[Audyssey] game speech
While I prefer human speech in games, I don't mind a good quality SAPI voice that has the proper accent. It's a personal preference, but when the word "are" is to be pronounced, I want to hear "are", not "ah", "heart" instead of "hot", and so on. There's an R there, so pronounce it. "enter", not "enTuh". Also, "I saw it" instead of "I sore it". --- Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. - Original Message - From: "Jim Kitchen" To: "dark" Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 3:45 AM Subject: [Audyssey] Hi Dark I don't know, for some reason hearing the same human speech over and over in a game bothers me. But hearing the same sapi5 voice over and over does not. Now if I had sight and saw a human on the screen, I would expect to hear human speech. But when I had sight, nothing on the screen looked anything like a human. BFN Jim The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some darned good ideas! j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
[Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, Sorry about the Hi Dark subject. Don't know how I did that. I see what you mean, but Homer Simpson is almost not like a Human voice to me. He is a cartoon voice. Kind of like if I had been more of a Flintstones fan and used Fred Flintstones voice rather than Homer's. I do see though like with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Automan and even Maggie's car horn in Homer on a Harley. It is hard though to find and edit bits of speech out of TV shows, movies etc and find everything that you need for a game. BFN Jim You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me. j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi charles. I agree, but Funnily enough I'm the opposite way around with synths, but being english I would be. I have no care whether the letter R is pronounced, but do like long A's and short o's, --- -indeed with the English pronunciation of hot you could never mistake it for heart simply because the O is shorter and deeper. That is why i use orphius Alan as my main Hal voice, and realspeak daniel as my sapi voice. Beware the grue! Dark. - Original Message - From: "Charles Rivard" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 12:39 PM Subject: [Audyssey] game speech While I prefer human speech in games, I don't mind a good quality SAPI voice that has the proper accent. It's a personal preference, but when the word "are" is to be pronounced, I want to hear "are", not "ah", "heart" instead of "hot", and so on. There's an R there, so pronounce it. "enter", not "enTuh". Also, "I saw it" instead of "I sore it". --- Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. - Original Message - From: "Jim Kitchen" To: "dark" Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 3:45 AM Subject: [Audyssey] Hi Dark I don't know, for some reason hearing the same human speech over and over in a game bothers me. But hearing the same sapi5 voice over and over does not. Now if I had sight and saw a human on the screen, I would expect to hear human speech. But when I had sight, nothing on the screen looked anything like a human. BFN Jim The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some darned good ideas! j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Interestingly enough I prefer the UK English version of the Elloquence synthesizer. I don't know, I just could never stand the American one. But as far as synthes in games go I'm pretty set in my ways. Sapi for status info is fine, but never, and I mean never, should synthes be used for actual characters unless, and that being the key word, they happen to be robot or computer characters. To be qite frank tat's probably the biggest reason I can never manage to maintain my interest in the Sarah game. On 1/23/12, dark wrote: > Hi charles. > > I agree, but Funnily enough I'm the opposite way around with synths, > but being english I would be. > > I have no care whether the letter R is pronounced, but do like long A's and > > short o's, --- -indeed with the English pronunciation of hot you could never > > mistake it for heart simply because the O is shorter and deeper. That is why > > i use orphius Alan as my main Hal voice, and realspeak daniel as my sapi > voice. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. > - Original Message - > From: "Charles Rivard" > To: "Gamers Discussion list" > Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 12:39 PM > Subject: [Audyssey] game speech > > >> While I prefer human speech in games, I don't mind a good quality SAPI >> voice that has the proper accent. It's a personal preference, but when >> the word "are" is to be pronounced, I want to hear "are", not "ah", >> "heart" instead of "hot", and so on. There's an R there, so pronounce it. >> >> "enter", not "enTuh". Also, "I saw it" instead of "I sore it". >> >> --- >> Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. >> - Original Message - >> From: "Jim Kitchen" >> To: "dark" >> Sent: Monday, January 23, 2012 3:45 AM >> Subject: [Audyssey] Hi Dark >> >> >>> >>> >>> I don't know, for some reason hearing the same human speech over and over >>> >>> in a game bothers me. But hearing the same sapi5 voice over and over >>> does not. >>> >>> Now if I had sight and saw a human on the screen, I would expect to hear >>> >>> human speech. But when I had sight, nothing on the screen looked >>> anything like a human. >>> >>> BFN >>> >>> Jim >>> >>> The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some darned good >>> ideas! >>> >>> j...@kitchensinc.net >>> http://www.kitchensinc.net >>> (440) 286-6920 >>> Chardon Ohio USA >>> --- >>> Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org >>> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >>> gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. >>> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >>> http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >>> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. >>> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >>> list, >>> please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. >> >> >> --- >> Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org >> If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to >> gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. >> You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at >> http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. >> All messages are archived and can be searched and read at >> http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. >> If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the >> list, >> please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Charles, Yeah, that is a personal preference thing. I remember originally when I designed MOTA I used Real Speak Caren because I love her voice and Australian accent. However, you and a couple of others requested a strict American female which I did. Although, I like Heather I still think Caren sounds better, and its just a case of preference. I can't remember which word it was but you e-mailed me and asked me what Caren said. Wasn't it something like dart and you thought she said dot? I think I've listened to that voice so much I have grown accustom to the accented words, gotten use to hearing shedule instead of schedule, etc that would throw the average American off. Cheers! On 1/23/12, Charles Rivard wrote: > While I prefer human speech in games, I don't mind a good quality SAPI voice > that has the proper accent. It's a personal preference, but when the word > "are" is to be pronounced, I want to