Voices

[DisruptorX]

Look the game is FINISHED, so further bitching about it is just pointless as nothing is going to be changed...

Just as in MTW we had to live with that god awful Byzantine Accent, so to will we have to in this.

Going over this old argument about authentic languages is pointless and futile.

In MTW, we don't have to listen to those horrid voices every time we click on a unit.

[The_Emperor]

In MTW, we don't have to listen to those horrid voices every time we click on a unit.

Yeah we did. I don't know about you but I got really irritated by the Catholic archers always screaming out "Tail our intentity!!" in a cheeseball English accent (not to mention the god awful Russian Byzantines)

I also feel its a bit premature to judge RTW. We have not played RTW so right now people are only assuming the voices are bad, based on some very limited info provided by the extremely limited demo & those vids.

Also we do not know if those vids are in fact the real faction introductions or ones that have since been discarded because they didn't make the cut, things could be different when we get the game.

Anyway right now the choice we are given is to buy it and accept it, or not to buy it and go back to the previous ones. Its come down to being that simple. (I highly doubt any developer would send out completely new voice acting for the whole game in a patch, it isn't realistic to expect one especially with the "Speech" function in)

[DisruptorX]

Actually all archers said that, no matter what faction they were for.

Another problem people have with the voices is that they are poorly done, and their implemention reeks of warcraft. I for one will definately be turning voices off.

[Tamur]

I'm quite impartial about American or UK English being used.

It is a bit odd though, considering CA is not American. Are they afraid the Americans will shy away from a game because of some non-US accents?

Same here re: the accent. My guess is that Activision dictated that American english be used at least for a portion of the voiceover content because of the market difference. I would have thought, though, with all the medieval/ancient/historical movies targeted at 12-18 (LOTR for instance) that American accents would sound out of place based on media standards for this timeframe.

I doubt we'll ever know --- and I doubt that this point of ignorance will make much difference in our lives

[Kraxis]

especially because the Age of Empires series did it already

you'd think it would be a no-brainer

One would think so, yes. But if you noticed there was an equal amount of bitching about the languages in AOK as we can even 'hope' to get here.
It went from the obvious "What does they say?" to the "OMG why does the Byzantines speak Italian?!?!?!" "No they don't." "Yes they do." ect ect... Tell me why should CA ever create something that doesn't add much in terms of sales or immertion into te game, yet can be highly confusing? (when we talk one language like in STW it can be done with ease)
Accents are much better in that department, granted it doesn't seem they have been made very well, but that is another point entirely (I do like the way "Barbarian Mercenaries" is said).

[Adrian II]

Especially the carthaginian voiceover freeks me out...: "Yur soldieers have crrrashhed thee eneemy..."

LOL, but I'd still prefer it to your accent, Dickuth. Ethpethially if I have to thuffer it theveral timeth per turn. However, I bet your Carthaginian can't hold a candle to the quasi-Arab voiceover in MTW, particularly its bizarre emphasis on certain words. "Yourrr soldierrrs now hold captive the enemy generrral." What, you mean anybody else did before me? OK, I know I'm just being a thmartath.

[SirGrotius]

The voice work is great too. From the simple cheers let out by your victorious units to the full on battle cry of those crazy German ladies, the sounds of your men on the battlefield add a lot of life to the conflicts. Your own general will even give a surprisingly fitting speech as a prelude to each battle. There are also small commentaries voiced now and then, like when a general is killed or starts to run away. This bit of color commentary fits right in to the style of the game.

-IGN