Please have Voice acting for the quests

Star wars the Old Republic had amazing voice acting for all the questlines. Each NPC had an amazing voice actor behind them to help bring them to life and helped the player get sucked into the story and helped the players care more about the story. They even gave the players their own voice actors too! This helps to immerse the player into the game and helps the player to not skip the quest txt. I think ashes should implement this into their questlines. What do you y'all think?

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Xerheart

Gotcha.

Ironically, even though I have been making an argument for it, I really don't care all that much either way. Maybe I'm just being a dick for playing devil's advocate a little too hard, since its kind of a neutral topic for me. Basically concept-wise I am on the fence, even leaning slightly towards no.

Financially, like I've stated, I am also very against it. I am reading through your "target audience post" (or at least some of it haha) and I would much prefer extra funding to maybe going into high end raiding content. I think that is a more fruitful gain to the game, over VA for example.

Of course if money is a none factor and AoC is raking in the millions, sure, fuck it, knock out some VA, but only if you're swimming in cash and literally have nothing else to do.

Was just curious, since I haven't met anyone so adamantly against VA. But I do see where you are coming from.

Psomo

No voice acting... Too expensive and most people are going to skip anyway.

Better invest that money to pay 5-10 more people for some years than have that imo.

Plus i do not want my godly dwarf lord to have a nice voice at start and a shitty one at the expansion!

daveywavey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQiLMCWX5CA

JustVine

Vhaeyne wrote: »

I am once again stating that voice acting is a waste of time and money.

There has never been a single MMORPG where the voice acting was good in my opinion. NOT ONE.

Elite Dangerous

Vhaeyne

JustVine wrote: »

Elite Dangerous

Not an MMORPG for one. Did not have VA when I played it for two. Not necessary for game play unless they really ruined the game...

Ironhope

I'd rather have that large amount of money and developer effort go into other aspects of the game such as class design and balance, world enviroment, economy balance, combating hacking/gold selling/botting, etc

As others have said, voice acting is very expensive and even good developers rarely get it right.

Its too big of a risk.

Maybe if the game is a hit and one of the top 5 mmo-rpgs within a year or two, we will see voice acting in expansion packs.

Songcaller

I have no idea what the lore is, if the lore is good and whether i would even like the lore. Therefore, I see no reason to have said lore put into spoken words. I can not determine the lore impact when I have no clue about the lore.

JustVine

Vhaeyne wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

Elite Dangerous

Not an MMORPG for one. Did not have VA when I played it for two. Not necessary for game play unless they really ruined the game...

You all have such weird definitions of mmo. It's massive, multiplayer, has different roles, customizable and upgradeable gear, open world pvp, and a constantly expanding story effected by player action. Just because its not a WoW clone and has atypical combat doesn't make it less an mmo. It just means it has atypical combat for the genre.

Afix a different label all you want to put it in a 'niche' or 'subgenre' but it is still 'close enough' to an mmo that excluding it in such a simple context as voice acting makes, no sense.

Vhaeyne

JustVine wrote: »

Vhaeyne wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

Elite Dangerous

Not an MMORPG for one. Did not have VA when I played it for two. Not necessary for game play unless they really ruined the game...

You all have such weird definitions of mmo. It's massive, multiplayer, has different roles, customizable and upgradeable gear, open world pvp, and a constantly expanding story effected by player action. Just because its not a WoW clone and has atypical combat doesn't make it less an mmo. It just means it has atypical combat for the genre.

Afix a different label all you want to put it in a 'niche' or 'subgenre' but it is still 'close enough' to an mmo that excluding it in such a simple context as voice acting makes, no sense.

I will agree that you could make a definition for MMORPG that includes Elite. In doing so other games become MMORPGs. Atlas for example.

If you say anything game with stats and a number system is a RPG, almost every game becomes an RPG.

I don't think Elite is a MMORPG and I am confident that most people would agree.

You can also just play offline which is strange to me given that your chances of seeing another person in a 1:1 scale Milky way is so low. More so with the games population being low...

I like Elite a lot but I don't think it is a MMORPG. I guess a MMORPG is like ______ and you know it when you see it...

JustVine

Vhaeyne wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

Vhaeyne wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

Elite Dangerous

Not an MMORPG for one. Did not have VA when I played it for two. Not necessary for game play unless they really ruined the game...

You all have such weird definitions of mmo. It's massive, multiplayer, has different roles, customizable and upgradeable gear, open world pvp, and a constantly expanding story effected by player action. Just because its not a WoW clone and has atypical combat doesn't make it less an mmo. It just means it has atypical combat for the genre.

Afix a different label all you want to put it in a 'niche' or 'subgenre' but it is still 'close enough' to an mmo that excluding it in such a simple context as voice acting makes, no sense.

