Hello!
We just put out our first post release patch (version 1.4.8) out on Steam. It will take a little while to make its way onto other platforms.
This update should fix an issue some players were having with voices sounding quieter than they should.
Q: What was wrong before?
Some players' voices were much quieter than intended, even when standing up close. Not everyone was affected, but we understand that many people were.
Q: What is different now?
The game now does a much better job of bringing players with quiet microphone setups up to the intended volume.
This effect can take a moment to calibrate, so if a new player seems quiet for a moment, get them to keep talking for a few seconds.
Overall this makes most players' voices louder, especially players whose voices were extra quiet before.
If you had your volume turned up very high to hear other players speaking, you should be able to bring it back down now.
Q: Why weren't you doing this before?
We had some systems in place to do this before, but they weren't doing a good enough job for quieter microphone setups.
Q: Why didn't you catch this before release?
We've had many people play Big Walk before release using their own microphone setups, and none of them were particularly affected by this issue. There are now hundreds of thousands of people playing Big Walk, so people are finding issues we've never seen before. Sorry!
Q: Will I be able to hear players from further away now?
Yes and no.
This change makes quiet voices louder overall, so you will be louder up close, and louder at a medium distance. If you were affected by the issue, you'll probably find talking at a medium distance much more comfortable now.
However we have not changed the distance at which voices drop off. We consider it an important part of the game's design that you can only hear players who are close to you. This distance is quite specific and shapes the dynamics of the game, the same way that a character's jump height might be very specific in a platforming game.
Q: Will you change anything else about voice (such as new features, settings)?
Maybe, we aren't sure yet.
We consider this change to be the single most important fix regarding voice volume, and we hope it brings many more players' experiences in line with our intended experience of the game. We are a very small team, and we want to make sure we get each change right, so we will need to take things one step at a time.
Q: I tried the new version and I'm still having voice issues
Let us know! We are always very happy to get player feedback. We don't have a dedicated media person who can reply to Steam forum posts (sorry!), but we'll be reading this thread and taking notes.
Q: Are you going to fix other things too?
Yes. This won't be our last patch. We appreciate your patience.