Desktop microphone issues

Here are the possible messages you'll see in the top right corner of the screen from the speech recognition system:

NO INTERNET -> no internet connection [check your internet, if still an issue - raise a helpdesk ticket]

NO SR SERVER -> the speech recognition server can't be reached [to fix - raise a helpdesk ticket]

NOT HEARD -> the microphone isn't working / working right with the game

NOT QUITE -> sound was heard but it just didn't recognise it as anything OR sound was heard and it thinks you said word X but you need to say word Y

SKIPPED -> you skipped the word by pressing the [backspace] key
AUTOPASS -> you didn't quite get the word right three times in a row so the system auto-passed it (note there is an option in the settings menu to disable auto-pass mode)
SUCCESS -> you got the word right!

Here are some fixes that have helped other users with "NOT HEARD" and "NOT QUITE" errors:

[You can change mic at any time by opening the Menu (ESC key on the keyboard) and going to the Settings section (the gear icon)]

2) Change your Windows microphone settings

In Windows go to:

- "System" OR "Settings" OR press Win + I

- "Sound"

- "Advanced" [usually at the bottom]

- "App volume and device preferences" [sometimes called "Volume Mixer" instead]

- Apps

- Steam

This will take you here:

Change the "Input / Output Device" preferences FROM "Default" TO your headset / mic of choice

ALSO: if your volume and gain are set high this may impact the accuracy of the speech recognition system (so try reducing these).

3) Increase / Decrease the Volume / Gain on your Mic in Windows

- Go to Control Panel (in Control Panel, select Large icons from the View by drop down menu)

- Select Sound.

- Select the Recording tab

- Right click the Headset Microphone and click Enable.

- Right-click it again and select Set as Default Device.

- Right click Microphone and click Properties.

- Click the Levels tab

- Drag the volume slider towards the largest value (or if it's at the largest value, try a lower value)

- Click OK

4) Amend your Windows power settings:

- Press the Windows Key

- Type: "Edit power plan"

-  Click on "Power Options" [this may be found on the address bar]

-  Set to "High performance"

-  Click "Change plan settings"

-  Click "Change advanced power settings"
-  Pick the settings in the video below:

5) Reset the microphone in Windows

If you're facing issues and you've already set the correct microphone, try setting it to a different microphone and then setting it back to the correct one. This can sometimes resolve issues.

6) Change your Steam settings

A number of our users have said their Steam settings were causing issues, and adjusting further things in Steam helped

7) General speech recognition / microphone tips

• Ensure you're playing in a quiet environment
• Speech recognition is trained on native speakers, so while recording try your best to speak with the accent of the language you are trying to speak (it may seem at first that you're going over the top or trying to put on too much of an accent when you do this, but keep going!)
• Some microphones are quite quiet. Please try talking extra loud to see if that helps your voice get detected.

8) Check your Internet Service Provider (ISP)

Some ISPs in certain countries are having trouble reaching our speech recognition servers - we think this is due to government firewalls preventing access. Unfortunately we're at the mercy of these firewalls. 

One solution is to access the game via a VPN.

We're are planning a non-voice version of the game for people who have persistent connection issues. We're also planning to release a version on the Chinese Steam store sometime next year, with a China-based speech recognition server. 

9) Test your microphone

Go here: https://mictests.com/

Click this button:

Then click "Allow":

Go through and test each microphone on your computer to get the name of the one that is working:

Once you know that, in the game, go to Settings and switch your microphone to a microphone that ISN'T the correct one, close the menu, then switch back to the CORRECT one.