Sofia - a funny, fully voiced and scripted follower(WIP)

[djjohnjarvis]

Good to see she has not lost her touch for awkward speach, lol

Yes, I almost feel awkward for her lol.

[Calzien]

I like the idea! She's different from the other followers out there but similar in a way to the more popular ones. However I honestly cannot say I'd use her myself and it's the acting. Don't get me wrong, the voice actor has a great voice and almost has an accent that to me, I think fits perfectly in line with the world. She's a good choice to voice act Sofia. Yet there's two problems I see:

 

1.) Some lines don't entirely feel they fit within the Skyrim world or theme.

 

2.) Much of the acting feels like it's being read, lacks real feeling behind it. Some dialogue written as questions come out not sounding like a question but a statement from her.

 

That aside I have a couple questions:

 

* I see she can travel on her own to places, you can ask her to lead you somewhere. If she gets bored/tired/thirsty is she going to wander off to a location by herself and drag you along? Having an immersive follower is great but one thing that concerned me with another immersive follower on the Nexus here is they'd often stop you on the middle of the road to chat, or try and wander off on their own. You can toggle that option and hopefully Sofia will too if that's added.

 

* It seems she has her own horse mechanics, will this be compatible with Convenient Horses?

[djjohnjarvis]

 

1.) Some lines don't entirely feel they fit within the Skyrim world or theme.

That maybe so. I'm after a fun mod and I haven't used any references outside of the Skyrim lore. I would hardly call Bethesda's lines 100% consistent anyway. At the end of the day it's a fun mod which reflects my tastes and style of writing and there is no right or wrong way. I play Skyrim for fun, not to be some nerd who writes in ye olde English and researches the lore, not to be offensive to anyone. As long as there is not excessive modern day slang or references.

 

 

2.) Much of the acting feels like it's being read, lacks real feeling behind it. Some dialogue written as questions come out not sounding like a question but a statement from her.

That's my fault not hers. The way she reads the lines reflects the character that I have set out and they are my choice of takes and I am entirely happy with that. Sofia isn't a particularly deep character and she's not supposed to be, there are plenty of other followers for that. She is supposed to have a cute but comical voice with a distinct social awkwardness and to me that is exactly how it is. Maybe she just isn't serious enough for you as you clearly don't get the humour and I guess you don't really get my vision of Sofia at all but that's fair enough, this mod isn't for everyone so I'm not trying to please everyone.

 

I've yet to see a follower where someone hasn't moaned about the voice not being to their taste, I mean already in this topic has been someone say they hate Vilja's voice and another person saying they love it so I'm not even going to bother, but as long as I like Sofia's voice I couldn't give a less. People are a fussy lot and that's clearly not going to change any time soon. How anyone could find any fault with the voice actresses voice or acting for Sofia is beyond me but meh whatever, as I said I don't care and she's probably ten times better than anyone commenting. I find her better than the Skyrim default voices.

 

"Almost has an accent". Now this is a fun one that no one seems to have picked up on and you would never guess that English is probably like her 3rd language. To have only a slight hint of an accent is quite an achievement in itself for any non native English speaker who doesn't live in an English speaking country.

 

Anyway on to your questions. Sofia only does any special stuff such as taking you to places if asked to do so. She has an MCM menu so everything can be set anyway. She has a totally custom speech system that runs a quick check to make sure that the player is not speaking to anyone or doing something, to avoid any interruptions. She doesn't talk to you, you talk to her apart from the usual follower type comments that don't affect anything that is going on. I have taken every annoying thing I have observed from other followers and either made them entirely optional or totally disabled them.

 

She has her own custom follower system, her own horse and all the horse packages that are run that control the horses AI or that of Sofia are entirely custom written for the mod so any conflict with follower or horse mods is extremely unlikely. Everything is custom in the mod and no vanilla assets are used so compatibility should be high.

[tony259]

Just watched your vids and I'm really liking the whole thing lol, what i will say is that if some people don't download it due to her not being "pretty" or "sexy" enough then all I can really think is o_O, she isn't an over the top obvious "slag" character made just for eye candy which sometimes tends to be hard to come across though as you mentioned this is all in the dialog and what not and the fact that she will have a lil side quest is a nice addition.

 

If you have the ability to btw, what would be nice is possibly giving her some city or home (or both lol) cloths to wear just to fit her uniqueness as a character, you wouldn't have to actually put the option in your self but either make/pick some cloths and put them into her inventory and simply call them "Town" or "City cloths" with an armour rating of 0 and let players use the "Amazing Follower Tweaks" or anything similar that lets players fiddle around with advances settings, regardless of what you do good luck on the rest of your mod, I'm looking foward to it :).

[Calzien]

That maybe so. I'm after a fun mod and I haven't used any references outside of the Skyrim lore. I would hardly call Bethesda's lines 100% consistent anyway. At the end of the day it's a fun mod which reflects my tastes and style of writing and there is no right or wrong way. I play Skyrim for fun, not to be some nerd who writes in ye olde English and researches the lore, not to be offensive to anyone. As long as there is not excessive modern day slang or references.