hear "are", not "ah", "heart" instead > of "hot", and so on. There's an R there, so pronounce it. "enter", not > "enTuh". Also, "I saw it" instead of "I sore it". > > --- > Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Bryan, Oh, I like the U.K. version of Eloquence as well. I like to leave it set on Justin because I think he sounds better than Reed. I also agree I can put up with almost any SAPI voice for menus and things like that, but not for cutscenes and game commentary. One of the things that bothers me about the wrestling game I'm working on is commentary. Right now any time you perform a move SAPI acts as a ring side commintator. Ok, it works, but I can't get into it. I'd prefer a human to actually call out the moves rather than SAPI. Cheers! On 1/23/12, BRYAN PETERSON wrote: > Interestingly enough I prefer the UK English version of the Elloquence > synthesizer. I don't know, I just could never stand the American one. > But as far as synthes in games go I'm pretty set in my ways. Sapi for > status info is fine, but never, and I mean never, should synthes be > used for actual characters unless, and that being the key word, they > happen to be robot or computer characters. To be qite frank tat's > probably the biggest reason I can never manage to maintain my interest > in the Sarah game. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Personally I'm the opposite as far as eloquence goes. Its UK accent just sounds wrong to me for some reason. The interesting part though is that I totally think the reverse with eSpeak. I like its UK accent but can't stand the US one. As far as the more natural voices, my favourites would probably be neospeech Paul, acapela Peter and Ivona Geraint (that one came out a week ago or so, so it's quite new). Oh and yes, I also prefer human speech verses TTS On 2012-01-24 08:00, Thomas Ward wrote: Hi Bryan, Oh, I like the U.K. version of Eloquence as well. I like to leave it set on Justin because I think he sounds better than Reed. I also agree I can put up with almost any SAPI voice for menus and things like that, but not for cutscenes and game commentary. One of the things that bothers me about the wrestling game I'm working on is commentary. Right now any time you perform a move SAPI acts as a ring side commintator. Ok, it works, but I can't get into it. I'd prefer a human to actually call out the moves rather than SAPI. Cheers! On 1/23/12, BRYAN PETERSON wrote: Interestingly enough I prefer the UK English version of the Elloquence synthesizer. I don't know, I just could never stand the American one. But as far as synthes in games go I'm pretty set in my ways. Sapi for status info is fine, but never, and I mean never, should synthes be used for actual characters unless, and that being the key word, they happen to be robot or computer characters. To be qite frank tat's probably the biggest reason I can never manage to maintain my interest in the Sarah game. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
As for my favorite SAPI voice, on my PC, the default has been set to ScanSoft Tom. Of all those that came on a CD that was sent along with an earlier copy of JAWS from Freedom Scientific, it is the best in my opinion. --- Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. - Original Message - From: "Pitermach" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 3:03 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Personally I'm the opposite as far as eloquence goes. Its UK accent just sounds wrong to me for some reason. The interesting part though is that I totally think the reverse with eSpeak. I like its UK accent but can't stand the US one. As far as the more natural voices, my favourites would probably be neospeech Paul, acapela Peter and Ivona Geraint (that one came out a week ago or so, so it's quite new). Oh and yes, I also prefer human speech verses TTS On 2012-01-24 08:00, Thomas Ward wrote: Hi Bryan, Oh, I like the U.K. version of Eloquence as well. I like to leave it set on Justin because I think he sounds better than Reed. I also agree I can put up with almost any SAPI voice for menus and things like that, but not for cutscenes and game commentary. One of the things that bothers me about the wrestling game I'm working on is commentary. Right now any time you perform a move SAPI acts as a ring side commintator. Ok, it works, but I can't get into it. I'd prefer a human to actually call out the moves rather than SAPI. Cheers! On 1/23/12, BRYAN PETERSON wrote: Interestingly enough I prefer the UK English version of the Elloquence synthesizer. I don't know, I just could never stand the American one. But as far as synthes in games go I'm pretty set in my ways. Sapi for status info is fine, but never, and I mean never, should synthes be used for actual characters unless, and that being the key word, they happen to be robot or computer characters. To be qite frank tat's probably the biggest reason I can never manage to maintain my interest in the Sarah game. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Charles, I think that all of the different accents of people and voice actors across the U. S. and the rest of the world might be part of my problem with human speech in games. Some accents do really get on my nerves. Not so much talking with a person on the phone, but over and over in a game. I like AT&T Crystal for Email and in games. I also use AT&T Charles, AT&T Lauren, AT&T Audrey and Neo Speech Kate for games. Which is really a huge improvement over what I used to play games for over a dozen years. I had a dos computer running an Accent SA for that dozen or so years. And then a Double Talk for a couple of years. And I still run a Triple Talk on my game development computer. Not for game play, but for VB6 programming and other regular computer use. BFN Jim "Synthetic scotch, synthetic Commanders..." -- Scotty j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
I'm not sure Jim. sinse obviously Homer though a cartoon character is intended as a human being, albeit a rather stupid one at times, therefore to me would be just the same as using the voice of Luke Skywalker, Captain Picard, the Terminator or any other character from a tv program or film. If your game includes those characters, it's best if you can have their voices, however your game might be an original project and include entirely new! characters which imho have to have their own voices. Look at Airik the clerric. Airik is a distinct person with his own voice (in fact Bryan P's voice), and now if anyone else wanted to write a game with Airik, it'd make sense that they have to have Bryan. That was why in Tdv, Munawar returned to play the agent from Treasurehunt, sinse that agents' voice was! effectively munawars. Does that make sense? Myself I'd view most game characters as just as real as characters in a film, play, or any other form of artistic expression, and obviously then you want them as well portrayed as possible. Fair enough if you prefer sapi for everything Jim, I just find that a rather strange preference myself for the above reason. Beware the grue! Dark. - Original Message - From: "Jim Kitchen" To: "dark" Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 10:14 AM Subject: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Dark, Sorry about the Hi Dark subject. Don't know how I did that. I see what you mean, but Homer Simpson is almost not like a Human voice to me. He is a cartoon voice. Kind of like if I had been more of a Flintstones fan and used Fred Flintstones voice rather than Homer's. I do see though like with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Automan