Chapter IX KOTFE Character mute

[Sansanor]

As mentioned, side quests haven't been voiced since hutt cartel. I do like this over the alternative of just "Getting the quest." Problem is the game isn't profitable enough to have each side quest fully voiced. It sucks but it is what it is.

 

I call BS.

 

They have enough money to fully voice our toons in all conversations. The problem is they CHOSE to make tons of costly changes to the rest of the game, ruining it for some of us, versus putting full attention on what is supposed to be a major expansion.

[Rhyltran]

Pre-F2P doesn't matter. Of course they went F2P because subs simply don't work anymore outside niche games like EVE Online. However, now that it is F2P they are making plenty of money. Like I said before, you're pulling excuses out of your arse. Amiright?

 

You claim it's "out of my ***." nah. How about you prove they do have the finances to do it and make a sizeable profit? You made the claim that they have the money. Not me. Can you prove as F2P they're making as much money as they expected to before F2P? You claim it doesn't matter but it does. They claimed they needed 500,000 15 dollar a month subs at minimum to keep the game going in the direction they wanted. If they are NOT making this much a month then it stands to reason they'd have to cut corners.

 

I call BS.

 

They have enough money to fully voice our toons in all conversations. The problem is they CHOSE to make tons of costly changes to the rest of the game, ruining it for some of us, versus putting full attention on what is supposed to be a major expansion.

 

Tinfoil hat much? So you're going to instead argue that they chose not to since Makeb because why not? I'm sure they can also release more content per expansion as well but choose not to for "Reasons."

Edited November 2, 2015 by Rhyltran

[Dayshadow]

You claim it's "out of my ***." nah. How about you prove they do have the finances to do it and make a sizeable profit? You made the claim that they have the money. Not me. Can you prove as F2P they're making as much money as they expected to before F2P? You claim it doesn't matter but it does. They claimed they needed 500,000 15 dollar a month subs at minimum to keep the game going in the direction they wanted. If they are NOT making this much a month then it stands to reason they'd have to cut corners.

 

SWTOR profits doubled with the switch to F2P.

 

You made the claim they don't have the money and used that claim as the basis for your entire premise. So, yeah, YOU DO need to back it up with something. This is the typical cop out I'd expect from someone pulling crap out of their arse.

 

As of mid 2014, while KotFE was being developed, SWTOR ranked #4 among MMOs taking in an annual $165mil.

 

500,000 x 14.99 = 7.495mil monthly

7.495mil x 12 = $89.94mil annually

 

So that's $75.06mil over there bare minimum you mention. Nearly twice.

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/07/19/world-of-warcraft-still-a-1b-powerhouse-even-as-subscription-mmos-decline/

[Rhyltran]

SWTOR profits doubled with the switch to F2P.

 

You made the claim they don't have the money and used that claim as the basis for your entire premise. So, yeah, YOU DO need to back it up with something. This is the typical cop out I'd expect from someone pulling crap out of their arse.

 

As of mid 2014, while KotFE was being developed, SWTOR ranked #4 among MMOs taking in an annual $165mil.

 

500,000 x 14.99 = 7.495mil monthly

7.495mil x 12 = $89.94mil annually

 

So that's $75.06mil over there bare minimum you mention. Nearly twice.

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/07/19/world-of-warcraft-still-a-1b-powerhouse-even-as-subscription-mmos-decline/

 

Alright, point made. I can admit when I'm wrong. I wasn't aware they made that much.

 

Not to sound like a white knight but they did do the expansion in a year. Perhaps it was time constraint? They'd need to have each class actor (there's 8) say every line and the different lines that could come from picking different choices. While also doing dialogue for the new chapters and the next expansion which they've honestly probably already started (Since they seem to be aiming for one a year.) Honestly if the next chapters do really well I hope they wait a bit before the next expansion so they can do things like add voice to everything etc. Especially since KOTFE seems to have drawn in more players.

