Submit Your Voice For Inclusion In Swamp!
I am once again welcoming new voices for Swamp. This is in all probability your last chance to record a voice, despite my saying so in the last event. I have heard quite a few people express their desire to contribute a voice, so (possibly against my better judgment) I have decided to give such individuals yet another opportunity.
The submission window will be open as of the date of this posting, and shall remain open until the end of January (January 31st, 2015). This I feel is more than enough time for everyone to get in their entries. Furthermore, I'm hoping that opening the period during winter break will allow busy college students to also participate.
If you already have a voice incorporated into Swamp, and are for whatever reason dissatisfied with it, this is also your opportunity to either request its removal or submit a replacement. Bear in mind, however, that your replacement submission is subject to all the limitations and requirements placed upon new e ntrants, and if I deem your new entry sub par by comparison to your old voice, I reserve the right to either request that you try again, ask you if you'd rather just keep the old one, or, of course, you still reserve the right to request a full removal from the project.
Below are the guidelines and restrictions for voice submissions. I hope that I've covered everything within the text of the guidelines, and therefore I'm trusting there won't be any confusion about the process. The actual script containing examples and categorical names will be provided after the guidelines.
Harp has kindly done a podcast on the subject that might help simplify the process and make things clearer for those who more readily absorb information in such a format.
I can't stress this enough: Please review carefully the guidelines, hints, and limitations. While it is not my intention to be discourteous, I will also have no compunct ion about rejecting any entries for which I've deemed the submitter did not properly read the documentation. I well understand that it's a lot to take in, so feel free to ask for any clarifications, but it is your responsibility to understand the environment. Please make this as painless as possible for both you and I, as I really would like to have you be a part of Swamp!
GUIDELINES AND RESTRICTIONS
Characterization: I fully realize that few of us are good actors (I myself am a prime example of a lackluster actor), but please do your best to act the part of your character. If you're recording a line requesting a medic to heal you, don't ask for such assistance in a bland, monotone voice. You're experiencing some degree of stress and panic as a result of being injured. do your best to convey this emotional and physical trauma in your vocalization.
Equipment: Use the best possible microphone you can obtain for your submission. A good USB headset will suffice, but if at all possible, try and do your recording on a higher quality USB microphone (such as the Cad U1, Cad U37, the Samsung Meteor, Audio-Technica ATR2500, and the Blue Yeti), or indeed a dynamic microphone with an XLR to USB adapter would do nicely. The better your recording, the better you're going to sound in the game.
Gear Check: Do some audio testing before you submit your final results. If you notice distortion or clipping in the file, or if there are unwanted artifacts (such as the microphone picking up excessive breaths and plosives), do your best to rectify these situations before recording, as they could contribute to the lacking quality of a submission, and thus may necessitate a rejection (depending upon the severity).
Ambience: Record your entry in as quiet of an environment as possible. Don't record it outside where there will inevitably be intrusive noises. Try and reserve your performance for a quiet, reflection-free area. Most rooms will possess some degree of reflection, but the lower, the better, else you'll end up with a voice that has unwanted reverberant artifacts. Hint: To cut down on room reverb, place a blanket either over yourself and the microphone, or at least one behind you and one behind the microphone to provide some degree of dampening.
Noise Reduction: Please include anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds of recorded silence. This means start the recording process with your microphone on, but say nothing, do nothing. You want this silence window to be as clean as possible, as I will be using the cleanest portion of this particular section to aid in noise reduction.
Format: Record your entire performance into one single, unedited file. No need to worry about mistakes and random chatter and banter in between phrases. I will be going through these files and chopping them apart, and in the process eliminating any detritus. No one else will ever see your original file, so worry not that you'll embarrass yourself with spurious material.
I've had to reject several entries from the previous offerings because they insisted on sending me separated files. I require one single take, so that I can get a reliable capture of your ambient surroundings, using such data to perform noise reduction.Variety: For each phrase category, record at least three versions of an appropriate phrase. The more you're willing to put in, the more material I'll have to select from, and thus the higher your chances of having a superior voice in Swamp. Remember that Swamp has for some time required three phrases per voice command. If any of your categories are missing the adequate number of alternative phrases, the submission may be deemed unsuitable.
I encourage you to record more than three phrases per category though, so that I'll be able to have more material to select from. And remember, for each of the phrases, you'll want to consider doing at least two or three takes of it. Vocals, recording environments, and uncontrollable background noises being what they are, you never know if your phrases might have been marred while you were speaking.Profanity: Swamp is by no means intended as a G-rated game. As such, your voices need not be bereft of vulgarity, particularly if it fits the character you're portraying. However, remember that moderation is a beautiful thing -- spurious and excessive swearing will still not be allowed. For an example of this slightly fine line, review The General's voice.
Unwanted Noises: Do your best not to have microphone handling, keyboard handling, or other jarring noises directly overlap your phrases. Microphones are sensitive, and they will pick up these obstructions. Furthermore, such sounds are very hard to edit, and if I have to select a poorer performance due to unwanted noises ruining a better performance, I will. If you're reading the lines and then doing your performance, pause between finishing reading with your screen reader or medium of choice to make sure all mechanical devices (keyboards, headsets, etc) have come to a full stop, then start performing.
