Introduction

‍

VoicePatrol is a comprehensive voice moderation SDK that provides real-time analysis of voice communications in multiplayer games. It offers automated content moderation, age verification, player reporting, and voice analytics to create safer gaming environments.

‍

Real-time Voice Moderation

Automatically detect harmful speech patterns, harassment, and inappropriate content.

‍

Age Verification

Estimate player age from voice samples for age-appropriate experiences.

‍

Player Reporting

Capture audio evidence for manual moderation review.

‍

Voice Business Intelligence

Analytics and insights from voice communications.

‍

Multi-platform Support

Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux

‍

Voice Engine Agnostics

Works with Vivox, Photon Voice, Dissonance, and custom solutions.

‍

‍

Installation & Setup

‍

Prerequisites

• - Unity 2020.3 LTS or newer
• - Target platforms: Android API 23+, Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+
• - Microphone permissions on target platforms
• - Internet access

Installation Steps

1. Download the Package
   - Download the VoicePatrol Unity package from your dashboard at dashboard.voicepatrol.dev
2. Import the Package
   - Right-click in Unity Assets folder → Import
   - Package → Custom Package...
   - Select the VoicePatrol Unity package
3. Add to Scene
   - Drag the VoicePatrol prefab into your main/startup scene
   - The prefab includes all necessary components and will persist across scenes
4. Configure Settings
   - Select the VoicePatrol prefab in your scene
   - In the Inspector, enter your API key from the VoicePatrol dashboard
   - Configure optional features (Voice BI, Age Verification, Debug Logs)

‍

Core Concepts

‍

SDK Lifecycle

The VoicePatrol SDK follows a specific lifecycle pattern.

1. Initialization: SDK starts and establishes server connections
2. Muted State: SDK begins in muted state (no processing)
3. Active State: SDK processes audio when unmuted
4. Room Management: Optional room joining/leaving for context
5. Shutdown: Proper cleanup when application closes

‍

Audio Processing Pipeline

Microphone Input → Stream to Server → Audio Analysis → Violation Detection → Callback Events

‍

Key Components

VoicePatrolWrapper: Main interface for all SDK operations

• - Static methods for easy access from anywhere in your code
• - Thread-safe event system for violation callbacks
• - Automatic permission handling on Android

AudioCaptureProxy: Captures game audio for analysis

• - Automatically attached to AudioListener components
• - Captures mixed audio output for comprehensive monitoring
• - Required for player reporting features

Permission Manager: Handles microphone permissions

• - Automatic permission requests on Android
• - Graceful degradation when permissions denied
• - Platform-specific implementation

‍

‍

Install Guide

‍

Video Guide (2 minutes)

The VoicePatrol SDK follows a specific lifecycle pattern.

Basic Integration (5 minutes)

1. Add the VoicePatrol prefab to your scene

2. Initialize in your game manager:

using VoicePatrol.Scripts;

public class GameManager : MonoBehaviour
{
   [SerializeField] private string apiKey = "your-api-key-here";
   
   void Start()
   {
       // Start VoicePatrol with basic settings
       string result = VoicePatrolWrapper.StartVoicePatrol(token: apiKey);        
       Debug.Log($"VoicePatrol: {result}");
   }
}

3. Handle muting based on your voice chat state:

void Start()
{
   // Check voice chat state every second instead of every frame
   InvokeRepeating(nameof(UpdateVoicePatrolMutedState), 1f, 1f);
}

private void UpdateVoicePatrolMutedState()
{
   // Example: Mute VoicePatrol when not in voice chat
   bool shouldMute = !IsInVoiceChat() || IsVoiceChatMuted();
   VoicePatrolWrapper.SetMuted(shouldMute);
}

4. Listen for violations:

Note - Violation callbacks can contain multiple categories but only a single priority, based on the most severe. Possible priorities include: severe, high, medium.

void OnEnable()
{
   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnViolationDetected += HandleViolation;
}

void OnDisable()
{
   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnViolationDetected -= HandleViolation;
}

private void HandleViolation(VoicePatrolWrapper.ViolationEventData violation)
{
   Debug.Log($"Violation detected for {violation.UniqueId}: {violation.Priority}");
   
   // Take action based on violation
   switch (violation.Priority.ToLower())
   {
       case "severe":
           // Immediate action required
           MutePlayer(violation.UniqueId);
           break;
       case "high":
           // Warning or temporary action
           WarnPlayer(violation.UniqueId);
           break;
       case "medium":
           // Log for review
           LogViolation(violation);
           break;
   }
}

Room Management

// When joining a multiplayer room
void OnJoinedRoom(string roomId)
{
   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnJoinedRoom(roomId);
}

// When leaving a room
void OnLeftRoom()
{
   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnLeftRoom();
}

API Reference

‍

VoicePatrolWrapper Static Methods

Voice Engine Integration

VoicePatrol works alongside your existing voice chat solution. The recommended approach is to check your voice engine's muted state once per second rather than every frame. Here are integration examples:

Advanced Features

Age Verification

When enabled, VoicePatrol analyzes the first 60 seconds of clear speech to estimate player age. The model returns specific age ranges: 0-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-11, 11-12, 13-15, 16-100.

