The Lost(?) Narration of Baldur's Gate 3

[@alinazhidil9817]

It's so nice to have our friend Chubblot back!

[@Chubblot]

Thanks Alina! Hopefully I can keep it up.

[@lilith1493]

I wanted this soo badly also for the origin characters because it gave an introspection we will never have. I also think Larian misunderstood a lot of people, they didn't want the narration to change this way, I believe they just wanted the verb tense to change instead of "I ate an apple" "I'm eating an apple" In visual novels and YA novels, it's perfectly acceptable, in fact, preferable to have the 1st POV but it must be in the present tense, and I believe that was what many people were saying, not to fully remove the POV

[@Chubblot]

I totally agree, I think it was the tense not the pronouns. Although at that point Larian was obviously pretty deep into development, so maybe getting everyone to re-record in first person was untenable, so they went with the single narrator idea.

[@sackiekrikorian7519]

I agree, the past tense is weird. I can see it in some storytelling ... but at what point in the future are we recalling these events? Is someone tugging my beard and constantly asking "What did you do next grandpa?" describing things in the past and then making "live" choices that will also have been in the past feels odd to me.

[@theredeft5319]

It was very similar to the last king’s quest story that came out where it was basically King graham recalling the story to his granddaughter. It can work, but we’d need to see why/who this story is being told too, but I feel it does make the story feel much less tense because you know the main character lives if they are now telling the story. So I think it was better they changed the tense, but I am sad we lost the characters narration even I do love the narrator voice.

[@n.henzler50]

"Halsin romance when?" In three hours. Prepare your body.

[@Aganoize]

Baldur's Gate III Definitive Edition: Return of Narration.

[@Chubblot]

Just totally invert it, have every player character's voice replaced by Amelia doing an impression. Amelistarion. I'd pay for that.

[@untitled_spookykid]

The King has returned! Thank you for showcasing this lost feature Chubblot, your work is always appreciated. Honestly, I do hope the personalized Speak With The Dead lines are picked up again some point in the future, such a wonderful addition.

[@Chubblot]

Ahh it's crazy to see so many recognizable names in the comments, thanks for sticking around untitled.

[@queemys5470]

Not gonna lie, my fav part was when tav speaks in a cutscene Glad to have you back Chubblot❤️

[@Chubblot]

I know what you mean, I remember freaking out just as much as everyone else the first time I saw it. It's so funny to me that two years into early access you almost always get someone posting about that scene with Edowin and asking if it was added with patch .

[@HarbsNarbs]

Fantastic video, Chubblot. Glad to see you back! I do prefer the current narration style but as you said, we never got the chance to experience the old one ourselves, so this is hard to judge! It does make me curious as to what the story reasons were for it...

[@Chubblot]

Thanks so much Harbs! I promise I've been keeping up with your vids too, I just wasn't logged into the Chubblot account so I couldn't comment haha.

[@shadowjewel]

If I were rich I'd pay for Larian to add an option to switch from third person with the narrator, to first person narration, that way people to have it as they wish. IMO first person would add so much more depth to the character you play, particularly the origin characters with their established backstory and personalities. I'm gutted this was almost a thing but it got changed - having listened to some of the first person narration for the origin characters I got so much more sucked into their story and personality then I do with the narrator, which in contrast kinda feels like I am controlling a hollowed out puppet in the image of the character we get to know in other playthroughs, like the poor soul who winds up in the PC's pod with the PC's tadpole gets possessed or something (more so then just simply roleplaying that character), its kinda eerie and heart-breaking.

[@Jizzking27]

i have been checking the channel for the last couple months just waiting for a crumb of content

[@Chubblot]

Honestly, same.

[@OneWingedRose]

I remembered that first livestream, but couldn't find any clips of it. A google search led me to this video and I'm grateful, it's a nice look at the old style in a much deeper way than I was expecting. Nice video!

[@Dantos4]

Once again my friend Chubblot outdoes himself on such an enormous scale it's breathtaking. Bravo.

[@Chubblot]

Thanks so much... Scouse? I can't remember if this is one of your many aliases, sorry if not.

[@minglessdreamar5264]

A chubblot vid and patch 8 on the same day ? Larian fans are eating good

[@Chubblot]

I can't wait to try patch 8 when it finishes downloading next month.

[@Enzevil]

Amazing video Chubblot, with incredible edit skills as always. I do enjoy the current narration more, but I actually really enjoyed the characters narrating their own thoughts. I don't think it's coming back either, they've settled with this one. And well I do like the current narration, I agree that some variety like the one you showed with speak with dead, would be very cool to have.

[@Chubblot]

Thanks again Enzevil! Yeah I think the speak with dead variety is about the most we can realistically hope for. They've already had to change the narration once, I can't imagine they'd even consider doing it again.

[@ayakohanasa]

Bruh I'd love to play with first person narration, personally the past tense doesn't bother me. And yeah kudos to Larian for listening to fans time and time again. Maybe if you release it as a mod, people get to experience its a bit and it gains lots of downloads and endorsements it could be a good way to show Larian that players could like the option? Also cool to see you posting again ;D

[@Chubblot]

Thanks for watching Ayako! I'm still in the process of refining the mod but I'm pretty sure I've hit a dead end, there's just so little of it left now in comparison to Amelia's thousands of lines that it's a pretty jarring experience outside of some specific scenes. Also any time I talk about how I did something the next patch removes the thing I was using so I'm a lil paranoid haha

[@mannagrynet]

The biggest issue I had with the old narration was the past tense, it just made it feel really awkward? So I prefer Amelia Taylor as a narrator, she's almost like the dungeon master of the game. It would be nice with our characters talk a bit more, and have some more variety as you mentioned.

