I would like to hear the npc's talk to you when giving you a mission. I hope that is possible.
Sun, 08/17/2014 - 22:58
#1
talking npc's
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Sry.. MWM decided that Voice Overs wont make it for the initial release.
But Im hoping for a way to Copy the NPC dialog Text (tiny icon?) to the clipboard and have a TTS reader do the Speech. :)
A TTS reader that could change accentuation based on the desired emotion could eliminate the need for voiceovers altogether! It would be easy to execute so long as there are sound-bite packs for the various vowels and consonants of different voices and accents, and the voices could potentially be emulated with sound design so as to cut down on the number of voice actors needed. What would be even cooler is if we could replace voices with our own, which potentially could be done either through remixing a previous sound-bite pack or recording one's own sound-bites.
Better yet, could we use this TTS for chatting? If we ever get tired of listening we can toggle it off in a sound settings menu.
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[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/toon-profiles-nnekonnin-llabanttselel-aalbusuumbra-aagimundr-sstaalsol-and-doctor]My original character profiles![/url]
[img]http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/26.jpg[/img]
that actually sound like a good idea being able to turn the speech off and on through the setting menu.
If the Devs left it open-ended enough (via things like the TTS technology) this could be the kind of thing the player community could pick up and develop along the lines of a dynamic modding environment. There's no reason the Devs need to spend too much effort (or too much money) on "voice talent" for this game when I'm sure there would be plenty of interest amongst the players to handle this aspect of the game in their own way.
CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012
[IMG=400x225]https://i.imgur.com/NHUthWM.jpeg[/IMG]
Good point. It would keep down costs (not having to hire voice actors), sidestep the problem of the effect bad voice acting has on a game, and also avoid the "straightjacket" aspects of voice acting by allowing text to include changeable personal pronouns and insertion of character names. It also would make it easier for devs to retcon dialogue when there are world-changing events over time if all they have to worry about is text.
Spurn all ye kindle.
Lets just hope that we wouldn't need our own servers in order to mod, so we could have things handled by the client. Clientside modding of MMO's for ze vin!
You hear the dead, their bones shake and rattle for you to join them. So you will.
This is something or a selfish reason and not to be taken as any official stance, but my preference is text over voice. Playing games with voice overs that don't have text reults on my son who is death and hard of hearing to miss out on the story. And since he is a natural lip reader, facial animation is often wasted because the animations do not often match how people actual move their mouths and tongues when speaking. Being immersed into my sons view of the world and working with speech therapists it has actually gotten to be pretty distracting even for me to look at many video game characters animated speech (well almost all animated speech except a few really good exceptions). Voices without animation is even worse, since my son does have residual hearing he can question where the heck the voice is coming from, or when we've tried using readers to help him listen, when the same voice is used for multiple characters interacting with one another to him, its like one character is doing all the talking because its the same exact voice.
Again please don't take this as anything official against the possibility of (at some point or not) of voice over acting in the game or use of TTS. If it were something we were to employ, I'd want it done really well, including using people providing the voice overs, quality actors that can do multiple voices so that each talking character is unique in how it sounds, and proper animations of facial muscles around the mouth, the tongue, and jaw movement.
[hr]I don't use a nerf bat, I have a magic crowbar!
- Combat Mechanic -
[color=#ff0000]Tech Team. [/color]
Even CoH allowed for client-side modding of all sorts of graphics and audio elements. I would be relatively surprised if CoT didn't allow for at least a similar (if not greater) degree of modding capability.
CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012
[IMG=400x225]https://i.imgur.com/NHUthWM.jpeg[/IMG]
It did, but it wasn't really *supported* as such, and the stuff that was available was normally hidden away. Yes, there were guides saying how to do it, but if your game screwed up, it was up to you to resolve the problem, and none of Paragon/Cryptic/NCsoft duty to help out on that front.
