Wait a minute Echonite... That's not strictly so; at least not always. If you have a game with fully voiced parts and you've completed recording ~to later add quests (if you decided to), you would have to recall the old talent, and/or hire on new talent to record the needed voice tracks. This might stop you from adding new quests because of the hassle and expense.

But if your game was a mix of major and minor characters ~majors having voices (as Fallout did), then even after the studio sessions are long since finished, you are still free to add what you like to the game; using non speaking characters to introduce your quests. Fallout 1 & 2 had this built deliberately into the design. Where NPC heads (like Loxely and the advlt Tandi) would speak to the PC at length about the major issues, but also had set aside a recorded dialog that said, loosely "Speak with my assistant about that, he ( or she) will fill you in on the details". This allowed the developers to tack on any content they liked as a quest from a major NPC, and not have to have them actually speak about it. Their assistant NPC (like Jasmine, in Loxely's case) would handle the instructions and rewards.

Had this been done in Fallout 3, user quests would not require NPC voice tracks to seem normal.

Voice acting isn't important to me in any way when it comes to RPGs. I prefer text since I can read faster than characters talk, and you can have more dialogue and the like with text.

I hope they make the voices varied and interesting enough, as I suffer from chronic skipping as well. Also, better writing.

I don't care either way. As long as they don't overuse that obnoxious, headache inducing Wes Johnson Imperial voice and Wonderwoman's peanut butter coated throat again, I'm fine.

that is a potentially really cool disorder. Being an economics student, i'd be cool if every time someone said "financial" i tasted cheesecake, or everytime i hear "price" to taste prime steak

do combo's work with this disorder? like if one voice makes you taste peanut butter, and another voice tasted like chocolate, and both voices talked at the same time, would it taste like a reese's?

I'm just glad they are using more people for voice acting than in Oblivion... TES IV was kind of a joke when it came to voice acting.

You don't just 'add' a quest randomly after you have voice acted everything. Have you ever made a game before? That would corrupt workflow. They have like 99% of the game planned down to the detail before they even start making most of it. If they add any quests, its very early in the process of production. Plus they have been working on Skyrim for almost 6 years, I'm thinking right about now that they have all the quests made, and are simply adding details to places, maybe finishing a bit of voice acting, and are bug fixing and polishing the thing. I doubt they are still in the heavy production portion of it.

I agree with practicly every thing you have said. I read a lot from posters about poor story this poor writting that all the time here. I think you can have some opening lines voiced acted then the rest morrowind style. You can write so much more into each char with written dialogue.

Voice acting is a must. There's no compromize. Written dialogue didn't bother me back in Morrowind but that was almost 10 years ago. Now in new games like Mount & Blade (which is one of very few new games without voice acting, still incredible though) I realized it feels so much less immersive to read text rather than have people talk.

I think he meant DLC and such things.
Also its easier for modders to just add some text for their modded in quests.

Besides voice acting to me is a one time thing. After you've played it a couple times you just want to skip the dialogue and get on with the quest.

Why cant we have both :shrug:

To me the biggest immersion breaker is bad voice acting. Sorry if skyrim repeats the beggars of Oblivion then mute button will be hit.

I am not convinced that voice acting necessarily implies less quests, but hypothetically if I must choose, yes I want less quests and full voiced dialogue.

Off course I would like voice acting but bethesda would have to hire significantly more voice actors this time around, while the concept was great in oblivion using what felt like the same 4 voice actors for every npc in the game bar patrick stewart and sean bean pulls you out of the experiance.
in morrowind due to no vo i kinda gave voice to the characters in my head in repect to their personality's, however come oblivion this was completely shattered with every dark elf being posh etc.
Why not hire some actors not long out of drama school or ones from dfferent countries who are not hollywood actors, get some of your staff to join in if you want.

I would love the game to be fully VO but having the same 4 actors talk for every npc pulls me much furthur out of the experiance than walls of text or how other devs handles npc's (not all npc's can be talked to)

I voted for all voice acting, but the problem I had with your "poll" is that you assume that there will be less quests simply because there would be all voice acting. With a great company like bethesda I have full faith in them to have many many quests and that it all be voice acted well and that the two will not adversely affect the game.

While not necessary for it all be be voiced, I think it adds an element of realism that everyone desires. I mean, I talk to people every day and no one has ever had a conversation with me in the middle of the supermarket by passing notes back and forth that I have to read. Just my opinion.

I would have voted "all voiced and more quests" but that wasn't an option.

Couldn't vote on the poll, as it's not extensive enough. I'd prefer more voice acting (or just as much as Oblivion) but there's obviously room for improvement.

If they use the same 5 or 6 actors/actresses, at least hire people who can modify their vocal range. Put more energy into the job. Mel Blanc, for instance, did almost ALL of the Loony Tunes characters. It's possible for one person to sound like several people. Problem with Oblivion is most of the time one person just sounds like one person.

I didn't think the voice acting "svcked" in Oblivion, I find it humorous most of the time! It sounds like a group of actors studying their lines. I'd rather have voices than not have them, if only for the amusemant.

But it's obviously a feature that was in its infancy during OB. It can only get better. :wave:

This, ftw.
I liked reading in Morrowind. I felt like I was in an interactive book. I could imagine more.
Though, I think the main quest should be fully voiced so that it has the most effect on the player.
Everything else I can imagine just fine on my own.

Hell I'd be happy with one voice actor per race/gender combination. All elves and the Orcs/Nords sounding the same in Oblivion was incredibly lame.

Poll svcks btw, couldn't vote because I don't agree with any option.