Today marks the 20th anniversary of Return to Castle Wolfenstein's Linux release (which occured on March 16, 2002), so let's celebrate it with an exclusive Q&A interview with some of the very talented voice actors involved in Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Single-Player & Cooperative's development: Vynn, Matthew Champion, CthePredatorG and BobbyWanKenobi - voices of Agent Two, Waters, McDermott and Ramirez, respectively. Not everyone could make it in, so you may expect a separate Q&A interview soon.
An important statement is also included at the end of this article, which I invite you to read.
*The following answers were collected during the December 2021 - February 2022 period.
Please, introduce yourself (background, previous projects, etc...)
Vynn: Hey, my name is Anne. Beside the boring typical day jazz we're all used to I have a background in some hobbyist web design, tarot card reading, voice acting and currently dabbling in small game dev projects on the side. I've worked on some projects as a meditation lead for a small company, typically I lend my voice for game mods and small jobs. The latest being a demo towards a romance visual novel.
Matthew Champion: Hello, My name is Matthew Champion, I also go by Matto-Za-Kyatto or Blazeris The Cat. I do not live in Japan (i wish i did) but wanted to study Japanese and German. I always have had a thing for voice acting, this includes voicing in my videos, other projects that are not made by me [even if it was canceled], and a few more. I even originally was gonna voice Solid Snake in a Metal Gear 1 and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. That was going to use Source Engine [More so Alien Swarm mechanic]. But due to Konami's cancel sprees have put that and a few other projects having their plug pulled on. I still like and wanted to do more voice acting considering that it's something i feel enjoy doing since I enjoy good acting and putting energy into acting itself I can do a pretty good Solid Snake/Big Bosss impression, Ask William. he knows~ And since Metal Gear fanmades were canceled even before development took place, this dosent count for my previous projects. [Would be REALLY cool for actually having another Metal Gear project and not be canceled...]
CthePredatorG: Hi there! I’m Cade Gober, A.K.A. “CthePredatorG”. I’m a voice actor by trade, and for hobbies, I’m a hardcore gamer, audiophile, and yo-yoist.
BobbyWanKenobi: Hello, I go by BobbyWanKenobi and I am from Czech Republic. I have a YouTube channel and Twitch where I make videos for fun. Aside from making and creating voice overs for my videos I started to look into voice acting on moddb mainly. I already worked on the mod The End of Days for Command and Conquer Generals, where I voiced many units from all the game's factions.
How did you come to work on the project? How did you find out about it?
Vynn: Once finding the listing for a character on Casting Call Club I just had to go for it. It was a character involved in a position I'd never played before and had hoped to have a lot of fun with the position should I obtain it. As a result it definitely lived up to the enjoyment factor and granted a lot of experience on top, this being thanks to the free reign given with the character.
Matthew Champion: I have found out about Enemy Territory Single-Player during my searching around RealRTCW's Steam Discussion page, saw William's request of looking for voice acting, Of course knowing myself, i was pretty shy at going up to people and trying to push myself into trying out something that i enjoyed hearing in most video games i have played over the years. But i am glad to have made the desicison to reply to William about voice acting and here i am answering these Q&A's
CthePredatorG: I’ve been a PC gamer since receiving my first laptop in 2011, and it wasn’t long until I discovered the world of modding. The first website I downloaded mods from was ModDB, and it continues to be one of my main sources. Back in June, I was browsing my updates and came across an article about the mod. When I saw it was offering open auditions, I didn’t hesitate. I immediately filled out the form and sent my demo reel along with it!
BobbyWanKenobi: I've been following Dark Army mod on ModDB ever since I played it and William posted an "ad" there.
What do you think of the character(s) you voice acted?
Vynn: Agent Two is a very strong willed character and in the face of adversity, she simply stares at it and attacks with all her might. Her personality was very fun to attempt to tap into and go with what I would expect of a person in her position. She is a character type I would gladly voice again.
