Going forward, should SWTOR drop voice acted PlayerChars?

[TrixxieTriss]

I keep hoping for more details on the Ubisoft open world Star Wars game that many reporters think will be an MMO. Since they have been so tight lipped about it, I'm afraid it is going to be nothing but vaporware.

 

Yeah, I’m taking that news with a grain of salt until we hear exactly what the game will be. But I do hope it’s a PC SW MMO based on the High Republic.

[SithKoriandr]

Yeah, I’m taking that news with a grain of salt until we hear exactly what the game will be. But I do hope it’s a PC SW MMO based on the High Republic.

 

We need a massive open world after the movies time line, we new Jedi's. New evil force users. X-Wing fighters! Maybe even some mod-able ships (Imperial Shuttle decked out for combat )

[TrixxieTriss]

We need a massive open world after the movies time line, we new Jedi's. New evil force users. X-Wing fighters! Maybe even some mod-able ships (Imperial Shuttle decked out for combat )

 

Imagine a game with the best mix of features from Star Wars games like swtor, squadrons, Xwing vs Tie fighter, kotor, swg, and MMO’s like FF14 and GW2. Plus run and developed by someone like FF14’s Yoshi.

 

I’d preorder that game right now 🥰

[GhostDrone]

In any other case, I would totally agree with your sentiment that a silent protagonist grants more freedom of immersion and RPing as your character. But I think SWTOR is special.

 

I can't speak for everyone, but to me, the VAs of every character have embodied their respective class almost perfectly in every instance. Since the very start. We've been listening to them for 10 years now. Hell, even longer.

 

If the game was designed from the beginning to be like this, if my Juggernaut never had the power of his awesome, menacing performance during intense story moments, then I probably wouldn't care. But now that I know what I'd be missing out on, I wouldn't be able to not feel cheated.

[Spikanor]

i think there need to stop with voice's in the game since its more wasting money in my eye's what there are doing.

 

sure its something special with the voice's in the game.

but the team is also under staff is it for my more wasting money with the voice's for the game.

since that money can be use better for hire some more developers to fix some problems in the game and make new content.

and i think a lot of players have turn off the game sound and are more listing to there own music more then listing to the voice's in the game.

[MadDutchman]

and i think a lot of players have turn off the game sound and are more listing to there own music more then listing to the voice's in the game.

 

Citation needed

[uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu]

If they ever do this, I'm done with the game. I was close to quitting when I thought the Alliance alert conversation styles would become the norm around when they first came out. But I doubt they ever will just stop doing voiceover for the hell of it. All I wonder is which VA will we lose first. I'm shocked we still have 16 (8 class males 8 class females) of them who have came back for 10 years running. I wonder how they would handle losing a main class VA. I mean, even if they always come back for the paycheck, acts of god do happen. They could be in a bus crash tomorrow for all we know *knock wood* Edited December 24, 2021 by uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

[MystyqeofXev]

If Xanthe Elbrick isn't VA'ing my Sith Inquisitor, I don't wanna Sith Inquisitor.

[OddballEasyEight]

SURE!

 

Let's drop one of the main selling points of the game!

 

Like someone said, I'm sure most people play this game with the sound off and listening to tunes instead, because story isn't the main point of this game!

 

And yes, you can have story without voiced player characters, but making that abrupt change in the middle of the game would be jarring.

 

If this game came out without the voiced player chars, then maybe.

 

But then, I wouldn't be playing the game.

 

To be honest, this game (and fallout 4) has spoiled me. I can't play games where the main protagonist isn't voice acted any more. It just doesn't sit right with me.

 

 

Seriously, though, sure... it would allow for (slightly) faster content, but it would also drive away a large part of the playerbase.

 

I doubt that it's worth it for BW to drive away a large part of the playerbase to keep the other part a bit happier.

Edited December 25, 2021 by OddballEasyEight

[GhostDrone]

Citation needed

 

Yeaah I only do this while grinding dailies, drops or any other kind of content I've been through a million times already. I have my in-game sound and music on at all times during any kind of story moment. I don't think I've ever played a cutscene I've never seen before without sound.

