So, what about voices in Empire?

[Axel JD]

Let's just hope CA comes up with a better German accent than the horribly nasal evil nazi one that they used in MTW2.

[Bijo]

Dutch should be more towards German. As long as the English-speaking voices give a decent sense of the faction's people I think there isn't really a GREAT need for superior accuracy and many separations. If they will release a few discs in the package that are able to store lots of data, then I'd say why not be more precise?

If you ask me they shouldn't even include those general speaking voices but just text instead where necessary. The only voices I would want to hear in this game are the typical ones who yell, scream, shout, and curse, and so on, during battles.

STW didn't have that much of speaking voices, did it? Still they were able to install such a fine atmosphere. They must follow this and do so again with ETW.

[Discoman]

I remember playing the Britainnia campaign in MTW2 and cringing everytime the Irish units would speak with a clear Scottish accent.

[Anonymous II]

Let's just hope CA comes up with a better German accent than the horribly nasal evil nazi one that they used in MTW2.

For God's sake, no! Make it even more evil! I love it!

[LadyAnn]

I don't care much about accents in TW games. I rather have them spending resources on improving the mechanics of the game. All voice should be in regular English for English version of the game, and whatever market they sell it to (French in France, etc.) and not the accents of different factions.

1. Some accent is unintelligible sometimes.
2. If you think you know what kind of accent people spoke 200-300 years ago...

Annie

[Anonymous II]

I don't care much about accents in TW games. I rather have them spending resources on improving the mechanics of the game. All voice should be in regular English for English version of the game, and whatever market they sell it to (French in France, etc.) and not the accents of different factions.

We disagree here, nothing more to be said about that matter.

1. Some accent is unintelligible sometimes.
2. If you think you know what kind of accent people spoke 200-300 years ago...

I hear your arguments, but if we take M2TW as an example, they already have a distribution of different accents. If that's the framework of Empire's voices, I still think danish should be German rather than Russian.

[Intrepid Sidekick]

Well all I can say is that there are plans, they are a-foot, and some will be very suprised by what we are planning. Soooo many things I can't talk about. *bites lip*.
Promise. More will be revealed later.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Well all I can say is that there are plans, they are a-foot, and some will be very suprised by what we are planning. Soooo many things I can't talk about. *bites lip*.
Promise. More will be revealed later.

Before or after release?

[LadyAnn]

I hear your arguments, but if we take M2TW as an example, they already have a distribution of different accents. If that's the framework of Empire's voices, I still think danish should be German rather than Russian.

M2TW is crap :P it should never be the standard :D

Annie

[Orda Khan]

Why would accents matter at all? If I buy the English version of the game, all factions speak English.
Far better to have a single voice and a balanced game

......Orda

[Anonymous II]

Why would accents matter at all? If I buy the English version of the game, all factions speak English.
Far better to have a single voice and a balanced game

......Orda

Because all aspects/features of a game matters. Some things have higher value/priority than others, but all counts. Excuse me for being rude, but I think "Far better to have a single voice and a balanced game" is a really stupid argument that seems to only have one purpose: to make a fool of those who thinks voices and accents is of any importance of all.

I find it rather insulting. You make it sound as if one have to choose between good voices or a balanced game - it's not possible to have both. How many factors do you put into a game? Only two? The "game balance-thing" and sounds? And does the presentation of voices and accents draw as much resources from the devolpment team as all the different considerations and work with the AI, game engine, graphics, and so on, combined?

Everytime one ask about what I consider rather minor details, there is always somebody there to dumbify your inquiry.

I've asked about box art, limited editions, and so on, in several other gaming forums before, and I would always get one reply from somebody who appears to be one big questionmark; why on earth would I want that? It would be much cheaper to just download the game - it's the same game, you know!



But in order to reply "properly" to your thoughts: If I absolutely had to choose, I would rather have numerous accents of english - one for each faction - than a balanced game. If there is games that really, really bores me, it sure is games where everything is generic.

[Frederick the Great]

I don't care much about accents in TW games. I rather have them spending resources on improving the mechanics of the game. All voice should be in regular English for English version of the game, and whatever market they sell it to (French in France, etc.) and not the accents of different factions.

1. Some accent is unintelligible sometimes.
2. If you think you know what kind of accent people spoke 200-300 years ago...

Annie

Totally agree with Lady Ann....obviously the foreign accents have to be in pigeon english anyway in the english game so we can understand what's being said and I for one don't want to learn a number of foreign languages just to play a game.
If I remember rightly "Medal of Honour" had Donald Sutherland reading war poetry in one of their games and it was quite moving.One of my favourites would be Anthony Hopkins who has a great voice for good and evil ah annie just don't be too frightend by those screaming lambs. lol

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

To be fair, I thought some of the voices (English, Scottish especially) were better than in Rome. At least they don't sound like the actor just hit puberty. I'd actually say there's been an improvement, however slight.

[A Norseman]

The more I think about it, the more I feel that there should be proper European languages in Empire: Total war, not amateurish accents.

I feel like the British and especially the Americans who think that the whole game should be in English are ultimately selfish and narrow minded, as English are their mother tongue and so they have little understanding of other peoples wanting to hear their native and historical language. Would you be happy, with a game portraying the American Revolution where the American rebels all spoke German? Of course not! Language is an important part of their national identity.

Of course, I am not saying that the whole game should be in French if you play as France. In-game menus, commands, advisors, and tutorials should all be in English, possibly even the general’s speeches. But please, CA, make the spontaneous sounds on the battlefield, the voices of the soldiers, the officers commands and the eventual marching sounds in the native language of the playing nation. Make it feel like you are commanding real Swedish, Germans and Russians.

Now, it may sound a bit strange to have those kinds of alien sounds in a English game, however, I’ve seen it work wonderfully in other strategy games, for example company of heroes, where the Nazis spoke German, (in my opinion one of the best ww2 games ever made) and Medieval: Total War, where even Arab voices were included.

I cannot see how including different languages into the game can do little other than enhance the gameplay experience, And for us Europeans, make it a much better experience to play our Native Countries!!

A Norseman

[LadyAnn]

CA games never had proper American accent :D

Annie