Larian Studios Forums Beyond Divinity (English) General Has Larian commented at all on the death knight?

You know I have to strongly disagree. I found these forums again and tried to make sure I let the developers know that the voice acting is really terrible.

I dont think you can put your head in the sand about it either. I dont even think you can disagree with this opinion personally.

Perhaps you are not a native english speaker and it dont have an ear for emotional inlfuence? Im not sure. Im not sure who has the problem here or why lol I can only relate that theres a problem.

Anyhow, the larian people have to know that that actor is bad. All the reviews of the final game will start with "despite some terrible voice acting" or I couldnt get over the voice acting.
I know plenty of people didnt even finish the demo because of it, it shouts out I was made in a garage with a speak and spell.

Honestly, removing all voices would be huge sales builder.

After the game comes out, it would only be complaining. Then what can be done? MAybe theyrell be a fan made patch, Ill play the game with no voices or whatever life goes on. But for now get real, its terrible. Dont even try to pretend otherwise, its bad with a capitol B, and it might not be that hard to change in time....

Now who is here so negative?
I'm not here to discuss what people like or dilsike, that's there own oppinions.
But don't be so sure of yourself to say
"this sucks so hard everybody knows that."

I see it a lot, that people follow like "sheeps" if it comes to opinions.
if you have a situation where some people think :
"mmm, it's ok", "not wow", "but ok".
And some one says (mostely with a louder voice) Have you heard this? now this is crap, terrible , garbish..blabla.
then i see that alot of people "change" there minds, by
A) follow strongly that persons opinion
B) just say the (strong) opposite of it

i see this even on my work and in the sosial life( cafe's etc..)

not always of cours thank god <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
but if you just let all the other oppinions cool down and analyse it , then you (maybe, or maybe not)will say.
"MMm", "Okay, this is not winning any contests, but it will do"

atleast , i did that.

ps, before i get some flaming over my head,
@stamar, i didn't ment that you where a scheep <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
it's a general discription of a situation.

way to psychological bean <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

but kinda true indeed. I usually just tend to say my OWN opinion... I hate sheep-people

1 question to the larians <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
Do we get to see a demo with the changes you are working on?
I think this would be the best thing to do, especially if you want to shut the complaining people up <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

I got used to the DK voice btw.
And I have voted potatoe <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

No new demo. We try to fix things in the game itself. Is that okay too? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Do we have a choice? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

poifect for me Marian <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Hi Larian!

I would say, do your best, don't worry with the demo.

I think that the DK's voice is bad only in a few spots in the demo, especially in the first encounter with the DK where he explains the bounding.

Otherwise, I would say that short sentences he says in the demo are quite fine.

Example: "Not bad, human" (when you tie the rope in the cave): perfect tone of voice: it shows the attitude of the DK: he is my spiritual team mate, we both know it, so let's get together the best as we can. He's sarcastic and "friendly" in his manner. I liked it.

Another example: "I hate rats!" (the bone quest in the right middle cell): seems very expressive to me, while remaining calm in the same time.

Maybe a couple of hours recording new acting for those long narratives only would be enough, and fit in the time schedule without any need to touch the rest of the source code. The problem is not *that* bad, I think only some lines need re-recording. Not very expensive IMO (couple of days for 1 or 2 people), but could make anyway a difference in the first impression of games magazine testers.

Something I want to point to others: we did not test the full version, only the demo, where there is both good and bad in the voice, as explained above. But beta testers would have had plenty of opportunity to complain if it was staying that bad along the game, no? Larian programmers said in the forum that they were very surprized by the bad reactions on the voice in the demo. So they apparently did not have so many remarks from beta testers. Which is a good sign.

Good luck,
Philippe

Thats a good point you got theire. I liked the little things he said too. The intonation and emotion in those senteces were perfect.

i thought so 2 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

@ marian, you don't have to make a new demo for me, but i thought it would be good for those few people who don't like the demo..
Cause maybe they won't buy the game because of it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> (I doubt that will happen though <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Are you gonna change the voice too?
Cause if you do that, you could post up a sample of its new voice, so that people know what's waiting for them in the full game <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Keep up the good work <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" />

The people who don't like the demo WILL NOT buy the game.
No need to make a special demo for these people, even with all the changes about what they are complaining, they would not buy the game.