and even Maggie's car horn in Homer on a Harley. It is hard though to find and edit bits of speech out of TV shows, movies etc and find everything that you need for a game. BFN Jim You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me. j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, Agreed. Back when I originally created STFC I scrounged the internet plus wwent through my TNG shows to get decent recordings of Picard saying things like "fire photon torpedoes, fire phasers, on screen, engage," and so on. It made the game extremely realistic as the orders to perform various actions sounded like the TV show. Having a TTS voice announce those things never felt that realistic to me. I think if I were to do a new Star Trek game I'd get one of our talented voice actors to speak various commands like "arm phasers, arm photon torpedoes, arm quantum torpedoes, all stop," etc as that would really make that that much better. When an enemy ship approaches having the captain ordering the crew to battle stations really would make it more realistic. I don't care if Crystal or some other SAPI voice speaks menus, status reports, etc as you'd expect a computer voice for interacting with ship functions anyway. However, a human is better for the captain and crew. Even a quick "aye Sir" from the helm, tactical, or ops station is realistic where SAPI voices would be out of place. On 1/24/12, dark wrote: > I'm not sure Jim. > > sinse obviously Homer though a cartoon character is intended as a human > being, albeit a rather stupid one at times, therefore to me would be > just the same as using the voice of Luke Skywalker, Captain Picard, the > Terminator or any other character from a tv program or film. > > If your game includes those characters, it's best if you can have their > voices, however your game might be an original project and include entirely > new! characters which imho have to have their own voices. > > Look at Airik the clerric. Airik is a distinct person with his own voice (in > fact Bryan P's voice), and now if anyone else wanted to write a game with > Airik, it'd make sense that they have to have Bryan. > > That was why in Tdv, Munawar returned to play the agent from Treasurehunt, > sinse that agents' voice was! effectively munawars. > > Does that make sense? > > Myself I'd view most game characters as just as real as characters in a > film, play, or any other form of artistic expression, and obviously then you > want them as well portrayed as possible. > > Fair enough if you prefer sapi for everything Jim, I just find that a rather > strange preference myself for the above reason. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi tom. That is absolutely true, though of course in stfc you did have the advantage of finding a synth voice that was in keeping with the game itself, sinse the one you used does sound quite a lot like the trek computer, though having human crew of course would be deffinately preferable for the atmosphere it would provide, even if you kept the synth saying things like numeric status information of ships' shields, reading menues etc. Beware the grue! dark. - Original Message - From: "Thomas Ward" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 4:58 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Dark, Agreed. Back when I originally created STFC I scrounged the internet plus wwent through my TNG shows to get decent recordings of Picard saying things like "fire photon torpedoes, fire phasers, on screen, engage," and so on. It made the game extremely realistic as the orders to perform various actions sounded like the TV show. Having a TTS voice announce those things never felt that realistic to me. I think if I were to do a new Star Trek game I'd get one of our talented voice actors to speak various commands like "arm phasers, arm photon torpedoes, arm quantum torpedoes, all stop," etc as that would really make that that much better. When an enemy ship approaches having the captain ordering the crew to battle stations really would make it more realistic. I don't care if Crystal or some other SAPI voice speaks menus, status reports, etc as you'd expect a computer voice for interacting with ship functions anyway. However, a human is better for the captain and crew. Even a quick "aye Sir" from the helm, tactical, or ops station is realistic where SAPI voices would be out of place. On 1/24/12, dark wrote: I'm not sure Jim. sinse obviously Homer though a cartoon character is intended as a human being, albeit a rather stupid one at times, therefore to me would be just the same as using the voice of Luke Skywalker, Captain Picard, the Terminator or any other character from a tv program or film. If your game includes those characters, it's best if you can have their voices, however your game might be an original project and include entirely new! characters which imho have to have their own voices. Look at Airik the clerric. Airik is a distinct person with his own voice (in fact Bryan P's voice), and now if anyone else wanted to write a game with Airik, it'd make sense that they have to have Bryan. That was why in Tdv, Munawar returned to play the agent from Treasurehunt, sinse that agents' voice was! effectively munawars. Does that make sense? Myself I'd view most game characters as just as real as characters in a film, play, or any other form of artistic expression, and obviously then you want them as well portrayed as possible. Fair enough if you prefer sapi for everything Jim, I just find that a rather strange preference myself for the above reason. Beware the grue! Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Jim. I agree that sapi does have the advantage of being very vercetile for creating and manipulating different sets of text, which is why games like Entombed would be near impossible to do with all human speech. Though even then, I'd stil view this as a necessity of the game architecture myself, rather than as something which is absolutely desireable. What I mean is, my brother has recently with his friends been playing one of the wrestle mania games which has a create a wrestler mode. Apparently, as well as being able to choose from a libary of many thousands of physical features to make up your created wrestler, the ring announcer has a huge range of comments in human speech, so that you can give them, if not the name you actually want, at least something aproximate. For instance, apparently someone created an evil version of Ryu, the martial artist from the street fighter game series as a wrestler. No, the ring announcer didn't have the name Ryu, but did have Dragon, thus he was called evil Dragon. My brother for instance, who's name is mat, created himself as a wrestler under the name Mr. mat. obviously, to have this amount of speech in a game would be an insane amount of work from a voice actor just to create enough to announce wrestler names let alone anything else, and the only reason it's in the wrestlemania game is that the company who make it is a massive coorperation with enough money to throw around on the project. However, if an audio game were made with the same amount of money behind it, I'd personally be willing to bet someone would have the idea to do exactly the same thing with speech, assuming that a voice actor could be paid to do all that recording. As for sound files enspiring games, well that seems to make a lot of sense to me, --- whatever gives you inspiration for something seems fine. Beware the gRue! Dark. - Original Message - From: "Jim Kitchen" To: "dark" Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 