Companions talk too much - pls, adjust "infrequent" option

Luke_Flamesword

After 3 weeks of Bastian company I just hated him. I really liked him at beginning, but I just can't listen to him anymore. Every time this long monologues when we go to city or mage guild... "Great area for harvesting" literally in every place where I picked random mat, even in freaking desert. And when he keep asking "what's you gonna do with this" I always reply in my mind "I will put it in your god damn mouth and silence you forever".

I switch to Mirri and this is relief, she don't talks that much as Bastian, but I'm afraid that I will hate her too in couple weeks

I use "infrequent" option since beginning, but it's not infrequent at all. They talk and talk and never stops. Infrequent option should be something like 5-10 times rares than now, because it's not big difference from "frequent". Option "mute" and "almost never" should be also there.

I really like whole idea of companions but if I have to spent hundreds of hours with specific companion, you can't just destroy my brain with so much repeating. I get it, you want it to make first impression "they have so much to talk in so many different situations". But now I know it and I'm sick tired ot this. This is just pocket version of "dragons in your own homeland".

vallisas

Sounds like you're just easily annoyed, you could rather, not use them.

ectoplasmicninja

And to think I don't think they talk enough!

vallisas

ectoplasmicninja wrote: »

And to think I don't think they talk enough!

Same, I have the frequent option and it still only really happens once in a while after doing something (seems to have a cooldown) and only occassionally if you sit idle too long they'll say something. Their frequent dialogue like when starting fights is very short to begin with.

But if you played either Skyrim or Fallout 4. You should already know what to expect from the companion, they will talk. If you don't want someone with you talking about things you do, you shouldn't be running with comps. So many people who shouldn't have comps, running with comps, complaining about them being comps. It's bizarre.

spartaxoxo

I do think the harvesting lines could be toned down but outside of that I actually wish he talked more.

Fennwitty

Agree, 'infrequent' is still pretty frequent for my tastes.

I'm starting to tune companions out entirely. Just semi-random, repetitive comments that frequently don't even apply to the situation.

They simply don't have enough dialog lines recorded, or not enough are cycled through to warrant all that chatting.

Bastian is WAY too excited about our glorious hard-fought victory over a single mudcrab. Mirri is WAY too eager to tell me I should 'try breaking free' when I'm not under any crowd control at all and neither is she.

Luke_Flamesword

Lol, there is literally option to adjust frequency in game and you told me that there shouldn't be good scale for everyones personal needs but I should not use companions at all? Geez, all I ask is just some adjusts in this options, noone taking anything from you so I don't understand tone of this responses... And if you want more freuquent options this topic is good place to talk about it. I don't mind option "all the time and even more" for companions.

At beginning I also liked companion responses, but maybe I spent too much time with them. It's just too repeatable.

ectoplasmicninja

Fennwitty wrote: »

They simply don't have enough dialog lines recorded, or not enough are cycled through to warrant all that chatting.

Bastian is WAY too excited about our glorious hard-fought victory over a single mudcrab. Mirri is WAY too eager to tell me I should 'try breaking free' when I'm not under any crowd control at all and neither is she.

I agree with this too. I want them to talk more, but I also wish they had more to say, and that more of it was intelligently contextual.

vallisas

Because judging by your examples of the inoffensive comments you seem annoyed by and then wanting an "almost never" or "mute" option it sounds like you don't actually want them to begin with LOL. So what is the point? You get tired of the comments you can simply dismiss them for a time, you have that option. I cannot for the life of me understand the rampant complaining sometimes on this board of compeltely optional things.

Luke_Flamesword

And I can't want to use mute companions? It's somehow forbidden? Is talking their main feature? I don't want mute them all the time, but sometimes when I'm bored or tired of them talking. And I want them more infreuquent to be more natural, because talking all the time the same things kills them for me...

VaranisArano

I'm one who wants more roleplaying comments, but I would happily turn most of Mirri's combat dialogue off it that was an option.

Mirri's battle-cry: "I like to think I'm agreeable!"

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Arunei

vallisas wrote: »

Because judging by your examples of the inoffensive comments you seem annoyed by and then wanting an "almost never" or "mute" option it sounds like you don't actually want them to begin with LOL. So what is the point? You get tired of the comments you can simply dismiss them for a time, you have that option. I cannot for the life of me understand the rampant complaining sometimes on this board of compeltely optional things.

So someone not wanting them to talk as much, or at all, automatically means they shouldn't use the Companions? That's like telling someone who doesn't like NPC dialogue repeating all the darn time that they shouldn't play the game because NPCs are a part of it and what's the point if you don't immerse yourself in the world? Except we have the option to mute NPCs entirely, so why can't someone have the option of muting Companions entirely?

