Petike the Taffer
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Posts posted by Petike the Taffer
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2 hours ago, Destined said:
I have read some time ago (or maybe someone told me? I forgot) that the current American accent is actually closer to the old British one than the current British accent, because it had less development compared to the English language in Great Britain. So, if you want an accent that is close to older English, you would have to use a North American accent.
Yes, it is. The US and Canadian vocabulary also includes some traditional English and overall British terms that have become antiquated in the UK or shifted meaning since (the word "fall", for autumn, is a famous example of a now-antiquated-in-the-UK term). The high amount of "surname surname" style names in the US and Canada, to this day (whereas very rare now in the UK), is a consequence of a 16th-18th century fad (mainly among the English) to give sons personal names based on the maiden surnames of their mothers (in order to "preserve them", symbolically, even after marriage). Hence, even nowadays, you can have guys named Harrison Ford, and so on. That old tradition simply stuck for longer in North America, among some other antiquated-in-Europe elements of English. Also, the North American accents are not entirely identical to early modern English. They are just far closer-sounding, even today, than the phonetics of more standard forms of British English. The regional dialects of British English often still have a lot of the traditional pronunciation and accent elements that were taken to the New World centuries ago and evolved separately. I've heard a lot of the New Englander accents evolved from southern English local accents, heard among the early colonists, and were also influenced by later Scottish English, to a degree. The Texan accent, in turn, was apparently at least somewhat influenced by the Somerset regional accent from the southwest, among others.
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6 hours ago, NeonsStyle said:
The main reason I think it shouldn't be North American/Canadian is because the game is based in Europe. One of the British accents would
fit better I think. We are talking Medieval, and America wasn't discovered at that time, so it really doesn't fit the period. I've nothing against
Americans of course. I love that country, though not the current leadership lol.
As for What is a Jewish Accent. This is what I meant. It's very stereotypical.
Loads of the vocal sets already have male voices with a North American accent. Especially the guards, if you listen to them.
The New World has also been discovered in the TDM world, but that's besides the point. It's still a fantasy setting, so some anachronisms are tolerable. They have magic and an early industrial revolution, which is already ahistorical. (The North American accent thing for some characters is a homage to Thief.)
I'd prefer a British accent for the Schemer. The British accent itself is unlike what an early modern English accent would sound like. Even Elizabethan era commoner English, like the sort Shakespeare used to a great extent, sounds quite unlike a modern British accent. A lot of the puns don't work in a modern British accent, due to different pronunciation ! Go back two hundred years earlier and you'll get lost even in Chaucer's relatively understandable Middle English.
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So, already a few weeks ago, I started writing a Pagan vocal script concept. I took the master template for new VS-s, wrote down ideas already brainstormed on the side, then read closely through the VS to see where some would fit, and what other lines I could insert and expand upon. I try to keep the lines short and snappy, but interesting enough.
Before I even started, I read all the past discussions on this topic, made notes of other peoples' existing suggestions. Just to have a point of comparison, both for what I might try for my script, and for what I wouldn't (because it would not fit tonally).
Much has been discussed on how to avoid making the Pagan characters sound like caricatures, either in speech style, or in overdone references to nature/deities/etc. They're not meant to be "New Age tree-hugger hippies", they're meant to be realistic-sounding individuals. As The Dark Mod's lore includes nuances such as Pagans being not only some yet-untamed "barbarian" tribesmen outside of the Empire, but also some hidden Pagans among the commoners in cities/towns and villages/rural hamlets, I had to account for that while putting together the script. You'll see more of my rationale once I expand this post in the near future, when I have the concept script fully ready. For the time being, let's just say I tried to avoid too many overt references to nature and pre-Builder folk religion.
Ergo, as it wouldn't make sense for an urban Pagan from the City's narrow alleys and slums to talk about, e.g. mighty stags on a forest meadow (or something like that), I try to make any and all nature references more down-to-earth and subtle. Example, AI alerted and searching for a hiding tresspasser: "Where have you scurried to, little mouse ? Where, oh where, have you scurried to ?" No diminutives, no plant and magic references in every second word, but you still have this vague indication the guy in question might be more of a nature-worshipper in private than a Builder monotheist. (Not that Builder-faithful wouldn't have an appreciation for nature, it's just that the views of it would differ somewhat, on a psychological/cultural level.) There are some lines about spirits or natural forces and so on too, but most of the other lines are such that they could work for any commoner in a rural or urban setting.
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This entire vocal script concept is readable below. For the sake of quicker readability, I have divided the entire overview with the use of spoilers, based on the sections of the vocal script.
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BASIC INFORMATION ON THE VOCAL SCRIPT ("Pagan male / Tribesman")
SpoilerLine Title: ["sound def name"]
Actor direction
filename, "example line" x suggested # of lines
Total Lines: approx 270 (including grunts and coughs)
Sound files should be in .wav format, mono, 44100 project rate,
=================================================================================================
Tone and Attitude
Dialogue should be generally modern, North American English, but with a slight renaissance flavour. The more educated the character, the more renaissance-speak is appropriate. Avoid modern-sounding words and phrases (eg, "What's up?" "Roger that" or "I'm going to kick your ass"). But at the same time, this isn't Shakespeare--the dialogue has to sound fairly natural to modern English speakers.
AI Characters
In order to create a variety of character types, vocal sets will be created for various "characters". A character, in this sense, is a distinctive voice, personality, and way of speaking.
„Pagan man / Tribesman“ – poorly educated and rural; refers to old gods and mystical beliefs; or a member of one of the remote tribes still untamed by The Empire
AI STATES: Relaxed
SpoilerRelaxed, Idle: ["snd_relaxed"]
You're relaxed and going about your regular business. You aren’t expecting any trouble. You’re talking to yourself, so lines should be muttered in a low tone of voice, and punctuated with sighs, pauses and mumbling.
idle01 "*sigh* A few more hours to go…." x10
Throat clearing/ coughs x3
Sighs x2 (you’ve had a long day)
Humming and/or whistling an idle tune x2
Sneeze x1
Relaxed, Armed: ["snd_relaxed"]
You're an armed character, probably a guard on patrol. You’re not expecting any trouble, but are ready to defend yourself if necessary. You are muttering to yourself about your shift or other combat-related concerns.
idle_guard01 "Oh. This guard duty isn’t as fun as I thought.” x2
idle_guard02 *brief sigh* "Why do I always have to end up doing guard duty ?”
Sleeping: ["snd_sleeping" ]
You're fast asleep and dreaming. A few snores, maybe a mumbled word or two.
sleeping01 x2
sleeping02 *snoring* „Mmm... tasty mead...“ *snoring*
Reacting to World: ["snd_reaction" ] ["snd_state3"]
You are relaxed, and have just looked at something non-suspicious, like a book, or a playing card, or your reflection in a mirror. You make a grunt or comment, either pleased or not. Currently these lines are used primarily for AI playing cards—they make a comment after looking at their new card. They should be delivered without too much emotion.
reaction01 “Argh...” [annoyed] x4
AI STATES: Alert
These barks are meant to tell the player that the AI has seen or heard something.
