VA users; w/ HCS or w/out? Eden or Astra?

[ThriveInDark]

Hey guys, just looking for a little insight from prolonged users. I'm using a gamepad (elite controller) and just ported over to PC so it is great having all these extra tools/buttons. I bought VA, figured that was a no brainer. I'm actually pretty sold on the HCS content as well, because they are simply very well done I feel. I like that they include the more complex scripts like docking and markets etc. Does anyone have reasons why I shouldn't go with HCS or anything glaring? All I seem to hear is good.

Now for HCS users potentially who have both Eden and Astra, I know it is opinion but do either get more annoying than the other, or provide functionality the other lacks? Astra seems to have a wider list of datasets(GalaXapedia and all) on the website. I am leaning toward Eden just because of her personality though.

 

[MarkAusten]

Hey guys, just looking for a little insight from prolonged users. I'm using a gamepad (elite controller) and just ported over to PC so it is great having all these extra tools/buttons. I bought VA, figured that was a no brainer. I'm actually pretty sold on the HCS content as well, because they are simply very well done I feel. I like that they include the more complex scripts like docking and markets etc. Does anyone have reasons why I shouldn't go with HCS or anything glaring? All I seem to hear is good.

Now for HCS users potentially who have both Eden and Astra, I know it is opinion but do either get more annoying than the other, or provide functionality the other lacks? Astra seems to have a wider list of datasets(GalaXapedia and all) on the website. I am leaning toward Eden just because of her personality though.

I also started with an HCS pack, ASTRA, and since then I also bought a couple of others but not to use but to support HCS in their development.

However, I no longer use any of the HCS packs for the simple reason that I added so many additional things that had to be in the default computer voice that I had more non-HCS scripts than HCS script and having two computer voices was driving me nuts.

So, if you don't want to mess round with VA scripts yourself and are content with the excellent HCS profiles, then the HCS voice packs are great. However, if you also want to include your own scripts and things you may well find, as I did, that having two different voices is off putting.

 

[ThriveInDark]

I also started with an HCS pack, ASTRA, and since then I also bought a couple of others but not to use but to support HCS in their development.

However, I no longer use any of the HCS packs for the simple reason that I added so many additional things that had to be in the default computer voice that I had more non-HCS scripts than HCS script and having two computer voices was driving me nuts.

So, if you don't want to mess round with VA scripts yourself and are content with the excellent HCS profiles, then the HCS voice packs are great. However, if you also want to include your own scripts and things you may well find, as I did, that having two different voices is off putting.

This is mostly what I was thinking. I would basically want to try and turn off the ship computer and just the HCS voice, which I think you can do in settings. I don't really want to get into VA scripts right now, rather be as plug n play as possible but that isn't to say I won't in the future. Lemme ask you this, what did you end up adding in that HCS did not have? Can you give me a couple examples? They might apply to me...

 

[CAPT. Ho Chi Minge]

i was looking at possibly picking up a copy of VA and some HCS packs but how interactive is it when i am not? , what i mean is if i dont talk into a mic or anything will it still be active and informative about places im jumping too and random chatter etc?. as i dont really fancy talking to my pc and the wife giving me funny looks like im cheating on her with my ship.

 

[Flimley]

I have heard Eden but I much prefer Astra for her smoother voice.
And as one of HSC's first voice packs she tends to see updates first. So Astra is my personal first choice.

Flimley

 

[Flimley]

i was looking at possibly picking up a copy of VA and some HCS packs but how interactive is it when i am not? , what i mean is if i dont talk into a mic or anything will it still be active and informative about places im jumping too and random chatter etc?. as i dont really fancy talking to my pc and the wife giving me funny looks like im cheating on her with my ship.

Astra does have an "interactive mode" and when activated will, from time to time share interesting information.
In addition to this she also has an "invoke on/off mode" where she will for instance ask, or, preempt certain actions like 'do you want the landing gear down' when you dock your ship.
Flimley

 

[NW3]

i was looking at possibly picking up a copy of VA and some HCS packs but how interactive is it when i am not? , what i mean is if i dont talk into a mic or anything will it still be active and informative about places im jumping too and random chatter etc?. as i dont really fancy talking to my pc and the wife giving me funny looks like im cheating on her with my ship.

I use the Obsidian Voice Pack. Since I watch a lot of Obsidian Ant videos, it's not jarring to hear his voice. You could also use the Verity voice pack, which is performed by the same woman who voiced the ED computer.

 

[Marklar_]

I like Eden, she's so adorable

 

[ThriveInDark]

I like Eden, she's so adorable

Yeah she seems cheeky, and I dig the somewhat different accent she has

 

[MarkAusten]

This is mostly what I was thinking. I would basically want to try and turn off the ship computer and just the HCS voice, which I think you can do in settings. I don't really want to get into VA scripts right now, rather be as plug n play as possible but that isn't to say I won't in the future. Lemme ask you this, what did you end up adding in that HCS did not have? Can you give me a couple examples? They might apply to me...

