Why is the Main Character in Fallout 4 Voiced?

[elvor0]

Not a very convincing argument, I'm afraid. The mind-numbingly stupid dialog wouldn't become magically smarter just because it wasn't voiced.

It wouldn't become well written dialogue no, but it wouldn't be /so/ limited if it weren't voiced.

 

[JemothSkarii]

Oh Shamus you beautiful man, you got all of my complaints down.

Well, almost.

The other problem I have with the game having a voice protagonist is EXTREME MOODSWINGS. There were several points in the game where my character might snark or get angry then suddenly choke up, almost in tears. The dialogue extender will help a little, but even then you basically no control over the tone of it. To get any form of consistency you're basically locked to one of four buttons (unless you're talking to someone who is against your goals, then THEY SWITCH TO THE OPPOSITE).
Well, that's when you have a choice of what to say:

Spoiler: CHOICES!

No, that part is not from an important story mission. It's just questions. You might not want to be open about your goal. You may not overly care so much. But whenever somebody asks you or whenever you child is mentioned you suddenly become dripping with 'CONCERNED PARENT'!
There's points where all the options will be angry and curse-y ALL BECAUSE THE GAME DEMANDS YOU BE THE CONCERNED PARENT.

 

[KingDragonlord]

Completely disagree. There is no excuse for a silent protagonist anymore in AAA games really. Finally characters can have actual conversations instead of interactions with service number computer labyrinths. I love the other Fallout games but going back to it now and being a completely mute character takes away a lot from the immersion. I like to actually roleplay and not just insert myself into the character.

But you aren't roleplaying. The writer and the voice actor are doing it all for you. And in this case they aren't doing it well. They aren't presenting a character, they're just neutralizing your ability to present one yourself.

At least in Saints Row IV (the only SR I've played) while you couldn't define the character, Boss was dripping with personality and swagger. They replaced your ability to define the character with a well defined character. If they were able to give me something like that, I would have an easier time accepting the voice acting.

But I'd still prefer no voice acting. Pretty much all triple A games where you can control a person these days have fully voiced protagonists and franchises and companies that used to not do that have capitulated and followed suit. But some games are better suited to an unvoiced protagonist and they're feeling the pressure to follow suit.

Thank goodness for Pillars of Eternity and Wasteland 2. At least we still have our little patch of land.

 

[RanD00M]

Not a very convincing argument, I'm afraid. The mind-numbingly stupid dialog wouldn't become magically smarter just because it wasn't voiced.

No but leaving it unvoiced would have been better from a pure amount of dialog options, like in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

 

[happyninja42]

Not a very convincing argument, I'm afraid. The mind-numbingly stupid dialog wouldn't become magically smarter just because it wasn't voiced.

No but leaving it unvoiced would have been better from a pure amount of dialog options, like in Fallout 3 and New Vegas.

I doubt it. FO 3 and NW frequently had the various things you say all end up at the same place. The character still responds with the same 1 scripted bit of exposition, and their response isn't even tailored to your words. You can say something that annoys them in the previous bit of conversation, but then they go right back to speaking to you pleasantly when they get to the scripted conclusion line...the same line you get no matter which dialogue option you choose. Having multiple choices that all end up with the same end result isn't really variety or choice, it's just window dressing on a railroaded conversation.

And yes I am aware you can at times, alter the flow of some of the conversations with skill checks, but the majority of the dialogue is the same stuff over and over, with no variation on the conversation aside from a minor bit of flavor text tossed in as a reaction to your statement. Your options to tailor the conversation with a skill check usually amounts to literally skipping all the annoying dialogue in the middle (reducing your choices for conversation), and just fast forwarding to the actual important information. It's literally a skip button, to save you the trouble of all that pesky talking. So yeah, not really much of a better system in my opinion.

capcha: you're in my spot. fuck you capcha, move your meat, lose your seat.

 

[hermes]

And to be frank, no one seemed to have an issue with the voiced protagonist of the Saints Row games, which is also billed as a 'blank slate' character in an open-world game. (Although perhaps the main difference there is that you actually get to choose your voice.)