Matthew Champion: Being Waters was a pretty cool experience both voice acting and getting that feel for him while i voice act, It felt like the idea of being Waters was a perfect role character for me considering that i'm pretty new to this whole voice acting scene, and pushing himself to and help BJ. Even if it meant driving that tank :P and as i mentioned earlier that i pushed myself to go up to William, at first I was nervous and thought i couldn't do it. but here i am~
CthePredatorG: I am the voice of Lt. McDermott, a World War I veteran returning to active duty in World War II. As one of my first truly unique characters, I’ll be holding on to him for a long time.
BobbyWanKenobi: He seems a lot mature than I am.
Have you ever played any Wolfenstein game before?
Vynn (Agent Two): I played Wolfenstein 3D and Castle Wolfenstein years ago before moving on to play Return of Castle Wolfenstein just recently. All are incredibly fun games, though RtCW I find to be far more challenging. Return to Castle Wolfenstein has thrown in some twists and turns that I didn't expect as well but these never really took me out of the world, it's been incredibly well crafted.
Matthew Champion: Yes, Not in specific order but I have played Return To Castle: Wolfenstein way more often than any other Wolfenstein games released. But all of the Wolfensteins are good in their own way, RTCW just has a special place in my heart that will forever be the best Wolfenstein in history. Enemy Territory while having more multiplayer content than RTCW. i still enjoy them both equally, with RTCW beating first for my love on the series. That being said all of the other Wolfensteins i have played and enjoyed them too, i even tried to play Wolfenstein 3D, and despite being bad and noob levels. i still had pretty fun experience with someone i didnt grow up on but appreciate for what its I guess the only Wolfenstein i have never played in my life would be Wolfenstein 2009
CthePredatorG: My first experiences with any Id Software games were the iOS ports of Wolfenstein 3D & Doom on my 2nd or 3rd Generation iPod Touch. Since then, I’ve basically explored everything Id Tech related, from 1 to 7, GoldSource to Source, IW to BO, Void to STEM.
BobbyWanKenobi: I have played every Wolf game since Return to Castle Wolfenstein.
What do you think about the mod? Have you played it yet?
Vynn: Currently I am going through the mod and having a lot of fun with it. I've noticed some line deliveries that could have been improved on my part so I am taking this as a learning experience from which to build upon. Otherwise everyone else has been fantastic to listen to and the mod itself a blast to run through so far. As admirably challenging as the original game's campaign.
Matthew Champion: I honestly thought that the mod was gonna be one of the top picks to try and play, Even as far as to give people the idea or image of what actually could've been the campaign of ET. and hell, i was right. even i'm into the idea of seeing how well this mod has interested alot of people It was alot shorter than i thought, i honestly thought it'd be a pretty medium length with all the voice acting i've seen on the script, but i still have personally enjoyed playing through it from beginning to end, and I still liked it even at the end~ Eventually i'll give it another run and play it again conisdering it's short but really fun campaign that William has given us~ I don't think i'll ever do a speedrun of this mod or even RTCW altogether, I guess i'm just too happy with seeing every mods and it's well done effort to make games like this a pretty well made mod~ guess i just like to take my time and beat through it
CthePredatorG: From the sound design to the graphics, I’m very impressed by the amount of detail put into it. Hideo Kojima may disagree, but it’s a work of art (LoL)! As for playing it, I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty tough. I’m still on “Siwa Oasis”. I’ll get back to you when I’ve finished the rest.
BobbyWanKenobi: I played through it on my stream. I had quite a lot of fun, but honestly, that Fuel Depot mission needs some serious tweaking. The stealth was driving me insane and I did not manage to finish Part 2, because I was getting constantly spotted. Another point, the number of dynamites could be expanded so you have a few spare ones, once I planted a dynamite on a wall in the Oasis second level and it didn't blew it up. I had to go search for more to get all the Command Stations. But I think they respawn after use now? Still, there could be one or two more than you actually need to be safe.
What was the biggest difficulty you encountered during the recording sessions?
Vynn: The biggest difficult involved would have been trying to tap into Agent Two's personality as she has been far different than most I've attempted to voice thus far. An individual on the battlefield isn't an easy task to imagine but has been a fun hurdle to try and overcome in this context.
