Voiceovers as a part of the period(and place)-accuracy matter

Story & Setting
#1

I remember this thing being hinted on a couple of occasions in few different threads out there and I have to say I was always pleasantly surprised whenever I found a foreigner (not being Czech or Slovak) with an interest to actually play the game in its “native” voice-localization, Czech language, to further the gameplay experience’s authenticity.

Now, as was already mentioned several times by Dan Vávra himself, the Czech voiceovers are actually in a “considerd, though yet unsure” category, mainly due to the issues of development costs and efficiency (for both the voiceovers themselves and the game as a whole). Their target audience “back home” is rather small, compared to the worldwide audience (and even to some larger local foreign audiences like French, etc.) and outside of Czech and Slovak player communities (both languages have much in common) not much interest in Czech voiceovers is really expected by the developers.
My question is: Is it really so?

As I said, some people on this forum already mentioned that they would like to play the game with the language spoken in-game corresponding to the target location and nationality, even though Czech may not be their native tongue.

So, how many of you people out there actually like this sort of idea and would like to support the creation and inclusion of full Czech language voiceovers in the game, as truly a yet another step towards the period-and-place-accuracy aim of this game?

Along with it goes another question… some of those people I mentioned above, if I remember it correctly, also showed an interest in voiceovers that would not just cover a single language, but the languages of possible foreign characters in the game as well (so, most probably characters speaking German, Latin, possibly Polish and maybe some others… a multilingual solution, remember the Inglourious Basterds? :slight_smile: ).

Again, something of a pro-gameplay-authenticity voiceover package.
What do you think about something like that? Thumbs up?
As far as I am concerned, absolutely…

Also, another option to consider might be using Czech voice actors with good spoken English to create the English voiceovers with local accents (that does not at all mean speaking some improper Czenglish hogwash, only including a proper local accent the way it’s practiced in movies with most other foreign accents - like French, German, Irish, Russian and so on…).

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Don Quijote's wishlist [Gameplay/Combat]
#2

Why opening a new thread???

And at the time of the game there was no modern Czech spoken but a medieval form of it and only by the landfold. The nobility and rich people mostly spoke medieval German…

Do you really think that there should be a “pro gamer” voiceover package containing a mixture of medieval Czech and medieval German, both not spoken by more than a few dozen people on the whole planet today???

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#3

To be brutally honest, I have zero interest in playing the game in any way except in English. If others really want Czech/German/whatever as an option then by all means, request away, but having it in a “native” language that requires me to follow along by reading subtitles would not make the game more immersive for me.

This is something that generally ought to be simplified with English as the default and, if they have the time/money/etc. to do it, give people the option for alternate languages depending on what’s most sensible to add in.

It’s the same reason I, with few exceptions, am not that into watching movies in other languages while having to follow along with subtitles just to understand everything that’s being said. It’s fine in rare cases, but definitely not something that would be the norm for me.

That’s not me being against languages other than English, but simply wanting to be able to watch a movie without having to read it at the same time. It’d be a little different if it was at home and I could rewind to my heart’s content, though.

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#4

I’d play in English entirely, but I wouldn’t be opposed to most territories getting a secondary dialogue track for their release so they could choose their language or the historic languages. I do enjoy occasionally turning on the original European track for the Metro games on occasion, but make my main playthroughs in English.

It’s been studied and shown that generally an audience does not think less of a project with a foreign setting using English dialogue to please the major western markets, such as in Star Wars, Gladiator, etc. because it is understood that it is a simple convention of the medium to communicate and isn’t a statement on the actual existence of other languages in the setting portrayed.

#5

That’s funny, russian being called European relative to english. But Brits do tend to call the mainland Europe and Russian the west.

If the developers write the game in english themselves that is the one true version witch i will play. But I hope there will be lot’s of other languages that the main character shouldn’t understand and I believe that would make lot’s of room for medieval languages that nobody speaks.

#6

I actually just called it a European track because (while I do often hear Russia being considered a European country) the game was made in Ukraine, though the language in the game is indeed Russian and the source novel is Russian.

#7

I’m neither Czech nor Slovak, but I would like to see (hear) a Czech (“Bohemian”) accent for the character voices, like those of the producers when they’re speaking in English in their YouTube videos – or at least a German accent, but not that highly British (“Shakespearean”) accent heard in the demo videos, which I think is totally out of place and disrupts the atmosphere of the game.

#8

You cannot be serious. That would be terrible and get sticker “amateur game of the decade” :smiley:

#9

Well… seriously, did the Stalkers, Metro, or any other properly produced Russian games get it? Did actually any game ever get something like this just because it features a character who speaks English with a distinctive non-native accent (French, German, Japanese, Chinese,…)?

