TeamSpeak 3 Guide

 

Introduction

As clans have evolved, voice software quickly replaced in-game calling. As this became more widespread, clans started to make it mandatory for their members to have it. Now you will rarely see a clan that doesn't use it (or any sort of voice software). So you shouldn't be too surprised if your clan has a similar policy. This guide will outline the basics of Teamspeak 3 so that you won't have to worry about anything trying to figure them out yourself.

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System Requirements

Windows

• Windows 2000, XP, 2003, 2008, Vista or 7
• Intel Pentium III, AMD Athlon XP, or any newer CPU (recommended: 800 MHz or faster)
• 128 MB of system memory (recommended: 512 MB or more)
• 50 MB of disk space
• DirectX 8.1 (available at http://www.microsoft.com/directx)
• Internet connection
• Speakers

Mac OS X

• Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) or newer
• Mac computer with PowerPC G4/G5 or Intel processor (recommended: 800 MHz or faster)
• 128 MB of system memory (recommended: 512 MB or more)
• 75 MB of disk space
• Internet connection
• Speakers

Linux

• A reasonably modern Linux environment with libstdc++6. Note that Linux distributors may provide packages which have different requirements.
• Intel Pentium III, AMD Athlon XP, or any newer CPU (recommended: 800 MHz or faster)
• 128 MB of system memory (recommended: 512 MB or more)
• 25 MB of disk space
• X11 desktop environment (e.g. GNOME or KDE)
• Internet connection
• Speakers

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Downloading

Before you use a program, you have to download it. So if you haven't downloaded it yet, you can do so here: http://www.teamspeak.com/?page=downloads

Choosing the client option is most appropriate for you since the server option is only for servers that you want to run the Teamspeak 3 server.

You will also notice that there are multiple options. What you need to do is figure out if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system. (On a Mac you do not need to do this and just need to download the Client option shown below the Windows menu)

To find this information on Windows do the following: Start Menu -> right-click on Computer/My Computer -> Properties
If it's on your desktop, right-click My Computer and click 'Properties'

A screen will come up with information about your system. What you are looking for is 'system type' which will indicate either a 64-bit or 32-bit system. This will show you which one you need to download from the page.

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Joining a Server

When you first start up the program, you will come to a screen that looks like the following:

You can connect one of two ways: using bookmarks or connecting using the connect tab. I recommend connecting through bookmarks if you use the server often, so you don't have to type it in manually.

Before I move on you will need to understand how a Teamspeak server address works. The first set of numbers will be the IP address. The second set after a colon will be the port.

eg. 127.0.0.1:80

127.0.0.1 would be the IP address and 80 would be the port. This will vary because this information is specific to each Teamspeak server!

Clicking the Bookmarks tab will give a dropdown of the Teamspeak servers that are currently bookmarked.

To add a Bookmark either click 'Add to Bookmarks' or 'Bookmark Manager'. Either option will bring up a screen that will allow you to add specific servers to your dropdown list. For this information you will need to contact your leadership team. Once you click OK it will be added to the dropdown list, so you can access the server by clicking on it. To join in a new tab, simply right-click and it will give that option on a further dropdown menu.

An example is shown below:
(Note that you will not have all those servers added. I just used an example using mine. However, that's what your bookmark manager will look like with multiple Teamspeaks added. Notice how you will always have the first Teamspeak added. That's the official Teamspeak 3 server. You can always remove it at your leisure, but it comes default with every Teamspeak installation.)

Using the Connections option will work as well, however you will not be able to save servers on a dropdown menu for quick access. Clicking Connect under the Connections dropdown will bring up a screen for connecting to a server. You will have to input the same information as before (Address and Port). After this information has been added, you can either click Connect to join the server or In new tab to connect to the server in a new tab.

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Registering and Server Groups

Registering can give you many perks - whether it's being able to join without entering the server password everytime or being able to join new channels. However with Teamspeak 3, you no longer need to create an account. Instead, whenever you install Teamspeak, each installation has a unique ID. So, whenever you are added to groups, any server group you are added to is attached to your unique ID. So in a nutshell, you will have the same permissions if you use the same computer. All you need to do is be given the appropriate server group and you're good to go. If you wish to browse the same server on a different computer, you are going to need to be given the server group again. But don't worry, you will still have the server group on the other computer as well!

There will be varied server groups depending on the server you join, but the basic groups are the following:

• Server Admin - These are users who can perform any action on the server such as kicking/banning users, managing server/channel groups or channel management.
• Normal - These are often changed to reflect the server (eg. if it's a clan server it might be changed to 'Member') This group is mainly for giving users extra access that guests don't such as switching to certain channels and ignoring the server password.
• Guest - Once you join the server you will be given this group. Permissions are varied but generally limited depending on the server.
• Admin ServerQuery - This is a group that the server owner can acquire via ServerQuery or telnet. They can perform functions above and beyond regular server admins. However, this group is only used when these type of permissions are required.

In addition to Server Groups there is another category called Channel Groups. These groups are specific to the channel that a user is in. Say there's two channels. One called Channel1 and another called Channel2. If a user is granted a channel group in Channel1 and they join Channel2, they will not have the same channel group or have the powers attached to it. Powers are varied from server to server, but here's a rough understanding of what they are.

• Channel Admin - These users can edit a channel and kick users from the channel that they're in.
• Operator - These users have a higher talk power and can give other users voice if a channel is moderated.

You can also be given server groups through permission tokens. A server admin has to create a specific token for a specific group. If you are given a token to use, you just have to simply click on the 'Permissions' menu. On the dropdown list go to the bottom and click 'Use Privilege Key'. A menu will come up prompting you to enter the key. Just simply copy and paste your key into the box then press OK. You should now have your new server group.