SpoilerObservant: ["snd_alert1" ] ["snd_notice_generic"]
You notice something subtle but aren’t sure what it is. Doesn't seem like anything serious. You are talking to yourself, so you should not be particularly loud and may trail off.
to_observant01 "Hm?" x4
Observe a Sound: ["snd_alert1h" ]
Same as above, only these lines refer specifically to a sound.
to_observant_heard01 "Whaaa... (cut short) Some... rustling ?"
to_observant_heard02 "What is that ?!" x2
Observe a Sight: ["snd_alert1s"]
Same as above, only these lines refer specifically to seeing something.
to_observant_saw01 "Huh... Did I see something?" x2
Notice Something: ["snd_alert3" ]
You notice something suspicious, and it caught your attention enough to warrant going over to check it out. You’re still not sure what it is, and you’re still mostly talking to yourself, but you're less casual now.
to_searching01 "What's that over there?" x4
Notice A Sound: ["snd_alert3h" ]
As above, you hear something loud enough to make you want to investigate.
to_searching_heard01 "What or who made that noise?" x2
to_searching_heard02 "If this is one of your foolish jokes..."
Notice A Sight: ["snd_alert3s" ]
As above, you see a brief motion in the shadows. Better check it out just in case.
to_searching_saw01 "What's that in the shadows….? “ x2
Notice A Sound, with company: ["snd_alert3hc" ]
You're with friends and you hear something loud enough to make you want to investigate, even though it’s probably nothing serious.
searching_heard_company01 "What ! Did you hear that ?!" x2
Notice A Sight, with company: ["snd_alert3sc" ]
You're with friends and you see a brief motion in the shadows. Probably nothing, but you should investigate.
searching_saw_company01 "By the spirits ! Did you see that ?" x2
Settling Down: ["snd_alertdown0" ]
You noticed something, but you haven’t found anything to worry about. It was probably nothing, and you’re going back to whatever you were doing. These lines are muttered to yourself.
alertdown_to_idle01 "Hmmm, nothing now...." x3
Settling Down after hearing something: ["snd_alertdown0h" ]
As above, but lines refer to hearing. Whatever it was is gone now. Go back to your business.
alertdown_to_idle_heard01 "The spirits were playing tricks on me."
alertdown_to_idle_heard02 "Naah, it was... nothing. (beat) I hope."
alertdown_to_idle_heard03 "Maybe a real mouse after all. It already scurried away."
Settling Down after seeing something: ["snd_alertdown0s" ]
As above, but lines refer to seeing. You caught a glimpse of something moving, but it appears to be nothing. Moving on.
alertdown_to_idle_saw01 "A trick of the light and the shadows." x2
Settling Down after noticing something suspicious: ["snd_alertdown0sus"]
You saw something suspicious---an open door or a rope hanging down--and have searched the area. You can't find any intruder, but you're sure something is afoot. These lines are muttered to yourself.
alertdown_to_idle_suspicious01 "Hm. No one, then. I’ll stay watchful." x2
alertdown_to_idle_suspicious02 "No one after all. But I’ll be ready for any rat that dares intrude."
Alerted by Something: ["snd_alert4NoEvidence"]
You notice something that makes it clear that there's someone there, but you don't know exactly who they are. You don’t know for sure that there’s a threat, but you’re all business now, and your lines are directed to the mystery figure in the shadows.
to_agitated_searching_noevidence01 “Let’s not have any trouble…come on out so I can see you.” x4
Alerted by Intruder: ["snd_alert4" ]
You suddenly see or hear something that makes it clear there’s someone there, and you already have enough evidence to know that it’s an intruder. These lines are an aggressive challenge to the hiding enemy.
to_agitated_searching01 "Enough ! Who goes there?!"
to_agitated_searching02 "Hey ! Who’s sneaking about ?!"
to_agitated_searching03 "Argh ! Maybe you’re no mouse, but a rat..."
Idle, On Guard: ["snd_alert_idle" ]
You've seen an intruder or been told that there is one. You're on your regular patrol, but you’re no longer relaxed. You’ve got your weapon out, and you’re ready for trouble at a moment’s notice. You’re muttering to yourself.
alert_idle01 "I fear no intruder." x2
alert_idle02 "Spirits help those who dare cross my path !"
AI STATES: Searching
SpoilerSearching for Someone: ["snd_state4SeenNoEvidence" ]
You’ve seen or heard enough to know that there’s someone around here, hiding. It might not be a threat, but if they’re hiding, then they’re obviously up to no good. You’re looking around for them. These lines are stern and generally directed at the hiding figure.
searching_no_evidence01 "Where have you scurried to, little mouse ?"
searching_no_evidence02 *mild creepy laugh* "Little mouse... Where, oh where, have you scurried to ?"
searching_no_evidence03 "I am patient. The spirits will guide me to you."
Searching for Someone with company: ["snd_state4SeenNoEvidence_c" ]
As above, but you're with friends.
"The hunt has begun, we search for our prey." x1
"Scurry around, little mouse, but we will find you." x1
"We are great trackers. There’s no escape." x1
Give Orders to Friends ["snd_giveOrder"]
You're searching for someone when friends arrive. Give them something to do.
"Psht. Have a look there." x2
"Go look there, friend. We’ll find that rat." x1
Giving up after search: ["snd_alertdown0SeenNoEvidence" ]
You’re pretty sure you saw somebody, but you've searched around and can't find anyone. This bark is played as you give up the search. You still don’t know for sure that it was an intruder, but you are pretty annoyed. You’re talking to yourself.
alertdown_to_idle_no_evidence01 "Fools and their mischief..." x2
Agitated Searching: ["snd_state4SeenEvidence" ]
You know for sure there is an intruder around, and you’re looking for him. You’re deadly serious now. Your lines are directed at the intruder himself.
searching_evidence01 "No hollow or hiding place will save you." x1
searching_evidence02 "I have the eyes of a hawk, don’t think I won’t see you." x1
searching_evidence03 "Don’t be afraid... Come out of your hiding place." x1
searching_evidence04 "I mean you no harm. (more sinisterly) Be brave and come out." x1
searching_evidence05 "Come into the light, you foolish thing. There’s no hinding from me." x1
searching_evidence06 "The mighty spirits are on my side ! You won’t get away !" x1
searching_evidence07 "Be a man, and show yourself ! I am starting to tire of your foolish games..."
Agitated Searching with company: ["snd_state4SeenEvidence_c" ]
As above, but you're with friends. Your lines are either directed at the intruder or suggestions for your comrades.
