'Star Wars: The Old Republic' speaks for itself

It's something that players of modern single-player video games like "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" and "Batman: Arkham City" might take for granted, but an effect that die-hard fans of sprawling online role-playing games such as "World of Warcraft" and "Aion" will surely appreciate: The characters in "Star Wars: The Old Republic" can actually speak.

With more than 320 actors portraying more than 4,000 characters with 260,000 lines of dialogue, BioWare's "The Old Republic" is poised to feature more voice acting than any other massively multiplayer online game in the galaxy when it launches Tuesday, and that's not even counting the thousands of beeps and boops sputtered by droids predating R2-D2.

BioWare, the Electronic Arts Inc. developer behind the "Mass Effect" and "Dragon Age" single-player franchises, has become synonymous with conversational gameplay that allows players to chat with other characters in the hope of unlocking missions, learning more about the plot, demonstrating morality and even forming virtual bonds _ romantic or otherwise.

The developer is taking that virtual chatter online with "Old Republic," which is set thousands of years before Luke Skywalker battled Darth Vader in a galaxy far, far away. Unlike most other persistent multiplayer games, "Old Republic" is relying more on voices than written words to push its narrative forward with an unprecedented amount of spoken dialogue.

The highly anticipated "Old Republic" has already drawn comparisons to "World of Warcraft," the behemoth online fantasy game from Blizzard Entertainment that boasts more than 10 million subscribers but little voice work. ("Star Wars Galaxies," a "Star Wars" online game from Sony Online Entertainment, ended last week after eight years in operation.)

At the start of "Old Republic," players pledge allegiance to either the Republic or Empire and pick from eight character types: a bounty hunter like Boba Fett, a smuggler like Han Solo, a Jedi consular like Yoda, a Sith inquisitor like Darth Maul, a Jedi knight like Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Sith warrior like Darth Vader, an Imperial agent like Grand Moff Tarkin or a trooper.

The possibility of 16 different, highly customizable protagonists _ eight men, eight women _ hyper-speeding through a virtual universe populated with thousands of talkative characters, as well as millions of other players online, presented "The Old Republic" developers at BioWare in Austin, Texas, and LucasArts in San Francisco with several new challenges.

"When you're doing a game like `The Old Republic,' the acting is like cubism," said LucasArts voice director Will Beckman. "You have to see these characters from every angle and be able to pull it apart and put it back together. It's definitely a challenge for our voice actors. It's a unique type of acting that takes a tremendous amount of imagination."

Unlike an animated film, the nonlinear nature of "The Old Republic" requires the voice actors to record several different versions of dialogue, depending on whether players are moving along the light or dark sides of the Force, and because the game is ongoing, the developers are creating updates that will feature new content, including voiceovers.

"We tried to prepare the talent that this isn't a normal voiceover gig," said LucasArts voice producer Orion Kellogg. "Normally, actors come into the studio once or twice to record their audio. We've got 16 player characters alone doing tons of dialogue. They know they're coming back. I think they like it because they've been able to grow into their role."

"Party of Five" actress Lacey Chabert is among the hundreds of voices within "The Old Republic" universe. Chabert plays a spunky slicer named Mako, who serves as a companion to players who choose to become a bounty hunter. Chabert, who has voiced dozens of animated characters, said the most challenging part of this role was tackling the sci-fi vocabulary.

"The language within the `Star Wars' universe is filled with words that I did not know how to pronounce," said Chabert. "Luckily, the producers have an audio library of planet names and everything `Star Wars' and how it should actually be pronounced. I always had to listen to a reference, and I'd almost always get it wrong the first time."

Besides the English, German or French spoken in the game, "Old Republic" features 21 different alien languages. While the sounds of species like the furry Wookiees came directly from the LucasArts archives, Beckman said he crafted several new alien languages, finding inspiration from existing and dead real-world languages, as well as audio effects.

"It's a combination of having some idea of where you w-ant to go with it, creating a base language from existing or dead languages, then creating a personality or style for that language and executing it with sound design," said Beckman, who also speaks Huttese as blubbery gang leader Nem'ro the Hutt _ among other alien creatures _ in "The Old Republic."

The daunting amount of dialogue also technically tested "The Old Republic" developers. They built a new system for organizing the audio, which was recorded in 17 different studios spanning from Los Angeles to London, and created a method of compressing the audio so that it can be easily downloaded by players when they install and update the game.

Visually, when players are gabbing away, a glowing conversation cartoon bubble appears over their avatar's head. When they team up with fellow Republic or Empire devotees and engage in conversations, each player elects a response, but what's actually uttered is randomly selected, and players who win the chance to speak earn extra points.