[Phazonfreak]

I keep hoping for more details on the Ubisoft open world Star Wars game that many reporters think will be an MMO. Since they have been so tight lipped about it, I'm afraid it is going to be nothing but vaporware.

 

No one has ever talked about the upcoming Star Wars game as an MMO. All that has been reported so far is that it will be open world and running on the Snowdrop engine that Massive used for The Division 2. Nothing is pointing towards an MMO, let alone an MMORPG, and it will most probably just be a Division style game in the Star Wars universe.

Edited December 26, 2021 by Phazonfreak

[Spikanor]

Seriously, though, sure... it would allow for (slightly) faster content, but it would also drive away a large part of the playerbase.

if jackieko tells on questions from players this: As mentioned, the team has been working really hard to create Legacy of the Sith, and they deserve a chance to rest and recharge.

that means more there are under staff since the team there is now are doing for how many more people the work when if you get more people developing will also give then no big stres for then.

 

and sure you going lose a large part of the playerbase if there remove the voice acted playerchars thats something i also understand.

and sure its special for SWTOR what almost no other MMORPG has but the price we pay for it all is also high that the new content is so slow and bugs and problems not get fix fast is that it worth to keep voice acted playerchars then?

[xordevoreaux]

I still marvel how this thread even became a topic. The VAs won't be in the unemployment line. We'll still have voiced content. Edited December 27, 2021 by xordevoreaux

[Stradlin]

I still marvel how this thread even became a topic. The VAs won't be in the unemployment line. We'll still have voiced content.

 

Nobody is even talking about ditching all VAs or all voiced content.

 

If it were moderately cheap and uncumbersome to have fully voice acted Player Chars, then TOR prolly wouldn't, 10 years later, remain the only MMORPG that does it. Since it isn't cheap/easy, it is worthvile to ask if players could afford letting go of it, if it meant some shceduling -originating bottlenecks would be removed, or if it meant this money could be poured to more frequent drops of new content.

 

 

im really surprised by this thread honestly. You guys didn't care for games like kotor, elder scrolls, dragon age, fable, fallout, Baldur's gate, half life.. these are some of the best games of all time with no voice protagonist .

 

I'm surprised by the apaprent devotion too. Though I'm sure some of the strange " i rather see the game die than lose a VA!" it is just people blowing smoke. I'd feel strange if I realized core part of my enjoyment of TOR relied on hearing " Murder and Mayhem await!" at steady intervals.

 

Quality of PC Voice acting in and ofitself is thoroughly awesome. At least on Imp side.

Writing though..well, it isn't bad - only crammed to fit a very small box. Vanilla stories alone have SO MANY NPCs to talk to. So many coversations to be had - so making dialogue that even remotely consistently branches out anywhere at all was simply not an option. As a result, most of all you ever say is all about PCVA providing punctuation to a monologue by the NPC. NPC says stuff, then you pick between "Eh.." "EH:D" or "EhD:" and then the NPC keeps on. In the end, you sometimes decide if he dies after talking to you or not. And this is what is at heart of folks enjoyment? Having the game literally die would be better than ever losing your bi-yearly 2 minute drop of "eh!" "eh.." or "eh D:"? People who get immersed and see great deal of value in this are idd very lucky, there is lifetime's worth of this stuff available.

 

I think it is entirely likely SWTOR could have so much more story content if they weren't stuck paying almost 50 different people for playing PC.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Stradlin

[Pricia]

But dragon age has VAs...

 

But that they don't have much content because of VAs is not a good argument. Look at the "content" we've had in the last year - 5 minute scenes with VA that are completely useless. Maybe if they actually spent their resources on meaningful content, it wouldn't be a problem.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Pricia

[Stradlin]

But dragon age has VAs...

 

But that they don't have much content because of VAs is not a good argument. Look at the "content" we've had in the last year - 5 minute scenes with VA that are completely useless. Maybe if they actually spent their resources on meaningful content, it wouldn't be a problem.

 

This is kinda true as well. Either you have those sad 2 minute bi yearly get togethers in the map room or you are storming through some pretty forgettable new FP. Same amount of voice acting springled across some larger, more coherrent whole would be much cooler. Think of Oricon, for example. This scope isnt something they can or want to do currently for some reason.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Stradlin

[amnixx]

No should not

[Spikanor]

i think its now a good time to reopen this discusion about the voice acting again for this game since we all know with the strike the voice actors are doing its more also hurting this game since there cant release new story line contant for us.