"You search there, I’ll go smoke out that rat over here!" x1
"Some hunting practice, friend. We’ll show our prey..." x1
"Fool of a man ! Do you really think you can get away ?!" x2
"Scurry around all you like, your pelt and skin are our’s." x1
"Foolish, foolish, little prey... The hunters are on your trail..." (brief laugh) x1
Agitated Searching, unarmed: ["snd_state4SeenEvidence" ]
You know for sure there is an intruder around, and you’re looking for him. You're unarmed though, so you’re not really sure you want to find him. You’re directing the lines at the intruder, and you should sound somewhat uncertain.
searching_evidence_civilian01 “Hey, I know someone is hiding here…what do you want?” x4
Giving up after Agitated Search: ["snd_alertdown0SeenEvidence" ]
You have confirmed there is an intruder but he's given you the slip. You've searched for him, but haven't been able to find him. You're giving up for now but you aren't letting your guard down. These lines are primarily delivered in a frustrated tone of voice.
alertdown_to_idle_seen_evidence01 "Blasted rat ! He has scurried away..." x2
Giving up after Agitated Search, unarmed: ["snd_alertdown0SeenEvidence" ]
You know there’s an intruder around, and you looked for him and didn’t find anyone. You don’t have a weapon, so you are rather relieved that you don’t have to deal with an armed criminal.
alertdown_to_idle_seen_evidence_civilian01 “Whatever it was, it has left. Good !” x3
alertdown_to_idle_seen_evidence_civilian02 "It is gone... Spirits protect me from bad luck.” x1
Joining a Search: ["snd_helpSearch"]
You find some friends already searching for an intruder. You join them.
"An intruder ?! I will help you search, friends." x1
Ask for Help: ***** No Def Currently ****
You’re in trouble; you found a guard and are telling him to come with you.
"Quickly, quickly ! You’re the better warrior !" x1
Return with Help: ***** No Def Currently ****
You’re not equipped to fight, so you ran away from the intruder, got help, and came back. The intruder is still here, so you point him out.
gotten_help01 "See, just like I told you. Get him!" x1
Return too late with Help: ***** No Def Currently ****
You went and got help, but by the time you got back the intruder was gone. You’re flustered and upset.
gotten_help_gone01 "He was right here…look sharp, he’s probably hiding!" x1
COMBAT AND PURSUIT
SpoilerSpotted the Intruder, armed: ["snd_to_combat"] ["snd_to_combat_monster"]
You have come face to face with the intruder. You are pulling out your weapon and getting ready to charge. These lines are shouted to the intruder.
to_combat01 "Lay down your arms and give up. There is honour in defeat." x5
Spotted the Intruder, armed, with company: ["snd_to_combat_company"] ["snd_to_combat_company_monster"]
You have spotted the intruder and are getting ready to charge. Luckily, you have some friends with you.
to_combat_company01 "Hark ! Look, friends ! A thieving magpie!" x2
Spotted the Intruder with a body, armed: ["snd_spotted_player_with_body" ]
You see the intruder, and he’s carrying a body! The fiend!
spotted_player_with_body01 "Who have you slain, foul rat !!! Drop them or drop dead!" x1
Spotted the Intruder, unarmed: ["snd_to_flee" ]
You have spotted the intruder. Oh no! He’s got a whole bunch of weapons, and you don’t have any! You are panicking and getting ready to run, and are yelling for help.
to_flee_civilian01 "Help, there's an intruder!" x3
Lost Player after Pursuit: ["snd_lostTrackOfEnemy" ]
You are chasing the intruder when suddenly he disappears. How did that happen? He can’t be far.
lost_track_of_enemy01 “Hey! Now where did you go?” x3
Hit by Arrow: ["snd_taking_fire" ]
You’ve been hit by an arrow from an unseen foe. You’re hurt and angry. You might be calling out for help or shouting at your attacker.
hit_by_arrow01 “I do not fear your cowardly barbs, you rat ! Come out !!!” x2
Running Away: ["snd_flee" ]
You’re unarmed and are running away as fast as you can, but the intruder is coming after you! This is life or death, so you’re shouting in panic to anyone who can hear you.
flee01 "Aid me, friends ! Aid me!" x2
Running Away, hurt: ["snd_flee" ]
You’re armed and have been badly wounded by the intruder. You’re running away as fast as you can, yelling for help or begging for mercy.
flee_hurt01 “You are the greater warrior ! You’ve bested me..." x3
Running Away, event: ["snd_to_flee_event" ]
You've seen something terrible, like a man killed right in front of you, and you're running away.
to_flee_event01 "Arh, the spirits do not favour me today!" x2
Coming to Assist: ["snd_assistFriend" ] (is this used?)
A friend of yours is in a fight and you are on your way to help them. You call out to let them know you're coming.
assist_friend01 "I'm running to you, friend! We will fight side by side!" x2
Fighting: ["snd_combat_melee"]
You're locked in deadly combat with an intruder. These lines are delivered as you swing your weapon, so should be quick and full of a sense of action.
combat_melee01 Generic combat grunts (“hyaarh!”) x5
Fighting, winning: ["snd_combat_hit_player" ]
You are locked in combat with the intruder, and have just bashed him with your weapon. You take a moment to taunt your opponent. These need to be said quickly, as the fight is still going on.
combat_hit_player01 "The spirits shall guide thee to the underworld !" x3
Fighting, winning, with company: ["snd_combat_hit_player_company" ]
As above, but you have friends in the fight.
combat_hit_player_company01 "Rest, my friends ! I have slain this little rat!" x1
Fighting, losing: ["snd_combat_blocked_by_player"]
You are locked in combat with the intruder, and he has just hit or blocked you. You realize this might not be as easy as you thought. These lines should be short.
tdm_ai_pro_combat_blocked_by_player01 “Oh, ha, ha ! Brave, but hardly a warrior !” x3
Pain: ["snd_pain_small"] ["snd_pain_large"]
Something just hurt you. Ouch!
tdm_ai_pro_pain_small01-03 Small grunts (“ow!”) x3
tdm_ai_pro_pain_large01-03 Serious pain (“Aaaaiieee!”) x3
Throw Something at Intruder: ["combat_throw"]
The intruder is visible, but you can’t get to him. You're angry and throw something.
combat_throw01 "Feast on this !" x2
Shoot Arrow: ["combat_ranged"]
You're an archer, shooting arrows at the intruder.
combat_archer01 "Barb, take flight…." x1
Frustrated: ["snd_cantReachTarget"] ["snd_cantReachTargetMonster"]
The intruder is out of reach (such as standing on a stack of crates or across a chasm) and you can't reach him. You don’t have anything to throw at the moment.
enemy_out_of_reach01 "You think you're safe there? Come here and fight me!" x2
Killed Intruder: ["snd_killed_enemy"] ["snd_killed_monster"]
You’ve won the fight. Taunt the intruder as he lays dying at your feet. Make sure at least one line can be used for non-human opponents.
killed_enemy01 “Ha ! You’re no warrior !” x3
Die, Quiet: ["snd_knockout" ]
You didn’t see it coming, but someone just hit you from behind and took you down. Make a grunt, but as the name suggests, it's kind of quiet.
die_quiet_1 "UNH" x3
Die, Loud: ["snd_death" ]
You’ve just been killed in battle by an armed intruder. These lines should be start with a loud scream of pain, then sputter your dying words (if any).
die_loud01 "ARGHAHHRGGHRGR" x3
Die, Drowning ["snd_death_liquid"]
You've drowned. Gurgle.
drown01 "gurgle" x1
Blinded: ["snd_blinded" ]
You have been blinded by a flash of light.
blinded01 "Ah, by the spirits ! What rotten sorcery is this ! My eyeees !" x1
Hit By the Player No Damage: ["snd_failed_knockout" ]
The player tried to blackjack you but failed. What an idiot.
failed_ko01 "Umpf... Ha, ha ! A measly little club in your hand !" x1
Gassed: ["snd_airGasp"]
You have been caught in knockout gas. Cough, sputter and pass out. This should be quick--a second or two at most (it's fast gas).
cough_noair01 "..cough cough" x1
FINDING EVIDENCE
You have found or observed something that looks out of place. You aren't seeing or hearing the intruder directly, but something that might be a sign that one was here earlier.