10:52 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Dark, When Phil first came up with the idea of using the plany program to add wave sound files to our dos games I had the Homer Simpson sound files Doh and whoo hoo. So those were in just about all of my dos and now Windows games. So for me often it is a sound file that inspires me to create a game. You know such as the "You big dumb balding ape" that inspired me to create Awesome Homer. I guess that seems backward, but I am often like that. Now one thing that I would never ever do is create a game using my voice. I just do not wish to hear myself talking all day. Probably again backward but I really do prefer the sapi voices to human speech in games. I even turn off the male comments in my casino games. I have just finished a bit of a new game where it totally randomly creates and describes the players that you will play against. So since every sentence is built randomly, I would need thousands and thousands of individual words recorded, and then putting them back together into sentences just does not work because of the different inflections in human speech. And then there is the adjusting the rate of the speech. That also does not work with recorded human speech. I will though try to find some appropriate human sound clips sort of like the ones in my casino games etc. BFN Jim In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills? j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, Oh, yeah. I often feel its the lack of funding that keeps audio game developers behind the mainstream. I've got the skills to write something like WWE 12, which came out for the XBox recently, but skills don't mean Jack if I don't have the human voice actors to do the commentary, ring announcements, and prematch cutscenes. Often times it is the real performers themselves so you know they've got to be paying top dollar to get the wrestlers to come in and record all the sounds and so on. I've seen the same thing in the Star Trek games. Star Trek: Elite Force is a good example. While there were plenty of non-cannon characters written into the game all the top stars from Voyager reprized their rolls for the game's cutscenes. I'm sure hiring the actors from Star Trek: Voyager for a game wouldn't exactly come cheap. That is essentially our problem as independent game developers. We don't have the funding to hire big name stars to do voice overs, nor can we hire the top graphics artests to do 3d graphics and full motion video. That doesn't mean we can not make do with hiring someone from voices.com or getting help from fellow list members, but by and large we don't have the money to do nearly half the things a commercial company can do. On 1/26/12, dark wrote: > Hi Jim. > > I agree that sapi does have the advantage of being very vercetile for > creating and manipulating different sets of text, which is why games like > Entombed would be near impossible to do with all human speech. > > Though even then, I'd stil view this as a necessity of the game architecture > myself, rather than as something which is absolutely desireable. > > What I mean is, my brother has recently with his friends been playing one of > the wrestle mania games which has a create a wrestler mode. > > Apparently, as well as being able to choose from a libary of many thousands > of physical features to make up your created wrestler, the ring announcer > has a huge range of comments in human speech, so that you can give them, if > not the name you actually want, at least something aproximate. > > For instance, apparently someone created an evil version of Ryu, the martial > artist from the street fighter game series as a wrestler. > > No, the ring announcer didn't have the name Ryu, but did have Dragon, thus > he was called evil Dragon. > > My brother for instance, who's name is mat, created himself as a wrestler > under the name Mr. mat. > > obviously, to have this amount of speech in a game would be an insane amount > of work from a voice actor just to create enough to announce wrestler names > let alone anything else, and the only reason it's in the wrestlemania game > is that the company who make it is a massive coorperation with enough money > to throw around on the project. > > However, if an audio game were made with the same amount of money behind it, > I'd personally be willing to bet someone would have the idea to do exactly > the same thing with speech, assuming that a voice actor could be paid to do > all that recording. > > As for sound files enspiring games, well that seems to make a lot of sense > to me, --- whatever gives you inspiration for something seems fine. > > Beware the gRue! > > Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, I think my Ten Pin Alley game is the only one that allows you to pick your name from a list of about 120 recorded names. Of course Josh had to record them. It also had the ability for you to record your own name and add it to the game. It sounded strange but was workable. Phil - Original Message - From: "dark" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 6:22 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Jim. I agree that sapi does have the advantage of being very vercetile for creating and manipulating different sets of text, which is why games like Entombed would be near impossible to do with all human speech. Though even then, I'd stil view this as a necessity of the game architecture myself, rather than as something which is absolutely desireable. What I mean is, my brother has recently with his friends been playing one of the wrestle mania games which has a create a wrestler mode. Apparently, as well as being able to choose from a libary of many thousands of physical features to make up your created wrestler, the ring announcer has a huge range of comments in human speech, so that you can give them, if not the name you actually want, at least something aproximate. For instance, apparently someone created an evil version of Ryu, the martial artist from the street fighter game series as a wrestler. No, the ring announcer didn't have the name Ryu, but did have Dragon, thus he was called evil Dragon. My brother for instance, who's name is mat, created himself as a wrestler under the name Mr. mat. obviously, to have this amount of speech in a game would be an insane amount of work from a voice actor just to create enough to announce wrestler names let alone anything else, and the only reason it's in the wrestlemania game is that the company who make it is a massive coorperation with enough money to throw around on the project. However, if an audio game were made with the same amount of money behind it, I'd personally be willing to bet someone would have the idea to do exactly the same thing with speech, assuming that a voice actor could be paid to do all that recording. As for sound files enspiring games, well that seems to make a lot of sense to me, --- whatever gives you inspiration for something seems fine. Beware the gRue! Dark. - Original Message - From: "Jim Kitchen" To: "dark" Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 10:52 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Dark, When Phil first came up with the idea of using the plany program to add wave sound files to our dos games I had the Homer Simpson sound files Doh and whoo hoo. So those were in just about all of my dos and now Windows games. So for me often it is a sound file that inspires me to create a game. You know such as the "You big dumb balding ape" that inspired me to create Awesome Homer. I guess that seems backward, but I am often like that. Now one thing that I would never ever do is create a game using my voice. I just do not wish to hear myself talking all day. Probably again backward but I really do prefer the sapi voices to human speech in games. I even turn off the male comments in my casino games. I have just finished a bit of a new game where it totally randomly creates and describes the players that you will play against. So since every sentence is built randomly, I would need thousands and thousands of individual words recorded, and then putting them back together into sentences just does not work because of the different inflections in human speech. And then there is the adjusting the rate of the speech. That also does not work with recorded human speech. I will though try to find some appropriate human sound clips sort of like the ones in my casino games etc. BFN Jim In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills? j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, plea
