"Wayland" is a desktop graphical component that enjoys a good reputation on popular LINUX distros. Under development for many years, It is finally becoming popular at the time of this writing in 2025. It is designed to be an alternative to (and replacement for) the classic, well-known "X11" desktop manager. It is generally regarded as more secure and more flexible than X11.
HOWEVER, some of the increased security of wayland derives from its refusal to allow other applications to use "keystroke intercept" technology that has historically given classical applications knowledge of the keystrokes being used by other applications. Experience proves that some applications have good reason to use the keyboard in ways that transcend boundaries between one application and another. This is particularly true for voice communication applications that are intended to serve as "companion tools" to enhance user convenience with voice communication accompanying one or more games or other applications. The "companion" relationship between these voice communication tools and the games or other applications to which they add voice communication demands reconsideration of wayland's security restrictions.
Mumble uses "keystroke intercepting" to implement its 'hot keys" and "keyboard shortcuts" (like the "Push To Talk" key that is fundamental to the way most people use mumble). As soon as you upgrade from X11 to Wayland, mumble's "Push To Talk" key will stop responding for you while you are simulating flight with Linux Air Combat, and you won't be able to re-define it to another keyboard key or to create ANY "Mumble Shortcuts".
Most LINUX desktop distros allow you to revert back to X11 instead of "Wayland" to fix this problem with Mumble.
HERE is a discussion about other ways to fix this problem (but only through the KDE desktop):
If you are struggling with this problem, you can switch Mumble away from "Push To Talk" and use "Voice Activation" instead. If you activate LAC's "Automatic Mumble Management", (Press "a" in flight) then LAC will still be able to use it's own mapped keyboard keys to automatically switch you among all of the important mumble channels in flight using these four keyboard keys according to our standard keyboard layout:
F10: Switch to the "TEAMCAST" channel for the current realm, mission, and team.
F11: Switch to the "MISSIONCAST" channel for the current realm, and mission.
F12:Switch to the "OPPOSITION" channel for the current realm, mission, and team.
"0" key (zero key at top of keyboard): Switch to the "root" channel of our mumble server.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-04-01
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Furthermore, you'll still be able to use LAC's "Morse Code Radio" to switch ALL PLAYERS flying with you into any of the most relevant, most important mumble channels. Refer to LAC FAQ #39 in our "LacFAQ" page here:
The workaround described above takes requests from the user through mapped LAC keyboard keys instead of Mumble Shortcuts. To compensate for the lack of access to Mumble shortcuts when wayland is in use, LAC directly invokes functions of Mumble's published "API" to select appropriate mumble channels, and sound energy entering your microphone activates voice transmission when you speak instead of demanding a "Push-To-Talk" mumble shortcut.
Additional compensation steps can replace these other mumble features that have heretofore been mapped to keyboard shortcut keys:
Volume Down (Previously mapped to mumble's "F3" key shortcut).
Volume Up (Previously mapped to mumble's "F4" key shortcut).
Mute Self (Previously mapped to mumble's "F5" key shortcut).
Deafen Self (Previously mapped to mumble's "F6" key shortcut).
After replacing X11 with Wayland, you'll find it necessary to activate Mumble's menus and manually select each of those four mumble functions whenever you need them. (On most desktop LINUX distros, you can use the "ALT-TAB" keyboard combination to switch your display among active LINUX applications. Press "ALT-TAB" until the mumble frame is displayed in order to get access to the four functions listed above. After setting the corresponding mumble feature to your liking, you can use "ALT-TAB" again to resume flying LAC.)
Last edit: bbosen 2025-05-25
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Our "Wishlist" describes the current workarounds for the problems described above, and proposes further development so players in flight can toggle the mute/unmute status of Mumble's microphone. Here's a link to that Wishlist item:
A new version of LAC, undergoing alpha testing in May2025, improves this situation by invoking two additional mumble functions through mumble's published API ("Application Program Interface"). Those two functions are:
1 of 2: Toggle mumble microphone mute on/off
2 of 2: Toggle mumble "deafen" on/off
After alpha testing is completed, we plan to release this new version of LAC for public beta testing in late May or early June of 2025, whereupon you will be able to mute and unmute mumble's microphone by pressing "F5" in flight, in a manner that is very similar to the method you enjoyed before updating to Wayland. You'll also be able to "deafen" and "undeafen" mumble's speaker or headset sounds by pressing "F6" in flight, as you did before you updated to Wayland.
Because this changed methodology invokes these mumble functions without requiring mumble "shortcuts", you'll find it easier to configure for access to these "mute" and "deafen" functions.
Furthermore, because Wayland environments demand use of mumble's "Voice Activation" to commence transmission (instead of the old, "Push-To-Talk" shortcut), you'll find the "mute" function to be increasingly helpful because Voice activation sometimes suffers from unintentional transmission of incedental, unwanted sounds and from acoustic feedback, any of which is easily cured by temporarily muting your mumble microphone.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-05-17
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Beta testing of version 9.82 (published in May2025) has caused problems for a few users that had previously configured Mumble shortcuts for "Mute Microphone" and "Deafen Speakers" (it has been commonplace to map these functions for activation whenever the player presses "F5" or "F6", respectively).