‍

void OnEnable()

{

   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnAgeVerified += HandleAgeVerification;

}

private void HandleAgeVerification(VoicePatrolWrapper.AgeVerificationData data)

{

   Debug.Log($"Player {data.UniqueId} estimated age range: {data.MinAge}-{data.MaxAge}");

   // Apply age-appropriate restrictions based on specific ranges

   if (data.MaxAge <= 12)

   {

       // Child safety measures (0-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-11, 11-12)

       EnableChildSafetyMode();

       RestrictChatFeatures();

       RequireParentalSupervision();

   }

   else if (data.MaxAge <= 15)

   {

       // Teen safety features (13-15)

       EnableTeenSafetyFeatures();

       EnableContentFiltering();

   }

   else

   {

       // Adult content allowed (16-100)

       EnableFullFeatures();

   }

}

‍

Player Reporting System

Implement an evidence based reporting system:

public class PlayerReportingSystem : MonoBehaviour

{    

   public void ReportPlayer(string playerId, string reportReason)

   {

       // Submit audio evidence

       string result = VoicePatrolWrapper.SubmitPlayerReport(playerId, reportReason);

       Debug.Log($"VoicePatrol: {result}");

   }

}

‍

‍

How Player Reporting Works:

VoicePatrol continuously captures a rolling 2-minute window of your game's mixed audio output - everything the player says and hears through their speakers or headphones. When SubmitPlayerReport() is called, it immediately uploads the last 2 minutes of captured audio as evidence.

This approach ensures reliable evidence collection because:

• - No audio loss: Evidence is already captured before the report is made
• - Complete context: Captures all audio the player heard, regardless of voice chat complexity
• - Works with any setup: Proximity chat, team channels, spatial audio - if the player heard it or said it, it's captured

The submitted audio file is tagged with the offending player's ID, the reporting player's ID, the report reason, and sent for human moderation review in your dashboard.

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Voice Business Intelligence

Track voice communication patterns and player sentiment:

// Enable Voice BI during SDK initialization

VoicePatrolWrapper.StartVoicePatrol(

   token: apiKey,

   voiceBI: true  // Enable BI features

);

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Best Practices

Performance Optimization

Muting Logic - Check Voice Engine State Periodically

Setting the muted state is not computationally expensive - it simply sets an internal boolean flag that causes early returns in processing functions. Check your voice engine's muted state once per second rather than every frame:

‍

void Start()

{

   // Check voice engine muted state every second

   InvokeRepeating(nameof(UpdateVoicePatrolMutedState), 1f, 1f);

}

private void UpdateVoicePatrolMutedState()

{

   bool shouldMute = !IsInVoiceChat() || IsVoiceChatMuted();

   VoicePatrolWrapper.SetMuted(shouldMute);

}

// Example voice engine state checking

private bool IsInVoiceChat()

{

   // Replace with your voice engine's connection check

   return MyVoiceEngine.IsConnectedToChannel();

}

private bool IsVoiceChatMuted()

{

   // Replace with your voice engine's muted state

   return MyVoiceEngine.IsMicrophoneMuted();

}

‍

‍

Memory Management

void OnDestroy()
{
   // Always clean up event subscriptions
   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnViolationDetected -= HandleViolation;
   VoicePatrolWrapper.OnAgeVerified -= HandleAgeVerification;
}

void OnApplicationPause(bool pauseStatus)
{
   if (pauseStatus)
   {
       // Mute when app is backgrounded
       VoicePatrolWrapper.SetMuted(true);
   }
}

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Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Audio Clip Processing Fails.

‍

// Ensure audio clip is properly configured

if (audioClip.loadType != AudioClipLoadType.DecompressOnLoad)

{

   Debug.LogError("Audio clip must be set to 'Decompress On Load' for processing");

   return;

}

‍

‍

Debug Information

Debug logs will show SDK initialization progress, audio device detection, age verification buffer status, player report uploads, and authentication issues. This information is essential for diagnosing microphone access problems, API key issues, and feature-specific troubleshooting.