[@roko512]

Even if they don't talk, it'd be nice if they made any kind of sound, because as it is rn they look like they're mute

[@Chubblot]

Yeah the consensus I'm seeing is that it was the tense not the pronouns that people disliked.

[@OnlyHereForCake]

Yeah, I can see the argument either way. First person past tense is like the character telling their story or reading from their memoirs, which is cool in concept, but as far as a D&D-like game goes I think the third person present tense works better

[@robbynito]

Okay, today we got bard and a Chubblot vid? Today's a great day for Baldur's Gate 3 content!

[@Chubblot]

You're way too kind Robbyn, especially after a nine month disappearance. But thank you

[@crazymammoth]

Another 10/10 video from Chubblot

[@Chubblot]

Haha, well, the latest patch added some more lines of people mentioning her so fingers crossed she's still around.

[@GeeWilleh]

Your editing style is so addicting. I save these videos for a rainy day and it's always worth. Thanks Chuublot

[@heresfrankbetches921]

I was happier to find out the new video was out than I was about the new patch Great work as always

[@Chubblot]

No way I can compete with gnome bards with two-tone hair. Thanks for watching frank

[@markwg1035]

I missed you like a flower misses the sun.

[@Fdzzaigl]

Very interesting, I didn't know about this at all. From your footage I feel like I wouldn't have liked the past tense narration all the time. HOWEVER I do feel like you might have found a happy medium with your edits. As you say: variety. I would love to have the character speak some lines the make sense for them to say (also outside of repeated lines) while the narrator still says most of the general lines. Talking about personal feelings of the character and such for example, the more impactful moments.

[@Chubblot]

A mix would be an interesting thing to hear! Right now it feels like the narrator is pretty omniscient, speaking about what other people are feeling as well as you etc. so I guess the mix would require some hefty rewrites, which might suck at this point in development.

[@akarim6416]

looking back on this is so interesting since you point out that in early access karlach had the least amount of first person narration meanwhile in the actual release of the game karlach is the only one with first person narration and thoughts in her origin lmao

[@MistyKathrine]

I wonder if it's them testing the waters to see how it's received to maybe pave the way to bring it back for the others. Send feedback to larian if you want this.

[@BrightSpark125]

I always love what you put out! I was so excited to see you uploaded this! I agree with you. Despite loving Amelia’s voicework, I do find the personal narrative a lot more intimately engaging in terms of feeling personally connected to the choices being made. I feel like hoping that they’ll make the first person narrate toggle-able at full release is probably too much to ask, but maybe the fact that the repeated lines are still being referenced the way they are might point to the final version allowing for the game to source a first person or third person narrator. Then again, that is SO much extra work to expect from larian on the off chance someone opts for it :( I wish we got to see it though

[@Chubblot]

For sure I think a blend would've been ideal, but considering how much time they've already spent in development I doubt they wanna throw the whole thing in reverse haha. Plus I think they consider the matter settled considering this happened over two years ago now. Thanks for watching Tyko!

[@ladooshka]

I would love to have this feature 👍 I like that in DA2 and DAI games devs gave a voice to main characters (customized including). Not inner thoughts but at least saying lines during conversations and interactions with npcs and in cut scenes. I wish Larian would have done it too

[@aurelli3]

love you chubby bunny😅 I appreciate you and Harbs Narbs work.

[@Elphirein]

I prefer a more personal variety of narration, although I still like the way it is now.

[@Chubblot]

Yeah I think this is basically my position too. Amelia does an excellent job but years of only getting a new game at christmas has made me prone to replay the games I have, so having a way to further differentiate each replay would've been cool.

[@drakghoulish8193]

I agree, its hard to feel connected to your character if he/she almost never speaks. The origin characters feel more fleshed out in comparison. I watched your old narrated videos and found them a breath of fresh air. Ea has rly taken a toll out of me with the same dialog.

[@Chubblot]

Yeah it's like they have to walk this weird tightrope of needing to keep the character malleable so people can roleplay how they like but also needing to lock some facts down so the game can actually acknowledge our character in more than a passing "Oh you're a halfling" way.

[@hunivan7672]

The opposite of that is true. Silent protagonist is better.

[@Myrathosghost]

@@hunivan7672 I dont agree with you but, glad you have that opinion & you should have your own, but It’s opinion & should be stated as thus & not like its a fact when it isnt 🤣 cause your feelings dont belong to everyone, just you 😉

[@shadowhawke1871]

@@hunivan7672 If they did a silent option then actual voice lines I would be fine. I'm not a huge fan of silent protagonists if I can choose a voice. Silent protagonists, to me at least are kind of boring in games like this.

[@MrNayGames]

I actually find it better this way. Hearing what I just did and exactly what I did would get boring soon. A single Narrator as a "different character" is way better, this change was great.

[@Chubblot]

Totally valid comments! I can see where people are coming from.

