metadigital

It depends on the game, but VO budgets are generally small, yes. To quote the old addage; no ****, Sherlock. Did you post this to distract? I really don't see any purpose to it. I'm fairly sure everyone knows this. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I posted this because (to a lesser extent) you, and others (to a greater extent) seem to think that writing is secondary and some abstract part that can be tacked onto the end of the development cycle. This is not true. At all. In any way, shape or form. Players want, no, demand a visual confirmation to their actions in modern games. They also demand textual and auditory confirmation. If there is none, they feel cheated, additionally there is no more efficient way to express something visual than with a visual trigger. If I score a hit against a guy's leg, he should react to with all three of the aforementioned means. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You think graphics are the most important aspect of games. Bully for you. That is your opinion. You really aren't going to convince me, no matter how vociferous you get. Think of Tomb Rader: Angel of Darkness. It had the momentum of a successful franchise and the latest

Even though it was a set-up, I agree.

I haven't checked the Hall of Fame for six months or so ... looks like some good stuff there. I even saw a Final Fantasy IV mod.

Leroy!

Isn't it obvious since I'm still asking for help? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Try clicking on the link.

... Certainly scared Mr Sawyer off.

Sure. (Aside: your friend scares me.) VO costs bugger all. Less than 5% of the cost of a game. Look at Beneath a Steel Sky. Brilliant, flawless VO. Good writing is NOT JUST the sqiggly bits in speech bubbles and descriptions. It is the whole game design. A story. A narrative. Characters. It is the planning underpinning the entire game. Graphics are just eye candy. Just like sugar-saturated sweets, there is only a short-term pleasant effect associated with it. If there's no writing to provide some meat and potatoes, then the game will die. Aside 2: I wouldn't bother reading WoW plots, either. Damn waste of time.

Weren't we beating a dead flying horse? How did this thread deteriorate so far?

I'm obviously just not gay enough to find you cute enough. I support your right to have babies!

Whomever it is, let's hope they don't get burnt ...

Or woman!

No. :"> I read ann article about it. Um, I think it was in The Escapist.

I going for 7.1. ^_^

That needs a little more roleplay imagination ...

Haven't you fixed it yet?

...And he still complains!

There there. I support your right to be Christian. ^_^

I have sound blaring. ^_^

You weren't important enough to be included in the alpha testing. So what else is there to test? The engine? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Check highlighted quotation. There is more to an RPG than the story. Interesting NPCs, joinable party members, hirelings, setting, technology and/or magic (there are NwN mods like the Enhanced Magic System of arQon, for example). Sure, keep the story quiet. Or not. Just have only a few alpha testers. People write books and include their friends / family / loved ones / et alia, this is no different. I never suggested it had to be an open beta. Industry standard graphics, FX, voice acting, FMV, etc. are all part of what most players would consider quality. See: Blizzard. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> you're just saying the same thing over and over again. There is more to a game than flashy graphics, otherwise Flash would be the ultimate modding tool.

Or you could rename it Bloodlines ...

This doesn't have much to do with equal rights for homosexuals and idiots like Eldar...

Already available in NwN.

:D Sounds like lots of fun, I'll make sure my next excursion into Anciet Rome is via the Total Realism mod ...