Solving the Voice Acting Problem for Indie Game making

[Slashe]

I want to do a mod for Skyrim that would be like a D&D module - different plot, different world, different races, different systems.
The problem now is I am only one man, and I don't know how make a substitute to having no voice acting.
This can also be a discussion on how indie games fix the voice acting problem, but try not to steer the discussion towards how voice acting is good/bad and how is affects the industry.


My first idea was to do something similar to Magicka's voice acting (muffled voices spewing rubbish)
Another plan was to rationalize it by making the main character someone with a hearing disability.
Yet another thought was to make put the protagonist in complete isolation so no voice acting is needed. However, I would prefer not to do this as it limits the story and character development greatly.

Any thoughts?

 

[Kahunaburger]

I'd say just do text, since it sounds like you're doing a total conversion. Voice acting is overrated, particularly for RPGs.

That said, this sounds like a pretty ambitious project, so if you end up building a team for it or joining a team working on a similar mod, voice acting may be something you could feasibly do.

 

[HarryScull]

you don't need professional voice actors just get people with acting experience or voice acting experience that either want to do it or are willing to do it for pay, school/collage/university would be a good place to start or maybe put a add up on kreggs list (or however you spell it)

 

[Clive Howlitzer]

There are a lot of good voice actors out there that need work, it is just a matter of doing a little searching. They don't cost nearly as much as hiring super celebrity VAs and many would work for free just to use it as something on their resume.

 

[Windcaler]

You could just voice it yourself with a few different voices. You could also recruit your friends for the voice acting if you want more variety. Seriously, some AAA games have horrible voice acting, if yours is at least passable it will be praised

 

[Bostur]

As a Skyrim mod it might be hard to pull off, because Skyrim is designed for voice acting and NPC faces are shown in detail.

I think the approach that Magicka use is pretty good. It allows the game to use short text dialogues and still make it feel like the characters are talking, avoiding the problem of characters feeling mute. But it probably doesn't work as well for serious settings.
Jade Empire actually did the same, not all of the game was voice acted so it used gibberish in some of the dialogue, try checking it out.

A more straightforward approach is the one used by games before voice acting was possible. Use text, and either not show the face of the characters or make them very simple. If text is presented in the right way, we will fill in the blanks and imagine that the characters are talking. Take a look at the original Monkey Island or some of the other early SCUMM games, it feels almost like they were voice acted.
In the TES games and FO3/FO:NV the main character isn't voice acted, but I don't notice because I don't see the character's face during dialogues. I imagine that the dialogue options are spoken.
To pull this off in Skyrim you might have to give everyone a cloak or mask that covers the face.

Another option could be to present the world through the thoughts of the main character. If text in the game is supposed to represent what the character is thinking, the player probably won't miss sound as much. In this case you could fade to black during dialogues or show it from a distant 3rd person perspective, then let your character think about what had been said.

If you are willing to redesign the setting to avoid voice acting, you could make the rule that characters interact through mind reading.

No matter the approach I think it's important to establish consistency during dialogues. The players will have to suspend their disbelief, which takes a certain amount of mental preparation. If dialogue happens in a consistent, expected way it's easier for players to use their imagination. One way could be to use a specific ambient sound or music during dialogues, another way could be to only use dialogue on the player's initiative. Avoiding surprises is probably important.

You could just voice it yourself with a few different voices. You could also recruit your friends for the voice acting if you want more variety. Seriously, some AAA games have horrible voice acting, if yours is at least passable it will be praised

Thats definately an option. There was a guy who made a series of fanfic movies in the EVE Online world, try checking out his work, it's pretty good even though the voice acting is made by friends and relatives. And it could be a lot of fun too.
http://www.clearskiesthemovie.com/downloads.htm

 

[Slashe]

I guess you guys are right, but I'm pretty sure most of you know lots of examples of bad voice acting as well (eg: resident evil, oblivion). I don't have a microphone or any form of facilities and would like the to change lines on the fly (which annoys actors). I'll still look into it, but I would prefer other options.

As for just using pure lines, it would have been fine if it was a top down rpg like baldur's gate, but with Skyrim's creation engine, using lines without freeze framing (ala old school rpgs) is gonna be a problem. Its a solution for sure, just not an elegant one.