SpoilerFind Something Suspicious: ["snd_foundSuspiciousItem" ]
You’ve noticed something unusual, like a rope hanging from a rafter, or a knocked over chair. You can’t immediately assume there’s an intruder, but you’re sure something is not right. You’re talking to yourself.
find_something_suspicious01 "Hmmm. Strange. Odd. Odd." x4
Find a Weapon: ["snd_foundWeapon" ]
There is a weapon lying on the ground. People generally don’t leave their weapons around for no reason, so you’re suspicious.
find_weapon01 "Some fellow believer or heathen forgot this here…" x2
Find a Door Open: ["snd_foundOpenDoor"]
There is a door open that shouldn't be. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything, but maybe it does.
notice_door01 "Open ? Who left it like that..." x2
Find Lights Off: ["snd_foundLightsOff" ]
The lights are off, and they shouldn't be. Strange. References should suit any type of light.
notice_lights01 "How odd. It still shone bright a moment ago." x3
Find Lights Out, Flame: ["snd_foundTorchOut" ]
You notice a torch or candle that should be lit has gone out. You're only mildly suspicious.
notice_lights_flame01 "Ah, the spirits like playing games with their breath..." x3
Relight light: ["snd_yesRelightTorch" ]
You’ve found a a light that is off, and you decide to relight it. Should not refer to type of light, as it could be electric or torch.
relighting01 "Spirits, calm yourselves. I only need to spark a little light." x2
Refuse to relight light: ["snd_noRelightTorch"]
You’ve found a light that is off, but you have no intention of relighting it. Should not refer to type of light.
not_relighting01 "Oh, I’m too tired… Not going to let the spirits play their larks on me..." x2
Find Blood: ["snd_foundBlood"]
There is blood on the floor. There has obviously been a fight of some kind. This is serious. These lines are said to yourself.
notice_blood01 "Blood?! Is this some hunt... or a manhunt ?” x1
Find Body, generic: ["snd_foundUnconsciousMale"] ["snd_foundUnconsciousFemale"]
You find a body on the ground. There is no obvious sign of trauma, so you’re not sure what has happened. You're calling to your friends about your find. Some lines should be generic, without reference to gender.
notice_body_generic01 "Wounded ! Herbs needed ! Healers, muster!" x2
notice_body_female01 "A woman is hurt, she needs healing!" x1
notice_body_male01 "A man wounded ! Any healers around ?" x1
Find Corpse: ["snd_foundDeadMale"] ["snd_foundDeadFemale"]
You find the body of someone who is obviously dead. You are shocked and/or angry and are yelling an alarm. Some lines should not refer to gender.
notice_corpse01 "Slain! Someone has drawn blood !" x2
notice_corpse_female01 "Ah... dead! Innocent blood, slain!" x1
notice_corpse_male01 "Foul murder! Some filthy rat had killer him!" x1
Find Corpse, Comrade: ["snd_foundComradeBody"] *** is this team based? ***
You find a comrade of yours, murdered. You are outraged. You call out a warning to your allies, or a threat to the one who did this.
notice_corpse_friend01 "Some rotten rat or magpie had slaughtered our fellow folk ! They’ll regret being born !" x1
Find Pocket Picked: ["snd_notice_pickpocket"] *** not currently used ***
You had something on your belt, and now it's gone! Did you drop it?
notice_pickpocket01 "By the spirits ! I... had it with me... And now... Argh !" x2
Find Something Stolen: ["snd_foundMissingItem"]
You’ve just noticed something significant missing that shouldn't be. You've obviously been robbed. While your first reaction might be quiet, the line should include a yell to your friends.
notice_theft01 "Whaaat ?! Stolen! What thieving magpie did this ?!" x3
Raise the Alarm!: ["snd_raise_alarm"]
You know something is seriously wrong…perhaps you’ve found the lord murdered, or you’ve found the master safe open. You need to alert everyone within earshot.
raise_alarm01 “Arm yourselves, there’s a meddler about !” x2
Warning--Recently Found Corpse: ["snd_warnFoundCorpse"]
You recently found or heard about a body and are relaying the information to any friends you see. Don't take too long with these, as the AI could be walking past each other while delivering the line.
warn_found_corpse01 "Alert the others, someone is slaying our kin!" x2
Warning—We’ve been Robbed: ["snd_warnMissingItem"]
You know you've been robbed and you're telling your buddy about it.
warn_missing_item01 "A magpie taunts us... If you find it fluttering around, catch it and twist its neck." x1
Warning--Recently Saw Intruder: ["snd_warnSawEnemy" ]
You saw or were warned about the intruder not too long ago, but he escaped. Now, you’re warning others about him.
warn_saw_enemy01 "Some rotten meddler is making fools of us. Keep your sight as sharp as a hawk’s." x1
Warning—Something is not Right: ["snd_warnSawEvidence"]
You haven’t seen an intruder, but you’ve seen evidence that there is one around somewhere. You’re warning your friends about it.
warn_suspicious01 “Tread carefully. The spirits seem restless this night.” x3
Recieved Warning: ["snd_warn_response"]
Someone just warned you about trouble. You give a quick response as you pass by.
respond_to_warning01 "I’ll be watchful." x3
Admonish Friend: ["snd_admonish_friend"]
A friend or neutral just did something you didn't like, such as drop a plate on your foot. You're expressing your displeasure.
admonish_friend01 "Oh, don’t be so foolhardy, friend..." x2
Greetings
Since greetings can be made to friends or strangers, delivery should be fairly neutral. Also, there's no way to know whether the AI have seen each other once or twenty times before greeting each other, so typical "hello" greetings should be limited in favour of casual comments or questions that can be answered 'yes'.
Greetings are not exchanged between sitting characters, so assume that the greeting is a quick one as AI pass each other.
Not every greeting is needed for every vocal character. The thug, for example, has special greetings for female characters because he's a sexist pig, but not every character needs those.