If you say anything game with stats and a number system is a RPG, almost every game becomes an RPG.

But it is not just stats and numbers. Every ship and weapon set has a unique role strengths and weaknesses in various aspects of the games combat. The modifications on the weapons furthet define your role. Role Play. You don't mount a chieftan with full frags and expect it to do the same thing as a type 10 with beams lasers and multicannons in a conflict zone.

If the stats don't distinguish your characters role relative to other players or content approaches it's not a roleplay game.

Additionally you can customize your character appearance. Not originally in the game, but they added it in because 'why not'. It helps immerse me in the world further as a commander. Same with the voice acting. Not really adding to my point beyond the fact that it has added more traditional elements over time.

The reason why so many games have gone rpg is because humans love self expression, progression, and different approaches to content. It increases fun and that's a games job. But action shooters are generally not mmos because they don't have a massive changing world effected by player vs player action. That's where Division 1 falls sort of an fps mmorpg for example.

ED doesn't have this failing. The world is constant and effected by massive multiplayer action. It has distinct and unique play styles, game play loops, and ways to influence the world.

I don't think Elite is a MMORPG and I am confident that most people would agree.

I like Elite a lot but I don't think it is a MMORPG. I guess a MMORPG is like ______ and you know it when you see it...

Most people would agree because the general population is on average intellectually lazy. Just like 'I know it when I see it'. We have labels for a reason. Because.it helps quickly convey a set of traits about a topic. If you don't have some form of logical definitions behind the label the label becomes useless.

Why am i derailing the thread on something so offtopic? Because I respect you and your opinions are weakened when you just off the cuff dismiss something like that when there are better reasons to exclude the game from the topic. I expect you to call me out similarly.

The solo mode is sort of valid in terms of 'determining if the game meets the definition of open world pvp but not really 'quality or usefulness of voice acting',. The elements of the player vs player interactions in cc or minor faction control are still extant despite Frontiers poor implementation of that feature. It still therefore meets the definition of massive multiplayer online even if it has flaws.

Noaani

JustVine wrote: »

Additionally you can customize your character appearance.

If this were a defining characteristic of an MMO, then Humankind - the new 4X Civilization clone would fit in.

To me, Elite Dangerous isn't an MMO because there is no content that requires you to group up with others to defeat.

Simply putting all your players in a world doesn't make a game an MMO, giving them a need to team up does.

This is why a game like Path of Exile doesn't fit in the MMO genre either. It is an RPG, it is online, many hundreds play on the same server - but you can defeat all content without needing to group up, so not an MMO.

Vhaeyne

JustVine wrote: »

Why am i derailing the thread on something so offtopic? Because I respect you and your opinions are weakened when you just off the cuff dismiss something like that when there are better reasons to exclude the game from the topic. I expect you to call me out similarly.

Sorry to disappoint. It is not my intention to be dismissive.

Just trying not to be too wordly.

The solo mode would be the key to the argument. If that was not a thing. I would agree that Elite is a better example of an MMORPG than the MORPGs that WOW and FFXIV are at this point.

I would also say that the only voice acting I remember in Elite was "Docking request granted". That is it. Voice acting in Elite Dangerous was far from the top of my mine when I think of passable voice acting in any game. MMORPG or not.

JustVine

Vhaeyne wrote: »

JustVine wrote: »

Why am i derailing the thread on something so offtopic? Because I respect you and your opinions are weakened when you just off the cuff dismiss something like that when there are better reasons to exclude the game from the topic. I expect you to call me out similarly.

Sorry to disappoint. It is not my intention to be dismissive.

Just trying not to be too wordly.

Hmm, no worries mate. Back to your actual on topic argument.

I would also say that the only voice acting I remember in Elite was "Docking request granted". That is it. Voice acting in Elite Dangerous was far from the top of my mine when I think of passable voice acting in any game. MMORPG or not.

Fair enough. For me it totally immerses me. Not a single va in the game has felt bad in their delivery. The writing quality also isn't terrible but could have used more variance in cz's. I think that was what really made the va in the game held back from being more than just flavor. Had they made it more informational relative to nearby troop status and the ai's intentions, it'd be super fucking rad and 100% a good example of 'what va can add to a game.' But alas.

It's also nice to have a proper German and Russian voice acting that didn't sound angry or bored lol.

That being said they brought even more voice acting for odyssey and it makes me wonder if their release problems could, have been solved with more bodies. Not incredibly likely given how coding goes, but 'maybe'.

Gizban

On a whole I don't feel VA is needed. Most people scan quest text and hit Accept and get the gist from the Quest Tracker. $:\$

That being said, I do feel that for special class quests that advance your character, a little bit would be nice. It would add some weight to the moment, make it a little special.

