Do you prefer Text or Audio in your RPGs?

[Frission]

I prefer text. This gives the character far more nuances and I always feel like I have slightly more control this way.

Besides, when you don't have to voice something, the writers can write waaaaay more dialogue.

 

[MysticSlayer]

I really don't care, so long as they understand their budget enough to not completely break a potentially engaging experience because they spent too much time and money on professional voice actors, or because they hired horrible voice actors. Text is really all you need, but if someone can handle adding voice overs, I won't complain.

 

[The Wykydtron]

Text unless the voices are super good. Like you got JYB in to voice the anti-hero or something equally amazing. (Srsly tho, I love that man) I'm pretty sure most RPGs have both text and voice anyway. Well, Persona 4 did and that's all that matters.

Though I am a bit bemused how they did the earlier Bioware games like KOTOR or Dragonage. Your character did have some really cool lines and it would have been nice to have a voice for them considering every single other character had a voice. What?

Audio, by a huge margin.

Verbal delivery adds a layer of expression onto the dialogue. A well delivered line can be awesome or moving even if the line itself isn't anything special. Not so with text.

Besides, I don't think I've ever seen a game with writing that could stand up on its own merits as prose. And yes, I've played that game you're about to tell me about.

Ah you must have no-aww... Shot down already? T_T

[sub][sub]Noooooo Persona 4! Come baaaaaaaack![/sub][/sub]

I disagree about text not being able to be "well delivered" yeah it's different and harder to do but clever use of text boxes, paragraph spacing, font size and so on can make that kind of thing happen without audio. In fact it's more impressive when they do pull it off considering the restraint placed on the devs through not having audio, art through adversity and that stuff.

 

[Raikas]

I generally like hearing voiced characters when the NPCs are voiced - I find it a little jarring when the others talk while your character stands by mutely. I don't buy into the idea that the text options allow for more nuance - there were lines in DAO where I took a line of text to be meant one way, but the other characters were clearly reacting to a specific reading, so I liked that the voice acting in DA2 eliminated that ambiguity.

That said, it's not a huge issue for me (some of my favourite games have silent protagonists), and in 1st person games I don't find it nearly so distracting since you don't have to see your character standing there silently.

 

[Islandbuffilo]

If its for a console I prefer audio, bur for a handheld I'd prefer text.

 

[Hagi]

Audio.

It doesn't even have to be actual voice-overs. It can just be some random incomprehensible alien language, that's cool too. In fact if you can't hire competent voice-actors then I prefer it.


Wish more games would do that. Just set your game in some far-off alien civilization or a fantasy world that's got nothing to do with ours. Record random jibber that sounds like it means something and has some feeling behind it and make that the official language. My mind will fill in the blanks if I've got something to work with.

 

[Angelous Wang]

I do prefer audio.

But if we are playing a game like Dragon Age where we are completely deigning the character sex/race/size/ethn/age then text is better because I would hate to hear my 50 year war vet dwarf talk like a young human.

But if they do provide appropriate voices then I am all for it.

 

[Eve Charm]

eh Audio is a luxury, It's nice to have but if Text or sub titles with another languages if it's a JRPG or something means the difference of it getting localized or not, I can do with audio.

 

[scorptatious]

Either is fine for me.

So long as the voices aren't annoying, I'm fine with audio. Although with text, I can at least imagine the voices of the characters.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

Text allows for more choices, so I usually prefer that. Not that many devs use the opportunity nowadays.

 

[Weaver]

I generally prefer text, but I do dislike when a game will prattle on with pages of text that just aren't that interesting. Kings Bounty was guilty of this, though I still love that game.

I did like DA1's mix of the PC being text and the NPCs being voiced.

 

[DanielBrown]

I prefer audio. Text doesn't have any advantages to me, however it does give a nostalgic feeling. The worst thing is that it never gives me any breaks. I need those breaks to drink or change my snuff!

 

[Fearzone]

This would be a good poll.

Text because it allows more flexibility in the story, and allows more content to be produced. Deeper richer world overall, rather than ridding on the train tracks that voice acting forces you to do.

Skyrim did a great job though. Wouldn't want to change anything there. But if your budget isn't as big as Skyrim, then text.

 

[cerebus23]

Text for the fact that games had for more branching ability and more deeper dialogue in many cases vs paying a bunch of stars to voice a limited amount of stuff.

That and tend to read fast.

On top of those i can imprint w/e voice i have in my head for a character, attach emotion, and so on.

 

[DementedSheep]

Voice but I don't mind text and would rather have that than very limited options. Tone makes a huge difference and voice acting goes a long way to bring a character to life. The reason to use text over voice with NPC's to me is to reduce costs and to more easily have more dialogue. I think important characters and cut scenes having voice with additional explanation, minor characters and fluff quests having text is a decent compromise.

With the protagonists in RPGs where you make your own character it's a bit different. Voice acting tends to make the character feel less 'mine", creates differences between the tone I want them to have and how they actually say it and sometimes the voice they have really doesn't fit what I was going for at all. It doesn't help that a lot of the time your dialogue options are not what is actually said. It has some advantages like your character not being a mute during cut-scenes but I think I prefer text. Pre determined characters I prefer to be voiced though.

 

[TheDrunkNinja]

Hmmmmm... Depends. There are sooo many RPGs with terrible voice acting, Western and Japanese alike. For the WRPG, I must go with audio. It just enhances the game so much for me to hear the voices of the characters I interact with. Text does have its place since it provides the opportunity to add far more dialogue without the concern for recording. Morrowind is an example of this where does add a little more flavor to the dialogue, but ultimately 90% of Morrowind's NPCs say the same useless copy/paste bullshit that everyone spouts.

For the standard JRPG, I must admit I prefer the text.....
..... For reasons I hope are obvious.

 

[Alcamonic]

Text based. It is vastly cheaper, more flexible and much more info aside of "We need this thing, it is here on your map, now go off!". Text simply allows for a much deeper source of information about the world.

 

[James Joseph Emerald]

The idea of text allowing for better dialogue options and a deeper narrative appeals to me, though in practice RPGs invariably seem to use conversations as an excuse to bury you in exposition. At least the cost of paying voice-actors curtails this habit to a certain extent.

For me, it's far more important that what is being said is actually interesting.