 

[Bostur]

double post

 

[DoPo]

OK, here's what I have to say. Go with blank voices for now. An MP3 (or whatever sound files the voices use) with no sound but, say 3 minutes long (if it needs to). You can swap those later on for actual voice acting. Don't expect to turn in a 100% working mod the first time around - there would be bete versions, there would be updates, there would be fixes, there would be changes. It's impossible to go to final version without going through those. And even then, you might never get a final version because of popular demands and your own new ideas, but that's a different thing entirely.

So, blank voices for now. It sucks but people aren't as picky if they like it and especially if they see it's BETA v.0.2 or something. In the notes include "voices later on".

And an actual solutions for the voice problem - the Magicka thing works, especially if you decide to have it set in a land far way where they speak a foreign language. So it would seem as if the NPCs are speaking properly, just you can't understand them. KOTOR had the same thing going


Second option - recruit voice actors. People you know might work, but you'd be ignoring a huge resource you'll (probably) have. Your fans. Seriously, think about it - assuming the mod is good and interesting, you'll get some fan base. Just ask for people to contribute voice acting. That's how other mods I've seen worked and I've seen them work fine. Just ask for samples. On YouTube, I once stumbled upon samples of some random dudes who were auditioning for a role in some indie game/mod or something - each of them was just reading the same piece of text. And there you go - a very easy way to do it.

 

[Slashe]

Telepathy is brilliant, so.... a deaf telepath? That could make out a really interesting adventure game using creation kit.

Like using it to solve crimes and stuff.




but seriously, what is WITH the captcha? I don't understand anything. I'm refreshing like a madman to be able to get something partially readable.

 

[Aerosteam]

Maybe have the NPCs have masks of something to cover their mouths, then have the player be mute and deaf.

Then have all the dialogue in first person, with the player just thinking about what the person in front of him/her looks like, maybe something like this:

[The strange man appears to be wearing mostly leather, he travels light. He might be a theif.]

Or I could just do the voices myself...

 

[rattleshirt]

Advertise online with a few lines of script for people to record and apply with, pick from the best of them. If the game gets finished you could help out some aspiring voice actors this way too.

 

[Slashe]

That was what I was afraid of.... Voice acting that ruins experiences. I also thought of voice acting in like japanese, so that it wouldnt get that chalk on nails feeling of off-voicing but still sound convincing.

 

[Lilani]

I want to do a mod for Skyrim that would be like a D&D module - different plot, different world, different races, different systems.
The problem now is I am only one man, and I don't know how make a substitute to having no voice acting.
This can also be a discussion on how indie games fix the voice acting problem, but try not to steer the discussion towards how voice acting is good/bad and how is affects the industry.


My first idea was to do something similar to Magicka's voice acting (muffled voices spewing rubbish)
Another plan was to rationalize it by making the main character someone with a hearing disability.
Yet another thought was to make put the protagonist in complete isolation so no voice acting is needed. However, I would prefer not to do this as it limits the story and character development greatly.

Any thoughts?

There are lots of voice acting communities online for amateur/hobbiest voice actors who lend their voices for free. They do stuff for all sorts of projects--fandubs, original animations/games, mods, radio plays. Just look around someplace like VoiceActingAlliance [http://voiceactingalliance.com/board/forum.php] to see how people do it, it's pretty simple. Start a thread, list the kinds of voices you need, provide some test lines, give them someplace to send them to and have fun. You'll get a mixed bag of good and bad of course, but that's what auditions are for. The communities are large and varied enough that you shouldn't have too much trouble getting what you need.

However, if you're seeking to make money off this, then that is something else entirely. But I feel like you aren't so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Baldr]

Actors are the least concerning for independent dialogue audio. You can have horrible actors and a great studio setup and there be little issue.(Some of the worst written/acting dialogue I've seen came from AAA games) Have great actors, great dialogue and horrible studio setup and everybody can tell.

 

[aba1]

I am actually going to run into this issue I figure if I have to I will hire someone. I refuse to let my games quality take a hit cause I am cheap besides you get what you pay for when it comes to these things.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Do like the oldschool RPGs. Text for most dialogue, and voices for establishment and combat voices.