Narrator Comments Too Long?

[Curiousriz]

I actually enjoy her commentary but I would also like if there was text to read too. I don't really like staring into space while she's giving a long winded speech. lol

So is there a way to turn on the text in this game or is there just voice overs and nothing more?

You can turn on subtitles in the Audio options I believe.

Why thank you! 
I'll try that out later. 

[C_Guy]

Overall I agree but it really depends on the context.

For example, when you look at the guard statue in the castle hallway the narrator gives some interesting information and history.  It's not a chore to sit through, it's actually interesting to hear.

Now, contrast that to using the LOOK icon on Edgar's bedroom door and the narrator goes on and on about how Graham feels and how Edgar must feel... This really isn't necessary - the designers have done a wonderful job of conveying this to the player already, it does not have to be outright told to them again ("over explanation" as Flubly observed in this thread)

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, just offering feedback. 

[GrifMoNeY]

The comments are a double-edged sword.  I would hate it if narrations in later episodes were more brief simply because today's generation of gaming lacks the patience that King's Quest kids grew up with; they are a fine way to immerse the gamer in the atmosphere and give life to an otherwise meaningless background item.  But on the other hand, nearly half of all the comments were related to the tragedy, Graham's feelings, his childrens' suffering, etc.  There are only so many ways to say "Graham cannot help but think of the dark event that happened earlier today when he beholds this thing" before it loses its edge.  I noticed that there were no such gloomy descriptions on the Isle of the Sacred -- I am hoping they will be limited only to the castle and the Isle of the Crown (since the place does look gloomy in its current state) but since there were only about 5 things to look at after the ferry event, I don't consider this a reliable trend.

In short, the narrator can wax eloquent all she likes.  I like her voice, though I think she enunciates too precisely and gets too emotional.  But I feel it would be better if her lines were more relevant and less redundant.

[Flubly]

I hope a lot of the traditional limited knowledge and mystery of King's Quest narration is used more.  I'm not extremely fond of the filling in of historical data.  The narrator was always kind of a third person text that was told from the main character's POV.  I liked it when you'd look at something and it would just have the limited observation of the character.  It made things really implied and made you wonder and wonder about the story behind stuff and a lot of times you wouldn't get one.  That's okay though because it makes your involvement more rich and doesn't keep you at a distance as an audience receiving information.

[naokiyukimura]

One of my main complaints would be that the narration lacked the witty humor of its predecessors, and veering into the "third person" territory put me off completely. Putting aside the fact that the narrators voice annoyed me to begin with, what I didn't appreciate was how she inserted personal (non-game) commentary. For instance, when Gram examines the chest drawers, she says something like "notice, dear reader/player, that I did not say that myself" or "this is my shameless self-promotion, ha! -insert website here-". THAT self-promotion thing, even though I know the game is supposed to have humor, I did not find this in the least, funny. It was also at this point that I turned off the voice, choosing to play with just the subtitles.

As Flubly mentioned before me, having objects being described from the main character's (Gram, in this case) Point of View connects better with players to immerse them into the game. The bordered the line for me on this one, as most of the comments  that they wanted to convey were based around what Gram was thinking/feeling - in the end, it felt over-done and left me with the feeling that it could have been done much better.

Plus, I kind of thought that the narration in past KQ games seemed to relate more to the game itself or the "current situation", meaning that everything you read (or ones that went into detail) always seemed to deal with a future puzzle to solve. Sometimes the commentary would help to paint a small picture of the history or atmosphere. In this case, it seemed to focused on the past, didn't really tell you about the "current state of things" atmosphere wise (as we already knew that the isles were in a tragic state, this didn't so much "move the story forward" as it did "annoy me off by telling us how Gram was upset OVER and OVER again").

I think that if the creators tried to model the next few "episodes", in terms of narration after past KQ games, they might get a better response. More humor, less "useless stories" - or make it shorter- and, well, I would like a male narrator. I liked the one in KQV and VI the best.

Anyways, all this is just my opinion, so, don't get mad at me. >.<''
 

[B'rrr]

Oww, would actually be a fun idea to select what type of narrator (witty/funny/boring("there is nothing special about this tree")  ) you want and it plays accordingly, though I can image that is a lot of work 

[crayauchtin]

Naoki.... it's "Graham" first of all. A Gram is something VERRRRRRY different.

Also, in previous games there was a lot of shameless plugs for things not related to KQ as easter eggs (hole in the rock in KQ2?) Since POS doesn't have any other games to plug, Amy's website seemed like the perfect way to continue that tradition to me.

And lots of the narration in previous KQs has nothing to do with puzzles or hints, a lot of it is just descriptive of the world. I mean, if you're clicking on everything and looking for descriptions. If you're only clicking on things that seem important, of course, that's not the case. I don't know that all of the descriptions were as long as some of these were, but fortunately it's pretty easy to just click through them if you don't want to hear it.

Now, the preference for a male voice is understandable -- most of the time male voices are preferred in voiceover. That being said, auditions were held and Amy apparently did a better job than any of the others who auditioned. Also, how weird would it be to have the narrator switch mid-game? In my opinion, that would knock me right out of the game. I think you'll get used to the voice.