SpoilerGreeting, Generic: ["snd_greeting_civilian_to_civilian"]
A generic comment or question as you pass someone. This is used as the default greeting if no other greeting applies.
greet_generic01 "Spirits guide thee in the dark of this night."
greet_generic02 "Health and merriment to thee."
greet_generic03 "Have a pleasant evening." (a short laugh)
Greeting, Guard to Guard: ["snd_greeting_guard_to_guard"]
You spot a fellow guard on patrol. Greet them or ask a short 'yes' question about their shift.
greet_guard_to_guard01 "Any rustlings this night? No rats around ?" x3
Greeting, Guard to Civilian: ["snd_greeting_guard_to_civilian"]
You’re on patrol and see a civilian. You gruffly tell them to stay out of your way.
greet_guard_to_civilian01 "Ey ! Don’t trespass where you shouldn’t." x2
Greeting, Civilian to Guard: ["snd_greeting_civilian_to_guard"]
You’re a civilian and you see a guard on patrol. You don't want any trouble.
greet_civilian_to_guard01 "Worry not, officer, I’m just humble folk." x2
Greeting, to Nobleman: ["snd_greeting_noble_male" ]
You see someone high on the social ladder and greet him.
greet_to_noble_male01 "Best wishes, your Lordship." x1
Greeting, to Noblewoman: ["snd_greeting_noble_female" ]
You see a lady high on the social ladder and greet her.
greet_to_noble_female01 "Much merriment to thee, noble Lady." x1
Greeting, to Priest: ["snd_greeting_cleric"]
You pass a Builder Priest and greet him.
greet_to_cleric "Pleasant evening to thee, servant of the One God." x1
Greeting, to Inferior: ["snd_greeting_noble_to_civilian"]
You’re high on the social ladder, and see someone beneath you. You’re better than them, and your greeting conveys that.
greet_to_inferior01 "Out of my way." x2
greet_to_inferior02 "Not a city dweller... But not of my kin either."
greet_to_inferior03 "My kin know better than to mingle with you."
Greeting, to Inferior Guard: ["snd_greeting_noble_to_guard"]
You’re high on the social ladder and see a guard. You greet them by evaluating their performance.
greet_to_inferior_guard01 “Stay alert, my kin.” x2
Greeting, to beggar: ["snd_greeting_beggar"]
You see a beggar.
greet_to_beggar01 "Don’t feed on rats, poor man. They’re bad for you."
Greeting, to female: ["snd_greeting_civilian_to_female"]
greet_to_female01 "Spirits bless your beauty and health, my lovely."
Greeting, to pagan: ["snd_greeting_pagan"]
You greet an unwashed pagan, probably with a degree of cordiality.
greet_to_pagan01 "Spirits guide thee, fellow believer."
Greeting, to Builder: ["snd_greeting_builder"]
You greet a member of the Builder Church (not a priest).
greet_to_builder01 "May thy god protect thee."
Greeting, to Citywatch: ["snd_greeting_citywatch"]
You greet an officer of the watch.
greet_to_citywatch01 "May all go well, officer."
Response, Generic: ["snd_response_positive"]
You have been greeted by someone who is a social equal. Delivery should be monotone and noncommittal, as these could be responses to lots of different greetings.
response_positive01 “Yeah, yeah.” x3
Response, to Superior: ["snd_response_positive_superior"]
You have been greeted by someone who has a higher rank than you. Your response should be stiffer and more official.
response_to_superior01 “Yes, yes, sir.” (somewhat disinterested) x2
Response, Negative: **** No Def Currently ****
You have been greeted by someone who is a social equal, and are responding to their question negatively. These should be delivered without much emotion.
response_negative_1 “No. Not at all.” x2
Conversation Question: ["snd_convo_question"]
You strike up a casual conversation with a nearby friendly. These are used for mission-specific conversations set up by the mapper, and are not used by default. The questions must be evaluation questions, appropriate for "good/not good" style answers. (They may eventually be used for AI sitting next to each other for extended periods of time)
convo_question01 "Greetings. Tiring day, was it?"
convo_question02 "What say you ? How guide thee the spirits ?"
convo_question03 "How was the last harvest, friend ?"
convo_question04 "How was that mead you tasted recently ?"
convo_question05 "Any trouble you’ve ran into recently ?"
Conversation Answer: ["snd_convo_answer"]
This is an answer to the question above. The answers should all be of the "good/not good" variety.
convo_answer01 "Hm, rather good, I’d say."
convo_answer02 "It could always be worse, friend."
convo_answer03 "Don't even ask me about it."
convo_answer04 "Not as bad as I feared, friend."
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Feedback ?
I'd like to ask you to provide your own constructive criticism now. Feel free to provide feedback on the lines, try to give me constructive criticism on what could be improved, added, dropped, changed. I'm all ears. Sink your nitpicky teeth into this vocal script proposal.
Final note
Besides this particular VS, I also have one/two more in development, and I plan to start work on them soon.
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4 hours ago, Alberto Salvia Novella said:
@Petike the Taffer I only had a PC too... but I made good use of emulators
(...)
That said you will enjoy this
I see.
And for a second there, I thought that was footage of an HD remaster of Hitman 2: Silent Assasin.
Forgot they're making a follow-up to the episodically released Hitman from a while back.
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I have an utterly unapologetic love for The Big O. Without a doubt my favourite mecha anime. It's got style, got weirdness, a lot of humour (dry or overt) and I just find it a really amusing, surreal slice of entertainment.
Yes, he's one quarter Phil Marlowe, one quarter young inspector Morse, one quarter discount James Bond, one quarter Bruce Wayne. Yes, his companion sleuth is basically a robot Batgirl. He even has a faithful butler and an older pal on the force. And once all else fails and the city needs defending, he blows sh*t up in a towering mecha of mysterious origins. Some of the music is jazz, some inspired by Queen. This should not work at all. And it does, at least for me. I love it.
The series is completely nuts at times, but I love it exactly for that reason.
It only takes itself as seriously as it needs to, and the homages to older mecha combat anime are very blatant, but actually fit the retro-esthetics of the series world.
They even have a good Christmas-themed episode, which wasn't as snide a take as I expected. Given the season, it's interesting to see an anime that actually adds some heartwarming stuff via the guest characters of that episode.
About the only thing I don't like about the series is the blonde femme fatale thief/spy. She's booooring. Unforgivable in a series with an android lady that never smiles, but is still a lot more amusing and lovable.
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I was too poor to have a PS1 back in the day.
Though I did admire its library of games. I had to be a PC kid all the way, and I didn't even have my own PC until the early 2000s.
On 10/29/2019 at 7:23 PM, JackFarmer said:Do you know the games below? They might be worth a look
However, I have not played Rogue Ops till now. I recall the story being described quite stupid, but then again the storylines in the SC games are not really good as well.
I found watching these... entertaining. I only knew about the third one. Truth be told, Rogue Ops made me think of "okay mechanics, meh presentation and concept" (the protag especially comes across as grating, still riding that mid-90s triggered "babe in a tight suit" trend started by the oldest Tomb Raider games). The second one, Stolen, felt more interesting to me, but they really went all-out with the presentation and exposition. While it's not bad, I think they might have overegged it a bit. Not just the protag cat-burglar, but the sinister mayoral candidate. The brief TV interview with the guy had me in stitches.
I kind of agreed with the fence-guy as he turned off the TV, not thinking much about the guy. At least this second game is a bit more self-aware and tongue-in-cheek. Still obviously cheesy, but a better kind of cheesy. On a mechanical note, Stolen has the same style of lockpicking as Death to Spies (just computerised in presentation) and I like their idea of you needing to put trackers on guards first, so they could appear on your minimap. A bit of extra work for a bit of extra challenge.
On 11/1/2019 at 3:20 PM, STiFU said:But I totally forgot about Death to Spies. I actually got one or two of the games in my lib.
The only reason I never bought either of the DtS games is because I heard they use StarForce, and that isn't good for me' drives.
