The Ultimate No/No: Close up conversations with no voice acting

I fail to see how this is a good thing? Do you really want those type of npc interactions again?

I made a thread where I think the chat box should be cenetered and made bigger when you chat with an NPC, it would focus you more on the conversation.

 

My view is that if you are talking to an NPC, you should be focused on an NPC. If you are just randomly interacting with an NPC (selling off your inventory, training skills) you may not care.

We try to mirror that. If you double click on a merchant or trainer NPC, you do not enter conversation mode (camera focus, etc) unless you continue to talk to them.

 

I'd love the option to enter cinematic mode with a player, it could allow everyone attending special events to always have the 'best seat in the house', or just let you get a feel for who someone is. For players, I feel this would have to be a controllable toggle, and not something that is initiated automatically by the game. I think it is quite sensible for the game to automatically initiate cinematic mode for story-relevant NPCs, in fact, that could be a good way to distinguish these characters from all the other non-story NPCs out there. Allow us to toggle cinematic mode on anything/everyone, but have the game only default cinematic mode when talking with story-quest related NPCs. (ooh! i'm in cinematic mode! this NPC must be important!)

 

I understand this, but why not give the players an OPTION to disable the zoom in on NPC feature? Zooming on on a character with no voice acting looks awkward, like they are "pantomiming" everything.
I, and may other just want the option put in to how it was before. I think Update 12 changed this in late 2014.

 

I disagree, I enjoy the zoom in mode - I think it will become more interesting when they start putting in the real 3D models of the NPCs.

 

I get you're philosophy (and agree with it) but you are failing to see the problem in implementation, particularly with this style of game (an MMO and a game with no voice acting among other things). The way it is now is VERY jarring to the senses. It feels forced and unnatural. I believe it is a mistaken decision to force this current (or similar) iteration on release. At the very least provide players with an option.

My suggestion to this problem would be to go old school RP-style. Rather than freeze a player in-place and force a zoom up (to appease your interaction philsophy) why not do an old school RP portrait-type interaction? This means you can see a close up of the face of the person you are talking to but you are not "stuck" in place.. The portrait window could be moved to wherever a player likes it.

The Zoom and stuck in place set-up at the moment is particularly terrible when you have a mob come up and start attacking you.

 

I think this is a matter of aesthetics and in such cases you will always get people on both sides of the fence. For my part I like the interactive mode that the conversation brings you into, I prefer this to the old school pop up window of players faces and to nothing at all happening. It would be great to have voices for each NPC but that would require a larger team to complete and I think there are many other things that need to take priority. Who knows what may happen down the road, depending on the success of the game, voices may even be added in one day.

 

You disagree with allowing people who dont want the zoom the OPTION to not have it. Kind of selfish if you ask me. With my request you can keep the zoon, I Just want an OPTION to not have it.

 

We asked for portraits, but they are pretty much off the table.

 

Cost to much I would assume, other things take priority for good or bad...

 

That was one reason. But they are also pretty dead set on using the 3D models as defining features. The close-up was the compromise we fought for to get at least some sense of connection with the NPC.

 

Oh, okay, sure that sounds fair.

 

This is seriously a make or break feature for me. Call me nuts, I have played every Ultima my whole life.
But this needs to be optional.

I just cant get past cinematic close ups of NPCs with no voice acting:

1. It look creepy and weird. See several Final Fantasy XIV Youtube videos making fun of it.
   
2. Some people will think something is wrong with the audio, because when you show the camera that close, and an NPC lips moving, you expect voice audio.
3. Hand gestures make it look even worse, and like they are pantomiming.
4. A simple check box in the options menu "enable close up NPC conversation" would suffice.

 

OK, we'll get an option for this in for R22.

 

Holy cow are you kidding? That's amazing!!!

 

Awesome! I would probably use this frequently. Toggles for all the things!

 

I volunteer to record lines in various caricature voices, which can then be used with great inappropriate and comedic effect.

 

Haha.. the optional 'Fan-based voices toggle' -default is off, but can be toggled on (requiring game restart because voice data would need to be downloaded)

I'm of the opinion that voices are not necessary for the game. people will get used to the game however it is presented within a couple sessions. I've never complained that a game didn't have voice, but I've definitely stopped playing (or muted and put on subtitles) for many many many games.

 

We do have some very wonderful community voices out there though. If any of you have listened to the plays on Caverns and Beyond website. I love it. Dr Shroud is one one of my favorite. I love his voice.

 

There are some sexy Brit and Aussie voices in the community I know for sure. I may have a little thing for that. Just a little.