This isn't unique to this game but I've just noticed the issue after playing Skyrim way too many hours. Does anyone know why they would have the EXACT line of dialog/monolog for random NPC's? There must be at least four recordings of "My brother's out fighting dragons and I'm stuck here on guard duty" (just an example) with the exact pace and delivery. I would love to know how these recording sessions work. Do minor voice actors just get a slab of lines to push through without any direction? No one who thinks "oh wait, I've heard this before. We should scramble the words just a little".

It's just a minor rant but I'm actually more curious than upset. Anyone else noticed this?

I've noticed it mostly with guards, especially before you start leveling up or doing quests. "I used to be an adventurer like you, before I took an arrow to the knee."

I think the guards all have a certain script of dialog, but they get more as you level in skills and do stuff in the world. At this point in my game, I still hear repeats from them now and then, but it's a lot more varied.

Was wondering the same thing. Guess there are many guards who once took an arrow in their knee.

I guess it has to happen, because even Obsidian did it (NUCLEAR WINTER)

Wish I could turn wood into gold.

It also happens with named NPC's that give you quests, if you kill a dragon in town you get about 10 NPC's all gathering around saying " I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." or something like that but they all say the exact same thing.  They even overlap sometimes, it can be quite funny.

Has anybody seen my sweetroll?

@Thiemen said:

Was wondering the same thing. Guess there are many guards who once took an arrow in their knee.

Ya, too scimpy armor wont cover the knees. There's your problem, guard.

This isn't exactly the same, but along the same lines of funky dialogue. I killed a dragon right outside of a small village, and as a crowd of people walked up, a little kid said "In all my years I've never seen anything like that." Given that they had to have their child voice actor record that specific line, it made even less sense.

@bushpusherr said:

This isn't exactly the same, but along the same lines of funky dialogue. I killed a dragon right outside of a small village, and as a crowd of people walked up, a little kid said "In all my years I've never seen anything like that." Given that they had to have their child voice actor record that specific line, it made even less sense.

Ha ha, that's hilarious. So that settles it, no one directed that stuff at all.

So many guards in Skyrim were adventurers just like me, but then took an arrow in the knee at some point. :(

WHAT IS IT? DRAGONS?
 Eh, no, I just walked past like five times doing this silly quest.
 I USED TO BE- NO NO NO, SHUT UP GUARD.
 
But truth be told, its way better then Oblivion, those randomly put together conversations were insanely...insane.
"Did you hear about the war?"
"Fearsome creatures, those mudcrabs."
"Isn't that something."
"Bye."

"Ah, my favourite drinking buddy!" - This seems to be said to me with the same voice in every major city.

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

WHAT IS IT? DRAGONS? Eh, no, I just walked past like five times doing this silly quest. I USED TO BE- NO NO NO, SHUT UP GUARD. But truth be told, its way better then Oblivion, those randomly put together conversations were insanely...insane. "Did you hear about the war?" "Fearsome creatures, those mudcrabs." "Isn't that something." "Bye."

Yes, Oblivion was horrible with that.

"Did you hear about the fighters guild?"

"Yes, good place for good work."

"Go away.-"

"Good bye."

With a world this large, unique dialogue for every NPC would be a hell of a job to accomplish, I went in expecting duplicates here and there. One thing that I find particularly annoying is that Jason Marsden is bloody everywhere in this game, and, to me, he has one of the more recognisable voices in video games. When every male bard in Skyrim has his voice I find it more than just a little immersion breaking.

This has always been a problem, especially in TES games.

Eventually they'll probably figure it out, but they always have like 5 or so voice actors playing the roles of EVERYTHING in the game and not always high quality (although the voice work in this is better then usual so I still give it props) and it's often noticeable. Especially because the dialogue is often so in your face (they always seem to walk up to you).

It's nice, though, they have the random banter between certain NPCs with each other on occasion. It gives it more flavor and makes the weird continuous dialogue of other NPCs more tolerable.

I actually haven't had it as bad as most people. I haven't even heard the "arrow to the knee" line most people complain about. In fact, I've found it extremely varied and I've played over a hundred hours (closer to 130). The guards constantly seem to update with whatever I did.

The only line I've heard way too many times is "NEVER SHOULD HAVE COME HERE".

Yeah it's actually kind of bad. It also doesn't help that there seem to be like 10 voice actors doing all the voices anyway.

It's just kind of crazy how much content there is in every other respect that there is so relatively little variety to the small talk. Walking around a town you literally just keep hearing the same couple of lines of dialogue over and over and over and over again.

No...nobody stole my sweetroll. I don't care about the arrow you took to the knee. Yes, it's dragons. I know you've heard about me and my honeyed words. So on and so forth.

@Pinworm45: That line is from when enemies notice you, right? Those lines can repeat a whole bunch. Like "You'll regret this!!".

It's strange you haven't experienced the repeats that much. Maybe I'm just just too nit-picky with that sort of stuff.

You have no idea how meany times I've had my sweet roll stolen.

@Nux said:

You have no idea how meany times I've had my sweet roll stolen.

Well, you can't find a good one in Whiterun. That Skeever-hole of a city.

I only really got that from guards, everyone else had fairly unique dialogue

@animathias said:

@Nux said:

You have no idea how meany times I've had my sweet roll stolen.

Well, you can't find a good one in Whiterun. That Skeever-hole of a city.

Shut your skeever-hole. Witherun is the finest city on Nirn.

(oh my god, just looked up that Nirn is the planet of TES, I might have an addiction.)

Take a moment and listen to random real life dialogue from the people you pass in the streets, at the grocery store, on the bus or at work. Games have way too many variations to be anywhere close to realistic.

