Even without different races, multiple voices is a great idea. I really hope BioWare keeps doing that.
I'm more in the middle of it. I really like them because I can use them to further differentiate my characters. On the other hand, the cost might cost something else to be cut.
No silence. Just whispers.........
The tools we can use to differentiate our characters should be the very last thing they cut. Constructing distinct characters is the whole point of these games.I'm more in the middle of it. I really like them because I can use them to further differentiate my characters. On the other hand, the cost might cost something else to be cut.
The tools we can use to differentiate our characters should be the very last thing they cut. Constructing distinct characters is the whole point of these games.
I do agree with your stance, though if, for example, the tradeoff for multiple voices is less dialogues, I'd choose the latter.
And it probably is, which just brings me back to a request for a silent option.I do agree with your stance, though if, for example, the tradeoff for multiple voices is less dialogues, I'd choose the latter.
NO, I say, to the silent protagonist! That was my biggest gripe about DA:O. You are about to deliver a vital line in the story and (I don't care how gifted you are at face making in the character creator) you stand there blank faced, googly-eyed, with all the wit of a brainless calf. GAH! No!
Stop with the horrible voice acting for main characters in RPGs. I want to be able to role play in my role playing games. I know Mass Effect never had a silent protagonist but its time to take the series in a bold new direction. No matter what you did or what choices you made Sheperd was always the same old Sheperd due to the voice acting be it good or bad. Have faith in us game developers. Some of us can still use our imaginations from time to time.
Suggestion:
Put your TV on mute. Instant silent protagonist.
You're welcome.
A check-box seems reasonable enough. I just have to remember to not select it when i'm disabling the music.
NO, I say, to the voiced protagonist! That was my biggest gripe about the ME series. You are about to deliver a vital line in the story and (I don't care how much you care about the emotion rather than the line) you end up saying something that is completely different and makes no sense under the circumstances like someone with dissociative disorder. GAH! No!NO, I say, to the silent protagonist! That was my biggest gripe about DA:O. You are about to deliver a vital line in the story and (I don't care how gifted you are at face making in the character creator) you stand there blank faced, googly-eyed, with all the wit of a brainless calf. GAH! No!
BioWare did this recently in the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion, SW:TOR as a homage to KotOR. This is only with the alliance specialists and companion recruitment conversations(glad it isn't with the main story quest line). Introducing this change was somewhat reasonable but still it ruined my game experience slightly as I was expecting voice from my characters like the rest of the community, plus we got used to usual conversations with voice added. In the end nobody cared because it's with the side content. My same opinion for Mass Effect. We got used to voiced dialogues and introducing "silent protagonist" feature now to this franchise simply won't make sense and ruins our experience that we had.
"Homage"... more like savin money, I think.
I nearly got a heart attack and had to ask other players if this silence will continue. I wasn´t used to it and skipped all of those missions because of it.
"Homage"... more like savin money, I think.
I nearly got a heart attack and had to ask other players if this silence will continue. I wasn´t used to it and skipped all of those missions because of it.
It seemed that way pretty much.
While our silent protagonist is at it, use some ASMR techniques too.
And thus it's an excellent argument for a solent protagonist.It seemed that way pretty much.
Though I'm not convinced that this alone is a good enough reason to go back to it, especially if you consider the fact that BioWare will never ever abandon voice acting for its NPC's and voiced protags are kind of a staple of these games now. Thus far their current formula seems to work rather well, so I can't think of any compelling reason why they'd go back to the disjointed silent PC with voiced NPC's. Like, going totally text would be the cheapest option of all, but you can be certain that the vast majority of players would hate it.And thus it's an excellent argument for a solent protagonist.
It's way cheaper.
They used the voiced NPC and silent PC design for NWN, KotOR, and Jade Empire. It worked well.Though I'm not convinced that this alone is a good enough reason to go back to it, especially if you consider the fact that BioWare will never ever abandon voice acting for its NPC's and voiced protags are kind of a staple of these games now. Thus far their current formula seems to work rather well, so I can't think of any compelling reason why they'd go back to the disjointed silent PC with voiced NPC's. Like, going totally text would be the cheapest option of all, but you can be certain that the vast majority of players would hate it.
Using a silent protagonist instantly makes me feel detached from my character. In The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series, I never felt any attachment whatsoever to my character until Skyrim (and that was because of the mods I used to make my character unique), and Fallout 4 (where the characters became voiced). Between the cutscene-type-things in Fallout 4, and the voiced characters, I had never been so happy to hear a voice. A voice solidifies a character, and makes me feel attached to them.
Using a silent protagonist instantly makes me feel detached from my character. In The Elder Scrolls and the Fallout series, I never felt any attachment whatsoever to my character until Skyrim (and that was because of the mods I used to make my character unique), and Fallout 4 (where the characters became voiced). Between the cutscene-type-things in Fallout 4, and the voiced characters, I had never been so happy to hear a voice. A voice solidifies a character, and makes me feel attached to them.
I'm the opposite. Hearing the voice (and more importantly, having to listen to the voice in order to find out what's being said) creates distance between me and the character, because it makes my relationship with the character the same as my relationship with any other person who isn't me.
And when I'm roleplaying, I'm trying to inhabit the mind of my character, so my relationship with him should be just about the same as my relationship with myself. The voiced protagonist badly gets in the way of that.
They used the voiced NPC and silent PC design for NWN, KotOR, and Jade Empire. It worked well.
I personally use a mod to silence the PC in Fallout 4.
If BioWare would just give us an option for a silent PC, that would be sufficient.
to be fair though those were the days befoer we had voiced protags though so by going back to it after having a few games where we've had voiced protags for me would feel like a strep backwards. So for me I don't think having a silent protag is the way to go any more
It's hardly a step backward when we have yet to see a voiced protagonist done well.to be fair though those were the days befoer we had voiced protags though so by going back to it after having a few games where we've had voiced protags for me would feel like a strep backwards. So for me I don't think having a silent protag is the way to go any more
I'm the opposite. Hearing the voice (and more importantly, having to listen to the voice in order to find out what's being said) creates distance between me and the character, because it makes my relationship with the character the same as my relationship with any other person who isn't me.
And when I'm roleplaying, I'm trying to inhabit the mind of my character, so my relationship with him should be just about the same as my relationship with myself. The voiced protagonist badly gets in the way of that.
You can turn the volume down if you want a silent protagonist. Use a silent protagonist and no amount of upping the volume will give us a voiced one. A silent protagonist might work in an old school isometric game like Pillars of Eternity but it's not going to work in a story driven shooter like Mass Effect.
It's hardly a step backward when we have yet to see a voiced protagonist done well.
It depends on what you define as done well though because I actually think for the most part they have been
We have less control over the protagonist than we did when they were silent.It depends on what you define as done well though because I actually think for the most part they have been
It's not the voice itself that's the problem; it's the paraphrased dialogue options the voice brings with it.You can turn the volume down if you want a silent protagonist. Use a silent protagonist and no amount of upping the volume will give us a voiced one. A silent protagonist might work in an old school isometric game like Pillars of Eternity but it's not going to work in a story driven shooter like Mass Effect.
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