Animated character faces in conversations

[bobby]

I'm really questioning if its a good idea to try showing the faces of characters moving while they're talking in the game. While facial animations are getting better all the time, I'm still not sure if they're good enough. What I mean is that having facial animations I think can actually be a minus compared to just staying in isometric view during conversations and having still picture portraits of the characters that are talking. I think in many games when you see the characters faces animated while they're talking trying to make facial expressions and so on, it takes away from their believability, because the animations are still not good enough, and it just makes it clear to the player that the character is a robot.

People have a lot of imagination. If there are no facial animations, people can make up for it with their imagination. Just look at books. There are really cool and interesting characters in books, which feel real and alive, and they don't even have voices (assuming the game will have some voice acting), let alone facial animations. So I don't think anything essential is lost in omitting animated faces in conversations, at least nothing which can't be made up for with good writing and voice-acting.

I'm not suggesting having animated bodies with stiff faces, if anyone got that impression. I'm suggesting you should stay in top down isometric view during conversations and just show the character portraits. (I like how it was done in Baldur's Gate)

[TΛPETRVE]

What's wrong with hand-drawn animated portraits? Hell, maybe even comic book style. That way, there's less need for perfect lip synching, and it allows for a range of both subtle and not-so-subtle facial expressions without diving straight into uncanny valley. Actually - a slight adventure comic book vibe in the veins of Xenozoic Tales (a.k.a. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs), that's exactly what I personally would like to see incorporated in one way or another.

[Keaton]

I still fondly remember the talking heads in Fallout 1&2.

edit: Where the heck am I supposed to put that "fondly"?
Your language is confusing!

[billt568]

What's wrong with hand-drawn animated portraits? Hell, maybe even comic book style. That way, there's less need for perfect lip synching, and it allows for a range of both subtle and not-so-subtle facial expressions without diving straight into uncanny valley. Actually - a slight adventure comic book vibe in the veins of Xenozoic Tales (a.k.a. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs), that's exactly what I personally would like to see incorporated in one way or another.

+1, should be nicely painted faces, alternately have it like the Doom Marine with ridiculous injury skins (and bandages and scars like in Crusader Kings 2)

[stonetoes]

I agree with the OP, even with AAA budgets facial animations and expressions are rarely convincing.

What's wrong with hand-drawn animated portraits? Hell, maybe even comic book style. That way, there's less need for perfect lip synching, and it allows for a range of both subtle and not-so-subtle facial expressions without diving straight into uncanny valley. Actually - a slight adventure comic book vibe in the veins of Xenozoic Tales (a.k.a. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs), that's exactly what I personally would like to see incorporated in one way or another.

I think this depends on how many NPCs you have, and how many converations for each. One problem I've seen with this approach is that sometimes the depicted expressions don't fit the dialogue at all. There's only a limited number of portraits per character, so they end up getting reused, leading to some strange combinations.

Unless you're talking about having individual expressions created for every conversation, which I would really oppose because it limits what the writers can do. For example if they want to do some subtle tweaking to dialogue this can change the tone of an NPC dramatically, and suddenly their expression changes from "reserved" to "depressed", but the portrait no longer fits.

[Drool]

I agree with the OP, even with AAA budgets facial animations and expressions are rarely convincing.

The Uncanny Valley rains upon the just and the unjust alike.

[Tesla]

I loved the animations of the encounters in Wasteland. Even though the graphics were primitive, they were still gory and awesome!

I for one can't stand watching characters sway back and forth, opening their mouths or fidgeting in a never ending cycle of socially awkward uncanny valley-ness. It's just disturbing. I'd rather have the simple hand-drawn animated gifs than that. They just looked cool.

[Zombra]

Hi, I am a dwarf and I don't care about realistic mouth movements. To me, Wasteland's giflike nature was one of its greatest charms. I will be sad if I see still images in Wasteland 2, but please do not try too hard to make the animations hyper-realistic. If the mouth opens and closes more or less at the same time the sounds are coming out (if there is even sound for most dialogue), that's plenty.

