CustomVoice - Hamvir

What is this project about?

The CustomVoice project series is a series of mods I am creating to give custom voices (and a bit of lore) to existing follower mods that just use the base vanilla voices. Many of these voices don't really match the characters and make them less fun to use as well as much more immersion breaking.

Hamvir's section of this project is to give the old ghost his own voice and lore so people can enjoy him a lot more.

Is this a paid role?

No. I work on mods solely for fun in my free time and I do not ask for payment nor do I expect to pay people for helping me with it. I only ask for volunteer help. I do provide credits unless asked not to, so you will be credited in the description of the mod if you help me.

How much dialogue will there be?

This mod series is meant to give a reasonable amount of lines to each follower to make them of a similar level to base game followers. This means that all the follower, combat, idle, and introduction lines need to be filled. Each mod has a different number of lines, but Hamvir's count is at 209 currently. I may add or adjust these if needed, but I don't plan to stray too much from what I already have as I have mostly finished writing for him. Unless I get suggestions, I most likely won't add any other lines to his repertoire.

Long-term plans?

The writing for Hamvir is pretty much done so long-term plans really just consist of getting the voice lines and then beginning implementation. Implementation can take a while since this is a hobby project, but my previous mod took about 8 months to complete from recording to finishing implementation and testing.

Will I receive the full script before recording?

Yes. I have completed the full script for Hamvir and I have recorded myself reading each line with the kinds of intonation and pronunciations I am looking for. Of course, I am not a VA so if you think certain lines should be read differently, please feel free to give your opinions. I will also apologize in advance for the less than stellar audio quality.

How often will recording sessions happen?

Since I will be providing recordings of how I want things to sound, there honestly won't be a specific session. You can run through and record everything at your own pace and send me the recordings as you complete them. If you have opinions or changes you would like to make, we can have sessions to go over them to see what works best for the character and lines provided. Implementation for custom voices can be pretty time consuming, so there won't be too much of a rush to get everything done all at once.

When do you plan to release the mod?

I am somewhat anal about quality so I don't want to specify a specific date. As said above, my last mod took about 8 months to complete between writing, recording, implementation, and testing. I don't imagine it will take much longer than that, but this mod will have some more complexities for when Hamvir will say certain lines, so it may take more or less time. I will say that I would like to have this done within a year, as I don't want to take too long on each follower I want to make a custom voice for.

Will I be needed for future updates?

Only if I get any good suggestions after the mod is posted. Honestly, though, I think I've covered all my bases on the kinds of dialogue Hamvir will be giving so I don't see much else being added.

Will I need to voice him like a ghost?

No. You should voice Hamvir as though he were a normal person. I will be applying the reverb effects needed to match the ghostly effect Skyrim ghost voices have.

As for some extra notes, Hamvir, being an ancestor to the ruling class of Whiterun, would have a voice and cadence similar to Jarl Balgruuf. I would like it if VAs could use him as an example of the kind of voice I'm looking for. Also, there are 7, very short songs that Hamvir sings as idles. Three of which are in Dovahzul (the dragon language). Please only apply if you are okay with that as they are somewhat important to the feel I am trying to give this guy. My singing is not good, so the recorded lines I gave were more of an example of what I want and pronunciation, so please feel free to sing it how you think a Viking bard might.