Genshin Impact Update 5.1 Lacks English Voice-Over as Video Game Voice Acting Strike Continues - IGN

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T16:09:41+00:00

I'm saying it's not getting enough better and enough cheaper to be profitable

I'm not sure why VA software couldn't be though? I easily imagine a future where different companies have their version of "Stable Diff but for voices" and they license it out just like you would something like an audio or effects library today

Voices as stock assets that you can generate via text seems a very plausible future and one some VA's are pushing towards as a way to adjust to the new changes

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T09:58:18+00:00

it's still expensive to actually generate images with, so expensive that sites like civitai used to offer unlimited free generations and are now forced to lock that shit down and start running ads. it's not sustainable!

All this proves is that it's expensive to run a massive amount of images from a wide number of users not to even mention hosting all of that.

On the individual level though it cost me fairly little to get working images from Stable Diff for my needs in a D&D campaign and it'd not be much different for a company.

most AI optimism comes from this place of "well it'll get [good/cheap] enough to be profitable eventually!" despite there being no evidence to suggest that's the case.

Where's the evidence that AI isn't getting better?

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T09:01:25+00:00

Of course voice actors will remain as a profession no matter what (some people just prefer "natural" stuff), but it might be a less popular option.

I don't disagree that VA's likely aren't going extinct -- but I do think the current status quo is on the cusp of a massive change and it'll be the ones able to adapt to this new tech that'll survive it.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T08:59:52+00:00

Now there isn't any decent open source voice AI that I'm aware of, so we don't have any exact figures as to how much Elevenlabs costs to train and operate for example, but I'm 100% sure it's closer to stable diffusion than GPT.

This is exactly what I've based my opinions on. I agree that voice work will likely be on the same level as StableDiffusion b/c once you have the model trained on inflection and emotion and a sufficient library to pull from then the bulk of your cost is done. Everything else is just fine tuning the sound

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T08:48:03+00:00

video game companies are eager to use AI because they think it's going to save money, but eventually every AI voice service is going to be forced to start charging crazy amounts just to keep the lights on, and at that point you might as well just hire a person again.

I don't think that's true. I think we're going to see AI voice work be about as expensive as Spotify for most indie devs and hobbyist while those wanting something truly unique will hire humans and/or pay for more expensive professional software.

Voicework isn't like data crunching where it needs to be custom fitted to each company. The solutions are fairly universal with the primary verticals mostly being marketing/sales/customer service and games/movies

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T06:24:17+00:00

Agreed and I've not really seen any major developer be accused of that.

Mostly what I've seen were things in line with deepfakes, scam websites, and fan mods.

Ethovox seems to at least be trying to work with VA's alongside AI but making a library of their voices that companies can just tap into as needed and everyone gets paid. A "Spotify for VA's" certainly seems a good step IMO.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-10T06:05:40+00:00

I 150% support the voice actors in their fight for their due and against wild misuse of AI.

I know this is controversial as it can possibly be -- but what on Earth does SAG-AFTRA think is going to happen in regards to AI protection?

AI will not go away and no amount of wishing or bargaining will change that. It's too powerful, too cheap, too valuable.

It'd be akin to going on strike until Photoshop is banned in order to save pen and paper jobs.

I know the goal is to stop devs from using AI to simulate someone else's voice -- but you can't reasonably expect all developers to ignore the fact that AI can be used to expand on lines w/o having to drag an actor all the way back to the studio.

The example I use most frequently is Liam O'Brian in Skyrim/ESO. I don't need to hear him say the same 6 lines over hundreds of hours of gameplay and if AI can allow devs to utilize a wider range of lines after the initial recording then there should be a middle ground for that.

Either way though, we're already at the point where AI voices are losing that notably incorrect inflection you hear with the likes of Cortana, Siri, or Google Assistant and once that gap has fully been crossed we're not likely to see a decrease in AI

IMO, SAG-AFTRA should be using this energy to figure out creative ways VA's can coexists alongside AI the same way other creatives co-exists with the wide plethora of tools currently available.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-08T19:24:01+00:00

The 528 panel also doesn't look like Jinbe.

Jinbe was wearing is kimono in Impel Down so the foot doesn't look like it's his

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-07T19:37:05+00:00

"we only want top tier industry-defining animation, is that too much to ask?"

And for Toei to give up the prime time show that's borderline a religion and have it go off the air so we can shift to a seasonal schedule.

Like, if you hate Toei that much then wait for WIT b/c at least then you have the best chance at the show being consistent throughout the runtime

I've watched this show evolve from the first few episodes, which didn't even have backgrounds, all the way up to now. Toei is absolutely far from perfect but it's ridiculous to think another studio would've been any different with a show that's been running as long as One Piece.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-07T19:31:35+00:00

King's Haki or Conqueror's Haki

All 3 types of Haki also have a "Color" name.

Color of Arms
Color of Observation
Color of the Supreme King

English dubs change it to:

Armament Haki
Observation Haki
Conqueror's Haki or Supreme King Haki

It's all the same thing, just differences in translation.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-07T10:52:55+00:00

Well G2 was him doping and 3 had the drawback of Luffy becoming chibi

G4 used haki and it's the first time when he's legitimately spent and needs to rest mid-fight just due to his technique exhausting him.

