[WIP] Unique Taverns : V - Skyrim

» Mon May 28, 2012 3:44 am

I am hankering to get this mod off the ground. I have taken the time to refamiliarise myself with the dialog, the rent a room process and off course, learn the nav mesh while waiting for the Nav mesh fix. But I am more then ready to go and looking for my first male voice actor, even if the Nav Mesh bug still isn't fixed. I hope that once it is fixed, it will take nothing more then refinalising the nav mesh to update to the fix.

I need a deep voiced male Nord. It is really important to me that the voiced dialog blends naturally into the vanilla dialog, so I need someone with the right voice and the right equipment to record clean lines. Anyone know where I should start looking?

» Mon May 28, 2012 4:07 am

The best place to start is away from these forums. I talked to a voice actor (or at least read a conversation he was in), and he insisted that there were lots of voice actors active on various voice acting forums throughout the internet willing to voice act, and that he thought the idea voice actors are rare seemed to be a myth conjured up on these forums. So I'd suggest googling to find an amateur voice acting community, and inquire there.

» Mon May 28, 2012 1:03 am

I would suggest TES Alliance's http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/forum/74-voice-actors-project/.

» Mon May 28, 2012 2:22 am

Just dropping in to say, get voice actors for certain.

A funny story is far better if told by an interesting voice than simply read. Voice actors (as long as they're good) drive the quality and satisfaction of any mod through the roof.

» Sun May 27, 2012 11:53 pm

A funny story is far better if told by an interesting voice than simply read. Voice actors (as long as they're good) drive the quality and satisfaction of any mod through the roof.

For Skyrim this may well be the case. Sometimes, however, and particularly for text-heavy games such as Morrowind, text can be just as interesting and amusing - and allows for reader interpretation of character - in some ways I miss using my imagination when playing newer games!

» Mon May 28, 2012 12:21 am

For Skyrim this may well be the case. Sometimes, however, and particularly for text-heavy games such as Morrowind, text can be just as interesting and amusing - and allows for reader interpretation of character - in some ways I miss using my imagination when playing newer games!

If the entire game was text, it would fit and may work, but I don't like mods in otherwise fully voiced title's like Skyrim, that don't have voice acting. It feels out of place and odd. Not to mention the game is set up and meant to have audio, so it's text isn't exactly the best. It's just kind of backup subtitles for if the player doesn't have sound for some reason.

» Mon May 28, 2012 4:25 am

Here are some list of voice actors, if you haven`t seen them already:

- http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/466144-modding-resource/page__hl__%2Bvoice+%2Bactors
- http://www.reddit.com/r/skyrimactors
- http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/597690-voice-actor-here-if-anyone-is-in-need/page__p__4791664__hl__voice+actors__fromsearch__1#entry4791664

And you could contact the nice people that is making the "Interesting NPCs" mode. They have got 29 characthers voiced, so maybe they could point you in the right direction :whisper:

- http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/downloads/file.php?id=8429

» Mon May 28, 2012 2:17 am

looking forward to the results.

» Sun May 27, 2012 7:59 pm

If the entire game was text, it would fit and may work, but I don't like mods in otherwise fully voiced title's like Skyrim, that don't have voice acting. It feels out of place and odd. Not to mention the game is set up and meant to have audio, so it's text isn't exactly the best. It's just kind of backup subtitles for if the player doesn't have sound for some reason.

I completely agree. Skyrim isn't really made for walls of text. In fact I've been quite vocal on other threads trying to persuade mod-makers to get their mod voiced!

Having said that, most Oblvion mods weren't voice-acted, and it was common to have large sections of the game just silent with subtitles. Many of the Oblivion mods in the early days that did have voice work had such poor quality acting and terrible technical quality that it would have been better to go without. Once a certain proportion of the game is silent, you just get used to it.

Nowadays there's not really an excuse though - the community is not only much larger, but many modders have become smarter and I daresay more professional in their approach - and you can find the right voice actor if you're willing to do the work casting.

