gavain2
Kind of A Big Deal
Posts: 71
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Post by gavain2 on Dec 7, 2012 17:50:44 GMT
('m very happy that there are accents in Skyrim, I think it adds to the flavour quite a lot. And it also makes it easier for me to voiceact. I have a strong scandinavian accent, and in Oblivion Vilja was the only person with an accent, which wasn't that good... In Skyrim, it is "normal" to have an accent, which makes my accent more acceptable. So, I'm grateful for this, although still somewhat puzzled that so many nords seem to have a dutch accent. I mean, dutch accent is nice, but not what I personally associate with high mountains, huge forests and lots and lots of snow)...
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Emma,just read this old post. I wanted to say that your accent in this modern age is completely acceptable. Here in the UK the cafe I frequent is owned by two Turkish guys, there is a Polish woman in my local library. I visit with a neighbour who is a french speaker And When I was living in Germany there was a native German woman who I thought was Scottish because she had a strong Scots accent(married to a Scottish soldier). I think languages now particularly the European are cosmopolitan. 'AND' I really think the accent is part of Vilja's appeal,
gavain2
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Post by Emma on Dec 8, 2012 2:37:41 GMT
Thank you  Well, the opinion of this vary quite a lot, as you might have seen at Nexus and probably other places. Some thinks that Vilja is perfect as she is and enjoy my voiceacting for her, others dislike it. Obviously, I don't sound like a true American Skyrim Nord, and I'm not a professional voice actor. I have never claimed to be it, either . With Oblivion Vilja, there existed no other fully voiced companion, so it seemed most people were happy for her and I've rarely heard a complaint about her (my) voice. But, with Skyrim the expectations and demands are way higher, and it seems that it is not obvious to all Skyrim players that mods are something people make as a hobby and share with others, for free, just for the joy of sharing. I'm truly happy to hear that you find my accent part of Vilja's appeal. Luckily, quite a few people seem to agree with you, but there are others who claim that her voice is too young, too old, too muffled, too squeeky, too high, too low, too much russian accent, too much german accent, too much scandinavian accent, too much fake scandinavian accent, too non-american, too much emotion, too emotionless, too harsh and too soft. I'm afraid that if this is how voice-actors in general are treated, we might soon be back to the situation we had with Oblivion, where most mods were unvoiced because no-one wanted to do the voice-acting. That would be a loss for the whole community. |
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Post by Mike Sierra on Dec 11, 2012 10:18:02 GMT
Hi there. First post. [...] I'm afraid that if this is how voice-actors in general are treated, we might soon be back to the situation we had with Oblivion, where most mods were unvoiced because no-one wanted to do the voice-acting. That would be a loss for the whole community. That's scary!  I totally second what gavain2 said. Vilja makes me smile by listening to her comments. She's so funny. She can be serious too and I have to rethink some of her thoughts twice. I feel bad when she's mad with me, because I didn't let her lead the way or I didn't ask for her opinion for a long time. On the other hand I cannot forget this little conversation concerning Vilja's homesickness befor she met me and that she can see the world with different eyes now. Well... I couldn't hide my tears. She makes me happy when I hear her singing and I know she's fine. I'm not alone in Skyrim. For me there's no way around to play Skyrim without Vilja. And Vilja's personality is among many other things dependent of her voice, her accent and her way of expressing. It is hard to explain what I really want to say. Imagine Vilja with a professional voice-acting. She wouldn't be herself anymore. Her voice with that lovely accent is the thing that makes her alive. So human! Ahh... I don't find the right words, hope you understand what I mean anyway. Sorry! But I'm pretty sure I can speak for the overwhelming majority of the many thousands people who downloaded your superb mod: Emma, we love your voice! And we love your accent! Do not be impressed by such a few people who like nagging at almost everything. For those people there are already two solutions: Simply tell Vilja to keep quiet. Alternative roll up two Falmer Ears and plug them in your own ones. The Falmer Ears now will hear everything, but you don't! Emma, please keep up the good work. And do it your way. That's how your mod became so successful. Thank you! |
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Post by Emma on Dec 12, 2012 0:55:39 GMT
Thank you, Angelis Yes, I think I have become a bit discouraged by the complaints about my voice, and of course it is easy to forget that although some people bash it, others actually do like it. So the encouragement is much appreciated, I think I really need it right now. |
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Post by draedus on Dec 12, 2012 7:47:21 GMT
Emma, count me as one of the MANY admirers of your voice work for this mod! Your voice is as much a part of this character as the braids and I can't even imagine her without it. She sounds authentic because she is and in my opinion, your accent really adds charm to this incredibly believable companion.
