Why have voiced protagonist?

[Nefla]

***edit*** sorry if the OP makes no sense, it originally had a different title and was about 2 issues not just VO but got edited though the post itself did not. Anyway, what I'm saying is that I don't like that they had a voiced protagonist and what seems to be very limited dialogue options instead of silent protagonist and lots of dialogue options. If it really is an RPG where I can make my own character I want to roleplay and choose who I'll be and what they say and what their motivations are rather than just going with the flow of a restricted character but one who isn't fleshed out or interesting like a set protagonist.

Is this just left over from an earlier stage of development or what? I don't understand why put the time and resources in to making something that wont be used outside of in-game mirrors (which they could easily have just not included) or riding a motorcycle (which could have been in the same perspective as the rest of the game for cohesion) especially if different outfits are modeled on the character? That time could have been spent making more dialogue options or other things that will be used regularly. I've been trying to play The Outerworlds to get used to "that type" of game and so far the CC has been completely pointless. You only see your character in the stat screen but that could have just been a stat screen with stats only and no character picture like many other games. Also I don't know how other people feel about a voiced protagonist in "that type" of game but to me that seems pointless as well and we could have had more dialogue options with a silent protagonist.

 

[Snowflakez]

This is one of your more creative FPP rants, Nefia.

To be fair to 2077, you will see your character's legs and body, unlike the Outer Worlds, where I believe (could be misremembering) you are just a floating head.

 

[CyberBrett]

3rd person would have been great but that ship has sailed I for one am happy i can still make my V and to some extent see Him / Her . I say no way for silent protagonist.

 

[Nefla]

This is one of your more creative FPP rants, Nefia.

To be fair to 2077, you will see your character's legs and body, unlike the Outer Worlds, where I believe (could be misremembering) you are just a floating head.

I'm trying to just talk about the peripherals this type of game is new to me and from what we've been shown so far, the dialogue options seem limited. It's good that we'll be able to see feet, I forgot about that and it'll definitely help with timing jumps (which I'm struggling with in The Outerworlds) but is your character's pant color in those moments really that important? Why not have one set "iconic" outfit for all characters for times when we can see our feet? Why waste time and resources modeling a bunch of outfits (let alone faces, hairstyles, etc...) that we wont see the vast majority of the time instead of dialogue options? Having a silent protagonist would greatly increase the capacity for dialogue options as well and having text dialogue in FPP seems more immersive as well (rather than a disembodied voice that isn't yours speaking for you based on a summary or whatever) since you know exactly what will be said and can imagine it in whatever voice you like.

I'll never like FPP but since we're stuck with it I at least want it to be the best it can be in other ways.

Post automatically merged: Dec 8, 2019

3rd person would have been great but that ship has sailed I for one am happy i can still make my V and to some extent see Him / Her . I say no way for silent protagonist.

Why though? Why do you care about the CC and why no to a silent protagonist?

 

[Suhiira]

Why not have one set "iconic" outfit for all characters for times when we can see our feet?

Because custom character creation is expected in an RPG.

You could (and some of us do) argue about how much of an RPG CP2077 really is (given certain fundamental game mechanics) but ... it's advertised as an RPG first and foremost ... thus character creation.

 

[Nefla]

Because custom character creation is expected in an RPG.

You could (and some of us do) argue about how much of an RPG CP2077 really is (given certain fundamental game mechanics) but ... it's advertised as an RPG first and foremost ... thus character creation.

But what's the point of a CC if you can't see your character even in cutscenes? I love CC and definitely get disappointed in games that don't have one but in this case I don't see the point and I have to wonder why they wasted time with it rather than adding more dialogue options. From what we've seen there's not a lot of dialogue roleplaying options available and that's something I expect from an RPG, especially one based on something as infinite as a tabletop RPG. This game seems more like Dishonored than any RPG I've played (including The Outerworlds) and that didn't have a CC (though it wasn't an RPG, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn't seem very RPG-like to me either).

I guess I'm hoping we see a lot more of this game soon because I'm kind of not understanding it at this point.

 

[Rawls]

I still like picking my clothes and looks even if I don't see them all the time. I'm glad there is CC. There will be a "very few" cutscenes where we will see V in some narrative beats. Also, narrative driven games are more impactful emotionally with a voiced PC IMO.

 

[Nefla]

I still like picking my clothes and looks even if I don't see them all the time. I'm glad there is CC. There will be a "very few" cutscenes where we will see V in some narrative beats. Also, narrative driven games are more impactful emotionally with a voiced PC IMO.

I guess I just can't understand that point of view, to me it seems like commissioning a painting and then putting it in the closet. Since the main character is supposed to be us as the player or what have you, wouldn't reading the dialogue in whatever emotion we choose be impactful compared to the one emotion a VA chooses to do that may or may not fit what we had in mind?

 

[Rawls]

Since the main character is supposed to be us as the player or what have you, wouldn't reading the dialogue in whatever emotion we choose be impactful compared to the one emotion a VA chooses to do that may or may not fit what we had in mind?

I would see it more as the player becoming the character than the character becoming the player.

 

[Nefla]

I guess the game is probably already finished being made so it doesn't matter either way. I just don't understand why they prioritized things like CC and voiceover ahead of dialogue options and character (personality, not combat) building.

 

[CyberBrett]

I'm trying to just talk about the peripherals this type of game is new to me and from what we've been shown so far, the dialogue options seem limited. It's good that we'll be able to see feet, I forgot about that and it'll definitely help with timing jumps (which I'm struggling with in The Outerworlds) but is your character's pant color in those moments really that important? Why not have one set "iconic" outfit for all characters for times when we can see our feet? Why waste time and resources modeling a bunch of outfits (let alone faces, hairstyles, etc...) that we wont see the vast majority of the time instead of dialogue options? Having a silent protagonist would greatly increase the capacity for dialogue options as well and having text dialogue in FPP seems more immersive as well (rather than a disembodied voice that isn't yours speaking for you based on a summary or whatever) since you know exactly what will be said and can imagine it in whatever voice you like.

I'll never like FPP but since we're stuck with it I at least want it to be the best it can be in other ways.

Post automatically merged: Dec 8, 2019

Why though? Why do you care about the CC and why no to a silent protagonist?

I still can see the character i have made in CC just not as much as i would like . I gave my Female character make up in The Outerworlds , not like i can see her face much but i know it`s there . Twisted logic i guess ? I can`t explain it more than that , i want her to be pretty not because i can see her often but just because i know she is

Silent protagonist? It`s so 1980s to me and in this day and age a bit lazy / cheap not to have it in . IMO there`s nothing worse that every NPC in the game talking while my Guy / Girl stands around mute . Now if everyone didn`t speak and the whole game was text it might be different .

 

[ChristophWr]

Because v is an avatar for the player and that’s why you can choose how your character looks .Its not a set character like geralt so beside of the set code name and job everything is up to you and adding freedom is always a plus in my book

Is this just left over from an earlier stage of development or what? I don't understand why put the time and resources in to making something that wont be used outside of in-game mirrors (which they could easily have just not included) or riding a motorcycle (which could have been in the same perspective as the rest of the game for cohesion) especially if different outfits are modeled on the character? That time could have been spent making more dialogue options or other things that will be used regularly. I've been trying to play The Outerworlds to get used to "that type" of game and so far the CC has been completely pointless. You only see your character in the stat screen but that could have just been a stat screen with stats only and no character picture like many other games. Also I don't know how other people feel about a voiced protagonist in "that type" of game but to me that seems pointless as well and we could have had more dialogue options with a silent protagonist.

 

[Has_Neyn]

Because Cyberpunk is all about customization and being who you want to be. It makes perfect sense to have a character creator.

I'm happy that there is a character creator in the first place, and to be honest, I would take a voiced protagonist over a silent one any day. It adds more immersion.

 

[ChristophWr]

Because Cyberpunk is all about customization and being who you want to be. It makes perfect sense to have a character creator.

I'm happy that there is a character creator in the first place, and to be honest, I would take a voiced protagonist over a silent one any day. It adds more immersion.

Pretty subjective with the voiced character i rather prefer a voiceless character than a character what says completely different things.....If he says exactly what is standing in the dialogue choice i like voiced protagonists too but otherwise i prefer silent protagonists because most of the time they say their own thing what breaks immersion

 

[Nefla]

I still can see the character i have made in CC just not as much as i would like . I gave my Female character make up in The Outerworlds , not like i can see her face much but i know it`s there . Twisted logic i guess ? I can`t explain it more than that , i want her to be pretty not because i can see her often but just because i know she is

Silent protagonist? It`s so 1980s to me and in this day and age a bit lazy / cheap not to have it in . IMO there`s nothing worse that every NPC in the game talking while my Guy / Girl stands around mute . Now if everyone didn`t speak and the whole game was text it might be different .

Yeah I don't get that lol NPCs probably treat your character as pretty no matter what so why not just headcanon and use the resources towards something we'll get use out of?

I can agree with the silent protagonist being awkward in a TPP game because they just stand there nodding blank faced while others talk and emote like normal but in FPP you don't have that and you can just read the lines aloud or imagine them any way you want.

Because Cyberpunk is all about customization and being who you want to be. It makes perfect sense to have a character creator.