Back on topic - AliTheLord is correct - try various acting and casting websites. http://www.starnow.com, http://www.mandy.com, http://www.castingcallpro.com/ are all good places to start. Note that many casting sites have versions in different countries - don't be afraid to advertise in countries that aren't your own - if you want a Nord voice, try advertising in (English-language) Scandinavian sites for example. Make it clear that this is an unpaid role (and make sure it's not against the site's policies to advertise unpaid or collaborative roles). Many professional actors need regular work, even if it's unpaid, to keep their hand in the game and have fresh material for their showreel or voicereel. Promise them a copy of their work as a video file!

» Mon May 28, 2012 3:43 am

I completely agree. Skyrim isn't really made for walls of text. In fact I've been quite vocal on other threads trying to persuade mod-makers to get their mod voiced!

All well and good, and maybe I'm simply not looking in the right places (yes, I've checked with TESA before) but finding people to do voice acting *IS* hard to do. People are going to have to set aside the notion that every mod with NPCs will be voiced.

Sure, I could go get a mic and do it myself, but I'm pretty sure that crappy voiced lines would be worse than none at all.

Perhaps Skyrim is different though. Who knows. I do know it was a monumental pain to find anyone willing to do VA for Oblivion.

» Sun May 27, 2012 4:49 pm

Yes it was very hard to find good voice actors, I found only three good voice actors for my Oblivion towns and there were about 50 NPCs or more with lots of dialog. I have to agree that silent dialog is much better then really immersion breaking crappy dialog. Whereas really good dialog can make a mod so much more immersive.

Thank you for all the sources listed, that gives me some great places to start my search.

» Sun May 27, 2012 5:48 pm

All well and good, and maybe I'm simply not looking in the right places (yes, I've checked with TESA before) but finding people to do voice acting *IS* hard to do. People are going to have to set aside the notion that every mod with NPCs will be voiced.

Sure, I could go get a mic and do it myself, but I'm pretty sure that crappy voiced lines would be worse than none at all.

Perhaps Skyrim is different though. Who knows. I do know it was a monumental pain to find anyone willing to do VA for Oblivion.

Yes it was very hard to find good voice actors, I found only three good voice actors for my Oblivion towns and there were about 50 NPCs or more with lots of dialog. I have to agree that silent dialog is much better then really immersion breaking crappy dialog. Whereas really good dialog can make a mod so much more immersive.

Thank you for all the sources listed, that gives me some great places to start my search. :smile:

Also keep in mind that there will be people who would piss and moan about the quality of Voice Acting even if you did get professional quality actors (like Michael Hogan/Gen Tullius) so then when you have people doing it for free only to have a bunch of kids whine about how much "it svcks" it doesn't exactly coax new amateur VAs out of the woodwork...

I'm all for getting stuff voiced when you can find suitable people, and at least offering the voiced content as an optional add-on pack, that way, people don't have to get it if they don't want to. Just audition for the parts ala samples of dialogue and look for the best available people at those VA sites. Some fairly talented people might want to do it for free to have stuff to put in their VA portfolio.

» Mon May 28, 2012 3:49 am

Some (actually most) of the voice actors used in Interesting NPC's are incredibly talented and proffesional. I suggest borrowing some of them.

» Mon May 28, 2012 12:22 am

This sounds like a fantastic, must-have mod once it's done Meek - I commend the attempt. I love the idea of having NPCs join in when the bard sings, it's the sort of thing that really gives a place atmosphere. And I definitely wouldn't worry about the quality of the singing/voices either - have you ever heard a drunk guy sing? Off-key and haggard is the way to go. If done correctly, this could introduce a new mini-game to Skyrim... sitting in a tavern for hours just to enjoy the view. Especially in the larger cities in the evening, taverns should be full of people with almost no room to sit, seedy ones should have back-corner deals going down, and the Bard College should have a pilgrimage quest to visit all the taverns in the land.

Speaking of off-key singing & drunk guys, I'll be glad to donate some audio clips once I get a mic working.

» Sun May 27, 2012 10:22 pm

In the closed cities I will be revamping to some extent, but not touching the exteriors at all. In the smaller towns I still won't touch exteriors, but will revamp interiors. In rural locations I will probably completely revamp interiors and exteriors. For instance these locations should have stables and maybe even a stable boy that you can tip to look after your horse. Gardens to grow vegetables, stocked firewood etc...