I can't get enough of her saying "...don't you think so too?" and little touches like whispering in sneak mode, fear ("...do you think we will manage?") ...taunting Lydia about her eating habits -really adds to the immersion. I play with a realistic lighting mod and found myself asking out loud for Vilja to hurry up and bring that torch over here (my wife was not amused). That she even pulls out the torch in the first place amazes me!
Vilja in Skyrim is the only reason I reinstalled and am playing this game, having been a big fan of the original Vilja. I am looking forward to many more hours adventuring with your creation and hope that the dragonborne DLC is good enough to warrant the extra effort on your part to bring Vilja back to her home town! Thanks to you and your team for all the great work.
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Post by Geriatricus on Dec 12, 2012 16:24:34 GMT
This is true. Naggers tend to make more noise that the majority of satisfied users who are too busy having fun and living their lives. I've done creative work myself (hobbyist programming in the 1980s for long-dead computers, and a free telephone entertainment line with a cult following generating original content and comedy) and have suffered the minority of detractors, most of whom are not themselves creators. I guess I know how it can sting when someone criticizes such a personal, voluntary investment of self. Still, as Angelis noted, your work has become extraordinarily popular for strengths that largely go unlauded, except by endorsement and download numbers.
As I've written elsewhere, I'm only playing Oblivion because of the Vilja character. I first fell in love with the Vilja in Skyrim when I stumbled across your work. She crept into my heart without me knowing it to the degree that when I discovered she was in peril near the end of the quest, I felt actual anxiety, grabbed my sword, and dashed off into the snowy tundra. I'm also playing Fallout 3 right now and am I little disappointed that there aren't characters there to engage with at the same level. All this to say, again, thank you Emma and friends.
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Post by kkorival on Dec 12, 2012 19:47:34 GMT
This quote, Milady Emma, is so true for myself as well. The amount of those who voice complimentary criticism far outweigh the complaints. Do not let the minority bother you, especially the ones that talk about your accent. I really had to laugh when some had said your charming accent was faked or of another origin. It just means they need to step away from their PCs and visit other countries, and not dote on TV/Movies for their 'cultural' education. I found your voice rather lovely, and your accent adds individuality to Vilja's scripted conversations. And so as thanks for your vocal efforts, I got a little creative with your Avatar:  I thank you and your entire team for making both Oblivion and Skyrim much more rewarding to play (or replay over and over again. And again.... ;D ). Kkorival/ChBaakal |
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Post by Emma on Dec 13, 2012 1:00:56 GMT
Thank you, all three of you There was a new guy today at Nexus who posted that he loved the mod (Skyrim version) but that a more professional voice actor with a better timbre would improve it significantly, as the dull voice didn't match up to Vilja's lovely looks. It IS admittedly very discouraging, although it was also comforting to see that quite a few instantly replied and said that they didn't want Vilja to have any other voice and that it added to her charms. Of course it is like you say, Geriatricus and Kkorival, one hear the person complaining and forget about the ten who said they were happy and contented. And I think you might be right, Draedus, when you say she is "authetic", because she really IS. There IS no voice "acting". So, I guess it is as always, some like what I have done, others prefer more "professional" acting (with an american voice I would guess). Myself, I only want to do what is the best for Vilja, but it seems to me that those who want her to be the way she is are still in a (possibly rather large) majority. Maybe because many has had her as their friend already in Oblivion, and then the reunion with her wouldn't be the same if she no longer sounded like the Vilja they got used to. What a nice work on my avatar, Kkorival . I have saved it to my computer - is it OK if I use it? |
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Post by amgepo on Dec 13, 2012 2:12:05 GMT
Emma, the guy you mention, as well as all the ones commenting those things latelly in Tesnexus have few things in common. Really few posts, no kudos. They like the mod a lot, but don't like the voice (actually, they don't say always they like the mod but they say textually "I appreciate the effort").
I think this is highly suspicious. The number of people hating your voice (or wanting to mess with you) may be actually 'slightly' smaller than what the appearance suggest.