[@CannonVulcan]

I would like to hear more of my character speaking but I also love Amelia's Narration. She was great in DOS2 and the Pathfinder games as well. I think there needs to be a balance and have certain cutscenes with your character reacting to situations but how the developers handle this only time will tell.

[@Chubblot]

I think the emotive background stuff in the latest patch is a really good step towards finding the balance.

[@th3jaeger944]

Good to have you back! Personally I love having a narrator, but seeing the game again through the different lens you have made, I gotta side with you. You make great points.

[@Chubblot]

Haha, I promise I didn't set out to convert anyone. When I started writing this one I just wanted to document a change that not everyone knows even happened, but by the end I felt like I had to give an opinion.

[@GermLoc]

Chubbs, I've said this before and I'll say it again....your instinct for making these types of vids along with your choices in splicing in memes or other media is amazing.

[@Chubblot]

Thanks so much Jeremy! That's a huge compliment.

[@johnnydisanza2517]

Hey Chubblot, just wanted to say I notice all the hard work you put in to make entertaining and hilarious videos for us. It really has enhanced my BG3 experience (all hail Halsin). But I completely understand if your burnt out, so I’m excited for every video even if they’re dialed back!

[@Ellebeeby]

Return of the King! Also YES for how you represent Helia here :D

[@Chubblot]

It was the only true and honest option haha.

[@jackoberto01]

Seeing this after the full release I think it was the better choice to have a single narrator however I definitely agree that there should've been some variety in repeated lines. However there aren't many places with repeated lines in the full game, speak with the dead is the main culprit

[@YayoiKuran]

I love Amelia Tyler, but now I also love the idea of a player character voice narration 😭😭😭 I wish you could choose who you want as the narrator since I understand both preferences, but... 😢 Anyway, thank you for making this video! 💖

[@MistyKathrine]

Send feedback to larian. This was Swen's original vision and it might not be too late to fight for it. Especially since they added Karlach to the game who actually does narrate her own story.

[@marconeves1979]

What I'd REALLY like is to have my Tav be voiced in most cutscenes, when he actually speaks (not necessarily thinks/narrates). Every time there is a voiced cutscene with Tav, I get all excited and it's riveting!

[@garland336]

Lots of really good quality jokes, editing, cuts - information is solid too. Good video, adding as a sub ;)

[@Chubblot]

High praise, thanks so much!

[@diomed96]

You, sir, have changed my mind regarding their choice for narration. I was perfectly fine playing through the early access with 1 narrator...once. After I finished the EA I wanted to try different characters, class etc. and to roleplay, which also made me realise how cool would it be to have a voiced player character. When the devs shared their reason for using the original narration style it totally made sense! I just wish they had stuck with their vision and made an option to switch to the single narrator because, as you've mentioned, there was a split between community, so it means there are still people who prefer one style over the other no matter what.

[@rebecca2494]

Bruh I never realized how detailed that first person narration was... I mean, I like what it is now but I really REALLY want to test it out

[@kamonohasheesh]

Bruh I’m mad we lost out on a ton more of neil newbon’s incredible voice acting cuz of this decision

[@Rune26]

This is great insight! I haven't played BG3 since the last couple of major updates, just wanted to give it a bit of time before I revisit Act 1. Definitely going to fire it up once it's updated. Welcome back Chubblot 😊

[@Chubblot]

Thanks Matt!

[@Rune26]

@@Chubblot No, thank you! ☺😋

[@didihols1500]

Oh nooo I did not know this was a thing!!! I would love my character to have their own voice!!!! So sad they cut off this content so early. Thanks for this video!!

[@yuvalamir3226]

I've always had this exact opinion. The main issue I have with the storytelling is that your character feels like the least interesting person in the room. Everyone is masterfully expressing their emotions while you are just sitting there with a blank face. We just don't feel like actual characters. We feel like a stat sheet. This would completely solve this issue for me. edit: although I would prefer if it was in present tense.

[@Chubblot]

I'm with you, and actually the refinement they added for expressions etc. this patch gives me hope they're on track to help pull Tav out of the bystander role. I have faith!

[@frebu5379]

Honestly if the origin characters lose all their voice lines when you play as them I will probably never play them. Just imagine a play through as Gale where he never speaks, you lose ALL of that flavor just to play that specific stat block. I imagine that is why origin characters as PC's never hit early access(which is odd, they claimed it was coming for 2 years and now we know nothing about it and they stopped talking about it)

[@ninjificus]

@@frebu5379I literally just tried to play through as Astarion and couldn't even make it to the druid's grove because he just felt soooo dead as a character without lines D:

[@DeviSerene]

This is so interesting, thank you for the video Chubblot. Game development and changes are so interesting, especially with such a great game like this.

[@Chubblot]

Thanks Devi! I agree, I find it such an interesting topic. I can't wait until the devs can talk more openly about how they made the game.

[@smurphsFTW]

I prefer how it is now. The old idea was really interesting though! My fear would have been that some characters voices would be flat better than others, the debate in mass effect still wages on over which gender had the better voice actor. Having a constant narrator brings its all together nicer in my opinion. I also think it makes it easier to roleplay. Despite this, ide love to have a laezel playthrough with laezel brain too, that would slap.

[@Chubblot]

Yeah that's a really valid concern. I'm reminded of SWtoR, where I went from the excellent agent voice actor to the kinda sleepy sounding consular and it was pretty jarring.

