The voiced narrator is really distracting.

[Starwars]

What did people think of POE narrator?  I did not like it, for some reason, I will have to listen to him again to be exact, but I remember immediately not impressed with his voice.  I am also a voice actor snob....

 

I think he was alright. Nothing special or memorable but much better than the Deadfire one.

[CENIC]

I think I'm going to go through the Audio folder and delete all audio except the PC and companions.

[demeisen]

To me, the narrator voice actor would be awesome voicing a companion (maybe she does?), but isn't ideal for the narrator part.  I'm ok with a female narrator, but feel she should have an "old / wizened" kind of vibe to it, which isn't the timbre of the narrator lady.  It needs a bit of age and gravel.

 

The POE1 narrator was great; he'd also do.

[Teacher]

I like the way it sounds but yea, they could have put multiple volume controls for that, like D:OS2 did, for people who aren't interested.

[CAlmond]

 

 

For some people, it is better. At the end of the day, they can't please everyone.

 

Actually, in this particular case they can. It's called options.

 

 

I understand that you can have toggle options, but there's no way for them to know which ones players want a toggle for prior to releasing the game. For example, some people may like the narrator and most of the companions, but want to toggle specific companions off. Others may like the companions and the narrator but want to toggle the random NPCs etc

 

There's too many possible permutations/preferences for them to make that kind of decisions before the product goes to the public. And depending on how it's coded, adding a toggle could be a very simple change in one location, or it could involve making 500 tiny changes all over the place.

[CAlmond]

To me, the narrator voice actor would be awesome voicing a companion (maybe she does?), but isn't ideal for the narrator part.  I'm ok with a female narrator, but feel she should have an "old / wizened" kind of vibe to it, which isn't the timbre of the narrator lady.  It needs a bit of age and gravel.

 

The POE1 narrator was great; he'd also do.

 

Agree with this, I personally prefer my narrators either  old sounding or young sounding e.g. BGII (deep, old), IWDII (young)

[tinysalamander]

 

 

 

For some people, it is better. At the end of the day, they can't please everyone.

 

Actually, in this particular case they can. It's called options.

 

 

I understand that you can have toggle options, but there's no way for them to know which ones players want a toggle for prior to releasing the game. For example, some people may like the narrator and most of the companions, but want to toggle specific companions off. Others may like the companions and the narrator but want to toggle the random NPCs etc

 

There's too many possible permutations/preferences for them to make that kind of decisions before the product goes to the public. And depending on how it's coded, adding a toggle could be a very simple change in one location, or it could involve making 500 tiny changes all over the place.

 

 

Or… you plan for it right from the start and then it will not require 500 changes all over the place. Like “tagging” voices or something. It isn't exactly rocket science. Well, since the game is long past that stage… who knows. I'd like to know whether it would be easy to do with Pillars codebase or not, though.

[CAlmond]

 

 

 

 

For some people, it is better. At the end of the day, they can't please everyone.

 

Actually, in this particular case they can. It's called options.

 

 

I understand that you can have toggle options, but there's no way for them to know which ones players want a toggle for prior to releasing the game. For example, some people may like the narrator and most of the companions, but want to toggle specific companions off. Others may like the companions and the narrator but want to toggle the random NPCs etc

 

There's too many possible permutations/preferences for them to make that kind of decisions before the product goes to the public. And depending on how it's coded, adding a toggle could be a very simple change in one location, or it could involve making 500 tiny changes all over the place.

 

 

Or… you plan for it right from the start and then it will not require 500 changes all over the place. Like “tagging” voices or something. It isn't exactly rocket science. Well, since the game is long past that stage… who knows. I'd like to know whether it would be easy to do with Pillars codebase or not, though.

 

 

In an ideal world, yes But I've been a programmer for long enough to know that things are never ideal. There are so many hacks and shortcuts that people often have to take not because they want to, but because they're forced to due to time/budget constraints or external factors.

 

I remember in one of the companies I used to work for, well-meaning new guy fixed a spelling error in a bit of code that he was modifying. Turns out whoever wrote the code 5 years before that had consistently used the same spelling error across many things. So his tiny fix ended up breaking a whole bunch of things. He wanted to go through the code and fix everything, but his manager said no one's going to pay for the time needed to do it right, and he was forced to reintroduce the spelling error just to make sure things work again.

[tinysalamander]

In an ideal world, yes But I've been a programmer for long enough to know that things are never ideal. There are so many hacks and shortcuts that people often have to take not because they want to, but because they're forced to due to time/budget constraints or external factors.

 

I remember in one of the companies I used to work for, well-meaning new guy fixed a spelling error in a bit of code that he was modifying. Turns out whoever wrote the code 5 years before that had consistently used the same spelling error across many things. So his tiny fix ended up breaking a whole bunch of things. He wanted to go through the code and fix everything, but his manager said no one's going to pay for the time needed to do it right, and he was forced to reintroduce the spelling error just to make sure things work again.

I do programming as well. And, really, that's why I said planning right from the start. Not that you can plan for everything, but I'd expect this one was a known issue in the industry by know Which doesn't negate the fact that you still need time and money to actually do it, unfortunately… But I can still complain about it in hope of future changes

[Silent Winter]

Add me to "I like the narrator, but I'm glad she's not narrating every description."

I find it odd to have the narrator describing the old dwarf's face in a dialogue box.  Maybe I'm weird but I like narration for intros and maybe cut-scenes, but not in a dialogue box amidst actual conversation.

