Vocal script: Simpleton

The "Simpleton" vocal script for male characters.

Tone and Attitude

The Dark Mod strives to have a somewhat dark, gritty, and believable tone. Characters should avoid dramatic clichés and dialogue that sounds like sitcom humour. Characters should react with genuine emotion and in ways that make sense given their personality and education level.

Dialogue should be generally modern, North American English, but with a slight renaissance flavour. The more educated the character, the more renaissance-speak is appropriate. Avoid modern-sounding words and phrases (eg, "What's up?" "See you later" or "I'm going to kick your ass"). But at the same time, this isn't Shakespeare--the dialogue has to sound fairly natural to modern English speakers.

AI Characters: "The Simpleton"

In order to create a variety of character types, vocal sets will be created for various "characters". A character, in this sense, is a distinctive voice, personality, and way of speaking.

"The Simpleton"— an uneducated, simple character, who speaks in a slow, measured voice. He goes about his life dealing with the here and now, and doesn’t think much about anything beyond what he’s doing. He could be a simple servant or labourer. For inspiration, think of the pirate with the wooden eye from “Pirates of the Carribean”, or Hank Hill from “King of the Hill”. This is the default voice for common townsfolk, so don’t give him too much personality, or over-exaggerate it for laughs (even though some of the lines are played for comedic value).

AI Non-Alert States

These barks are for AI who are not doing anything in particular. These AI are basically talking to themselves, so just like when people think out loud, the beginning and end of their dialogue will often trail off into mumbling.

State: Idle

Relaxed: You're either not working or aren’t expecting any trouble. You’re relaxed, bored, and not thinking about anything in particular.
Number of Wavs: 8

idle_1 simple humming (dum, de dum...) x4
idle_5 simple whistling (but poorly done) x2
idle_7 "Yep. Uh huh." (bored)
Idle_8 "Huh. I’m a bit thirsty."

Generic cough, clearing throat, x3

At Alert 0: On the job. Similar to above, but you’re working so you’re a little more alert.
Number of Wavs: 3

alert0_1 "Still a while to go."
alert0_2 "Pretty much the same as any other night."
alert0_3 "I’m doin’ my job."

Alert_idle: You are back at your post but you know there’s an intruder around.

Alert_idle01 "Who knows what he’s gonna do next? Might be already gone already."
Alert_idle02 "He might come this way. Gotta be ready."
Alert_idle03 "This could really take awhile."

AI Alert States

To Alert 1/1.5: You notice something subtle but aren’t sure what it is. You are mostly talking to yourself, so you should not be particularly loud and may trail off.
Number of Wavs: 3

to_alert1_1 "Huh?"
to_alert1_2 “What was that?"
to_alert1_3 "Did somethin’--?"

To Alert 1/1.5 + Heard: Same as above, only this one means you notice something auditory.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_alert1_sound_1 "Was that a noise?"
to_alert1_sound_2 "I thought I heard something..."
to_alert1_sound_3 "Huh? A noise?"

To Alert 1/1.5 + Saw: Same as above, only you notice something with your sight.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_alert1_saw_1 "Did I see somethin’?"
to_alert1_saw_2 "Do I see...?"
to_alert1_saw_3 "Something moving?"

To Alert 2: You notice something, and it caught your attention enough to warrant checking it out. You're more certain that what you saw was suspicious, so deliver the lines with more confidence than the above.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_alert2_1 "Huh, what was that?"
to_alert2_2 "What? What’s that?."
to_alert2_3 "Is something goin’ on?."

To Alert 2 + Heard: You hear something loud which you should investigate. Same as above only now it's specific to hearing.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_alert2_sound_1 "What was that noise?"
to_alert2_sound_2 "I heard somethin’."
to_alert2_sound_3 "I heard a…a noise."

To Alert 2 + Saw: You saw something in the shadows which you should investigate. Same as above, only now specific to seeing.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_alert2_saw_1 "Hey, I see that!"
to_alert2_saw_2 "Huh? Who's over there?"
to_alert2_saw_3 "I see something movin’."

