Interview Feargus and friends discuss the future of RPGs @ 1UP

[Lesifoere]

I remember when having full VO for the entire game, for every line of dialogue, was novel. I sat through most of Bloodlines, I'm sure, and maybe even KotOR. But it loses its shine really fast especially when the lines are as embarrassing as the bulk of what appears in DA.

 

[Gay-Lussac]

Too many words in this thread.

 

[shihonage]

Ah, a chance to use my freshly sharpened blade.

 

[SerratedBiz]

but of course there's no captions and no dialogue box to review stuff.

In DA and just about every other game with VO that I've played's defense, it does feature a subtitles option. I know because it's certainly one of the things I'm looking for in the options menu.

If certain characters in certain scenes had VO it would be cool. You put some emphasis on that particular situation, using the addition of voice to deliver greater emotion or stress into what might come out as passive if only read. One of the problems with full VO is that it becomes old quickly and you're just clicking through dialogues as soon as they come up. At least I am.

Another reason for the disappointment that is VO is that the actors seem to pursue their roles in the most bland and uninteresting way possible. How is it possible for someone to be worried or happy or angry or dying and still deliver their lines the same way? How could the VO director be so unimaginative? How do the people involved with this project live with themselves?

Actually, it did

Funny that, I loaded up the game and realized I've played with muted speech since forever.

 

[AlaCarcuss]

Why is bioshock considered an RPG? No, seriously. Why?

Ha, glad I scrolled down a bit - exactly what I was gonna say.

I've heard quite a few people call Bioshock an RPG lately, including from those like this that should know better. Jesus Christ, if these so called RPG devs think Bioshock is an RPG then what hope have we got?

 

[Jim Cojones]

Jesus Christ, if these so called RPG devs think Bioshock is an RPG then what hope have we got?

Well, Roper has never worked on an actual RPG but only on hack 'n' slashes (two Diablo games and Hellgate London).

 

[PorkaMorka]

Wait.

I'm out of the loop, I haven't played the new shit.

Are there seriously games now where you have to listen to the NPCs talk, there isn't text + talking, so you can still speed through the dialog?

I've never encountered this, but it'd be a game killer for me.

First of all half the time I have the sound off.

Second of all, as someone who is not entirely retarded, I can read pretty fast and thus I can get through tons and tons of boring dialog far faster than some actor would read it off in dramatic fashion.

The idea of actually having no choice but to sit through an actor reading awful RPG dialog out loud, instead of just quickly reading/skimming it in 1/6th or less of the time, it's horrifying!

 

[shihonage]

Imagine how exciting it would be to watch "Dexter" if every time characters talked, they stared blankly at each other with hands to their sides, only their mouths moving, and the camera was still.

The problem with Mass Effect-esque dialogue is that it lacks

a) writing
b) frequently changing camera angles
c) body language
d) changing musical accompaniment

You can't do a game in 3D, aim for movie experience, and then pull this stupid shit.

 

[Solohk]

At the risk of losing Kodex Kool Points, I bought Mass Effect during the Steam weekend sale for 10 bucks.

I disagree that it lacks B and C in your list. I've seen lots of gestures, changes in facial expressions, etc. as well as changing camera angles.

 

[circ]

I can't remember how ME facial expression were, but the ones in DA were really horrendous. I fired up Fallout 1 a few days ago, and if a game that's over 10 years old can pull off 3D facial expression better, you're in the wrong line of work.

 

[shihonage]

At the risk of losing Kodex Kool Points, I bought Mass Effect during the Steam weekend sale for 10 bucks.

I disagree that it lacks B and C in your list. I've seen lots of gestures, changes in facial expressions, etc. as well as changing camera angles.

I have Mass Effect as well. It does have some of the things of my list, but they don't really register in my brain because of how awkward and unnatural it looks. The camera changes are infrequent and static, aka very old movies.

If you want to match the video medium, then you have to make it look like the video medium.

Mass Effect looks like there's something mentally OFF with every person you talk to, and they all communicate in a way that is both forced and extraordinarily, ear-meltingly, boring.

 

[Solohk]

Agree there. I think ME still has a way to go as far as non-verbal communication and camera cuts go. I just thought it was funny you used ME as an example when I think it does those better than most. Hell, just attempting to do those things sets it above most other RPGs.

 

[Gragt]

PS:T has some of the best facial expression and body language ever seen in a video game.

 

[Volourn]

"PS:T has some of the best facial expression and body language ever seen in a video game."

nO.

 

[Gragt]

nO.

y€s!