I am sorry, but what is "Changing a line to allow for reactivity " because it is basically just sounding like you want to try and overcomplicate and issue to justify your own preference. When you voice record for lines, you have the base lines of dialog, then alternate trees of dialog. These are all noted with what the VA should be portraying (ie: shock, anger, sadness etc). Then the developer assigns that to whatever action it will be in response to. That is how it is done.
" it's planned writing and small changes within lines and reactions to you that allow for a feeling of your character being a relatively unique figure with their own story going on and place in the world."
I mean what that big complicated exchange means, is that what YOU are feeling in your head about how YOU see him as a unique character.
I mean how you feel is fine, just state that. But don't try to justify it by making some crazy "intricate" argument about why it shouldn't be done. Even in regards to the origin characters, besides their base script lines, they would have x number of reply lines with notations on what emotion to portray. Then the developer assigns it to the action tree in the engine. It is not rocket science. Anyone with even the basic knowledge of how a game engine works would know this, and how to utilize game assets. So all that is left is the 3D animation, which actually considering that most of the time the VAs are video taped during their recording, and a software renders their facial expressions on the model. then it just only needs to be lightly tweaked. Why do you think that with the origin characters, their faces look more natural in the cinematics? It is because of the facial software translating that during the VAs audio recording. That is why the custom characters facial expressions look stiffer, because those are hand animations or key framing.
Changing a line to allow for reactivity is exactly what it sounds like. Where you would generally have a standard line play, if instead you meet a certain criteria regarding your class, backstory, actions in game or relationships to particular NPCs, you instead get a different line. It is reacting to your RP. Like I said, it's a fundamental aspect of good writing in an RPG, but it requires a huge amount of extra work when you're voice acting everything.
Say you have a line that involves introducing your abilities to an NPC, when you are playing a relatively high level paladin. That line isn't hard to write, and it's pretty easy to add reactivity there, so instead of it saying you are a famous paladin, the line instead says you're a powerful wizard, or an skilled rogue. That's pretty easy to do with a non-voiced PC, right? When you decide to voice that instead, you need to record independent lines for every single class, that would need to be spoken differently each time, so you can't splice stuff together really. The barrier to including that dialogue with a fully voiced PC is much, much higher than it is without, where you're just changing a handful of words or even just using an already existing variable. Similar would go for an NPC meeting you, where the line would vary even just in delivery based on your actions before. That's pretty easy to do unvoiced assuming your writers are competent (which I believe they are here), it's minor tweaks to wording. It is not with a voice actor, it is several entirely new recorded lines.
That's a very simplified version obviously, but it carries across whole games, and it massively adds up. Your PC is there constantly, if you don't have the ability to appropriately shape your character and behaviour based on what you have done previously, and if NPCs don't react to this, what's the point of even letting you make choices? Why bother having a custom character at all if they're just going to be objectively inferior experiences to origins again? Reactivity and freedom of expression with a custom PC is extremely important.
I'm really not trying to be rude here, but your not understanding what reactivity even is and thinking that it's fine for an RPG to just have preset lines no matter what you've done or who you are makes me think you haven't really thought through what you're saying very well, or that you aren't reading what I'm saying fully. Like I've got no idea why you're talking about 3d animations at all, or think it's an argument against me?
