BG3 NEEDS to take a page from Hogwart's Legacy game.

[Dolyngwen]

Hogwart's Legacy the main character you play actually speaks, it's so much more refreshing than what BG3 is doing where the main character is essentially a mute. Looking forward to BG3 but I'm really shocked at how much better it is with the main character actually speaking.

[Hekk]

If only Hogwarts Legacy player character had any.. character and wasn't saying utterly dumb*** things all the time.

[vuthanhchung2]

I disagree with others comments here about the cost of voice acting. Frankly it won't add much since each and every non-voice line of PC results in new reaction from the others NPC and Companions, so to say that PC has more lines than others is questionable. For me, It is depends on the game and the stories.

[Quillithe]

Originally posted by vuthanhchung2:

I disagree with others comments here about the cost of voice acting. Frankly it won't add much since each and every non-voice line of PC results in new reaction from the others NPC and Companions, so to say that PC has more lines than others is questionable. For me, It is depends on the game and the stories.

It's not so much that the PC has more voice lines - but for a game like this you'd need to record each of their lines at least twice. So if they have one line for each NPC line you're tripling the amount of voice acting. It's maybe not quite that bad since PC lines are shorter, but it's at least doubling the amount most likely.

And that's if you're okay with every single class and race sounding identical.

[Coldhands]

No thanks. Silent protagonists for life.

[Coldhands]

Originally posted by Hekk:

If only Hogwarts Legacy player character had any.. character and wasn't saying utterly dumb*** things all the time.

That's exactly why they shouldn't talk. They aren't a character, they're just there to enable the NPC's dialog and complete the gameplay that leads to the next round of being spoken at.

[dolby]

Originally posted by vuthanhchung2:

I disagree with others comments here about the cost of voice acting. Frankly it won't add much since each and every non-voice line of PC results in new reaction from the others NPC and Companions, so to say that PC has more lines than others is questionable. For me, It is depends on the game and the stories.

yeah at this point everything is fully voiced so the voice acting bill is big as is so throwing extra cash at wont change much... but before anyone atacks me i don't care ether way not like it's Disco Elysium with walls of text and a premade character.

But stiil fact remains adding it does increase production value for most players. If that wasn't the case we would still have all games without voiceover....

[Yojo0o]

I appreciate talking protagonists in a more linear narrative game, like Mass Effect. But for a more sprawling RPG with a bunch of different character options, I'll get better immersion from a silent protagonist so that I can imagine a more accurate voice to the character I've created.

[MrSoul]

...you don't read each question out loud to yourself in your characters imagined voice?
Weird dude.

[Hekk]

Originally posted by Yggranya:

Originally posted by Coldhands:

That's exactly why they shouldn't talk. They aren't a character, they're just there to enable the NPC's dialog and complete the gameplay that leads to the next round of being spoken at.

Kinda like when they give you only two (or just one) dumb questions in a "conversation" so the NPC can mock you for asking dumb questions. Then they dump some exposition.
Oh, i'm sure it'll be better at release...for the origin characters.

If similiar scenes aren't in yet, that will change, but i'm sure there are at least one. Probably a bunch already, though. It is Larian, after all.

Anything specific? I don't recall any questions we can make as a custom character to be.. well, outright stupid.

[.Master Jiren, The Strongest]

Originally posted by Ronin Gamer:

No it doesn't. I don't care about Hary Pots in any way shape or form so Larian doesn't need to borrow anything from that thanks.
Just because you don't like something doesn't mean there aren't others that do, or that the mechanic is inherently bad JUST because you don't like it. It's a design choice. You're free to not like it sure, but that doesn't mean the other option doesn't also have it's merits just because you can't see them.

human beings objectively prefer games with voice acting over games where you just read subtitles. we realize it costs money to hire voice actors but dungeons and dragons is a huge franchise, a billion dollar franchise, and there are expectations of quality that come with that. The problem is BG3 has a lot of options and you'd need to voice ALL those paths and that becomes difficult. No game has ever voiced every single dialogue choice and also had a deep branching paths game.

Harry Potter for example only has to voice two voice lines per choice and neither one matters and neither one branches. So harry potter can voice all the lines because there arent very many.

But to state that no one wants a voiced game is pretty ridiculous.
Everyone would prefer you voice as much as possible.

Personally, I think developers should start releasing tools for modders that would make it easy for players to join the community and upload their own voice overs for characters, then you can choose which persons voice package you want to download and install into your game. Because while normal every day people arent professional voice actors, i guarantee the community of hundreds of thousands of people would find enough people to voice characters in the game and they'd do it for free, just as people make mods for free. this way games would be fully voiced by the community that plays it. Letting the community mod and update your game is the way games keep their life span, just look at Skyrim, but very few mods are ever voiced and thats because games never release tools that make it easy.

[vuthanhchung2]

Originally posted by Quillithe:

Originally posted by vuthanhchung2:

I disagree with others comments here about the cost of voice acting. Frankly it won't add much since each and every non-voice line of PC results in new reaction from the others NPC and Companions, so to say that PC has more lines than others is questionable. For me, It is depends on the game and the stories.

It's not so much that the PC has more voice lines - but for a game like this you'd need to record each of their lines at least twice. So if they have one line for each NPC line you're tripling the amount of voice acting. It's maybe not quite that bad since PC lines are shorter, but it's at least doubling the amount most likely.

And that's if you're okay with every single class and race sounding identical.

I only address the argument about the number of voice line, I agree that it is depend on the game type, game like BG3 that heavily PC customized may be not a good idea to have fully voice, however I can't image play Mass Effect without hearing Shepard voice. Dragon Age is a funny situation.

[Quillithe]

Originally posted by vuthanhchung2:

Originally posted by Quillithe:

It's not so much that the PC has more voice lines - but for a game like this you'd need to record each of their lines at least twice. So if they have one line for each NPC line you're tripling the amount of voice acting. It's maybe not quite that bad since PC lines are shorter, but it's at least doubling the amount most likely.

And that's if you're okay with every single class and race sounding identical.

I only address the argument about the number of voice line, I agree that it is depend on the game type, game like BG3 that heavily PC customized may be not a good idea to have fully voice, however I can't image play Mass Effect without hearing Shepard voice. Dragon Age is a funny situation.

Oh yeah, the more well-defined your protagonist the more they should be voiced IMO.

Fully-defined (Witcher) is best if fully voiced for sure. You don't need as many responses because they all need to be things Geralt would say anyway. And you only need one voice actor.


Partially defined (Mass Effect) is good to be fully voiced. You have some room to roleplay Shepard but they're always a tough military leader person trying to save the universe and all that. Most of the dialogue is pretty professional and you don't need five ways to ask the same question.

Very undefined (BG3) is tough. You have a lot of freedom for backstory, race, personality, so having more options is more important and a single voice can be awkward.

[dolby]

so Origins should be voice and CMC shoudn't be heh not sure if that's the right way...

[Quillithe]

CMC?

Anyway, my statement is a good reason for why DA:O would be not voiced but DA2 would be voiced. Hawke is much more pre-defined than the Grey Warden.

Of course DA:I was voiced anyway, but by that point people really expected it from Bioware so they kinda had to.

[Hekk]

Originally posted by Quillithe:

CMC?

Anyway, my statement is a good reason for why DA:O would be not voiced but DA2 would be voiced. Hawke is much more pre-defined than the Grey Warden.

Of course DA:I was voiced anyway, but by that point people really expected it from Bioware so they kinda had to.

DA:I main character voice is so memorable that I didnt even think it had voiced mc.. lol