Because new version 9.82 toggles "Mute Microphone" whenever the player presses "F5" in flight, players that have additionally configured mumble to toggle "Mute Microphone" when mumble detects "F5", experience DOUBLE toggling of "Mute Microphone" if they are NOT using Wayland. Of course, when double-toggling "Mute Microphone", the result is no change.
Accordingly, after upgrading to LAC version 9.82 or later, you should go into mumble's configuration menus and DELETE any previously configured shortcuts for "F5" (toggle microphone mute) and for "F6" (toggle deafen self). It's best to delete those two previously configured shortcuts whether or not you have upgraded from X11 to Wayland.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-07-14
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Here's a summary (written on 01Oct2025 by "chatgpt" of LAC's current mumble interface with respect to Wayland and impacted features:
===================
LAC + Mumble on Wayland: No Overlay Needed
Linux Air Combat (LAC) is one of the few Linux-native flight simulators that
supports full-featured in-game voice communications via Mumble, even under
Wayland, where many other games fail to provide functional overlays or hotkey
control.
No Need for the Mumble Overlay
LAC does NOT rely on the traditional Mumble overlay, which:
- Injects OpenGL graphics into the game
- Is usually broken under Wayland
- Can reduce performance under X11
Instead, LAC includes its own solution:
The LAC “Mumble Panel” (Cockpit Integration)
This built-in panel:
Shows your current Mumble channel (e.g. "TeamCast", "MissionCast")
Indicates when YOU are transmitting (based on your PTT key)
Shows when OTHER players are holding down their PTT key (via LAC-integrated detection)
Works seamlessly under Wayland (no overlay injection needed)
Uses RPC commands to interact with Mumble (e.g. mumble rpc togglemute)
Comparison Table
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| Feature / Behavior | LAC's Mumble Panel |
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
| Mumble overlay required? | No |
| Works under Wayland? | Yes |
| Native HUD integration? | Yes (inside cockpit interface) |
| Shows current Mumble channel? | Yes |
| Shows who is transmitting? | Yes (both self and other LAC players) |
| Requires global hotkeys? | No |
| Overlay injection needed? | No |
| Works in full-screen mode? | Yes |
| Adds performance overhead? | Minimal |
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------------------+
Summary
LAC’s integrated Mumble Panel allows full voice communication features under
Wayland — no overlay needed, no global hotkeys required, and no loss of
situational awareness. It's one of the only open-source flight simulators to
offer this level of Mumble integration across both X11 and Wayland environments.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-10-01
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
"Wayland" is a desktop graphical component that enjoys a good reputation on popular LINUX distros. Under development for many years, It is finally becoming popular at the time of this writing in 2025. It is designed to be an alternative to (and replacement for) the classic, well-known "X11" desktop manager. It is generally regarded as more secure and more flexible than X11.
HOWEVER, some of the increased security of wayland derives from its refusal to allow other applications to use "keystroke intercept" technology that has historically given classical applications knowledge of the keystrokes being used by other applications. Experience proves that some applications have good reason to use the keyboard in ways that transcend boundaries between one application and another. This is particularly true for voice communication applications that are intended to serve as "companion tools" to enhance user convenience with voice communication accompanying one or more games or other applications. The "companion" relationship between these voice communication tools and the games or other applications to which they add voice communication demands reconsideration of wayland's security restrictions.
Mumble uses "keystroke intercepting" to implement its 'hot keys" and "keyboard shortcuts" (like the "Push To Talk" key that is fundamental to the way most people use mumble). As soon as you upgrade from X11 to Wayland, mumble's "Push To Talk" key will stop responding for you while you are simulating flight with Linux Air Combat, and you won't be able to re-define it to another keyboard key or to create ANY "Mumble Shortcuts".
Most LINUX desktop distros allow you to revert back to X11 instead of "Wayland" to fix this problem with Mumble.
HERE is a discussion about other ways to fix this problem (but only through the KDE desktop):
https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/1f6e2so/is_there_a_solution_to_ptt_for_mumble_and_other/
Last edit: bbosen 2025-04-01
WORKAROUND:
If you are struggling with this problem, you can switch Mumble away from "Push To Talk" and use "Voice Activation" instead. If you activate LAC's "Automatic Mumble Management", (Press "a" in flight) then LAC will still be able to use it's own mapped keyboard keys to automatically switch you among all of the important mumble channels in flight using these four keyboard keys according to our standard keyboard layout:
Last edit: bbosen 2025-04-01
Furthermore, you'll still be able to use LAC's "Morse Code Radio" to switch ALL PLAYERS flying with you into any of the most relevant, most important mumble channels. Refer to LAC FAQ #39 in our "LacFAQ" page here:
https://askmisterwizard.com/2019/LinuxAirCombat/LacFaq.htm
Last edit: bbosen 2025-05-17
The workaround described above takes requests from the user through mapped LAC keyboard keys instead of Mumble Shortcuts. To compensate for the lack of access to Mumble shortcuts when wayland is in use, LAC directly invokes functions of Mumble's published "API" to select appropriate mumble channels, and sound energy entering your microphone activates voice transmission when you speak instead of demanding a "Push-To-Talk" mumble shortcut.