[@smurphsFTW]

@@Chubblot I think the best middle ground would be Swen narrating our mental state live, his armour jingling in the background. But alas.

[@rigs9801]

this makes a lot of sense - i've played AC Odyssey like three times and I've never played as Alexios because I think Kassandra's voice actor is just way better.

[@smurphsFTW]

@@rigs9801 Same for me with mass effect, dragon age 2 and inquisition, and DEFINITELY V in cp2077. Maybe it's just because of fatigue of having a gravelly male voice actor more often than not, but more often when the choice is there the female VA comes out on top.

[@rigs9801]

@@smurphsFTW i 100% agree that it's fatigue with that style of voice - like I have 0 problem playing a male elf on DAI, but human, Qunari, anything else I played a female character. That's what makes games like KCD kinda refreshing too - Henry's voice and tone is so very different from your typical male protag in games, so it actually makes it kinda fun to play a character who's a bit of a dunce. only reason why I play masc V in CP2077 is Panam lol - I really need to figure out how to get the mod working that makes her romanceable for fem V.

[@OniFeez]

I agree with you, it seems a shame to get rid of a feature just because of feedback before the EA period. It would be nice to be able to re-enable it, if for nothing else than the novelty. It might make sense to have the current narrator with a custom character, but if you're mainlining say Astarion, it would be nice to hear Astarion's thoughts - if only because I accept I don't 'own' Astarion like I own my particular Tav, if that makes sense. Also, good to see that you're still alive.

[@Chubblot]

I did try really hard to find a way to smooth it out but the mod I made is incredibly choppy, so I dunno how much interest there would actually be in it. I'll keep hacking away at it. I get what you mean about the origin companions, I think Larian are actually gonna let us have quite a bit of control over them though - like letting you side with the Goblins as Wyll or playing Lae'zel as some sort of kind and giving hero.

[@Nergigante]

Hey Chubblot, just wanted to say I appreciate anytime you toss us a video. From twitter to youtube youre positive and pleasant, so its always nice to see!

[@Chubblot]

Thanks so much Peppers! I really appreciate the comment

[@viktorgray7425]

Very interesting! And thorough and smart as usual. Always love to hear your voice, and listen your deep reviews

[@Chubblot]

Viktor, thanks so much for watching! Sorry it's been a while. Hope you're well!

[@cernunnos_lives]

We missed you dear brother. Daddy Halsin approves this channel. You gotta sing about the things you feel passion for. We all feel it here. We'll meet you "down....down.... down by the River".

[@Chubblot]

A beautiful comment Cernunnos. May Halsin guide our pecs.

[@williamprice1542]

Hahaha, I am loving the game as it is right now. I didn't even know what I was missing until your awesome video came along, and my take is pretty simple...I talk for my character all the time , I catch myself talking at this game and making comments about all sorts of things as I play , so I guess they found a way to draw me in and make me care...

[@Chubblot]

That's awesome William! Gotta admit sometimes there are options in dialogue that pop up and just align so perfectly with my own opinions that it's spooky.

[@inaciobarbosa9396]

Finally! I don't even play bauldur's gate 3 and I've been checking every once in a while to see if you posted ever since your last video

[@Chubblot]

Inacio I have no idea how you found this channel if you don't play BG3, but I love that. Sorry it's been so long.

[@ignifero]

I know it would be too much, but I'd actually love to have both options available :)

[@Chubblot]

In a perfect world that'd be the way haha. Thanks for watching ignifero

[@ignifero]

@@Chubblot of course! I always watch your vids, I actually wait for them! :)

[@occupationalhazard]

I don't see playing the custom character as I play it as a fantastical version of myself, but rather as a character I'm role-playing who is not me. I felt the inserted motivations and fleshing out of the custom character takes agency away from what I like about making a custom character. Also, the past tense is simply weird. I don't think in the past tense in real life, and when I see narration in the past tense in media, it comes across and a retelling of the past rather than what they are thinking in the moment. It reads like that with BG3, a past recollection rather than the present with choices mattering. I see the current system a vast improvement from the original intent. I'm glad Larian put so much work into making this new system. They are awesome for making this change.

[@marconeves1979]

I had no idea this existed... and I'd like to at least have a chance to try it in early access. Because I'll be honest.... I kinda like it better than what we have now (maybe?)! Which surprises me.... but that's the thing, I'm not 100% sure, because I never got to try it. Larian, let us at least try it. We love Larian, because they try different things! We should WANT Larian to try these new ideas. Otherwise this CRPG will follow the same template as all the others. I'd like to have this option at the very least.

[@sombrego2260]

I really really really prefer the 1st person narration. You mentioned perfectly why it's such an improvement over DoS2. It's a shame but at the end of the day it's also a huge development cost lowered and I feel that's probably why Larian reacted very quickly on it because it was also a huge money and time save. It's really unfortunate for variety and connecting to your very mute character though.

[@Chubblot]

I actually never finished a custom run in DoS2 but my Loshe playthrough highlights were all things that happened because I was playing as Loshe, so I'm pretty much there. Yeah the amount of time and money it saved was probably an unintended boon for Larian.

[@AlujaBING]

Honestly, I really enjoyed the original narration and it's what I spent most of my EA release time with(140Hrs). I didn't think much of it but after playing the actual release, the narration is a lot more dryer than I remember it being.