Edited November 3, 2015 by Rhyltran

[LTCeacer]

I want to Add to this , the conversation system already in place had NO Problems what so ever, WHY DID YOU GO AND BRING BACK THAT STUPID USELESS CONVERSATION SYSTEM !!! This wholly and compleatly sucks, they go out of their way to improve this and that, AND THEN TAKE OUT ONE OF THE BEST FEATURES OF THE GAME!

 

Man, EA Bioware

 

Get your stuff together.

[LTCeacer]

Okay, I take it back, all of it, seeing as the conversation system is ONLY for the Allaince quests , for the sidequests it's actually a pretty good deal, and that works for me , it IS better than simply accepting the quests.

 

Congrats Bioware you get to keep me xD

[Artowa]

Hi

 

I am involved in producing audio-stories so i have some (limited) experience in this kind of things

 

From a financial perspective

Voicing the same lines with 16 different voice-actor (8 classes, 2 genders) is one hell of a economical nightmare. Thats the reason for this form of dialogs. The nostalgic presentation is only an effort so sell it as something good. I think it is the best way to do it actually without enormes costs.

 

The NPC voices are only needed one time for all... So they can voice them...

 

Best regards

Edited December 11, 2015 by Artowa

[Rhyltran]

I want to Add to this , the conversation system already in place had NO Problems what so ever, WHY DID YOU GO AND BRING BACK THAT STUPID USELESS CONVERSATION SYSTEM !!! This wholly and compleatly sucks, they go out of their way to improve this and that, AND THEN TAKE OUT ONE OF THE BEST FEATURES OF THE GAME!

 

Man, EA Bioware

 

Get your stuff together.

 

Jesus. That conversation is only used in the alliance system. I don't understand why so many people didn't bash bioware for the daily quests in Yavin where you pick them up with no dialogue options at all.

 

*Edit* Just realized you noticed that. Nevermind carry on.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Rhyltran

[CrutchCricket]

Jesus. That conversation is only used in the alliance system. I don't understand why so many people didn't bash bioware for the daily quests in Yavin where you pick them up with no dialogue options at all.

 

*Edit* Just realized you noticed that. Nevermind carry on.

Because the Yavin instaquests didn't make your PC a mute telepath all of a sudden. The NPC said one thing, you just didn't bother to respond. Clicking "Accept" or "Decline" in that case could be seen as you deciding in your head whether you were going to bother helping them or not.

 

I would much rather have those again than this system. I would also take pure stock replies over this system. Hell I'll go even further. I would rather my female insta60 Sage inexplicably said my Male Sorc's "Murder and mayhem await!" with every line than what we have now. It'd break immersion but at least it'd be funny.

[eldefail]

Not to sound like a white knight but they did do the expansion in a year. Perhaps it was time constraint?

 

I hadn't thought about this. They did all of this in only a year? I boosted an agent, had never played the agent story, didn't get any class story references in kotfe content, and I still thought it was very well done and had a great story. The letterboxed dialogue really put me off, because it certainly cannot be due only to budget constraints. If they had a crazy deadline then I guess I can understand that, considering they've made some other changes all over the game as well.

 

I can live with it, as long as it never, ever occurs in a purple mission again. I believe one of the purple (i.e. story) alliance missions was letterboxed like this. It was the one where you go around and talk to Hylo Visz and Dr. O and such. I think it was a story mission, at least I was under the impression it was, so the lack of PC voice kind of irked me. I don't think that's acceptable to be honest, but I don't really care too much about side missions I guess. I'll miss hearing voiced witty, class-specific quips, though.

 

they go out of their way to improve this and that, AND THEN TAKE OUT ONE OF THE BEST FEATURES OF THE GAME!

 

This is kind of how I feel. The voice acting is one of the reasons I play this game. It seems kind of silly, I know, but I love story driven games and the voice acting really sells it. I can live with minor side quests or dailies and such with the different non-voiced format, but the story missions have to be voiced, and they still need the occasional class-specific flavor choices. The story stuff has to be immersive.

 

The story and voice acting is, like, the biggest thing this game has over other MMOs. It actually is a big deal that they've been toying with cutting back on it.

