Give our envoy a voice

[tropic ivy]

I prefer games where the player character is voiced and actively participates in conversations, rather than being a silent protagonist. It makes the experience feel more immersive.

It would be great to have the option to choose a male or female voice, with voiced dialogue in quests, fables, and cutscenes to give our envoy more depth.

The Tenneco 2026 teaser cutscene, with our mother, would be a great starting point for this.

[marble reef]

-1 i really don't feel like we need to have a voice for our character in this game

i'm so used to having the Envoy be silent that at this point i feel like it would just ruin the character almost

[wet tree]

+1 the game is just so narrative driven. Either give our character a voice our give us a reason why we dont speak

[storm glacier]

Maybe not a voice, but some form of expression would certainly make sense for a game so centered on "soul"

[tropic ivy]

It doesn’t need to be on the level of a fully story-driven single-player game, but small moments— for example something like a new Fable—would be a really nice addition.

Especially now that we’re getting more and more customization options to shape our character’s appearance, it would help bring that unique vision to life even more.

[marble reef]

"in fables" was kinda what i was getting at there

[half roost]

-1

[zealous dust]

only if our envoy starts talking like the old operator transmissions mid fight

"My pact is strong."

[warm blaze]

+1

[shy jolt]

-1

[strange edge]

Mixed feelings on this one. I feel like it could strengthen the story by making the Envoy a more solid character, but the more solid they are as a character, the less we as a player can project our own vision onto them (in a viably canon-compliant way, for those who care for canon compliance)

[cloud bay]

-1 not feeling that in the slightest

[astral kindle]

+1 the mute character trend needs to go

[paper wharf]

-1

The moment I hear my custom character saying things I wouldn't say or didn't tell them to say, they're a lot less engaging and I'm disconnected from any and all immersion.

I enjoy having a mute character because it allows me to imagine what they would say about certain situations, which allows the player to roleplay a bit. By not having voiced dialogue, it also encourages the developers to show us what the player character is about rather than just tell us.

[median brook]

There isn't really any showing of the player character's personality when they have absolutely zero capacity to emote or express themselves besides shrugs and grunts. They can't even make facial expressions too crucial because most people have facial armor of some sort covering it. Just because a player character doesn't say exactly what you might say at every given turn doesn't mean they loose the ability to be your character. There has to be a compromise if the Envoy is to be anything besides a completely uninteresting blank slate for this entire journey.

It especially feels weird to have the narrative be so personal to our Envoy, our ancestors, our history, our Mother even here soon, and have us just sit there mute, not expressing anything. The silent protagonist is equal parts lazy cop-out and poor design choice imo, and I really think this world and it's stories deserve better than that.

+1

As long as it's relatively reserved, and focused on fables. No cheesey anime-style "uhhh what's going on?" type dialogue, and no operator chime ins like old WF

[paper wharf]

I don't agree with this, and that's okay. We see our Envoy freeing corrupted beasts and helping people around Midrath. Those actions are not vocal, but they are meaningful and show us hints of what kind of character our Envoy is, as we are the ones doing that. I would rather have the actions of our Envoy speak for themselves rather than having the Envoy tell us how they're feeling.

The facial reaction thing is also not a problem. They could treat this like Warframe, where they'll make your character take off their headgear during certain cutscenes. You also don't have to show facial reactions to show how a character is feeling either. You could show anger with clenched fists, sadness with weakened posture, and courage with a broad stance. There are many ways to communicate outside of language, and I love it when games challenge themselves in that way. That air of silence that leaves room for interpretation is so important to making the player character your own.

[median brook]

I feel like an easy example of this issue is Destiny throughout the years. It has flip-flopped between having a voice for the player character and not. A voice for a character that's masked with a helmet 90% of the time goes a HUGE way to make that character actually mean something besides the hollow idea of a blank slate for you to project upon. The only time where the player character in that series has had any impact or meaning was when they had a voice. That especially applies in a game structured like SF, where those "choices" you face in fables like freeing creatures and saving people from the spellsong? Are scripted. they are the intended and literal only choice in those activities, so unless they make it true RPG style where you can completely deviate from any path and do your own thing (which they won't because that's not how DE is gonna do this atp), having the player character stay silent, and not have a performative voice that leans into the fables and stories that are going to play out regardless, only serves to weaken what they are trying to do.

