OpenTok VS Google Hangouts

I haven't joined a game that has used hangouts yet. OpenTok seems kinda slow and buggy on Linux using both FF or Chrome. Any comments on using Roll20 in Google Hangouts?

Hi [C] hicken [. My mileage is... a) Using Tokbox = pain and frustration every week b) Using Google Hangout = trouble free experience Other opinions may vary. While that may look like a no-brainer the problems with b) are that you do lose a chunk of your on-screen real estate and everyone has to have a Google account of course.

The video and voice in G+ is great, in Tokbox, for our group there was a lag of about 2 seconds. The downside is that you have less screen space in G+

I just ran the diagnostics for Open Tok using <a href="http://www.tokbox.com/user-diagnostic/" rel="nofollow">http://www.tokbox.com/user-diagnostic/</a> and it apparently doesn't support Linux. This is most likely the reason why I get a hit and miss on making it work.

I posted here a lot of reasons why I like Google Hangouts: <a href="http://community.roll20.net/discussion/1929/why-use-skype-when-there-is-google-hangouts#Item_2" rel="nofollow">http://community.roll20.net/discussion/1929/why-use-skype-when-there-is-google-hangouts#Item_2</a>

No problems with TokBox when I tried it; I don't use G+ (I have an account, but G+ is...meh. I tried running Roll20 in a hangout, but couldn't actually get the hangout to, uh, do its thing. Tried Tabletop Forge too; not a great experience). The biggest problem for me is every unnecessary crimp in screen space for the map is something to contend with when I run games, so I prefer the TokBox option.

No problems with TokBox when I tried it; I don't use G+ (I have an account, but G+ is...meh. I tried running Roll20 in a hangout, but couldn't actually get the hangout to, uh, do its thing. Tried Tabletop Forge too; not a great experience). The biggest problem for me is every unnecessary crimp in screen space for the map is something to contend with when I run games, so I prefer the TokBox option. I am really interested in this because 11/12 people had zero problems getting Roll20 integrated with Hangouts, but I had one friend who had to re-install chrome, firefox and flash to get it fixed (I am assuming flash was the real culprit.)

I never went back and tried again; I don't know where the error lay (it was on Chrome, I know - that's the browser I use almost exclusively) but I don't know what wasn't working. I can go give it another shake, see if I still have issues.

I use Chrome and after I and another GM did some test, we found that Chrome was a bit faster with Hangouts (which makes sense being both Google products.)

Ah, okay, I just tried again and I remember the problem (since it's still happening): with Chrome, I can't launch the hangout at all. It opens to Google Hangouts, but I am unable to invite people OR start the hangout without inviting anybody, so it pretty much dies at the "invite some friends" stage (in fact, with Chrome, I didn't get the "type some names" box). I wrote off using Hangouts the first time that happened - if it didn't work with their own browser, I'm not going to chase down a solution. However, it did work just now with Firefox - I was able to launch a hangout to see what Roll20 looked like in that interface, and it operates glitch-free. However, I don't think it solves my particular screen space issues - with the app jammed into the 4-5 inches in the middle of the screen, I think it's basically six of one, half-dozen of the other as far as screen space goes. In any case, nobody in either of my gaming groups uses Google+, so writing off hangouts was not a big loss. I'd have nobody to play with anyway. :)

All these different options only make the competition work that much harder to improve their product, in the end we all will benefit. As it stands right now, we all have different preferences, I prefer as much Table Top as possible.

Honestly, I think it's Roll20 and Tabletop Forge (being the "new kids") that have to play a lot of catch-up here; they'll need to decide whether to learn everything anew or take lessons learned from established VTTs. Now, that is - as you say - good for everyone in the end. I just think that the competition (such as it is, given that R20 and TF are the only web-based ones I can think of that aren't ancient) is what Roll20 will be learning from more than the other way around.

Oops, I was actually referring to the Voice Chat applications, TokBox, Skype, Google, etc, these are all third party services which are used by but not actually part of Roll20.

Ah, yes, definitely!