I'm happy that there is a character creator in the first place, and to be honest, I would take a voiced protagonist over a silent one any day. It adds more immersion.

Even though you can't see your character? To me it seems like being able to choose what country your character comes from and what languages they speak but those selections don't impact the game and never show up and the character still has the same accent no matter what you pick. Like yes you got to pick something but it doesn't have any effect. This might be different if the characters can somehow agknowledge things about the appearance you chose.

 

[Snowflakez]

I like silent protagonists. However, I don't think it works in this sort of game. I think it works in other types of games, a la Skyrim or Oblivion, which are more sandbox in nature. In fact, if ES 6 has a voiced protagonist, I'm probably not going to play it.

 

[Sardukhar]

Not gonna have the TPP/FPP argument again. That ship has sailed. Thoroughly sailed.

If you'd like to discuss voiced/silent - again- sure, because that creates 1/10 the bitterness and rancour the TPP argument does, but please keep it friendly and non-repetitive. I think we have an older thread around for that, but hey, it's been awhile, this will do.

 

[Suhiira]

Because v is an avatar for the player and that’s why you can choose how your character looks .

You're partially correct (IMHO).

Given the FPS (player skills) combat system in CP2077 the "character" is most certainly an avatar (i.e. stand in) for the player. And given the primarily first-person nature of CP2077, as has been pointed out the avatars appearance is "fluff" and of little importance.

Traditionally in an RPG the player controls a character with it's own physical attributes and skills that are used to determine success/failure. Since this character IS NOT a "stand in" for the player it's appearance/gender/possably species (race) was important because it was a "different" person.

I like silent protagonists. However, I don't think it works in this sort of game. I think it works in other types of games, a la Skyrim or Oblivion, which are more sandbox in nature. In fact, if ES 6 has a voiced protagonist, I'm probably not going to play it.

Given Bethesda's recent track record (*cough* Fallout 76) I have no intention of buying ES6 until at least six months after launch, when pretty much the full scope the monetization has probably been implemented. And depending how greedy Bethesda gets I may well not buy it at all. The problems with bugs ... it's Bethesda, sorta expected thus not really an issue (ASSUMING ES6 is modable and the community can clean up after Bethesda).

 

[ChristophWr]

You're partially correct (IMHO).

Given the FPS (player skills) combat system in CP2077 the "character" is most certainly an avatar (i.e. stand in) for the player. And given the primarily first-person nature of CP2077, as has been pointed out the avatars appearance is "fluff" and of little importance.

Traditionally in an RPG the player controls a character with it's own physical attributes and skills that are used to determine success/failure. Since this character IS NOT a "stand in" for the player it's appearance/gender/possably species (race) was important because it was a "different" person.


Given Bethesda's recent track record (*cough* Fallout 76) I have no intention of buying ES6 until at least six months after launch, when pretty much the full scope the monetization has probably been implemented. The problems with bugs ... it's Bethesda, sorta expected thus not really an issue (ASSUMING ES6 is modable and the community can clean up after Bethesda).

I wouldn’t say it’s traditionally in rpgs with fixed physics etc it’s pretty mixed.There are also fixed protagonist which are basically avatars for the player like in planescape torment or gothic for example

 

[Draconifors]

Hmm... I don't think I've written about voiced vs. silent yet. Search found nothing. As usual, everything below is covered by a blanket "in my opinion".


Recently I've been playing quite a bit of Skyrim, and I definitely think the PC being voiced would be more than a little odd because the character you play as is entirely your creation and has no predefined qualities (well, except for the big story thing).

Then there is Witcher 3, which, with its entirely predefined player character, would not work without a voiced protagonist.


Cyberpunk will be somewhere in between those two games since V will be mostly custom. I haven't had a problem with him/her being voiced in any of the material released so far.
I do, however, see the appeal of a silent protagonist. It allows one to make the PC truly one's own because it doesn't dictate reactions, voice pitch, accent, tone of voice, how sarcastic the PC is, etc. Basically, it gives way more freedom when it comes to role-playing.
The PC being voiced, on the other hand, eliminates the sometimes awkward "conversations" where an NPC or a group of NPCs is talking to a silent PC, receiving responses in text they somehow hear despite there being no voice, and continuing to talk. It's not exactly realistic, especially when the player doesn't read out the lines they choose or otherwise "voice" their character.


To sum up: Voiced or silent, at the end of the day it makes no real difference when it comes to immersion. Neither does it affect role-playing in any particularly meaningful way; it's perfectly possible to "override" or add to a voiced protagonist in one's mind if one so chooses. I know I often do that with Geralt.
V's going to be voiced, and I've no problem with it, but I would not have a problem with a silent V either. There are much more important aspects -- role-playing and general -- that determine whether a game is enjoyable to me.