If you DON'T have a microphone you can STILL talk with mumble!
Combat Flight Simulator for LINUX. WW2. Network and VOIP. Open-source.
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Some LINUX users don't have a microphone. In fact, some LINUX desktop systems aren't even equipped with audio input hardware at all. Some (like SteamDeck) have no keyboard and consequently can't benefit from the convenience of "Push-To-Talk". We've learned a very clever trick that allows these folks to fully participate with voice comms through our Mumble server!
Of course, you can install mumble on your LINUX desktop distro even if you don't have a microphone (or if, as is commonly the case with Raspberry Pi users, your hardware has no provision for audio input). Once you've installed Mumble you'll find you can HEAR the audio transmissions of others flying LAC in your Realm, Mission, and Team, even if your lack of microphone hardware prevents you from speaking to them, or if your lack of a keyboard prevents your use of "Push-To-Talk". LAC will automatically configure the best Mumble channel for you to hear your team-mates, and the "Mumble Panel" will appropriately label the voice traffic you hear.
Obviously, those folks can always use LAC's built-in "Morse Code Radio" to send messages to other players, and everybody participating in the current Realm and Mission will hear the associated dot and dash beeps and will see the corresponding text. That's ONE way to enjoy two-way communication: Listen through Mumble and transmit through Morse/Text.
But you have another option: Install a Mumble App on your cell phone or tablet! For example, "Android" cell phone users can always install the free, well-known "Mumla" app and configure it to connect with LAC's Mumble server at Linux Air Combat.com (you won't need a password). To minimize confusion, choose a Mumla username that's similar to (but not identical with) your LAC username.
In the preferred approach, you'll then have TWO related but distinct copies of mumble operating at the same time as follows:
1 of 2: "mumble" running on the same LINUX machine that hosts LAC. Voice Sound from mumble will come out of the same speakers or headphone as flight and combat sounds from LAC, intermingled to best mimic a real air combat experience. (LAC can automatically manage your copy of mumble, changing channels automatically as you change missions or teams. Unless you disable this advanced LAC feature, your mumble listening will always be tuned to the best channel according to your chosen realm, mission, team, and tactics.) The "Mumble Panel" on LAC's cockpit will always display the name of the channel to which mumble is listening.
2 of 2: "mumla" running on your phone or tablet. You'll use only the microphone on mumla, so you can turn audio volume all the way down. Anytime you transmit voice sound through mumla to our mumble server, it will be sent to all players tuned to the same mumble channel on which you are transmitting. You'll have to select the appropriate mumble channel through mumla on your phone or tablet, but it's easy to learn and select the correct channel by consulting the "Mumble Panel" on LAC's cockpit.
In flight thereafter, you can use Mumla to speak to participating players on that channel through your cell phone's microphone while you listen to their responses through Mumble. (Apple I-phone users generally have access to Mumble-compatible apps too, so they can enjoy this same trick.)
There is an important, related problem whose solution isn't obvious at first: Acoustic FEEDBACK. When you speak into Mumla on your phone or tablet, you'll hear your own voice echoed through Mumble. That echo may be loud enough to re-enter your Mumla microphone and set up an irritating, endless "echo" cycle. To recover from this problem, you will use Mumble's "Local Mute" option. This is done while looking at Mumble's application frame on your LINUX machine. Find the name of your own "Mumla" connection and RIGHT-CLICK on it. An additional little "pop-up" menu box will be displayed immediately. From that new pop-up menu box, left-click on "Local Mute". Thereafter, your own voice transmissions from Mumla will be muted on Mumble so you won't hear them any more. Everybody else will hear your voice, but you won't suffer from undesired feedback. (Mumble's "local mute" will remain active even if you switch to a different Mumble channel, so you won't need to repeat this step when you change missions, etc.)
If you run LAC in full-screen mode, you'll probably want to start Mumble BEFORE you start LAC so you'll be able to see the Mumble frame showing your Mumla connection and configure the "Local Mute" option. LAC will continue to manage Mumble for you thereafter.
We hope this helps!
Last edit: bbosen 2025-04-09
Keep in mind that this setup allows you to use your LINUX-based copy of mumble to LISTEN on one channel, and you can simultaneously tune your phone-based "Mumla" app to SPEAK on the same channel or on some DIFFERENT channel. You will need to give this some thought, because of the way LAC will try to automatically tune your local, LINUX-based copy of Mumble.
As LAC runs on your desktop LINUX system, it generally tries to find a copy of mumble on your system and tune it, automatically, to hear your team-mates on the "TEAMCAST" channel corresponding with your chosen Realm and Mission. Accordingly, when you want to speak with your team mates, you must tune your phone-based Mumla app to that same TEAMCAST channel.
For example, if you are flying for the BlueTeam in Mission #3 of Realm01, LAC will automatically try to tune your LINUX-based copy of mumble to the "M3Blue" channel of Realm01, so when you want to talk with your team-mates you will want to tune your phone-based mumla app to that same "M3Blue" channel.
On the other hand, your opponents will be using their LINUX-based copy of mumble to listen on THEIR Team channel. When you want to talk with them you will need to tune your phone-based Mumla app to THEIR "TEAMCAST" channel for your selected Realm and Mission.
In the example described above as you fly for the BlueTeam in Mission #3 of Realm01, LAC will automatically try to tune your opponents to the "M3Red" channel of Realm01, so when you want to talk with your opponents you will need to tune your phone-based mumla app to their "M3Red" channel.
Last edit: bbosen 2024-08-19
Another easy option is just to get EVERYBODY to tune to the "MISSIONCAST" channel for your selected Realm and Mission.