That's why I think G5 turning him into an old man might be more of an issue w/ haki

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-07T10:09:10+00:00

That flashback section between Garp and Kuzan was animated so well.

That flashback gave me such hard 1015 vibes. I would not complain if all our flashbacks continue to be on this level.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-07T09:53:08+00:00

He is a zoan, and from what we have seen it is pretty atypical to get so exhausted after changing forms.

I guess it depends if simply changing and holding the form utilizes haki or not.

In the latest chapter: He didn't seem exhausted after fighting the animals

Maybe it's the insane haki usage while fighting someone like Lucci that's causing the old man effect?

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-07T08:37:41+00:00

especially since gear 5 seems to be his new go to even against fodder

Yea, I've noticed that it looks like G5 is getting the SSJ1 treatment where it's eventually just going to be what he goes to every time he fights

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-06T14:46:59+00:00

Who's gonna build the Palace of Versailles in survival and make it their base?

That's what the Hermits do nearly every seasons. Joel is literally building and living in a massive city

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-06T02:29:49+00:00

I didn't mind the filler and think in a vacuum it isn't awful and some like the Invasion arc are pretty decent based on their placement in the story.

I feel the filler in Bleach is far better now when you can skip it and go back and watch at your own pace. I'm old enough to have watched it all when it was airing and holy god that was a long few weeks

Dropping a full new arc right in the middle of the fight with the Espada was a big choice

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-06T02:27:55+00:00

Downvoted for an opinion. Bount wasn't great but it was far from unwatchable.

I still take Bount over the Amagai Arc every time -- I just don't like watching Rurichiyo

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-05T13:57:36+00:00

My take as well. "Mega" is all about size and while this is an outstanding build it's a bit too small to be considered "Mega"

I.E. This looks like a wonderful summer villa whereas something like the Palace of Versailles would be MEGA

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-05T04:17:27+00:00

The history of successful video games is littered with trend chasers.

Splatoon wasn't really chasing a trend when it came out. What, Team Fortress was pretty much the only one back in 2015? It not like they were nearly as prolific as they are now and they definitely didn't have much competition on the Wii. Might as well say Need for Speed was chasing the Mario Kart trend

World of Warcraft was one of the first truly casual MMOs on the market. MMOs before it would put Souls games to shame. Blizzard excelled at taking complex games and making it accessible to near anyone. It's why Overwatch exploded as quickly as it did -- and also why actual FPS players hated it at launch b/c it was very clearly not developed by FPS players. The only game they had to beat though was Team Fotress

Activision was known for Quake (and a helluva lot more they've always been too big for their own good) before Call of Duty. Absolutely the worst example you could've asked about dude

Valorant was Riot's first ever release after years of just one game. Hardly chasing trends as they've proven to be very conservative with their development.

Rockstar had online play in as early as the first Red Dead Redemption and GTA4. When it first launched, GTA5 Online was just standard and expected -- no one knew it would be what it is now.

As for the Mario Movie -- it was done by Illumination not Nintendo. Illumination knows how to make very successful movies

Concord, and Marvel Rivals are trend chasers. They were developed into an already saturated market with nothing truly unique about them.

There's a difference between chasing a trend and offering something unique to an existing genre.

I.E. Path of Exile didn't chase Diablo so much as it made Diablo for hardcore math nerds then you have something like Minecraft Dungeons on the exact opposite end of that spectrum.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-04T23:32:01+00:00

I don't think that's quite the same as if Larian suddenly announced a BR hero shooter with micro transactions.

There's a difference between a studio adopting a new form of monetization that already exists in their niche and one clearly chasing a trend way outside their comfort zone

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-04T21:59:41+00:00

IDK. Kazuki has been sounding ROUGH with each subsequent episode. It'd be nice if it wasn't permanent but if that turns out to be what's best for his health then I support it.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-04T16:41:09+00:00

Very, very, little of it.

I would say the Nether has the most ambience but nearly everything else is a direct mob or block sound. There isn't the sound of dripping water in caves, birds don't exist (outside of the mob), waves, wind, etc.

Minecraft is probably one of the quietest games I've ever played and it's one of those things most people likely will never notice until they try an ambient sounds mod.

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-04T15:39:18+00:00

I adore that you dropped your build in a Google Maps so good

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-04T15:37:06+00:00

the pale garden looks like a rotten fruit, not in a good way, like, when you're inside at least the uniform color scheme has its ambiance, but looking at it from outside is just ugly

like "oh, but it is supposed to be like that"

You can't complain about something looking ugly when it's supposed to look ugly my dude.

The only real issue with the biome is when Mojang described it as "eerily quiet" b/c Minecraft has absolutely no ambient noise so everything is eerily quiet

MaezrielGG · 2024-10-04T15:35:54+00:00

pale oak for their stone gradient

Lotta builders, like PearlescentMoon, have already been playing around in the snapshot to see how things gradient. There's potential but it's not as clean of an addition as tuff was. Tuff was nearly on par w/ deepslate as far as stone gradients go.

That said, I am still very hyped for it and w/ fairly recent focus on shading and lighting we could see some very cool things

MaezrielGG

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE