How about redoing the lamest DM voiceovers to start with?

[MageOfSoma]

Hi

I guess as a musician and audio professional the lame azz voiceovers are getting to me.

Whoever the guy who does most of the harbor quests, for example, he's sort of like a Smooth Jazz DJ washout who's trying to sound like Vincent Price.

It just doesn't work....especially in the sewer rescue..... "Hurry!" just sounds so pathetic.

But it gets worse. Tharashk arena is absolutely awful. Him tring to sound like a carnie is painful, and the very lonely sound of a couple of engineers hooting in cubicles, which was recorded as the sound track for the "crowd" is just awful-- I mean, you can license crowd noises easily.

The Gygax ones sound like he was reading a script he'd never seen before for the first time.....

Probably many of these were recorded before the dungeons were playable.... but now, they ARE playable, and I think it's time for Take Two of the DM readings, since now these voiceover people can actually see what they're talking about....

I think some Hot chick sounding DM's would be nice too....I'd rather hear some chick talk about a "surprisingly large" scorpion than some nerdy guy....talk about creepy.....eech

MoS

[binnsr]

I just have DM audio turned off.. problem solved

[Oreg]

Turned off GM voices in February of 2006. Enuff said.

[Laith]

bad DM voices have been a staple of D&D since i started playing. feels like home.

Still have DM voices on. A Cry for Help cracks me up every time...

[Alavatar]

The DM voiceover in the Orchard is female. I suspect they had (formerly known as) Merlask do them.

[llevenbaxx]

Are you talking about the original voice over guy? That guy has crazy mad skills!

I guess being a PnP player who has played with some sorry DMs I may appreciate his extreme versatility more than others though. Imo hes a great storyteller.

Gygax and the chick pale in comparrison.

EDIT LOL A Cry for help rocks

[sigtrent]

Well, I think they were going for something between, "Good voice acting" and "A typical Dungeon Master at your home game."

So instead of actualy having voice acting its always the narater doing a somewhat goofy falseto and sound effects are often the sort someone would make to imitate sound effects. Personaly I like it. It's kind of goofy and amusing.

Garry and Arn are just fan service of a sort and they are pretty bad. BTW there is a female narator in some of the newer quests.

[MageOfSoma]

I don't think turning off the DM voices is the solution..... it may be expedient in the short term but the overall solution is to patch the wave files with something better.

That's what the auto update is for! Take 5 anyone?

I think homestyle is onething but when you look at game audio these days, a lot of times there are big name actors in the games. I know Vin Diesel had said that he loved to play D&D as a kid -- I'm sure there's plenty of hollywood talent that would love to do a few free voiceovers and could make it a little homestyle too.

I think Mark Hamill has done nothing but voice acting since Star Wars for games -- not saying he'd do it for free but probably plenty of others would ... or at least scale!

MoS

[sigtrent]

The DM voiceover in the Orchard is female. I suspect they had (formerly known as) Merlask do them.

That was explicitly denied and it is definately not Merlask.

[Alavatar]

That was explicitly denied and it is definately not Merlask.

Okie dokie.

[Dane_McArdy]

That was explicitly denied and it is definately not Merlask.

So that proves it was her, or I don't work for Turbine!

[Laith]

I suspect they had (formerly known as) Merlask do them.

They officially denied this at one point or another. If i recall, they said they were done before Tolero (Merlask) signed on.

[MrCow]

I prefer the the horror and the mistakes in the DM voices (Tanglefoot anyone?). I makes it more to the traditional style of Dungeons and Dragons because your dungeon master when you do pen and paper is a person who (statisically speaking) is not likely to have a great narrative or storyteller voice.

That and I don't want everything to sound like the movie trailer guy's voice that is overused and overdone.

[MageOfSoma]

And while we're at it, I think some of the hokey sound effects have gotta go too....

The beholder noise is -- well -- something somewhere south of Homer Simpson belching on halloween, and the 3D model looks like a PS1....

I think cleaning up some fo the rough edges would get more players..... How many 23 yo have played PnP D&D?

I think it should appeal to old farts as well as younger gamers.... (but I would like the gamers to be not too young so there can be more of an edge than there is right now in terms of outfits etc)

MoS

[MysticTheurge]

Personally, I'd rather have them spending money on... well... you know... important stuff.

There's just not enough reason to go back and redo what are perfectly passable, though perhaps not outstanding, voice overs.

Gygax isn't great, but whatever, it's cool that he did it. And it's Gary Gygax. The bad Threnal one is also a celebrity voice over. Dave Arneson I think maybe? I don't recall exactly.

How many 23 yo have played PnP D&D?

Oh and... most of the ones who'd consider playing DDO in the first place.

[Laith]

Gygax isn't great, but whatever, it's cool that he did it. And it's Gary Gygax. The bad Threnal one is also a celebrity voice over. Dave Arneson I think maybe? I don't recall exactly.

Yep, that's the one: D&D's co-creator.

So the creators of a game played by (used affectionately, i swear) dorks around the world aren't great speakers... it's still cool they got involved. And besides, now when i speak poorly as a DM i can point to the creators of D&D and tell my players that i'm up to professional D&D standards.

How many 23 yo have played PnP D&D?

Count me as 1... though i'm not sure why 23 is such a hot number . In any case, i feel all sorts of special and powerful being part of "the" age group.

If we use DDOs box claim of "emulating a D&D experience" (forget the wording), then I'm still gonna say that poor DM voice overs only serve to help. In the end, i just don't see going back and changing them to be worth the time/cost/effort.

[Strakeln]

I personally like the parts in Madstone where the DM says "MAKE HASTE!".

Unfortunately, not all casters can follow directions

[Beherit_Baphomar]

I gotta tell ya I actually like the original guy, especially when you compare him to the new chick.

She's just readin', the old guy would put some "acting" into it, he's pretty good.

New chick is just reading, no acting whatsoever, and makes me want to turn my DM voice off again.

[ArkoHighStar]

Hi

I guess as a musician and audio professional the lame azz voiceovers are getting to me.

Whoever the guy who does most of the harbor quests, for example, he's sort of like a Smooth Jazz DJ washout who's trying to sound like Vincent Price.

It just doesn't work....especially in the sewer rescue..... "Hurry!" just sounds so pathetic.

But it gets worse. Tharashk arena is absolutely awful. Him tring to sound like a carnie is painful, and the very lonely sound of a couple of engineers hooting in cubicles, which was recorded as the sound track for the "crowd" is just awful-- I mean, you can license crowd noises easily.

The Gygax ones sound like he was reading a script he'd never seen before for the first time.....

Probably many of these were recorded before the dungeons were playable.... but now, they ARE playable, and I think it's time for Take Two of the DM readings, since now these voiceover people can actually see what they're talking about....

I think some Hot chick sounding DM's would be nice too....I'd rather hear some chick talk about a "surprisingly large" scorpion than some nerdy guy....talk about creepy.....eech

MoS

I love tharask arena all it needs is this guy right at the beginning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAIAET2e2y8

[Alavatar]

Why does being 23 yo matter?