Having your character talk during cutscenes

[KyahAlmasy]

I personally think adding voices for our characters wouldn't ruin the immersion at all. (At least, for me.) Since we're the ones picking out their voices when we initially create them. For me it would only heighten the immersion because I'd be able to witness my character actually interact with NPC's and actually have an opinion. I think the only time I got to hear my character "say" something was when I first met Gaius van Baelsar, and even then all she said was "No..." but it still gave me goosebumps.

Perhaps as a sort of compromise, we as the player could select a response from a list. That way, we still have control over our character's choices. Sort of like how the voice acting worked in the walking dead game, which turned out very successful. Or, as another compromise our character wouldn't ever have to speak a full sentence but still vocalize phrases that would seem appropriate for any character.

[LlenCoram]

I personally think adding voices for our characters wouldn't ruin the immersion at all. (At least, for me.) Since we're the ones picking out their voices when we initially create them. For me it would only heighten the immersion because I'd be able to witness my character actually interact with NPC's and actually have an opinion. I think the only time I got to hear my character "say" something was when I first met Gaius van Baelsar, and even then all she said was "No..." but it still gave me goosebumps.

Perhaps as a sort of compromise, we as the player could select a response from a list. That way, we still have control over our character's choices. Sort of like how the voice acting worked in the walking dead game, which turned out very successful. Or, as another compromise our character wouldn't ever have to speak a full sentence but still vocalize phrases that would seem appropriate for any character.

The problem is trying to make the responses so vague that they don't presume to be speaking for you. If an enemy jumps my character out of nowhere, how's she supposed to respond? Is she going to turn to them and say, "Ha! Bring it!"? My character won't. Will she jump at the shock? Mine probably wouldn't either. Choosing the voice is fine, but it's the responses that just don't work. Mass Effect did it really well, but even that had a misfire 1% of the time, when Shepard would say something I had no intention of saying.

I just don't see how it can work, and in the end it'll really detract from any connection to our characters in a big way.

I'm starting to think you and I have very different definitions of immersion though. Personally, I like being my character. From your threads/posts, I'm starting to think you prefer controlling a character.

apparently i was wrong... guild wars 2 has voice acting on your character

It does, and it's terrible. They blather on and on with predetermined sentences that are never what you would actually say if you were the character. It's the main reason I stopped playing the game.

[KyahAlmasy]

The problem is trying to make the responses so vague that they don't presume to be speaking for you. If an enemy jumps my character out of nowhere, how's she supposed to respond? Is she going to turn to them and say, "Ha! Bring it!"? My character won't. Will she jump at the shock? Mine probably wouldn't either. Choosing the voice is fine, but it's the responses that just don't work. Mass Effect did it really well, but even that had a misfire 1% of the time, when Shepard would say something I had no intention of saying.

I just don't see how it can work, and in the end it'll really detract from any connection to our characters in a big way.

I'm starting to think you and I have very different definitions of immersion though. Personally, I like being my character. From your threads/posts, I'm starting to think you prefer controlling a character.

Well our characters respond to those situations without our consent even without speaking. Many times when something surprising would occur our character would cower in fear, even if the player wouldn't really react that way. But we could still choose a response even if they were surprised, but the end result would always end up being the same, perhaps with a change in dialogue.

This was present even in 1.0 though, when you meet Darnus after first fighting Ifrit he asks your name and you can choose to tell him, or say it isn't of any importance. The answer won't change the result of the scene, but how he responds to you differs slightly. Why would applying a voice to those multiple choices be any different?

By giving our character a voice, I think I'll immerse further into the game because it would just be like playing an non-MMO game where the protagonist can actually effect the flow of conversation. That is what I've always adored about FFXIV, is that our characters are actually in the cut-scenes, like a modern RPG. I initially picked Limsa, and I have to say that intro had me hooked.

[LlenCoram]

Well our characters respond to those situations without our consent even without speaking. Many times when something surprising would occur our character would cower in fear, even if the player wouldn't really react that way. But we could still choose a response even if they were surprised, but the end result would always end up being the same, perhaps with a change in dialogue.

This was present even in 1.0 though, when you meet Darnus after first fighting Ifrit he asks your name and you can choose to tell him, or say it isn't of any importance. The answer won't change the result of the scene, but how he responds to you differs slightly. Why would applying a voice to those multiple choices be any different?

