Why is it still not possible to turn off the narrator?

[Gfted1]

Can you skip VO/text with ?

[Ethics Gradient]

My understanding of the existing mod is that they replaced the existing sound files with null placeholders. Another approach would be to edit all the relevant conversation files to set each and every one of the VO values to false. So yeah, it is complicated.

Editing every single conversation bundle where the narrator speaks would be a doable, but ugly mod.  

 

However, somewhere in the Deadfire install is something like:

StreamingAssets/Audio/[platform]/Voices/English\(US\)/narrator

 

Just rename the directory to narrator2 or i_hate_quality_VO or whatever, and without placeholders or much additional effort, the bulk of narration should disappear.  There is still a bit of split narration where a different character is the active speaker, and the narrator chimes in at the beginning or end, but that is a different matter.  Those are single files with two different voices in them.  The author of the mod on nexus apparently identified and edited each of those files manually to trim off the narration.

 

As far as low-effort hacks go, renaming a single directory isn't too complicated.  However, since it is outside the mod framework, expect the narration to be restored every time Steam or GOG processes an update.

[Doppelschwert]

This might be a bit of a radical idea, but you actually can turn off your speakers or take off your headphones during the narrated segment as a work around.

 

(Don't get me wrong, I actually like the narration).

[Multihog]

This might be a bit of a radical idea, but you actually can turn off your speakers or take off your headphones during the narrated segment as a work around.

 

(Don't get me wrong, I actually like the narration).

And hear the fan of my PC and other background noise and not hear the music or ambient sounds of the game.

[tinysalamander]

This might be a bit of a radical idea, but you actually can turn off your speakers or take off your headphones during the narrated segment as a work around.

 

(Don't get me wrong, I actually like the narration).

 

Turning on and off speakers (while guessing how much time narration will take in case it's between the lines) is surely not the most enjoyable thing to do.

[asnjas]

Theres not an option because its not necessary nor is it important. There doesnt have to be an option for every freakin thing. You wont like everything.

 

I dont like this thing, that thing,a specific voice actor, the color red, ship combat, male npcs, two story buildings, can we pls have a option to turn them off.

 

Jesus chr. Sometimes i feel so bad for obsidian having to listen to people complain and nitpick to hell and back aboit 2 wonderfully enjoyable games.

[Tigranes]

Yeah. I hate the narrator and I think the VA there is horrible, but I'm not really going to sit here demanding that they add a mute button. What's the point of constantly asking devs to add a button for every single thing? I'd rather they focused on the big issues.

[uuuhhii]

can turn off all the voice right

then it make sense they didn't put in specific option to turn off some voice

[xzar_monty]

 

The problem with the narrator is extremely simple. She reads the text very slowly, a lot slower than I read, so I would rather read the text myself to get along with the game. But reading the text while the narrator is also reading that same text aloud, lagging behind me, is extraordinarily jarring. It has nothing to do with the quality of the narrative performance.

While I can understand someone not liking the performance (though personally, I disagree) this is the weirded argument to be made, and I see it pop up over and over again.

 

Of course you can read it faster. Reading is faster, than reading aloud. Sure, she takes extra time, as she builds a scene, and creates atmosphere, but that is a weirdest criticism of voicacting I can think of. She is performing, not being a google translate "read" function.

 

 

How is this a weird criticism? I am genuinely very curious. It's a perfectly legitimate and logical criticism concerning a fault in the game.

 

It is an excellent idea to go through all the text presented in the narration. You have, essentially, two choices:

1) Listen to the narrator,

2) Read the text yourself at your own pace.

 

If you choose #2, which I want to do, the narrator is a constant pain in the butt while you read. She also takes a *huge* amount of extra time that provides absolutely no extra value whatsoever.

 

So, how is this a weird criticism?

[Verde]

It's like watching a PowerPoint presentation where the presenters read from flash cards that have the exact same info as the presentation. Thanks but I can read!

[xzar_monty]

It's precisely that. A very good analogy. Given how obvious the error is, I'm actually surprised they made it. It's a very bad call.

[Teacher]

Personally I don't mind the narrator at all, actually I rather like her tone and delivery. But if there is something I'd like to see removed, it's the "He says" unwritten lines that follow the gods' dialogues. I find it jarring and unnecessary myself.

 

That's pretty much my only issue with it... I progress the dialogue right when the narrator goes "she s..." since that bit is not usually in the text.

 

It would be a neat feature to have individual voice slider for the narrator like D:OS2, but I would rate this way down on the priority list for improvements/new content personally. I mean it makes sense to spend the time to isolate narration and create a separate slider for it in D:OS2 where the narrator reads freakin everything. But in PoE2, voiced narration doesn't even remotely have the same presence to demand immediate action.

 

...in my opinion.

[Guest]

It's precisely that. A very good analogy. Given how obvious the error is, I'm actually surprised they made it. It's a very bad call.

You do realize that, if you’re going to be even the tiniest bit consistent, that’s a valid argument for every line of dialogue in the whole game? In which case they’ve already provided a solution via the aforementioned volume slider. Problem solved!

[Verde]

 

It's precisely that. A very good analogy. Given how obvious the error is, I'm actually surprised they made it. It's a very bad call.

You do realize that, if you’re going to be even the tiniest bit consistent, that’s a valid argument for every line of dialogue in the whole game? In which case they’ve already provided a solution via the aforementioned volume slider. Problem solved!

I was referring more how the narrator speaks- slow and matter a fact like a presentation. What you're saying is true except people may prefer to hear char voices and not the boring narrator's.

 

Is there a way to allow dialogue to flow without having to press 1. Continue? That would make the VOs more bearable.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Verde

[Guest]

If the argument is, “I can read faster than the VA can speak, and the existence of VO screws up my reading” then *all* of the VO is a problem. If you just don’t like the narrator, that’s fine, but then just say that.

