Volume & Radius - total cutoff vs. constant fading

[dkgrieshammer]

Note: This is part of a bigger debate and the mental models users have of the chat venue; todo: elaborate

Problem Statement

The volume going to zero at a certain radius was disturbing with 2 main critics:

• When you talk, it's difficult to realize who could really hear you, and who couldn't. We think the volume between 2 persons should vary in the same way as it does in real life: decrease slowly with the distance and go to zero only if there is a wall in the obstacle in the background, but not otherwise.
• When you are talking with one person on your left and one person on your right, both of them can hear you, and you can hear both of them but they cannot hear each other. This also doesn't feel natural.