"It is a big game, and it's going to feel like that when players are installing it," said BioWare audio producer Sandee Valle. "More importantly, it's going to feel like that when you get out there and start exploring the world. Hopefully, we're going to be adding to the game regularly with new content and voice work for many, many years to come."

Bad child-rearing

Horrible upbringing was entitled to one of the most important radio programs in recent times. I am a graduate profession, with just the President of the Republic required the ability to train and educate our young people, who rely on our nation. Do not imagine now that I'm going to talk about the platform and the omniscient expert lyt?t? education seemingly failed. I will only tell you what I see these days.

More and more often get to hear that children are seen as equals as friends that parents do not have the ability or the courage to grow. Let's talk about lapsityranneista just like it would be natural that the parents may be laden everyday pomottaa. Less hears the old wisdom that the parents' primary function is to produce a disappointment to the child and teach them to endure. Thus, it is easier to continue to accept the challenges of the outside world.

I do not remember grotesque educational program as a Swedish pampering competition, in which parents publicly rehenteliv?t inactive sweetheart how much they get the money to burn and how much time he spent passaamiseensa on a daily basis. Did not think to go in mind how unhappy the future of these children to create paapojat. Vine will need support throughout their lives.

A few of the basics would grant more respectable. The door has not been forced to let the eyes of another. I do not have to be the first. Headgear is not a male person from the inside, not especially when eating.

The post-war scarcity taught to respect food. Now it is wasted, waste, even if everyone could take only what they need. Multi-student would take more preferably, but not be. Meanwhile, the other half to put his own pig food. A brave adult to solve the problem.

Home often resembles hamburger - and will go separately. Home would require a sense of security, even in a common moment of calm, during which could change the news. The problem is Scandinavian. The meal in many civilized country culture is still at a premium.

I got tinder for this entry, when I traveled by train on Friday night from Helsinki to Vaasa. Toijala wagon rush confirmation class about fifteen young people aged around 30-year-old woman's chair. He did not feel the need - or dared - to address the behavior of his flock. Eating lunch away from the hats and all the competing smartphones musical oddity. Overall, the cacophony in the middle of the boss was trying its best to have one of these.

Exchange Tampere took the trolley out of the frying pan into the fire. Now it was the Department of half-loudly pohojalaasella rehentelevi?, just moped the age of the survivors of the aft chamber of the sons. "Ruattinlaivan p?h?n?s' mouths do not loose any of the concept above the navel. I was lying on a bench in accordance with paikkalippuni pair in Lapland girls consistently a matter of jerseys. These are an estimated 15-year-olds did not like my maidens give way, but the whole kailottivat mobile trailer to be heard: V.. U do not believe it horoo, it is just ADHD. No I do not measure the tehny oo, do not answer it ... etc. This is about half an hour. Whether your children are talking.

The Needle: Trees and Leaves Edition

Outfoxed: When President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama went to Shiloh Baptist Church for Easter services, it should have been a boon for the Shaw house of worship—publicity is always nice, after all, and a presidential visit brings a lot of good publicity. And also, apparently, a lot of hate mail. After the Obamas visited, Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity apparently decided to make Shiloh Baptist's pastor, the Rev. Wallace Charles Smith, into the next Jeremiah Wright in the right-wing imagination. The church has now received death threats, faxes with monkey images, and vulgar phone calls. Happy Easter! -3

Twist and Shout: The horrific weather responsible for killing more than 100 people across the South moved through the D.C. region last night and today; tornadoes were spotted in Virginia and Maryland counties, and a watch extended over the entire area for most of the day. Mayor Vince Gray sent condolences on behalf of the District. If a tornado had devastated D.C., we don't think it would make us feel much better if the mayor of Huntsville, Ala., sent along a note. But it's always nice to be polite. -2

Mow the Lawn—Or Else: The smell of freshly cut grass isn't just a nice luxury in the summertime; starting this weekend, it's also mandatory. D.C. government officials can fine homeowners whose lawns reach heights of 10 inches or more up to $500. A few years ago, the District issued 1,400 citations. (Note: Mowing the Gray administration's "D.C. One City" slogan into the lawn, while encouraged, is technically optional.) +1

Trick or Tree: Meanwhile, though the city is quite careful to patrol your treatment of your lawn, it's not so good with its own flora. Casey Trees just gave the District a C for its tree care, dropping from last year's B- mostly because D.C. officials took $539,000 from a tree fund to cover budget shortfalls. The city's records have apparently lost track of 10,000 trees planted since 2002—so no one even knows whether they're alive. Or for that matter, if they were planted at all. Which reminds us of the famous Zen koan: If a tree is planted in the city, and no one writes it down, does it make a sound?