To Alert 2 + Company + Heard: You notice something auditory with your buddy and invite him/her to help you investigate.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

to_alert2_soundx2_1 "Did you hear somethin’?"
to_alert2_soundx2_2 "I heard somethin’…what should we do?"

To Alert 2 + Company + Saw: You notice something visually amiss and double check with your friend.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

to_alert2_sawx2_1 "Did you see somethin’ too ?"
to_alert2_sawx2_2 "Uh, did you…did you see somethin?”

Returning to Alert 0, generic: You saw or heard something suspicious, but you can't find any evidence of anything serious. It was probably nothing. This bark will often accompany an animation of the AI putting his hands on his hips and looking around.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_0_1 "Hmm…nothin’ anymore...."
to_0_2 "Well, I wasn’t that sure."
to_0_3 "I guess…I guess I was wrong."

Returning to Alert 0, hearing: As above, but you thought you'd heard something.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_0_sound_1 “It’s all quiet now."
to_0_sound_2 "Maybe it was a rat. Or somethin’ catchin’ a rat."
to_0_sound_3 "Must be gone now."

Returning to Alert 0, sight: As above, but you thought you'd seen something.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

to_0_saw_1 "I guess I saw somethin’ that wasn’t there."
to_0_saw_2 "I don’t see nothin’ anymore."
to_0_saw_3 "Maybe…maybe it was just a shadow.."

To Alert 3: You see or hear something that makes it seem that there's someone there, but you don't know exactly who or where they are.
Number of Wavs: 5 per character

to_alert3_1 "Uh... is there somebody there?"
to_alert3_2 "That sounds like somebody. Hullo?"
to_alert3_3 "Hullo? Anyone there?!"
to_alert3_4 "Um, well…who’s there?"
to_alert3_5 "Come on out now…if you’re there..."

Returning to Alert 0 after search: Even though you're certain you saw someone, you've searched around and can't find them. This bark is played as you give up the search. Number of Wavs: 5 per character

to_0_search_1 "This is your last chance to come out before I give up."
to_0_search_2 "Well, I can’t find nobody."
to_0_search_3 "Who’s hiding ‘round here? Anybody?"
to_0_search_4 "Alright, I give up."
to_0_search_5 "I dunno where else to look."

Return to Alert 1: You have confirmed there is an intruder but he's given you the slip. You've searched for him, but haven't been able to find him. What more can you do?
Number of Wavs: 5 per character

to_0_spotted_1 "Well, I’ve looked everywhere I can think of."
to_0_spotted_2 "I guess I give up."
to_0_spotted_3 "It’s not my fault... I can’t look everywhere all at once."
to_0_spotted_4 "He musta got away by now."
to_0_spotted_5 "Maybe I’ll get him next time."

Return with help, spot player: You have run away from the player, gotten help, and returned. The player is still there, so you call out excitedly.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

gotten_help_1 "See?"
gotten_help_2 "There he is!"

Return with help, lost player: You have returned with help but the player is no longer visible.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

gotten_help_gone_1 "Uh... he was here, I promise."
gotten_help_gone_2 "I guess he left.”

Recently Saw Player: You just saw the player not too long ago, but the player escaped. Now, you're telling your comrade that there is an intruder and that you have seen him.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

saw_playerx2_1 "I seen an intruder so he might still be here."
saw_playerx2_2 "Guess what? We got a thief in here somewhere."
saw_playerx2_3 "Have you seen an intruder? I did."

Suspicious, warn friend: You have seen non-specific evidence of an intruder, and are warning a friend about it.

warn_friend01 "I think something might be wrong."
warn_friend02 "Do you think there could be an intruder? I seen some strange things."
warn_friend03 "I think somebody is messin’ around."

AI Searching

You are actively looking for the intruder, and are either muttering to yourself or taunting them.

Investigate Alert 3: You're wandering around looking for some kind of intruder, but you're not 100% sure there is one. There is still a slight edge of uncertainty to your voice.
Number of Wavs: 5 per character

search3_1 "If I find someone, I’m not gonna be surprised."
search3_2 "Why are you hiding, anyway?"
search3_3 "Come on out."
search3_4 "Umm... yep, you’re good at this. Do you wanna just stop now?"
search3_5 "There’s a lot of places to look so this could take awhile."