Having played their demos many times, though I am not into WWII games (outside of flight sims), I found the DtS games very enjoyable. Especially the variety and the need for a lot of precision. I still adore how one mission has me started with sniper or saboteur kit, then I gradually put it away, get a disguise, hijack a truck, enter an enemy base, try to explore, lockpick and infiltrate, while avoiding suspicion. While a Hitman clone at heart, that series really gave me the feeling of playing an old-school, pre-electronics spy, and even gave me the urge to write down a concept for a WWI era stealth game (I prefer that era of modern espionage). The enemy soldier voiceovers are a bit cheesy (and only sound native-speaker-y to my ears in the second one), but I took that minor bit of campiness as part of the charm. Commandos might be the best WWII stealther about a team, Death to Spies might be the best WWII stealther about an individual spy.
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2 hours ago, NeonsStyle said:
If someone really wants to do it, I'm quite happy to step aside. So if you'd really like to do it, then feel free.
It's just important that it isn't an American, or Canadian accent. That won't fit with the location of the game.
Really think Jewish should be skipped too, as it's a bit stereotypical, and could be taken the wrong way; especially today.
To nitpick on the former: Why do you feel the Schemer accent shouldn't be North American-sounding or British-sounding ? I find that confusing. I think it would actually make a lot of sense for it to be done by a native speaker. The premise of this vocal script concept is that it's one of several personalities we already have in the core game. Among the TDM men AI, we have the "simpleton", "pro", "cynic", etc., and those are all archetypes, rather than a guard voice, commoner voice, etc. Springheel himself likes to stress we should always think of these scripts more generally, as human personality types, rather than voice of characters X or Y. For that reason alone, and because "Schemer" is not too specific a personality, I think a more anglophone accent, along with a very specific tone of voice / style of speaking, could fit this guy. It has to be distinct and memorable on its own, but not for the sake of cheesiness or too foreign-sounding accents.
To nitpick on the latter, what even is a "Jewish accent" ? Yiddish ? Modern Hebrew ? Whatever accent historical forms of Hebrew had ? Honestly, aside from maybe local accent stereotypes, I have never really heard anyone (at least here in Europe) talk about a "typical Jewish accent". There's just nothing "internationally recognised" as any sort of typical Jewish accent, as far as I know. The whole "Jewish people as greedy/scheming" stereotype, aside from being completely unfair and stupid, is a baseless thing anyway, as the TDM setting probably has no analogue whatsoever of Judaism, Jewish culture, or a social class in the vein of people of Jewish faith or descent in medieval Europe.
As I mentioned yesterday, I am game for writing a vocal script for this sort of personality. Not necessarily for voice acting it, all the more that I think a North American accent would actually be preferable to such a more generic character.
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14 hours ago, NeonsStyle said:
Do you have a script?
Do you mean me ?
Not yet, I'm afraid. However, for posteriority, I've copied Melan's and others' musings on this idea into some notes I keep for TDM voicework. Just to be sure I have some ideas if I ever get to writing a script for the Schemer concept.
Currently, I'm trying to complete a vocal set for a male Pagan and for a foreign merchant type character (from the outskirts of the Empire). But I'm definitely thinking about looking into the Schemer concept as well, at least in terms of script.
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35 minutes ago, Jedi_Wannabe said:
Through VO’s and internal monologue I want my thief to grow over the course of my campaign from being arrogant, cynical, self-absorbed and cold-hearted, to someone who forced into a predicament uses his growing taffing skills to unravel a mystery for the greater good. The last mission will see him take up more of a Robin Hood role, as opposed to “steal this to pay the bills”.
a four and a half year necro ain’t bad, I revived a decade old dmap thread one time lol
A very good narrative goal !
I have something similar planned for the main characters in my Partners in Crime series. On the other hand, I don't want to have too many in-game voiceovers or pre-scripted conversations in those missions, and I want to keep most of the character development to readables and what the situation is at the outset of each mission. At least in my case, I feel less is more, and being very precise in how many player-based VOs and conversations between characters I use in a single mission could yield better results to what I have in plan.
Obviously, everyone has to approach their own works from their own individual angle. That's for the best.
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Not one for necros, but if anyone would want to discuss narrative elements for their FMs, I feel this is by far the best thread on the subject. Yes, it is old, but as the person who started it in the first place, I say to all FM authors, old and new: Feel free to jump in here and discuss things.
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On 12/1/2019 at 5:15 PM, Geep said:
BTW, there is - in parallel - a recently-revived discussion about this topic, but focused more narrowly on currently-available moorish AI characters:
I know that one. I contributed to it a while back.
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It's only now that I realised I haven't really finalised what the top of the lighthouse, with the light source itself, will look like. I am thinking of making the top room a series of low walls and four corner pillars, with a Gothic style roof or a hint of it on top of them. (To give you an idea, the roof could have stylistics similar to this or this - those are Gothic Revival era reconstructions of those structures' original Gothic roofs, but they still look very nice and authentic.)
The light source itself will be housed at the centre, either:
1.) an open fire (inextinguishable with water arrows) inside a large, roofed steel cage, or
2.) a more artificial light source (large gas lamp, early electricity, etc.), inside a large container with a steel cage and glass panes for its surface (since a monolithic glass container would probably be too unrealistic and fragile)
Personally, I'd prefer the first variant, since I want to give the lighthouse a more medieval or early modern feel, without too many of the early industrial trappings of TDM. As much as I love steampunk (I really do, even used extensive tech documentation for a fictional setting I use in a tabletop project of mine), I think the coastal city from the story of my FM, being a poorer and smaller cousin to a more proper metropolis like Bridgeport, would have a more old-school lighthouse. Maybe there's some electric lighting on the ground floors, used as storage spaces and local harbour offices, but once you hit the tower itself, it's all fully traditional, along with the fire burning at the top. I could maybe smuggle in some references into readables on how the city authorities are planning to invest in getting the whole place modernised in the future, but so far, both budget issues and finding the construction personnel with the right expertise have proved prohibitive. Or jokes in letters by local employees, complaining about how they have to regularly haul chopped up lumber and lighting oil to the very top of the lighthouse, on those narrow and claustrophobic stairs.
Would be a hoot from a narrative perspective.
On 11/27/2019 at 8:48 PM, ERH+ said:No, these are remnants of a pen&paper rpg system I've been working decades ago. It was a bit like Deus Ex / Bladerunner with oceans totally filled with algae, completely clouded sky, all plants are dead and decaying biomass is everywhere, all herbivores died, so all carnivores roaming in massive swarms, attacking and taking over whole cities. There is a black hole on the surface of the sun, dead people are no longer dead due to advanced life support systems - but if you are not rich enough, your brain will be added to the pool containing thousands of other, forming a collective net, like the elders council. Few factions struggle to find and perform a solution for this disaster.
What a creepy setting !
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7 hours ago, Geep said:
Just a heads-up to anyone who might be interested in beta testing of a watery mission, "Away 1: Air Pocket". This, my first full-fledged FM, re-deploys Dragofer's ship models, familiar from "Down by the Riverside". By next weekend, I'll create a new Air Pocket thread in the Beta Forum, with the link to the download.
Though a landlubber in real life, I am fond of more nautically themed missions !
