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[MauroNL]

Existing owners may have noticed an update to the game this week, and a press release from publisher Square Enix today has revealed the patch as improved the game's lip-syncing.

It's a surprise to hear this quietly being added, but a nice one - if there was anything that took players out of the Dawson's Creek meets Twin Peaks world of Life is Strange, it was that the game's engine often failed completely at matching up its voice performances with the characters' lips flapping.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-01-22-life-is-strange-update-improves-lip-syncing

I just noticed the update myself when I wanted to continue my save. The update was about 1.45GB on Xbox One.

 

[Shuggananas]

1.45 GB worth of lip sync ? damn son

 

[BY2K]

Gonna need to check it out.

 

[Frederik]

Any videos of what it looks like now?

 

[Spider_Jerusalem]

I just noticed the update myself when I wanted to continue my save. The update was about 1.45GB on Xbox One.

Did you already install the recent localization update? Cause it was about that size, I recall.

 

[JordanKZ]

Any videos of what it looks like now?

I asked someone over at EG over Twitter, seems they might be looking into it.

 

[Nzyme32]

Actually a very welcome update. The horrible lip-syncing was the most noticeable thing from when I started playing it, second to the lackluster ability of characters to show experession

 

[Cleve]

Huh, that's awesome. It was never a problem for me, but it's nice to know they're still working on improve the game's presentation.

 

[MauroNL]

Did you already install the recent localization update? Cause it was about that size, I recall.

I haven't booted it up in a while so that could be it too. If anyone updates their game tell me what size it was I'll update the OP.

 

[YoYo Switch]

Will that Professor's jaw finally move?

 

[Fret]

This seems to be the second update that tries to improve the lip syncing, the first one was included with Episode 4 I think, I'd also like to see a video of the improvements

 

[Skux]

When my brother finally gets around to playing this he'll have a much better time than I did lol

 

[SomTervo]

Will that Professor's jaw finally move?

"That" Professor?

<_<

>_>

 

[Dream_Journey]

Glad i waitted for playing this, now's the time!

 

[indigo-cyclops]

People were really bothered by it that much, eh?

I'll have to check out the improvements though.

 

[Guymelef]

"That" Professor?

<_<

>_>

I'm on chapter one... is this any kind of spoiler?...

 

[Crossing Eden]

People were really bothered by it that much, eh?

I'll have to check out the improvements though.

Bad lip sync can really take you out of a story based game. Especially one that nails the body movements since they had mocap. So it was odd to see TellTale beating them in that regard. Although considering they only had one guy doing the rigging last I checked, it's not that surprising.

 

[FHIZ]

I guess this is a better late than never situation? Would have been nice to fix this after the first episode when everyone pretty much went "great! But your lip sync is baaaaaaaaad"

 

[Frederik]

People were really bothered by it that much, eh?

I'll have to check out the improvements though.

Good lip-syncing and animations go a long way with making dialogue more convincing. Considering how much of the game is people talking to each other it's kind of of big deal. That's why'd I'd kill for a Life is Strange/Walking Dead type game with a bigger budget.

Bad lip sync can really take you out of a story based game. Especially one that nails the body movements since they had mocap. So it was odd to see TellTale beating them in that regard. Although considering they only had one guy doing the rigging last I checked, it's not that surprising.

I didn't feel like the body animation was anything to write home about either most of the time. Very stiff.

 

[JetSetRadio]

Cool, it was really bad in the demo. Should play it soon.

 

[Jachaos]

I'm on chapter one... is this any kind of spoiler?...

Nah, I figure it's the lack of name and the fact there's more than one professor whose jaw doesn't move much. But I guess you mean Jefferson.

 

[thebloo]

People were really bothered by it that much, eh?

I'll have to check out the improvements though.

I tried the demo and it was one of the things that made me not buy it.

 

[SpotAnime]

When playing this initially, the bad lip sync really stood out. I remember being super impressed with the characters and environments, and thinking that they all talked like ventriloquist dummies.

This, combined with the new free Director's Commentary, makes me more inclined to play it over.

 

[Crossing Eden]

I didn't feel like the body animation was anything to write home about either most of the time. Very stiff.

Imagine what these would look like in a telltale game.

 

[LiK]

Thought this was released already. Maybe they want to improve it more? I watched a LP with the last lip sync update and it was already drastically improved.

 

[openrob]

Thats nice, although i doubt I will replay it any time soon.
Considering it's outside of the release window it is an odd thing to do (some might even call it strange... ). I mean it was one of the few gripes that reviewers had, and I don't think they will update their scores for such a little change.