Investigate Alert 4: You know for sure there is some kind of intruder, and you're looking for him.
Number of Wavs: 5 per character

search4_1 "What’s somebody doin’ hiding in here anyway? Up to no good, I’ll bet."
search4_2 "You might be able to hide a long time... but not forever."
search4_3 "You know you’re not supposed to be here... come on out."
search4_4 "Hiding just makes it take longer."
search4_5 "I bet I can find you... if I just look hard enough."

Lost track of enemy: You have been charging the enemy, but now you lost him, he's probably hiding somewhere.

lost_player01 "Huh? Where’d he go?"
lost_player02 "I know he went this way."
lost_player03 "Gone? He must be hiding again."

Investigate Alert 4, civilian: As above, but you’re a civilian, so you aren’t about to fight someone who is armed.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

search4_civilian_1 "There’s lots of places he could hide... like over there."
search4_civilian_2 "So if I find you, then what?"
search4_civilian_3 "I don’t like this one bit."

Combat and Pursuit

You have spotted the player and identified him as an intruder. You are either attacking, or preparing to attack. If you're a noncombatant, you're getting ready to flee. Either way you want to draw a lot of attention to yourself, so you are generally shouting loudly.

Spotted the Player, combatant: You see the player and are preparing to attack.
Number of Wavs: 5 per character

spotted_combat_1 "Alright, time to fight then!"
spotted_combat_2 "Ha! Found you!"
spotted_combat_3 "There you are!"
spotted_combat_4 "Chaaaaarge!"
spotted_combat_5 "There!"

Spotted the Player, combatant, with help: You're with friends when you finally spot the player.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

spotted_combatx2_1 "Look, that’s the intruder, right?" spotted_combatx2_2 "Hey! Let’s get him!"

Spotted the Player with a Body, combatant: You see the player carrying a dead or unconscious person.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character

spotted_combat_body_1 "Hey! Where do you think you’re going with him?"

Combat, killed player: You have fought the player and killed him. You stand over him as he dies and comment.

Killed_player01 "I guess that’s the end of you."
Killed_player02 "So... you’re dead now, huh?"
Killed_player03 "Huh. Dead. Yep."

Spotted the Player, noncombatant: You're not prepared for a fight. You see the player and are preparing to flee.
Number of Wavs: 5 per character

spotted_civilian_1 "Uh oh, this looks bad!"
spotted_civilian_2 "Help, he’s got a weapon!"
spotted_civilian_3 {gulp!)
spotted_civilian_4 "Oh no!"
spotted_civilian_5 "Wha--? Help!"

Running Away for help: You're fleeing, either because you don't know how to fight, or you tried to fight and are badly hurt. Call out to for help.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

fleeing_1 "Help me!"
fleeing_2 "He’s comin’ after me!"
fleeing_3 "Somebody stop him!"

Coming to assist: A comrade called for help (or you heard sounds of a fight) and you are on your way to assist them.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

combat_assist_1 "Hey, I’m coming!"
combat_assist_2 "I’ll help you!"

Frustrated: The player is out of reach (such as standing on a stack of crates or across a chasm) and you can't reach him. You're pissed off.
Number of Wavs: 4 per character

frustrated_1 "How am I supposed to get to you then?"
frustrated_2 "Come on, you coward!"
frustrated_3 "Uh... now what?"
frustrated_4 {frustrated sigh)

Throw Object at Player: The player is out of reach (such as standing on a stack of crates) and you can't reach him. You're angry and throw something.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

missile_generic_1 "Take THAT!"
missile_generic_2 "This’ll hurt."
missile_generic_3 "Here you go!"

Shooting: You're shooting arrows at the player.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

archer_1 "Ready... aim... fire."
archer_2 "Here comes another one.”

Attacking: You're grunting and attacking.
Number of Wavs: 3

attacking_1 "Take this!!"
attacking_2 "Arg!"
attacking_3 "Hiya!"

