The next version 1.2
The 1.2 version of NPC Vocalizer is in internal testing and will come with some substantial core changes. I'm looking to release it in a week or so with the first third party voice pack. Below are the current release notes for version 1.2
Elite Dangerous - NPC Vocalizer 1.2 - Release Notes
This is a pretty drastic update to the core function of the application and aimed mainly at voice pack creators. I want to thank Peter Hudson, aka CMDR Dogwood_Ivy, who is building a custom voice pack. He and I have been collaborating closely over the last several weeks on these quality of life changes for his project.
There are new triggers and voice responses added which will benefit the average user, but the older versions of the app will always be available on the Blogger site, just in case you need to revert.
Application Changes
1) The application has been changed from a WAV based audio system to MP3. It has drastically reduced the download size by 10x. You will notice two new dll files in the main folder. They are the Windows Media Player controls used in VB.NET.
2) The logic that pertains to audio list read order has been reversed. The app will now read the custom audio list before reading the default audio list. This insures that voice pack creators can overwrite entries in the default audio list without actually changing it.
3) The message search system has been overhauled to search for message situation markers instead of specific message text. This was done to make it easier for voice pack creators to do future localization and helps create a natural categorization system inside the audio list. My hope is that this change also allows the app to be used by CMDRS that run their game in other languages. The responses will still be in English, but it will make it possible to create voice packs in languages other than English. Also, because the situation markers have numbered suffixes it makes it easier to see where there is a message still missing from the group.
If you have been making audio files for your own voice packs using the default numbering system. The following audio files have been
changed:
142.mp3 / 201.mp3 / 205.mp3 / 206.mp3 / 207.mp3 / 213.mp3 / 215.mp3 and 264.mp3
I am including a spreadsheet in, ODS format, which has a vast list of message triggers that have been compiled by myself and others. The ODS file should be compatible with most spreadsheet applications. Thanks to Peter Hudson who did the heavy lifting on this. The last count was nearly 800 messages and the default voices cover a little over half of those. I tried to do the most common messages first and worked from there. Outside of Power Play NPC's you should hear most of the messages in the game.
4) A new system has been added to the audio file selection process. Inside the audio list it is now possible to assign up to four different audio files to a single message trigger. Many of the messages for in-combat ships are very redundant and basically this category has the smallest pool of messages in-game. Single entries will remain the same. Additional audio files should be deliminated with "+" between each mp3 file. I have added 3-4 responses for each of the 10 messages in the BadKarmaCriticalDamage" category. These are the messages NPC's send in combat when they are near destruction.
The new format for multiple entries is as follows:
For two entries: Police_ArriveInvestigate02#004.mp3+004a.mp3
For three entries: Police_ArriveInvestigate02#004.mp3+004a.mp3+004b.mp3
For four entries: Police_ArriveInvestigate02#004.mp3+004a.mp3+004b.mp3+004c.mp3
5) Fixed two female audio files that were transposed.
6) Changed the user settings file from the Visual Studio system (which is dumb and unreliable) to a custom file. (User.cfg)
7) The README file has been updated to reflect the important changes.