‍

// Start with debug logs enabled

VoicePatrolWrapper.StartVoicePatrol(

   token: apiKey,

   debugLogs: true

);

‍

‍

Platform-Specific Notes

‍

Android

• - Requires API level 23 (Android 6.0) minimum
• - Microphone permission automatically requested
• - Supports ARM64 architecture
• - Tested on various Android versions and devices

Windows/Mac/Linux

• - No special permissions required
• - Supports x64 architecture
• - Tested with various audio drivers and hardware

Build Settings

#if UNITY_ANDROID

   // Android-specific code

#elif UNITY_STANDALONE

   // Desktop-specific code

#endif

Introduction

‍

VoicePatrol is a comprehensive voice moderation SDK that provides real-time analysis of voice communications in multiplayer games. It offers automated content moderation, age verification, player reporting, and voice analytics to create safer gaming environments.

‍

Real-time Voice Moderation

Automatically detect harmful speech patterns, harassment, and inappropriate content.

‍

Age Verification

Estimate player age from voice samples for age-appropriate experiences.

‍

Multi-platform Support

Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux

‍

Voice Engine Agnostics

Works with Vivox, Photon Voice, Dissonance, and custom solutions.

‍

Prerequisites

• • - Unreal Engine 4.0 or newer
  • - Target platforms: Android API 23+, Windows 10+, macOS 10.15+
  • - Microphone permissions on target platforms
  • - Internet access

Installation Steps

1. • Download: the VoicePatrol Unreal plugin from the Get Started page.
2. • Extract: the downloaded archive into your project's Plugins/ folder. If your project doesn't have a Plugins/f folder, create one at the project root.
3. • Regenerate Project Files: Right-click your .uproject file and choose Generate Visual Studio project files.
4. • Build: Open the project in Visual Studio and build (Development Editor configuration), or open the .uproject and let Unreal compile the plugin on first launch.
5. Verify: Open the editor and check the Output Log. You should see:
   
   • LogVoicePatrol: VoicePatrolSDK: All required SDK exports resolved
   • ‍
   • If you see this line, the plugin is loaded and ready.

Core Concepts

SDK Lifecycle

The VoicePatrol SDK follows a specific lifecycle pattern.

1. Initialization — SDK starts and establishes server connections.
2. Muted State — SDK begins in a muted state (no processing).
3. Active State — SDK processes audio when unmuted.
4. Room Management — Optional room joining/leaving for context.
5. Shutdown — Proper cleanup when the GameInstance tears down.

Audio Processing Pipeline

Microphone Input → Stream to Server → Audio Analysis → Violation Detection → Callback Events

Key Components

UVoicePatrolSubsystem — Main interface for all SDK operations.

• A UGameInstanceSubsystem, automatically created with your GameInstance.
• Retrieved via GetGameInstance()->GetSubsystem<UVoicePatrolSubsystem>().
• Thread-safe delegate broadcasting; callbacks marshal to the game thread.

FVoicePatrolSDKModule — The plugin module.

• Loads the native SDK library at editor/game startup.
• Exposes IsReady() to check if the native library resolved successfully.

UVoicePatrolBlueprintLibrary — Blueprint helpers.

• Static functions for testing and debugging from Blueprint.

API Reference

‍

All SDK operations are accessed via the UVoicePatrolSubsystem. Get a reference like this:

‍#include "VoicePatrolSDK.h"

UVoicePatrolSubsystem* VP = GetGameInstance()->GetSubsystem<UVoicePatrolSubsystem>();

if (!VP) return;‍

Violation Callbacks

Subscribe to the multicast delegate to receive violations:

#include "VoicePatrolSDK.h"

void AYourGameMode::BeginPlay()
{
   Super::BeginPlay();

   UVoicePatrolSubsystem* VP = GetGameInstance()->GetSubsystem<UVoicePatrolSubsystem>();
   if (VP)
   {
       VP->OnInfractionIdentified().AddUObject(this, &AYourGameMode::HandleViolation);
   }
}

void AYourGameMode::HandleViolation(EVoicePatrolSeverity Severity, TArray<EVoicePatrolLabel> Labels)
{
   UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Violation detected: severity=%d, %d labels"),
       static_cast<int32>(Severity), Labels.Num());

   switch (Severity)
   {
   case EVoicePatrolSeverity::Severe:
       // Immediate action required
       break;
   case EVoicePatrolSeverity::High:
       // Warning or temporary action
       break;
   case EVoicePatrolSeverity::Medium:
       // Log for review
       break;
   default:
       break;
   }
}

Violation callbacks may contain multiple labels but only a single severity, based on the most severe label. Possible severities: Default, Medium, High, Severe.