[Stradlin]

3 hours ago, Spikanor said:

i think its now a good time to reopen this discusion about the voice acting again for this game since we all know with the strike the voice actors are doing its more also hurting this game since there cant release new story line contant for us.

 

Game is held hostage of its massive fleet of PC VAs and folks who'd refuse to play it without. I'm almost sure overall impression among community hasn't changed: plenty of people rather see the game die than see it giving away its PCVA. Which is...incredibly strange to me but here we are. Devs know this well, and rather than giving up PCVA do the best they can with the budget they have. Best they can being enough PCVA for 1-2 story FPs a year, and few exciting 90 second map room gatherings on top of it, if we're lucky. 

 

Ofc, it can't be known just how much more writing and devving muscles devs could afford to  flex, if they were free of this massive burden. "Quite a bit more" is my educated guess but it is tough to know these things. 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Stradlin

[Goreshaga]

For me either you voice everything or you voice nothing, but i absolutely despise that weird hybrid where the NPCs talk and the PC stands there silently, that's absolutely not immersive for me and since the characters have been voiced since the beginning of the game, their voice is part of who they are, not to mention the KOTOR-style cutscenes we have here are very static and super boring to watch.

So yeah i'm in the camp who would rather have no cutscenes at all (and if there's no story, there's no point even playing for me) than all cutscenes being watching my PC's back with them just standing like they're completely dead inside while the NPCs are monologuing.

[Stradlin]

32 minutes ago, Goreshaga said:

For me either you voice everything or you voice nothing, but i absolutely despise that weird hybrid where the NPCs talk and the PC stands there silently, that's absolutely not immersive for me and since the characters have been voiced since the beginning of the game, their voice is part of who they are, not to mention the KOTOR-style cutscenes we have here are very static and super boring to watch.

So yeah i'm in the camp who would rather have no cutscenes at all (and if there's no story, there's no point even playing for me) than all cutscenes being watching my PC's back with them just standing like they're completely dead inside while the NPCs are monologuing.

 

Its funny how differently people can feel about this. Some of my fav. RPG experiences been in a situation where everybody except PC are voice acted. DA:O comes to mind. PC is " mine", therefore it suitable PCs voice is only in players imagination. Imho fully voiced player char going through its fully voiced dialogue always ends up feeling bit more like the character of the voice actor and writer, not the player. NPCs on the other hand  aren't "mine", just..well, NPCs and companions,  who joined the PC. It suits that these are "other," different. They " belong" to the game, while PC "belongs" to the player.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Stradlin

[Spikanor]

50 minutes ago, Stradlin said:

impression among community hasn't changed: plenty of people rather see the game die than see it giving away its PCVA. Which is...incredibly strange to me but here we are.

the people that like voice acting in this game need to start making a choose more from if there still wane have voice acting in this game when there are on strike that means we get no new story contant for a long time and that is hurting the game and maybe its going to kill it also and then there cant play it anymore.

or there choose to drop the voice acting since there are on strike so that we still get new story line contant sure its something compleet diffrend then before but we still can play the game and its not going to die yet atleast.

from my part when the strike is done there can use voice acting again in the story contant and in some other parts.

[felleto]

If they remove VA I'm done with the game. There is no choice here, I play Swtor because it is an MMO that actually makes me care about the quests I do and not just some mindless chore. Part of the reason for this is VA in every single quest. 

Imo, VA needs to stay or the game is pretty much dead at this point. 

[OlBuzzard]

Pull the plug on the story / VA etc.. might just was well pull the plug on SWTOR.

As for the old school select-a-line (KOTOR) ...  to me that is just annoying, cheap, and outdated!

BTW... it should also be noted that this is probably one of the reasons for the delay in some of the updates that were originally planned (though never announced IN DETAIL).  

We need a little more silence on the subject of game updated information.  That usually works pretty well.  (For the most part).

[/end sarcasm]

 

[Addictress]

No 😞