Honestly this just sounds like "my opinion is better than yours". YOU might like how much they talk or not mind it, but that doesn't invalidate other people who dislike it. And an option to mute them doesn't take away from anyone, so...why would you care or belittle someone for their opinion? I cannot for the life of my understand the rampant judging people do when others ask for simple QoL changes that wouldn't affect anyone who didn't need to use them.

Also there is a difference between feedback/criticism and complaining. Too many people want to shut others down by claiming "you're just complaining" when what's being offered is feedback.

Soulshine

I have not spent as much time with Mirri as Bastian, but view the dialogue AI as a process. Brear in mind these are still very new additions to the game, so I am pretty sure that they will likely be tweaked over time. If enough people ask for some adjustment to the frequencies of chatter, I don't see anything wrong with it.

With Bastian, I will say I really appreciate him pointing out heavy sacks for me because I often run without noticing them. As soon as I hear him say his line for them, I turn back to wherever we just were or where he will sometimes simply stop near one. Pretty cool. Hoping Mirri has a similar cue as well.

ADarklore

It's nice to see that the Companion dialogue changes as your rapport increases... instead of them repeating the same things over and over. I have the frequency set at normal and that's fine for me... I do have to laugh at the in-combat dialogue when they tell ME how to fight.

phaneub17_ESO

If you give them any of the Synergy abilities, they will talk an additional 40% more often telling you "HEY, USE MY BUFF!!" 2/3 of the time they use it.

AcadianPaladin

I have my option set in the middle and that is fine for me. That said, I think OP's request is reasonable. Perhaps another option on the lower end like 'Rarely Comments' and another at the upper end for 'Very Chatty'. Five options does not seem excessive and would take nothing away from anyone I should think.

alberichtano

spartaxoxo wrote: »

I do think the harvesting lines could be toned down but outside of that I actually wish he talked more.

I wish they had more LINES. Hearing the same things over and over and over and over and over and over and over really makes me want to just shut them up completely.

Doesn't help that they put the "insecure but cool chick"-trope on Mirri. It would be nice to just once have a female companion that doesn't feel insecure about herself like a lost teenager.

alberichtano

VaranisArano wrote: »

I'm one who wants more roleplaying comments, but I would happily turn most of Mirri's combat dialogue off it that was an option.

Mirri's battle-cry: "I like to think I'm agreeable!"

or "Eh, you lead..."

Yeah, that instills me with so much confidence about her abilities. :P

NeKryXe

Amazing! I came here to write exactly about this!

The voice and the horrible lines of Bastian are insanely annoying. [snip] I have set the companion reactions to infrequent, and even so that horrendous toon never shuts up repeating over, over, and over again the same lines. [snip]

Anyway, I'd like to continue to use that [snip] NPC as a pet on a few characters, but I'd really like to shut up that thing.

I think that I already heard all lines at least one thousand times by now. It doesn't make any sense, those toons never surprises. [snip] they wrote very few lines -- it's ok, but let us shut up the companions. Please!

[edited for bashing]

Sephyr

Hearing a lot of this is making me glad I didn't spend money on that because it was the one thing that drove me up the wall in Skyrim. At least there I can fling them off a cliff when they become an inconvenience. Here it's just a matter of putting them away, which doesn't have the same feeling of catharsis I want in an Elder Scrolls game.

alberichtano

Sephyr wrote: »

Hearing a lot of this is making me glad I didn't spend money on that because it was the one thing that drove me up the wall in Skyrim. At least there I can fling them off a cliff when they become an inconvenience. Here it's just a matter of putting them away, which doesn't have the same feeling of catharsis I want in an Elder Scrolls game.

Made me LOL!

lillybit

vallisas wrote: »

Because judging by your examples of the inoffensive comments you seem annoyed by and then wanting an "almost never" or "mute" option it sounds like you don't actually want them to begin with LOL. So what is the point? You get tired of the comments you can simply dismiss them for a time, you have that option. I cannot for the life of me understand the rampant complaining sometimes on this board of compeltely optional things.

It kinda sounds like you're assuming the only reason to have a companion is to talk to and that's not the case for a lot of people. It was the same in Skyrim too, Lydia was just there to carry my burdens, not for her conversation!

Sure, I could dismiss them but that means I can't use the Tank that I've spent hours levelling and a fortune gearing, just so I don't hear the same comments for the 30th time this hour.