Matthew Champion: It's questions like this that always has got me thinking while i do these voice recordings, and i know that voice acting on a video game on certain aim is not as easy as i think it is. sometimes you gotta act it out and try your best peformance as to what you think and feel is comfortable, And during these recordings. The most difficult I defiently would say was after Waters trying to argue with McDermott, not knowing how to pilot a German Tank. I took so many recordings and tries to try and not mess up, but i guess this is expected from someone who has ever done a full and complete voice acting at anything, even mod related. but i'm still glad from the results after i found a perfect tone.
CthePredatorG: There were two difficulties, and both were on par with “I AM DEATH INCARNATE”. The first one was making sure I didn’t overdo it on the lines. This was particularly tough for me as a perfectionist because, as it implies, I want it all to come out perfect. Sadly, there’s no such thing, so it was, and still is a struggle. But just because a line didn’t come out the way I wanted didn’t mean it was unusable. William has been impressed with almost every take I’ve sent him. For that, I am thankful. The second one was juggling recording & my full-time job. It’s a bit more complicated than that, but I won’t go into details.
BobbyWanKenobi: I only had the lines and not much context, so I had to guess the appropriate tone. But from playing the mod, I think it all went well.
Speaking of which, how do you usually proceed with recording sessions?
Vynn: Usually you will find me impersonating a grand wizard like a crazy person in my office chair, placing a blanket around my head and microphone with all lines on the screen of my phone, Audacity then does a fine job of picking up all of the lines from my PC.
Matthew Champion: I usually do different takes and different tones of the said script of lines i do for Waters, As previously mentioned that Tank lines i had to take multiple takes and pick the one i was more satisfied with, And ones that i wasn't so happy with but improved on it as i keep going with the lines i was given, I'm not gonna lie that it took over 5 tries or more to get just the tone right and the satisfaction i was looking for. and im glad William likes them too. I even was debating on giving Waters a red-neck Cowboy Western accent, but i wanted this first time voice acting experience to be my best peformance, that I could do with confidence, And seeing that Waters wouldn't be that type to be a farm boy, he sure can be full american~
CthePredatorG: After I’ve settled myself inside the booth and picked a script, I read through it 3-5 times to get the words down. Then I start developing the scene/scenario. Finally, after all the preparation, I start recording.
BobbyWanKenobi: Well, either my first take is good, or my seventh take is good. There is no in-between. In all seriousness, after reading the lines I try a few different voices or tones that would suit the best given the instructions. If I don't like any of them I try again after an hour or so. Sometimes you just need to throw it all away and start from the beginning.
Do you have any voice acting tips?
Vynn: As I'm only a learning hobbyist personally, there isn't much to part with. The greatest thing so far is to keep a glass of water at the ready or a nice warm beverage of your choosing to ease your throat for longer recording sessions.
Matthew Champion: When you voice act, always do your best peformance, Think of it as you're acting in a movie, like you're actually there as a actor. Put your energy and gesture into your voice acting, it defiently helps make you have that feel for the part. Give the feel like you belong as that character you were chosen to voice, then it'd make voice acting that much more fun and satisfying to do.
CthePredatorG: As I mentioned earlier, overdoing a line or expecting perfection throughout can be a deadly trap to fall into. Just give it your all and submit what you have. Even if it’s not perfect, it may be exactly what they’re looking for!
BobbyWanKenobi: Take breaks. Don't do it all in one go. After a while your own voice will get stuck in your head and you will sound weird to yourself.
What are you future (voice acting) plans?
Vynn: At the moment I will be settling down for the holidays with no roles in store. After the new year I plan to pick things back up by searching for new projects to hopefully be a part of. It's a fantastic hobby to have and brings a lot of joy.
Matthew Champion: Just like with William, I wanna try to push myself to do more voice acting for future projects for not only Dark Matter Productions, But every other projects out there that wait for a voice actor to come in, do voice recordings and show what I can do, Love both speaking and hearing voice acting. It must feel nice to be a pro at voice acting at more famous video game franchises and not be so nervous infront of alot of people. It's that kind of feeling i wouldn't mind trying to get at, be more reconized and be in games, mods and more~
CthePredatorG: Currently, I’m intent on building my resume with whatever I can get. In the future, however, I hope to be dubbing anime or doing more voice over work for video games.