You just keep mistaking accent, personal proficiency in spoken English and quality of voiceovers, which, believe it or not, are three very separate things. I kinda know because I’m doing English Studies as my university major btw. :smiley:
But this is all just a matter of some rational thinking really.
It all goes down to the voiceover production management.

#10

In that pagan game Skyrim, if I’m not mistaken, they have used a “Viking-ish” (Scandinavian) accent for the “Nords”. And this is a fantasy setting, where they could’ve used any accent they wanted. But they didn’t, because hearing a Jarl talk like Prince Charles would’ve simply felt out of place. When I first saw the live stream demo video for KCD, I thought the action takes place in Medieval England, and this only because of the way the characters talked (their accents). It only needed that I hear “bloody hell” or “blimey”, and I would’ve sworn that it’s England. :slight_smile:

But look at the film industry. In almost every American film (heard in their original language), foreigners have specific accents (Irish, German, Russian, Indian, Chinese, whatever). Even when an actor plays a South American, he talks differently than when he plays a North American.

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#11

@PhanTom_CZ

You should probably rename your topic to something like “Voiceovers: English with a Czech accent. Accuracy matters” – that is, if you are willing to let go of the Czech language idea… I’ll give it a Like then.

#12

I would also have to rewrite most of the initial post and change the whole point… but I frankly don’t see much point to it anymore right now. The vox populi has spoken.
Just like with everything else, I guess we can only leave it to the Warhorse team and hope they will do the best they can…

#13

Isn’t that the core value of a forum? It’s not about democracy. It’s just about giving developers feedback and new ideas to test their own vision. In the end, the final decision should always be in line with the developer’s own vision for the game and not necessarily in the line with the majority on a forum (which also could be nothing else than a vocal minority, just to keep that in mind)… :wink:

#14

I don’t have any interest of playing the game in anything else than english. Accents are fine, but I don’t want to play the game in a foreign language I don’t understand, it doesn’t really add anything at all for me except forcing me to stare down at the subtitles the entire game while listening to - what is to my ears - gibberish.

Feeling entirely like a foreigner would if anything kill the immersion this game promises. :stuck_out_tongue:

#15

Well, this one has a catch: it’s their game, true, but made with other people’s money (that’s the title of a movie btw.). Those millions they received could have been used to help some people in need. Instead, they have been invested in a video game, which is nothing other than a luxury. This is why they give backers priority on their forum. So, in short: use other people’s money to make a game for which you will receive even more money. Well, as long as there are people desperate to play Pretend (“role-playing”), this will work. Demand and supply… (I hope I won’t be banned for this comment.)

#16

People don’t get banned here that easily, don’t worry, especially not for just stating an honest opinion. :wink:

I don’t think backers have priority here on the forums. The only thing “we” have is a backer sign below our names - that’s it. Apart from that we don’t have any direct influence on the devs or the game - and that’s a good thing if you ask me. If somebody pledged money because he thought that he could influence the direction of the game he might be disappointed because that’s actually not what games crowdfunding is all about. It’s about believing in the vision of a certain game designer/developer and not about making your own dreams coming true (that might be the same thing after all but the devil is in the details). So by giving Warhorse money we just say “Your overall vision is fine. Please continue.” The details of the game itself is nothing we have direct influence on. Whether Warhorse decides to use accents in the game or not is totally up to them. We can only give feedback here (backers and non-backers alike) for them to use or not. So although the game is made (partially) with backers money it’s not the game of the backers. We are no investors in the direct meaning of the term. We are actually donators. :wink:

#17

Yes, “[backers] are actually donators”… Indie game developers also need to eat. :wink:

Backers are allowed to post in the Gameplay and Combat system categories in which non-backers are not allowed to. It’s fair, but it just shows that those who have pledged do have priority (which, again, is fair). After all, if the game doesn’t turn out as desired, it is those who have given money that will say “off with their heads,” Baron. We peasants won’t mind.

Sorry for over-editing my replies.

#18

Wow, I didn’t even know that the Gameplay and Combat category was backer-only, sorry. If you ask me I think that’s a mistake or at least doesn’t benefit the game. You can contribute to the development of KCD in many ways, either by giving some money or by delivering good ideas. I don’t think that good ideas and valuable feedback (which benefits the game itself and therefore everyone interested in the game, backers included) are limited to financial supporters.

But of course the financial backers are somewhat invested in this game. We do care and of course with the personal value ratio of our investment our personal motivation probably rises. But that doesn’t mean that anyone else can be interested or emotionally invested. Not everyone is able to financially donate to the development of a video game, for example.

So in the end IMHO it should be the primary priority for Warhorse to make a good game. It’s impossible to please everyone anyway so it’s probably best for the whole thing to follow your own vision and only test it from time to time against people’s opinons on the forums. :wink:

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