Is there a setting for these: Voice chat through headset, rest of the game through speakers AND Voice chat always on

[BanzaiRoundCat]

So, my husband and I play on our own private server, and it gets a bit painful to have to yell across the house "HELP! ZOMBIES ARE SWARMING ME!" Was looking forward to voice chat.

Two questions (I've been through all the menus on the player side, haven't found an answer):
1) Can voice chat audio be set SEPARATE from game audio? As in, can I get my party chat on my headset but the rest of the game's ambient sound through my speakers? CoD allows this, but I haven't seen an option for it in 7 Days.

2) I've seen this question pop up over the years, but I haven't seen it asked since 7 Days came out of Early Access - is there a way to have voice chat always on (instead of push to talk)? We play on XBOX One controllers, and having to hold down a button while running from a horde on bloodmoon nights is a giant pain.

If these are settings that need to be changed on the SERVER end, please post those here too (husband is the one that manages our server).

[Ensign Toby]

I'm assuming you are Playing v1.1(b27).

1) Can voice chat audio be set SEPARATE from game audio?

Although there is a "Voice Output Device" Setting under "Audio", it appears non-functional.
Try it on your rig, as the cat ran off with my headphones again and they are not plugged in.

BTW: CoD is a LOT more chat-intensive than 7DTD, so don't expect this to work...

is there a way to have voice chat always on (instead of push to talk)?

I can't find an option for this, however, there may be a solution to both of these problems...

Have you tried a 3rd Party VoIP Utility (Discord, Mumble, TeamSpeak, etc.)?
Discord does have open-mic voice chat, but I've never tried to split game/voice audio before.

Let us know how it goes - I'm sure the question will recur with the new Cross-Play update.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Important Caveat:
* This will ONLY work if your Headphones are USB (in any application/utility).
The usual sound card 3.5 mm headphone jack is EITHER speakers OR headphones...

USB Headphones register as a secondary sound device, allowing 2 audio streams.
BTW: This may also be why my 3.5 mm Headphones disallow the 7DTD setting too.

[BanzaiRoundCat]

Have you tried a 3rd Party VoIP Utility (Discord, Mumble, TeamSpeak, etc.)?

We have done this with a separate dedicated server that our friends also pop into, but we are trying to avoid this simply because we're in the same house when playing. Currently still using "yell across the house" as main mode of comms, simply because setting up a Discord voice chat or MS Teams call honestly seems a bit overkill when the other player is literally 30 feet away.

I note your caveat and raise you a question: What about XBOX headsets that plug into the controller? Honestly, I THINK Windows sees these as a USB device (or maybe a Bluetooth device?), which is why they work for the multiple audio streams on games like CoD. I noticed that setting the audio on "Voice Output Device" in 7 Days routes EVERYTHING through the headset. Since this style of headset are one-ear (rather than full over-the-ear headphones with a mic), it makes sending all audio through them problematic - hence the original question.

[Ensign Toby]

Well, if Windows sees your XBox Headset as a separate sound device, it "should" work...

Check your Windows Sound Settings:
* See if you can independently set volume for speakers AND Headset to prove 2 channels
OR
If you really want it that badly, borrow some USB headphones to prove it works first, then
Replace those XBox Headsets with some fancy new USB Headphones 'n Stop Yelling.

Without a 3rd Party VoIP App, however, you're gunna be stuck with push-to-talk regardless.

[Ensign Toby]

Well, after further research, it appears that Microsoft just HAS to be different - Duh...

This link may help:
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/xbox/forum/all/can-you-use-the-xbox-one-wireless-headset-chat/6017ba32-fdbe-40cd-be8a-5e57e1835a55

It appears the voice sound mixer is in the XBox Accessories App,
not the Windows Sound Properties (like everyone else on the Planet)...

Hopefully, this will point you in the right direction.