I suppose the helmet thing is semantics for sure, more of an observation than anything (that we don't have that helmet-removal thing in the game as of now), but body language can only go so far in video games. That's why voice acting is so important. The whole precedent of your character shrugging and flailing around as their only means of expression while everyone else around you talks like a normal person and has meaningful real time interactions and conversations is extraordinarily awkward in a way that betrays any sense of significance that the narrative has built to that point.

I suppose my stance is, that thing works in a true pick your own path RPG where that freedom of interpretation matters. Here? We all play the same fables. They all start and end the same way. Having our character be mute does nothing beneficial for how SF is structured.

[paper wharf]

With the way Soulframe is structured, our Envoy as of now is a self-insert. You can customize their looks, their virtues, their gear, they are you. However, it becomes harder to self-insert the more your character talks and does things that you wouldn't do. This is actually an issue I had with Warframe, as the Drifter and Operator would always say things I'd never ask them to say.

Ultimately, DE needs to decide if the Envoy is our character or theirs. Depending on how they approach that will determine how important the decision for voice acting is. And the most questionable aspect then becomes how well written the player character will be going forward, as voice work will change that aspect dramatically, in both ways. I believe that a silent protagonist is best for a game where the character is your own, as this allows the player to fill in the gaps with their imagination and focus on reading the context clues. A vocal protagonist would be best if the devs have a specific character in mind and don't want the player to self insert. It's all about who the Envoy is written for.

[median brook]

I guess so. It's an RPG in gameplay and investment systems, not at all in it's storytelling or narrative. That's why I think they need to lean into that separation, kind of how they did in WF. We are THIS Envoy. THIS Tenno. We have THIS story, regardless of how we look or what our gear is. For that to run on all cylinders and have as much impact and import as possible, we need a voice. You're right, they need to choose what it's gonna be.

[plush spruce]

I am a game play type of guy, so it does not matter much to me, so I will have to vote no; because the resources could be used to reinforce something more interesting or in need of attention from the devs. Either way, it does not make much of a difference to me.

[teal ocean]

-1 silent protagonists leave room for interpretation which is always a good thing

[wet tree]

No always, far from always

Soulframe is a narrative driven game more than warframe ever was at this stage of the game

Also

[wet tree]

Waf, i dont know if we're playing radically different games, but there are already dialogue options, especially during story quests

Its not like op is asking for us to have a long and endearing chat with fenn jotar every time we go to check our reputation, just give it a voice when our character canonically decides to speak

[paper wharf]

The existence of dialogue options has nothing to do with anything I've said. Fallout New Vegas has dialogue options too, yet that protagonist is one of the most expressive despite being silently voiced and having dialogue options.

[teal ocean]

Swallowing the platinum chip in front of House is the most hilarious thing to unexpectedly happen. All of New vegas had no player dialogue and I was still a masterpiece

[wet tree]

Did you read the other comment as well?

Is not about adding dialogue where there is none, just let the already existing dialogue be voiced

[marble reef]

I dont see that as something that's really needed in this game.

[paper wharf]

The OP specifically asks for voiced dialogue for the player character during Quests, Fables, and Cinematics.

That includes adding additional dialogue for the player where there aren't options to choose from, in reaction to events that are occurring.

[tropic ivy]

I don’t have strong feelings on where the dialog happens. I think the main part are probably fables or bigger cut scenes (like the one we probably get at Tenneco with our mother).

In general I am not requesting 1000 of voices Dialogs but maybe some smaller every now and then.

But I can understand if others don’t need it. I also just want it if it makes sense. A shitty voiced character like in crimson desert is bad and I rather have none than what we had in Crimson desert but if it’s a good one I feel like it could give more depth in the long run.

[timid gulch]

+1 the silent protagonist trope is just lazy design.

[median brook]

^^^

[mild geyser]

-1