Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - Enhanced Edition Please turn off the constant loop of NPC dialogue.

Another vote for taming the townsfolks. The frequency of the same comments is distracting, annoying and completely breaks any sense of immersion.

Yes, they can be effectively muted by turning down the volume, that mutes all the background sounds. It amazes me that any developer thought the constant, identical chatter was somehow immersive.

Is it really every 10 seconds? Because having timed multiple instances of it I'm finding that particular line is played anywhere between every 35-40 seconds. If anyone thinks 35-40 seconds is a short amount of time, I suggest you sit here a moment and actually count it out - One Mississippi.. two Mississippi.. three Mississippi.. four Mississippi.. five Mississippi.. let me know if you die of boredom before reaching 35.

Honestly, I can't help but think of this thread (and how ridiculous I feel it is) every time I find myself running through the busier areas of Cyseal. I just don't see what everyone is going on about. There is already so much dead-air, and many of the complaints in this thread (e.g. "constant"??) are seriously exaggerating the amount of audio chatter going on at any given moment in addition to the frequency at which it's playing. On top of that, all background voiced audio is muted whenever your character is speaking or an NPC is exchanging voiced dialogue with you directly, meaning hearing something important over the background noise is never an issue.

Disagree? Then I challenge anyone to create a 30-60 second video of the current patch and upload it to Youtube. Provide the worst possible example you can find in the Cyseal marketplace (or anywhere else in Cyseal). Let's all look at the same sample so we can all get on the same page and judge it without exaggerations confusing things.

Because, really, I'm not sure which game you're all are playing, but those NPCs are just not talking anywhere near frequently enough to justify the complaints happening in this thread. At this point I'm thinking people will hop on a bandwagon and pick on just about anything in a game. So, prove me wrong and get those video links rolling in!

Most NPCs cycle between 2 or 3 lines, but there's barely a 3 second pause in between. The CONSTANT and repetitive chatter is exteremely annoying, especially when you spend 5-10 minutes going through 3 different Merchant's inventories in the same area and rearranging gear every time you vist town.

Of course, you could just mute all voices, at least when you aren't advancing the story.

[quote=Gyson][quote=TruthBeTold]..but for example hearing that one legionary say "Where is my pepper? Did it sprout legs and run away?" every ten seconds makes me think of her as an alzheimers patient. Reducing the frequency of this chatter won't [i]fix[/i] this, but it'll help greatly. I'd say once per minute max, ideally once every two minutes. [/quote]

Is it really every 10 seconds? :think:[/quote]

Okay, you caught me. It isn't every 10 seconds, it's actually every ~20, measured from the moment when the NPC stops talking (aka pure silence inbetween loop).

[quote]On top of that, all background voiced audio is muted whenever your character is speaking or an NPC is exchanging voiced dialogue with you directly, meaning hearing something important over the background noise is never an issue.[/quote]

That may or may not hold true for the PC version - I don't know - but definitely not for the Ps4 version. The background audio plays all over your chat audio which makes it hard to understand it. Luckily I can just read along, but that's not a desired scenario when Larian made the effort to fully voice everything and it can't be heard because of NPC chatter in the background.

Edit: Okay, scratch that. This is actually true, but it's got to be patched in with the recent patch. I swear to God it wasn't that way before the patch. I vividly remember the moaning patients in
Thelyron's clinic intervening the chat between me and Thelyron.

[quote]Disagree? Then I challenge anyone to create a 30-60 second video of the current patch and upload it to Youtube. Provide the worst possible example you can find in the Cyseal marketplace (or anywhere else in Cyseal). Let's all look at the same sample so we can all get on the same page and judge it without exaggerations confusing things. [/quote]

Will do. Here goes.

[url]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StQdsvP2Bfw[/url]

Edit: No idea why bbc tags aren't working for me. So, sorry about that.

Assuming you're talking about cycling lines on the same NPC, if by 3 seconds you mean ~30 seconds, sure.



Hmm. Let's have a listen to that "CONSTANT and repetitive chatter" near the merchants. I stepped in and grabbed a minute from the marketplace.



Yeah, that's just unbearable.

Seems to happen every ~30 seconds, more often than it occurs every ~20 seconds.



Even if we average our 3 samples together we come out with ~27 seconds. Either way, it's a lot more often than every 10 seconds.