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Setting Up Your Headset

Speaking through a headset or a microphone is the primary use for Teamspeak communication. The ease of relaying information through speech is mirrored by ease in setting it up.

What you should do first is plug in your headset/microphone in the microphone slot. Should you have a USB headset, you can just instead plug it into a USB port.

When you have done that, open up Teamspeak and go to Tools->Options. Here a menu will appear. On the left panel select 'Capture'.

What you may need to change is Capture Device in the dropdown menu. Sometimes it's already selected, sometimes it isn't. It's always best to check if it's the correct one, however.

There will also be various options such as 'Push-to-Talk', 'Continuous Transmission' and 'Voice Activation Detection'. If you are in a loud area or are using speakers, I would recommend push to talk so that your headset will only activate whenever you press a specific key. Continuous transmission isn't recommended for regular conversation because it often is disruptive to others who are talking. If you are running a talk show or a radio, however, it may be better to use this option. Voice activation detection should be used only if you are in a quiet area. With this option your headset automatically activates once you are loud enough. The slider to the right of this option will adjust how sensitive it is to sound. This is helpful to a lot of users who don't want to be bothered by pressing keys whenever they want to talk.

You can test each by pressing the 'Begin Test' button.

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Text Chat

Once you connect to a server you will notice messages at the bottom. If you join a channel you will notice another box shows up. Depending on your permissions, you can communicate with the server, the channel you're in or specific users.

In the server tab (usually the most left) you will receive both messages from the server such as error messages or connection messages and messages for the whole server. You can open a text chat with a specific user by either double-clicking on them or right-clicking and clicking 'Open Text Chat'.

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Contact List

With Teamspeak 3, you are able to friend and ignore users. This works very much the same way as the Friends and Ignore list in RuneScape. If you add someone to your friends list, they will show up as green on the Teamspeak window. If they change their name, it will have the same name that they had when you first added them beside their name in square brackets. This is useful if someone changes their name a lot. Blocking them will block all communication with them including speech.

If you want to remove someone from either of these lists you can go to Tools->Contacts. Right-click them and click 'Remove'.

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User Options

If you right-click on any user on the server there will be various options available to you. Some of them you will have access to, some of them you will not. Sometimes they will be greyed out which means you do not have permissions to use that option. However, in the case of kicking or banning it may not be greyed out, but when you try and perform the action an error message will show up at the bottom stating that you do not have permission to do so.

• Open Text Chat - Opens a text chat with the user at the bottom. (Please see the Text Chat section for more information)
• Poke Client - This sends a user a popup message on their Teamspeak 3 client and sends a sound notification. This is usually fairly disruptive so try and keep these to a minimum.
• Make a Complaint - This sends a complaint to the complaint section that only server admins will have access to. This works similarly to the report button on message boards. Server admins can access this by going to Tools -> Complaints List.
• Change Volume - Is a user hard to hear? Are they too loud? This option will change the volume of that user for you. Note that this change will not affect how other users hear them; this option only changes it for how you hear them. This is also permanent until you choose to change it.
• Change Description - A description is a textfield that you can add to yourself should you desire to. Server admins have the option for editing others descriptions should it be offensive.
• Priority Speaker - Server admins are able to assign users to be priority speakers. Users with this option on are heard more louder above other users when they speak. Grant Talk Power - Server admins (or those with permission) are able to grant talk power to users if a channel is moderated. (Please see the moderating section for more information)
• Add as Friends/Blocked - Explained in Contacts section.
• Set Server Groups/Channel Groups - A server admin is able to assign groups using this menu.
• Permissions - You are able to edit a specific user's permissions using this.
• Kick Client from Channel - Server/channel admins can kick users from a specific channel to the lobby using this option.
• Kick Client from Server - Server admins can kick a client from the Teamspeak server using this option.
• Ban Client - Server admins can ban a client from the server with this option. (Please see section Banning for more information)
• Mute Client - If a user is bugging you, you can mute them using this option. It does not mute them for everyone else, but it does mute them for you. This is permanent until you decide to unmute them.
• Client Connection Info - Server admins can find out more information about a specific user such as their IP address and connection info.

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Moderating a Channel

Sometimes during clan fights or if you just want to announce something important, you can moderate a channel by allowing only specific users to speak.

To do this, right-click a channel and click 'Edit Channel'.

A screen similar to that will show up. What you are looking for is the value in 'Needed Talk Power' under the 'Moderation' box. Take note of what talk power your server groups have. By default, server/channel admins have a talk power value of 75. Make sure as a general rule to set it somewhere below that. If you set the required talk power to 76 for example, no server admin will be able to talk as well.

Sometimes specific users might want to talk. You can allow them to talk by simply right-clicking on them and clicking 'Grant Talk Power'.

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Banning

Problem users can happen anywhere so it's important that you know what to do with them. If you want to ban a user, then you need to know how to do it.

To ban a user from your server, you will need to right-click on them and click 'Ban Client'. Here a popup box will appear.

Here you can give a reason for the ban as well as set duration. You can set the duration anywhere between a few seconds to permanently.

What if you need to unban a user? Simply go to Tools->Ban List. This will list all of the bans on the server. To remove a ban, just click on one of the bans listed and remove it. Note that users are listed under their client ID so it may be confusing on whose ban it is. That's why I recommend adding usernames in the ban reason.

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Recording TeamSpeak

Should you want to record teamspeak, you can do so by going to Tools and selecting 'Start Recording' from the dropdown menu. You will receive a further menu asking where you wish the recording to be placed. To stop recording at any time select the 'Stop Recording' option within the Tools menu.

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Credits

Original Guide by: Killerred005

Last updated by: tripsis

Last updated on: 22-Oct-2011