessary. They are useful for extra security though.
The certificate you are making will be used to verify your identity for connecting to the server. Best make a backup of it incase you need to reinstall. Just click Save As to choose where to save the backup to. In my example I chose my Desktop.
[Adding the MfM server]
Now to the interesting stuff. You'll be presented with a list of Mumble servers worldwide. What we're interested in is adding our server. So click on the Add New button.
You'll be asked for server details so just fill out the box as such.
Servername: MforMature
Address: 174.36.220.121
Port: 64738 (This should be filled out already)
Username: Whatever you want
Address: 174.36.220.121
Port: 64738 (This should be filled out already)
Username: Whatever you want
You'll now be brought back to the server browser window and MforMature will be added and ready to connect to. Firstly though, we need to setup a few things in the client to ensure that everyone isn't mic spammed by accident. For now, click on Cancel.
[Setting up the client]
Mumble by default is set to use voice activation which most of the time works fine but no one wants to hear breathing into the microphone when they're trying to listen for enemies. So we're going to enable Push-to-Talk. Click on Configure and then settings. On the first page should be a drop down box so click on it and select Push To Talk.
Then click on Shortcuts on the left side. On this screen just hit on add and it'll add an Unassigned shortcut. Click on Unassigned and this will show a drop down box so select Push-to-Talk.
You'll have to set a button to be able to actually use the shortcut so click on the area below shortcut and press your desired key. I would recommend Alt since it's not used for anything in most games and you can easily hit it with your thumb while your hand is over WASD but it's completely up to you.
Another really useful feature of Mumble is the fact that it has an Overlay. It pops up in the corner of your game screen and shows you who is talking. Unfortunately by default it shows everyone connected and yourself. You should configure it to show only who's talking and take yourself away from the list. You can do this by clicking the Overlay section on the left and selecting/deselecting the options.
While you're in the settings, you may want to change the layout to a more compact version. Click on User Interface on the left section and click on Stacked. From here you can also choose a custom skin if you want.
One last thing you may want to turn off is Text-To-Speech. It can get really annoying with a lot of text being pasted into the chat log. Click on Configure, then untick Text-To-Speech.
[Connecting to the server]
Now that the client is setup all nice and proper, it's now time to connect and chat. Click on Server and then Connect. Select MforMature as the server and then hit Connect.
The next screen may be a bit alarming but it's nothing to be worried about. It's just that we self-signed our server certificate. Click on Yes.
Again, the next screen may seem worrying but it's nothing to worry about. It'll ask you for the password to the server. It's the usual MforMature private server password.
For the purpose of moderation, I hope you understand that I don't give it out here but if you just ask a member of Staff or even come onto the IRC and we'll be able to help you.
Once that's done you're connected! To go into a channel you just double click the channel name. One last thing you will want to do is register your username. You can do this by right clicking your name and clicking on Register.
[Chat]
There's nothing else to it really. Just jump on and have a chat.
+rep