Chat channels and their reach, slash commands, speech bubbles, spam limits, and what you can change about the chat box.
Chat
Every world has chat built in. There's nothing to switch on, and chat isn't behind a feature flag. This page covers who hears each channel, the commands players can type, how speech bubbles behave, and which parts you can change.
Where to author it#
The rules of chat are fixed engine behaviour. What you control is the chat box itself:
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Show or hide the chat box, and restyle it (accent, corner radius, opacity, background, frame) | Settings → UI / HUD → Panels → Chat. See UI & HUD Editor |
| Where the chat box sits, on desktop and on phones | Settings → UI / HUD → Layout |
| A HUD button that types a command for the player | A custom button with the Run chat command action, in the UI & HUD editor |
| The player's "Hide whispers from strangers" setting | Settings → UI / HUD → Panels → Settings, Gameplay tab. See In-Game Settings Panel |
| New slash commands | A server or client plugin. See Server Plugins |
Setting it up#
- Open Settings → UI / HUD → Panels → Chat. Leave Panel enabled on unless your world really has no chat.
- Adjust the appearance until the preview matches your HUD.
- Open Layout and place the chat box. Check the phone layout as well, because it's placed separately there.
- Publish, then log in and send a line on each channel to check it.
Channels#
Players switch channel with the label beside the input box, or by pressing Tab.
| Channel | Who hears it | Speech bubble |
|---|---|---|
| Say (the default) | Players within 14 tiles on the same map | Yes |
| Zone | Everyone on the same map | No |
| Global | Every player online on your server | No |
| Party | Your party. Refused with "You are not in a party." if you aren't in one | No |
| Guild | Your guild's online members. Refused if you aren't in one | No |
| Whisper | One player, by name | No |
| System | Read-only. Server notices, invites and errors land here. Players can't post on it — the server refuses the line | — |
The log has a filter tab for each channel plus All. A tab flashes when a message arrives on a channel you aren't viewing. While chat is collapsed, an unread badge counts the new lines.
Commands players can type#
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
/s or /say message | Send on Say and switch to it |
/z or /zone message | Send on Zone and switch to it |
/gl or /global message | Send on Global and switch to it |
/p or /party message | Send on Party and switch to it |
/g or /guild message | Send on Guild and switch to it |
/w or /whisper Name message | Whisper a player by character name (not case-sensitive), even if they're off screen |
@Name message | Whisper too. Typing @ suggests nearby players' names |
/r message | Reply to whoever last whispered you |
/e or /emote id | Play an emote. See Emotes |
Any other line starting with / goes to your plugins. It's never posted as chat, so a mistyped command just disappears.
A few other shortcuts:
- Up and Down step through lines the player has already sent.
- Right-clicking a name in the log offers Inspect, Whisper, Invite to Party, Trade and Add Friend. Whisper addresses the Whisper channel to that player.
- When a whisper goes through, the sender sees it echoed as [To Name] …. If the target isn't online, they're told "Player not found or offline."
Speech bubbles#
Only Say makes a bubble over the speaker's head. NPC barks and ambient chatter use Say too, so NPCs bubble in exactly the same way as players.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Bubble length | Clipped to 36 characters. The full line is in the log |
| How long it stays | About 3.5 seconds |
| Typing indicator | A … bubble shows while someone is typing on Say |
| Speaker off screen | No bubble. The line still appears in the log |
Limits and spam control#
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Message length | 256 characters. Longer lines are cut off |
| Chat cooldown | 0.5 seconds between messages. A line sent sooner is dropped, and the player sees "You're sending messages too quickly." |
| Flood protection | A player who floods the server with actions of any kind is disconnected |
| Chat log | The most recent 200 lines this session |
| Blank messages | Ignored |
The cooldown is an engine default. You can't change it per world in the editor.
Moderation#
- There is no profanity filter or word list. Chat is delivered exactly as typed.
- Full block is the only per-player filter. It silently drops the blocked player's whispers, but not their lines on other channels. See Friends & Blocking.
- Staff with the Admin, GM or Moderator role can use the Broadcast box in the in-game Admin panel. It sends an [ADMIN] notice to every player's System channel.
- The Mute button in Database → Players → Accounts silences a player on every channel until the mute ends. It takes hold within about 15 seconds, with no relog needed. The muted player sees "You are muted and can't chat until …". Slash commands such as
/emotestill work. Guests have no account, so they can't be muted. - Players can only post on Say, Zone, Global, Party, Guild and Whisper. A modified client that tries to post on System (or any other channel) is refused, so a System line always comes from the server.
Gotchas#
- Guests chat like everyone else. There's no guest-only restriction on any channel.
- Hiding the chat box doesn't turn chat off. Players can't type any more, but NPC barks still bubble and messages are still sent to them.
- There's no Alliance channel. Allied guilds talk on Global, Zone or whispers.
- Who a line on the Whisper channel goes to. The player picked with a Whisper button (on a friend or a chat name). Without one, it goes to whoever whispered them last. With neither, it's refused with "No whisper target specified."
/w Nameand@Namealways address someone explicitly. - Phones start with chat collapsed, so the log doesn't cover the controls. Players tap Show Chat to open it.
Related: Guilds & Social, Parties & Raids, Friends & Blocking.