By giving our character a voice, I think I'll immerse further into the game because it would just be like playing an non-MMO game where the protagonist can actually effect the flow of conversation. That is what I've always adored about FFXIV, is that our characters are actually in the cut-scenes, like a modern RPG. I initially picked Limsa, and I have to say that intro had me hooked.

I disagree entirely. Sorry. In the end, I think this is a terrible idea, and has been proven as a terrible idea by a couple of recent MMOs that have tried doing this. Every time you end up with this character who isn't you saying things you wouldn't say. It's a horrid idea and I hope it never happens.

[Shougun]

I disagree entirely. Sorry. In the end, I think this is a terrible idea, and has been proven as a terrible idea by a couple of recent MMOs that have tried doing this. Every time you end up with this character who isn't you saying things you wouldn't say. It's a horrid idea and I hope it never happens.

I dont think because a company does it poorly that the idea itself is poor. In that matter anything FFXIV 1.0 did was a horrid idea and Yoshida made a horrible decision by keeping anything it had. (which some argue lol) But I know most people felt comfortable keeping most aspects but just reworking it a lot.

Imo, not a horrible idea and I think you are being highly unfair by pointing out mmos that failed entirely as example why the idea is bad.

[LlenCoram]

I dont think because a company does it poorly that the idea itself is poor. In that matter anything FFXIV 1.0 did was a horrid idea and Yoshida made a horrible decision by keeping anything it had. (which some argue lol) But I know most people felt comfortable keeping most aspects but just reworking it a lot.

Imo, not a horrible idea and I think you are being highly unfair by pointing out mmos that failed entirely as example why the idea is bad.

Let me restate then. I think it's a terrible idea if the intention is to promote any connection we have to our characters. I'll agree that having our characters take a more active part in cutscenes would be nice, and having us grunt or laugh or sigh or cough or whatever would be fine, but the very second your character opens his mouth and spouts off a two sentence statement, using sentiments you yourself would never use, I can guarantee that you'll feel less connected to your character. It doesn't matter if this dialogue is voiced or written, in the end the writers are choosing to speak for you, which just can't work. The only possible way it could work is if they gave us speech options. Mass Effect did it beautifully, with the vague "gist" statements on the wheel that led to a more in-depth and lore-friendly statement by the main character. Even if it wasn't exactly something you'd say, there was still some connection because you chose for him to go in that direction.

I didn't use the example of the other MMOs having failed for having done the voiced character thing, I simply meant that other MMOs did it and it doesn't work, in my opinion. I'm all for having Llen grunt hit in a cutscene, or growl in an angry way if some guy is being a jerk, or gasp in shock or express sadness at something horrific having happened. Character integration into cutscenes can be achieved perfectly well without having our characters see something bad happen, take a knee, and say, "Oh, woe! I can't believe something like this happened! I'm angry, and I will vow to make them pay. Whether they pay with coin, or pay with their lives, they will pay! FREEDOM!" or some such nonsense.

[Shougun]

Let me restate then. I think it's a terrible idea if the intention is to promote any connection we have to our characters. I'll agree that having our characters take a more active part in cutscenes would be nice, and having us grunt or laugh or sigh or cough or whatever would be fine, but the very second your character opens his mouth and spouts off a two sentence statement, using sentiments you yourself would never use, I can guarantee that you'll feel less connected to your character. It doesn't matter if this dialogue is voiced or written, in the end the writers are choosing to speak for you, which just can't work. The only possible way it could work is if they gave us speech options. Mass Effect did it beautifully, with the vague "gist" statements on the wheel that led to a more in-depth and lore-friendly statement by the main character. Even if it wasn't exactly something you'd say, there was still some connection because you chose for him to go in that direction.

I didn't use the example of the other MMOs having failed for having done the voiced character thing, I simply meant that other MMOs did it and it doesn't work, in my opinion. I'm all for having Llen grunt hit in a cutscene, or growl in an angry way if some guy is being a jerk, or gasp in shock or express sadness at something horrific having happened. Character integration into cutscenes can be achieved perfectly well without having our characters see something bad happen, take a knee, and say, "Oh, woe! I can't believe something like this happened! I'm angry, and I will vow to make them pay. Whether they pay with coin, or pay with their lives, they will pay! FREEDOM!" or some such nonsense.

I suppose everyone connects differently and/or has different points at which connections can fail and in general the experience isnt hindered.

As silence or any other type of emote is also an action that a player may have not personalized. It seems you have no problem with those types of actions (probably because they tend to be subtle) vs actual vocalization (in this case written vocalization lol).

