@KateyKhaos: Can we have a short chat about the use of voice-filters to raise a skin's price?

5G8Nri0B54··4 votes·2,627 views

As a customer we don't know much about the skin development process as skins don't get dev blogs the same way Capcom explains how a single SF character costs a bajillion dollars to create.

Therefore, any judgement we CAN make is based entirely on...

a) What you say b) What we get in-game

I'll take your word that altering a champion's voice can take hours of work to achieve perfection. I understand how** miniscule and trivial things can take WAY more work than a layman can possibly realize** (as someone learning to be a teacher, anyone saying teaching is an easy job should have their jaw broken)

BUT, and this is a semi-objective but here, the main problem I find about your use of voice filters is point b), what we get in-game. I feel that all that hardwork simply isn't as appreciable as snazzy new particles and animations are.

Let's look at animations/particles here. You can see them even if you have hearing difficulties, you can show them off by simply playing the game, sometimes it's an outright BUFF to the champion! (Pulsefire Ez's range increase, Blackfrost Anivia's AA animation being easier to work with, Mecha Kha'zix isolation being much easier to notice) With new particles and such, all that hardwork you guys put into designing them are there for all to see.

For voice filters, unless you're taunting/laughing you can't show it off. It's easily lost in an intense teamfight. And this is the objective part here, but you quickly zone it out unless the champion happens to say something really wacky and unforgettable in a specific context.

** e.g **- If Akali ever gets a Legendary skin, and when she buys Armor and Magic Penetration she says aloud "Alright Double Penetration baby!"

TL;DR - The work behind voice filters are not translated nearly as well as the work behind particles and animations as far as final product goes. You think there's a way to streamline the development of voice filters so that they can be cheaper? As a customer, seeing a cool skin go from 975 to 1350 RP is depressing just because you gave him/her smoke a pack of expensive tobacco.

PS - I am in LOVE with the idea of that Akali Legendary skin I just made up as an example. Please oh please make it happen along with that specific line. Now THERE is when all your work on champion voices can truly come to fruition.

8 Comments

Riotmoonstones5 votes

Hey there!

I think you're referring to what I'd said about Arclight Vel'Koz.

First things first, it's not voice a voice filter, it's voice processing. In Vel'Koz's case, our audio guys made the music/sound that is played behind his voice. After that part's done, it's mixed into Vel'Koz's base VO. Then, the audio guys spend time making sure the levels are okay, and the sounds aren't drowning out what the tentacle monster is trying to say.

We don't process every skin's voice because we reserve it for skins where the overall fantasy makes more sense if they sounded a bit different. Mecha is a prime example of this.

With that being said, that's not all that makes him a 1350 RP skin. He also has a suite of new sound effects that are different from his base.

You'll notice that when a champion has a bunch of new sounds, as opposed to a new model, texture and particles, it's often a 1350 RP skin. A couple examples of this would be Arcade Miss Fortune and Arcade Sona.

We've outlined a general guide for what kinds of new stuff each tier of will have included here.

5G8Nri0B542 votes

You'll notice that when a champion has a bunch of new sounds, as opposed to a new model, texture and particles, it's often a 1350 RP skin.

Ooohhh...okay you see, when I watch the preview videos I hadn't noticed that his sound effects were changed at all.

**edit: ** Wait...is that a good thing?

btw part of the reason we all refer to you is because we don't know anyone else, for instance, I wanted to contact the creator the Vel skin but there isn't any watermark on the splash art or anything that points to the direction of the designer.

So umm...if you ever run across the guy, can you pass on one request/feedback for me? His skin looks great overall! But the R looks MUCH weaker and less "life-form disintegrate"-y than his default skin's. I don't know why, maybe it's the light colours, but if you can pass this bit about his R off to the designer, that's be nice. Is it supposed to look* less disintegrate-y* because Arclight Vel'koz is supposed to be a "good guy"? Or is it the natural effect of the particle turning to such a light yellow colour?

Riotmoonstones4 votes

I try to help where I can. :3 If I don't know the answer, I often ask the person on the skins team who worked on it directly!

It's a team effort, so one person isn't working on the whole thing. :D I think the ult might feel a bit different is, like you said, the color difference. I can certainly ask him about it tomorrow!

5G8Nri0B541 votes

thx!

zN0KDOdo2Z2 votes

{quoted}

Ooohhh...okay you see, when I watch the preview videos I hadn't noticed that his sound effects were changed at all.

**edit: ** Wait...is that a good thing?

btw part of the reason we all refer to you is because we don't know anyone else, for instance, I wanted to contact the creator the Vel skin but there isn't any watermark on the splash art or anything that points to the direction of the designer.

So umm...if you ever run across the guy, can you pass on one request/feedback for me? His skin looks great overall! But** the R looks MUCH weaker and less "life-form disintegrate"-y than his default skin's**. I don't know why, maybe it's the light colours, but if you can pass this bit about his R off to the designer, that's be nice. Is it supposed to look* less disintegrate-y* because Arclight Vel'koz is supposed to be a "good guy"? Or is it the natural effect of the particle turning to such a light yellow colour?

Agreed - from a Vel'koz main who is pumped about the skin, I can't help but feel disappointed about the ult. When I saw a skin preview by a player in PBE, he did a ful EWQR combo and I honestly could barely tell that Vel'koz was ulting. It looks and sounds like a sparkle flashlight. Please make it look and sound more raw/powerful.

ChimeiTekinaNasu1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Riot KateyKhaos,realm=NA,application-id=A8FQeEA8,discussion-id=5EI8srOb,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2015-01-25T21:10:20.924+0000)

Hey there!

I think you're referring to what I'd said about Arclight Vel'Koz.

First things first, it's not voice a voice filter, it's voice processing. In Vel'Koz's case, our audio guys made the music/sound that is played behind his voice. After that part's done, it's mixed into Vel'Koz's base VO. Then, the audio guys spend time making sure the levels are okay, and the sounds aren't drowning out what the tentacle monster is trying to say.

I think what people really mean. Is why bother making a second 1350 quality skin for Vel when he already has one, and everyone seems to be wanting a 975 quality skin. I think they would've prefered Arclight Vel to not have the stuff that makes it 1350, or just a different skin for him that is 975 quality.

Phife1 votes

if you have a voice in a template and want to alter it really only takes a matter of minutes to achieve what you want. Im a senior sound designer.

StevetheSkeleton1 votes

Bayonetta Akali skin is a go.

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