[@Caladria88]

Nice video. Now we have all the benefit of hindsight, It might have been nice if some of the origin characters have this option. There's benefits to knowing what the established character is thinking, though I think they pulled that off well enough in the end with the narrator. Tav ended up being the default and most playthroughs, and knowing very little about the development process here I wonder if that wasn't initially expected in design. Certainly I prefer Tav, either playing myself, a version of me or a character I've created a backstory for - I don't want to be told what they're thinking because in many cases it's going to cause dissonance. There's a few places immersion broke off for me even without it as Tavs animated reaction conflicted with my own. There is then a interesting thought exercise in player creativity, interpretation, extent of writer intent and how these all fit together in the different ways we RP.

[@deang8017]

I really can't imagine this game without Amelia Tyler's narration. Her delivery is so hypnotic that I feel as though she is putting me into a trance or something. It perfectly jives with the mind altering nature of the tadpoles.

[@alextray7632]

You're alive! Thats unexpected

[@Chubblot]

If I recall, tast you saw me I was lying in a crucible's worth of prosecco, a druid nibbling at my ear.

[@frostbite.711]

Aww, this feature would have been so much fun to play around with. I'm still able to connect with my characters, but this would have added so much more interest to the game for me. It would probably also encourage me to try different voices. I loved how origin characters got voice lines in both BG3 and DOS2, but it would bring so much more to BG3 if the protagonist had more voice lines. Guess I'll have to settle for the occasional remark from them.

[@Suzanne_sf]

Hi Chubblot. I think it is cool that you brought Pitch Meeting into your video. I wonder if my character would talk more if I picked voice 4 instead of voice 2. This video is very interesting. Thank you so much! Also, I hope we get a Halsin romance too. It would be awesome! ❤‍🔥

[@raisinbranmunch7552]

I agree! I liked the 1st person narration-- my only thought at the time was that I felt like narrating in the present tense would have been more like the tabletop experience-- for example, after the DM says "It's your turn, Chubblot. What do you do?" then you (the player) then begin describing your actions. I liked it all the same, and I enjoyed the individual attention all of the VAs got, and I actually felt like it was a more immersive experience. My friends and I debated this (I was outnumbered), but the BG1 & 2 narration styles were referenced. I think it is interesting that the narrator was Sarevok... maybe we should be looking a little more suspiciously at the BG3 narrator. Love your stuff, Chubblot!

[@Chubblot]

For sure, as I've read through more opinions the past tense has really surfaced as the thing people were really against. Yeah, Swen did make that comment in the AMA about there being story reasons for the choice. Wouldn't it be trippy if when we finally confront the Absolute it has Amelia's voice?

[@orelyosif5852]

Well, they've did a mix of it. Amelia Tyler said there is like 16 different versions of narrations

[@izanagiuzumaki7325]

I mentioned it on your Narrated by Gale video, I would have loved for the fully voice acted playthrough, especially for an origin. Amelia as the current narrator kills it though so I would have loved a combination of both. It makes me wonder though, the first person voices spoke in the past tense, probably because Gale speaking about himself in the present tense would be offputting. But them speaking in the past tense made it feel like they were...disembodied, in a sense. Like it felt like a version of Gale existed in the future (in the world of the game) and was retelling the story that happened to him, as we the players were playing it; and I wonder if that's what Larian was going for

[@Chubblot]

Yeah I did briefly speak to someone about the narration at EGX and that was their point as well - that someone talking about what they're doing in present tense is a bit odd haha. Only time will tell what Swen's "story reasons" were!

[@tinyrogue1320]

Good video, chubblot! It's nice to see something pop up on your channel again :) In regards to the first person narration, let me just say: I think it's quite difficult to make it work. Sure, voice lines spoken by your player character are supposed to make you connect with your character on a deeper level, but the problem is that sometimes you (the player) imagine your character to say something using a specific type of language, slang and / or inflection. And when the voice line doesn't reflect what you've imagined your character's response to sound like, it can be extremely off-putting to listen to. With this in mind, the logical conclusion for the developers would be to make the voice lines as neutral in both choice of words as well as pitch as possible. And this will always result in a bland character who has nothing original or rich to say for themselves and no actual personality to speak of. It's really counter-productive in my opinion. This has been an issue in other video games as well - one of those that immediately come to mind would be Dragon Age: Inquisition. People really weren't happy with how undistinguished their Inquisitor ended up being because of the generic lines. Making spoken sentences first-person on top of that seems like a pitfall.

[@florenmage]

Chubblot I'm so glad you are here to show us things most of us would never know about the development of this game. It's really interesting to see this in depth information. Knowing that Larion changed course on something they really wanted to do because the fans didn't like it really shows something. It shows they Lisen. It shows they care about what we want not just their vision. Not many game companies act like that. We should all buy stuff from Larion. Throw your money at them they are a respectable bunch of artists who deserve it people. And throw a like and subscribe to chubblot while your at it because he to is a respectable creator of content who deserves it. :D

[@Chubblot]

Ayyy blank! Thanks for your comment

[@Xzoviac]

Dont burn yourself out chubs, hope you find time for youself

[@Eleglas]

I definitely need more of Tav speaking in cutscenes; even if just very small parts like "Huh, what's that shiny thing?" or something instead of the Narrator saying "Suddenly a glint catches your eye..."

[@Wyrmshield]

Great to see another Chubblot video!