[Cez]

I posted something about this in a different thread

http://www.postudios.com/blog/forum/index.php?topic=8874.msg284705#msg284705

[Flubly]

And lots of the narration in previous KQs has nothing to do with puzzles or hints, a lot of it is just descriptive of the world. I mean, if you're clicking on everything and looking for descriptions. If you're only clicking on things that seem important, of course, that's not the case. I don't know that all of the descriptions were as long as some of these were, but fortunately it's pretty easy to just click through them if you don't want to hear it.

But those parts were implicative and brief.  Using minimum language to express maximum imagery.

[naokiyukimura]

But those parts were implicative and brief.  Using minimum language to express maximum imagery.

Yeah, it was really hard to explain what I was thinking, but Flubly, I think you have it. I mean, I liked all those random things they spit out at you, just... I don't know, I get the feeling that this was just, too long. And to say, it definitely wasn't as amusing for me this time around. Kind of like "the story that wouldn't end" when they were talking.

And, oops,I spelled Graham wrong. xD My excuse is, um, I had all the right letters were I to give him a nickname? Hahaha.

About the plugs and easter eggs, I liked those. Don't get me wrong, KQ does do that sort of thing - but another of my points was, this just wasn't funny OR amusing to me. The way they did it, didn't seem to have that "KQ feel", if you know what I mean. Plus I just didn't like this narrator, so that self-plug just pushed me over the edge for ever having to listen to that stupid voice again. Then again, this is also my own opinion as well. I'm sure if you liked her voice, the plug would no doubt, be much more amusing.

[dark-daventry]

But those parts were implicative and brief.  Using minimum language to express maximum imagery.

Yeah, it was really hard to explain what I was thinking, but Flubly, I think you have it. I mean, I liked all those random things they spit out at you, just... I don't know, I get the feeling that this was just, too long. And to say, it definitely wasn't as amusing for me this time around. Kind of like "the story that wouldn't end" when they were talking.

And, oops,I spelled Graham wrong. xD My excuse is, um, I had all the right letters were I to give him a nickname? Hahaha.

About the plugs and easter eggs, I liked those. Don't get me wrong, KQ does do that sort of thing - but another of my points was, this just wasn't funny OR amusing to me. The way they did it, didn't seem to have that "KQ feel", if you know what I mean. Plus I just didn't like this narrator, so that self-plug just pushed me over the edge for ever having to listen to that stupid voice again. Then again, this is also my own opinion as well. I'm sure if you liked her voice, the plug would no doubt, be much more amusing.

Well, this is the first time a KQ game has had a female narrator, so it may take some getting used to. In all honesty, the narrator from KQ6 is my all time favorite, but Amy is a close second for me. In my opinion, she did an amazing job, but again, that's just my opinion.

[balderdasher]

I actually think that would be funny if they did that - had a room somewhere in this game where everything you looked at you just got the most obvious explanation.  "Graham sees a bed."  "Graham sees a door."  etc.

I like the Monkey Island versions of that -- with Guybrush narrating. He says "I don't see anything special about it" when you click on something. Or for example, in the first chapter of the recent "Tales of Monkey Island," you click on the door to the captain's quarters and he says, "I'll sleep when I'm dead ... or later tonight." Short and sweet.

[Cez]

Need feedback on a solution to those that don't like the long narrations

Please read!

http://www.postudios.com/blog/forum/index.php?topic=8907.0

[Sajomir]

But those parts were implicative and brief.  Using minimum language to express maximum imagery.

^this

I don't mind the occasional long-winded one. Say, if Graham were to look at his royal crown, and reminisce a little bit about the former king and his long life as king himself.

If you "looked" from his balcony in his room, it described the ocean view that wasn't rendered - that was a nice touch because I had no clue what was out his window.
I also LOVED the shot if you used Look on his mirror. The use of visuals to accompany the audio was well done.

[Baggins]

I was looking at the original KQ manual for the KQIBM version, and his name, was "Sir Grahame", I kid you not, LOL.

[sahara]

The narration's purpose is a noble one, but it could have been accomplished with A LOT more brevity.  This is one of those times when less is more.  Sometimes a few words are all that is necessary.  An experienced fiction editor needs to be brought in to clean things up, strengthen the impact of the passages by condensing the bloated descriptions and trimming the unnecessary verbiage.  

Think of LucasArts games and how brief thoughts outloud by the main character help to flesh out characters or provide bits of background here and there.  Also, as has been described earlier, the fact that the narrator comments pause the action is a serious problem.  Why was this pausing of the action necessary?  If the narrator descriptions had been shorter, and if the player had been allowed to continue playing while the narrator spoke, then I think you would have had a lot less complaints.

Also, it would be great if the narrator spoke more quickly as one would in normal conversation, and less like the reader of an audio book.  I also would like a narrator with a voice and way of speaking that seems authentic.  Some of TSL narrator's lines sound like she is "putting on" a more formal way of speaking.  It sounds artificial, in the way a teacher might read a story to her class, with all kinds of inflections added to her voice.  Suggestions for the future:  find a trained actor, particularly one who sounds a bit older than TSL's narrator, and who has an authentic-sounding way of speaking that better fits the game you're creating.