audio issue: can't hear npc dialogue from npcs that are physically obstructed

afiendishfox

usually it's when there's a wall/obstacle between my character and the npc or when the npc is on a different floor. there may be other conditions but these are the two that happen most often, which is especially annoying for quests.

here's a couple specific examples

npc behind a wall: https://i.imgur.com/skz5x4B.jpg

(screenshot from another player's youtube vid)

the audio should be muffled but still audible, whereas i couldn't hear any of the dialogue. this happens again shortly after when Daini runs out of the room (should still be able to hear her muffled voice outside but instead i hear nothing)

npc on a different floor: in the Riften main story quest Pulled Under when you first enter the Windtorn House, you're supposed to be able to hear the muffled voice of an npc on the floor above yelling for someone to watch out, but i can't hear it

even in the Riften mages guild hall here https://i.imgur.com/8ZPoMHO.jpg

i can't hear the npcs below simply because we're on different levels despite the center of the building being completely open

i have no problems hearing npcs under normal circumstances, but it's frustrating that i can't seem to hear them under these conditions

ZOS_Bill

@afiendishfox

Our audio troubleshooting FAQ linked below has some steps you can take that can help with sound issues such as the one you're encountering.

How do I fix sound issues on PC?

afiendishfox

i have already tried repairing the game client, and i can say with certainty that my sound drivers are not the problem

there is something going on in the game itself because people on console systems have experienced this problem, too

ZOS_Bill

@afiendishfox

How long have you been having this audio issue with NPC dialogue?

What is your current audio hardware setup?

WildRaptorX

I’ve had this exact same issue. It started happening after a patch just after blackwood. It’s been about a month/just over. It’s really ruining quests. I wouldn’t realise a character was talking unless I had subtitles on.

deyjasagus

I went to the spot on the upper level of the Riften Mages Guild to see if I could duplicate the issue you are having there. On two separate computers I hear the dialogue started by Beela even when she isn't visible. Granted Danir's portion of the conversation isn't available but that is another issue in and of itself since they apparently don't have one for him.

One PC runs a built in Realtek audio card with a 5.1 speaker setup and the other is running a Sound BlasterX G1 with a sound bar. I can hear some environmental sounds on one that aren't present on the other but the voiceover is there.

My suggestion is to locate the UserSettings file, mine is located under Documents > Elder Scrolls Online > Live, and temporarily rename it to something like UserSettingsTest. Then restart the game letting it rebuild the file with the standard settings. Once this is done go back to the Riften Mages Guild and see if the issue is still present.

If it isn't then you'll want to copy just the sound portion of the file and replace the same section of the file your renamed, that way all of your other settings won't need to be redone. If however it still is present then you'll need to do two things. First research to see if there is a more up to date driver available for your card. It took me a few days when I had to high of a treble sound with dialogue to actually find that there was a driver that wasn't appearing on the manufacturer's website that resolved the problem. If there isn't one look at the actual card settings by right clicking on Sounds and making adjustments through there. You may have to make adjustments to Enhancements or Advanced settings until you get the results you want.

Another thing you can try, if you have one available, is to plugin a USB headset that has a built in audio card. If you can hear the voiceover correctly then you know with almost certainty that it is an issue with the configuration of the existing sound card.

afiendishfox

deyjasagus wrote: »

My suggestion is to locate the UserSettings file, mine is located under Documents > Elder Scrolls Online > Live, and temporarily rename it to something like UserSettingsTest. Then restart the game letting it rebuild the file with the standard settings. Once this is done go back to the Riften Mages Guild and see if the issue is still present.

hey, this worked! well, in the sense that resetting the user settings meant that it disabled my add-ons. once i accepted the ToS to enable all the add-ons again, i couldn't hear the audio anymore, so i guess now i have to figure out which add-on is the culprit. checking every add-on one-by-one is gonna be a huge hassle, though, and i really don't understand how any of my add-ons could have any effect on the audio. could you perhaps give me some insight? here's my add-on list:

https://i.imgur.com/XjJNklc.png
https://i.imgur.com/8588v8a.png

deyjasagus

Good that it appears an addon was causing an issue and bad that you have to go through them now. I don't know if you have it installed or not but I would suggest installing Addon Selector as part of your addon package. This will let you setup addons based on what you are going to be doing. I have mine setup for PvE, PvP, crafting, sales and so on.

As far as which addon could be causing this I would try Combat Metrics and Dressing Room. I have all the others you do so start there. You can also replace Dressing Room with Alpha Gear 2 should it be the problem. You'll find it be a little off-putting at first but once you get used to it you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

afiendishfox

deyjasagus wrote: »

Good that it appears an addon was causing an issue and bad that you have to go through them now. I don't know if you have it installed or not but I would suggest installing Addon Selector as part of your addon package. This will let you setup addons based on what you are going to be doing. I have mine setup for PvE, PvP, crafting, sales and so on.

As far as which addon could be causing this I would try Combat Metrics and Dressing Room. I have all the others you do so start there. You can also replace Dressing Room with Alpha Gear 2 should it be the problem. You'll find it be a little off-putting at first but once you get used to it you'll wonder how you ever got along without it.

okay, after a lot of testing, it seems like the culprit is improperly loading the Combat Metrics add-on (not the add-on itself per se). from what i could tell, enabling Combat Metrics while in the game world and then reloading the UI would mess up the audio, and disabling it subsequently and reloading the UI again would not fix the issue. however, disabling the add-on in the character select screen, loading in, logging out, enabling in the character select screen again, then logging in allows the add-on to still be used without causing any issues.

@Keylun could you help me test this solution on the second floor of the Riften Mages Guild like in the screenshot i originally posted? if you have the add-on Combat Metrics, try the following:

1) at character select screen, disable the Combat Metrics add-on
2) select a character to log into the game world
3) after loading in, log out to go back to the character select screen
4) enable the add-on again at the character select screen
5) select a character again to log back into the game world

afiendishfox

okay wait maybe there is something inherently wrong with Combat Metrics

although the Mages Guild instance was fixed, i found that it didn't fix my second test case which is the Shadehome Inn that's just adjacent to the Mages Guild. the music from the bard inside would be completely cut if you go all the way inside the barrel storage room to the left or if you went upstairs, and returning back to the main area would not resume the audio from the bard. uninstalling Combat Metrics and the LibCombat library, however, completely fixed this issue and allowed the bard's music to be heard from anywhere in the inn.

thankfully, i never used Combat Metrics and only installed it because some sweaty gamers in one of my guilds wanted me to hit certain numbers before i was allowed to do vet pledges with them

deyjasagus

afiendishfox wrote: »

thankfully, i never used Combat Metrics and only installed it because some sweaty gamers in one of my guilds wanted me to hit certain numbers before i was allowed to do vet pledges with them

That made me laugh way harder than it should have. At least you were able to get to the root of the problem and now you can enjoy the game a bit more.

ZOS_Bill

We appreciate the updates and finding out the audio issue was being caused by a specific add-on. Since the issue is now resolved, we are going to lock this thread going forward.