Mainly because there is not enough variance in the SR character in terms of story and progression... You can be a 200 pounds woman or a dark green man, but the story is the same regardless and there is no real other way to play it than the sociopath but charismatic killing machine. You get some options with the voice and the game reacts to it in some places, but they are all in service of an established story and personality...

 

[happyninja42]

And to be frank, no one seemed to have an issue with the voiced protagonist of the Saints Row games, which is also billed as a 'blank slate' character in an open-world game. (Although perhaps the main difference there is that you actually get to choose your voice.)

Mainly because there is not enough variance in the SR character in terms of story and progression... You can be a 200 pounds woman or a dark green man, but the story is the same regardless and there is no real other way to play it than the sociopath but charismatic killing machine. You get some options with the voice and the game reacts to it in some places, but they are all in service of an established story and personality...

I don't see how what you just said couldn't also be applied to the FO 4 character. You're still either the mother/father of Shaun, and still motivated to go save your kid. And given the linear dialogue choices in the game (meaning they all end up at the same conversation conclusion, with minimal variation), you're still just as streamline as the SR character.

 

[Halla Burrica]

Yup, I was right to think that the voiced character would not be a strong point. You see that Steve!? I wasn't being paranoid!!!
I think a good example of what a better version of that type of main character can be found in Mass Effect with Commander Shepard. S/he has a specific past and a concrete goal throughout the entire story, with the player given the reins to how s/he goes about accomplishing that goal and how s/he acts toward the rest of the world, which in turn helps Shepard become a more fleshed out character without ceasing to be a player avatar. It's not perfect, there are times when s/he would take leaps from what the dialogue option implied would be said, and sometimes Shepard would just go on autopilot (especially in ME3, I mean holy shit) like we're playing the goddamned Witcher.
I'm not surprised at all that he didn't use Mass Effect as an example though, since he actively dislikes (possibly even hates) most of the Mass Effect franchise.

 

[Halla Burrica]

The PC in Fallout 4 is voiced for the same reason Fallout 3 was in first person, why all the animations look like puppets with their strings cut, why the settlement mechanic exists as a replacement for towns rather than building a base of your own, why their games still use the Gamebyro "engine".

Bethesda are idiots.

They see other games mechanics, rip them off, and have no idea why they were there in the first place. So they end up being worse than the originals.

Out of curiosity, I just want to ask how many years you have been dishing out bile and condemnation towards Bethesda on this site. I haven't even been here that long, but to me you've already become a kind of cartoon character here, like the old timer who mainly sits in his chair outside and angrily raises his fist at those "damn kids" who go skateboarding. Only you're raving about those "damn Bethesda empolyees" who make games. Again, not trying to start some kind of discussion here, just curious (I don't think there would be much of a discussion even if one was started).

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

That problem mentioned in the article about the first boss reminds me massively of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. When you wpend hours creating a stealthy hacking pacifist only to be thrown into a tiny arena with a juggernaught and nowhwere to hide... Horrid.

I actually did this too... I started with a character in Fallout 4 with high levels of perception, luck and charisma. Next was Intelligence and I didn't even put a single extra point in Strength or Endurance. After a few hours of gameplay I found how bad this was and that I was dying. A lot. Instead of restarting I just have been pouring points into Strength and Endurance. Now it is playable again (albeit I have to be really careful with my tactics) but I have an extremely low ammount of Perks. I'd love to be able to hack and pick locks better, or be able to breathe underwater, or unlock better mods with Gun Nut and Science, or be able to set up supply lines between settlements, or find more caps/get better deals in shops... but I can't. I have been solely having to rectify my poor early decision.

To the actual topic now, the voice acting, something that annoys me is my characters rediculous way of starting conversations. Why, with my high charisma and intelligence, my clean striped suit and pompadaur combo do I start conversations with people by clearing my throat next to them? How damn rude! And why do I miraculously know half the population's names even though I was frozen their entire lives and have never met them before? Can my character read their names as I hover the curser on them too?

 

[Frankster]

"they oblige me to roleplay as the stupidest person in the entire wasteland"

Suddenly Fo4 makes a lot sense to me now... It explains so many stupid in character moments, really you're rping as a dude with 1 int.. Of course then I remember the pc can be a certified power armor mechanic and tinkerer so can't be that dumb..
Bleh no matter what it makes no sense!

Also Bethesda as mad scientists...They are the institute D:

Guess that makes CD project the Brotherhood of Steel, Obsidian is the railroad and the minutemen are the modding community.

 

[Kstarler]

I have to disagree on the issue of a voiced protagonist in Fallout 4. I have not completed the main story yet, but so far all of my story engagements have been far more effective than in previous Bethesda entries. I should add that I was very skeptical about the whole VO thing when it was announced. I remember an article from Forbes shortly after the trailer came out claiming a voiced protagonist is an absolute necessity for a good game, and that really got my hackles up. However, it seems to me that this argument falls apart on two fronts.

One: The tool kit hasn't even come out yet, and there are already at least two serious "No Voice" mods available at NexusMods (and one that adds fart noises in place of dialogue), one of which came out on the 11th of November. Unless I missed a follow up from Bethesda, they announced that modding will be possible on all platforms, not just PC this time around. So, while you may have to wait a bit, there will definitely be some well made mods that remove the main character's voice, and I'm sure they will also fix conversation camera angles to correct for the lack of a voiced dialogue if they don't already. To possibly abuse an axiom, it is better to have a voice and not need it (for those that prefer a silent protagonist), than to want a voice and not have it (for those that prefer a voiced character).

The programming solution: Have more than one VO per gender, and/or give players the option to toggle it. I agree with the immediate counter argument that devs shouldn't rely on modders to fix their games.

Two: It seems like Shamus shot this one down himself when he brought up Skyrim. Poor conversational logic is an issue for Bethesda and non-Bethesda games, whether there's a PC VO or not. There are plenty of examples of NPCs reacting poorly to lines delivered by the silent protagonist. The situation that seems omnipresent in cRPGs is the missing "Lie" option for every dialogue choice, and the lack of follow up from a companion that disliked the option you picked earlier. "Oh, you were lying to the bad guy when you agreed to help him? I was totally wrong when I yelled at you back in camp." If someone knows of a cRPG that this type of thing would happen in, please let me know, because I haven't come across one yet, but I'm aware that my scope is limited.

The same can be said for unavoidably stupid situations that the player is placed in because the conversation can only end in one way. That is a programming issue, sure, but certainly every cRPG that I've ever played has at least one moment like this. The only way to avoid it is to not play cRPG's at all, and stick to pen and paper/tabletop gaming, where your programmer is directly involved with your gaming experience. Even then, you still have to find a GM/DM that you like.

The programming solution: Stick to game devs you like, because this can't really be fixed without some drastic leaps in video game technology. Also, support the devs/modders that you think are capable of making these leaps happen; I know I do.

TLR - Mods can/will fix the VO if it's an issue for you, a VO doesn't make/break bad conversation programming, and these problems exist in all past and current cRPGs.

 

[Rornicus]

Completely disagree. There is no excuse for a silent protagonist anymore in AAA games really. Finally characters can have actual conversations instead of interactions with service number computer labyrinths. I love the other Fallout games but going back to it now and being a completely mute character takes away a lot from the immersion. I like to actually roleplay and not just insert myself into the character.

Exactly. I like the voice acting and the options and find it far far more immersive than those silent protagonists of previous games, but even if I didn't I'd just install the inevitable mod that removes the protagonist voices in a few weeks and use the one that's already come out for the extended options. People that want a completely mute character and verbose dialog choices will get both before long, but if Fallout 4 did not have voiced protagonists those people would be the ONLY ones satisfied instead of literally EVERYONE. Having voiced protagonists gives more options for the player to tailor the game to their tastes with mods than not having them, it's that simple.

So it is not acceptable for AAA games to have mute characters, but it is acceptable for that same AAA game to expect the modding community to fix a basic issue like "telling you what your character is going to say"? Or maybe even the native option to disable the protag's voice?

Regardless of if you like the VA or not, your comments don't make any sense on the expectations.

 

[immortalfrieza]

Completely disagree. There is no excuse for a silent protagonist anymore in AAA games really. Finally characters can have actual conversations instead of interactions with service number computer labyrinths. I love the other Fallout games but going back to it now and being a completely mute character takes away a lot from the immersion. I like to actually roleplay and not just insert myself into the character.

Exactly. I like the voice acting and the options and find it far far more immersive than those silent protagonists of previous games, but even if I didn't I'd just install the inevitable mod that removes the protagonist voices in a few weeks and use the one that's already come out for the extended options. People that want a completely mute character and verbose dialog choices will get both before long, but if Fallout 4 did not have voiced protagonists those people would be the ONLY ones satisfied instead of literally EVERYONE. Having voiced protagonists gives more options for the player to tailor the game to their tastes with mods than not having them, it's that simple.

So it is not acceptable for AAA games to have mute characters, but it is acceptable for that same AAA game to expect the modding community to fix a basic issue like "telling you what your character is going to say"? Or maybe even the native option to disable the protag's voice?

Regardless of if you like the VA or not, your comments don't make any sense on the expectations.

Of course what I said makes perfect sense, what doesn't is the expectation from people like you that the ones making these games MUST bend over backwards to satisfy every single gamer in existence. Voiced protagonists and short 2 word descriptions of the dialog options is what Bethesda decided to do over the time they spent making Fallout 4 to cater to a particular audience, and left modders to add in whatever else the community might want, as was practical to do.

EVERYBODY without exception is getting what they want before long, yet somehow there are still people that are for no reason complaining about an issue that only exists in their own heads because they don't care to be a little patient, many of which would be whining just because both exist in the game in the first place even if protagonist voices and short dialog options were entirely optional from day one.

 

[Flames66]

This looks like it is going to be a major problem for me. Fortunately I just checked the nexus and there is already a mod to remove the dialogue. It won't fix all the resources wasted on having a voiced protagonist, but I will help significantly with immersion.

To answer the question specifically: Because it adds to immersion.

And to be frank, no one seemed to have an issue with the voiced protagonist of the Saints Row games, which is also billed as a 'blank slate' character in an open-world game. (Although perhaps the main difference there is that you actually get to choose your voice.)

I had a problem with it. The voiced protagonist kept doing and saying things that made no sense to how I was playing the character. It wasn't as bad because it was a silly game with a hilarious cockney voice.

Because they've always said stuff and now there's just a voice behind them? What kind of question is that? You know you can skip it like in every game prior right?

That breaks immersion even more, a killer in an RPG.

The voices in my head are always better.

I prefer my character - if it's going to be *mine* and isn't already a pre-designed personality - to be silent with more options for things to say. That said, I like pre-designed characters to have voices and good voice acting for the emotions of what they say.

In either case - better writing is absolutely a needed thing in all the games I've played lately. Not just dialog, but overall.

I do hate not being told exactly what choice I'm making to say too - voiced or unvoiced. The "general short idea" is almost never what I'd imagined it was when it comes out of the character's mouth.

I agree completely. I cannot stand it if the text for what I am going to say is not EXACTLY the same as what I actually say.

 

[Nimcha]

Completely disagree. There is no excuse for a silent protagonist anymore in AAA games really. Finally characters can have actual conversations instead of interactions with service number computer labyrinths. I love the other Fallout games but going back to it now and being a completely mute character takes away a lot from the immersion. I like to actually roleplay and not just insert myself into the character.

But you aren't roleplaying. The writer and the voice actor are doing it all for you.

If you think that you're not really interested in roleplaying but rather self-insertion.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Interesting. Was expecting to see arguments on both sides of the fence here, but I seem to be the only one on this side, so I'll just smile, nod, and go back to enjoying the game as is.