Which.. is the problem with most of this thread. So many people are giving feedback using data that is seriously skewed, throwing around descriptions like "constant" or "non stop". It just isn't true.


Well, if we're being perfectly honest, what changed is there's actually LESS audio chatter in the marketplace now than there ever was in any post-release version of the original D:OS. And yet, people are comparing it to the original D:OS and asking why it got more noisy, when in reality it actually got even more quiet. For example, NPCs will talk over each other (with audio) in the original D:OS.. they don't do that in D:OS:EE. That in itself is a decrease in the amount of chatter.

Yours is playing a LOT less than mine. Mine actually overlaps occasionally, and I can't count 5 seconds without a voiceover, often less than 2.

I've also gotten the same kind of dialog problems during combat. When there are prisoners around they will continously shout at you throughout the fight. For example, the ones in the immaculate temple are shouting "stop this lunatic... PLEASE" and their other 2 lines overtop of each other every 5-10 seconds for the entire battle. It got so annoying that my third time through the fight (after my PC BSODed on the second) I was seriously considering killing them instead of the demons.

Anyway, here's my version

And here's the combat version, if that doesn't drive you up the wall nothing will. Also be sure to check out 1:42 for an interesting bug.

Anyway, I think there should be a MINIMUM 1 full minute silence for every individual NPC after they say a particular line or sequence, and at least 5 minutes before they repeat the same line. Within my first video the one shopper repeats her "let's see... halibut... sheep's cheese.... tomatos" line 4 times in a 2 minute period, and she's not the only one repeating lines in that time either. Also an enforced 10 second silence between different NPC calls as well, just to make absolutely damn sure there's some peace and bloody quiet once in a while.

I agree that it's immersion breaking to be inside a building, say off the merchant square in Cyseal, and hear the merchants prattle on as though you were still out there in the thick of the square--but you are inside and attempting a dialog with someone else also inside the building with you.

The situation very much calls for occlusion, eh? When you enter a dwelling within hearing proximity of the loud street hawkers, it's OK if you hear them if it's occluded and at quarter-volume. The presence of the inside walls should serve to muffle the sound. Audio occlusion is something routinely done in games for years. I have to agree with the assessment that it should be done in the EE when needed.

Assuming we don't have different definitions of "a LOT less", mine is actually very much the same as yours.

I counted 6 NPC audio calls in mine. There is 27 seconds of "dead air" and 33 seconds of audio chatter from 0-60 seconds.

In yours, I counted 6 NPC audio calls as well. There is 26 seconds of "dead air" and 34 seconds of audio chatter from 0-60 seconds.

From 61-120 seconds, there are 8 audio calls, but they are shorter statements. The result is pretty similar to the rest of the samples: 25 seconds of "dead air" and 35 seconds of audio chatter.

That you can listen to my video and believe it is "a LOT less" tells me a lot of this is just in people's mind. Assuming you were speaking about the first video, I didn't hear a single overlapping comment (even though you said "..mine actually overlaps occasionally.."), which implies more than once (even though it never even did it once).

Now, your second video (the demon combat), yeah, the amount of overlap happening there is annoying. But Cyseal is not like that (and neither are most encounters). If anything that particular encounter's audio could use an adjustment, but that doesn't mean the whole game needs to have its audio nerfed (which is what's being called for in this thread).

Except there's only about 18 seconds of dead air in the first minute, and several of the calls are back to back with no time whatsoever in between. In 2 minutes the shopper repeats her same call 4 times, the enchanter repeats 2 of her calls, the veggie vendor repeats, the cheese vendor.

It's not even about immersion, I just want so goddamn quiet so that I can think about what I'm trying to do. This is distracting and extremely annoying.

Each time I stand in a town, I end up hitting the mute button on my keyboard or have to pan the camera away so I can think. That is not the sign of a player who is enjoying an "immersive atmosphere".

Please Larian, don't have any more such "immersive atmospheres" in D:OS 2.

You might want to check whatever instrument you're using to clock the dead air, because it's about as off as some of your more outlandish claims have been.


Have you considered just using your thumb to roll the volume knob down for a few minutes? I agree the combat video is annoying (and it's one encounter out of how many?). But if you're finding the town chatter that distracting.. gaming (which is generally a noisy affair, when's the last time you stepped into a quiet arcade?) may not be for you.


I'm going to package that video I linked above and sell it to you as "The Sounds of Cyseal". Noises you can nod off to!