What I find annoying is my companion, who every time we get to Whiterun informs me that he has never been here before. And that's despite me bringing him there dozens of time already. If you're gonna make up a random line for someone, that probably will get heard a lot, don't make it something that doesn't make sense after the first time.

I don't mind hearing the same things so long as it's Arnold-guard bringing the goods.

All of you never played Oblivion if you think Skyrim has repeating dialog.

@Christoffer: Suddenly Nirnroot makes sense huh!

That kid voice actor drives me fucking mad.

Why does the jarls kid have an american accent when the jarl himself has a thick nord accent?

It would of taken thousands of dollars and way more time to add in more dialog. I can handle a few repeated lines since the game is not really about random shit people say.

The kid you have to escort to this temple or whatever saw a lot of dead bodies. A lot. I found it quite humorous myself actually.

@fisk0 said:

Take a moment and listen to random real life dialogue from the people you pass in the streets, at the grocery store, on the bus or at work. Games have way too many variations to be anywhere close to realistic.

I realize there can't be as much variety as in real life. I'm just curious how the lines that already are recorded couldn't be thrown around a little between actors. If there's four actors saying that they took an arrow to the knee, I would think there's at least four slightly different ways of saying it. But they say it word for word.

@Christoffer said:

@fisk0 said:

Take a moment and listen to random real life dialogue from the people you pass in the streets, at the grocery store, on the bus or at work. Games have way too many variations to be anywhere close to realistic.

I realize there can't be as much variety as in real life. I'm just curious how the lines that already are recorded couldn't be thrown around a little between actors. If there's four actors saying that they took an arrow to the knee, I would think there's at least four slightly different ways of saying it. But they say it word for word.

I think his point was the exact opposite: already, random dialogue in games is way more varied and complicated than real life, where people are never talking about anything interesting or unique.

This seems like a weird problem to have in an otherwise very immersive experience. Obviously there'll be a point where you hear repetition no matter how much there is, but when it's that noticeable and there are so many people with the same problems...seems lazy and just bad.

@MormonWarrior said:

@Christoffer said:

@fisk0 said:

Take a moment and listen to random real life dialogue from the people you pass in the streets, at the grocery store, on the bus or at work. Games have way too many variations to be anywhere close to realistic.

I realize there can't be as much variety as in real life. I'm just curious how the lines that already are recorded couldn't be thrown around a little between actors. If there's four actors saying that they took an arrow to the knee, I would think there's at least four slightly different ways of saying it. But they say it word for word.

I think his point was the exact opposite: already, random dialogue in games is way more varied and complicated than real life, where people are never talking about anything interesting or unique.

This seems like a weird problem to have in an otherwise very immersive experience. Obviously there'll be a point where you hear repetition no matter how much there is, but when it's that noticeable and there are so many people with the same problems...seems lazy and just bad.

Yes, I've heard the same couple of jokes and proverbs repeated several times a day, 5 days a week over a period of 2 years. The variety in Skyrim and most RPG's is amazing in comparison.

I would take half the scope/content with twice the polish/design. I appreciate you giving me 100 hours of stuff, I appreciate you want to give me value for the money, but I'll take 50 hours if it's twice as good. Hell, I'll take 25 if it's four times as good.

I usually have a bag problem, I get too much stuff that I will sell or something and so I give it to my companion which for a while was Lydia, I can't tell you how I heard "I am sworn to carry your burdens" like a million fucking times, I wished she had 2 lines or a way to stop her from saying it, I can get to the trading part faster by mashing E but she keeps talking, so I stopped using her just for that and I only use companions that have short lines like "What do you need to take?".

That's the only thing that bothers me the guards and the towns people saying same lines don't bother me I don't notice them after a while, I think this game is really amazing.

This is the part where you fall down and BLEED to death 

Though I like the fact that they recognize me joining guilds although when I completed the companions questline they still call me a rookie

I thought it was funny that they have two voice actors from A Goofy Movie in there, Jason Marsden and Jim Cummings

i swear one guy told me and "Dom" to take cover against a locust attack.

now that was just lazy.

@stinky: lol ah yes. Recognized "Marcus" in there as well. Whenever a character with that voice would tell me something I would always respond with, "Okay Marcus" lol

I only really got that from guards, everyone else had fairly unique dialogue

But, dude... Those guys in Hammerfell have curved swords, CURVED SWORDS!

@Marnox said:

Has anybody seen my sweetroll?

Keep your "Sweetroll" to yourself, this is not the place.

Any enemy I bring back to life as a zombie sounds the same, couldn't even be bothered to record more than one zombie noise!

Want to play tag?

For the last time: NO!

@Christoffer said:

@TaliciaDragonsong said:

WHAT IS IT? DRAGONS? Eh, no, I just walked past like five times doing this silly quest. I USED TO BE- NO NO NO, SHUT UP GUARD. But truth be told, its way better then Oblivion, those randomly put together conversations were insanely...insane. "Did you hear about the war?" "Fearsome creatures, those mudcrabs." "Isn't that something." "Bye."

Yes, Oblivion was horrible with that.

"Did you hear about the fighters guild?"

"Yes, good place for good work."

"Go away.-"

"Good bye."

I SAW SOME MUDCRABS BY THE WATER EARLIER!

I MAKE SURE TO STAY AWAY FROM THOSE MUDCRABS!

GOODBYE!

GOODBYE!

Some call it junk... but I... call them treasures!

They recorded that line in each gender of every race for some reason.

@Skar220 said:

I thought it was funny that they have two voice actors from A Goofy Movie in there, Jason Marsden and Jim Cummings

I KNEW THAT WAS THOSE GUYS!