The same with popmenus as well. The facility was there, but the only guide was player written (IIRC), and again a "not officially supported" feature
This is why I actually like and enjoy how Wildstar did their voice over the cutscenes... It had subtitles to go along with it (the speaker is not shown anyway), and for the mission accept/decline stuff, the voice over is more generic/character orientated, rather than the level of voice over that SWTOR has (where everything is voiced, and it *generally* exactly matches up with what is subtitled).
The closest/best that I have seen for a long time was in LA Noire, although IIRC they did not just use the normal tools in the development suite that they had, they also had animators tweak it according to video capture that they had made of the voice actors. This is because even though the models were good, they were not perfect, so getting the animators to *improve* tweak it, made it better.
This is not really a new thing though.... the voice actors for Akira were also recorded on camera, so that (for the japanese version), the mouth shape in the film actually matches up with the mouth shape that the actors used.
TSW has good voice overs, but it's still prohibitive as far as:
a) having to maintain the cost/relative hassle of hiring good voice actors to maintain consistent development and/or
b) going back and retconning it (a very common, if sometimes annoying, comic book practice) when necessary. AND, anyway,
c) speech balloons are a classic part of the comic book Superhero style.
TSW went from a fully funded game to fairly shoestring development, and the need for good voice-acting to keep developing the game in a way that's consistent with what's already there is like an anchor around their neck now.
So, personally, because I want the game to be robust and sustainable and developable, and because we're lucky that it actually is a stylistic characteristic of the genre, I say stick with speech bubbles.
If there were a TTS mod, I'd probably give it a try at some point when I'm bored just to check it out, but I wouldn't miss it if it weren't there.
FIGHT EVIL! (or go cause trouble so the Heroes have something to do.)
I never really made any claim that the modding in CoH was "openly advertised" or was anything that was publicly encouraged/supported by the Devs. I was stressing the point that even CoH (a game developed in the 2002-2004 timeframe) allowed players to make client-side mods like changing the sounds powers made or the appearance of specific costume items. Just making an educated guess that a new game calling itself a "spiritual successor" to CoH created over 10 years later ought to possess similar (if not better) modding capabilities regardless if they are openly acknowledged or not.
For what it's worth I wouldn't really mind if the Devs of CoT followed the same sensible policy of "no comment" when it comes to being able to mod in CoT as long as the same general access to make client-side mods exists. Just like in CoH there would be forum/wiki guides written up by interested players and the people who cared about making/using such mods would manage it just fine without any "official Dev support" or hand-holding.
CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012
[IMG=400x225]https://i.imgur.com/NHUthWM.jpeg[/IMG]
[url=http://www.acapela-group.com/a-new-reading-experience-with-open-lore-read-software/]Open Lore[/url] TTS Reader is one semi decent example of trying to make a TTS reader sound decent for reading children's books and not sucking too much. ;)
Of course, i was thinking that the text that was copied to the clipboard might be wrapped up in XML with ways to signify how it would be read. Male/Female Young/Old etc...
Take a Listen [url=http://www.acapela-group.com/]Here[/url]
Paste this text into the Tetxbox you want to listen to:
-----------------------------
#COUGH01#
#CROW#
#DOG#
#DUCK#
"Piss off!"
#LAUGH01#
We invent speech solutions to vocalize your content with authentic and original voices that express meaning and intent.
---------------------------------
Dont forget to try the bottom WILL voice variations. ;)
Also, scroll down and have a listen to prerecorded dialogues at:
http://www.acapela-group.com/voices/repertoire/
I'm with you, Tannim, in preferring text to voice. Aside from any disability consideration and the dev-constraining aspects of voice, I just happen to enjoy reading.
However, I fully support the idea of making the game amenable to individual modding for people who want to use some kind of text-to-speech utility. In a similar vein to the issues you brought up regarding your son, some players could have reading difficulties. I don't think CoT should include speech, but it might help folks if it supports such in 3rd-party apps.
Izzy: is it sufficient to just ensure text can be copied/exported cleanly, without control characters, XML, etc?
Spurn all ye kindle.