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Tom. that is all absolutely true, however sometimes I do wonder if there are more creative solutions to those sorts of problems such as those followed by graphical indi developers. As you know, I am a huge fan of the Turrican games, a set of 2D exploration platform shooters originally for the comador Amigar. With the creator's friendly permission, turrican has now very much been taken over by fans and new levels or even games are being produced every few months. turrican has always been famous for it's exceptional soundtrakc, so of course to be propper Turrican games, the fan projects had to have decent music. The designers of the various fan projects therefore located composers, either fellow fans or musicians who work in their spare time to create some exceptional music for the projects. Indeed, here is a collection that I wripped from the games and have zipped up for other Turrican fans to download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/s4kp18 it often seems however that some people working on audio games aren't willing to go outside the community or ask around on sites like www.songplanet.com to see what is available, and a state of affairs where a graphical game has better music than an audio game, and a graphical game produced with just the same low level of resources and in a person's spare time what's more. to take another example and actually make a practical suggestion. Obviously you don't have either the cash or resources to have a ful scale audio commentary in the wrestling game, however that doesn't mean you can't have a small number, say ten or twenty, especially dramatic ring announcer quotes recorded to play at significant moments during the match and add to the atmosphere. So to take your slam example, even if you can't record goodness knows how many ways of saying person x scoop slams person y, you could get a "Oooh! and he's down!" or "she's down!" to play at that point, just to bring home to the player that significant damage had been done, with the sapi description filling in the details. "Ouch! that's gotta hurt", "right off the top!", "One in the kisser!", "right in the bread baskit" etc. The game smash Tv for the Snes did a very similar thing. Even though Snes hardware couldn't cope with many sound clips, sinse the game was themeed around a deadly game show and they wanted an annoying host to give comments, they just recorded a few phrases such as "I'd buy that for a dollar" or "big money! big prizes! I love it!" which really did a lot for the atmosphere of the game and introduced the host as a completely irritating person without requiring massive amounts of sound clips. I'd offer to do the short announcer comments myself, accept that you'd really want an American for that sort of thing, and though I could possibly fake an accent it wouldn't obviously be as authentic as if you got a real Us actor from the correct region of the states. That's of course assuming that you can't find actual samples of that sort of thing kicking around on wrestling fan sights somewhere. Beware the grue! Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
I like recorded speech. While on win7 it sounds good and if you happen to legally or otherwise have something like realspeak its passable I guess. but ms sam in a game just isn't a voice to get you into anything really. And if sapi dies, well you can't play. At 06:22 a.m. 26/01/2012 -0500, you wrote: Hi Jim, Sure, prerecorded speech isn't possible in certain situations as you pointed out with the random descriptions. There comes a point where there are to many combinations and random variations where human speech isn't possible. I'll use my wrestling game project as an example here. The more wrestlers I add to the games database the more names I'd have to record. A database of any size could and probably would end up forcing the developer to record a couple hundred names easy. Then, there can be several variations on the same play by play commentary that makes it difficult to record and play a large data base of ring side commentary. Just describing a successful scoop slam might have four or five variations like this. "John Cina quickly scoops Del Rio up, lifts him into the air, and slams him to the mat." "John Cina reaches down low, scoops Del Rio into the air, and then drops him like a bad habit.{" "Jon Cina shows us his raw strength as he lifts Del Rio up into the air, and then executes a powerful scoop slam to the mat." Those are only three possible ways to describe the same thing. I'm sure given enough time and desire I could probably write up several variations to describe the same move, and I'd have to write up the same descriptions for the female wrestlers using her instead of him and so on. With SAPI its easy to do that because all I have to do is write it down and pass the string to the Speak() funcgtion. If I were to do the same thing using human speech it would take a lot of time recording, editing, and then coding it into the game. No thanks! However, by and large I still feel the games that do have human voice overs sound better. More professional I guess. Once you've played something like WWE for the XBox with real human ringside commentary, sound effects, music, etc that sounds just like WWE Raw having SAPI doing the commentary just does not do it justice! On 1/26/12, Jim Kitchen wrote: > Hi Dark, > > When Phil first came up with the idea of using the plany program to add wave > sound files to our dos games I had the Homer Simpson sound files Doh and > whoo hoo. So those were in just about all of my dos and now Windows games. > So for me often it is a sound file that inspires me to create a game. You > know such as the "You big dumb balding ape" that inspired me to create > Awesome Homer. I guess that seems backward, but I am often like that. > > Now one thing that I would never ever do is create a game using my voice. I > just do not wish to hear myself talking all day. > > Probably again backward but I really do prefer the sapi voices to human > speech in games. I even turn off the male comments in my casino games. I > have just finished a bit of a new game where it totally randomly creates and > describes the players that you will play against. So since every sentence > is built randomly, I would need thousands and thousands of individual words > recorded, and then putting them back together into sentences just does not > work because of the different inflections in human speech. And then there > is the adjusting the rate of the speech. That also does not work with > recorded human speech. I will though try to find some appropriate human > sound clips sort of like the ones in my casino games etc. > > BFN > > Jim > > In a country of free speech, why are there phone bills? > > j...@kitchensinc.net > http://www.kitchensinc.net > (440) 286-6920 > Chardon Ohio USA > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/m