[@Chubblot]

Thanks for watching Josh

[@Khantia]

I also like the personalized narrations better, but they would've indeed made the game even more massive :P

[@Chubblot]

Oh absolutely, the soundbank is already pretty ridiculous, can't imagine what it would be like if every narrator line was multiplied by 16.

[@roth2559]

I never even gave it much thought until I watched the video honestly. I even chose origin characters in DOS2 every time because I knew I'd get more interactions. I would love to have my character voiced! It works just fine in other games, like Dragon Age, so why not?

[@Chubblot]

It'd be an interesting change to the game, for sure!

[@damdamfino]

CHUBBLOT! Yay! You’re back! (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ I prefer the 2nd person narration, but I will admit I have watched/listened to all of your 1st person narrative videos because I do find the changes and insight into the characters so interesting. (I’m glad you’ve archived them for history sake, at the very least) We get more depth from the voice acting, for sure. But I know that recording separate lines for each Tav might make the memory on my PC cry and burn in hell. This game is going to be a chonky boi already.

[@Chubblot]

Yeah I saw it as archiving too. I didn't even think about the file size - it's getting pretty insane, you're right

[@pagodrink]

I think another way to add more insight to the character would be to have some of the dialogue options be voiced like in other rpgs like Mass Effect. Maybe not for every cutscene since that would be a lot of voice lines, especially since Mass effect only had to worry about male and female Shepard, but hearing your character talk through at least the romance scenes would add a lot to the game imo.

[@Chubblot]

It'd be interesting for sure. I personally wanna see how the voice actors deal with the player's lines in the Volo surgery cutscene.

[@glasswolf2061]

Definitely prefer the way it's done now, as someone who not only plays D&D but grew up roleplaying through text on online forums/MMOs as well as single-player RPGs. I prefer to interpret my characters' thoughts and actions myself, to the point that, generally speaking, I even prefer silent protagonists over voiced, so I can even reinterpret the ways some dialogue options are written, let alone said. That said, it might not be a bad idea to have an option to re-enable the original narration style, especially for the pregen Origin characters. I personally would never use it, but I can see why others might.

[@dhammer5842]

Was it really the first person aspect that people didn't like or the fact that it was past tense? I also didn't even know that this was ever in the game... until now, I remember the first time I played I thought, surely this voice in the head that does not belong to my character is just a placeholder for conversational animation that was yet to be included or for my character's voice to be recorded. I'm with you Chubb, sometimes the vocal part of the player base truly is the minority. Post early access seems like it would have been a better time to make this pivot if indeed the broader player base really didn't want it.

[@Chubblot]

Going by the comments I think it was the past tense for the majority of people who disliked it. Yeah I'm half expecting a big reveal moment relating to the Narrator, like she's some sort of entity in the game world rather than just the personification of your character's internal monologue. The pressure must've really been on Larian to change it for them to not even squeak into early access with it.

[@MicahLetsPlay]

THIS WAS SOOO MICH BETTER!!! 😭💔 I wish this was still in the game. You did and excellent work putting all the lines together.

[@ProxenosIR]

Hey Chubblot, thank for another fantastic video. I was sorry to read that your channel had become a bit depressing for you. Content creation can become a downer when at the behest of algorithms and engagement quotas. If you had some ideas for how we could spread your channel, whether that just means sharing videos you're particularly proud of, I'm sure many of us would be more than happy to. You consistently put out some of the most enjoyable KZbin content I watch and the quality from voicing to editing to research is always top notch. They have also helped me to stay positive and engaged throughout the long (but necessary) early access process. They've also often served as comfort-watching in moments of respite throughout this busy few years. This is a long-winded way of saying thank you for all the effort you've put in!

[@Chubblot]

Hi Scholared, thanks so much for your comment! I think using the word depressing might've been a mistake haha, I didn't mean it in the medical sense. KZbin just has this cool feature where if your vids aren't doing great or you haven't uploaded in a while you start getting a lot of red/down arrows all over the studio page, which put me in a bit of a tailspin ahah. I really appreciate your support mate and honestly just watching/liking is a major boost for the channel so hopefully I can keep you entertained

[@itsJPhere]

One of the biggest things I wish we could have is a voice for the main character in conversations. It feels like half of the game is just missing when no one says the lines, it actually feels like the main protagonist is a mute telepath. It seems like this kind of narration would almost fix the lack of voice. I'm sad it wasn't to be.

[@hunivan7672]

Wrong. Silent protagonist allows you to imagine any voice. Giving them a voice ruins immersion.

[@itsJPhere]

@@hunivan7672 It's more immersive to actually hear a voice imho. I can't really imagine any other voice in my head than my own inner voice, and if I'm not playing as myself, it breaks the immersion for me.

[@Marin117.]

@@itsJPhere And having a voice breaks immersion for others because they can't find a voice close to the one they imagined their char to have. Sadly there's no way here to make everyone happy.

[@emackenzie]

@@Marin117. Honestly as much as I like the concept of voiceless protags, I prefer voiced ones for accessibility reasons. Immersion is great and all, but what's better is knowing what someone is saying

[@Chubblot]

I know what you mean. I've never felt a huge love for the silent protagonist archetype. But then again BG3 is very cutscene heavy and if they added in a voiced response from your character to every scene, it'd about double the length of every conversation. That'd be crazy.