[Wormerine]

To me, the narrator voice actor would be awesome voicing a companion (maybe she does?), but isn't ideal for the narrator part.  I'm ok with a female narrator, but feel she should have an "old / wizened" kind of vibe to it, which isn't the timbre of the narrator lady.  It needs a bit of age and gravel.

 

The POE1 narrator was great; he'd also do.

Why? DM can be anyone. Personally I really like that it’s not a standard narrator. I don’t mind the “male booming old voice” stereotype but this one is fresh, and the actress does a really great job with the material. I expected to be annoyed by it but I just lean back and enjoy the performance. No need to rush the playthrough.

 

Maybe Josh has something for young female narration:

https://youtu.be/KA_PFYVnZWY

[Zack Fair]

It's only for the prologue and important parts of the main quest...

This inconsistency also a problem. If they couldn't do a narration for the whole game, why even bother?

[Judicator]

Voiced narrators are generally annoying, but the one Obsidian got is horrific. Was someone's niece looking for a job or something?

[Stoibs]

Voiced narrators are generally annoying, but the one Obsidian got is horrific. Was someone's niece looking for a job or something?

It's Ashley Johnson, AKA somewhat famous TV actress/VA, AKA Ellie from the Last of Us.

She's not terrible ordinarily and in pretty much everything else she's in; it certainly was some terrible directing and pacing here though for whatever reason.

 

Just hit my next narrated plot plot point in the excavation area and she's just sooooo slooooooow and it's almost as though the script she was given has arbitrary commas and gaps where there oughtn't be. Cannot for the life of me put up with it any longer.

It was enough for me to alt F4 there and then while I went here to try and find that solution that hevymac posted the other day about deleting the relevant narration sound files.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Stoibs

[Karkarov]

Jesus people.  The narration in this game is just like it was in Baldur's Gate/Eternity 1.  It is only during key critical path scenes, the vast majority of the game (assuming you aren't doing a speed run) you will not hear the narrator.

Yes I wish they had not directed her to narrate stuff like "Eothas rubs his chin thoughtfully", but it is not that big a deal.  Also I would have preferred if the narrator had remained consistent with the same guy from Eternity 1.  The narration is also in a slow heavy sort of monotone, which is the exact same way it works in every game where Obsidian has used a narrator, so I can only assume this is by design.

 

That said, is it "annoying"?  No, no not really.  The comments insinuating this professional voice actor was someones niece or payed someone off to get the job?  Those are kind of annoying.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Karkarov

[Jayngo]

Geez, I really can't believe there is this much dislike for Ashley and her performance. I just got to one of the first long narrated portions in the game (just set sail) and I had no problem with it at all. 

 

Plus, this is the chick that Captain America saved. Show some respect, people. 

[tinysalamander]

Geez, I really can't believe there is this much dislike for Ashley and her performance. I just got to one of the first long narrated portions in the game (just set sail) and I had no problem with it at all. 

 

Plus, this is the chick that Captain America saved. Show some respect, people. 

 

[Jayngo]

 

Geez, I really can't believe there is this much dislike for Ashley and her performance. I just got to one of the first long narrated portions in the game (just set sail) and I had no problem with it at all. 

 

Plus, this is the chick that Captain America saved. Show some respect, people. 

 

 

[jwaysted]

 

Is it Laura Bailey who does the voice?

Nope. Laura does Chokey.

 

Ashley Johnson does the narrator (and Ydwin). You might know her best from not appearing on Critical Role. Or some show called Blindsight.

 

 

Heh, Just FYI: It's Blindspot not Blindsight

[Judicator]

 

Voiced narrators are generally annoying, but the one Obsidian got is horrific. Was someone's niece looking for a job or something?

It's Ashley Johnson, AKA somewhat famous TV actress/VA, AKA Ellie from the Last of Us.

She's not terrible ordinarily and in pretty much everything else she's in; it certainly was some terrible directing and pacing here though for whatever reason.

 

Just hit my next narrated plot plot point in the excavation area and she's just sooooo slooooooow and it's almost as though the script she was given has arbitrary commas and gaps where there oughtn't be. Cannot for the life of me put up with it any longer.

It was enough for me to alt F4 there and then while I went here to try and find that solution that hevymac posted the other day about deleting the relevant narration sound files.

 

Well, I never played Last of Us, but she's pretty bad here. It's like she was bored out of her skull or something.

[Multihog]

I don't like the narrator either. It's like she's trying too hard to sound "epic" or something, and the result ends up being unnatural and cringy. I can't stop paying attention to it, and it all but destroys any mental image I'm getting from the text. 

 

Yeah, I just reached the excavation site too, and man was the narration annoying there. 

Edited May 13, 2018 by Multihog

[Kenji]

I liked Ashley's narration for PoE II. It's a break from all the male narrators in the industries, not to mention it is just as top quality as some of the other performances.

 

Howevevr, Icewind Dale's narration still tops all the other ones for me. David's voice added a beautiful contrast of warmth and stoicism in the cold and unforgiving Spine of the World.

[Zeldias]

I disagree. I think she did a stellar job and was an excellent addition.

[Slotharingia]

I like all the voices *except* the narrator. I don't think she's bad per se, or has an unpleasant voice, it's just the cadence is too weighted with pathos, and I find it extremely distracting, to the point that when she talks, it's all I can think about and in spite of hearing AND reading it, I still don't know what was said xD

[mrmonocle]

What happened to the BG1 narrator? Have SJWs eaten him for being too perfect?