Hit the Player: You just thwacked the player with your weapon. Celebrate and ask him how it feels. These need to be said quickly, as the fight is still going on.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

attacking_hit_1 "Take that."
attacking_hit_2 "I got you."
attacking_hit_3 "There’s a hit."

Hit the Player + Company: Same as above only your partner is nearby. Brag about hitting the player.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

attack_hitx2_1 "Hey, I’m winning."
attack_hitx2_2 "I got him!"

Pain: You’ve been hit. Ouch.
Small grunts x2
Big grunts x2

Hit By the Player No Damage: The player tried to blackjack you but failed. What an idiot.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character

failed_ko_1 "*Oof*. Ouch! What…what was that??"

Blocked by the Player/Hit by player: The player has hurt you a bit or blocked your attack.

player_blocked_1 "Ouch."
player_blocked_2 "Hey."
player_blocked_3 "Stop that!"

Die Quiet: You got assassinated or blackjacked and are going down. Make a grunt, but as the name suggests, it's kind of quiet. This should only be about a second in length.
Number of Wavs: 3 male

die_quiet_1 "UNH"
die_quiet_2 "Arg"
die_quiet_3 "HHnnnn..."

Die Loud: Yep. You're dead. Theatrics are welcomed here, though not too over the top. This should be about 2 - 4 seconds in length.

die_loud_1 "GAHHHHHHHHHHH"
die_loud_2 "Noooo....."
die_loud_3 "Arggghh......."
die_loud_4 "Haaaarg..." (gurgle)

Blinded: You have been blinded by a flash of light.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character.

blinded_1 "Wh… what happened? I can’t see!"

Gassed: You have been gassed. Cough, sputter and pass out. This should be quick-a second or two at most (it's fast gas). Coughing can be shared among characters
Number of Wavs: 1

gassed_1 "...cough cough"

Drowning: You are drowning. Gurgle and choke.
Number of Wavs: 1

drowning_1 (gurgle)

Find States

You have found or observed something that looks out of place. You aren't seeing or hearing the player, but something that might be a sign that an intruder was here earlier. Since you don't expect anyone is nearby, you're mostly talking to yourself.

Suspicious Item, Generic: There is something nearby which should not be there or something which is amiss (such as when a guard notices that a chair is knocked over). It’s strange.
Number of Wavs: 4 per character

suspicious_item_1 "Huh? How did that happen?"
suspicious_item_2 "Was that like that before?"
suspicious_item_3 "Maybe I just didn’t notice before."
suspicious_item_4 "What’s going on?"

Notice Weapon: There is a weapon lying around. How did it get there?
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

notice_weapon_1 "What’s a weapon doing there..."
notice_weapon_2 "Did somebody lose it...?"

Notice Door Open: There is a door open that shouldn't be.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

notice_door_1 "Who left the door open?"
notice_door_2 "I think that was closed... I think."

Notice lights off, generic: The lights are off, but shouldn't be--these can be used for all types of light.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

notice_lights_1 "Why is it so dark in here? Did someone turn out the lights?"
notice_lights_2 "Uh oh. The lights aren’t workin’."
notice_lights_3 "The lights don’t help much if they’re out."

Notice lights out, flame: You notice a torch or candle that should be lit has gone out.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

notice_lights_flame_1 "Yep. It went out."
notice_lights_flame_2 "The flame going out sure makes it darker."
notice_lights_flame_3 "That went out pretty fast."

Relight light, flame: You notice that a light source is out. You relight it.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

light_relight_1 "I can relight it."
light_relight_2 "If I relight it, then it won’t be so dark."

Refuse to relight Torch: You notice that a flame is out. Refuse to relight it.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

light_refuse_1 "I can’t do it."
light_relight_2 "If I light it…it’ll just keep going out, probably."

Notice Blood on Floor: There is blood on the floor. Obviously something serious is going on.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

notice_blood_1 "Wh—is that blood?"
notice_blood_2 "Uh, that looks a bit like blood."
notice_blood_3 "Is that blood? Uh oh. That’s not good."