BobbyWanKenobi: Do more mods and perhaps move to something bigger. I recently had the chance to voice a character in a big mod, but I wasn't good enough. It happens. What I also want to do is to do the videos "Scene from a game, but all characters are voiced by me." That seems like a lot of fun.
Are you willing to collaborate with Dark Matter Productions again in the future?
Vynn: Absolutely. Dark Matter Productions have been an absolute pleasure to work with, the group are very courteous and professional in their operations. I couldn't have asked for a better team to work with.
Matthew Champion: Yes I am, I am part of the team and looking forward to more future projects from William and the rest of the crew. i'm happy to be a part of the team, RealRTCW community, and just RTCW and ET fans who just enjoys shooting Nazis and having a good time. And most importantly, Voice acting, The thing i'm learning slowly with but enjoying it :P
CthePredatorG: Yes, indeed! It was fun working with them, and I learned about myself during development.
BobbyWanKenobi: Yes!
Any closing words?
Vynn: I would simply like to thank Dark Matter Productions for this opportunity, the community for keeping this wonderful game alive.
Matthew Champion: Thank you so much William for allowing me in your ET project [Even future coming projects], Your input has given me full covidence that my effort pleases not only you but to myself. And i still look forward to more projects along the way~ And thanK you [Yes. that means you] for playing the ET campaign and giving feedback to William~ He has worked his ass off to give his best effort to make a wonderful mod, Go play it now! (if you haven't yet)
CthePredatorG: I hope you enjoy the mod as much as we enjoyed working on it! Good luck, have fun!
BobbyWanKenobi: Not really. I think I've said all there is to say. Voicing Ramirez, or an actual named character, was fun. I hope to do more of that in the future.
It's already been almost 4 months since the release of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Single-Player & Cooperative, so I hope you enjoyed this overdue first interview of the mod's incredibly talented cast.
Remember to stay tuned for more news in the nearby future regarding the mod. 😉
Before I conclude this article, I would like to comment on what is happening in the world right now. I don't usually do this, as you know (since I believe it's not my role, simply), but I strongly feel this is not possible not to, this time. As you likely know, the core of the modding community of Return to Castle Wolfenstein is made of talented Ukrainian and Russian mappers and modders. For example, some of the best mods - classics, such as Vendetta, Devil's Manor... were created by our very own Yo$hik, notably, who is from Ukraine.
Ukrainian and Russian mappers and modders and their projects coexist in harmony in our community, and are also at times codependent: for example, Yo$hik's Vendetta 2, Ukrainian mod, wouldn't have been released without WolfETPlayer's RealRTCW, Russian remaster, which Yo$hik contributed to many times, on the other hand. When this kind of relationship exists so close to me and the community in which I am deeply involved, it just saddens me to see what's happening in the real world right now.
If we don't end war, war will end us. Such is the motto of my first mod, The Dark Army: Uprising, and a quote from English writer H.G. Wells. And I believe in every of these words. I strive for world peace to be achieved, and as such my thoughts and prayers are with Ukraine in these times of conflict. 🙏
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Single-Player is available on Steam for RealRTCW (Windows), and Mod DB on for Return to Castle Wolfenstein/iortcw (Windows, Mac and Linux), RealRTCW (Windows), RTCW4A/RTCW-Touch (Android), vitaRTCW (PlayStation Vita) and RTCWQuest (VR).
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory Cooperative is available on Steam for RealRTCWCoop (Windows), and Mod DB for RTCWCoop (Windows, Mac and Linux) and RealRTCWCoop (Windows).
Well I guess it is true what they say about Eastern European personality, since we keep it very short and to the point. My high school teacher kept drilling in our heads that 'less is more'.
But if I knew my co-stars were such eloquent people, I would add a bit of flavour to my answers as well.
Other than that, it was a really fun mod, despite what my answers might seem. I played through it and I enjoyed it, but there are some things that need to be worked at, so that was just some of my constructive criticisms.
I played a LOT of custom mods and mappacks for RtCW and yours was definitely at the top when it comes to the production quality. It needs some more tweaking and it will be amazing.
I liked being Ramirez and I am looking forward to our future collaborations. ... :) Maybe I get to a bad guy for a change...