Edited December 12, 2015 by eldefail

[eldefail]

double post Edited December 12, 2015 by eldefail

[Highborne]

I want to know why my character has turned mute in chapter IX of KOTFE? As from conversing with Doctor Oggurobb it has gone back to the KotOR style conversations and it's not why i bought this game, we bought it because this game was fully voiced.

 

Too much effort for Bioware to actually have your character voiced.

 

 

 

Then again, it seems to be too much effort for Bioware to do ANYTHING relating to SWTOR. But they're damn happy to take peoples' money!

[LordNightstalker]

Too much effort for Bioware to actually have your character voiced.

 

 

 

Then again, it seems to be too much effort for Bioware to do ANYTHING relating to SWTOR. But they're damn happy to take peoples' money!

 

Well... duh. Wouldn't you be? I mean. That is the point. Its a business. Not a charity.

[azurenightstar]

I one thing that I really, really liked about SWTOR was the conversations. With the voiced conversations it was like watching a movie that you are completely immersed in - you are the character you're playing. With this new "mute" form of conversing with the NPCs - especially the black letterbox format - I feel like I'm being pushed back into being an observer instead of a participant in the story. I dread having to go have these "conversations"! It might help a little if they got rid of the black letterbox formatting. I miss hearing my characters talk.

[MadDutchman]

I one thing that I really, really liked about SWTOR was the conversations. With the voiced conversations it was like watching a movie that you are completely immersed in - you are the character you're playing. With this new "mute" form of conversing with the NPCs - especially the black letterbox format - I feel like I'm being pushed back into being an observer instead of a participant in the story. I dread having to go have these "conversations"! It might help a little if they got rid of the black letterbox formatting. I miss hearing my characters talk.

 

There are 2 choices for that kind of interaction.

 

Black letter box

or

nothing at all.

 

Seriously, the cost of fully voicing all those missions (most of them side quests) would be INSANE. There is a reason the vanilla game had such a crazy budget.

 

So long as stories stay fully voiced, I got no problem with it.

[EliteSeraph]

The voice acting of the original SWTOR style is the main thing that sets the game apart from other MMOs. The acting often sets the tone of the character in ways text couldn't ever do. Some characters, such as the sassy/sarcastic female sith sorc just wouldn't be the same without VA.

 

It's one thing of the original VA wasn't available, but refusing to pay for and use them as they have in previous content is a colossal mistake, even in non-story missions. Miami t of nostalgia for older games will change that.

Edited January 21, 2016 by EliteSeraph

[BrianDavion]

I have no problem with it. Honestly it's preferable to the alternative of "computer terminal dalies"

[Myore]

Jesus. That conversation is only used in the alliance system. I don't understand why so many people didn't bash bioware for the daily quests in Yavin where you pick them up with no dialogue options at all.

For me it's bad because IT IS for Alliance system. I didn't mind text-boxes with little dialogue for side/daily quests in SOR. I actually liked it. These quests usually don't add anything to the story, so why bother. You just want to grab and finish them asap anyway. It was a big change but didn't make your character lifeless (Also, I liked pretty pictures).

 

But making text-boxes with scrollable list of answers (and you being a wall) in companion recruitment quests is imo really bad thing to do. They are going to be your bros! And seeing how you approach them with pokerface makes me uninterested in what they want from me. It made me hit random answer for the first time because I didn't care for them.

 

Also, reunion with old companions... I had tears in my eyes seeing my best friend 4X (lvl30) thinking: "it's been 5 years for my character". I wanted to see my PC giving him at least a huge smile and saying sth like: "I f*** missed you, bro!". But the conversation turned out to be so plain like nothing never happened. My character was like "Yeah, whatever...". I didn't like this. (I made up my own reaction and molested him afterwards.)

 

Now, whether it's gonna be happy or not, imagine reunion with loved ones and you being a wall... Don't do this BW D:

Edited January 21, 2016 by Myore

[Vemia]

It's only for the alliance thing. It's not going to be an ongoing thing for the chapters. It's no different than SOR. Pick up a daily quest your character gives one line and you have no options for choices. You just instantly get the quest. This is a far better alternative.

 

Thank goodness it's not Perminant