Posts from Get off Aski.

I've been using Discord for quite a while, alongside ICQ, and haven't noticed any drawbacks. Regarding the usefulness of message history: I often needed to access chat logs with players, sometimes going back more than a year (both for in-game and judging purposes). In QIP, they were simply stored on the computer as text files and couldn't be lost. If Slack has problems with this, then Discord seems like a better option.

In the live experiment, Discord wins, literally in just 1 day, 50 people have already registered in the HeroesWorld channel http://www.heroesworld.ru/discord, compared to 13 in Slack over the same period.

I read more about Discord, and it actually looks like a very good option for the purpose that was set in this thread, namely, p2p communication during games, so it can quite possibly replace ICQ.

There is even a brief comparison with other options such as Skype, TeamSpeak, and CurseVoice, where it has a number of advantages.


Compared to Slack, it is also more suitable for the area in which we want to use it https://www.chanty.com/blog/discord-vs-slack/, even though it is essentially a copy of Slack adapted for gamers.

It also turned out that it is possible to display a widget with a list of online participants directly on HW, which can be done later, and there are also various software integration options, which are also very interesting and can be used for good.

The ice has broken, esteemed jurors.

I'll install Discord today and see what it's all about.

And yet, Ichroman even wrote the topic title not in Russian. In Russian: "from ICQ." p.s. Discord didn't appeal to me at all. It has some kind of "Facebook feel," where you can't understand anything without clicking every button.

I'm all for Telegram. It's lightweight, fast, minimalist, and has no issues with synchronization or history.

I only use ICQ to communicate with Heroes of Might and Magic players, but it's not that bad. At least, when choosing between Viber/WhatsApp, I prefer ICQ.
And Skype, in my opinion, is the worst option compared to anything else. I have to use it, and it's just a constant headache, and it only gets worse with each update.

Personally, I think ICQ was great for individual communication between players. There's web.icq.com, which also stores the entire history, and there's the option for calls, including video calls. The fact that some people don't have access to this service in its standard form is not a reason to switch to another client. In 2019, using Tor or any VPN is not even a problem; it's almost laughable. Discord is not bad, but I agree with Lizard, who wrote above, that the feeling of Facebook doesn't disappear when you use Discord, and let's be honest, it's more designed as a general chat than as a client for individual communication. Therefore, I suggest keeping Discord, Slack, and other platforms, but also not touching ICQ and assigning it the status of the basic client. Let's consider this a tribute to the traditions of this forum.

Tried to objectively evaluate the options from the perspective of new players. One huge advantage of Discord compared to other options (except Slack, but even with it, the process is a bit longer) is the speed at which a new player can start using it. For Discord: 1) Click on the link 2) Enter a nickname 3) Enter an email and confirm it 4) Gain access to all player contacts and be able to send them messages directly, without having to search for contacts, add them, or install any clients. What problems did I notice with ICQ when I tried to use it (I tried to enter my UIN and password, but they didn't work anymore, so I started from scratch): 1) You need to install a client (the official client already offers to enter a phone number right away), or you can log in using UIN, email, but only if it exists and works, and the most interesting thing is that now you can only register by phone: https://icq.com/join/ru 2) I couldn't figure out how to add an email with a regular password so that I wouldn't have to use my phone every time in the program. Apparently, this needs to be done through the ICQ website, and I'm not sure a new user would want to deal with that. 3) And then the list of contacts is empty, now you need to add contacts, another step, I didn't check how this works now, I hope there are no problems with this, but nevertheless, this is another action. The new official ICQ client, by the way, has now become a copy of Telegram in terms of appearance. What problems does Telegram have: 1) Tied to a phone number. 2) You need to install a client, yes, there are web versions, but the connection to the phone is still significant, see the next point. 3) Adding contacts, to find and add a contact in Telegram, you need the phone number to be in the phone's address book, only then will it appear in the search. I have repeatedly encountered this problem when adding someone new if I didn't have their phone number. It was generally impossible to add a contact from the computer client until the phone was added to the address book. Therefore, from the point of view of development, Discord simplifies the process for beginners. ICQ is conservatism, yes, it works when you have a UIN and have been using it for 20 years and know every button, all contacts are added, and you don't need to do anything anymore except send messages. But for new users, this is again a connection to a phone and new lists of contacts. Telegram is great and modern, but it has even more ties to the phone, which creates additional barriers. -- In the context of attracting new players, the HotA community on Discord has over 1800 users, and HeroesWorld tournaments will now be announced there. For new players from there, in order to participate, they won't need to do anything for communication, since they are already registered on Discord. But if we have a mandatory different client, this could become a certain barrier, and we will simply be bypassed just because of the client, since this is an additional action, when the trend is that many want there to be one magic button and everything is simple, otherwise they won't use it.

p.s. Discord didn't appeal to me at all. It has some kind of "Facebook feel," where you can't understand anything without clicking every button.

I disagree.
It has a very minimalist style and a lot of functionality. Isn't it better than a bunch of buttons and icons?! You just need to get used to it and put in a little effort, as with any other program... :D

Discord isn't bad, but I agree with Lizard, who wrote above, that the "Facebook feel" doesn't go away when you use Discord, and let's be honest, it's more designed as a general chat than as a client for individual communication.

I didn't see such a "bias" towards a general chat... :smile32:

And isn't Telegram periodically subjected to crackdowns? I've had instances where it wouldn't launch on my computer.

It shouldn't launch without a VPN. Even with it, it doesn't always work.

Didn't they fail to block Telegram in Russia and temporarily abandon the effort? I thought it was practically freely accessible now. This year, they are supposed to allocate $300 million to launch a project to identify hidden traffic and block Telegram without harming other platforms. Because a blanket IP ban affected everyone except Telegram itself, which, by the way, always found other ways around it, including using VPNs.

I mean, choosing a controversial project as a platform might not be the best idea. If you can't block it now, you might be able to later (you never know).

Attention! For all users who use QIP as their ICQ client! ICQ works in QIP! To make everything work, go to Settings - Accounts..., select your UIN, and click the "Configure" button. Then, check the box next to "Use the new authorization scheme," then click "Apply" and "OK"!