Age Verification Callbacks

VP->OnAgeClassificationReceived().AddUObject(this, &AYourGameMode::HandleAge);

void AYourGameMode::HandleAge(uint32 MinAge, uint32 MaxAge)

{

   UE_LOG(LogTemp, Log, TEXT("Estimated age range: %u-%u"), MinAge, MaxAge);

   if (MaxAge <= 12)

   {

       // Child safety measures

   }

   else if (MaxAge <= 15)

   {

       // Teen safety features

   }

   else

   {

       // Adult features

   }

}

For Blueprint, bind to the On Age Verified event on the subsystem (BlueprintAssignable).

‍

Voice Engine Integration

VoicePatrol works alongside your existing voice chat solution. The recommended pattern is to mirror your voice engine's mute state into VoicePatrol once per second using a timer, rather than every tick.

Advanced Features

Age Verification

When enabled, VoicePatrol analyzes the first 60 seconds of clear speech to estimate player age. The model returns specific age ranges:

‍0-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-11, 11-12, 13-15, 16-100.

void AYourGameMode::HandleAge(uint32 MinAge, uint32 MaxAge)

{

   if (MaxAge <= 12)

   {

       // Child safety measures (0-5, 6-6, 7-7, 8-8, 9-11, 11-12)

       EnableChildSafetyMode();

   }

   else if (MaxAge <= 15)

   {

       // Teen safety features (13-15)

       EnableTeenSafetyFeatures();

   }

   else

   {

       // Adult features (16-100)

       EnableFullFeatures();

   }

}

‍

Voice Business Intelligence

Track voice communication patterns and player sentiment. Enable during initialization:

VP->StartVoicePatrol(

   TEXT("your-api-token"),

   TEXT(""), TEXT(""),

   true,           // VoiceBI enabled

   false, false, true, false

);

Best Practices

Performance

Mirror your voice engine's mute state, don't poll every frame. Setting the muted state is cheap (an internal boolean flag), but querying your voice engine every tick is wasteful. A 1-second timer is plenty.

Don't call StopVoicePatrol for temporary pauses. Use SetMuted(true) instead. StopVoicePatrol releases native resources and re-establishing them has a cost.

Memory and Cleanup

The subsystem cleans itself up automatically when the GameInstance is torn down. You should still unbind delegates you've added in EndPlay:

void AYourGameMode::EndPlay(const EEndPlayReason::Type EndPlayReason)

{

   if (UVoicePatrolSubsystem* VP = GetGameInstance()->GetSubsystem<UVoicePatrolSubsystem>())

   {

       VP->OnInfractionIdentified().RemoveAll(this);

       VP->OnAgeClassificationReceived().RemoveAll(this);

   }

   Super::EndPlay(EndPlayReason);

}

Application Lifecycle

Mute when the application is backgrounded:

void UYourGameInstance::HandleApplicationWillEnterBackground()

{

   if (UVoicePatrolSubsystem* VP = GetSubsystem<UVoicePatrolSubsystem>())

   {

       VP->SetMuted(true);

   }

}

Troubleshooting

SDK Doesn't Start

Check for the following line in the Output Log at editor startup:

LogVoicePatrol: VoicePatrolSDK: All required SDK exports resolved

If it's missing, the native library failed to load. Verify the plugin's Libs/ folder contains the correct binary for your platform (Win64/VoicePatrol_SDK.dll or Android/arm64-v8a/libVoicePatrol_SDK.so).

No Violations Despite Speaking

Confirm:

• SetMuted(false) was called after StartVoicePatrol (the SDK starts muted by default).
• The Output Log shows the gRPC stream opened: [DIAG] gRPC stream opened, initial PING written.
• Microphone permissions are granted (especially on Android).
• The selected input device is the one you're speaking into. Check the Input Device: log lines emitted at startup.

"Module not ready" When Calling Functions

FVoicePatrolSDKModule::IsReady() returned false. The native library didn't load successfully at module startup. See "SDK Doesn't Start" above.

Debug Logs

Enable detailed logging during initialization:

VP->StartVoicePatrol(Token, TEXT(""), TEXT(""), false, false, false, /*LogsEnabled*/ true, false);

Debug logs include SDK initialization progress, audio device enumeration, gRPC connection state, and violation/age classification events.

Platform-Specific Notes

‍

Android

• - Requires API level 23 (Android 6.0) minimum
• - Microphone permission is requested automatically via the plugin's UPL XML
• - Supports arm64-v8a.
• - Compatible with Android 16KB page sizes

Windows/Mac/Linux

• - Supports x64
• - No special permissions required
• - The native library (VoicePatrol_SDK.dll) is delay-loaded; ensure it's staged in your packaged build (handled automatically by the plugin's Build.cs)

Build Configuration

The plugin can be conditionally enabled per-platform if needed:

#if PLATFORM_WINDOWS
   // Windows-specific code
#elif PLATFORM_ANDROID
   // Android-specific code
#endif