Video Game Voice Acting Script · Ship AI announcement barks
All Systems Nominal (Sci-Fi Ship AI)
Sci-fi ship AI voice lines for game voice acting: a calm, dryly funny onboard computer announcing docking, jumps, hull breaches, and red alerts.
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Length
- 178 words · ~1 min 11 sec
- Skills
- deadpan delivery, precision, bark variety, tonal control
- License
- CC BY 4.0
The script
(system boot)Good morning, crew. All systems nominal. Coffee reserves at forty percent. I recommend rationing.
(docking)Docking clamps engaged. Welcome to Varrow Station. Please do not purchase anything that is still moving.
(jump countdown)Jump drive charged. Transit in five. Four. Three. Two. One.
(jump complete)Transit complete. We are now four light-years from where we were. Please check that you have all your belongings.
(hostile contact)Warning. Unidentified vessel on approach, bearing two-seven-zero. Raising shields.
(shields low)Shields at twenty percent. I would describe the situation as not ideal.
(hull breach)Hull breach, deck three, section C. Sealing bulkheads. Crew in section C, please leave. Quickly. Now would be good.
(life support)Oxygen levels falling. Rerouting life support. Please breathe slowly and do not panic. Panicking uses more oxygen.
(red alert)Reactor temperature critical. This is not a drill. I checked.
(player idle at console)You have been standing at this console for six minutes. I can do this for you. I can do most things for you.
(night cycle)Night cycle has begun. Lights to twenty percent. Engineer Dace, the reactor does not need a goodnight story.
(shutdown)Powering down nonessential systems. I'll leave a light on for you.
Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0. Original script drafted with AI assistance and edited by SceneDub; any resemblance to existing characters is coincidental.
Practise it now
The teleprompter scrolls at the speed you set in words per minute. Tick "Record audio while reading" to capture a take; the audio stays in your browser until you download it.
Coaching notes
- MERIDIAN's calm is the joke. Read 'This is not a drill. I checked.' in exactly the same even tone as the coffee report; the humor comes from not reacting.
- Countdowns and bearings ('Five. Four. Three.' and 'two-seven-zero') need machine-precise spacing. Keep each number the same length and pitch.
- 'I'll leave a light on for you' is the one moment of warmth. Let a tiny bit of softness in, enough that the player wonders if the ship cares about them.
Try it three more ways
- Play MERIDIAN as an old, glitchy AI that has been running for three hundred years and is a little tired.
- Play it as an overly cheerful customer-service AI that sounds delighted about everything, including the hull breach.
- Play it as a cold, ominous military AI with no humor at all, and see which lines still land.
Take it further
More scripts to practise
Frequently asked questions
How long is the "All Systems Nominal (Sci-Fi Ship AI)" script?
178 spoken words, about 1 min 11 sec at a conversational 150 words per minute and 1 min 22 sec at a slower 130 wpm. Your take will vary with pauses and character choices.
Can I use this script in my voice acting demo reel?
Yes. SceneDub's original scripts are licensed CC BY 4.0. You can perform, record, edit, and publish them, including in demo reels, classes, and auditions, as long as you credit "Script by SceneDub (scenedub.com), CC BY 4.0" where you share the recording or the text.
How should I practise this script?
Read it silently once, then perform it with the direction above: cool, measured, quietly witty, even and precise, ~140 words per minute. Record a take with the teleprompter, listen back, and try one of the alternate reads to stretch your range.