Would it not be appropriate to be able to stream text to a 'Log' document and then have the text-reader read that content... live?
Be Well!
Fireheart
Depends on whether or not it would be appropriate to have a client side mod with voice acting. Less robotic voices for the non robotic NPC's.
You hear the dead, their bones shake and rattle for you to join them. So you will.
The current not-especially-binding stance is that we would certainly *like* to support mods, in a somewhat more robust and direct fashion than CoH did, but there are several technical hurdles that would need to be surmounted first, so exactly what might be supported, and when, is a sufficiently open question that there isn't really any useful answer yet.
That said, I personally can't imagine bothering to actively work *against* content mods, barring only the possibility of someone finding a way to use them that would somehow give a sufficiently unfair advantage that it impacted the enjoyment of others.
[hr]
[color=#ff0000]Developer Emeritus[/color]
and multipurpose sheep
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I remember playing Everquest 2 and certain NPcs talking would drive me crazy after hearing it for the 1000 time
The Nightmare wishes to inform you that throughout any Mission Creator arcs he makes, he WILL be doing everything to give NPCs the voices they need. >_> I'm one of those weird people who can't watch anything without hearing a voice from someone. Silence kills the effect for me so much that even watching Phantom of the Opera requires acting on MY Part (Erik is totally a Scottish Gollum ;P)
[B]Revenge is motivation enough. At least it's honest...[/B]
Roleplayer; Esteemed Villain
[img]http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/5.jpg[/img]
I enjoy spoken dialogue as much as the next person, but the first thing I do in any speech-heavy game is to go find the Subtitles option. The doctor says my hearing is just fine, but I can't seem to separate different sounds anymore, so speech over any kind of background audio (ambient noises, music, etc.) is REALLY hard for me to understand.
--
Kickstarter Backer # 1337
The reason I suggest the voice option is that I cant read that well (due to my elementary school) so for me voice would be better than not how ever if it stands that it would be difficult to incorporate in the game then I would read what needed to be read. If you put cut scenes in the game then there I would like to hear voice rather than reading everything honestly I read real slow and if it goes to fast then I miss a lot of the text.
And yet, CoH was often praised for teaching kids to read...
As a lifelong reader, all I can say is 'Practice builds skill'.
Be Well!
Fireheart
Why does this remind me of Skyrim...
[i]"My cousin's out fighting dragons, and what do I get? Guard duty."[/i]
[i]"I got to thinking… maybe I’m the Dragonborn and I just don’t know it yet!"[/i]
[i]"Do you get to the cloud district very often? Oh what am I saying, of course you don’t"[/i]
[i]"You've picked a bad time to get lost, friend!"[/i]
[i]"I’ve been huntin’ and fishin’ in these parts for years"[/i]
[i]"No lollygaggin'."[/i]
[i]"My favorite drinking buddy! Let's get some mead."[/i]
[i]"I used to be an adventurer like you; then I took an arrow to the knee."[/i]
[i]"Perhaps we should find a random stranger to murder. Practice does make perfect."[/i]
[i]"You're naked!"[/i]
...Oh yeah.
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[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/toon-profiles-nnekonnin-llabanttselel-aalbusuumbra-aagimundr-sstaalsol-and-doctor]My original character profiles![/url]
[img]http://www.nodiatis.com/pub/26.jpg[/img]
But when you think about it, learning to read, at least with children involves an adult there to also help pronounce the words when the child is stuck.
Someone speaking the words can help as well...
Then there are the people who are marvellous *speakers*, and yet their spelling is... less than stellar. So it can help going both ways.
For me, I actually *learnt* more French when I was holiday in France, where I could *listen* to people speaking, compared to the 5+ years that I had been learning it from a book, with little spoken/listening practice.
So I can see as to why some people would indeed find it easier. Although as you say "Practice builds skill", having someone there to help or *something* to gauge yourself against can help as well (in this case, the spoken word)
One thing that does *slightly* drive me up the wall are people who spell phonetically. Hell, there are words out there that depending on the *context* of it, or pronunciation of it; would you believe me if I said that I had actually spelt that word wrong originally, and I was actually spelling it as I was saying it... GAH! See, even I am not immune to this.
