We need Voice Overs - Hell, I'll do it.....Seriously

[Griffinclaw]

<div>As posted in several other places.  I think it is rather important to have VO's for the new starter Islands ASAP. With that being said, what is stopping the community from being the ones that provide the VO's.  I know you guys want professionals, but there are a ton of NPC's out there with still no voice.  I am also sure there are plenty in the community, that would love the shot to put THEIR MARK on the game, by providing a voice.  Perhaps you can hold a contest.  Or just take open submissions, and if you like them, use them.  If not, toss 'em.</div>

[Rijacki]

I think submissions would be cool, but.. to have the voice tracks encoded correctly and sound clear and good, they need to be done in a professional sound studio and laid as tracks.  One voice actor might also "play" several different roles by adopting different vocal inflections or having the recorded tracks modified.Submissions, though, as "auditions" (kinda like how they sorta opened up the Antonia Bayle contest) would be pretty spiffy, but it would most likely just be open to those who could make it to -their- studios.. (and then you might have issues of actors' unions and all).<div></div>

[Griffinclaw]

<div></div><p>Ahhhhhhh, Rijacki.......you and all of your logic, just burst my bubble <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />  This was my big chance, to be a STAR.  Why dont you go find a young Halfling with dreams fo being a Guardian, and kick him in the shins why your at it.  hehe.  Hear ye..Hear ye..All rise to welcome, Rajacki, Destroyer of Dreams, Smasher of Hope, Harbinger if Logic  <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />     Just kidding friend...</p>

[Rijacki]

but but but... the idea would be super spiffy coolness... I really wish it -could- work.  As auditions, it would *nod*  we should lobby for that *nod*<div></div>

[Irr]

<div></div><p>I just want a shot at changing the skeleton voices.  I'm serious, they are horrible.  I have all these audio programs that would do wonders for a skelli voice.  Instead I'm just using them to splice songs together for background music for EQ2.</p><p>If any devs read this, please consider taking the skeleton's voices out.  They are too "humorous" (I use the term loosely).  They need to be dark and scarey, and say more frightening things.</p>

[Galag]

<div></div><div></div><div></div>I whole heartidly agree with the skelly voice idea. When I think about a living skeleton (be it doing my will or trying to kill me), I think about a scary evil sounding cackle or voice (despite them having no vocal cords<span>:smileytongue: ) </span>, not a giggle (yes i understand that the giggle has been around since EQ1, i just personally never liked it)<div></div><p>Message Edited by Galagos on <span class="date_text">01-14-2006</span><span class="time_text">11:18 AM</span></p><p>Message Edited by Galagos on <span class="date_text">01-14-2006</span><span class="time_text">11:18 AM</span></p>

[Stormreaver]

<div></div>Well tbh I think they must have abandoned the voice over thing, I mean, hardly any NPCs in Desert of Flames has a voiceover - and few of the higer level zones in the original game had any either..

[Paladin776]

<blockquote><hr>Galagos wrote:<div></div>I whole heartidly agree with the skelly voice idea. When I think about a living skeleton (be it doing my will or trying to kill me), I think about a scary evil sounding cackle or voice (despite them having no vocal cords<span>:smileytongue: ) </span>, not a giggle that sounds like it came from one of those corny horror B-Films (no offense to anyone who likes them). But this is just my 2 copper. ^_^<div></div><hr></blockquote>Actually, that skelly laugh has been around for about the past 500 years or so. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Tinantier]

skellie laugh needs to stay, it's one of those things <span>:smileyhappy:</span>however, i'm not sure why someone speaking slowly in a deep voice with a bit of a moaning element is generally meant to convey evil and undead <span>:smileytongue:</span><div></div>

[Calthine]

<div></div><div>Last year the Actor's Guild hcnged the rules so taht Talent doing voice overs on video games have to get a piece of the profits like they do in movies.  Probably ruined the whole voice over thing.  Unless Blackguard and Owlchick do them all.</div>

[ZoriouzBlaze]

<div>I am a sound editor and producer for imaging VO for Clear Channel. I would guess its the same deal as streaming radio, now you have to pay to stream too.</div><div> </div><div>I would say that having the community send in demos for VO is absolutley a WONDERFUL idea. SOE can be safe by this, if you get a part in the game you sign off all royalty rights. Payment would be "Hey my VO is in EQ2!" Sound cool BG?</div><div> </div><div>I could do several VO in different inflections and change pitch and what ever in sound editing software, its amazing what you can do with it.</div><div> </div><div>Let the games begin!</div>

[Stormreaver]

<div></div>Only prob with a VO competition is that as usualt it'd only be open to US residents, and therefore everyone in Norrath would end up with an American accent, which wouldnt work. I mean most Dark Elves have British accents...