I have tried to add a minimum of 10 responses to each VA action along with option suffixes such as commander, captain, skipper, sir so that the AI sounds a little more realistic. So if I order the navigation panel open then I may get 'Nav panel displayed, commander' or 'Navigation panel open, captain' or any one of the 10 base reposes with five suffixes were no suffice is one of the five. This means that many of my responses are in the default computer voice instead of the HCS voice and therein my problem.

i was looking at possibly picking up a copy of VA and some HCS packs but how interactive is it when i am not? , what i mean is if i dont talk into a mic or anything will it still be active and informative about places im jumping too and random chatter etc?. as i dont really fancy talking to my pc and the wife giving me funny looks like im cheating on her with my ship.

In that case you would need to add the free EDDI plugin to VA which make it more interactive. VA by itself only responds to voice commands or control inputs with a few (very few) other audio commands that make it look like VA is interactive occasionally.

 

[ThriveInDark]

I have tried to add a minimum of 10 responses to each VA action along with option suffixes such as commander, captain, skipper, sir so that the AI sounds a little more realistic. So if I order the navigation panel open then I may get 'Nav panel displayed, commander' or 'Navigation panel open, captain' or any one of the 10 base reposes with five suffixes were no suffice is one of the five. This means that many of my responses are in the default computer voice instead of the HCS voice and therein my problem.

Ok so if I'm reading this right, what you added was more to do with variation and interaction than it was adding functions you found lacking/missing, am I correct? I can confirm that you can turn off the default ship computer responses, but still have VA access it and execute commands of course, if you are willing to sacrifice Verity.

 

[Connolly91]

I also started with an HCS pack, ASTRA, and since then I also bought a couple of others but not to use but to support HCS in their development.

However, I no longer use any of the HCS packs for the simple reason that I added so many additional things that had to be in the default computer voice that I had more non-HCS scripts than HCS script and having two computer voices was driving me nuts.

So, if you don't want to mess round with VA scripts yourself and are content with the excellent HCS profiles, then the HCS voice packs are great. However, if you also want to include your own scripts and things you may well find, as I did, that having two different voices is off putting.

Just in case you're not aware, the HCS packs have all the sound responses in a folder. So you can quite easily use your own VA scripts and commands and have them use HCS sounds, to avoid having two different computer voices.

 

[Peter Thompson]

I use Orion personally, but from those two Eden is my favorite. Love her accent.

 

[MarkAusten]

Ok so if I'm reading this right, what you added was more to do with variation and interaction than it was adding functions you found lacking/missing, am I correct? I can confirm that you can turn off the default ship computer responses, but still have VA access it and execute commands of course, if you are willing to sacrifice Verity.

The majority of what I added was variation but there were a few additional functions that I added that were not available in the HCS pack that I bought originally (3 years ago). The packs may well have added functionality since that I would have used.

 

[MarkAusten]

Just in case you're not aware, the HCS packs have all the sound responses in a folder. So you can quite easily use your own VA scripts and commands and have them use HCS sounds, to avoid having two different computer voices.

I was aware of this, thank you, and used many of the responses when I was creating the additional features and variety, but I quickly went beyond what was then available and eventually went back to the computer voice instead father HCS pack. Which is a shame since the ASTRA voice beat the computer British voice hands down.

 

[CAPT. Ho Chi Minge]

I have tried to add a minimum of 10 responses to each VA action along with option suffixes such as commander, captain, skipper, sir so that the AI sounds a little more realistic. So if I order the navigation panel open then I may get 'Nav panel displayed, commander' or 'Navigation panel open, captain' or any one of the 10 base reposes with five suffixes were no suffice is one of the five. This means that many of my responses are in the default computer voice instead of the HCS voice and therein my problem.



In that case you would need to add the free EDDI plugin to VA which make it more interactive. VA by itself only responds to voice commands or control inputs with a few (very few) other audio commands that make it look like VA is interactive occasionally.

Thanks for the suggestion, i shelled out for VA and Astra and while i am impressed with the polish and the job the guys have done on putting it together for me it isnt as interactive as i would have imagined without inputs from myself. I cobbled togethe a couple of commands myself and was pleased with the results but would love it if it was a bit more inferactive without having to give it commanda to do so.

I have next week off work , starting on the 7th and will be installing the EDDI plugin for some thorough testing but from what ive seen its exactly the kind of thing im lookjng for, do the guys at HCS plan on doing something similar or in the works?.

 

[MarkAusten]

Thanks for the suggestion, i shelled out for VA and Astra and while i am impressed with the polish and the job the guys have done on putting it together for me it isnt as interactive as i would have imagined without inputs from myself. I cobbled togethe a couple of commands myself and was pleased with the results but would love it if it was a bit more inferactive without having to give it commanda to do so.

I have next week off work , starting on the 7th and will be installing the EDDI plugin for some thorough testing but from what ive seen its exactly the kind of thing im lookjng for, do the guys at HCS plan on doing something similar or in the works?.

Use of EDDI is anther reason why I stopped using the HCS voice packs. There are a large number of audio outputs from the EDDI plugin and these are all in the computer voice. That isn't to say that you could not rewrite them all to use the HCS voices but I doubt that you would be able to change them all.

However, since the folks at HCS now have a journal reader VA plugin and can therefore respond to events in the same way that EDDI does, it is possible for them to expand their voice packs to include interactive responses. Whether or not they do so, however, is a business decision that they will need to make for themselves.