Great news.  It's nice to have full voice overs in a game.  I am glad they are doing well enough to justify the cost to increase the quality of the game.  Signs like this make me happy to see CRPG coming back. 

I love reading and think books are a fantastic medium (in fact a superior medium to others in many ways), but I consume video games differently, as I think a lot of people have said before. I expect different things from them than books, want different things from them; and frankly, I've yet to see the game well enough written that I thought "Hey this game is ok but I'd much rather it were a book".

 

Out of curiosity, you guys that were annoyed at the news, what are some specific games that you thought would have been better without the voice acting? Not as a hypothetical world where the budget went a different way (a feeling I entirely understand). But one where the game would be exactly the same, just no voice work? Because that's really more what we're looking at here I think, given how late this decision seems to have been made in development. There must be some examples. Some Japanese thing with a cheap dub, perhaps?

Edited April 17, 20187 yr by The Sharmat

I don't get why people are upset about full dialogues VO either. If you don't like hearing characters speak - just mute them in the options.

Full VO and No VO aren't the only options - Partial VO is favoured by those who want to get the flavour of the characters speaking but still want to read most dialogue faster than the speakers speak.

Out of curiosity, you guys that were annoyed at the news, what are some specific games that you thought would have been better without the voice acting? Not as a hypothetical world where the budget went a different way (a feeling I entirely understand). But one where the game would be exactly the same, just no voice work? Because that's really more what we're looking at here I think, given how late this decision seems to have been made in development. There must be some examples. Some Japanese thing with a cheap dub, perhaps?

Again - it's not Full vs. No VO for most of those who didn't love the news - it's Full vs. Partial

So as an example of a game that would've been better with partial VO for me: DA:O, FF-X, pretty much any game that did Full VO for me.  The games mentioned did have an 'up-close' camera though, and I admit it looks weird to have the full-face NPC not moving their lips and just giving a blank stare with the dialogue.  So choosing a better camera angle for unvoiced lines (like a higher, isometric angle or a wide-shot) would be needed.  But camera angles in those games were chosen anyway during conversation (no?).

My reason for preferring partial VO is given above (getting the character voice but not being slowed down by it).  To clarify, I'm not speed reading.  I'm doing full dramatic voice in my head with the character's voice, including facial expressions, just like when I'm reading a book - it's just faster.

 

That's why I like the suggestion given earlier for a hotkey toggle to mute dialogue (but not ambient sound/music) so we can satisfy all players (full/partial/no VO)

I've never gotten that reason and I guess I just never will.

What I'm worried about is whether this will turn into an Ultima situation. First we we have a classic crpg, then comes the meddling, and then we end up being asked what a paladin is.

Who is meddling in this scenario that wasn't before? It's perfectly possible for a developer to ruin its franchises all by itself. Not that it's a given that this will ruin Pillars, or that it's even a bad thing.

This thread in a nutshell:

 

I've never gotten that reason and I guess I just never will.

You don't need to, just accept that it is a preference.

No. What are you gonna do about it tough guy? You wanna fight?

Eh? Mary Poppins called, she wants the kids back.

No. What are you gonna do about it tough guy? You wanna fight?

 

I assume this is a joke right?

 

Eh? Mary Poppins called, she wants the kids back.

 

Given the amount of sugar she was feeding them: no chance.

 

No. What are you gonna do about it tough guy? You wanna fight?

 

I assume this is a joke right?

 

Eh? Mary Poppins called, she wants the kids back.

 

Given the amount of sugar she was feeding them: no chance.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=os9J0QXo2AE

Edited April 17, 20187 yr by Juodas Varnas

One of my favorite scenes.

Still not watched it. I really should get round to doing so.

 

Sometimes voice actors can manage to add emotion that text cannot...

 

Period.

Not sure what point that video was supposed to prove

Not sure what point that video was supposed to prove

It proves exactly what I said.

 

Voice overs provide emotion that texts cannot, but texts cannot provide emotion that a voice over can... unless the reader misinterprets it as so, which is a totally different issue on their behalf.

What I'm worried about is whether this will turn into an Ultima situation. First we we have a classic crpg, then comes the meddling, and then we end up being asked what a paladin is.

 

I love that dudes videos on the Ultima series. Not sure how full voice over leads to that level of bad writing though.

 

What I'm worried about is whether this will turn into an Ultima situation. First we we have a classic crpg, then comes the meddling, and then we end up being asked what a paladin is.

 

I love that dudes videos on the Ultima series. Not sure how full voice over leads to that level of bad writing though.

I think you proved what SonicMage, and I also in another thread, said.....  It is easy to misinterpret written words, especially when the meaning is subtle.

 

Specifically, I think he was joking, and if he wasn't his written word was vague enough that to at least some people it looked like he was.

So, what is a paladin?

Some dude that really cares about a particular hill in Rome I guess.

I think you proved what SonicMage, and I also in another thread, said..... It is easy to misinterpret written words, especially when the meaning is subtle.

 

Specifically, I think he was joking, and if he wasn't his written word was vague enough that to at least some people it looked like he was.

Indeed.

 

Is it really bad writing? Or is it comic phrase implemented in a way that wasn't recieved particularly well by those who couldn't tell the difference of a bad voice actor and bad writing?

 

It seems, so many rpg's (and games in general) have alot of these moments but the voice actors do a better job -today- at presenting them, thus less room for a critical evaluation of chancing a "Bad writing" reception (even though it was really bad voice acting and not bad writing).

Specifically, I think he was joking, and if he wasn't his written word was vague enough that to at least some people it looked like he was.

I think you proved what SonicMage, and I also in another thread, said.....  It is easy to misinterpret written words, especially when the meaning is subtle.

 

 

Of course it's easy to misinterpret written words. That's why there are so many arguments on the internet. I dunno, I guess I knew he was joking, but sometimes it's easier to just answer things at face value instead of looking for subtle meaning. 

Indeed.

Is it really bad writing? Or is it comic phrase implemented in a way that wasn't recieved particularly well by those who couldn't tell the difference of a bad voice actor and bad writing?

 

It seems, so many rpg's (and games in general) have alot of these moments but the voice actors do a better job -today- at presenting them, thus less room for a critical evaluation of chancing a "Bad writing" reception (even though it was really bad voice acting and not bad writing).

Lol the paladin thing?  No.  It wasn't the writing, or the voice acting.  It was the question itself.

 

The entire Ultima  series had a long series of games, and dealing with learning about "virtue" was a big focus of it.  One of your primary allies throughout the whole series was also the Paladin Dupre, who had tragically sacrificed his own life in the previous game to advance your quest.

 

So the question was basically a giant fat insult to all long term fans of the series.  It horribly disrespected the lore, and one of the key characters of the games.  Spoony took it very poorly cause if you watch his videos he explains why the Ultima series had a very big emotional place in his life.  So to him this was literally taking a dump on one of the most important pieces of his childhood.

Edited April 21, 20187 yr by Karkarov