I have been looking around closely and I think:

1) Solitude's Winking Skeever, quite nicely done. I would very likely be playing around with wall and floor textures though to create more flowthrough, rather then sections that look as though they don't belong in the same building. That place could do with a re-organisation of furniture and of course a bar revamp.

2) Riften's The Bee and Barb. Needs more things in it. Right now it has very little character for a town that is reputed to be a dangerous place. Needs different lighting in particular. Shadowy corners with hooded people talking in hushed whispers, sort of thing.

3) Markarth's Silver blood Inn, no character and even less seating.

4) Windhelm's Candlehearth Hall. My favorite of the whole bunch, yet it certainly needs the upper level revamping with more seating and a better use of space.

5) Whiterun's The Drunken Huntsman. Not a lot in there and again no unique character of it's own.

But the main target is....http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n99/Shezrie/Inns.jpg, located.....everywhere. (I removed the firepit thing in this particular tavern to gauge the amount of space not used.)

This tavern is literally copy pasted in every smaller town and rural tavern location. You will find the exact same items in the exact same place and it is really immersion breaking for me. These taverns need a real revamp to reflect the character of the town they are in or the countyside that they are located in. Each tavern should be completely different from every other tavern in the land.

While I agree most city taverns are not too bad, even the good ones have way too few rooms. They can't possibly welcome more than one or two guests at a given time. The Skeever and Candlehearth Hall in particular should have at least 5 or more rooms. Any chance to add basemant areas with extra rooms for all those taverns? I understand raising another story would require too much work to be done on the exteriors. The Companions Hall is a great template for how larger taverns should have been.

» Sun May 27, 2012 11:32 pm

So is this mod still being released or what?

» Mon May 28, 2012 1:37 am

This mod has been 'somewhat' put on hold until the promised Nav mesh bug fix is released. No point in releasing a mod where every NPC stands completely still when the player revisits the taverns. The Nav Mesh bug hits mods like this particularily hard, where the mod is all about NPCs and creating a vibrant, live atmosphere.

I can't 'esm'ify the mod and release, as has already been discussed over and over in Nav Mesh bug threads, that workaround is not a solid solution. So in the mean time I am doing some work behind the scenes, but cannot really get this mod off the ground until the fix has been released.

Believe me that no one is more frustrated at the wait then me. This project is my main project. I have brand new music (composed for this project) all ready to go, some really good voice actors, the new textures already implemented.....

Right now I have been working on and releasing my mod that does not require working Nav Meshes, 'Enterable Windows'.

» Mon May 28, 2012 3:00 am

do you have any insight on when the Navmesh bug will be fixed?

» Sun May 27, 2012 6:22 pm

do you have any insight on when the Navmesh bug will be fixed?

All we know is that Beth is working on a fix. They fixed it in a patch, but it broke other things and they removed it. I could only assume the next patch will have a proper fix. :shrug:

» Mon May 28, 2012 2:57 am

All we know is that Beth is working on a fix. They fixed it in a patch, but it broke other things and they removed it. I could only assume the next patch will have a proper fix. :shrug:

Yes, I hope the next patch will put this whole Nav Mesh bug nightmare to bed and we can all finally get some real modding going.

» Sun May 27, 2012 9:47 pm

mm, I forgot dawnguard is in the works...

» Sun May 27, 2012 7:23 pm

Yes, I hope the next patch will put this whole Nav Mesh bug nightmare to bed and we can all finally get some real modding going.

Yes, let's hope, but look at it this way. Once all our frustrations are gone, there's going to be a whole mess of new stuff that's been held back because of it

» Sun May 27, 2012 8:28 pm

Word on the street says that the nav mesh bug is fixed in the new update. Is this true?

» Sun May 27, 2012 7:54 pm

According to preliminary research, yes it is true. But apparently there are a host of CK errors and the CK might require an update. Not 100% clear on that one yet, just know that we were warned not to use the CK with these masses of new errors.

» Mon May 28, 2012 7:17 am

Maybe everything will be ironed out in the official update I think things will work out for you buddy