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On 11/30/2019 at 11:33 AM, freyk said:
Copy and convert the existing female-entity sound samples, to the player ones.
This is all sound advice (pun intended) and I agree with all of it. However, the thing is, "stealing" from these existing samples does not cover the entire range we need for the female player's vocals. E.g. are there any NPC female sounds for mantling ?
In the voice .pk4s, I could only ever find spoken lines by NPC characters.
4 hours ago, mcmike1489 said:I never thought my post would get this far into possibly making the game better, well sorry guys. All of you are on your own without me. I just don't have the time to be part of this to be honest.
Sure you do. Even small contributions are welcomed. Only work on them bit by bit, in your free time.
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5 hours ago, OrbWeaver said:
I can help with audio editing/processing if necessary, although I'm certainly no better at it than any of the other forum members who have experience in this regard. I have registered versions of REAPER and Renoise which I use for my own audio work. I'm no creative director though — I'd vote for Springheel in that regard although he may not have the time now he's officially retired.
Removing hum can be achieved with a notch filter, which may give better results than a full spectrum noise reduction plugin depending on the spectrum of the noise you want to remove.
And (although I cannot speak officially) I definitely second what Peter said: we do need uncompressed WAV originals, not just lossy OGGs. It's fine to distribute the final product in OGG format to save space, but we should have the uncompressed originals checked into the source repository so they can be edited, combined into new sounds, recompressed with a higher-quality codec or whatever may be necessary in the future. Having to recompress already-compressed OGG files is really sub-optimal and introduces generation loss.
You don't need to worry about .ogg, I explained the need for .wavs to SC already almost two weeks ago (around the 20th). So, we are getting .wavs only. She also agreed to record 2 or so empty seconds at the start of each recording, just to make noise reduction or hum reduction a little easier, and promised me she'll be doing recordings in the second setup she used - that newest recording I shared here, with almost no noise.
Thank you for you offer to help out !
I'll note that I find it important we have a VA supervisor just to be sure we won't need to throw most of the material away. It's better to tell the voice actress what sort of exact expression we have in mind (where to pull back emotionally and keep it subtle, where to emphasise something, etc.), rather than let her figure it out on her own, based purely on those male voice files I shared with her (I've sent her the whole collection, so don't worry, she has all the reference material already).
Once again, thank you, and if you have anything to recommend further, I am all ears.
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4 hours ago, Springheel said:
The cleaned up version Goldwell posted was fine, so obviously there are ways to deal with the hum if the actor can't get rid of it herself.
As for the delivery, I didn't find it very convincing either--it sounds like the actor is just mimicking what she heard, without knowing what the sound is for. Those mantling sounds are for a character pulling themselves up from a hanging position--there should be a sense of exertion, of the entire chest compressing. These sound more like someone clearing their throat.
I don't think being an experienced team member is a requirement to make either of those observations. Nor is it a requirement to edit the files. I'm the one who did the editing and processing of virtually all of our vocals, and I just used Audacity and trial and error.
On a technical level, there aren't really any insurmountable problems.
I was talking more about what Peter_Spy brought up recently. We need more quality control on the performance. Like those mantling samples you've mentioned. Give a bit more direction to the VA, so that it can sound more convincing. Get into the headspace needed for that particular voice file, what it's supposed to sound like to the player. You and the others are absolutely right it needs to sound convincing first, that's why I asked about feedback by the core team. I'm not always 100 % sure what is adequate VA-performance-wise, that's all.
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For my own peace of mind, if we can complete the female player vocals project within the coming months, with all the polish it needs, I'd be happy if it could become part of the core game by the time 2.08 is out. Certainly a more minor thing, but I feel anything that adds to new stuff in the core game always pushes it forward somewhat.
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5 hours ago, Goldwell said:
As much as I enjoy what this project is, I don’t have the time to devote to it sorry.
My day to day life is very busy right now, and my spare time is divided up between two huge fan missions I’m working on.
I don’t feel I would be able to give this project the attention it needs, and would be spreading myself too thin amongst an already busy schedule.That's fine. But who would you suggest for oversight, then ?
As I've said earlier, I'm more of an intermediary, but we need an experienced team member for the sake of quality control. (Not just audio quality, but also VA quality.)
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18 minutes ago, ERH+ said:
There was this epidemic outbreak, starting at a rock crystal mining facility, deep in the marshes of Rahena. Some poor burglar manage to survive all horrors of the seemingly undead, deranged crew spreading havoc as their flesh started falling apart. He escaped, only to bring the new pathogen to more densely populated areas. Many lives perished in flames of this terrible disease, but much more were kept at the brink of death, but still able to fight it.
A victim of the crystal leprosy disease, kept alive by a carapace of prosthetics, servomotors, with all organs sustained in bath of nutritious liquids. Remaining flesh keeps peeling off, and the mind of now unrecognizable human being deteriorates, poisoned by the necrosis - at this point one may ask if there is a living creature still there or is it just an autonomous yet mindless machine with bits and pieces of decaying body.
You're up to incredible stuff, dude.
I suppose this will be TDM's more steampunky take on the Puppets from TDS.
Was this, perchance, inspired by those powered armours from Fallout that are still working decades after the soldiers inside have perished ?
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Just to stimulate some interest in Goldwell and others, here's a very rough prototype for the loose recreation of G.'s apartment, as seen in TMA. Obviously, this is extremely WIP, I threw it together in a short amount of time, so it will still evolve. I also do not plan to copy the layout of the TMA inspiration all that slavishly, only in broad strokes, for the sake of keeping this copyright-friendly.
The main highlights of the apartment itself. The bed, table area. fireplace and entrance door are roughly where they were in the TMA apartment. I still keep thinking I chose overly fancy wood panelling, but as this is a prototype, it can be sorted out later. Maybe some non-cheapo-looking wallpaper texture ? The parquet panels were used in an effort to emulate the floor of the TMA apartment.
To paraphrase John Green, "But let's first look at what's in the secret compartment !". The wall between the bedroom area and the entrance door looks like an ordinary wall with wood panelling, right ? Well, think again. As the screenshot in the upper right corner shows, I've hidden a secret door, with doorframe and everything, in that panelling. The small room with green wallpaper, hanger, doorframe and wood panelling door is the secret closet of the flat.
Rather than recreate the TMA apartment's closet, and then the secret compartment within it, I instead made the whole closet a secret room of its own, for various secret supplies, loot, and so on.
Though I have to ask a question: Would it be cooler if the access door was hidden in the shorter wall closer to the bed ? I am open to suggestions on that.
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1 hour ago, Goldwell said:
Those are some great ideas / plans moving forward and your FM story is incredibly exciting too!
It sounds like you've got a great handle and direction on everything
Well, I'd like to hope I have a good handle on this stuff. I'm still a bit undecided on some plans for the series and its missions, but hey, small steps. I want the first missions to feel like a small start, then build up to something bigger. The concept behind the series is actually an old one at this point, I was already contemplating not long after I joined. Maybe around January 2015 for the first time. I even mention it in my post from that time, though I had a lot less structure to the plan back then. The one major feature I want to experiment with story-wise in this series is having a male protagonist, but a female deuteragonist. Not many major female thief characters in the game so far, so I'm going to try. She'll start out as a civilian before becoming a thief like her pal, and will mostly be an NPC in the missions. I would like to do at least two missions where she'll be the player character, though (as long as we can manage getting those female player vocals finished and introduced in future releases, in good quality).