[@basterv]

Great to have you back, Chubblot ;>

[@Chubblot]

Thanks Adalbert!

[@rabuliz]

You’re back!

[@Chubblot]

I am!

[@Nikimoney86]

Oh man, I'm legit upset about this. I purposefully avoided EA to avoid spoilers and wait for a more "full experience", so I never knew about this at all. And it's exactly what I was thinking the game was missing!! I mean aside from fixing bugs and other very important things, which are mostly well-known to Larian at this point, this is something I really wish they would have stuck with just a little bit more - then maybe, just maybe, they could've proven their vision to folk.

[@ordalix2412]

Imo They should have kept this system at least for the Origin's characters

[@deacon2529]

They should have gone for a half and half combo, I like both types of narration.

[@Chubblot]

In an ideal world!

[@Ssekkaha]

Was very late to this party, but man I wish we had kept it. I also think that this would SERIOUSLY help the multiplayer conversations between avatars. Because as it stands, they are the most confusing part of the multiplayer experience. But if we had some narration for each party, they would flow a lot better.

[@Chubblot]

I was too, I watched the gameplay reveal but didn't think about BG3 again until like a week before early access released so I missed the whole discussion. I didn't even consider how it'd go for multiplayer! I need to give it a try one day.

[@Ssekkaha]

@@Chubblot I think it was actually one of your streams or videos where I first learned of the PC narration. I honestly find it pretty funny, despite being a huge DoS2 fan, I had no idea about BG3 launching, until it launched. Several hundreds of hours later I still love it. I really can't wait to see whats in store, and what little gems you manage to dig up until then!

[@joedatius]

don't they do this already? im not sure if its fully implemented but there are voiced sections between player party members

[@Ssekkaha]

@@joedatius Its very glitchy as is, no one is sure who is speaking, and the camera struggles.

[@mad127the]

I guess it really depends on a player, doesn't it? What I mean is, if memory serves (about some dev log I've seen years ago), the reason Dark Messiah of Might And Magic had first person camera 100% of the time, and heavy voice acting, was to make us feel as we're the character. I loved that game, played if milion times when I was younger, knew every line by heart. And as much as I understood the devs, and loved the banter with our inner demon, I somehow never FELT as I was Sareth. I was controlling him, affecting his actions, and, well, his sword-swings, but somehow it always felt as he's another character. Weirdly enough, Cyberpunk does the same thing - obviously inner demon is now narcissist in Keanu's body, and there during the "moment" - like walking with someone through the streets while he explains quest backstory or whatever felt more... real? And I felt as I was there. The moments when I saw my character - like one of the endings etc. - it actually felt weird. Like seeing I'm not actually character. Both games used same tools, yet effect is different. I wish I had some explanation for it, but I don't. Maybe length of the game? Maybe just simple advances to graphics, the fact that Cyberpunk (obviously) is longer etc. Hard to say. I'd love to see some replies with theories why it's so. I'm currently playing Divinity 2 for a second time and choices in dialogue sometimes irk me, because character does opposite of what I thought. I can't remember any example right now, but it happened a few times. Not enough to be pissed, you could just load save but.. it happens. As for the narrator - Amelia's great in BG3, from what I watched, so another reason to keep one narrator is the quality. :D But also, I kinda understand why so many people are against it. When you're trying to feel as it's YOU there, not your character, hearing your own thoughts not said by narrator (DM), feel as something that you are forced to feel. For me, it would break the immersion - because this is generic, "my" character, and unless someone's fucking around with charm/domination/other enchanting magic/tadpole/ilithid/whatever, I don't need to feel bad about dying bear if I'm evil, or feel pissed some hungry kid stole my gold if I'm goodie-two-shoes-cleric. But another viewpoint - I'd love for origin characters to keep their point of view. Simply because they will have feelings about something, that is predestined. Like Sebille wanting to stab someone who was instrumental in her slavery, felt really good - I still had the choice of murdering poor sod or not. But her feelings, which by definition are uncontrollable, only your actions are, helped me feel as though I was playing her. Hmm. Now that I think about it, it kinda feels weird in generic character that I'd love to control uncontrollable emotions. But I guess game would need to assume inner thoughts. Which's why it's better said from neutral omniscient narrator. One thing I would love to see though - and I can't stress that enough - more sound for our character dialogue. Companions, obviously, have voices, but it kind of annoys me when I pick option, and my character should be saying something but doesn't. But I assume if nobody mentioned it before, there's no way they will add this now, because narrator does that kind of thing/npc immediately responds, and it would take too much time/money. :D Thank you for coming to my 4:30 AM Ted talk.

[@Chubblot]

This was a really interesting and genuine comment Mad, I really appreciate you leaving it! I totally agree it's just about different people having different opinions. I've never been one for, like, imagining myself in the game etc. - I've always much preferred to disassociate from who I'm playing so it's easier to play evil or stupid etc. Also I'm a huge alt-o-holic so that's probably one of the reasons multiple narrators appeals to me. I think Larian are actually going to leave a lot of wiggle room for when you're playing an origin character. Like, Wyll would never choose to side with the goblins against the grove as a companion, but if you're playing as Wyll you can totally do that if you want to. It's kinda like how they're not alignment locking clerics - you can be a cleric of bhaal who protects the innocent and the game isn't gonna smite you for it.

