Communication

Communication is one of the key gameplay elements in the game Squad. Using a microphone is crucial to the gameplay of Squad. Winning is only possible through the use of fast and efficient radio communication. The game's HUD intentionally displays hardly any information. It is crucial that you rely on your teammates and communication to find your way in the game.

Voice Communication
The following types of voice communication exist in Squad at the moment:

Channels:

 * Commander channel (Channel colour gold - G  )  - Only Squad Leaders have access to this channel. It is used by holding down the G key. This voice channel is used to by Squad Leaders and the Commander to relay information and coordinate actions.
 * Squad channel (Channel colour green - B) - Only available to members of a squad, and only fellow squad mates can hear what is said on this voice channel. It is used by holding down the B key. This voice channel is used to relay information to your squad mates and Squad Leader regardless of where you are on the map. The color is green when used by the Squad Leader and all other members, purple when used by Fireteam Bravo members, and cyan when used by Fireteam Charlie members.
 * Local channel (Channel colour light blue - V ) - Team mates within close proximity can hear what is said in local channel. The further away you are from the person talking, the quieter it gets. The local voice channel is used by holding down the V key. Nearby enemies will not be able to hear local voice chat.

The voice indicator tells you who is currently speaking by showing a speaker icon with their name next to it, the colour indicates on which channel they're speaking.

On public servers, make sure to use these built-in communication channels instead of other third party tools, so all members in the team can benefit from your communication.

The included in-game voice communication system is based on Mumble.

Text Chat
Beside voice communication you can also communicate via in-game text chat. The following chat channels exist:
 * Squad chat (L): The text can only be seen by your squad mates. This is seldom used, normally only by players without a microphone. But you can also use it give important information to your squad mates. You can also use this when everybody is in a firefight and wouldn't hear you over the radio or when there is already too much talking going on over radio.
 * Team chat (K): The text can only be seen by your team. This is used for important information concerning the entire team, e.g. the location of an enemy FOB, groups of enemy infantry, or vehicles.
 * All players chat (J): The text can be seen by all players. This is used to communicate with all players on the game server, commonly used to get the attention of admins/moderators in the server. This is the only in-game means of communication to the opposite team.
 * Administrator broadcast: In-game text chat written by server administrators/moderators to all players. This will appear on the top of the screen centered and be titled "BROADCAST".

After typing your chat text, hit Enter to send it. To cancel your chat text, press Esc twice.

The colour of the text chat indicates by which player the text was written. Squad members' text appears in green, team members in blue , opposite team members in red.

The chat text also shows to whom it was send, i.e. [SQUAD], [TEAM], or [ALL].

The chat format is as follows: [to whom] by whom: text

Trivia

 * Fireteams were added with V12
 * Each team got their own color for easier identification
 * The chat can also be used as a console if you erase all the text before starting to type in the commands.