But props to them.

 

[thebloo]

Imagine what these would look like in a telltale game.

 

[Frederik]

Imagine what these would look like in a telltale game.

Fair enough. I guess the actual conversation animations were a bit more rough though.

 

[Dunkley]

Oh nice, I actually thought that desync lip syncing was a bug on my end rather than a general thing.

Glad to see this improved!

 

[Crossing Eden]

Thought this was released already. Maybe they want to improve it more? I watched a LP with the last lip sync update and it was already drastically improved.

Can I get a link?

As I said, telltale was beating them in that regard, (especially their walking dead and wolf among us games) but not in terms of full character animation.

Fair enough. I guess the actual conversation animations were a bit more rough though.

They always are.

 

[Rats Off To Ya]

Awesome. The lip syncing was probably my only notable issue with the game. 2015's GOTY just got even better.

 

[LiK]

Can I get a link?

link for LP? are you a Giant Bomb premium member? just watch the LiS Playdates for Ep 4 and 5. lip sync was already great.

 

[SilentRob]

Imagine what these would look like in a telltale game.

I'm not sure what you are talking about, Tales from the Borderlands was really well animated - random gif:

Meanwhile I almost couldn't get over how stiffly animated the Pool scene in Life is Strange looked. They had no idea how to animate two people swimming(Possible Spoiler in the subtitles):

Spoiler

 

[Koeta]

Very happy to hear this, it's something that always drags me right out of the game when the lip sync is off, might have to pick this up now.

 

[Haunted]

LOL

gmod parodies get better every year

 

[ItIsOkBro]

I noticed it but it didn't bother me.

Still probably one of the greatest things to be patched in ever if it improves things and good job DontNod for working on it.

 

[LiK]

stiff animations are sometimes the result of what they were working with at the time with their engine. DontNod did pretty well for their first effort.

the earlier TT games were super stiff. I mean, just look at the Sam & Max and BTTF games. TT improved the animations for their games a lot recently but their engine still limits them to what they can do.

 

[warheat]

 

[Crossing Eden]

I'm not sure what you are talking about, Tales from the Borderlands was really well animated - random gif:

Meanwhile I almost couldn't get over how stiffly animated the Pool scene in Life is Strange looked. They had no idea how to animate two people swimming(Possible Spoiler in the subtitles):

Spoiler

That's still relatively stiff and you can tell that it was hand animated. I figure most devs dread having to animate a scene with water, (I most certainly do). I wouldn't even be surprised if they didn't mocap that at all.

Did someone make a model replacement for Chloe in that scene or is that a spoiler? I've only gotten to episode 2 due to lack of time. ._.

 

[mckmas8808]

We need video of this.

 

[Luigi87]

That's still relatively stiff and you can tell that it was hand animated. I figure most devs dread having to animate a scene with water, (I most certainly do). I wouldn't even be surprised if they didn't mocap that at all.


Did someone make a model replacement for Chloe in that scene or is that a spoiler? I've only gotten to episode 2 due to lack of time. ._.

Pretty sure that's animation + model ripped into SFM.

 

[Daria Morgendorffer]

LiS was mocapped though

 

[Frederik]

Did someone make a model replacement for Chloe in that scene or is that a spoiler? I've only gotten to episode 2 due to lack of time. ._.

I think it's a source film maker animation or something.

 

[Crossing Eden]

Pretty sure that's animation + model ripped into SFM.

I think it's a source film maker animation or something.

Oh ok.

Turns out she was just high throughout the entire thing :O

lol

 

[Frederik]

Oh ok.

Turns out she was just high throughout the entire thing :O

 

[thebloo]

As I said, telltale was beating them in that regard, (especially their walking dead and wolf among us games) but not in terms of full character animation.

I was using that as a bad example... GoT is absolutely horrid. Everytime I walked by my gf playing it, I couldn't believe it looks that bad on a PS4.

 

[Raticus79]

Bit of an aside, lip sync is more important than ever for games in VR. Noticed it in the Summer Lesson trailers. Low latency and binaural audio can't hide disconnected mouth movements.

(therefore Life is Strange VR confirmed, heh)

 

[Garrett Hawke]

I thought they patched this around ep 2?

 

[John Kowalski]

But did they fix the kiss synching.

 

[jett]

They drop this like two weeks after I finish the game. Damn.

No comparison videos yet?