Voice acting.

[Helpful]

Will the game have actor's voices for certain characters, or will it entirely be text based?
For example, when a pirate king arrives to destroy everything, would he announce his hatred for you as he charges your camp.

Also, does it need it?

I'd love to do some voice acting, and would happily do it for free if you thought it was appropriate for the game.

Will

[Tynan]

This actually falls under Alistair's purview more than mine. But he doesn't hang around on forums much

Anyway, no, probably not. There's too much to say to voice it all; we're leaving the communications as abstracted as possible to let players imagine the interactions instead of telling you what's being said.

[Helpful]

Yeah that makes perfect sense.

I got through the first 9 final fantasies without it. It's not necessary!

Will

[ElcomeSoft]

It would be cool if there were some voice over pieces from say the leader of a raider group when they have initiated their attack or when they are retreating. Maybe some voice over for completing a piece of research or a mental breakdown, basically for big or uncommon events where a little bit of flavour, immersion or humour may be added.

That's about all I can think of right now.

Not a necessity but they may add a nice flourish to the game.

[British]

To each his own, as usual

To me the game is immersive enough already (if not too much !), so much that I don't feel voices would bring anything useful.
They might even actually break the immersion...

[Darthaidan]

I prefer just to listen to the voices in my head... it make me feel much more sane .

[Kelfka]

If your going to have some voices in a game you better do it right or it can be disastrous. So that means finding good voice actors and a quality studio. And that cost $$$$$. Right now I would rather see the funds turned towards more content rather than flavor.

At most, I would see voice acting in the intro video. If there will be one. 

[MrDemonic]

There could be just basic voices perhaps. Similar to how units in an RTS respond to you ordering them about.

Clicking on them:
"Hello!"
"Greetings"
"What do you want now?"
"What?"
"Leave me alone..."
"What now?"

Ordering them to do something:
"Will do"
"Yes"
"On my way"
"I'll get it done"
"I'll try my best"
"Let's do this"
"Not possible"
"Nope"
"Not going to happen"

Telling someone to construct:
"Can I build it? Yes I can!" - Someone with high construction skill.
"Hope this fall apart like last time..." - Someone with low construction skill.

Telling someone to clear up bodies:
"Oh...well I guess it has to be done..."
"I threw up last time I did this..."
"Ugh disgusting..."
"Didn't have to end like this"

Or other variations, though I understand it will take a while to do something like that correctly (needing different gender voices so they don't all sound the same and such) and you'd most likely need to do all kinds of different lines relating to all the different tasks that can be done in RimWorld. But it seems like it could add to the game.
Though having no voice acting in the game would work perfectly as well!

[salt1219]

There could be just basic voices perhaps. Similar to how units in an RTS respond to you ordering them about.

Clicking on them:
"Hello!"
"Greetings"
"What do you want now?"
"What?"
"Leave me alone..."
"What now?"

Ordering them to do something:
"Will do"
"Yes"
"On my way"
"I'll get it done"
"I'll try my best"
"Let's do this"
"Not possible"
"Nope"
"Not going to happen"

Telling someone to construct:
"Can I build it? Yes I can!" - Someone with high construction skill.
"Hope this fall apart like last time..." - Someone with low construction skill.

Telling someone to clear up bodies:
"Oh...well I guess it has to be done..."
"I threw up last time I did this..."
"Ugh disgusting..."
"Didn't have to end like this"

Or other variations, though I understand it will take a while to do something like that correctly (needing different gender voices so they don't all sound the same and such) and you'd most likely need to do all kinds of different lines relating to all the different tasks that can be done in RimWorld. But it seems like it could add to the game.
Though having no voice acting in the game would work perfectly as well!

and you never found this annoying in other games?  it quickly got repetitive and whenever possible i disabled or turned off the sounds.

if it was something that you seldom heard i think it would be kind of cool.  i think the problem i have had with it in the past is it was always playing too often.   maybe 10% chance?

[Voltronguy]

i hope there r sounds liek screams of horror, pain, laughs n stuff... wouldnt be nice to be silent all the time! soundsense for dwarf fortress is funny! every1 is so loud and screamin haha!!

[daft73]

For me voice acting is better suited for single character interaction games. The games in which we live vicariously through their actions, in these cases the voice acting brings you closer to the world creating a better atmosphere.

Strategy games really less on interpersonal relationships, and are more-so about situations and moments you deal with. In my early gaming days games like Warcraft(strategy game not the MMO), Age of Empires, or other similar type strategy games you heard alot of "OK", "I can't do that", and so on. At first they seem harmless till the 1,000 time then well repetition set in, possibly followed by irritation, sound altering ect. 

It might be better for a "Sims" style.."Nogflug Hiega boon"..nonsensical type voice acting, obviously with a "Rimworld" sense to it.

[MrDemonic]

and you never found this annoying in other games?  it quickly got repetitive and whenever possible i disabled or turned off the sounds.

if it was something that you seldom heard i think it would be kind of cool.  i think the problem i have had with it in the past is it was always playing too often.   maybe 10% chance?

Not annoying when they are done like this
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9mwJaQCf6to

[staffy50]

"Dozer here"

[TankaaKumawani]

Yeah, I think a mix of Simlish and what they did with the robot voices in Berzerk might be good here.  We rely on gibberish from a few batches of male and female voice clips, but play it back at different rates and pitches for each individual.  It might be distracting, though.

Meek Technician:  "Arglebargle..."  Miffed Bourgeois:  "Argle. bargle."  Angry Raider:  "Arglebargle!"  Frothing Madman:  "ARGLEBARGLE!!!!!"

[Thubin]

If Ty plans on doing any "cut scenes" I think they should have some sort of voice acting. For example, the one potential endgame where you build the rocket and escape could be something like:

[Image of rocket shooting across the sky]
Morgan Freeman-esq Voice: "And so the poor castaways overcame hunger, cold, mental strife, and the violence of lawlessness to escape their rocky prison... and once again rejoin the heavens from whence they came"

...Or something like that.