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2 hours ago, Goldwell said:
That's great that you're getting a start into map making. As for criticism, I feel it's a bit too early to start offering critiques yet (imo). But i'll just offer up the same advice I was told when I first started "keep it small". It annoyed me hearing that a lot from the old TDM veterans, but in retrospect with experience it's damn true.
If you keep the scope smaller and simple for your first run, you'll have a blast and can get creative with what you want to do next.
I look forward to seeing more screenshots as you progress throughout your level
Thank you. Those are precisely the reasons why almost my entire first mission is set in a single building, that lighthouse.
It's a challenge for me as a currently still amateur mission builder. Get the "superstructure" done and working, then start furnishing and plotting. I will confess I made the rooms, especially the ones in the tower, fairly small and claustrophobic, as a deliberate design feature to encourage a "less is more" approach and also force the player to use their wits more while traversing the place vertically.I will also confess the design approach was sort of inspired by what LGS did with Thief II: The Metal Age: Design a cool environment that would be good to play in and explore, then design the meat and the details of the mission around it. (I sort of have a similar approach for the other FMs I'm planning, though those will be a bit more narrative-motivation-first.)
Hopefully, the above mentioned approach will be enough of a win-win exercise. I plan this mission to be newbie-player friendly, but a bit more challenging than the really basic "small FM, get in this house and burgle it" - somewhere between those small missions and the more intermediate missions.
This FM will be part of my planned Partners in Crime series and will introduce a new city to the lore. Probably not the chronologically first mission in the series, but it might end up as the second or third one (I want to introduce some of the main characters in at least one prequel mission, set before the lighthouse).
I am also tentatively starting work on designing that homage of Garrett's apartment from TMA, since it will be useful for a future mission or two. And it helps me practice furnishing interiors, especially the smaller and more "living quarters" ones. You've covered the TDS era apartment, now it's my turn with something related.
3 hours ago, peter_spy said:Testing cellar HP pieces before baking. The original source photos had these clean-cut stone blocks, but I thought I might go for something more organic and raw. Hopefully that translates well to the low poly version.
Thank you for that free ticket to Droolsville, namesake.
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Gah, the other Pete was faster than me. Also, "bottom of the page syndrome"...
Anyway, I hope you like the two WIP images.
As I said, there will be some ground floor exteriors, but I intend to keep the player inside the building for most of the FM, until its finale.
The final phase of the mission will give you a bit of a wider idea about the surroundings, just to spice things up a bit and test some basic exterior-making skills for me, but other than that, I don't intend to try that many exteriors this early into FM-making. My later missions will have more of that.
Happy St. Catherine's Day to all ! Here's hoping for a snowy, white Christmas !
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This is the interior of the lighthouse and its cross-section, to give you a better idea.
Naturally, nothing is really furnished yet, the only furniture being a few chairs I use to tell the tower floors apart !
It's going to be an intentionally spatially tight, perhaps even somewhat claustrophobic mission. As with most tall lighthouses, the interior space inside the tower itself is fairly limited. This will pose a pretty big challenge for the player as they ascend and descend the structure. There is only a single set of fairly narrow steps inside the tower itself, this long staircase being too narrow for two people to pass each other by. While there won't be that many AI patrolling the stairs, players will have to beware of running into them.
Obviously, the stairs, along with the internal corners and room corners in the two large floors at the base of the lighthouse, have been really good places for visportals. I think I still need to tinker with the VPs a bit, but they've been working fine while I explored the whole structure, top to bottom, bottom to top. Trust me, this is one lighthouse that will take you a while to ascend or descend, even if you run with your character in this currently-empty mission. (Good virtual firefighter training, LOL.)
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Pagan male vocal script (concept, WIP)
in Music & SFX
Posted · Edited by Petike the Taffer
Thank you ! Truth be told, the stuff I have listed in my opening post still needs some editing (e.g. the number of times some lines should be replicated, with different emphasis or diction).
I'd also like to thank you for your own detailed suggestions ! I'll definitely go through these, consider
Obviously, as this is a work in progress vocal set, we can still keep expanding it and trimming it down, until it starts feeling really right.
them and try to expand my own post with the ones I feel fit best. You have a lot of real keepers in your suggestions, so I'm expecting I'll include a lot of them.
Yes, as a I also describe to Spingheel below, and in my opening post, I am intentionally going for a "more general" feel for the Pagans, while also keeping in mind they will have some variations. Genuine old-school tribesmen will use some different turns of phrase than village or urban Pagans who worship in secret.
(Looking at real world history, I think the latter, "secret" group wouldn't be that numerous either way, as most people were Christianised throughout Europe for most of the Middle Ages, after 1000. The only exception to this was your usual folkloric syncretism, where some pre-Christian folk rituals were still carried out annually purely out of tradition or ongoing superstition, even though the populace was firmly monotheistic and Christian. That's basically the situation we still have today, even in countries where these sorts of folkloric rituals haven't been that strong or visible for a long time. Though you also did have some "secret pagans" in the medieval and early modern world - the sorts that still engaged in (sometimes gruesome) folk magic - they weren't that common. Or they were otherwise Christian (at least nominally), but weren't above doing pagan rituals, if they were superstitious enough to think these would help. Corrollary to the more gruesome uses of folk magic rituals: I've read archaeology studies about cases of ritual murders happening as late as the 16th century, even in very civilised parts of Europe, among decidedly non-tribal people. As usual with faith, things can get complicated, depending on an individual's beliefs, worldviews and pragmatism. E.g. if someone who sees themselves as a monotheist isn't above occassionally engaging in superstitions that might harm or even kill other people, purely for the sake of some "good luck" ritual, they'll probably do it. Even if it is hypocritical. I think this would be nicely reflective of the fact that neither the Builder faith nor any "old gods" faiths in TDM's world are without flawed human behaviour. This would actually mirror the inspiration we take from Thief well: Neither the Hammerites or the Pagans of that series were shown purely as good guys or bad guys, they were simply people, flawed and fallible people. Equally noble-minded and craven/corrupt, depending on the situation. Sometimes, the same individuals did good and bad things, punctuating that whole moral greyness. Some characters of those factions were pleasant, kind, wise, others were thoroughly cruel and evil bastards. And with the stuff I mention above, I think TDM could be really good if it had antagonistic characters that sort of straddle the line between the old polytheistic faith and new monotheistic faith, being never entirely faithful to either, and causing tension and conflict as a result.
Thank you kindly.
This is exactly what I was getting at. Have a single vocal set, but like the others, allow for some (for lack of a better term) "sub-faction" variations.
I'd also like to add I need to come up with a consistent rendering of using thou/thy/thee and you/your in the lines I wrote. Either the Pagan guy goes for the more archaic or folksy adress, or the more neutral one. I think he could use the more archaic stuff while greeting Builders (while keeping his distance) or certain other social groups, but that it shouldn't otherwise be used much, to avoid feeling forced.