Owlcat's next game is an AAA title that will need full voice acting to compete with BG3

[agris]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

 

[Mortmal]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

So, it's getting closer than ever to a true tabletop RPG session.

 

[luj1]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

Yup exactly

 

[ArchAngel]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

So, it's getting closer than ever to a true tabletop RPG session.

Not even close. True tabletop sessions are not PC or woke friendly. Also games are missing all the snacks and drinks.

 

[Dishonoredbr]

People talk shit but he's right. More and more people are demading Voice acting. I hate it but CRPGs might start losing sales and players that refuse games without full voice over.

But i hope they go back in this decision tho.

 

[ArchAngel]

People talk shit but he's right. More and more people are demading Voice acting. I hate it but CRPGs might start losing sales and players that refuse games without full voice over.

But i hope they go back in this decision tho.

He is right for AAA games. Current Owlcat games are not AAA.

Also AI will be able to do good enough VA in very near future so all games will be VA. Devs will just need to tweak conversations to tell AI what kind of emotion certain conversations need to have.
Or maybe we should call it VS (voice simulated).

 

[gurugeorge]

People talk shit but he's right. More and more people are demading Voice acting. I hate it but CRPGs might start losing sales and players that refuse games without full voice over.

But i hope they go back in this decision tho.

He is right for AAA games. Current Owlcat games are not AAA.

Also AI will be able to do good enough AI in very near future so all games will be VA. Devs will just need to tweak conversations to tell AI what kind of emotion certain conversations need to have.

Maybe Owlcat could cut corners by heavily utilizing AI in their coming voice-overs.

 

[Infinitron]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

There's a myopic denial of Larian's focus on core gameplay, honed through three successive titles, in comments like these.

I believe that BioWare failed as a game company because they never cultivated an "identity" in terms of gameplay. Their signature narrative style was all they had and it wasn't enough.

In BG3, the cinematics are still just the cherry on top, even if it's an increasingly large cherry.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Maybe Owlcat could cut corners by heavily utilizing AI in their coming voice-overs.

Is there a legality discussion around the use of AI VA these days?

From my understanding, ElevenAI and such have pre-packed voice type but using them is equivalent of using Unity Asset store for your game. If you mean recording some stuff and doing rest from AI, I guess this will depend on whether the VA is OK with contracting that or not?

 

[ArchAngel]

Maybe Owlcat could cut corners by heavily utilizing AI in their coming voice-overs.

Is there a legality discussion around the use of AI VA these days?

From my understanding, ElevenAI and such have pre-packed voice type but using them is equivalent of using Unity Asset store for your game. If you mean recording some stuff and doing rest from AI, I guess this will depend on whether the VA is OK with contracting that or not?

It does not matter what exists right now, AI tech is now progressing in leaps and bounds as everyone now wants to work on that.

 

[Alienman]

If they are competing with BG3 they already lost, tbh.

Find it amusing how BG3 collectively crushed the confidence of so many other developers. Can't say I have seen that happen before - the resentment for their success.

I was thinking about this as well. It's like nobody has any confidence in their vision for anything they are making. They all think "Oh shit, now we have to compete with Baldur's Gate 3?!?!".

No, you don't. You can't. Nobody can, that's the point. BG3 was lightning in a bottle, like Helldivers 2, or World of Warcraft. Just keep making the game you were going to make, grind it out, and believe in it. Jesus Christ. Find your testicles.

Yeah, but you would think this would be a good thing regardless, even if they can't reach BG3s "standards", since it shows that RPG making can and is profitable. I'm sure there are a lot of spillovers too, for gamers that want more. I know I work in that way. However, Owlcat is only whining... It's weird.

 

[Shadenuat]

It may be good experience for them. Owlcats are sick with graphomania and working under limit and planning all dialogue and making it more laconic and to the point is what they need. Might also cut on amount of shit romances.

Honestly the power of word is given and taken by vidya game writers too lightly. They just write lots of boring textwalls and need to be kept in check.
More power to editors.

 

[JarlFrank]

Full voice acting makes isometric RPGs worse, not better.
It's hilarious how much money companies invest to make their products literally shit.

 

[Gargaune]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

So, it's getting closer than ever to a true tabletop RPG session.

I dunno what tables you've played at, but mine involved four blokes, two packs of cigarettes, ten litres of beer and a bottle of whiskey. There may have been the odd "I love you, man" but it wasn't exactly what I'd call romances.

Is there a legality discussion around the use of AI VA these days?

From my understanding, ElevenAI and such have pre-packed voice type but using them is equivalent of using Unity Asset store for your game. If you mean recording some stuff and doing rest from AI, I guess this will depend on whether the VA is OK with contracting that or not?

I'm not sure whether there's any regulation or court precedent on whether a mere speech pattern constitutes protected likeness, but it's going to be a moot point anyway. The way the tech's developing, they'll be able to generate fully synthetic "original" voices soon enough and you've already got outfits like Replica Studios who have commercial agreements with performers to provide generative AI VOs.