It's great that you like to have them constantly chatting at you, I'm glad it works for you. Not everyone has the same preferences as you tho.

I have trouble with repetitive things. It's why I don't have game music on, why I don't have merchants and bankers out any longer than it takes to use them, and why I moved all my characters out of Mournhold before they reduced the appearances of those npcs - yes I can believe it!

I quite like hearing from them but at the moment it's too much even on infrequent (if you've ever tried it you'd know there is very little difference - I'm not even convinced it's actually working!). It's not really being unreasonable to ask for a little tweak that would make content we've paid for much more pleasant to use.

vallisas

Arunei wrote: »

vallisas wrote: »

Because judging by your examples of the inoffensive comments you seem annoyed by and then wanting an "almost never" or "mute" option it sounds like you don't actually want them to begin with LOL. So what is the point? You get tired of the comments you can simply dismiss them for a time, you have that option. I cannot for the life of me understand the rampant complaining sometimes on this board of compeltely optional things.

So someone not wanting them to talk as much, or at all, automatically means they shouldn't use the Companions?

Precisely, there's been several games now by Bethesda, You know how their companions are by you KNOW what you signed up for. This is how they are, this is how they've always been. It would be like asking Bioware to make their companions silent. And in this game, they don't carry your stuff, so there goes that excuse. Instead of filling up the board with the same complaints, simply don't use the entirely optional companions. No one is forcing anyone to endure this "pain" but themselves. If someone does not want companions to be companions, you shouldn't be rolling companions. It's very simple. "I want silent companions" which has never been an option in any single game by this company. Why should they now. Just like in the single player titles you aren't forced to go around with a companion. And you can entirely run a build to solo most of the non-vet content yourself.

Now, i'm not directing all this entirely at you specifically or the situation you have personally, moreso the people who are constantly whining on the board "omg this voice actor on this companion","my god mirri does this, bastian does this!!!" some of which coming from the same posters daily. Nobody is forcing you to run with them, stop wasting the devs time over something optional. This thread didn't even get many post despite it's views, because it's just not a huge issue for the majority. Most understand what companionss are.

Now something ZOS should spend some time fixing, all these quest update icons on Mirri LOL

Jacozilla

Where is the option to set companion chat frequency? Hadn’t noticed that was even an option so missed it

vallisas

Jacozilla wrote: »

Where is the option to set companion chat frequency? Hadn’t noticed that was even an option so missed it

Gameplay > Companion reactions

SilverBride

vallisas wrote: »

Jacozilla wrote: »

Where is the option to set companion chat frequency? Hadn’t noticed that was even an option so missed it

Gameplay > Companion reactions

This is good to know. I'm going to turn up Bastian's frequency and see if I can get him to say "I like Vampires" again.

Alurria

Jacozilla wrote: »

Where is the option to set companion chat frequency? Hadn’t noticed that was even an option so missed it

Go to settings gameplay

Alurria

I personally want more dialog from companions. I want to ask them about their life etc. To really understand their stories. Let's face it companions are a option, we should all try to talk about improvements, instead of moaning about the repetitious dialog. These are new let's hope they get tweaked.

NeKryXe

Alurria wrote: »

I personally want more dialog from companions. I want to ask them about their life etc. To really understand their stories. Let's face it companions are a option, we should all try to talk about improvements, instead of moaning about the repetitious dialog. These are new let's hope they get tweaked.

I was expecting that too. I was expecting something much more interesting with more dialogue, better AI and a good text. Instead we got horrible childish and void lines that don't relate to nothing at all and a terrible, terrible AI. They are just bad NPCs, something like a pet but with a couple of repetitive lines. At this point I feel that Bastion is probably the worst NPC in the game, at least he's the most annoying one. The thing already told me so many times that he loves cities that I'm starting to hate cities That's a really bad game design. At this point no one cares if that character loves cities. There was no need to let the companions repeating the same things that they already said. They treated companions as any other NPC on the game, with the difference that they follow you annoying you everywhere. [snip], nothing that anyone was expecting.

[edited for bashing]

Luke_Flamesword

The thing already told me so many times that he loves cities that I'm starting to hate cities That's a really bad game design. At this point no one cares if that character loves cities. There was no need to let the companions repeating the same things that they already said.

Exactly - some lines, like this with cities should be very, very rare. I understand more frequency with combat lines or something like "let's ride". I think [snip], where common lines have exactly the same rarity as others. It was nice to hear some of monologues and Bastian life philosphy, but I don't need to hear that 10 ten a day for rest of my life

[edited for bashing]