Hello, I am a talking tiger man and I just want to take a moment to agree with the dwarf above.

[Lucius]

The only thing I'd say on this subject is, don't attempt lip synching if it's not up to current standards found in AAA titles of the past 2 years. An animated avatar that doesn't attempt to lip synch is fine.

[AgentTate]

Hi, I am a dwarf and I don't care about realistic mouth movements. To me, Wasteland's giflike nature was one of its greatest charms. I will be sad if I see still images in Wasteland 2, but please do not try too hard to make the animations hyper-realistic. If the mouth opens and closes more or less at the same time the sounds are coming out (if there is even sound for most dialogue), that's plenty.

Hello, I am a talking tiger man and I just want to take a moment to agree with the dwarf above.

Hello, I am a skeleton and the worms on my face agree with this post.

[tuluse]

I really liked the talking heads in Fallout 1/2. I wouldn't mind animated portraits, they have a certain charm to them.

Since we know the game is going to be in Unity, I wonder if this changes anything.

[AgentTate]

Since we know the game is going to be in Unity, I wonder if this changes anything.

It certainly allows for whatever inXile decides, be it 3d talking heads or animated .gifs for text.

[Drool]

Hi, I am a dwarf and I don't care about realistic mouth movements. To me, Wasteland's giflike nature was one of its greatest charms. I will be sad if I see still images in Wasteland 2, but please do not try too hard to make the animations hyper-realistic. If the mouth opens and closes more or less at the same time the sounds are coming out (if there is even sound for most dialogue), that's plenty.

Hello, I am a talking tiger man and I just want to take a moment to agree with the dwarf above.

Hello, I am a skeleton and the worms on my face agree with this post.

Hello, I look like I'm made from ground beef and God only knows what I'm trying to say, but I agree as well.

[Daviddek]

I think they give the game a certain feel.
And I sure loved the animated heads in Fallout 1&2

[Zombra]

Hello, I am a skeleton and the worms on my face agree with this post.

Hello, I look like I'm made from ground beef and God only knows what I'm trying to say, but I agree as well.

I can't stop laughing.

[TΛPETRVE]

My name is Cesare, I'm a famous silent movie character, and although I'm currently stuck in a freeze frame, I'm all with you.

[AgentTate]

Hi, I am a dwarf and I don't care about realistic mouth movements. To me, Wasteland's giflike nature was one of its greatest charms. I will be sad if I see still images in Wasteland 2, but please do not try too hard to make the animations hyper-realistic. If the mouth opens and closes more or less at the same time the sounds are coming out (if there is even sound for most dialogue), that's plenty.

Hello, I am a talking tiger man and I just want to take a moment to agree with the dwarf above.

Hello, I am a skeleton and the worms on my face agree with this post.

Hello, I look like I'm made from ground beef and God only knows what I'm trying to say, but I agree as well.

"BAAAAND-AAAAAAIDS"

[ButchinMelancholy]

Talking heads in Fallout were awesome, and that would be a really nice betterment to also add some for the special characters in Wasteland 2. In fact, I found that it gave a really appreciable and stylish break to the isometric ever distant experience and made some truly memorable characters.
It should be there in my opinion, but not more than for a few special characters, and stylized of course. I would also like animated artworks I presume.

[Woolfe]

Hi, I am a dwarf and I don't care about realistic mouth movements. To me, Wasteland's giflike nature was one of its greatest charms. I will be sad if I see still images in Wasteland 2, but please do not try too hard to make the animations hyper-realistic. If the mouth opens and closes more or less at the same time the sounds are coming out (if there is even sound for most dialogue), that's plenty.

Hello, I am a talking tiger man and I just want to take a moment to agree with the dwarf above.

Hello, I am a skeleton and the worms on my face agree with this post.

Hello, I look like I'm made from ground beef and God only knows what I'm trying to say, but I agree as well.

I'll throw down as an agree as well... even tho I don't have a funky animated gif to comment on

[Zombra]

Hi, I am a kangaroo drawn by KatieKat86 and I am just here to make Woolfe feel a little more at home maybe.