The ability to ping can essentially be disabled. In short, the pings still happen. But the graphics and sound can be disabled. It would be built into the map, essentially. It is not something one could toggle.
So, are pings necessary in Gem? For many, it is an annoyance. I cannot remember absolutely needing one. Plus, they are not entirely accurate in most cases, so chat is almost necessary to point out a specific issue or situation anyway.
The ability to ping can essentially be disabled. In short, the pings still happen. But the graphics and sound can be disabled. It would be built into the map, essentially. It is not something one could toggle.
So, are pings necessary in Gem? For many, it is an annoyance. I cannot remember absolutely needing one. Plus, they are not entirely accurate in most cases, so chat is almost necessary to point out a specific issue or situation anyway.