Voice acting has no place in Skyrim

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bluemantan

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#1 bluemantan
Member since 2011 • 320 Posts

Skyrim has a huge amount of NPCs in its game world, and the problem with them is that none of them are very memorable. None of them have very much voice acting at all to begin with, because it would cost Beth loads of money and resources to do more voice acting, and it would take up too much disk space.

Voice acting kind of locks down and in bethesdas plotline. If they decide to do a last minute change, they can't just fly in an actor to have him do ten lines on a few days notice.

If all dialouge was just written text, Bethesda would have the opportunity to create loads more dialouge for their characters, bringing the opportunity to flesh each and every one of them out in ways that they can't be with their limited amounts of lines in present skyrim.

Bethesda would also have a lot more time to work on the plot, and not worry about locking it down a year before release when voice actors get flown in to record, as they would be able to change it at any time.

I think that if the next elder scrolls game is not burdened with voice acting, It would have much more complex and interesting characters that all have different stories to tell, as well as a better plot that has more lore integrated into it.

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TrapJak

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#2 TrapJak
Member since 2011 • 2933 Posts

The purpose of the voice acting was to make the world feel alive. No matter how horrible it is, it's needed for Skyrim.

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Blueresident87

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#3 Blueresident87
Member since 2007 • 5903 Posts

The voice acting is funny and it provides comedic relief, although I don't know that it was intended to.

I can't see a big game like Skyrim existing without voice acting, whether it's necessary or not.

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PraetorianMan

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#4 PraetorianMan
Member since 2011 • 2073 Posts

Skyrim's voice acting is God-like compared to Oblivions. I see no problem here :)

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Brendissimo35

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#5 Brendissimo35
Member since 2005 • 1934 Posts

I'm in agreement that they never should have implemented full voice acting, and instead should have kept it like morrowind. I allows for such greater charcter depth, and they address you by name!

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foxhound_fox

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#6 foxhound_fox
Member since 2005 • 98532 Posts

The purpose of the voice acting was to make the world feel alive. No matter how horrible it is, it's needed for Skyrim.

TrapJak
Voice acting, terribly done, can only ruin the immersive quality of an environment. Oblivion proved this resoundingly. I personally prefer no voice-acting to bad voice-acting.
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rasengan2552

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#7 rasengan2552
Member since 2009 • 5071 Posts

lol ... If the game didn't have full voice acting then it would be the most boring open world game on the market. Bad VA or not, its it helps the cause of the game.

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bluemantan

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#8 bluemantan
Member since 2011 • 320 Posts

Skyrim's voice acting is God-like compared to Oblivions. I see no problem here :)

PraetorianMan
The voice acting meets my standards, as they aren't very high anyway - a non-cinematic game like skyrim doesn't need perfect voice acting. I feel that without it though, it would allow for deeper characters and more dialouge. You could be archmage and the whiterun guards will still go around saying "Oh, so you can do a little bit of magic. Am i supposed to be impressed?" If it was as easy as typing a new line instead of having voice actors record it, then it would be far easier to give the characters more diverse things to say.
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fueled-system

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#9 fueled-system
Member since 2008 • 6529 Posts
Heres an idea turn the volume for voices off and subtitles on
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rasengan2552

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#10 rasengan2552
Member since 2009 • 5071 Posts
[QUOTE="PraetorianMan"]

Skyrim's voice acting is God-like compared to Oblivions. I see no problem here :)

bluemantan
The voice acting meets my standards, as they aren't very high anyway - a non-cinematic game like skyrim doesn't need perfect voice acting. I feel that without it though, it would allow for deeper characters and more dialouge. You could be archmage and the whiterun guards will still go around saying "Oh, so you can do a little bit of magic. Am i supposed to be impressed?" If it was as easy as typing a new line instead of having voice actors record it, then it would be far easier to give the characters more diverse things to say.

that is a good point. "Bethesda games used to have good dialogue ... until they took an arrow to the knee".
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bluemantan

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#11 bluemantan
Member since 2011 • 320 Posts
Heres an idea turn the volume for voices off and subtitles onfueled-system
Wouldn't do anything to add depth to the way the characters speak.
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rasengan2552

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#12 rasengan2552
Member since 2009 • 5071 Posts
Heres an idea turn the volume for voices off and subtitles onfueled-system
that doesn't solve anything ... it would actually make the repetitiveness in dialogue stand out more with the words being displayed on the screen time and time again.
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fueled-system

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#13 fueled-system
Member since 2008 • 6529 Posts
[QUOTE="fueled-system"]Heres an idea turn the volume for voices off and subtitles onbluemantan
Wouldn't do anything to add depth to the way the characters speak.

then go back to playing morrowind not all of us want a huge open world game with reading required in 2014-16(assuming date next comes)
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bluemantan

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#14 bluemantan
Member since 2011 • 320 Posts

Nobody seems to notice that your character doesn't speak.

It would also allow Beth to easily add much more race-specific lines, making it a much more different experience to play as different races.

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Peredith

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#15 Peredith
Member since 2011 • 2289 Posts

What do you mean? The NPCs in Skyrim are full of charisma:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8QF2Ce24uM#t=1m25s

:lol:

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DraugenCP

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#16 DraugenCP
Member since 2006 • 8486 Posts

Can you imagine Sheogorath without voice acting?

