Combat barks--please use responsibly

[Continuum]

AGREED! It can be beyond annoying if overdone.

 

On the other hand, if used well it's epic. I think we all smile when we hear "Go for the eyes, Boo! Go for the eyes!" "Evil all around us... careful not to step in it." And other classic Minsc-sims. But even epic lines like that can get annoying if they repeat every few seconds.

 

Chatter frequency sliders are a very good thing.

 

Not just combat, either... one of the best mods for Skyrim is the one that reduces the distance at which townspeople utter their one inane line at you. Prior to the mod, there are a few people I discreetly killed just so they would STFU.

[Jojobobo]

I do agree that combat barks shouldn't be overbearing. Still at the same time I won't be happy if I don't have a character who shouts out something like "I am INDOMITABLE!" every once in a while.

[PsychoBlonde]

Perhaps a way to do it is to put a timer or cooldown on each combat bark and it doesn't add sound for that bark again until the timer runs out. The timer setting could even be a user setting

 

It'd probably be easier (and better) to have a system where it just randomly rolls every so often to have one, singular companion (or the PC) issue a bark, instead of rolling for EACH companion separately.

 

I will say I like the system for crits in Torment where there'd actually be a special visual involved and not just a bark. Hearing Vhailor grunt "Die!" over the tilting scales was a great one. But that was also more suited to the somewhat surreal nature of Torment.

[LadyCrimson]

I've been playing Torchlight2 recently, and I'd like to comment that not only "bark" spoken phrases are annoying ... but the combat grunts can be even worse.

So please don't have characters make some noise like "urgh!" and "augh!" every time they swing their sword or get hit by an opponent. It's so irritating to hear "oof!" "ugh!" "ehh!" every 3 seconds.

[PsychoBlonde]

I've been playing Torchlight2 recently, and I'd like to comment that not only "bark" spoken phrases are annoying ... but the combat grunts can be even worse.

So please don't have characters make some noise like "urgh!" and "augh!" every time they swing their sword or get hit by an opponent. It's so irritating to hear "oof!" "ugh!" "ehh!" every 3 seconds.

 

It's been my experience that something over 50% of combat grunts sound more like something obscene is taking place. I play with headphones but I'd kind of prefer that it doesn't sound like I'm watching a porno to passersby.

 

(DDO is HORRIBLE about this, by the way, the elven chicks sound like they're in the part of the hentai where the tentacle monster appears.)

[LadyCrimson]

It's been my experience that something over 50% of combat grunts sound more like something obscene is taking place. I play with headphones but I'd kind of prefer that it doesn't sound like I'm watching a porno to passersby.

 

(DDO is HORRIBLE about this, by the way, the elven chicks sound like they're in the part of the hentai where the tentacle monster appears.)

Reminds me of this one silly FNV I made, where everyone was on fire.

 

[Solanum]

The people who were talking about Dragon's Dogma, did you ever try to use the knowledge chair to reduce their frequency of talking? I sort of remember there being an option for that, but I'm not completely sure. If there was one I'm pretty sure I always pumped it up all the way anyways, I like them chatty and can't really remember being annoyed by party chatter in any game I've played. But then again I'm pretty good at filtering out stimuli. Up to the extent of it becoming a problem at times. I'm probably like a textbook case for "looks but doesn't see". ._.