Found Generic Body: You find a body on the ground.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

notice_body_generic_1 "Hey, are you ok? Hello?"
notice_body_generic_2 "Uh... are you hurt?"

Found Female Body: You find the body of a woman on the ground.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character

notice_body_female_1 "Hey lady, are you ok? Uh... she’s hurt, I think!"

Found Male Body: You find the body of a man on the ground.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character

notice_body_male_1 "Uh oh. This guy is hurt."

Found Body Dead: You find a body of someone obviously dead.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

notice_dead_1 "Uh ok, somebody’s dead over here!"
notice_dead_2 "Oh man, that’s a lot of blood."
notice_dead_3 "Uh... there’s a dead body here…"

Found Female Body Dead: You find the dead body of a woman on the ground.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character

notice_dead_female_1 "Oh no... she’s really dead."

Found Male Body Dead: You found a man, dead on the ground.
Number of Wavs: 1 per character

notice_dead_male_1 "There’s been a murder here!" Found Body comrade: You find a comrade, dead on the ground.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

notice_dead_friend_1 "One of us? Oh no."
notice_dead_friend_2 "Damn. Someone did him in pretty good."

Recently Found Body: You recently found a body and are relaying the information to a friend.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

notice_deadx2_1 "There’s a killer around. Be careful!"
notice_deadx2_2 "Somebody’s dead, so, uh... there must be a killer around."

Had pocket picked: You had something on your belt, and now it's gone! That's pretty suspicious... though it's possible it *might* have fallen off, so it's not absolute proof of an intruder.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

notice_pickpocket_1 "Uh oh, did I drop that?"
notice_pickpocket_2 "Well damn, where did it go?"
notice_pickpocket_3 (sigh) "Now where’d it go?"

Found Something Missing: There is something significant missing that shouldn't be. You've obviously been robbed and you know it.
Number of Wavs: 3 per character

notice_absence_1 "What... I think... gone!"
notice_absence_2 "Hey... that shouldn’t be missing!"
notice_absence_3 "Yep. We got a thief alright!"

Recently Found Something Missing: You know you've been robbed and you're telling your buddy about it.
Number of Wavs: 2 per character

notice_absencex2_1 "There’s a thief in here, stealing things."
notice_absencex2_2 "We been robbed…I bet it’s a thief."

Greetings

Greeting guard to guard: You spot a social equal who is a guard, on patrol. You greet them casually.

greeting_guardxguard_1 "How’s your shift goin’?"
greeting_guardxguard_2 "Yep, I’m on the job too."
greeting_guardxguard_3 "Quiet, huh?"

Greeting Civilian: You spot a civilian/servant while you're working. No time to chat; they need to know how important your job is.

greeting_guardxcivilian_1 "I’m too busy to talk."
greeting_guardxcivilian_2 "I’m on the job, you know."
greeting_guardxcivilian_3 "Move along now."

Greeting Superior: You spot someone who is above you on the social ladder and greet them with respect.

greeting_xnobleman_1 "Hullo, your lordship."
greeting_xnobleman_2 "Hullo, noble sir."

greeting_xnoblewoman_1 "Hullo there your ladyship."

greeting_xpriest_1 "Nice to see you, Father."

Greeting civilian to guard: You're a civilian and see a guard on patrol.

greeting_civilianxguard_1 "Don’t mind me."
greeting_civilianxguard_2 "Hullo, sir."
greeting_civilianxguard_3 "’night officer."

Greeting Peer: You're a civilian and see a fellow. Greet them casually.

greeting_civilianxcivilian_1 "Hullo."
greeting_civilianxcivilian_2 "’evening."
greeting_civilianxcivilian_3 "Have a nice night."

Generic Responses: These should be said fairly monotone and noncomittal, as they could be replies to many different greetings.

response_1 "Yep."
response_2 "Uh huh."
response_3 "Uh..I guess so."

Response to superior. A superior has spoken to you. As above, but reply stiffly.

response_superior_1 "Yessir."
response_superior_2 "Yup."

See also

• Vocal scripts overview - Main article on the vocal scripts of AI characters.