[@mad127the]

@@Chubblot Glad you liked my middle-of-the-night rant! I think this dissociation is useful, because it makes different choices than you would make easier. I sometimes have really hard time making evil choices, even when character is obviously bathing in the blood of newbors in his free time. Or good choices, when I think npc is an asshole. Your attitude adds variety with which I have a problem, which makes re-running campaigns sometimes a bore, because I end up doing mostly the same stuff. I'd love to get some of that dissociation. x) Which's why I liked Divinity 2 origin system so much (and possibly will love the one in BG3) because it pushed me to certain actions that I wouldn't have made normally. I still had the choice to stab Stingtail as Sebille, and if I had such choice on 'my' character, I would probably let him live. But it was Sebille. I played with her as a companion previously, and I knew there was only stabbing for Stingtail in stars. So when I did that, Red Prince who only commented on this when he was a companion before, literally grabbed me by the neck and I had entire scene of biting him in the arm and kicking him in the nuts (or something similar) and spitting in his direction. And that felt really good to find that interaction!

[@VigorousRaven]

Welcome back, I've missed you

[@Chubblot]

That's too sweet, thanks for watching

[@GoddessCynthia]

damn, i always thought the new narrator was a placeholder, and that we’d get first person narration back

[@Chubblot]

Yeah when I first started digging around in the soundbank I was saying "oh one day they'll add it back in" but then it never got updated ever again and they even paid to have Amelia re-record all of her lines. So I think they're invested.

[@silly6517]

I think I prefer the current narration style, the first person narration feels more unnatural somehow. At least with a custom character, I'd rather not be told what my character is thinking - there's too much possible personality differences to make it work. But I do wish custom characters spoke more frequently in cut scenes. Ideally all dialogue options voiced, but at least a little more actual voiced dialogue.

[@alisaforster28691]

Besides that, i find it also a bit cringe. If someone talks so excessively about himself, it is likely that he has some narcissistic traits or thinks he is a special snowflake. It kinda reminds me of that female killa ezra mccandleless. She couldnt stop talking about herself in that court thing.

[@Chubblot]

Yeah it's a tough one, because they want to leave as much room for players to roleplay as they can, but at the same time that was one of the issues with DoS2's custom characters. If they want to establish the character in some way so they're not just a Styrofoam cutout standing around while everyone else chats they kinda have to "lock in" some things, because they simply can't account for every individual's roleplay.

[@captainchrono6448]

While I'd have preferred the original concept for reasons stated by others in how it helps you connect with your player character in a game where only your player character lacks a consistent voice (Companions chirp up in cutscenes and can be spoken to but you never hear your character voice your choices) it is ultimately something I only mourn after learning about and if I didn't know about the other idea for narration I'd never be dissatisfied with what we have now.

[@Semisitia]

welcome back chubblot! hope i can call you chubblot ❤️

[@amelialavellan8689]

I'm so glad you're back!!! :D

[@Chubblot]

Thanks Amelia!

[@Vakrios]

I really feel for Larian sometimes, they’ve put so much hard work and love into this game but when a majority of the players aren’t happy about something, boy do they let Larian know about it. 😂 They clearly liked the original narration style and were proud of it, only for us to be like “no it sucks, change it” and bless their hearts, they did. I actually liked it myself, it was just nice to have a custom character in a game like this feel more like a main character, and not some random stand-in for when you’re not playing an origin character, which is how I felt in DOS2. I also love the current narration system so I’m happy either way, but for one thing it would be nice to have some variety and for our Tavs to feel like they’re a bigger part of the storytelling.

[@Chubblot]

Yeah I really wanna hear how they went from defending the narration on reddit to completely swapping it out three months later. I have to imagine there were some intense discussions there. I'm hopeful Larian have something planned to help establish Tav in the world a bit better. They're very aware of the complaints re: DoS2's origins vs customs. Thanks for the comment Neb!

[@Spherrum]

Damn... I didn't know we lost this awesome feature... I want it back T_T

[@Chubblot]

Same. :(

[@kubilay3686]

Narration's voice is sexy so i dont mind but we need our character to be little more talkative. Thinking sexily doesnt mean shit for the people around the character.

[@Chubblot]

I never thought of it like that! Can our character hear the sexy skull voice? Do they just assume everyone's inner monologue is a random woman?

[@hellishvalkyrie3306]

Was waiting for the next post!

[@Chubblot]

Sorry to keep you waiting so long!

[@NikELbErGErBergel]

oh shit hees backkk!!! i missed your videos a lot!

[@Chubblot]

Thanks for watching Dominik!

[@alexandrejesus8709]

CHUBBLOT IS BACKKKKKKK FINALLY

[@yiasemi]

The voices in my head say chubblot's back and in unpopular first person. I'd ban him from shoes too. No one deserves early access dates.

[@S14N9LS]

Alright. Nice to see you back!

[@Chubblot]

Thanks Michael!

[@TheDontbeEvil]

WTF. I like the first person narration. While I don't hate the changes they made in the current game, I also don't want to player character to be a mute.

[@nicolecline8584]

I agree the present tense sounds just a bit more engrossing and the current narrator is fantastic, but I personally would've greatly preferred my own character's narration. It really is a good way of making custom characters feel more involved, even with past tense.

[@Chubblot]

I'm with you there Nicole. Thanks for the comment!