 

Last I checked, nobody in Skyrim spoke with old English dialect and in fact if a character was voiced to do so, I'm pretty sure it'd be very off. Anyway it's only a few lines that feel like they don't fit or rather clash a little, like breaking a nail. They aren't bad and certainly not a deal-breaker. And certainly a lot better than certain lines I've heard from another follower mod about espressos...

 

That's my fault not hers. The way she reads the lines reflects the character that I have set out and they are my choice of takes and I am entirely happy with that. Sofia isn't a particularly deep character and she's not supposed to be, there are plenty of other followers for that. She is supposed to have a cute but comical voice with a distinct social awkwardness and to me that is exactly how it is. Maybe she just isn't serious enough for you as you clearly don't get the humour and I guess you don't really get my vision of Sofia at all but that's fair enough, this mod isn't for everyone so I'm not trying to please everyone.

Please don't just assume I don't get what you're going for here and I'm looking for a serious follower. I may not fully understand but I definitely get it. I do actually get the humor behind the chosen lines, and it's not the script, it's how they're delivered.

 

She can have a comical voice, the social awkwardness definitely should be there. I'm not doubting or questioning it. In fact I'm not even talking about this. The written dialogue chosen for the character is fine, it's certainly different from other followers out there. Only one other follower mod I know of openly flirts with the player or throws around crude remarks so having another is a nice change. The way the lines are delivered is what I'm getting at, they feel off. You asked for criticism so I'm trying to give that and in a constructive way instead of saying "OMG IT SUCKS!!!111" and nothing more. And by the way as to avoid confusion, I'm not saying it sucks, not in the least, not even in the very least. As I said I like her voice, it suits Skyrim especially the accent she has.

 

I only use that as an example, nothing more.

 

If I was making a follower mod I'm fairly sure I'd ask her myself. This isn't the part I'm talking about. And as for Vilja's actor Emma, I actually liked Vilja too, it was only her constant chatter and I think some of Emma's accent that made some things difficult to understand what she was saying. But I don't use Vilja anymore only because she's pretty script heavy and I don't think my system can handle it. Though I have considered reinstalling her anyway soon, back then I had other immersion mods like Frostfall, Realistic Needs and Diseases, and Wet and Cold running alongside her. I was also using SkyRe and a few other mods.

 

But back to the subject here, the voice acting isn't bad, not by a long shot. I've heard much worse and her's is pretty good. All I was trying to point out here is a good portion of the lines displayed in the videos feel like they could be delivered better, they lack the certain feeling I get you're trying to portray with her dialogue. It's there, I think, but could use a little more emotion behind them. Many questions you have scripted for Sofia to say the voice actor doesn't really deliver them as a question but like they're being said, stated. I can't really give an example but maybe this might work.

 

Written dialogue:

"Do you think we could get some rest? Maybe some food, a bit of mead, cuddle up together?"

 

Spoken dialogue:

"Do you think we could get some rest. Maybe some food, a bit of mead, cuddle up together."

 

I still doubt this gets across what I'm saying but what I'm attempting to point out is I've noticed they don't feel as much of questions but more like she's stating something. A line that is written to be awkward isn't delivered as the character feeling awkward. In one line you have something like what I mentioned above, Sofia slips up about wanting to snuggle together with the player. But once she realizes she said that she tries to cover it up ending with telling the player to nevermind about it. In this particular line the dialogue is written to make Sofia feel awkward but the voice over to deliver it doesn't lend to that feeling. She doesn't really sound nervous or embarrassed about it.

 

So I'm not trying to say she's a bad actor, the lines are bad, or that writing a character to be socially awkward is wrong. Not in the least and I cannot stress any of this enough. It's that the actress lending her voice to Sofia is somewhat lacking the same feeling I get you're trying to portray in the character's dialogue. Again not saying she's bad, or that you need a new voice actor. I'm only trying to say here it could use a little practice or work to make it sound a little more convincing.

 

You can tell me if I don't like it, don't download it and you're right if I don't then I don't have to. You're equally right you don't need to please everybody or anybody at all. It's entirely your choice in this matter. If you feel it's good enough then stick with that. It's only from my observations about the way the lines are delivered it detracts from the overall experience and personally for me, the humor you're trying to convey through the dialogue.

[djjohnjarvis]

I don't get what's out of place about breaking a nail. It made its way into the mod because it was funny to me and because it isn't something too outrageous. Who's to say the women in Skyrim don't take pride in their appearance? It's not like I said, oh no I just went to the salon and got those painted. Yes it's a modern day stereotype but who's to say it isn't like that in Skyrim.