Every LAC mission has three mumble channels on the LAC Mumble Server. Those three channels are always arranged according to a well-established pattern. As an example, the three channels used in Realm01 for Mission 3 are arranged like THIS:
In this example, "M3Blue" is the TEAMCAST channel for the BlueTeam, "M3Red" is the TEAMCAST channel for the RedTeam, and "MissionNetworkBattle03" is the "MISSIONCAST" (or "Parent") channel for use by both teams.
The "MISSIONCAST" channel is intended for use when everybody on both teams wants to speak with everybody else on both teams. This is done by simply asking everybody to tune to the MISSIONCAST channel. Once that step is taken, everybody on both teams can always hear anybody that holds down their "Push-To-Talk" key to transmit their voice on that channel.
Once players are in flight or resting on the runway of an active mission, it's always very easy for everybody participating in your Realm and Mission to tune to the proper MISSIONCAST channel. Just urge them to press the "F11" key according to LAC's standard keyboard arrangement. You can even COMMAND everybody participating in your Realm and Mission (regardless of team affiliation) to change to the MISSIONCAST channel. This is done by sending the following message on the Morse Code Radio:
MMMMMMMM(That's eight or more sequential "M" characters.) Further details about this powerful command can be found in FAQ #39 and FAQ #74 from our online LacFaq page here:
https://askmisterwizard.com/2019/LinuxAirCombat/LacFaq.htm
Consequently, if your LINUX-based copy of Mumble is not equipped with a microphone, you can tune a phone-based copy of mumla (or some other Mumble-compatible client app) to the MISSIONCAST channel for your preferred Realm and Mission and your voice transmissions will be heard by anybody else, on either team, that pressed "F11" to tune to that same MISSIONCAST channel.
Last edit: bbosen 2024-09-25
When you use this hack to replace your Mumble microphone and PTT key with a Mumble App on your phone or tablet, you will frequently want to hop back and forth between the "MISSIONCAST" and "TEAMCAST" channels of your current mission so you can listen in on the corresponding people through your LINUX-based copy of Mumble. As we pointed out in the prior posting, it's easy to go to the "MISSIONCAST" channel to hear everybody there even if they are not on your team. Just press the "F11" hot key for that.
It's just as easy to go to the "TEAMCAST" channel to hear everybody on your own team there. Just press "F10".
In both of those cases, LAC knows your current Realm and Mission, and it will command your local, LINUX-based copy of Mumble to tune to the associated TEAMCAST channel so you can hear your own team-mates when you press F10, and it will command your local, LINUX-based copy of Mumble to tune to the associated MISSIONCAST channel so you can hear anybody else tuned there, regardless of team affiliation, when you press F11.
Since LAC version 9.75, players in flight can now command mumble to switch to the OPPOSITION's TeamCast channel by pressing F12. In the context of this discussion where players are listening through mumble (on their desktop LINUX computer) but speaking through mumla (on their phone or tablet), pressing F12 will allow them to listen to the opposition team and they can speak to that opposition team through mumla by manually tuning mumla (on their phone or tablet) to that channel.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-03-30
Since LAC version 9.75, the default keyboard key activating "Query Forward Observer for the status of the selected enemy airfield" command has been moved from "F12" to "q".
Last edit: bbosen 2025-03-30
Since version 9.75. LAC's startup default configuration disables automatic management of Mumble. Accordingly, after installing Mumble, beginners will need to connect their Mumble client with LAC's Mumble server manually before use, and they will generally ignore all of our many mumble channels except for the "root" channel.
This is absolutely natural for beginners. They can just connect their copy of mumble with our mumble server at AskMisterWizard.com and then just leave it alone while they fly. They will remain connected with our "root" channel where they are easily reached by our community of more experienced users who can remain there with them as they learn more. (If you find yourself in flight with a beginner who is "stuck" on Mumble's root channel and you want to speak with and help them, you can join the root channel by tapping your keyboard's "0" key, at the top of your keyboard adjacent the other nine numeric digits.)
After a new user gains enough experience to appreciate the advantages of LAC's automatic mumble management and automatic switching among our many mumble channels, he or she can easily activate LAC's automated management of mumble by tapping "a" in flight, or any user can enable mumble management for ALL players participating in the same realm and mission with them by sending the following command on the Morse code (text) radio:
AAAAAAAA
(That's eight or more sequential "A" characters, all transmitted while the keyboard's "CAPS LOCK" key is toggled on according to long-standing computer norms).
There are other, similar commands that allow you to switch EVERYBODY participating with you in your current mission among our most important mumble channels. Further details about these powerful commands can be found in FAQ #39 and FAQ #74 from our online LacFaq page here:
https://askmisterwizard.com/2019/LinuxAirCombat/LacFaq.htm
Last edit: bbosen 2025-04-09
Mumla users:
If you've decided to install "mumla" on an Android phone or tablet to supplement or replace "mumble" on your LINUX desktop machine, you may run into a problem as your mumla fights with other mumble servers over the audio codec(s) to use.
Mumla has a configuration option that will force it to avoid use of the well-known "Opus" codec. DO NOT activate that option. DO NOT avoid use of the "Opus" codec. If you avoid "Opus" you will be forced to use some other codec, and if just one other player connects to our server with the very popular Opus Codec, our server will see the conflict between those who do use Opus and those who don't use Opus, and it will force everybody to disconnect since there will be no way for the server to find a single codec that's compatible with everybody. For best compatibility everybody should use and support the "Opus" codec.