How about this then ... DID YOU HEAR THAT?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuJDAknk-t8

I also have a longer version (~3 minutes) if necessary.

Also - and I don't want to be rude here - but how about you let other people decide for themselves what they find annoying. You're counting seconds, trying to get some sort of empirical research for something that is entirely subjective. Yes, we get it, you don't find the repetitive NPC chatter annoying (good for you, honestly) and now you're arguing whether or not people are just imagining things by breaking down their videos into "dead air" vs "audio chatter" as if you WANT to take people's complaints literally to discredit their judgement and prove your point. It doesn't work like that. Different people have different opinions on what they call annoying and what they call constant. Try for yourself. Sit on a chair with a bucket hanging above you from which a drop of water drips onto your forehead. Once every 10 seconds, once every 30, every minute, every hour. Doesn't matter. Just sit there long enough and at some point you'll find it annoying, even if it's just one brief moment of *splish* vs 59 minutes and 59 seconds of nothing. Maybe you'd be able to sit there all day, others would stand up and walk away way sooner. I'm sure you've heard of it but in case you didn't, this procedure is called Chinese water torture and is said to drive people insane. Well, not all people, but some. This is where subjective perception kicks in.

Now, could we just focus on the fact that there are a lot of people who find the NPCs pesky? I think someone argued earlier that only a handful of people have come here to complain about it vs the thousands upon thousands who bought the game and didn't. Well, not everyone goes to forums, in fact I believe only a fraction of people would do this. I'm most certain there are a lot of people who find this just as annoying and just silently wait for a patch. But since you're apparently a fan of statistics and precise numbers; how many different people have complained in this thread and how many defended the status quo?

Actually, it does.

The entire problem with most of the complaints in the threads on this subject is the way they're presented: exaggerated claims, misinformation, dishonest statements.. need I go on?

This thread is, unfortunately, not filled with people saying "Hey, repetitive NPC chatter, even mildly repetitive, turns me off from games. Can I please get a slider option to tone it down?". The thread is also not filled with realistic, specific examples of problem areas. Instead, it's filled with comments that are grossly misrepresenting the truth and using that misinformation as a platform to demand game-wide changes that will impact everyone who owns D:OS:EE.

I actually like the current audio in Cyseal. I don't want it to sound like a dead town, filled with NPCs who rarely say anything. Yes, we can have different opinions, but when people on one side start to wildly exaggerate details to encourage change, how is that fair to people on the other side of the debate?

Now you're criticizing me for using actual data.. well I'm sorry, but I prefer using accurate information to back up my comments rather than pushing a selfish agenda forward by attempting to deceive the developers. If I can use a video to point out that 1 minute of time in the Cyseal marketplace is made up of nearly half dead-air and the remaining half NPC audio chatter, why can't the other side do the same? I guess because it suits someone's argument better to open the B.S. floodgates and suggest it's "non-stop, back-to-back chatter that's constantly overlapping"? Who needs pesky details (or honesty for that matter), right?

People want more audio options? That's cool, I'll support that. People want to change the audio experience for every single player by spouting a bunch of nonsense to trick the developers into pitying their plight? Well, that's where you get to listen to my nonsense in return. Before trying to change the game for everyone, maybe try rolling that thumb over the volume control on your headphones first.

By the way.. your "DID YOU HEAR THAT" video you linked above? Have you tried engaging the skeleton NPCs in a conversation and then moving on? I know, it sounds a lot crazier than just sitting there listening to them until the end of time, but it might just be the fix that works!

Gyson, you don't believe that the NPC dialogue is annoying. Fine. That's an opinion and you are entitled to it.

But please stop telling other people that they are not allowed to have opinions that are different than yours, and if they do so, they are objectively wrong.

All your "actual data" stuff is completely and totally irrelevant to the actual experiences and opinions of other people, no matter how many paragraphs you post about it.




Do you seriously, honestly, deeply in your soul believe that having a literal THREE SECONDS between when the dialogue ends and when the loop begins again is perfectly fine?

There is no need for the loop to have that short a time of dead air. It could easily be extended to a longer time without ruining the game for you.

Don't pretend like everyone else is trying to trick the developers into pushing an evil agenda and it is ridiculous to even think about complaining.

Can you possibly accept that the game is not perfect in every way as it is and that people are not asking for changes in an attempt to destroy it?