[ZoriouzBlaze]

<div>Nah would be for all <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></div><div> </div>

[MadLordOfMilk]

<div><span><blockquote><hr>Calthine wrote:<div></div><div>Last year the Actor's Guild hcnged the rules so taht Talent doing voice overs on video games have to get a piece of the profits like they do in movies.  Probably ruined the whole voice over thing.  Unless Blackguard and Owlchick do them all.</div><hr></blockquote>This is why Unions are a demon in disguise <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span> Hell, my History teacher last year couldn't paint his room due to conflicts with the painter's union and how it'd make them "lose job opportunities" so he had to wait almost a year to get his room painted, even though there are all of about 3 guys in the entire school district who do crap like that (*sigh*)</span></div>

[Kilaelya]

<div></div>When I spoke to the first NPC after the patch I thought of the same thing, need those voice overs <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Y]

What a shame. I really liked most of the VOs. I think it was one of the features that added a lot of immersion to the game (and probably one of the selling points for many people).Might as well remove the remaing VOs rather than keeping the patchwork. <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><div></div>

[Ellrin]

<div>Voice overs were a HUGE selling point used by SOE when they marketed the original game, its very very sad imo to have seen them vanish.</div>

[Steelpul]

Learn 2 read.<div></div>

[Geekyone]

<div>Learn to write.</div><div> </div><div>I agree with some of the above...I loved the Voice overs.  They added a LOT of immersion to the game.  I have played other games that don't have any VO in them....it's just not the same.  I loved them and wish every NPC had them. </div>

[Rijacki]

I will admit to loving and hating them. They give a lot more personality to the characters (and now we even have PC voice emotes) and make it feel more like interacting in the world and not just playing a text adventure with a graphical overlay.I absolutely -hate- some of the voices (but that's also part of that character thing I like) and am ready to strangle some of the characters just for their horrid voices.. or.. go kill something quick.. or.. just click through it as fast as I can read.There are also some VOs that replay and replay and replay each time I go to a certain location that I might have liked the -first- time I heard it, but then after the 200th time want to strangle the speaker.  The option to only hear it once is only once each time you zone into that location and should be once -ever- (though I do, now, use the innkeep in Baubbleshire to tell me I'm fully logged in or have fully zoned from the tradeskill instance and the guy wanting jumjum to tell me my Call has finished; with the auditory cues, I can leave the keyboard during that zone cycle with no problem of knowing when to look back *laugh*).I want more voice overs.  I think they -do- lend a great bit of immersion.  But, I do also want VOs to be selectively disabled.  Repeaters should be shut up -all- the time, not just once per zone, if that option is selected.  Various mobs should also be enabled/disabled instead of an all or nothing.  The voice overs in the localised versions of EQ2 should be kept up to date, too... as well as the texts (something which I have heard is not the case for either).  The gender specific VOs should also -match- the gender of the NPC, unless it's a cross-dresser *laugh*.<div></div>

[Steelpul]

Why do you need voiceovers? Learn2read.<div></div>

[Bayler_x]

My guess is that the lawyers at SOE wouldn't be happy with any official uses of amatuer voiceovers.  Even with waivers, SOE would probably have to spend too much time and money avoiding the possibility of law suits.A more realistic request, if you ask me, would be to allow voiceovers to be player-modified, much like the UI already is.  (Maybe it's possible to change the voiceovers now - I don't know.)  That would give the player community the capability of joining together and producing some nice high-quality enhancements, while still letting SOE off the hook legally.  The guys at EQ2Maps have already successfully made this concept work with their collection of in-game maps.  The one downside, though, is that SOE wouldn't be in control of a central part of immersion.<div></div>

[Rijacki]

<span><blockquote><hr>Steelpulse wrote:Why do you need voiceovers? Learn2read.<hr></blockquote></span><span>You should learn to read yourself and actually read what has been posted in this thread.  No one has said they -need- voice overs to complete anything in the game, but that they like the FLAVOUR and sense of IMMERSION voice overs bring.In my own post, to which I presume you are replying, I brought up the point of how VOs make the game different than simply a Text Adventure with a graphical overlay.Yes, I could go play a MUD (or MUCK or MOO or whatever) which is 100% text and still have the battles and all.  Why should I care about the graphics and seeing my character swinging a sword or casting that spell?  The damage is listed out in text, I could just read it and not have to worry about the graphics.  Why have spell effects?  The spell is cast in the text.  I could just read "Rijacki's Ball of Flames does 1440 damage", that should be enough.Just as graphics are visual representation of the text for combat and travel and any other game activity, VOs are the auditor representation of the text which is also displayed on the screen.  Just as graphics give a different kind of flavor to the game than simply a text stream, so do the VOs.  Both let the player feel like he is more a part of the game (which is what Immersion means).If you need another example, have you ever gone to see a movie?  Why?  You could jsut read the book instead.  In that movie, there are visuals -and- sound.  Why not just watch it subtitled instead?  You could see the action (like you do in the game) but just read the dialogue (which is what you are saying about VOs in game). </span><div></div>

[Ekuthh]

<div></div><p>*applauds Rijacki*</p><p>Well spoken, sirrah!</p>

[Ekuthh]

<div></div><p>Ahhh another canned and grammatically incorrect response from the forum troll!</p><p>Allow me:  Learn to read. </p><p>At least be correct in your usage of the popular idiom if you're going to spout nonsense from your nether region. :smileywink:</p>

[Geekyone]

<div>Steel - How many MMO's you play?</div><div> </div><div>How many have you played since you started EQ2?</div><div> </div><div>If any then you can't deny the difference in the feel of the game.  EQ2 just 'feels' more alive when I hear talking and chatter.  I wish more NPC's filled the streets of NQ and SQ, and more chatter could be heard. </div><div> </div><div>But I live the VO's for the fact that it adds a lot of feeling to the game.</div>

[Steelpul]

I've played UO, SWG, EQ1, WoW, Anarchy Online.Mind you all, I've played PvP on all of them ,so I can get the PvE as well as the PvP expiernce from my game.<div></div>