Music = Good. Voices = ...

[Zild]

Sorry for moaning, but I can't hold it in any longer...

There seems to be a very heavy investment into the sound in RTW - rumour has it that the sound is of such high quality that sometimes people with on-board sound experience slowdowns as a result. But what's the point of having high quality recordings of sound if the sounds themselves are low quality?

Yes, the music is lovely. The sounds might even be too (hadn't had much chance to notice). But the voices?

I've only experienced the tutorial voices and the battle voices for the Julii, but what I've heard so far is not good... The battle trainer was only okay, the announcements when the enemy general dies lacks the bite it had in previous games, and Victoria sounds like she didn't want to be in the recording studio that day! Even the voices when you select or order a unit seem lacking.

For example, let's comparing the "the enemy general is dead" type messages:

Shogun: A choice of English or Japanese announcements, if I recall right!

Medieval: "The enemy general is dead, unfortunately slain before the pox could kill him." And that had such a brilliant attitude to it!

Rome: Well, truth is I can't remember - they didn't stand out very well. But I seem to recall the script was very much sub-par compared to Medieval, and it sounded like the announcement was being given by a eunach! (sp?)

Or how about the responses units give to orders? In Medieval, there's a choice of three different languages depending on the faction. The sound of archers/longbowmen firing volley after volley to the audible orders of their unit commander in Medieval will forever occupy a small portion of my brain... In Rome, the effect just isn't there. It doesn't help that when you order a unit to march casually to a different location (no rush...) the unit's commander feels the need to shout "Hurry!"

Okay, so we do have some useful advice at the beginning ("The enemy is attacking us - let them wear themselves out!") Well thanks a lot, I never realised that was my fatal mistake. Shogun and Medieval really weren't hard, but it sounds like CA are dumbing Rome down for the masses! (Actually, the thought occurs that maybe they are attempting to appeal to the graphic-loving hordes, even if it means sacrificinf - well, everything :( ) The agonising pauses between one bit of advice and the next don't exactly help either!

So, I ask again - what's the point in recording voices at great quality, when the original voices are just... lame...?! The voices (and sounds and music in general) in Medieval really did appeal to me - they were the icing on an already perfect cake.

Honestly, if I'm the only one experiencing this, please tell me. Who knows, maybe it's a problem with my computer! Really, I would love that to be the case, but I don't like the odds...

[Colovion]

Sorry for moaning, but I can't hold it in any longer...

There seems to be a very heavy investment into the sound in RTW - rumour has it that the sound is of such high quality that sometimes people with on-board sound experience slowdowns as a result. But what's the point of having high quality recordings of sound if the sounds themselves are low quality?

Yes, the music is lovely. The sounds might even be too (hadn't had much chance to notice). But the voices?

I've only experienced the tutorial voices and the battle voices for the Julii, but what I've heard so far is not good... The battle trainer was only okay, the announcements when the enemy general dies lacks the bite it had in previous games, and Victoria sounds like she didn't want to be in the recording studio that day! Even the voices when you select or order a unit seem lacking.

For example, let's comparing the "the enemy general is dead" type messages:

Shogun: A choice of English or Japanese announcements, if I recall right!

Medieval: "The enemy general is dead, unfortunately slain before the pox could kill him." And that had such a brilliant attitude to it!

Rome: Well, truth is I can't remember - they didn't stand out very well. But I seem to recall the script was very much sub-par compared to Medieval, and it sounded like the announcement was being given by a eunach! (sp?)

Or how about the responses units give to orders? In Medieval, there's a choice of three different languages depending on the faction. The sound of archers/longbowmen firing volley after volley to the audible orders of their unit commander in Medieval will forever occupy a small portion of my brain... In Rome, the effect just isn't there. It doesn't help that when you order a unit to march casually to a different location (no rush...) the unit's commander feels the need to shout "Hurry!"

Okay, so we do have some useful advice at the beginning ("The enemy is attacking us - let them wear themselves out!") Well thanks a lot, I never realised that was my fatal mistake. Shogun and Medieval really weren't hard, but it sounds like CA are dumbing Rome down for the masses! (Actually, the thought occurs that maybe they are attempting to appeal to the graphic-loving hordes, even if it means sacrificinf - well, everything :( ) The agonising pauses between one bit of advice and the next don't exactly help either!

So, I ask again - what's the point in recording voices at great quality, when the original voices are just... lame...?! The voices (and sounds and music in general) in Medieval really did appeal to me - they were the icing on an already perfect cake.

Honestly, if I'm the only one experiencing this, please tell me. Who knows, maybe it's a problem with my computer! Really, I would love that to be the case, but I don't like the odds...

You and me both.

and a few others around here

[MadKow]

Try the "barbarian" factions, shorter speaches and more to the point.
Instead of having a "castrati" screaming "Victoreeeee..." you hear a rough voice saying: "You've killed till there's nothing left to kill..."

The voice acting is more in line with what you find in a average animation series than that of a good "Historic Film" production.

Its more like Skeletor vs He-Man, than Gladiator or Braveheart (if these were the references they were aiming for, as stated).

[SpencerH]

I too have found the investment in voices and music odd. Like the quotes that appear with the battle prep screens they are fun for a while and add to the flavor but after the 100th time? I've turned em off.

[D. Boon's Ghost]

One interesting thing, though... the end voice for the Greek-type factions sounds just like the Jurgen Von Strangle character on the Fairly Oddparents - heh.

[Spino]

One interesting thing, though... the end voice for the Greek-type factions sounds just like the Jurgen Von Strangle character on the Fairly Oddparents - heh.

I don't know which voice you're talking about (the end voice?) but Jim Cummings did the general voices for the generals of the Greek and Eastern cultural factions as well as most of their troops ("Mighty General!" and "Greek cavalry!"). Jim's a serious talent in the animation voiceover industry but I feel he was miscast for RTW. Many PC gamers know him for his work as Minsc in the Baldur's Gate series, one of the most popular NPCs in a computer rpg.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0191906/

[King Yngvar]

Well about the speeches and the advice given. Pointless, I do not bother hearing advices. I want to hear "braveheart/lotr/(any other warmovie) - style speeches that geers me up" :)

But the speeches are fine actually, I think it was a nice feature to the game. What only annoys me is that in the replays the speeches are not shown, but the long and booooooooooooooring deployment phase is shown

[Zild]

In all my years of Total War, I've never replayed a single battle, actually...

But that does sound... yuk