156 réponses à ce sujet

[mickey111]

it's only a name. It's not okay to referred to by a title, or family name all of the time, especially not when character creation doesn't include a choice of species. there have been plenty of social informal moments in mass effect, and everyone with a first name gets called by it at some point.

[Shinobu]

I.P. Freely?
Mary and Gary Sue?

[AlanC9]

Two names, right? Or should Bio go with a gender-neutral name.

It's Pat!

[In Exile]

I find that it's pretty rare I get my first name used.

[AresKeith]

it's only a name. It's not okay to referred to by a title, or family name all of the time, especially not when character creation doesn't include a choice of species. there have been plenty of social informal moments in mass effect, and everyone with a first name gets called by it at some point.

 

They would have to record lines for every first name in existence for that to happen

 

Now they could force a name on us but that would get so many complaints 

[Zazzerka]

I fully support two set first names, one for each gender. Seeing my own name in the pause menu would bring me far less glee than watching my character's friends move from title, to a surname, to a first-name basis.

[Former_Fiend]

Eh, the last-name basis thing never really bothered me, but if Bethesda can have a database of names for us to choose from that will get used in dialogue, then I'm sure Bioware is capable of the same. Whether or not they'd actually do that, no idea.

[TBSN]

their said no "Hero" this time,so i think just some random names.

[Sylvius the Mad]

No.  I want to name my own character.

 

Really, how often do people actually address each other by name?  Don't we generally indicate to whom we're speaking by actually speaking at that person?  Since MEA will be cinematic (I expect), they can use the cinematic presentation of conversations to convey the information about who is speaking to whom.

[Eelectrica]

For male character: Greg Gregson

Female: Mary Marybelle.

 

Sign me up.

[Han Shot First]

I'd rather they just gave the character a set name that you couldn't customize. That or give both versions a nickname that isn't necessarily a shortened version of their first name.

 

Either way there should be something more personal than just rank and last name for some of the LI dialogue. 

[Former_Fiend]

For Fallout 4, Bethesda is taking a list of 1000 of the most popular names, putting them in a database for the game, and if your custom name is on that list, characters in game will call you by that. 

 

If Bioware isn't doing something similar for ME:A, I guarantee you they're going to do it for whatever game they put out next.

[ZipZap2000]

Jos.

[PhroXenGold]

For Fallout 4, Bethesda is taking a list of 1000 of the most popular names, putting them in a database for the game, and if your custom name is on that list, characters in game will call you by that. 

 

If Bioware isn't doing something similar for ME:A, I guarantee you they're going to do it for whatever game they put out next.

 

The most popular names now? Or the most poular names in the fictional setting they've created? Because it really should be the latter, and they really shouldn't be the same....

[corporal doody]

Joe and Jan Everyman

Buff Biggly

Billy Badass

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future.

 

 

last name and title work for me.  No more commander, though. It is a cool rank....but isnt it time we get to be the Captain? or Commodore....with frill and tassel.

[BENIIICHAT]

It's very weird when people that close to my character call me by last name.

 

Bioware give us Last name before. I don't see why they can't do the same to First Name. I will feel better when companion & lover call me by First name or Nickname.

 

And I think with First name. They can create more complex line when Last name Limited is out of picture.

[Dovahzeymahlkey]

its obviously Commandiere Shyep'hard.

[Former_Fiend]

The most popular names now? Or the most poular names in the fictional setting they've created? Because it really should be the latter, and they really shouldn't be the same....

 

I suppose it would be a bit off doing it for a Dragon Age game, where names follow fantasy naming conventions, so I should have specified the next Mass Effect game.

 

And as it applies to Mass Effect, if they took the thousand most popular names of today and gave them as options, I wouldn't bat an eye. Can't think of a single human in ME who doesn't have a name that exists today. 

[NRieh]

 

For Fallout 4, Bethesda is taking a list of 1000 of the most popular names, putting them in a database for the game, and if your custom name is on that list, characters in game will call you by that.

I highly doubt that it would play as great as it  sounds. Let's think a little bit. It's very unlikely that they are going to voice all the phrases 1000 times, so that's just 'insert name here' in the middle of the phrase. Which means same intonation, same tempo, same emotion.

 

The very best you can hope for is to get several intonations recorded (e.g. question, exclamation, normal speech\ 'John? Is that you?' 'John! What are you doing?!' 'John, you know...' ). That would have improved the results,  but that would also make 3000 (!) words per voice actor, which sounds like too much of an effort for such a minor thing. And even with several intonations it's going to sound unnatural and repetitive.  Not to mention that normalizing all the dialogues is going to be a real problem. Whenever the name is spoken, there will be sensible volume\tempo\intonation gaps. Some, probably, don't care, but some also do not mind being addressed by the surname, title\rank or nickname. I don't see this as an elegant solution to our problem.  

[InterrogationBear]

For Fallout 4, Bethesda is taking a list of 1000 of the most popular names, putting them in a database for the game, and if your custom name is on that list, characters in game will call you by that. 

 

If Bioware isn't doing something similar for ME:A, I guarantee you they're going to do it for whatever game they put out next.

I'm pretty sure Bioware will do the same. Maybe not a thousand different names, but 100. There is still enough time to add this feature, assuming it wasn't already planned.

 

They said in an E3 interview that not a single VA has been cast so far.

[Suron]

If they stick us with a surname we're referred too as by NPC's then I vote for something akin to Crichton....wut

[BraveVesperia]

The most popular names now? Or the most poular names in the fictional setting they've created? Because it really should be the latter, and they really shouldn't be the same....

The name selected for the male protag in the demo seemed to be 'Howard', so I'm guessing it is the latter. I don't think Howard is an especially popular baby name now.

 

@OP, the only way I'd want a preset first name is if they had a really huge database of names for me to pick from. Not just one option. I'm fine with just the surname being used, personally.

 

It would help if conversations were less: "thanks for the help, Shepard." and more just "Thanks for the help"

Just use camera angles to make it obvious when someone is talking to someone else. I rarely ever use someone's name unless I'm trying to get their attention. I certainly don't pepper the conversation with it.

[Metalfros]

Joe Smith, there you go.

[Former_Fiend]

I highly doubt that it would play as great as it  sounds. Let's think a little bit. It's very unlikely that they are going to voice all the phrases 1000 times, so that's just 'insert name here' in the middle of the phrase. Which means same intonation, same tempo, same emotion.

 

The very best you can hope for is to get several intonations recorded (e.g. question, exclamation, normal speech\ 'John? Is that you?' 'John! What are you doing?!' 'John, you know...' ). That would have improved the results,  but that would also make 3000 (!) words per voice actor, which sounds like too much of an effort for such a minor thing. And even with several intonations it's going to sound unnatural and repetitive.  Not to mention that normalizing all the dialogues is going to be a real problem. Whenever the name is spoken, there will be sensible volume\tempo\intonation gaps. Some, probably, don't care, but some also do not mind being addressed by the surname, title\rank or nickname. I don't see this as an elegant solution to our problem.  

 

We'll see. It's also not clear just how wide spread the name usage is actually going to be; as it stands the demo only shows one character saying the first name and it sounds very natural, but as we all know, demos can be tailored for that sort of thing. 

 

Still, if the feature turns out to work rather well, it might just force other developers to stop being lazy and put that extra effort in.

[rashie]

A compromise could be to allow people to customize their last name while having a set first name, whichever one they choose I expect to have either a set first or last name used in dialogue, family name likely one since it works for both genders with less VA time.