Additional compensation steps can replace these other mumble features that have heretofore been mapped to keyboard shortcut keys:
After replacing X11 with Wayland, you'll find it necessary to activate Mumble's menus and manually select each of those four mumble functions whenever you need them. (On most desktop LINUX distros, you can use the "ALT-TAB" keyboard combination to switch your display among active LINUX applications. Press "ALT-TAB" until the mumble frame is displayed in order to get access to the four functions listed above. After setting the corresponding mumble feature to your liking, you can use "ALT-TAB" again to resume flying LAC.)
Last edit: bbosen 2025-05-25
Update from 11Apr2025:
Our "Wishlist" describes the current workarounds for the problems described above, and proposes further development so players in flight can toggle the mute/unmute status of Mumble's microphone. Here's a link to that Wishlist item:
https://sourceforge.net/p/linuxaircombat/discussion/wishlist/thread/283e6d7c7e/
Last edit: bbosen 2025-04-16
We recently enhanced our Mumble Server to compensate for some of these problems. It's described in this thread:
https://sourceforge.net/p/linuxaircombat/discussion/mumbleandlac/thread/182ca483bb/
A new version of LAC, undergoing alpha testing in May2025, improves this situation by invoking two additional mumble functions through mumble's published API ("Application Program Interface"). Those two functions are:
1 of 2: Toggle mumble microphone mute on/off
2 of 2: Toggle mumble "deafen" on/off
After alpha testing is completed, we plan to release this new version of LAC for public beta testing in late May or early June of 2025, whereupon you will be able to mute and unmute mumble's microphone by pressing "F5" in flight, in a manner that is very similar to the method you enjoyed before updating to Wayland. You'll also be able to "deafen" and "undeafen" mumble's speaker or headset sounds by pressing "F6" in flight, as you did before you updated to Wayland.
Because this changed methodology invokes these mumble functions without requiring mumble "shortcuts", you'll find it easier to configure for access to these "mute" and "deafen" functions.
Furthermore, because Wayland environments demand use of mumble's "Voice Activation" to commence transmission (instead of the old, "Push-To-Talk" shortcut), you'll find the "mute" function to be increasingly helpful because Voice activation sometimes suffers from unintentional transmission of incedental, unwanted sounds and from acoustic feedback, any of which is easily cured by temporarily muting your mumble microphone.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-05-17
Beta testing of version 9.82 (published in May2025) has caused problems for a few users that had previously configured Mumble shortcuts for "Mute Microphone" and "Deafen Speakers" (it has been commonplace to map these functions for activation whenever the player presses "F5" or "F6", respectively).
Because new version 9.82 toggles "Mute Microphone" whenever the player presses "F5" in flight, players that have additionally configured mumble to toggle "Mute Microphone" when mumble detects "F5", experience DOUBLE toggling of "Mute Microphone" if they are NOT using Wayland. Of course, when double-toggling "Mute Microphone", the result is no change.
Accordingly, after upgrading to LAC version 9.82 or later, you should go into mumble's configuration menus and DELETE any previously configured shortcuts for "F5" (toggle microphone mute) and for "F6" (toggle deafen self). It's best to delete those two previously configured shortcuts whether or not you have upgraded from X11 to Wayland.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-07-14
Here's a summary (written on 01Oct2025 by "chatgpt" of LAC's current mumble interface with respect to Wayland and impacted features:===================
LAC + Mumble on Wayland: No Overlay Needed
Linux Air Combat (LAC) is one of the few Linux-native flight simulators that
supports full-featured in-game voice communications via Mumble, even under
Wayland, where many other games fail to provide functional overlays or hotkey
control.
No Need for the Mumble Overlay
LAC does NOT rely on the traditional Mumble overlay, which:
- Injects OpenGL graphics into the game
- Is usually broken under Wayland
- Can reduce performance under X11
Instead, LAC includes its own solution:
The LAC “Mumble Panel” (Cockpit Integration)
This built-in panel:
mumble rpc togglemute)Comparison Table
Summary
LAC’s integrated Mumble Panel allows full voice communication features under
Wayland — no overlay needed, no global hotkeys required, and no loss of
situational awareness. It's one of the only open-source flight simulators to
offer this level of Mumble integration across both X11 and Wayland environments.
Last edit: bbosen 2025-10-01