No need to make a new demo for the insane fans because, even without the first demo, they will buy the game.

BUT what is important is to make a cool personal special demo for jvb, he really needs it.

Barta

People the imps at Larian haven't got a alot of sleep the last 5 days. The master disk has to be ready next week. My guess is that theire running on red bull ans coffee. Marian has a hard time drawing since his hands won't stop shaking from the cafiene. So NO NEW DEMO they need sleep.

I just hope that when new phrases need to be recorded for the voice acting it doesn't sound all sleepy now or talking realy fast from the cafiene.

that's not true. I did not like the demo, but i will still buy the game. i've usually have bad exeperiences with demos and very few of them make me rush out to buy the actual game. i think after the game goes gold they should make a demo that will impress upon people that are still undecided and show off the new improved UI (and hopefully voices?)

they should hire the guy that played canderous from kotor to play the dk. he is so devilishly evil and funny at the same time.

how can anyone asume a demo is going to be what the game is going to be, the demo is just that a demo. If DK's voice is bad in the demo for what, an hour of play? That won't mean that 60 hours of play his voice is going to be bad. perhaps as the game grows the character grows as well? That game will be fantastic because the developer is putting there heart and soul into it for fans as well as new comers to genera, and that will show in the polished work.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

It's certainly true we can only judge from the demo and the full demo may have better voice acting on the whole.

On the other hand, it may be that native english speakers hear this differently and (to my knowledge) Larian beta tested in their offices, so the testers were (presumably) all or mostly locals. For all we know the beta teting was done without voiceovers or indeed that testers did complain but Larian thought they were wrong.

Anyway, I did not enjoy the demo but still have it pre-ordered on the strength of DD. If an updated demo is not possible, so be it, but I'm sure there is a group of potential purchasers who were disappointed with the demo and might be persuaded by an improved version.

Usually when someone don't like a demo, she/he don't buy the game.
I have played the demo of Lion's heart and i did not buy the game.
Not because i thought that it was a bad game but because i did not like it.
I did not like the graphisms, the colours, the universe, i did not get identified with the hero.

On the other side i liked a lot the demo of Divine Divinity and i waited impatiently for the release of the game.

When i play a new game, i think "this game has been made for me" or "this game has been made for somebody else"


You like the voice of this actor but are you sure that everybody will like it too ?

I still stand bt this. If the Larians do shange the voice ok, if they don't ok. The voice is not the only thing that I look at when thinking about buying a game. I look at the whole game and If there is one reason that is small as a voice that I don't like about a game, guess what, I'm buying that game.

There is a point I still cannot understand ? Why where the masses of people crying out loud, complaining the voice is so terrible ?

I do not mean the quality ... - I mean the psychology, the "internal drive" , the will behind that. That's a thing I still cannot understand.

What were the people expecting when they would play the game with the "old" DK's voice ? I've heard actually *terrible* voices - terrible, because companies decided to spend only a few bucks on translating games into German, nothing more. What I'm concerned about is , that I often find high quality with games produced for and English audience, and poor one for translated, localized versions.

My worst experience was ion "Crusader of Might and Magic". The Skeletons should have been frightening, but instead they sounded like a buch of teenies actually meeting their idol !
I almost fell off the chair laughing ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/suspicion.gif" alt="" />

It is psychology in it's self that has you ask that question, why would people complain? First they think about the best voice actor they have heard in a game and asume that every game needs to be atleast that good, they already have
preconseptions on how they want the Death Knights voice, and if it doesn't live up to there standered then they are not happy. Same goes with every other aspect of the game...(and that's just the first part of the Psychology^_*)
There's more...it could go on and on and on...
back to music <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/kitty.gif" alt="" />

Well, that's true, but I'm currently playing "Return to Krondor", and I've heard far better voice-actors. Nobody changed it.

Could if have something to do with the current level of quality we are used to from games?