Seriously, what are the odds of two people with the same opinion on a so specialised matter as this, using the same kind of expression, unless they talked about this earlier or they are the same person.
I preffer avoiding reporting those users as there is always the possibility of one or two actually being giving their actual and individual opinion (despite being using the same expression), but I think all of them (him?) are trolling you.
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Post by kkorival on Dec 13, 2012 6:38:43 GMT
Most definitely yes, milady Emma! ;D
Of course, Kate's going to want one now, too...better think of one fast, or she might think her lowly borderer was being twee again, and knot my arms behind my head!
(love that line from Sir Pratchett's Hogfather, which I'm reabsorbing now...tis the season and all).
Kkorival
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Post by Emma on Dec 13, 2012 12:19:08 GMT
Amgepo, yes, I know, I in fact know that there are three of them. Two are an infamous troll who gets banned as soon as they are reported, and they appear in several threads. The third one is the guy with "I appreciate the effort", he always has made less than 5 posts and I actually believe I know what this is about (no further comments on that). I think these three are behind at least 25-40 % of the negative posts. Another 25-40 % probably come directly from Youtube and have most likely never tried or even downloaded the mod. These normally only have up to a few posts on Nexus and no kudos, and their posts are generally very short, mostly just "hate the mod, hate the voice" or something like that. Kkorival, thank you I love Hogfather, too, have it both as book and the movie. |
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Post by Mike Sierra on Dec 14, 2012 2:49:56 GMT
There was a new guy today at Nexus who posted that he loved the mod (Skyrim version) but that a more professional voice actor with a better timbre would improve it significantly, as the dull voice didn't match up to Vilja's lovely looks. It IS admittedly very discouraging... please don't take that flamings to your heart. It's not worth to waste even a single thought on it. I know that you are currently experiencing a very difficult time. Especially so close to Christmas. It's hardly surprising that you're most likely very sensitive at the moment. Nevertheless, you go on. Therefore my deepest respect! I wish you lots and lots of strength and energy to cope this situation and my thoughts and prayers go out to you. Rest assured that noone of these flamers did anything similiar to that what you and your team has managed. It's easy to demand this and that. But it's hard to make it better. Did you ever read the bashings and trollings on any professionell developer-forums? Maybe even bethsoft.com? So what? That's Biz!  I for one tried to translate a quote of Astrid Lindgren. Since I don't speak Swedish at all, there's something to laugh now... (Hopefully it's fairly understandable. ;D) "Låt dig inte kuvas, var fräck och vild och underbar." |
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Post by winterlove on Dec 16, 2012 22:09:16 GMT
Yes, I think I have become a bit discouraged by the complaints about my voice, and of course it is easy to forget that although some people bash it, others actually do like it. So the encouragement is much appreciated, I think I really need it right now. Please don't be discouraged. I think the accent is lovely, although I do admit it took a little while to "settle in" for me. My current favourite line is "Oh, I like that" when you offer her a drink. It just makes me grin each time. If I have a criticism it is not related to the accents, but perhaps to the pacing of some of the dialogue elements. To my British ears some of the dialogue seems to be spoken too slowly, with pauses between phrases that are a bit long for my taste. However, this may be a cultural thing and I'm just used to a faster dialogue flow. |
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Post by Mike Sierra on Dec 16, 2012 23:08:04 GMT
... If I have a criticism it is not related to the accents, but perhaps to the pacing of some of the dialogue elements. To my British ears some of the dialogue seems to be spoken too slowly, with pauses between phrases that are a bit long for my taste. However, this may be a cultural thing and I'm just used to a faster dialogue flow. I for one am pretty glad about that. Since my mother tongue is not english, it's of course much easier for me to follow the dialogs. Especially because I don't use subtitels. |
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Post by alt3rn1ty on Dec 18, 2012 1:07:20 GMT
Emma, Oblivion Vilja : 15,733 Unique downloads, of which 2,127 endorsements Skyrim Vilja : 8,870 Unique downloads, of which 3,992 endorsements I am not making a comparison here of how well the mod is doing, the point is .. all those thousands of users versus 3-4 recurring trolls stubbornly trying to make some kind of point does not = mass dislike for your voice I would say the figures speak volumes, and quite the contrary to your perception at the moment. For me and my family, even from the early Oblivion version one phrase sums up Vilja - Heart warming. And as close to a human companion as any video game has ever seen. Hi everyone |
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