Get the mics warmed up - 2.0: you're going to need voice acting

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Originally Posted by Renshi

First Case Scenario:
Don't have Voice Acting, keep 5'000 players playing your game because they're having fun.

Second Case Scenario:
Have Voice Acting, get 40'000 players and keep 5'000 because the other 35'000 grew boring of the game.

Believe me, Voice Acting Gets the people, but what you're aiming for at the first time is to actually do something that Keeps the people playing the game. Once you get that you can make Voice Acting =)

SWTOR has done a good job on balancing these two. I'm not playing though because trying it is not my MMO, but that's really another story.

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why are you assuming that voice acting mean they wont be able to add anything else to the game?

3rd case
have voice acting people enjoy the cut scene inbetween enjoying all the content that will be available at relaunch.


why would you add the VA after people did the quest?

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

teh voice acting was a big promotional push for SW. if they want to have it on the 2.0 box and/or promote with it it need to be in game at launch.

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How can it be a promo push to say "hey, look, we're doing the same thing the competition is doing!"?

They need to advertise what makes the game unique. No one's going to care how much you clone something when the original is readily available. You need to show off why you're different and better.

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Originally Posted by Gramul

How can it be a promo push to say "hey, look, we're doing the same thing the compotition is doing!"?

They need to advertise what makes the game unique. No one's going to care how much you clone something when the orriginal is readily avalable. You need to show off why you're diffirent and better.

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it looks alot better to say you have something that a record breaking game has then to say you don't. i dont think their promo will say"we got stuff just like SW does" they will surly do a better job then that.

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

it looks alot better to say you have something that a record breaking game has then to say you don't. i dont think their promo will say"we got stuff just like SW does" they will surly do a better job then that.

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This is why WoW clones work and why people always expect WoW clones. It worked for Rift and it's working for WoW+KOTOR hybrid.

Maybe XIV can do something different and offer something unique from each other like how MMORPGs used to be?

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

why are you assuming that voice acting mean they wont be able to add anything else to the game?

3rd case
have voice acting people enjoy the cut scene inbetween enjoying all the content that will be available at relaunch.


why would you add the VA after people did the quest?

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No, no, no!
In the game development Voice Acting should be something to do at last, checking your budget and things, but mainly focusing on the gameplay.
I'm not saying that Voice Acting will not give the game anything, I'm just saying to focus on the mechanics of the game, and then think about VA, if there's place for it and if the budget can permit it.
I'd like to play a game that's both Fun and with an entertaining VA, but I can't play a game which is very good at VA but sucks on gameplay.

Got my point? I would focus on something that keeps the players first, rather than on something that gets the players. More like building a house starting from the structure and not from the furniture.

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

why are you assuming that voice acting mean they wont be able to add anything else to the game?

3rd case
have voice acting people enjoy the cut scene inbetween enjoying all the content that will be available at relaunch.


why would you add the VA after people did the quest?

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I think a misconception we have, myself included, is we'd like to think we know SE work with their budget and how the XIV team work. I would think this isn't a one man show so we shouldn't go with the logic if X time goes into VA's that means X time is taken away from game development when the opposite is probably true. The sound team probably needs something to do with the allowed budget they have currently. Would it be better if the sound team get moved to another game and they use that budget to hire new intern for coffees? :P Of course this is still an assumption of mine as well.

Point is we do not know how their budget work nor should we want to know. If they plan on adding it we should give them the benefit of the doubt that their budget meets what it requires. Let's not jump to the conclusion that adding X feature will have detriment to Y feature. Until there is absolute proof at least :P

Of course SWTOR/Skyrim style of VA's is a bit too excessive, imo, and I don't think they're doing that anyways. They mentioned that in "important" events/cs VA's should be there.

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Originally Posted by Renshi

No, no, no!
In the game development Voice Acting should be something to do at last, checking your budget and things, but mainly focusing on the gameplay.
I'm not saying that Voice Acting will not give the game anything, I'm just saying to focus on the mechanics of the game, and then think about VA, if there's place for it and if the budget can permit it.
I'd like to play a game that's both Fun and with an entertaining VA, but I can't play a game which is very good at VA but sucks on gameplay.

Got my point? I would focus on something that keeps the players first, rather than on something that gets the players. More like building a house starting from the structure and not from the furniture.

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They may be at a stage in dev now that they have calculated cost and decided VZ is an acceptable expenditure.

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Originally Posted by syntaxlies

omg the mrd quest i had a terrible time reading,lol

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This I can agree with but mostly because it's just plain bad writing.
You can tell the writers are scraping the bottom of the barrel when every second word is either shit or arse. :(

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Originally Posted by Seif

This I can agree with but mostly because it's just plain bad writing.
You can tell the writers are scraping the bottom of the barrel when every second word is either shit or arse. :(

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Or because Marauder is synonymous with Pirates in this world.

Hi All,

There are definitely pros and cons to all sides presented in this thread.

On a high level, I would disagree that the current voice acting was great (for Gridania's opening movie - the English Dub voice acting was laughable and amateurish at best). :(

Bad or mediocre Voice Acting can ruin an otherwise great moment that has spectacular Camera Work and key Plot / Story Points. (e.g., English Dub of Vanille in Final Fantasy XIII (yikes!).)

But spectacular Voice Acting can really elevate major story elements and add gravitas and emotional attachment when done right (see, Nolan North (Nathan Drake (UNCHARTED 2, 3), Sir Ian McKellen (Gandalf (THE LORD OF THE RINGS (Movies)).

Personally, I'd love to see an Audio Language Option like with Anime (Original Japanese with English Subtitles, or English Dub).

Another key point people bring up is that "yes" currently, the walls of text on some of these quests are pushing some players to just hit "X / Enter" and skip through all of it as fast as possible... that's another problem.

If Square took the time to create a Cinematic Camera System (driven programmatically), or just took the time to add custom Cameras to key Quests, that would probably add to the interest level and call attention to the fact that there's more going on that might warrant you (the player) to not just hit "X" and skip everything.

I love RPGs and enjoy good stories, and good writing, but even for me, currently most quests feel more like tasks and FedEx / Fetch Quests and it makes me inadvertently want to just mash the Enter key to skip through at times.

I think for a new player (for 2.0 and PS3 Launch), by making sure there are enough elements to entice and hold a player's attention, it could establish a better "culture" and appreciation of the importance of Quests and Sub-Missions. This can be done with things suggested in this thread like great custom Cameras, custom Music, and full, *great quality* Voice Acting.

If a new player starting the game encountered their Main Missions and even starter Quests around Gridania, LL, and Uldah to be full of interesting writing, story elements, good camera work and great voice acting, I think it would certainly be a benefit to the game experience overall.

As to whether all that work and money (affecting the overall budget) would be better spent elsewhere is something that can be argued forever. There will always be people who enjoy gameplay more than anything and could care less about Story and Cutscenes (I know people who skip every single Cutscene in *any* game they play). And there will always be people who care deeply about the Story and want to bask and enjoy well made Cinematics in their RPGs and MMORPGs.