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(+3)

so I'm been watching Keith Ballard's LP of Password and a recurring critique is that none of the characters have a unique voice, they all speak of everything in the same manner, so I would like to help fix that, with my completely unqualified advice based on amateur knowledge of linguistic psychology, I will say which way I think the characters would speak based of their personalities, and hopefully would help make their voices distinct if implemented, maybe, I'm not a writer so who knows

Orlando, Hoss, and Oswin: Syllogistic Form (Given X, then Y; If-then statements, conditional logic); Declarative Form (Sentences are declared as clear-cut statements, with closure);

Orlando and Hoss: Persuasive Cadence (Pacing, word choice, and delivery meant to maximize affect); Familiar Tone (Friendly, colloquial tone to invoke relatability and camaraderie); but how to make Orlando and Hoss' voices distinct from each other?

Oswin: Blunt Delivery (Matter-of-fact language, straightforward and unadorned); Avalanching Facts (Communication via an impersonal series of causal events news anchor style);

Dave and Dean: Self-referencing ("I" language, subjective opinion/belief-centered grammar); Terseness (Brief, minimalist language, stating things statically without much elaboration);

Dave: Ontological Clarifying (Heavy time spent defining initial "terms" and avoiding equivocations); Semantic Disclaimers (Preemptive addressing of common misunderstandings, to ensure comprehension);

Dean: Self-revealing language (Candid details of personal life, oversharing); Direct affirmation of self-properties (Declaring what one is directly, without speculation);

Tyson: Short Phrases (With quick follow-ups); Casual language (Informal tone and style); Vivid Realism (Description of objects/experiences in visceral detail, highlighting the overall feeling evoked); Trendy Language (On-trend slang words and references);

Roswell, Sal, and Benson: Dense Information (Reference-rich, information-heavy sentences); Long Elaborations (Prolonged backstories, long paragraphs, and buildup);

Benson: Backstory & Context (Thorough setup and backstory provided for a given point or topic); Step-by-Step Elaboration (Explanations that follow a brick-by-brick narrative sequence);

Roswell and Sal: Convergent Events (Rather than one linear chronology, the past is explained as events crossing paths); Cross-Domain Synthesis (Tying different domains/layers into the present topic, as real or as metaphors); but how to make Roswell and Sal's voices distinct from each other?

this is all probably bullshit, I would appreciate it if someone who actually knows how to write dialogue would give their 2 cents

(-1)

i dont really get the point but i'm also tired so wtf. Is the problem you want voice acting or is it just because it's plain text without some mannerisms like slovenly speech?

If its the mannerisms thing the reason is most likely to keep things plain and simple to read. Grizz is australian and some people had problems with the text early on so he changed it all to american. Putting regional colloquialisms into the story would just make it harder for people to follow or understand and in a murder mystery that you need to solve that can be alienating.

(5 edits) (+5)

By "voice" he's talking about a term in the writing and literary world to refer to how a character's personality and psychology is shown through their choice of words; how they express, what they express, etc.

*Not* accent, dialect, or colloquialisms. 

Typically, if every character talks the same, that might not be considered the best dialogue. Though that being a problem in Password is OP's opinion, not mine.