If you don't like them talking all the time, you could always kill them.

I laughed so hard...

Yeah, it's annoying, my friend was like crafting yesterday, and she couldn't move (cooking stuff), she went crazy about it...

You know what, I'm not here to argue with some dude on the internet, I'm here to give feedback on a game that I enjoy very much but which could do with a few tweaks here and there. But fine, I'll reply to you directly on the matter one last time.



Maybe they are exaggerated, so what? Your earlier statement of 35-40 seconds for the "pepper" legionary was exaggerated too, wasn't it? You even specified it was on multiple instances, implying more than once. And lest we forget, 35-40 seconds is a rather precisely formulated time frame. So how did you measure it? Did you actually sit there and count it out - one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi, ...? Or did you just take a wild guess? Funny how subjective perception works, huh? Unless of course you have a video of said legionary backing your numbers in which case I'd beg you to post it. Your last one isn't exactly representative because it's obvious the NPC was walking in circles due to pathfinding issues which delayed her chatter.



Yeah, since when are people not egocentric when they feel the need to complain about something? Don't get me wrong, a slider would be the ideal solution and I wouldn't want you or anyone to suffer from the changes I'm trying to establish. However, we're here to give feedback first and foremost and that is what we did. Criticism is a form of feedback, perhaps the most basic form of it but feedback nonetheless. It's not up to us to try and find a solution that fits everyone, that's up to the devs.



Is it, though? I see a couple of videos including mines backing people's complaints, you just have a different opinion on what "constant" and "annoying" means to you and even have the nerve to call somebody out and implying that "gaming might not be for him" if he can't stand the noise. How very professional and non-egocentric of you. Some people are actively trying to hinder your enjoyment of the game, well, just brush them off and suggest to find a different hobby. Classic!



Cool beans. Again, I wouldn't want you or anyone to suffer from the consequences of my feedback. We already agreed that a slider to tone up or down the chat frequency would be the perfect solution. Now there are but two options. Either we propose this idea to the devs or we go on about how differently people experience the townsfolk's chatter.



I'm repeating myself almost as often as the townsfolk now but, again, you're missing the point by taking people's complaints too literally. If a bunch of people say it's "non-stop back-to-back chatter that's constantly overlapping" and on top of that is highly repetitive, then it's their perception. It doesn't belittle their criticism if their perception is a few seconds off the mark. If people said there was an NPC who has literally a million HP and takes hours to kill would you ask them to show you a video and if it turns out the NPC has only 100.000 HP and can be killed in 45 minutes would you brush off their complaint as invalid for being inaccurate?



And now you're being ridiculous. To get it straight, this video was for the sole purpose of demonstration. You asked us to provide the worst possible example we could find, and now that I did you're answering with a snarky remark? I'm not usually one to make use of Internet slang but - LOL! Yes, I tried to engage in a conversation with these NPCs. And yes, I moved on. To the north, you know, where there's a bunch of burning skeletons in a lava area. Well, those skeletons decided to engage in a fight with me and happened to be level 8, forcing me to be very careful as I'm playing in honour mode. Such a battle can take up to 10 minutes or longer, leaving me in a spot in which Blossius can continue pestering me with his repetitive gibberish. If your suggestion to a flaw in game design is to temporarily lower the audio or leaving the area I honestly don't know what to say other than "Allllllrighty then" and bid you farewell. And no, it's not just them who repeat their lines with barely a few seconds of silence inbetween. This happens with others, too. I have another video that I could upload, starring stagemaster Chaucer which shows throughout the whole, five minutes long recording that there's usually less than 10 seconds of silence between his shoutings. Oh sure, I could just leave the area, right? Oh wait, there's a quest there, so at some point I'm forced to stay in that area for a good amount of time unless I wanted to skip that quest. Bummer.

Like significant other, tuned out frequency.... long long ago.

The one that drives me nuts is the lady who loses her pepper every 20 seconds.

"Where is my pepper? Did it sprout legs and run away? Ah, there it is. Achoo!"

Over... and over... and over... and the poor lady, it's her only line! She must have amnesia or something, because she doesn't remember where she put her pepper for more than about 20 seconds and has to keep finding it. Can't imagine she can get any work done that way.

While I love the voices and the ambience they bring, I wish they would tone them down a bit and that they had given them all a little more variety in what they can say.