I on the other hand prefer the general choice of action and accept that it may not be 100% my ideal moment because its pretty much impossible to do that (similar to how you point out Mass Effect has "gist" choices that include dialog and emotions).

Of course if the character isnt meant to be "mine" then I start to judge on a character base not on a personal choice base, like watching a movie. so sometimes a silent character is cool and other times its like "why didnt you open your damn mouth and tell them that way was going to kill them."

When my character makes emotes that I dont agree with I feel distanced by him - specially in the opening scenes.. lol I was like close your damn mouth and go help out.

I think its more that the idea lends itself more to non-MMORPGs, a story where there is single player, or a limited number of actors the player can assume.

A voice lends a personality, a look into what makes the character tick. For example, Saints Row 3. There you have 6 voices to choose from, and each handles the events throughout the game in their own manner.(one's a faux Jason Statham kind of guy, the other a typical rap star, another a bipolar lady seeing a shrink[and voiced by Lightning], and so on.) Within their own game sessions they are their own person.

But multiply that by hundreds of thousands of players, in one game? Not so much.

We may have the likes of default character like Derplander, but a MMO gives the option of the player to make their own story and adventure with their own created avatar. adding a voice with responses that aren't yours takes some of that narrative away, now your player is someone else, with shades of the default personality cloud who you are in chat.

The day they can make me sound like a take-the-wrong-things-seriously Elvaan lass, though, I'm all for it.

OP should edit their post but later they clarify they meant written dialog only.

[Kallera]

I dont think because a company does it poorly that the idea itself is poor. In that matter anything FFXIV 1.0 did was a horrid idea and Yoshida made a horrible decision by keeping anything it had. (which some argue lol) But I know most people felt comfortable keeping most aspects but just reworking it a lot.

Imo, not a horrible idea and I think you are being highly unfair by pointing out mmos that failed entirely as example why the idea is bad.

I think its more that the idea lends itself more to non-MMORPGs, a story where there is single player, or a limited number of actors the player can assume.

A voice lends a personality, a look into what makes the character tick. For example, Saints Row 3. There you have 6 voices to choose from, and each handles the events throughout the game in their own manner.(one's a faux Jason Statham kind of guy, the other a typical rap star, another a bipolar lady seeing a shrink[and voiced by Lightning], and so on.) Within their own game sessions they are their own person.

But multiply that by hundreds of thousands of players, in one game? Not so much.

We may have the likes of default character like Derplander, but a MMO gives the option of the player to make their own story and adventure with their own created avatar. adding a voice with responses that aren't yours takes some of that narrative away, now your player is someone else, with shades of the default personality cloud who you are in chat.

The day they can make me sound like a take-the-wrong-things-seriously Elvaan lass, though, I'm all for it.

[KyahAlmasy]

I think its more that the idea lends itself more to non-MMORPGs, a story where there is single player, or a limited number of actors the player can assume.

A voice lends a personality, a look into what makes the character tick. For example, Saints Row 3. There you have 6 voices to choose from, and each handles the events throughout the game in their own manner.(one's a faux Jason Statham kind of guy, the other a typical rap star, another a bipolar lady seeing a shrink[and voiced by Lightning], and so on.) Within their own game sessions they are their own person.

But multiply that by hundreds of thousands of players, in one game? Not so much.

We may have the likes of default character like Derplander, but a MMO gives the option of the player to make their own story and adventure with their own created avatar. adding a voice with responses that aren't yours takes some of that narrative away, now your player is someone else, with shades of the default personality cloud who you are in chat.

The day they can make me sound like a take-the-wrong-things-seriously Duskwight though, I'm all for it.

I'm not so sure about that, I mean as the OP mentioned, Mass Effect gave Shepard a voice and yet you never feel disassociated with your character because it's you choosing the dialogue and what they have to say. A character that stands on the sidelines and never really makes any choices or effects the decisions made in a conversation gives the player a sort of distant relationship from the events of the game, as if we're merely observing a scene play out instead of inhabiting it. With a voice, we're taking the reins and gain control of our character, instead of being shunted to the side.

And I mean, personally I don't see why other characters having the same voice would effect how we immerse. In no instance are we going to be talking to someone with the same voice, or even hear the same voice in a cutscene because the scenes are specific to our character. After all, the voice we choose when we initially create a character is a product of our decision. I can understand why others feel differently, but I guess it's merely a matter of preference.