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eboyishere

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#17 eboyishere
Member since 2011 • 12681 Posts
True none of them are memorable but it wouldnt really feel like a "living" world if voice actors werent in it.
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drinkerofjuice

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#18 drinkerofjuice
Member since 2007 • 4567 Posts
The voice acting is hilariously bad. But hey, at least it's hilarious.
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PraetorianMan

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#19 PraetorianMan
Member since 2011 • 2073 Posts

Can you imagine Sheogorath without voice acting?

DraugenCP
The character voice acting in Skyrim actually seems very good to me, Its just the generic NPC's that... sometimes get a bit annoying.
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mems_1224

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#20 mems_1224
Member since 2004 • 56919 Posts
its fine. if you come to skyrim expecting deep and engaging character you're doing it wrong
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DraugenCP

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#21 DraugenCP
Member since 2006 • 8486 Posts

[QUOTE="DraugenCP"]

Can you imagine Sheogorath without voice acting?

PraetorianMan

The character voice acting in Skyrim actually seems very good to me, Its just the generic NPC's that... sometimes get a bit annoying.

Actually I agree. Then again, I'm not a native speaker of English, so that instantly makes voice acting in that language a lot more bearable.

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DragonfireXZ95

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#22 DragonfireXZ95
Member since 2005 • 26645 Posts

Skyrim's voice acting is God-like compared to Oblivions. I see no problem here :)

PraetorianMan
Godlike? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv_eZgPo7Dw
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GunSmith1_basic

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#23 GunSmith1_basic
Member since 2002 • 10548 Posts
the voice acting in Skyrim is pretty bad. I particularly don't like the throw in dialogue particularly the stuff coming from your followers, which was bad in Fallout NV but is much worse in this one. Then there's the guards with that one line that I refuse to repeat on this forum. It's not funny and it breaks immersion to see everyone acting so strangely and devoid of context. Having simple text would have been better
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Shielder7

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#24 Shielder7
Member since 2006 • 5191 Posts
I'm sorry this isn't the 90s, Bethesda isn't Nintendo and Skyrim isn't Skyward Sword ( Thank God) The voice acting in Skyrim, Witcher 2 SWTOR, and Mass Effect 2 is fine in fact I wish your character had a voice.
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Goyoshi12

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#25 Goyoshi12
Member since 2009 • 9687 Posts

It's either voice acting or a wall of text like in Morrowind.

Personally, I prefer bad voice acting.

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PraetorianMan

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#26 PraetorianMan
Member since 2011 • 2073 Posts
[QUOTE="PraetorianMan"]

Skyrim's voice acting is God-like compared to Oblivions. I see no problem here :)

DragonfireXZ95
Godlike? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv_eZgPo7Dw

OH yeah. Have you played Oblivion? That clip right there sounds like music in comparison.
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bluemantan

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#27 bluemantan
Member since 2011 • 320 Posts
[QUOTE="Shielder7"]I'm sorry this isn't the 90s, Bethesda isn't Nintendo and Skyrim isn't Skyward Sword ( Thank God) The voice acting in Skyrim, Witcher 2 SWTOR, and Mass Effect 2 is fine in fact I wish your character had a voice.

It's either voice acting or a wall of text like in Morrowind.

Personally, I prefer bad voice acting.

Goyoshi12
Read the thread guys, I never said the voice acting was bad. I said without it, there could be more dialouge, and complex, fleshed out characters. I Would be very happy with more dialouge and complex, fleshed out characters that are voice acted, but unfortunately that is not possible to to space, time, and budget constraints.
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musicalmac

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#28 musicalmac
Member since 2006 • 25098 Posts
More problematic are the stiff character animations. Dragons and bad guys aren't too terrible, but humanoid characters in towns and cities seem a little like they've been lobotomized.
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Kandlegoat

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#29 Kandlegoat
Member since 2009 • 3147 Posts

It's bad...but ironically enjoyable.

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gago-gago

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#30 gago-gago
Member since 2009 • 12138 Posts

I use to have a problem with this in Oblivion but then I got shot with Skyrim in the knee.

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deactivated-5c79c3cfce222

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#31 deactivated-5c79c3cfce222
Member since 2009 • 4715 Posts

I appreciate the degree of personality and emotion it brings. Would've been horrendously dry otherwise.

On the other hand Bethesda would've had a lot more freedom with the dialog if it was all text. Because you know, as is there basically is no dialog system. But I suppose Morrowind didn't have that either, being more of an encyclopedia. So who knows if that really would've made the dialog more interesting. And I don't know if more dialog would necessarily be a good thing... Anyway, would've been nice if it was more like New Vegas in this regard.

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Riverwolf007

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#32 Riverwolf007
Member since 2005 • 26023 Posts

bad argument, i run into dozens of people everyday and none of them are memorable either.