JustVine

pyreal wrote: »

On a whole I don't feel VA is needed. Most people scan quest text and hit Accept and get the gist from the Quest Tracker. $:\$

That being said, I do feel that for special class quests that advance your character, a little bit would be nice. It would add some weight to the moment, make it a little special.

I'd preffer a larger animation and design budget for those with custom character models and animations maybe even music above a va.

Arthus Dawnbreaker

I agree it costs a lot, and should be low on the list of things to complete for launch.

The more people skip over quest and finish the content the easier it will be for this game not to succeed in the long run. This game has some interesting lore and will be expanded on in its quest lines and you will have things to uncovered and discovered through playing the game. It gives meaning to the bosses your fighting. and yes it takes good writing Which I'm expecting Intrepid to have otherwise what's the point.

A successful MMO needs to have engaging quests and story, without it, It will suffer. Without good story there is no point to killing things.

"A place is only as good as the people in it"
Part of the people in the world is the NPC's that inhabit that world. Therefore the quest txt and voice have to be top notch in order for the player to care about it. Otherwise "SKIP" and now that quest and actions have less meaning.

Voice helps to add tone and helps develop a vibe to the game and the world your playing in.

unlocking an interesting storyline in a quest line s much more impactful and memorable than gaining only XP from a mundane kill 5 boars quest. We've all done these quests in previous MMO's, but once you add good writing and voice to that quest it becomes a lot more fun and rewarding and gives a story to tell your friends about.

Tyranthraxus

Voice acting goes a LONG way into making the game feel more-developed. Yours truly recently tried FF14, and was *VERY* disappointed to find that so few of the NPCs in the game had any verbal dialogue whatsoever. It's only the occasional NPC that has a single-word or single-sentence greeting.

While it is a foreign game, this aspect made it FEEL like it was a foreign game. Granted, I've been in SWTOR for years, so we're a bit spoiled there - but didn't WoW have at least a single-word voice-over greeting for every NPC? Even if they have to share the same sound byte, I've always felt like this was better than silence, on NPCs.

Talented voice actors can do multiple characters.

JustVine

Tyranthraxus wrote: »

Voice acting goes a LONG way into making the game feel more-developed. Yours truly recently tried FF14, and was *VERY* disappointed to find that so few of the NPCs in the game had any verbal dialogue whatsoever. It's only the occasional NPC that has a single-word or single-sentence greeting.

While it is a foreign game, this aspect made it FEEL like it was a foreign game. Granted, I've been in SWTOR for years, so we're a bit spoiled there - but didn't WoW have at least a single-word voice-over greeting for every NPC? Even if they have to share the same sound byte, I've always felt like this was better than silence, on NPCs.

Talented voice actors can do multiple characters.

The better the talent the more they are able to charge. Voice acting is extremely expensive when the thing you are using their voice for is going to used in replayable media.

Just look at BDO tons of voice acting. But the quality varies dramatically along with their writing quality. Some of the actors are so laughably bad I can't help but think they just asked programmers in the studio to come to the sound booth ever now and then. And there is a good reason why that may not even be an exaggeration. A good mmo has hundreds someone's even thousands of minorly important npcs(one or two lines of easily encountered diaologue). Hundreds of moderately important (npc craft guides, shop keeps, node manages, basically anyone with a menu.) And a lesser but still usually hundreds of major (quest givers) npcs. It adds up fast to fully cast your mmo.

And I will say it again for the people in the back. Mmo voice acting that is good quality is. not. cheap. The sheer scale of mmos is easy to underestimate by an end user. FFXIV prioritized who was important, be ause that's what SE could afford. Just because you cam reuse a good voice sector for different roles doesnt mean you are using less, it just means you are paying less PEOPLE (for hopefully better quality.)

I personally think your single word thing is a reasonable proposal. But I hate it. Let me imagine their voice if you are going to just cookie cutter them.

Atama

SWTOR had really good voice acting. They hired the best in the industry, actors who lend their names to all of the biggest animated films and TV shows.

It also cost a fortune. It was one of the reasons why the game was the most expensive in history at the time of its development. It was definitely not worth it.

Granted, they took pains to make dialog actually matter; the choices you made when talking with quest NPCs affected things like what goals the quest had, what rewards you'd get, how the story of the quest proceeded, etc. And in a group you rolled (similar to how you would roll for loot) to see who got to interact with the NPCs at various points of the conversation, and you got to make dialog choices when you won. It was interesting.

...But it was a gimmick that got old after awhile. And I eventually found myself skipping dialog to move things along, especially when repeating quests. That budget could certainly have gone elsewhere.

CROW3

SWTOR was a solid successor to KOTOR II. Great single player game, not a great MMORPG.

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