Voice Acting

[krallelite]

Hi guys.

 

Let me start off by saying, thank you.

 

Thief 3 disappointed me to no end, and this mod is a gutsy, valorous, and admirable move. I am SO happy to see a small flicker of hope for my favourite stealth game of all time.

 

Having said that, one of the reasons Thief was my favourite stealth games, was not only because of the game play (which I am sure you guys are doing well with for TDM) but also the voice acting. The witty remarks to odd situations. The gaurds calling out in a sometimes drunken haze. And also, the mission briefings.

 

Now I know this is a huge project and I know you guys get all kinds of requests. But if there was some way to replicate those briefings with some suitable voice acting you guys would TRULY have hit the mark. I mean, the protagonist doesn't have to be garrett, but he should at least sound thievly. It can't be that hard to find some people willing to throw together a few pictures and fades and audio to create some of those briefings. They could be a seperate viewable video for the mission if it is not possible to put it dirtectly into the game. It's just such an essential part of the experience and I would hate to not see some kind of voice acting involved. I mean, I would even voice act for you if you guys can't find anyone else. Anything! Hell, I'd even MAKE the briefing videos for you. It's not that hard, I am studying film and video editing, I could do it! ANYONE could do it for you guys. If anyone has any ideas lets hear it. Also, I have now just realized now in my frenzied rant that it is possible you guys have already discussed this. If so feel free to fill me in....or smack me.

 

Anyway I'm getting a little bit excited, and all I want is to see is some decent voice acting if it is AT ALL possible... keep up the good work guys!

 

BTW you guys are my new saviors

[New Horizon]

Appreciate the enthusiasm. Our voice acting is all going to be assembled by yours truly, me. I'm going to be using professional and semi-professional actors from within the city I live and surrounding areas. I think you're a bit confused as to what we are actually producing at the moment. This is a toolset for Fan Mission authors to create their own "Thief Inspired/ Styled" missions, not an actual campaign...although, one may follow when we have finished the toolset. That being said, you likely won't see any briefings packaged with the toolset...although it is possible that we will have one included as a demo to help people learn how to set them up for their own missions.

 

To ease your mind, yes...fan mission authors WILL be able to include briefing videos with their missions.

[Arumakani]

Will the voice actor of the Thief be voiced in that slightly bored, Harrison Ford in BladeRunner, style voiceover?

[Ombrenuit]

You don't get a voice actor to do their best work by asking them mimic another's. You explain who the character is, what their motivation is, etc. etc., and you allow them to get in character. What comes out is their inspiration and in the long run, will be plenty better.

[Arumakani]

I was wondering what style the voice would be, whether it would be Garrett style or what else it'd be.

[New Horizon]

I was wondering what style the voice would be, whether it would be Garrett style or what else it'd be.

 

I haven't found an actor to fill the player voice yet, so I can't really say. It will all depend on finding that perfect person. I don't want an actor trying to emulate Garrett, in fact I would prefer they didn't even know what Garrett sounded like.

[ZylonBane]

When you refer to the player voice, you're just talking about the grunt set, right? I can't imagine Generic Garrett Clone coming with a set of canned quips.

[Springheel]

We've actually decided to go with voice cues for things that the thief would clearly know but the player might not. For example, we've done away with loot glint, but the thief will say, "I sense loot" (or something more clever) when they come close to expensive objects.

 

Other lines we have planned include:

 

"Time is running out."

 

"There are guards near!"

 

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

 

"My thiefy sense is tingling..."

[New Horizon]

When you refer to the player voice, you're just talking about the grunt set, right? I can't imagine Generic Garrett Clone coming with a set of canned quips.

 

Of course he'll come with generic canned quips. It would be pretty limiting for FM authors otherwise. Obviously the won't be tied to any form of plot, but I will definately be including a dozen or so basic things to let FM authors add some dimension to their missions.

[SneaksieDave]

NH, any chance it'll be he/she?

[New Horizon]

NH, any chance it'll be he/she?

 

For now, just a he. If time permits, I'll also get a she in there as well.

[Arumakani]

Other lines we have planned include:

 

"Time is running out."

 

"There are guards near!"

 

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

 

"My thiefy sense is tingling..."

 

Does the first one suggest a timed mission?

 

My thiefy sense is tingling Is he a spidey fan?

 

You are right. It'd be better to have a non Garrett voice. Garrett is Garrett after all.

 

BTW, what accent will the Thief have?

[Domarius]

Yeah it's possible to make timed objectives with our Objective system.

 

I reckon it would be cool if he had a British accent

[Arumakani]

You mean an old school gentleman thief Dom?

[bob_arctor]

A British accent?

 

 

So what would that be exactly?

 

Britain has probably the densest accent variation of any English speaking country, so it's not really good enough to say British.

 

You mean a middle class/ upper middle class accent or a proper posh one? (what used to be recieved pronunciation, although technically it's not any more).

 

If we get a sound file of a Brummie (from Birmingham) and then someone from Essex you'll get why you have to be careful with accents in the UK, aside from the obvious Scotish/Welsh/Northern Irish/English thing.

[Arumakani]

Why not do a Midlands one, so neither North or South, and also middle class, so neither Upper nor Lower

[ZylonBane]

A British accent?

So what would that be exactly?

Michael Caine, of course.

[demagogue]

I actually thought the PC's comments were better for observational commentary ... something the player (probably already) knows and the PC is just confirming, maybe nudging the player about what to do next. So more like:

 

"It's a long way up."

"It's a long way down."

"brrrr... that's cold"

"yah, that's hot."

"where am I?"

"What's my map say?"

 

 

And just generic asides (probably the most used in actual FMs) :

"dammit!"

"What the..." [i bet this is the single most used PC comment in FMs, to cue the player that something plot-important is going on]

"uh oh"

"ah ha"

 

I loved Dante's voice in GatI, sounded just about right, not too low end to sound brutish, but not so high brow to seem above being a Thief. Anyway, happy hunting for somebody...

[OrbWeaver]

Michael Caine, of course.

 

Either that or Sir Ian McKellen.

[Ishtvan]

Michael Caine, of course.

 

"A pint of bitter... in a thin glass!"

[Domarius]

Umm... I really don't mind what kind of British accent. I just think any of them might be a nice change from the American one we all know.

[Ishtvan]

Right, 'cause we've never seen criminals with a British accent before...

[Domarius]

I guess I'm thinking - this is set sort of in medieval / victorian england, but we hear american voice actors in the game because of "artistic licence". Well I just want to go back to hearing a kind of english accent for the main character.

[bob_arctor]

Yeah that's great. No really, I'd love that.

 

However I'd be interested to hear what you chose.

 

West country accent? Somerset? (Where I live) You'd probably give them to the peasants.

 

Laaandon? Saaaf offa rivah?

 

I would love to see some northern accents, Hull, Rochdale, maybe Manchester. Add some grit to the thing.

[Arumakani]

Yeah a cockney villain, who speaks in cockney rhyming slang.

 

"Cor blimey guvnor, let me rest me plates of meat for a few seconds. Yeah, I'm a geezer guv, a little bit wey a little bit woah. I manged to procure a right dandy bit of gear from a china plate who was a bit mutton geoff..."