With how it's looking, specialist "voice actor" isn't going to be a standalone occupation in a few years, you're going to have main roles with complex performances supplied by "full" actors (who'll alternate between stage, film, and videogames), whereas bit parts will be filled by commercial generative AI solutions or amateurs doing gigs.

 

[S.H.O.D.A.N.]

The way the tech's developing, they'll be able to generate fully synthetic "original" voices soon enough

With the current solutions, you only ever get what you put in, which makes the question of who owns the rights to the input very relevant.

 

[gurugeorge]

Maybe Owlcat could cut corners by heavily utilizing AI in their coming voice-overs.

Is there a legality discussion around the use of AI VA these days?

From my understanding, ElevenAI and such have pre-packed voice type but using them is equivalent of using Unity Asset store for your game. If you mean recording some stuff and doing rest from AI, I guess this will depend on whether the VA is OK with contracting that or not?

I should imagine figuring out where the rights fall on this kind of technology is going to be a big thing. Eventually the dust will settle (I'm thinking of how sampling was handled in the music industry - basically it ended up being fair enough, you're free to use samples creatively, but you have to apportion a reasonable percentage of any money you make out of your sampling to the original creators).

With voice actors, I should think they'll be okay with it if they're able to do a goodly amount of proper acting (for key moments) and then an AI is properly trained on their voice to do all the less crucial VO, and they get some kind of financial sweetener too (either upfront or a small percentage - obvs more important actors will be able to command the latter, or even both). Or perhaps they could make an arrangement whereby the actor gets a cut-down fee for the artificial uses of their voice (i.e. get paid a cut-down version of what they would have been paid if they'd spent time recording the lines).

It'll be infinitely easier to make games with the use of AI voice - I mean judging from what Sawyer and Swen have said about the chore, it's incredibly time-consuming and annoying, mainly because you can't shuffle lines around so easily, so if there are major story revisions a whole bunch of stuff has to be re-recorded, etc.

Basically having to do all proper VO makes both level design and storytelling less agile, so AI voice would go a long way to easing that.

 

[deama]

Guys, AI voice overs are in a good spot right now, why not just use that for normal text and use the expensive voice actors for the important stuff?
I don't understand this aversion to using new tech toys.

 

[Mortmal]

I dunno what tables you've played at, but mine involved four blokes, two packs of cigarettes, ten litres of beer and a bottle of whiskey. There may have been the odd "I love you, man" but it wasn't exactly what I'd call romances.

I can foresee your tables, codexers often have trouble with modernity.

 

[Gargaune]

I dunno what tables you've played at, but mine involved four blokes, two packs of cigarettes, ten litres of beer and a bottle of whiskey. There may have been the odd "I love you, man" but it wasn't exactly what I'd call romances.

I can foresee your tables, codexers often have trouble with modernity.

Who are you and how did you sneak into my house?!

 

[ferratilis]

Is it strange that I've never played a tabletop RPG in my life, but I fucking adore computer RPGs?

 

[Swen]

AAA cRPG is an oxymoron, what we have now has more in common with daytime soap operas than cRPGs.

Emphasis on relationships, vocal delivery, realistic cutscenes involving actor movement and camera work…

There's a myopic denial of Larian's focus on core gameplay, honed through three successive titles, in comments like these.

I believe that BioWare failed as a game company because they never cultivated an "identity" in terms of gameplay. Their signature narrative style was all they had and it wasn't enough.

In BG3, the cinematics are still just the cherry on top, even if it's an increasingly large cherry.

Seriously codexers are so blinded by the culture wars and their hatred for "woke" that they completely deny all the amazing things BG3 does.

Luckily nobody takes most of the idiots serious here. Think about it, Larian would probably be bankrupt if they followed the advice of most smooth brains itt.

 

[luj1]

Seriously codexers are so blinded by the culture wars they completely deny all the amazing things BG3 does.

What amazing things brother? It's literally Dragon Age. You like Dragon Age?

 

[Tyranicon]

Guys, AI voice overs are in a good spot right now, why not just use that for normal text and use the expensive voice actors for the important stuff?
I don't understand this aversion to using new tech toys.

It's a legal issue and bigger devs are still waiting for their lawyers to catch up.

Also ai voice isnt quite there yet. Give it a few more months.

 

[Gargaune]

You like Dragon Age?

 

[Swen]

Seriously codexers are so blinded by the culture wars they completely deny all the amazing things BG3 does.

What amazing things brother? It's literally Dragon Age. You like Dragon Age?

Dragon Age Origins was okay imo.

The most amazing thing about BG3 is how you can approach a situation in so many different ways. Video explains it well:



And then we have the great turn based combat, for most gamers it's also a "deep" system too, something they're not used too unlike grognards here.

Characters are also more impactful and feel "real" thanks to the mocap stuff. Compared to the big boy of RPG's; Bethesda, that's already a revolution.

The game doesn't do anything really bad too, yes the story could be better and the evil route should've been more fleshed out but even then it's still a solid game. Even the worst elements of the game are still good or atleast average imo. Especially compared to the competition, no wonder it got showered with awards.