But then again, everyone learns in different ways.
Hell, one thing that I have seen in some games is that they seem to be *Shortening* the quest text in the *initial* chat boxes, making it short and too the point; whilst then putting the *bulk* of the text/lore into the mission log window (so you can read it there if you choose to... at your own leisure.
To be clear, the decision about "no voice acting at launch" boils down to a handful of simple factors:
[list]
[*]It is surprisingly difficult to get right for a single language
[*]Good luck ever getting *anything* timed well with more than one language (much less actual lip-syncing)
[*]Even "C-league" voice talent is not cheap
[*]Studio time is also not cheap
[*]Consider just how much written content the average MMO has. Then consider the time-frame for creating and publishing that content (even ignoring the cost). It simply doesn't scale.
[/list]
Basically? It was (and so far as I am aware, is) felt that there were better uses for the money than something that has proven to be an active detriment to many games that didn't get it just dead-on perfect. If one or more factors in that equation change, it would obviously be reasonable to re-evaluate the question, but it is definitely well down the list in terms of the return on investment, for the time being.
[hr]
[color=#ff0000]Developer Emeritus[/color]
and multipurpose sheep
[img]http://missingworldsmedia.com/images/favicon.ico[/img]
That all makes perfect sense to me and I personally agree with it. I'm glad to see that kind of practical thinking devside.
Thanks for the peek behind the scenes!
FIGHT EVIL! (or go cause trouble so the Heroes have something to do.)
Not intending to thread necro here, but ...
I'm thinking it would be worthwhile for people who do make use of TTS software to give links and documentation to the development team (DSFH and associates) so that written content for City of Titans can be made [i]TTS Friendly[/i] in how it is produced and formatted at the time of its creation, rather than needing to go back later and retrofit everything afterwards. That way, even if the TTS functionality isn't getting used by most players, you'd have the capacity to Switch On in the Options such that a TTS reader program module mod would have all the information it needs to do its job.
This is one of those cases where doing it *right* the first time will make life so much easier later on. So ... what would be involved in making NPC text a TTS Friendly output?
[center][img=44x100]https://i.imgur.com/sMUQ928.gif[/img]
[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
That's a very good thought, Redlynne.
I have the opposite issue, being hearing impaired, so I require subtitles and/or text output for anything spoken. That gives me an appreciation for the difficulties faced by those who cannot parse text without extreme measures.
And I know that my previous post in this thread said 'let them learn to read!' In this case, we're talking accommodations for people who have bigger issues.
Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance, right?
Be Well!
Fireheart
Aye, Fireheart. Most definitely and indubitably!
Easier to do "right" the first time than go back through later and retrofit it in.
And you're not the only player who prefers text over speech. My best friend (who rarely posts here but is also a kickstarter) has hearing impairment and needs hearing aids, so I've got a bit of second hand experience with the text vs speech for clarity issues. He essentially can't watch a show like Doctor Who unless it has subtitles, because people talk so quickly, or worse, quietly, in an accent that doesn't parse in familiar ways. Subtitled anime, no problem. Doctor Who without text, a waste of time to try and keep up with.
So yeah ... plan for User Friendly is the better option, methinks.
[center][img=44x100]https://i.imgur.com/sMUQ928.gif[/img]
[i]Verbogeny is one of many pleasurettes afforded a creatific thinkerizer.[/i][/center]
The current best text to speech software is Text Speaker. It has customizable pronunciation, reads anything on your screen, and it even has talking reminders. It is great for learning languages as it highlights the words as they are being read. The bundled voices are well priced and sound very human. Voices are available in English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, and more. Easily converts blogs, email, e-books, and more to MP3 or for listening instantly.
Does the quality of the Synth voices sound close to or better than http://www.acapela-group.com/virtual-speaker/ (right hand is demo)