[xzar_monty]

 

It's precisely that. A very good analogy. Given how obvious the error is, I'm actually surprised they made it. It's a very bad call.

You do realize that, if you’re going to be even the tiniest bit consistent, that’s a valid argument for every line of dialogue in the whole game? In which case they’ve already provided a solution via the aforementioned volume slider. Problem solved!

 

In theory, almost, but in practice, no. It's a question of quantity, i.e. there's a lot more of narration in any given situation than there is dialogue content after a mouse click.

 

This applies to games like Baldur's Gate II as well: the dialogue lines are short enough so that the overlapping of spoken and written word create no problems. And when there is narration in BG2, it's done in cutscenes between chapters, like it was done in PoE1 as well. That works just fine, no problem.

 

PoE2 is incredibly awkward right at the start, it took me less than two minutes to want the narrator to simply just shut up.

[Verde]

If the argument is, “I can read faster than the VA can speak, and the existence of VO screws up my reading” then *all* of the VO is a problem. If you just don’t like the narrator, that’s fine, but then just say that.

What does it matter why? People want an option to turn off the narrator but not voice overs. It's that simple.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Verde

[Guest]

 

If the argument is, “I can read faster than the VA can speak, and the existence of VO screws up my reading” then *all* of the VO is a problem. If you just don’t like the narrator, that’s fine, but then just say that.

What does it matter why? People want an option to turn off the narrator but not voice overs. It's that simple.

Wanting it is simple. Implementing it is not. You have options, but rather than actually utilize any of them, you prefer to complain.

[Wormerine]

 

 

The problem with the narrator is extremely simple. She reads the text very slowly, a lot slower than I read, so I would rather read the text myself to get along with the game. But reading the text while the narrator is also reading that same text aloud, lagging behind me, is extraordinarily jarring. It has nothing to do with the quality of the narrative performance.

 

 

How is this a weird criticism? I am genuinely very curious. It's a perfectly legitimate and logical criticism concerning a fault in the game.

 

It is an excellent idea to go through all the text presented in the narration. You have, essentially, two choices:

1) Listen to the narrator,

2) Read the text yourself at your own pace.

 

If you choose #2, which I want to do, the narrator is a constant pain in the butt while you read. She also takes a *huge* amount of extra time that provides absolutely no extra value whatsoever.

 

So, how is this a weird criticism?

I agree. Either listen to the performance or read faster and skip forward (I sometimes do the latter in Deadfire but generally not in the narrated parts because I think she is doing wonderful job painting images and creating an atmosphere.) I do find it a weird criticism, as it would suggest that the problem with the performance is that it is too slow, and if it were delivered faster the problem would be solved.

 

It is an odd criticism. What is the problem then? Does she not convey thoughts and ideas properly? Is her speed distracting you from what she is saying? 

 

To me it's like saying: this song is bad because it is too slow. How so? Does the subject not for the performance? Is something special lost when performed that slow? You possibly read music or text on a much faster pace than the performer is performing it, but what does one have to do with the other? 

 

It's like watching a PowerPoint presentation where the presenters read from flash cards that have the exact same info as the presentation. Thanks but I can read!

That's assuming that the actors performance doesn't add anything to the table and their only job is to read text aloud so you don't have to read it. You can criticise performance and dislike it - everyone has their own taste. For me having access to the script or text doesn't make voice acting invalid. Maybe it is because I always like to have access to written text as I am not native english speaker. But yeah, doring the narrator parts I don't look at text, just admire the artwork, listen to the performance and try to visulize the images - useful especially in surreal visits to beyond, or wherever Gods reside. 

[Verde]

 

 

If the argument is, “I can read faster than the VA can speak, and the existence of VO screws up my reading” then *all* of the VO is a problem. If you just don’t like the narrator, that’s fine, but then just say that.

What does it matter why? People want an option to turn off the narrator but not voice overs. It's that simple.

Wanting it is simple. Implementing it is not. You have options, but rather than actually utilize any of them, you prefer to complain.

You sure do make it a pt to attack others when your argument gets debunked. There is no option to just turn off the narrator and not the VOs. Fact. So you are indeed 100% wrong.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Verde

[Guest]

 

 

 

If the argument is, “I can read faster than the VA can speak, and the existence of VO screws up my reading” then *all* of the VO is a problem. If you just don’t like the narrator, that’s fine, but then just say that.

What does it matter why? People want an option to turn off the narrator but not voice overs. It's that simple.

Wanting it is simple. Implementing it is not. You have options, but rather than actually utilize any of them, you prefer to complain.

You sure do make it a pt to attack others when your argument gets debunked. There is no option to just turn off the narrator and not the VOs. Fact. So you are indeed 100% wrong.

smh

 

The mod, Verde. The mod.

[Verde]

 

 

If the mod doesn't work, it's not of any use.

If the mod is causing problems then disabling the narrator is not as simple as it seems.

 

I don't mind listening to the narrator, but if I did I wouldn't risk using that mod either.

My understanding of the existing mod is that they replaced the existing sound files with null placeholders. Another approach would be to edit all the relevant conversation files to set each and every one of the VO values to false. So yeah, it is complicated.

As stated above the mod doesn't work, so it's not a viable option.

[Guest]

It does work. It doesn’t work perfectly. Also, I mentioned how to make a better one. If you want it that bad, go make it. The internet will love you.

[Verde]

It does work. It doesn’t work perfectly. Also, I mentioned how to make a better one. If you want it that bad, go make it. The internet will love you.

It's funny watching you unravel when your arguments are consistently debunked.

Edited September 20, 2018 by Verde

[Guest]

I don’t think you know what that word means