 

That line is actually my fault if anyone's. I can't fault the voice actress for that as that as it is exactly how it is written in the script. In a lot of places in my script there is a lack of proper punctuation due to me having to quickly write them down and then not properly grammar checking them later. Here is how it is exactly in the script:

 

"Cold. Can’t we go and find a nice warm fire, drink some mead and snuggle up together… Did I say together I meant… uh nothing. (slips up)"

 

As you can see, the reason it might sound a bit like a statement is because it is written as a statement due to a lack of any question marks, although I still think the voice actress did make it apparent that it was a question. There was also no proper direction from me as to how she feels about saying this, only that it's something she wasn't supposed to say. Having said that, I was only after a mild to moderate reaction not a full blown oh no I've said something embarrassing I'm going to die, because Sofia is used to huge slip ups. She just quickly brushes it aside in the hope that the player wasn't really paying attention. Under the circumstances the voice actress had to use her judgement and it was a good performance. There's nothing more to say on that apart from it's my choice and my opinion.

 

You've already said you aren't going to download it so I don't really need to tell you not to. I take the stance that if you don't like something and it's avoidable then don't bother with it.

[djjohnjarvis]

Just watched your vids and I'm really liking the whole thing lol, what i will say is that if some people don't download it due to her not being "pretty" or "sexy" enough then all I can really think is :blink:, she isn't an over the top obvious "slag" character made just for eye candy which sometimes tends to be hard to come across though as you mentioned this is all in the dialog and what not and the fact that she will have a lil side quest is a nice addition.

 

If you have the ability to btw, what would be nice is possibly giving her some city or home (or both lol) cloths to wear just to fit her uniqueness as a character, you wouldn't have to actually put the option in your self but either make/pick some cloths and put them into her inventory and simply call them "Town" or "City cloths" with an armour rating of 0 and let players use the "Amazing Follower Tweaks" or anything similar that lets players fiddle around with advances settings, regardless of what you do good luck on the rest of your mod, I'm looking foward to it :smile:.

Thanks. If you are referring to the outdated discussion on appearance in the first few pages then you should take into consideration that her appearance has changed since then and the photos before have been replaced with her new appearance. If you just mean in general then yes I think it's obvious enough that she isn't someone who is easy and just there for visual appeal and it is reflective of her personality.

 

I have already decided on a rough outline of Sofia's background and she doesn't really have a home or anyone to call a true friend which is where the player comes in. And it also explains why she is out adventuring all the time as she is not tied down. I have considered clothing before but it just isn't a high priority at the moment but I will keep it in mind.

[djjohnjarvis]

For those interested. I have started writing a diary for Sofia that you will be able to discover in game. You can read what I have written so far here: http://justpaste.it/e0uk

 

It gives an insight to her thoughts and feelings as well as detailing her adventures throughout Skyrim.

[Miktob]

Great work djjohnjarvis I'm impressed! Haven't been able to check back in a while because work has kept me too busy and traveling lately but I can't wait! Great wrtiing and lines!

 

As far as the voice acting, she is doing a top notch job in my honest opinion.

[Megakoresh]

Anyway on to your questions. Sofia only does any special stuff such as taking you to places if asked to do so. She has an MCM menu so everything can be set anyway. She has a totally custom speech system that runs a quick check to make sure that the player is not speaking to anyone or doing something, to avoid any interruptions. She doesn't talk to you, you talk to her apart from the usual follower type comments that don't affect anything that is going on. I have taken every annoying thing I have observed from other followers and either made them entirely optional or totally disabled them.

 

She has her own custom follower system, her own horse and all the horse packages that are run that control the horses AI or that of Sofia are entirely custom written for the mod so any conflict with follower or horse mods is extremely unlikely. Everything is custom in the mod and no vanilla assets are used so compatibility should be high.

 

Motherf... Bethesda should hire you, seriously.

 

Also I do have one thing you can mention to the actress: the tone. The tone is always, and I do mean in almost every single line: from high to low. I think she could vary it up. I mean she starts off on a high note and linearly descends to finish the sentence on a low note, then repeats for the next sentence. This pattern, if you listen, repeats for every line she says. It gives the voice acting a feel of monotony and takes away from the actual acting itself and the emotion she puts into the voice, effectively masking her work. As someone who worked in the field, I can tell that this can happen from taking too large inhales right before starting to read out a line. I would suggest not taking too big a breath before acting out a line and breath normally, as she would speak naturally to someone. Also to drink something before speaking. Acting isn't same as opera singing and large inhales are not actually needed, but many people get nervous before a microphone so they do it anyway.

 

In addition it can happen if the actor reads the line out as a "remark". That is what humorists do for instance: they read out the lines for a dialogue as a remark, to note the comedy of the whole dialogue, not the character saying it. It might help to tell her of this fact so she associates herself more with the character as oppose to the humour in the dialogue. Interesting NPCs mod, for example, has a brilliant character named Rumarin. He is a good example of a humorous character as oppose to the humorous lines that the character happens to say. Another example from that mod is a drunk dude in the Winterhold tavern talking about his horse and how it tells him of business ideas. Alistair from Dragon Age: Origins or Captain Brast from Amaleur: Reckoning DLC are also good examples.

 

This is a problem largely present with the vanilla voice acting, which is likely caused by same actors voicing a ton of different NPCs. I feel like it can be avoided if the actor is specific to the NPC. I hope that was helpful.

Edited January 8, 2014 by Megakoresh