You're not. I enjoy hearing my character, seeing as I was never the type to either try and project MYSELF in RPGs or to spend the game's length re-framing every single interaction and action taken in the back of my mind, so they conform with whatever personality I would've imagined.

I'm playing as what I imagine as more of an Army engineer than a soldier - lots of sneaking and carefully taking VATS potshots, very little free aim and actual FPS gameplay. If there's a Protectron or a turret I can exploit, I do. Environmental damage is a strategic asset in my current playthrough, seeing as I'm barely starting to buff my initially low Perception score.

The voice seems to fit, honestly. I'm not a rifle-toting hardass, I'm not constantly emotionally torn by my loss - not when there's immediate survival to focus on, as well as the well-being of wasteland settlers I've taken under my wing.

The voice acting is really terrible, I hate the main character. It's especially awful in "emotional" moments where you have no choice but to have your character be totally into it. I should be allowed to play a psycho who doesn't give a rat's ass about finding her dumbass baby, but no. The replay value is going to be much lower than previous fallouts.

Oh. Because playing someone who possibly forgets his or her loss right off the bat and goes off on a murder spree at your leisure isn't enough?

Besides, this isn't Fallout 3, where you had the choice between the Goody-two-Shoes Brotherhood of Steel and America's Evil Twin, the Enclave. The choices you make are a lot less black-and-white. Realistically, a Vault Dweller who just goes Trevor Phillips right off the bat wouldn't last long. Like New Vegas, there's a lot of spots that just aren't conducive to wandering there aimlessly and at a low level.

You're not a whirlwind of destruction, you're the Man or Woman out of Time. You're kind of meant to feel like you're out of your depth at times.

 

[happyninja42]

Interesting. Was expecting to see arguments on both sides of the fence here, but I seem to be the only one on this side, so I'll just smile, nod, and go back to enjoying the game as is.

You're not. I enjoy hearing my character, seeing as I was never the type to either try and project MYSELF in RPGs or to spend the game's length re-framing every single interaction and action taken in the back of my mind, so they conform with whatever personality I would've imagined.

I'm playing as what I imagine as more of an Army engineer than a soldier - lots of sneaking and carefully taking VATS potshots, very little free aim and actual FPS gameplay. If there's a Protectron or a turret I can exploit, I do. Environmental damage is a strategic asset in my current playthrough, seeing as I'm barely starting to buff my initially low Perception score.

The voice seems to fit, honestly. I'm not a rifle-toting hardass, I'm not constantly emotionally torn by my loss - not when there's immediate survival to focus on, as well as the well-being of wasteland settlers I've taken under my wing.

See, I don't mind self insertion in most games, and freely admit it's something that I frequently look for in a game. But I also don't mind just coming up with my own new story for a character either. Like my second playthrough of FO 4 is going to be the Ghoul Reaver playthrough. Going to max out Endurance, take all the stuff that lets me be self sustaining in the field (Life Giver regen perk, Solar Powered entire tree, Ghoul perks, etc) and just roam the world like a feral. Any time that there is a radstorm, I'm going to go into a frenzy and just start attacking whatever's around me. I wont take supplies from anyone, becuase I wont need them, as I'll just keep myself healed up with the perks. And just have fun roaming the land, being a terror to everyone. xD That playthrough has nothing to do with the dialogue system though. But then, it's not like a text only dialogue system would allow me to roleplay that idea either.

 

[kenu12345]

Completely disagree. There is no excuse for a silent protagonist anymore in AAA games really. Finally characters can have actual conversations instead of interactions with service number computer labyrinths. I love the other Fallout games but going back to it now and being a completely mute character takes away a lot from the immersion. I like to actually roleplay and not just insert myself into the character.

But you aren't roleplaying. The writer and the voice actor are doing it all for you.

If you think that you're not really interested in roleplaying but rather self-insertion.

I really don't see how what you said relates to what he was saying since he didn't mention self insertion and thats just an assumption on your part