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi, Oh, that is an under statement. Microsoft Sam is absolutely terrible. I can't stand playing games or doing anything with that voice. I'm glad Microsoft finally got rid of it and replaced it with Anna. Windows 8 actually even has better voices than Anna available now. However, as Dark has said a number of times on list purchasing a good SAPI voice for games is like buying an accessory for a game console. The AT&T voices, Cepstral voices, etc aren't that expensive and a person can get a pretty decent voice for as much as the average audio game and can use it with any and all of his/her games. So its a useful investment. On 1/26/12, shaun everiss wrote: > I like recorded speech. > While on win7 it sounds good and if you happen to legally or > otherwise have something like realspeak its passable I guess. > but ms sam in a game just isn't a voice to get you into anything really. > And if sapi dies, well you can't play. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Thomas, Yeah, I love building random objects or the descriptions of them. You know like in Triple J Shooter. This is at least as many combinations. Actually way way more. Not for this game, but for a Simpson's game, the voice actors for the Simpsons are voice actors making millions a year. Really don't think that I could hire even one of them for any work. BFN Jim I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV. j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, One day I was putting in numbers for where to start the playing of and for how long to play and the frequency to play the wave file and the sound that came out sounded cool, and I was like, wow, I could use that for a pong ball sound. I actually had wanted to make a game of pong, but just never had found a sound that wouldn't get annoying being played continuously like you need for the pong ball. So of course with the sound, I was now inspired to write the pong game. And since so many people had been asking for games with human speech, Marcie said yes when I asked her if she would do the speech for it. I now have a better set of microphones, but still... BFN Jim I hear voices, and they don't like you! j...@kitchensinc.net http://www.kitchensinc.net (440) 286-6920 Chardon Ohio USA --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Charles, I have to agree with that. Tom is definitely one of my favorite SAPI voices. Its just too bad Nuance decided to get all proprietary with their license and won't sell a SAPI version without charging an arm or a leg for it. To make it worse attempting to install the SAPI version that came with Jaws 9 on a new PC will fail. On 1/24/12, Charles Rivard wrote: > As for my favorite SAPI voice, on my PC, the default has been set to > ScanSoft Tom. Of all those that came on a CD that was sent along with an > earlier copy of JAWS from Freedom Scientific, it is the best in my opinion. > > --- > Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, While I take your point I think the problem here is as much a lack of information as it is money. For example, you mentioned why not look around on songplanet.com. Until you mentioned it I had never heard of it. I hadn't heard of voices.com until Philip Bennefall brought them to my attention either. Unless a developer knows about such places, it is brought to their attention, or find it by a Google search that lack of information can and will effect the kinds of content available to them. I know just typing in a search string like "royalty free music" or "royalty free sounds" will generate a lot of hits. Usually, one of the big name resellers like Sounddogs.com will be one of the top results. It can be rather daunting going through all the possible hits to find something within a developers price range, that is of decent quality, etc. As far as the 10 to 20 dramatic voice clips for the wrestling game goes that makes sense from a financial point of view, but also feels like an incomplete product to me. To me it is more jarring to go from a human to a SAPI voice. I'd prefer either all human voice overs or all SAPI but not half and half. Sarah is a case in point. While I do enjoy the game I feel certain aspects feel cheaply done. I can't help feel a bit jarred when I try to examine one thing and you have Sarah describe it in a human voice, examine something else, and have AT&T Crystal describe it instead. It feels, well, weird. Then, you have the Caretaker, who is a human actor, but the ghosts, suits of armor, etc all use SAPI voices. While I realize Phil was only using what he had available to him I think it would have sounded much better if the SAPI voices were completely swapped out for human ones because as it stands right now its sort of half and half.When you compare the human acting, which is decent, to the SAPI voices the contrast is quite apparent and feels like a low budget film where the actors were replaced by robots or something. Cheers! --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Tom. I agree on Sarah, much as I like the game, but there the problem seems that sapi voices were used for actual characters. My thought about your wrestling game was based on some of the old wrestlemania like games I've seen which did a very similar thing, having only a couple of recorded sound comments and leaving everything else to in game text or graphics to show. Stil, it was just a suggestion. As to developer resources, I take your point about google searches, however one thing that I don't understand is why indi graphical games so often have For example, in the game to hell with johny, a low vision access game I beta tested, there are at least 6 basic walking sound effects for when you jump on platforms. I've seen audio platformers with less, which makes no sense at all. when I asked the developer about this his response was "I just found them from everywhere, mostly on the net" that's why I sometimes wonder if people do! go out of their way with these sorts of things or just ask around within the community or on very expensive commercial sites. Beware the grue! Dark. - Original Message - From: "Thomas Ward" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2012 7:41 AM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Dark, While I take your point I think the problem here is as much a lack of information as it is money. For example, you mentioned why not look around on songplanet.com. Until you mentioned it I had never heard of it. I hadn't heard of voices.com until Philip Bennefall brought them to my attention either. Unless a developer knows about such places, it is brought to their attention, or find it by a Google search that lack of information can and will effect the kinds of content available to them. I know just typing in a search string like "royalty free music" or "royalty free sounds" will generate a lot of hits. Usually, one of the big name resellers like Sounddogs.com will be one of the top results. It can be rather daunting going through all the possible hits to find something within a developers price range, that is of decent quality, etc. As far as the 10 to 20 dramatic voice clips for the wrestling game goes that makes sense from a financial point of view, but also feels like an incomplete product to me. To me it is more jarring to go from a human to a SAPI voice. I'd prefer either all human voice overs or all SAPI but not half and half. Sarah is a case in point. While I do enjoy the game I feel certain aspects feel cheaply done. I can't help feel a bit jarred when I try to examine one thing and you have Sarah describe it in a human voice, examine something else, and have AT&T Crystal describe it instead. It feels, well, weird. Then, you have the Caretaker, who is a human actor, but the ghosts, suits of armor, etc all use SAPI voices. While I realize Phil was only using what he had available to him I think it would have sounded much better if the SAPI voices were completely swapped out for human ones because as it stands right now its sort of half and half.When you compare the human acting, which is decent, to the SAPI voices the contrast is quite apparent and feels like a low budget film where the actors were replaced by robots or something. Cheers! --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
