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Do Video Game 'Barks' Annoy You?

SodaHead Gaming 2012/06/28 19:00:00
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One unfortunate aspect of writing video games is that NPCs (non-player characters) have to react dynamically to a real person. The game world is usually populated by many NPCs, not all of them important, and it would be literally impossible to have them respond differently every time a player interacts with them. As a result, players often hear the same "barks" over and over. And over.

A couple of years ago, Kotaku writer Kirk Hamilton pointed out that enemies in "Splinter Cell: Conviction" can sometimes say the protagonist's name an overwhelming amount of times in a short span of time. More recently, a random throw-out line from town guards in "Skyrim" struck players as so odd that it turned into a meme: "I used to be an adventurer like you, then I took an arrow in the knee." Do these repetitive barks annoy you, or do you take them in stride?

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Top Opinion

  • Kyle 2012/06/29 05:04:06
    No
    Kyle
    +8
    I have fun with it, besides it'd be unrealistic to expect the developers to come up with infinite responses for NPC characters.

    Skyrim meme

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Opinions

  • Tiah Bulanov... 2012/06/29 01:21:48
    Tiah
    It was HIM who stole your sweet role!! Haha
  • Z-Wolf 2012/06/28 23:04:39
    No
    Z-Wolf
    They're normally funny.
  • Sterling 2012/06/28 23:03:31
    No
    Sterling
    +1
    Honestly that's the least of my complaints when playing video games.
  • U Mad Bro? 2012/06/28 22:27:52
    Yes
    U Mad Bro?
    This is exactly why I stay away from RPG's, With the exception of games like Fallout 3 and Bioshock.
  • MIRANDDAAA :) 2012/06/28 22:20:40
    No
    MIRANDDAAA :)
    +1
    I actually think they're really funny. They literally make me laugh out loud sometimes.
  • TKramar 2012/06/28 22:19:15
    No
    TKramar
    Not listening.
  • The Catalyst 2012/06/28 22:08:38
    No
    The Catalyst
    Not really.
  • Curmudgeon 2012/06/28 21:47:17
    No
    Curmudgeon
    +1
    Since I have never played, and I have no plans on ever playing it I'm not sure I 'm annoyed by it. Besides, if some aspect of a game annoys you, you have the option to STOP playing the game.
  • Hey! I like your eyes<3 2012/06/28 21:42:56
    Yes
    Hey! I like your eyes<3
    +1
    Occasionally.
    Like, when I'm trying to find something, or find a place, nobody's helpful at all x3
  • mblythe95 2012/06/28 21:24:47
  • Daedalus 2012/06/28 20:58:49
    No
    Daedalus
    +1
    People repeat a lot of things too.
  • Michelle 2012/06/28 20:52:31
    No
    Michelle
    +1
    I understand why they're there... though sometimes the fact that guards in Skyrim will start speaking just because you're too close to them makes it annoying. It starts off a neat, and then gets annoying, and after so much play that I barely notice it anymore, I become quite fond with the familiar feeling of certain lines.
  • ♥•judy•♥ 2012/06/28 20:37:47
    No
    ♥•judy•♥
    i dont have a problem with them i love it!! :)
  • Willski 2012/06/28 20:33:24
    No
    Willski
    +1
    the memes that idiots make from them annoy me, but i accept the challenges of building a game, so i don't mind them being there.
  • ~HopelessRomanticM17~ 2012/06/28 20:10:45
    No
    ~HopelessRomanticM17~
    ....no....
  • Smuwf, Twin 2012/06/28 20:03:20
  • Crypt_H... Smuwf, ... 2012/06/29 00:39:27 (edited)
    Crypt_Heart
    I used to be a critic like you and then I took an arrow to the /shot
  • Smuwf, ... Crypt_H... 2012/06/30 15:27:30
    Smuwf, Twin
    +1
    *lines up rifle on second knee* an arrow you said?....time for an upgrade
  • Crypt_H... Smuwf, ... 2012/07/02 23:37:16
    Crypt_Heart
    +1
    *looks away* make it quick, I deserve it x_x
  • Ben 2012/06/28 19:42:23
    No
    Ben
    +2
    I think its funny to think that character's only purpose in life is to continuously say "Welcome to blah blah ville." In many games, if you keep talking to someone, they eventually say something different and sometimes they give you things.
  • smitty Ben 2012/06/28 19:55:11
    smitty
    +1
    If you ask me the same question over and over, I will give you the same answer. I would think in video game the programmer would program it so if you bug them too many times they would still a dagger in ya. But hey.. that's just me.
  • Gary 2012/06/28 19:30:18
    No
    Gary
    +2
    I think they can be used as unintentional humour. I find it funny to hear about all the people who took arrows to the knee.
  • Crypt_H... Gary 2012/06/29 00:42:30
    Crypt_Heart
    Strange how the rest of us take, arrows, get electrocuted, incur vampirism and often getting stabbed sliced or otherwise maimed (often at the same time by a group of Bandit Vampires -.-) and yet we still go and walk into the next giant pit to see how close to the moon we can get and STILL have to wake up the next morning and go adventuring -.-
  • some idiot who thinks he kn... 2012/06/28 19:13:36
    No
    some idiot who thinks he knows everything
    I love the Skyrim "barks". The only time I get annoyed by something like this is when the NPC is shouting the f word like 15 million times.
  • Crypt_H... some id... 2012/06/29 00:43:22 (edited)
    Crypt_Heart
    You don't really get annoyed with barks after you have a bounty of approx 4,000 gold... >.> in fact you're grateful.
  • some id... Crypt_H... 2012/06/29 08:20:24
    some idiot who thinks he knows everything
    Just 4,000...
  • Merry☆ Crypt_H... 2012/06/29 15:40:34
    Merry☆
    I had no bounty at all for a while. I went about my business abiding by the law. And then I heard about a fancy horse, and joined the Dark Brotherhood...

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