Kind of surprising that no one has an opinion on the removal of the narrator volume control, and ironic that just before the 5th patch I was writing about how much I appreciated that little bit of thoughtfulness from Larian--they've kept the narrator channel separate and controllable because it allows those who don't like hearing the narration to just turn it off. Until now, when it is removed without explanation of any kind. When Larian first did this they received a lot of kudos as I recall--so I'm certain this isn't something for which I am a reed crying in the wilderness...;)
The girl doing the voice for the narrator was the same one who voiced a part in the last D:OS game. It's nothing against her, but trying to shoe-horn the spoken narration bits into scenes which are so well done cinematically that they *need no narration* because there is nothing to convey to the player that isn't put far better by the scene itself, really degrades rather than enhances the scene. Much of what she says just doesn't fit the context of the scene--it often seems outside the context, or it is redundant to the scene being powerfully played out visually....she often drawls out the words she feels deserve emphasis...just being honest here...she sounds totally bored and as if she really has no idea what is going on in the game behind the narration bits she is reciting into her mic. I would not be surprised if that was the case...;) It sounds like it.
So I'd like to say I like very much where I see the game heading--with that one exception--I would simply prefer the narration bits on screen at the volume of 0. That way I can read them at my own speed (much faster) and put my own emphasis where I perceive it should lie. The way it is, it's disconcerting and interferes with my suspension of disbelief, etc. I hope I've explained it a bit better!
*Animations: much better than they were--they're tight, and seem to flow a lot better than before. Continuity between scenes is coming along nicely. Had no trouble releasing Shadowheart onboard the ship before it crashed, and thought that was much better than the original solution. Also, I was amused to hear Swen say he had had so much trouble picking the lock to that ruin where we met Shadowheart--in earlier patches I had no trouble picking it with either my ranger or my Vampire...;) High dex was the key.
*Dice throws* Ah, great! much better, faster than before--huge improvement, even though it had never bothered me before. It's actually kind of fun to throw the dice now (weighted, of course)...;)
*Image Quality at 4k HDR is absolutely splendid--superb! BG3 is my go-to game for showing what well-engineered HDR can do for a game's visuals. I know that you guys are preparing to support AMD's FSR in the coming months and just want to say to you that my favorite image-quality feature is HDR. FSR I don't much need because I am happy with the 4k frame rate of my 5700XT (50th Ann Ed.) and the 43" Philips Momentum monitor with certified DisplayHDR 1000 capability wins the prize--BG3 is just drop-dead gorgeous!
*Player Character facial animation: coming along wonderfully! Instead of looking like a clay-faced dope, my ranger actually looks like he's got sense and is very much in tune with his surroundings. Really shaping up!
*Also I very much like the way that camp/camping is integrated into the gameplay so that it's not so disjointed as it was. Great way to solve that, imo.
If you could simply provide and on/off audio switch for the narration, no real need for the volume control, it would improve the presentation for me--and I'm sure for others as well.
Keep up the good work, Larian!