Foreign Language: If you're recording a foreign language voice, you will need to preempt each category with its English name. therefore, if you're recording a set of phrases for the greeting category, you'd say "Greeting", pause, then start your performance. I do not speak every language there is , and thus require such prompts when I'm editing so as to determine where a category starts and ends.
I fully realize that the verbosity in this post might not translate well into a foreign language, so if you have any difficulties understanding the subject matter due to a language barrier, I encourage you to seek out someone who will be able to assist you in comprehending this text.Content Verification: Verify that you've recorded a phrase for each category! A lot of people in the last session tended to either skip one category, or to skip recording their character names. The absence of even one category is grounds for rejection, unless I am by some miracle able to salvage the offering by using data from somewhere else (which I am unlikely to attempt more than a couple times).
Submission Submissions may be either left in wave format, or lightly compressed into MP3, WMA, FLAC, OGG, or other similar forma ts. Send the file as an e-mail attachment (if it's small enough), or place the file on Dropbox or another online storage service (such as SendSpace).
Files and links may be directed to: swampau...@gmail.com
SCRIPT
Note that all examples are provided to give you an idea of what kind of phrases would be ok for the given category -- they are by no means the only phrases you can or should use. If you need more examples, feel free to consult your peers, or indeed to review the phrases already included in Swamp.
NAME: Not necessarily your name, but rather a name you'd like for your vocal character. keep the name within reason. No Sci-fi, medieval, fantastic, or other obviously incongruous moniker or soubriquet. Remember that Swamp is a zombie apocalypse game set in our current time, not in some future setting.
GREETING: A simple phrase spoken to gr eet a fellow player upon the field.
Greetings.
Hello.
How do you do?
Howdy.
Salutations.
Well met.
CONFIRMATION: A brief affirmative statement, accepting a request made by another player.
OK.
Ten Four.
Understood.
Yes sir.
DECLINATION: A brief negative statement, declining a request made by another player.
I don't think so.
No way!
Not a chance.
that's a negative.
RELOAD: An exclamatory statement used when one is out of ammo for a weapon and could use some cover as he/she struggles to reload.
Gotta reload!
Help! I'm running empty!
I'm out of ammo!
I'm out of bullets!
BATTLE C RY: A phrase uttered as one is about to charge into battle, possibly against overwhelming odds.
Charge!
Destroy!
Here I go!
Kiiilll!
Lets rock!
BRAG: A boasting, prideful phrase declaring victory over a vanquished foe.
And that's how it's done.
Don't get up again!
Hale to the king, baby!
Oh yeah. I rock!
TAUNT: A taunting, heckling, belittling, or otherwise demeaning statement of provocation against a foe.
I'm gonna stomp all over you!
I'm over here, rot face.
It's time to die!
Right zombie, you're mine!
BECKON: An authoritative request for another player to attend to your current position.
C'mere, now!
Come this way!
Front and center, soldier!
Hey, over here!
FOLLOW: A request for another player to follow you.
Come with me.
Follow me.
On my mark.
Stay on my tail.
STAY: A request for a player to remain where they are.
Don't move!
Hold your position.
Stay here.
Wait right here.
GUARD: A positive statement, promising defense of another player.
Here's some covering fire!
I've got your back.
I'll cover you.
Lets do this together.
COVER ME: A request for another player to provide assistance in a confrontation.
Can you lend a hand?
Cover me!
I need some help!
Watch my back!
WARNING: A s harp statement alerting another player to danger, or to be careful.
Be careful!
Heads up!
Look alive.
Tread carefully.
Watch out!
READY: A brief phrase uttered when you're ready to embark on a mission, task, or other venture.
I'm all set.
I'm ready.
Ready. Lets go.
What are we waiting for?
HOLD: A brief statement requesting that team members give you some time to prepare for a mission, task, or other venture.
Hold on.
Hold on a second.
Not quite ready yet.
Wait up.
PRESSURE: A sharp exclamatory statement, urging team members to hurry up and perform their duties.
Come on, lets move!
Go, go, go!
Hurry up!
Lets get this done wi th!
MISSION: A celebratory statement, expressed after the successful completion of a quest or mission.
Hell yeah, baby!
Man, I'm good.
Mission complete!
Now that's how it's done.
Yet another successful operation.
MEDIC: A statement delivered whilst injured, requesting urgent medical attention due to trauma.
Heal me!
I'm dying' over here!
I need a medkit!
I need help!
Medic!
MAN DOWN: A declaration of bereavement for a lost comrade, expressing either shock, anger, or distress.
He's dead, Jim.
Man down!
Oh my god, he's dead!
We've lost someone!
HURT: A range of pain grunts, groans, and other similar noises uttered when injured . Be sure to keep them fairly brief, but also do your best to act as though you're being hurt. The more takes, the better.
If you elect to record a voice, I thank you in advance for your participation in one of the best audio games to date, and highly appreciate the time you invest into recording a voice for swamp.
Again, send submissions as either e-mail attachments or links to swampau...@gmail.com.
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