This
week I was given the opportunity to do a hands-on
test of a new gaming application – href="http://www.say2play.com/">Say2Play.

Say2Play
is, as you would guess by the name, a voice
command application that allows you to speak commands rather than type
or click
them with the mouse.  It
is a front end
application that has many preloaded templates, including one for each
version
of WoW. It is available for free download with a seven day trial
period. If you
elect to buy, it retails for 29.95. For the game performance crowd I am
happy
to report no noticeable slow down of the WoW client while this app was
loaded.

 

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src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/71041"
alt="s2pwebsite.png" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_0"
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The website is easy to navigate and mirrors the look of the app itself.
Easy download right on the main page. One thing I really liked about
the install and set up portion was the install wizard grabbed every
missing piece of software off the web for me, one click installs
rule.  Once it was installed it was off to setup the
microphone and tune it to the application.



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alt="s2paudiowiz.png" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1"
style="border: 0px solid ; width: 550px; height: 395px;">The
quality of your microphone will have a huge bearing on your experience
with this program. If you have the means, I highly recommend getting
the best headset you can afford. With the proliferation of voice chat
apps such as href="www.ventrilo.com">Ventrilo
that most guilds employ, it is money well spent. We can tell when you
have a crappy mic; it sounds like you’re playing in a wind
tunnel.  Ok, off the soap box and back to the review. Once
your microphone is calibrated, it’s time to launch the app
and get a feel for it. 

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Scrolling
through the apps you will find a huge number of titles available. The
list really is impressive, even to the most jaded of gamers like me
(The Fallout3 app is freaking incredible as well!).

After selecting the WotLK app from the list you will enter the main
screen.

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The grey icons along the bottom are your control buttons for navigating
the features. I like the integration of the World of Warcraft official
website as well as the consumer friendly purchase options along the
right side. On the very bottom is the display for which module is
loaded, if the mic is active or muted, and the last recognized voice
command.  If you are having trouble in game with your commands
alt-tabbing to this screen should be your first step in diagnosing the
issue.  A simple glance at the last command bar will tell you
what the software is hearing.



You can load and go with Say 2 Play and enjoy a ton of conveniences
right out of the gate. With commands already present for swapping
hotbars, targeting party and raid members, jumping, autorun, casting
any hot keyed spell on your hotbars and much much more.

 

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style="">To get the true power of this program
however you need to customize it and tie it to your in game
macros.  Creating a new voice command has some learning curve
but if you have mastered macro making and key binding in the WoW
client, then it will be a short one

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With the sheer number of bindings available in WoW, especially with a
hotbar addon like Bartender, you can add a ton of new voice commands.
Pairing your key binds with macros can add a ton of
functionality.  An example of this was found on the forums as
well as in an email I received from Say 2 Play’s community
manager


style="font-style: italic;">When you are typing in a
new key binding and you have more than one keyboard action you use a;
to separate the keys. Let’s say you have the spell Frost
Armor bound to the 5th slot on your 6th Hotbar.In order to execute that
spell you must stop what you're doing and type Shift+6 and 5 to execute
it and then Shift+1 to get back to your main Hotbar.



style="font-style: italic;">With Say2Play you don't
even touch the keyboard, you simply say Frost Armor.



style="font-style: italic;">You can use Say2Play to
run your prebuilt macros in your game or you can build your
multi-command macros with Say2Play by just separating each key with a;
in the Say2Play customization screen. (The example above would look
like this: Shift+6;5;Shift+1)



style="font-style: italic;">To setup this command
follow these instructions:



style="font-style: italic;">Open the appropriate game
template, Click the customization icon and then click the + to add a
new command. Type in Frost Armor, then tab over to the key binding side
and hold down Shift and hit 6, type a ; then a 5 then another ; and
finally hold down Shift and hit 1 then click away from the input
windows (You can't Tab or Esc out from here because it will think you
wanted to add that key as a command). Click the A to Save As a new
template (you can't overwrite the default) give your new template a
name and hit enter to save it. In the lower left hand corner it shows
the current loaded template; click on the drop down box to the right
and select the template you just built so it's now the loaded template

.

All in all, I found this program to be rock solid in its execution and
the interface is slick and easy to use.  I have tested it in
PvE soloing, PvP and PvE raiding and have found uses for it in all
facets of the game. While I personally do not use it for anything super
critical in a raid situation such as actual spell casting, I have found
that it is a great tool for targeting, assisting and speeding up many
of the mundane things I do during a raid. In PvP it was pretty
remarkable in helping my overall speed in combat by allowing me to keep
my hands focused on movement and spell casting while I used the voice
application to speed my shape shifting and assist/targeting
functions.  Perhaps if I played a DPS role in raiding it would
further expand its usefulness. The main drawback for me in Say 2 Play
is the speed of voice recognition compared to my perceived hand speed,
but this is no way a slight on this app. It has the fastest recognition
I have ever used and its failure rate was so miniscule I was completely
blown away. 



Say 2 Play is a great tool to help enhance your gaming experience that
when used properly can feel like a third hand. Like all new additions
to an established routine it does take some getting used to and small
increases in its implementation make the transitions much
smoother. 



After several  sessions with this software it has become
almost second nature to me and I find myself adding more and more
commands to help me in all situations.  It really is limited
only by your imagination.  Kudos to the guys and gals at Say 2
Play for a great app.



While I don’t feel this software will be received well by all
levels of WoW gamers, I think those that are comfortable with advanced
key binds and incorporate macros already in their game play will find
it a great addition to their arsenals.  Until next week , stay
safe and have fun in Azeroth!



[protip]Deleting the preset voice commands that you don’t use
will free up system resources and make it more concise as it
doesn’t have to listen for as many items[/protip]



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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

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