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ShadowMoses900

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#33 ShadowMoses900
Member since 2010 • 17081 Posts

I don't have any complaintsabout the voice acting in Skyrim, there is enough variety and talent to keep it interesting. If you want bad voice acting go play Oblivion, seriously I swear that game had like 5 voice actors throughout the WHOLE game! It got monotonus and annoying, and they weren't even that talented. Also the dialog in Oblivion made no sense, "Hear any word from other provinces", "No", 5 seconds later...."Hear any word of the other Provicnes", "I saw some mudcrabs by the water"

It was so terrible and sometimes laughable, but Skyrim isn't anything like that.

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Riverwolf007

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#34 Riverwolf007
Member since 2005 • 26023 Posts

oh wait, i rem the thing that bugs me about skyrim and voice acting.

you can tell that sometimes that when they did retakes they used different people.

sometimes in the middle of a qst turn in or whatever the person starts using a different voice.

alik mohammad nasir ali baba (or whatever his name is) from the dark brotherhood qsts does it all the time.

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AmnesiaHaze

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#35 AmnesiaHaze
Member since 2008 • 5685 Posts

you mean they should just replace voice acting with noises like zelda and banjo kazooie?

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cyborg100000

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#36 cyborg100000
Member since 2005 • 2905 Posts

I don't recall Morrowind being much more sophisticated, everyone was just a walking Wikipedia regarding whatever faction they were in. Didn't hold a candle to Planescape anyway.

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keybladegamer

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#37 keybladegamer
Member since 2011 • 516 Posts

But...but..but..no voice acting in Skyrim :evil: ? The voice acting is so two-dimensional and stiff it's funny :lol:.

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HoolaHoopMan

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#38 HoolaHoopMan
Member since 2009 • 14724 Posts
[QUOTE="DraugenCP"]

Can you imagine Sheogorath without voice acting?

PraetorianMan
The character voice acting in Skyrim actually seems very good to me, Its just the generic NPC's that... sometimes get a bit annoying.

Pretty much this. There's some decent voice acting for some of the major characters and unique individuals, however its the reused and recycled NPCs and minor characters that seem pretty bad. Wouldn't hurt to hire at least another dozen voice actors to get rid of the duplicate voices. Its kind of stupid to watch two different characters talk to each other using the same voice actor.
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mitu123

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#39 mitu123
Member since 2006 • 155290 Posts

Yes, it does. Because it works for this type of game.

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svenus97

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#40 svenus97
Member since 2009 • 2318 Posts

I think some are memorable. Cicero, Molag Bal, Esbern, Arngier, Paarthurnax, I could go on.

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abd_alazeez2002

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#41 abd_alazeez2002
Member since 2005 • 328 Posts
if compared with dragon age 2 then yes but who cares if the game rocks
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abd_alazeez2002

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#42 abd_alazeez2002
Member since 2005 • 328 Posts
if compared with dragon age 2 then yes but who cares if the game rocks
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lamprey263

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#43 lamprey263
Member since 2006 • 44568 Posts
Not everyone can be Sheogorath from Oblivion... Skyrim does have Cicero though, probably my favorite.
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AdobeArtist

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#44 AdobeArtist  Moderator
Member since 2006 • 25184 Posts

Please tell me this isn't yet another backlash to "arrow to the knee". The "filler" vo from background NPCs aside, the dialog from main quest interactions progressing through the primary story line seems fine so far. Though I've only recently met with the monks of High Hrothgar, after 20 side quests and countless miscelaneous ones.

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ceelogic

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#45 ceelogic
Member since 2006 • 270 Posts

Esbern anyone

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SaltyMeatballs

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#46 SaltyMeatballs
Member since 2009 • 25165 Posts
It has a place, but it could be better.
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SaltyMeatballs

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#47 SaltyMeatballs
Member since 2009 • 25165 Posts

I'm in agreement that they never should have implemented full voice acting, and instead should have kept it like morrowind. I allows for such greater charcter depth, and they address you by name!

Brendissimo35

Games next gen should have voice acting which spell out what you write as your name, if it's reasonable, no "XXIFUSDJDXX1"

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Shielder7

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#48 Shielder7
Member since 2006 • 5191 Posts
you want proof Skyrim wouldn't be more enjoyable without Voice Acting? Put on subtitles and put the Voice volume to 0. Oh my god so much better and everyone's doing it. Oh wait no they're not and no it isn't.
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princeofshapeir

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#49 princeofshapeir
Member since 2006 • 16652 Posts
[QUOTE="TrapJak"]

The purpose of the voice acting was to make the world feel alive. No matter how horrible it is, it's needed for Skyrim.

foxhound_fox
Voice acting, terribly done, can only ruin the immersive quality of an environment. Oblivion proved this resoundingly. I personally prefer no voice-acting to bad voice-acting.

i find the voice acting to be okay. there are some bad apples here and there but it's far from awful. people REALLY want to find a reason to hate this game. i understand when games are popular the hivemind of system wars latches on and starts sucking (case in point: GTA IV, RDR).
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princeofshapeir

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#50 princeofshapeir
Member since 2006 • 16652 Posts

Esbern anyone

ceelogic
esbern, arngeir, paarthurnax and pretty much all of the dragons... heck, there's more decent/excellent voice acting than bad. the really terrible ones i can think of are the kids and the baalgruuf's mage.