Given the strength of technology these days, there’s absolutely no reason we are constantly referred to as “champion” or “hero” or “outlander” or whatever generic phrase seems to apply for the moment. Let us define how our names are pronounced via the interface, which should be straight forward enough via consonant vowel definitions. Let us select a voice from multiple options, and that way we our characters can be involved in the cutscenes you love oh so well.
It’s not “hello silent champion I know you can’t verbally respond so I’ll just talk at you” it will be “hello (roh-boo) let’s have a conversation and you can hear your own voice while we talk about something”.
I’ve never understood why this is such a generic wasted opportunity.
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Question is, what would it cost to implement and what would be the return on investment? These are questions we were always asked when we would make new suggestions for the software we were developing.
It shouldn’t cost that much?
Would it be just smeary AI speak
Or would it be the classic gmod style of splicing words together so your name would have like 6 difference emotions while it’s being said?
Greetings MAGo**rOk**
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so to do this would either require AI, or an extreme large library of various sound files from various voice actors to properly enunciate all possible name combinations. Both of which would be expensive and alot of extra work for a pretty small thing.
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When I was doing software development for various computer companies, at the start of every version we would have a meeting with our marketing rep. He would always come in with a big list of features he “had to have” in the next release.
Problem was, if you added up the time it would take for all these features and considered the size of our group and the fact that he wanted it all “yesterday” it was obvious that his list was impossible.
So what we would do is have him prioritize his list, then we would draw a line and what was above the line got done, what was below it did not.
I’m afraid this suggestion would be below the line.
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I can’t wait to see the Lord Herne NPC suddenly become self aware…
This is a lot easier in languages other than English because English has so many wild and frankly stupid pronunciation rules and guidelines. I mean, can you tell how to pronounce ‘read’ from just text?
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Not to include those (like this character here) that uses foreign letters mixed in or as substitute for letters would increase said problems of speech when used in speech programs; AI or no, it would be costly enought to get just basic phonics used as replacements for filler letters.
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Bruh folks are just gonna make joke names and ruin that for everybody
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Can’t say I have ever been that invested in my characters to worry if an NPC uses my characters name or not. It’s certainly not a feature I would utilize.
You’d have to impliment some sort of AI which would then take work away from real VA’s and that would create a toxic storm that even Blizzard isn’t ok with.
Too much panic about names being something considered bad. Anything that would be against the terms of service. The only games I’ve ever seen this work was when the names were from a chosen list and wow just isn’t one of those games.
Maybe you could have it pronounce titles or your class or something like that. Perhaps pick from a list. But it would still be expensive because you’d have to pay the VA to pronounce every variation otherwise it would sound weird having a word said in a weird way in a sentence. Champion and hero, while generic, work just fine.