I know the size of audio can be huge in games, but will we expect the game mostly in all TXT based chat or will we see more audio coming from lets say a quest giver, etc..
Epic tasks, would be good with audio or some aspects of audio included in the game.
Since we are already online patching, would downloading audio txt be a factor now? Other then the costs associated with doing the txt up.
NPC based on Voice, not PC audio.
Would be cool to see it different this time.
MauvaisOeil said:Cost exceed the benefits.
Sure about that being cost? here is just a random example if its decent that is.
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/audio/easy-voice-22328
I vote Gilbert Gottfried as one of the voice actors!
There should be at lease a few NPC's who have voices. If not, the world would really sound barren or dead. Remember, we aren't going to be running around hearing any PC's talking. We'll only see their chat (unless we are in Discord or a guilded chat channel). So I think occasional NPC's who have voice acting attached is a must.
From Kilsin:
"We have no plans for voice acting, we would rather spend time and energy on systems and mechanics, lore and graphics, animations and art etc. to immerse you in than spend it on voice acting, so unless something dramatically changes during development, it is unlikely you will see any voice acting in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen."
(Source: https://www.pantheonmmo.com/content/forums/topic/3685/voice-acting-in-pantheon)
Also see this clip: 01:21:05 Minimal voice acting
Essentially, they're only going to do voice acting if they can do it well and consistently. It doesn't make much sense for some quest NPCs to be voiced and not others. But to record voices for every line of quest NPC dialogue in the entire game would be a huge undertaking and very expensive, so it probably won't happen. However, sounds are a very important part of the immersive experience in an MMO, so where it's appropriate, some NPCs (mobs, quest givers, etc.) may have brief ambient audio cues such as the woman that you could hear crying in town during that same stream.
Two options for voices that take considerably fewer resources but also give less value. Naturally - there is no such thing as a free lunch.
1. Do not hire voice actors. Use staff members with good voices or volunteers. Many people would be very happy to have the chance to do this either for the fun, the "thrill" of having anyone that plays the game hear their voice or just to put it on a resume. Obvious places to solicit free volunteers are music programs in colleges but also pre-college. As in the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan at highschool level.
With todays communications and recording technology we may be able to get very good quality recordings of voices remotely. Tell a hundred people what you want and let them send in their efforts. See if the best is good enough. No need for the expense of paying for these volunteers to have access to a recording studio or setting up a recording room near VR.
2. Have voices in the starter zones and say that adding voices in later areas will be done later if warrented by the game's revenue and popularity. The Age of Conan approach where the starter island questgivers all had voices but afterwards there was very little of that - at least at release.
I think the limited voice acting thing can work very well. In LOTRO they have lots of things that difference races, sexes, whatever can say in greeting and departure and in various moods and situations but it's just for colour and not specific to any situation.
Voice acting every single line is huge. Voice acting quest text, for example, means you can't easil update that quest later, so it's not very flexible. Voice acting some quests and not others makes the unvoiced ones seem weird.
I really liked in LOTRO when you'd go up to an NPC and say hello and you'd get an appropriate race/sex/mood greeting and then the specific quest (or whatever) was text. There was also varied but generic flavour/colour/environmental/ambient voice acting.
Much cheaper, much more re-usable and still very effective and immersive. It's not that much different to each enemy having different grunts and shouts in combat, just more sophisticated.
I agree with Disposalist's point.
One of the things I still remember vividly after all these years was Might and Magic 3 having digitized voices for some NPCs. At the time a huge move forward just as MM2 having pathetically crappy music was a big step forward. And what is the one line I remember from MM3?
You went to the bank to deposit or withdraw money and heard - in clear and understandable words ((gasps) ...... Safe and Secure.
Not quest language nothing that changed - exactly what Disposalist is referring to.
disposalist said:I think the limited voice acting thing can work very well. In LOTRO they have lots of things that difference races, sexes, whatever can say in greeting and departure and in various moods and situations but it's just for colour and not specific to any situation.
Voice acting every single line is huge. Voice acting quest text, for example, means you can't easil update that quest later, so it's not very flexible. Voice acting some quests and not others makes the unvoiced ones seem weird.
I really liked in LOTRO when you'd go up to an NPC and say hello and you'd get an appropriate race/sex/mood greeting and then the specific quest (or whatever) was text. There was also varied but generic flavour/colour/environmental/ambient voice acting.
Much cheaper, much more re-usable and still very effective and immersive. It's not that much different to each enemy having different grunts and shouts in combat, just more sophisticated.
Definitely agree. This is a good compromise and I hope its the direction they are going. My brother is a professional voice actor and I know he'd love to do some short ambient audio clips for Pantheon. The idea of community volunteers has actually come up a few times before, and while it's awesome that the community is so willing to help, VR has a policy that everything in-game has to be done in-house or by contract only in order to avoid running into potentially legal troubles down the road.
I personally tend to turn off voice acting for quests if it's an option. Since I read pretty fast I can zip through quest text a lot faster than the voice actor speaks, and so I may only hear the first few words anyways as I click on to the next part. And sometimes the voice will throw me off as it's saying something different than what I'm reading and it actually forces me to stop and re-read something. I always find that anoying. I do understand that people want the immersion feeling of hearing the lilting dwarf accent or Elvish musical voice or the gruff Ogre voice or whatever it would be, but in the long run I end up turning it off if it's an option, and if it's not an option I learn to tune it out so I can read the text quick and move on.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this either, so I'd hate to see VR spend lots of time and money on something that some players are just gonna turn off or tune out.
I don't mind the generic greetings that NPC's say as you first engage them though, they can voice those if they want :-)