Modders should just start choosing a single NPC...and record the lines in their own voice

[Apis4]

I'd be really interested in doing some voice acting, so long as there was a nice simple recording programe available like the one that came with Windows back in the day..... I do not think it does now, not on Win10.... I have a reasonably high quality mic and free time as I work two four hour shifts a day at different jobs 6 hours apart. But I could, obviously, only do male characters, and it seems like for both true CC followers, and NPC overhauls, it's the females that need it most.

 

I would also be interested in doing some writing and story development for any NPC or CC Follower project, but again, seems like what's missing is the female voice talent.

 

I think that is the biggest hurdle to both the CC Follower issue and the NPC overhaul idea, the lack of female voice talent with the time to really give a comprehensive effort for such projects.

 

I rarely see ANYONE voicing the idea they'd be interested in some voice acting, if anyone is in need of such, but when I HAVE, it's been men all three times. Four including myself.

 

It's a great idea, but there just not seem to be talent nor impetus.

[VulcanTourist]

Underpinning good voice acting is a script that doesn't suck. Voice acting demands a good script even moreso than acting on celluloid (yes, an Old School reference to a technology no one uses any more), since there is nothing but the voice to draw attention away from the script if it's bad. Scripting dialog for a good NPC, much less follower, is not trivial. I define "good" dialog as non-repetitive and unexpected and consistently reflective of the intended personality behind the words... whatever that personality is.

[Apis4]

Underpinning good voice acting is a script that doesn't suck. Voice acting demands a good script even moreso than acting on celluloid (yes, an Old School reference to a technology no one uses any more), since there is nothing but the voice to draw attention away from the script if it's bad. Scripting dialog for a good NPC, much less follower, is not trivial. I define "good" dialog as non-repetitive and unexpected and consistently reflective of the intended personality behind the words... whatever that personality i

I have a pre-diploma (cert IV) in Pure Screen Production, and I got half way through a degree in Theatre and Communication before my mother had her first stroke and I had to abandon both my diploma plans and my BA in Theatre, in both I was marked very highly for my writing, and I won an award for my acting.... but I feel that such a big undertaking, as you say... even if you are right... the scripting needs be good.... though I will go further and say the CONCEPT needs to be 'Right' and the script needs fit that, and then acting needs marry the two... the 'feel' the 'nuance' the concept... of the character... and how it's expressed.

 

But ultimately, this makes BOTH as important as each other, though in my personal experience, the right kind of good performance can elevate a poor script much more often than a good script can elevate a poor performance.... yet since both ARE as important as each other... and BOTH are significant work......I would not be confident in investing in writing for any of the concepts I have, at least for stories with female characters, or for CC female Followers.... simply due the lack of any accessible and obvious voice talent.

 

As I said, that is what seems missing.

 

Good female voice talent.

 

In the absence of that, it would be VERY VERY difficult to do much.

 

Of course, that is also making the assumption that there is also the TECHNICAL talent there to make the actual mod, on the coding and such side.

 

There seems to be very little male voice talent, seeking work, and even less female, and there also seems to not be so many modders standing up and offering to make something "Good", in terms of writing and acting talent, a reality, make it in to an actual mod.

 

There's a lot of creative people here, and the writing, and story, requires naught but a word processor and effort, and I think MANY here could provide some AMAZING stuff that would definitely be 'Good', but without the voice actors to realise it, and modders to make it, there's no point.

 

Hopefully somewhere along the line, there will be some bored modders and bored voice talent, that post up they are so and seeking projects... one day.

 

Then maybe some work towards the OP's ends could get done... then flicker out... and cause wait another few years for the next lot etc etc etc etc.

 

If it ever happens... that's how it will happen.

[VulcanTourist]

There doesn't seem to be much demand for a large variety of male followers, so it's not surprising that there's a lack of demand for good male voice acting and a dearth of female vocal assets. Even Bethesda cheaped-out and used just a handful of voice actors - of both genders - to voice hundreds of NPCs. I think there's a possibility that I could offer good male vocal assets with some equipment and a little training, but as you said I'm not what's needed and my falsetto would be at least as bad as that on exhibit by the Heneri Hlaalu character in Vilja's mod. Could my wife manage it? I dunno.

[Apis4]

There doesn't seem to be much demand for a large variety of male followers, so it's not surprising that there's a lack of demand for good male voice acting and a dearth of female vocal assets. Even Bethesda cheaped-out and used just a handful of voice actors - of both genders - to voice hundreds of NPCs. I think there's a possibility that I could offer good male vocal assets with some equipment and a little training, but as you said I'm not what's needed and my falsetto would be at least as bad as that on exhibit by the Heneri Hlaalu character in Vilja's mod. Could my wife manage it? I dunno.

 

If you wife manages to sound like Heneri Hlaalu, I tip my hat to your patience and loving sufferance, and you are truly a man for whom beauty is more than skin deep... wait.... is that not what you're saying?

 

 

Ok, right... welll...... um....

 

 

...Ha... ah yes... let us not ever detract from the MAGNIFICENCE that is the goddess Emma, mother of Vilja...... BUT..... yeah... she really.... um... well... OK OK... let's just say it.... she needs a slap for that whole Heneri thing.... an example magnifique for why we do not cross gender voice talent with characters...... as hard as I laugh.... and in the context of Vilja.... it kinda works.... but not enough... just enough for me to use slap, singular, not plural....

 

....but that's the thing.... I think there WOULD be more demand for male characters, well written and well voice acted, if there was a general uptick in good CC followers overall... it does appear that it's about 5 to 1... as in, every four or five top tier Female custom acted, written, and coded followers that make a splash.....it makes enough interest that those wanting a male one get loud enough get one.

 

But yeah, I might need to start putting gun to the head of all the women in my life, and mic in front of them, and tell them to choose which one I pull the trigger on...

 

....er... well .....maybe not... we'll see...... but like I said... there seems to be a lot of creative people here who could WRITE a good story and make a good NPC or follower.... there is just a lot less voice talent, definitely female wise, and modders to give it life.

 

If there's an increase in those, you'll something like the OP proposes happening. I definitely hope it does.

[VulcanTourist]

I'll see about getting us a suitable microphone to open the Door of Possibility a crack. At the moment I have no idea what microphones (and software/hardware) to consider, and I've forgotten *everything* that I learned about mics in a media production class some years ago.

 

Nope, thankfully my wife sounds nothing at all like Heneri, and having Heneri's personality would certainly have been a stupendous deal-breaker! (Of course when I said, "Could my wife manage it?" I wasn't referring to Heneri's voice but rather voice acting generally, but you probably guessed that.)

[Deleted75062723User]

And don't forget...the world needs just random npc's voiced too. Plus my dream...new lines get added for randoms even!

[Apis4]

If you had the voice talent, especially FEMALE voice talent, and modders ready got too, you could have random NPCs revoiced... that's what the OP was saying.... we just took it and went further, noting that if the stars aligned to make THAT happen, then you could also have ALL NEW NPCs and new fully custom follower mods that built on the best of the best of the last four or five years, too.

[Wolfstorm]

In my opinion, what is needed is not voiced followers, but more voices for combat.

How many times didnt we listen the famous line "you should never have come here"?

 

Would be great if someone with the talent (and good equipment) could make voices for combat, and then insert those voices at the base. We would have more variety of taunts.

[Apis4]

In my opinion, what is needed is not voiced followers, but more voices for combat.

How many times didnt we listen the famous line "you should never have come here"?

 

Would be great if someone with the talent (and good equipment) could make voices for combat, and then insert those voices at the base. We would have more variety of taunts.

 

But it's not an either/or equation.

 

I for one will say that given how rudimentary and shallow all vanilla followers are, and basically, the custom ones that rehash vanilla voice assets and use the vanilla framework, are, we ALWAYS need new followers.

 

Vilja and Sofia and Inigo and Lucien, or Recorder and Auri and Kaidan, these should be the MAJORITY of Custom Followers. Every single one should be at least as deep and immersive as say, I dont know, Professor Doom, or Mirai, or Aurlyn Dawnstone (just let less effing buggy than the latter), but writing those names, I realise I can only name like three or four more truly Custom voiced followers *I* know of, and I actively scour Nexus for them.

 

I think there's like one called Livia, and Ceasia, Ambriel, and Hoth, there's Neisa and Onean, Caesia, one called Evangeline, Anibriate too, and like, one Dark Elf chick who just whispers.

 

Maybe there's more, but that's all I could find.... that's like what? 21? Check out how many Followers are on here. Maybe there's a few I missed, but I bet there's no more than 30.

 

So actually, YES, we DEFINITELY absolutely NEED more proper custom followers.

 

BUT... if we got them, if we had people making them again, if we had that talent bleeding over in to massive NPC revoicing project, too, then I am sure we'd get better combat dialogue as well.

 

Once teams were assembled to actively work on ANY ONE of those three different things, there'd be a much greater chance of them working on something of the others too.