Hello,
Anyone knows if this game will be voice acted? If so will how will it affect TF and trails? For example CoX was you get a new mission for a TF, you either read it while auto running or just not read it. One thing DCUO did well was how they update missions when a certain objective is met giving insights on what the next object and the story is as you travel so there isn't a delay in the action. If the game is voice acted, would a similar mechanic be implemented?
As I understand it the game will not include voice acting and will instead use the CoX version of word bubbles in cutscenes and text only mission briefings. I too loved the cut scenes and voice acting in DCUO but they had sony behind them...MWM is kickstarter funded. HUGE difference in budget.
Granted, a well-done cut scene or NPC response is great for immersion, even if the budget allowed for it, but "bad voice acting" is arguably worse than "no voice acting". It's not always the actors fault, either. It could be a problem with the direction or the editing. Also, getting frequent "canned responses" gets old fast.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation."
I've been playing ESO since it launched a month ago and have been investigating the numerous add-on mods people have been making for it. There are a number of mods out there already which specifically silence individual voice-acted NPCs that are notably very annoying, especially after you've heard the same exact sentence/phrase they say literally hundreds of times. This is the kind of thing I would like CoT to NOT repeat even if it had an infinite budget for voice acting.
CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012
[IMG=400x225]https://i.imgur.com/NHUthWM.jpeg[/IMG]
For all that is good and right in this world....this. Perfect example...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYihhnm_m14
Another factor I would keep in mind is that there is one vital thing that can't be voiced by the NPCs - your name. Thus, while the character's name can be {more or less} seamlessly inserted into the dialogue, barring spectacular leaps in technology, there is no way to ad-lib an arbitrary name into spoken dialogue. While it can be substituted with nondescript nouns like "hero", "friend", "dude", etc., its impersonality would remove that feeling of "there are thousands of heroes in this city, but you are the one that matters" that was such a draw for me in CoH.
Normally when games want to get around that they just call you something generic as your hero name (ex: the chosen one, arbiter, hero, etc)
True enough, especially the people at the bank. (The barrows be lenders quote) I also agree with Rigel with the bad voice acting. Sometimes voice acting can surprise you from the most unlikely source though (for example the people who make Skyrim Top mods.) It's good to know that they are going chat bubble route because the chat bubbles always made CoX feel like a comic book.
Forgive me if I read this wrong, but isn't that exactly what Quinch (and I, in an earlier post) was objecting to?
Spurn all ye kindle.
Yes, the generic references are always a little jarring for me in a conversation with NPC contacts, which is why I'd personally use only a voiced cutscenes option, and think that our modders' / voice actors' effort are best spent there first.
Cutscenes tend avoid the problem entirely, by being either:
- interactions among NPCs (whose name are fixed and thus easy to verbalize),
- directed at a team (where the generalized "you heroes" is to be expected),
- a sort of surprise moment when the NPC wouldn't know my character or is simply so shocked/angry that their lack of voicing my name ("You again!?!") is quite believable.
Aye, fair enough. And I assume they will be able to do as CoX did and insert our characters into the cutscenes when appropriate, allowing a way of personalising the interaction without having to resort to generic references in the dialogue.
I just realised how difficult any generic reference would be in CoT given the more complex alignment matrix they have planned, resulting in lack of blue/red divide.
Spurn all ye kindle.
As long as I can /e discodance while in the cut scene I'll be happy!
I got chills! They're multiplyin'. And I'm losin' control. Cuz the power, I'm supplyin'. Why it's ELECTRIFYIN'!!
That would be awesome.
I realize that "fluff" items can take away from development time on more urgent things, but something like the Ferengi Party Amplifier in STO can be hilarious.
I Like dropping them on groups of meditating Vulcan monks. It's a riot!
"I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation."
Hmmm...yeah.... I'm not gonna argue that we should stop folks from having their fun, but for those of us who prefer to take the story & cutscenes seriously, I hope we get an option to see only character animations and dialogue that are scripted for the scene if we would rather not be subjected to whatever ad libs are occurring for the amusement of others. This way both groups could enjoy the cutscenes simultaneously.
Wow -- powers that force emotes on other characters without their consent. That's all kinds of wrong. And not in a good way.
Spurn all ye kindle.
Yeah. It's the subject of numerous and lengthy threads on the STO forums.
They're harmless and can't be abused in combat or anything to lock someone into a "fatal emote", but I can't believe they didn't think to include an opt-out button in the options menu.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation."
Yeah I wouldn't mind a game having emotes that can affect other players as long as there was an "opt out" option. But if there's no way to avoid it when you don't want to play along that would be very sucky.
CoH player from April 25, 2004 to November 30, 2012
[IMG=400x225]https://i.imgur.com/NHUthWM.jpeg[/IMG]
Umm... and that's why I don't like voice-acting!!
Sorry.
I didn't mean to derail the original conversation.
"I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation."