Admin Chat

**BigHub** · 10-09-08, 09:18 PM

So I was playing TF2 and I typed in the admin only chat... The text pops up huge in the middle of the screen. Is it possible to make it smaller and show up in the bottom left kind of like mani?

**DJ Ms. White** · 10-09-08, 09:22 PM

Errr...given my stint with TF2 admin powers was a bit of a mistake, but I distinctly recall the admin text (which is what alerted me to the mistake) being in the lower left corner of the screen.

**Ewok** · 10-09-08, 11:17 PM

It shows up both in the middle of the screen and in the lower left chat area. The middle of the screen was added to make sure the other admins saw it, as there were complaints that some admins were not noticing some of the messages and this way that can't happen.

It's a little jarring at first, but once you get used to it, it works out rather well and guarantees you're aware of every admin conversation.

**Bulletshell** · 10-10-08, 12:20 AM

any way to change the color of admin only text to say like red or something? so that newer admins can seperate between admin only text and god text as they look very similer when they are sent.

**Ewok** · 10-10-08, 10:00 AM

not in DoD or CSS, but yes in TF2.

For some reason even though DoD was ported to the orange-box, they never implemented the newer style of HUD-text-display that allows colors (TF2 does). Instead it just sticks to the old white-only text display of CSS.

Since we have color control, in TF2 we have the following colors:
1) Blue for rotating server messages
2) Red for god-chat
3) Green for admin-chat

(More accurately the text is at first rendered as the above color and then transitions to white in .5 seconds; we found out that staying in the original color (like Red) caused issues where it blended in with the surrounding in-game textures. White didn't do this, so that's the destination color once we get people's attention with the original color).

If DoDS or CSS ever switched to supporting the newer style HUD text display, I'd totally make use of it. In the meantime, admin chat has the name of the player who said it in front so that there is a textual difference bewteen admin-chat and god-chat.

Example:
Got chat:
Ewok types in normal chat "@ Campers will be banned"
Everyone sees "Campers will be banned"
Admin chat:
Ewok types in team chat "@ Can someone spec ImUpToNoGood to see if he's hacking?"
Only admins see "Ewok: Can someone spec ImUpToNoGood to see if he's hacking?"