Feature: 'Screen/Play: Documenting Voice Assets'

In today's Gamasutra main feature, writer, game designer and regular Gamasutra contributor Rafael Chandler presents 'Screen/Play,' in which the author shares his true and tested methods for developing good in-game storytelling practices. Today's edition, the first in a series, discusses Chandler's methods for organizing voice assets, using an intuitive and easily modified spreadsheet. Chandler sets the tone in the following extracted introduction: "The process of recording dialogue is a complicated one, consisting of numerous moving pieces: writer, designer, director, sound designer, sound programmer, producer, and voice actor. There is also the question of a shifting storyline, which is a given (unless your project is immune to changes to level design and character roster). Due to the sheer number of changes that transpire between project alpha and ship date, it's inevitable that changes to the story content will also occur, often at the last minute. This can result in re-shoots, which means wasted time and money. Some of these complications can be ameliorated through careful documentation. This article discusses ways to organize your voice assets prior to, during, and after your voice shoot. The document format is an Excel spreadsheet, delineated below. This article will furnish a quick overview of the Screen/Play layout, and will then cover some additional fields, formatting options, and issues with implementation." You can now read the full Gamasutra feature, including sample dialogue from a fictional game titled King Arthur Up In This Piece, detailed illustrations, and ways to modify your spreadsheet to best suit all involved parties (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).