Setting up Simple Voice Chat on your Minecraft server

Simple Voice Chat is a popular mod that brings proximity voice chat directly into your Minecraft game. Installing it on your ServerPrism server allows players to communicate naturally based on their in-game distance, adding a new layer of immersion and social interaction to your server.

Requirements

Before you begin, ensure your server and players meet the following requirements:

• Mod Loader Compatibility: Simple Voice Chat works with Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt, and Paper (using its dedicated plugin variant). Your server must be running one of these mod loaders.
• Server-Side Installation: The Simple Voice Chat server-side mod (or plugin for Paper) must be installed on your ServerPrism server.
• Client-Side Installation: Every player who wants to use voice chat must also install the client-side Simple Voice Chat mod in their Minecraft launcher, matching the server's version and mod loader.
• Java Version: Ensure your server is running a compatible Java version for your Minecraft and mod loader version (e.g., Java 17 for Minecraft 1.18+).

Install the mod on your ServerPrism server

Installing the server-side component of Simple Voice Chat is straightforward:

1. Download the Server-Side Mod: Go to the official Simple Voice Chat page on Modrinth.
2. Select the Correct Version: Navigate to the "Versions" tab. Find the server-side .jar file that matches your Minecraft version and your server's mod loader (Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, Quilt, or the Paper plugin).
3. Upload to Your Server:
   • Log in to your ServerPrism control panel.
   • Navigate to your server instance.
   • Click on "File Manager" in the sidebar.
   • Open the mods folder (or plugins folder if you downloaded the Paper plugin variant).
   • Drag and drop the downloaded .jar file directly into the mods (or plugins) folder in the File Manager. Alternatively, use the "Upload" button.
4. Restart Your Server: After the upload is complete, restart your Minecraft server from the ServerPrism panel to load the new mod.

Open the voice chat port

Simple Voice Chat typically uses UDP on the same port as your main Minecraft server (25565 by default) for its voice traffic. On ServerPrism, all allocated ports for your server work for both TCP and UDP traffic by default. This means you usually do not need to open any additional ports or perform extra configuration for Simple Voice Chat to function.

If you decide to use a non-default port for voice chat (which is rarely necessary), you would edit the voicechat-server.properties file located in your server's root directory. Look for the port setting and change it there. However, for most setups, the default behavior on ServerPrism will work perfectly.

Configuration basics

After the first server restart with Simple Voice Chat installed, a voicechat-server.properties file will be generated in your server's root directory. You can edit this file via the File Manager to customize various aspects of the voice chat. Here are some important options:

• max_voice_distance: This crucial setting defines the maximum distance (in blocks) over which players can hear each other. The default is often 48 blocks. If players report that voices cut out too quickly, increase this value. Example: max_voice_distance=64.
• voice_chat_codec: Determines the audio codec used. Opus is the default and recommended for its quality and performance. You generally don't need to change this.
• broadcast_range: This setting is for server-wide broadcast groups. It defines how far a player needs to be from a broadcast group's center to hear it. For standard proximity chat, you likely won't modify this unless you're setting up specific broadcast areas.

Remember to save any changes to voicechat-server.properties and restart your server for them to take effect.

Players join

For players to use voice chat on your server, they must also install the client-side mod:

1. Download Client-Side Mod: Players go to the same Modrinth page.
2. Select Matching Version: They must download the client-side .jar file that matches your server's Minecraft version and mod loader (Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, or Quilt).
3. Install Client-Side: Players place this .jar file into their local Minecraft mods folder (usually found at %appdata%\.minecraft\mods on Windows, or ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/mods on macOS).
4. Launch Minecraft: Players launch Minecraft using the same mod loader profile (e.g., Forge or Fabric) that they installed the mod for.
5. Connect to Server: Once connected to your ServerPrism server, Simple Voice Chat should automatically activate. Players can usually press the V key (default) to open the voice chat overlay and check their microphone status.

Common issues

Here are some common problems and their solutions:

• "No microphone in game" or "Microphone not detected":
  • Ensure the player's microphone is properly connected and configured in their operating system settings.
  • Check Minecraft's audio settings or the Simple Voice Chat in-game overlay (V key) to select the correct input device.
  • Make sure Minecraft has permission to access the microphone in OS privacy settings.
• "Voice cuts out at distance": This is usually due to the max_voice_distance setting in voicechat-server.properties. Increase this value on the server, save the file, and restart your server.
• "Players can't hear each other at all":
  • Mod Version Mismatch: The most common cause. Ensure both server and client have the exact same version of Simple Voice Chat installed for their respective mod loaders and Minecraft versions.
  • Firewall/Port Issues: While ServerPrism's ports are typically open, a player's local firewall might be blocking UDP traffic. Advise them to check their personal firewall settings.
  • Server Not Running Mod: Verify the mod is correctly installed in your server's mods (or plugins) folder and that the server restarted successfully.
• Crashes on startup: If either the server or client crashes, it's almost always a mod-version mismatch (e.g., wrong Minecraft version, wrong mod loader variant) or an incompatible Java version.

Next steps

Once you have basic proximity voice chat working, you can explore more advanced features:

• Groups/Channels: Simple Voice Chat supports creating private or public voice chat groups, allowing players to communicate with specific subsets of players regardless of distance. This is configured in-game via the V menu.
• Whisper & Shout: Players can often configure hotkeys to whisper (lower volume, shorter range) or shout (higher volume, longer range) for dynamic communication.
• Discord Integration: While not a core feature of Simple Voice Chat itself, some third-party plugins or bots can bridge Minecraft voice chat with Discord channels, allowing players to communicate across platforms. Search for specific solutions compatible with your mod loader if this interests you.