What? I know at least one friend with a Windows 7 Netbook (X86) who has the european Version of the JAWS RealSpeak CD and he had no problems in installing and running them. However because he has the European version, he has only Daniel and not Emily or Serena... You only get into technical troubble when you install RealSpeak voices bought from nextup.com and the RealSpeak CDs in the wrong order... But since we are talking about Nuance, what about the German voice Anna and Russian Milena? Even JAWS and the RealSpeak Direct page has the new voices, and as far as I know it is not only a German and a Russian voice but there were more new voices... --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Why will it fail? Just an off the wall thought, and I don't know if it would work, but would it install if you first installed JAWS 9, and made sure it was registered? Then uninstall JAWS 9 after the other SAPI speech voices are installed? What is the reason it won't install on newer machines? Something to do with the OS? --- Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. - Original Message - From: "Thomas Ward" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Friday, January 27, 2012 10:08 PM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Charles, I have to agree with that. Tom is definitely one of my favorite SAPI voices. Its just too bad Nuance decided to get all proprietary with their license and won't sell a SAPI version without charging an arm or a leg for it. To make it worse attempting to install the SAPI version that came with Jaws 9 on a new PC will fail. On 1/24/12, Charles Rivard wrote: As for my favorite SAPI voice, on my PC, the default has been set to ScanSoft Tom. Of all those that came on a CD that was sent along with an earlier copy of JAWS from Freedom Scientific, it is the best in my opinion. --- Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Michael and all, Sorry, I should have clarified my statement. I am not talking about the x86 version of Windows 7. I am talking specifically about the x64 version of Windows 7. If you insert the Freedom Scientific cd containing the SAPI 5 version of the Real Speak voices, the one that came with Jaws 9, into your cd drive it will come up with an error message that this version of Windows is incompatible with the software. When you click the Close button it exits the Real Speak Solo installation. However, if you have an x86 version of Windows 7 the voices install and run just fine. Its just the x64 version of Windows that has the problem. I'll also point out I'm not talking about the Real Speak Direct voices for download on Freedom Scientific's website. Those are proprietary to Jaws/Openbook and won't work with NVDA, Window-Eyes, and games like the older version of the voices did. Cheers! On 1/28/12, Michael Gauler wrote: > What? > I know at least one friend with a Windows 7 Netbook (X86) who has the > european Version of the JAWS RealSpeak CD and he had no problems in > installing and running them. > However because he has the European version, he has only Daniel and not > Emily or Serena... > You only get into technical troubble when you install RealSpeak voices > bought from nextup.com and the RealSpeak CDs in the wrong order... > But since we are talking about Nuance, what about the German voice Anna and > Russian Milena? > Even JAWS and the RealSpeak Direct page has the new voices, and as far as I > know it is not only a German and a Russian voice but there were more new > voices... > > > --- > Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org > If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to > gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. > You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at > http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. > All messages are archived and can be searched and read at > http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. > If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, > please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Charles, No. The problem is with the Freedom Scientific installer for the voices. It detects what operating system you are running and if you are running an x64 version of Windows it will come up and tell you that this version of Windows is incompatible with the software, tells you to contact Freedom Scientific support for a compatible version of the software, and then bomb out of the install. Well, when I called Freedom Scientific for a replacement cd that was x64 compatible they told me to upgrade Jaws and Openbook and download the Real Speak Direct voices which does me absolutely no good as the Real Speak Direct voices won't work with my SAPI games. Plus since switching to NVDA I absolutely refuse to pay a king's fortune for access technology like Jaws. Anyway, I probably could rewrite the installer, but then my butt would be in trouble for illegally redistributing the software just to fix Freedom Scientific's screw up. I'm pretty sure the voices themselves would work or could be made to work if I could just get past the blasted installer. Cheers! On 1/28/12, Charles Rivard wrote: > Why will it fail? Just an off the wall thought, and I don't know if it > would work, but would it install if you first installed JAWS 9, and made > sure it was registered? Then uninstall JAWS 9 after the other SAPI speech > voices are installed? What is the reason it won't install on newer > machines? Something to do with the OS? > > --- > Shepherds are the best beasts, but Labs are a close second. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, Hard to say. I've found a lot of royalty free sounds as well just by Googling for them, and I can usually find sounds if I look hard enough for them. However, I throw away everything I don't think is of a decent quality. Perhaps, the issue here is nothing more or less than some audio game developers hold to a lower standard than the mainstream independent game developers do. I've said it before and I'll say it again, keep in mind most blind game developers have no real life experience with standard video games independent or otherwise. Until they've sat down and played some mainstream games they are clueless as to the points you are raising because they didn't know any better. They don't have anything to compare their work to. I know with Shades of Doom, for example, lots of blind gamers consistently call it a 3d game even though it isn't one. It has 3d audio, but the levels are 2d in design. I've been trying since the day the game was released to correct this misconception, but it is due to the fact most blind gamers have never played a full 3d game and haven't a clue about the differences in a 2d FPS and a full 3d FPS until it is pointed out to them. Some developers, who weren't raised on mainstream games, are just as clueless about certain aspects of audio games vs mainstream games too. I think your situation is analogous to culture shock. You've been out in the mainstream gaming world playing the NES, SuperNES, played other mainstream games and consoles, and show up here in the audio games community expecting the same features and standards as any indi mainstream developer. That's not such a bad thing as I felt exactly the same way when I joined Audyssey around 2000 or 2001. However, what I quickly discovered is that the audio games community is made up largely of amateur developers, who are self-taught, and very few have played or experienced the same mainstream games I had. My expectations were simply too high, and I quickly became disappointed in what I found. However, that's not to say that they can't improve or be given advice to help them improve their products. I think the way to handle this situation is not to ask why this isn't being done, but to write the game developers and politely give them suggestions. Hey, I think game x would be better if you added this or that. In that way you are letting them know about a new feature without making them feel inferior to developer x by not thinking of a feature like that themselves. Cheers! On 1/28/12, dark wrote: > Hi Tom. > > > I agree on Sarah, much as I like the game, but there the problem seems that > sapi voices were used for actual characters. My thought about your wrestling > game was based on some of the old wrestlemania like games I've seen which > did a very similar thing, having only a couple of recorded sound comments > and leaving everything else to in game text or graphics to show. > > Stil, it was just a suggestion. > > As to developer resources, I take your point about google searches, however > one thing that I don't understand is why indi graphical games so often have > > For example, in the game to hell with johny, a low vision access game I beta > tested, there are at least 6 basic walking sound effects for when you jump > on platforms. I've seen audio platformers with less, which makes no sense at > all. > > when I asked the developer about this his response was "I just found them > from everywhere, mostly on the net" > > that's why I sometimes wonder if people do! go out of their way with these > sorts of things or just ask around within the community or on very expensive > commercial sites. > > Beware the grue! > > Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi tom. well broardly speaking that is what I try to do, though often to me it seems people are on the other side of the fense, ie, they expect audio games to be like mainstream console games rather than indi ones, which is simply not possible due to the budgit. Perhaps it might help if actually the audio game developers asked around on sites like www.retroremakes.com, and actually talked! to indi devs about the resources they use in game creation. most indi devs are reasonable people, and it would also let people know that audio games exist. Beware the Grue! Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Dark, Yeah, perhaps so. In fact, I thought about taking a look at retroremakes.com myself and seeing if I could work with some of the devs to see if accessibility could be added to their titles as indi developers are pretty open minded to accessibility when approached nicely about it. However, you have a good point here. We don't do enough to mix with the mainstream indi devs out there, and aren't sharing information with them on a regular basis on where to get source material like music, sounds, graphic artists, etc to beef our own games up. Plus through interacting with them on a personal basis we can share tips, tricks, and ideas on how indi games can be made more accessible. On 1/29/12, dark wrote: > Hi tom. > > well broardly speaking that is what I try to do, though often to me it seems > people are on the other side of the fense, ie, they expect audio games to be > like mainstream console games rather than indi ones, which is simply not > possible due to the budgit. > > Perhaps it might help if actually the audio game developers asked around on > sites like www.retroremakes.com, and actually talked! to indi devs about the > resources they use in game creation. most indi devs are reasonable people, > and it would also let people know that audio games exist. > > Beware the Grue! > > Dark. > --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
Re: [Audyssey] game speech
Hi Tom. That would be a good idea, particularly if perhaps either yourself or someone else could create an audio remake of a classic game. Packman talks would indeed be perfect, accept that retroremakes only allows free games. Most indi devs I've spoken to are very open about access, eindeed even now in the news Eamon deluxe is having a ful blind compatibility mode created, with better menues, mmore explanations of text etc (we've sadly not found a way around the dosbox problem yet unfortunately, but the developer is stil doing a very good job), and also niels bauer is working on a compatibility mode for Smugglers 5. Neither of these devs would be doing anything access wise if it weren't for discussions. Most indi devs of actual graphical games I've spoken to, while great as regards low vision access (I've often got good things like menue explanations or settings in a screen reader friendly conf file, or indeed in one case an entire low vision setting), don't really know about audio games very much, so don't really attempt anything with sound. i deffinately think this is a case where education would be very helpful, as well as an audio remake of a well known classic mainstream game that they could play to get familiar with how audio games work. Beware the gRue! dark. - Original Message - From: "Thomas Ward" To: "Gamers Discussion list" Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2012 12:50 PM Subject: Re: [Audyssey] game speech Hi Dark, Yeah, perhaps so. In fact, I thought about taking a look at retroremakes.com myself and seeing if I could work with some of the devs to see if accessibility could be added to their titles as indi developers are pretty open minded to accessibility when approached nicely about it. However, you have a good point here. We don't do enough to mix with the mainstream indi devs out there, and aren't sharing information with them on a regular basis on where to get source material like music, sounds, graphic artists, etc to beef our own games up. Plus through interacting with them on a personal basis we can share tips, tricks, and ideas on how indi games can be made more accessible. On 1/29/12, dark wrote: Hi tom. well broardly speaking that is what I try to do, though often to me it seems people are on the other side of the fense, ie, they expect audio games to be like mainstream console games rather than indi ones, which is simply not possible due to the budgit. Perhaps it might help if actually the audio game developers asked around on sites like www.retroremakes.com, and actually talked! to indi devs about the resources they use in game creation. most indi devs are reasonable people, and it would also let people know that audio games exist. Beware the Grue! Dark. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org. --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://mail.audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.