is using alternate forms of communication cheating?

[Deathninja12345]

 Before you all ask this is not a troll question, I just tend to be quite a nervous/anxious person and wanted to try to get some answers to my (admittedly probably overthought) question. So, basically lets say one uses discord as their only form of communication in game and never uses the in game voice chat (has the audio from it turned to 0% in audio settings and never uses it themselves). Lets also say that the said player uses discord often as a form of communication between him and one friend while in a game with a random player. Would this be a form of "cheating" so to speak since the two players are using discord as an alternate form of communication which the third (random player) cannot hear (even taking it a step further lets say that the players often communicate locations of loot and enemies to each other while using discord)? I personally don't use in game chat since for reasons of my own I don't want to speak to random players and often use discord so I can just speak to the people I want to and not the random teammates. Please no troll answers, regardless of how goofy this question may sound.

[CocaColaEnema · Accepted solution]

Well...it is unfair, because the third person is still a part of your team. However, you asked if using discord was cheating, which it isn't. I'm not judging you though. You have your reasons.

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. The dumbest people are the ones who don't ask them at all...

[CocaColaEnema]

No, using discord instead of the in-game voice channel is not cheating.

[Deathninja12345]

yeah I was also just kinda thinking that it might be unfair to tell one teammate about something and not the other (ei telling your discord teammate about a good gun you found and not pinging it or whatever). thanks a lot for your patience. I realize how dumb I sound with this topic and all that.

[CocaColaEnema · Accepted solution]

Well...it is unfair, because the third person is still a part of your team. However, you asked if using discord was cheating, which it isn't. I'm not judging you though. You have your reasons.

Also, don't be afraid to ask questions. The dumbest people are the ones who don't ask them at all...

[Deathninja12345]

so basically your recommendation is to convey as much information as possible to the teammate who is not in your discord group through pings and the like but still use the discord group to provide urgent and otherwise unconveyable information to the friend you are playing with through discord(ie the more specific locations and health statuses of enemies)? once again thanks for actually discussing this with me... helps me to get out of my own overly-nervous  head a little bit.

Edit: also a relief since I thought the only responses id likely get would be troll comments.

[CocaColaEnema]

You don't have to force yourself to talk to a random over a videogame, but the least you can do is ping enemy locations and important items you think they may need (shield cells, syringes, higher leveled armor they don't yet have, ect.) Don't overdo it though. People tend to get annoyed if you spam it. I sure as hell do lol.