Audio Language And Subtitle Settings

Desperados 3

Status: Released
Year: 2020
Genre: Strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

1. Summary

Options-screen audio configuration for Desperados III, covering text/voice language, speaker mode, volume sliders, save/load sound toggling, and subtitle choices. Language and subtitle decisions are handled through centered confirmation modals with explicit confirm/cancel actions.

Overview

The Audio settings UI is a non-diegetic Options menu for configuring written text language, keyboard language, voice/dialogue language, speaker output, volume mix levels, save/load sounds, and subtitle behavior. It uses the same dark western menu treatment as the rest of Desperados III: a left-side category list, a large central settings panel, arrowed selector boxes, slider rows, and modal dialogs for decisions that need confirmation.

Audio settings screen context with the active audio panel highlighted

The main Audio panel stacks settings as label/value rows. The screenshot shows TEXT LANGUAGE, KEYBOARD, VOICE LANGUAGE, and SPEAKER MODE as arrow-selectable values, followed by volume controls for MASTER VOLUME, MUSIC VOLUME, SFX VOLUME, and VOICE VOLUME. SAVE/LOAD SOUNDS appears as an on/off setting, and a SUBTITLES divider indicates more subtitle controls below the visible portion of the scrollable panel.

Cropped Audio settings panel with language selectors, speaker mode, volume sliders, and subtitle divider

Dialogue language selection is handled by a dedicated modal over the menu. The modal title reads Choose Dialogue Language, contains a dropdown selector, and has OK and Cancel buttons for committing or abandoning the choice.

Choose Dialogue Language modal with dropdown, OK, and Cancel buttons

Subtitle setup uses a separate confirmation modal that asks the player whether subtitles should be enabled. The choices are explicit Enable, Disable, and Cancel buttons, making subtitle preference a direct binary decision with an escape path.

Subtitle preference modal with Enable, Disable, and Cancel buttons

Job Story

When I am configuring Desperados III before or between missions, I want to adjust spoken language, subtitle behavior, speaker mode, and per-channel volume, so that dialogue and feedback are understandable and balanced for my setup.

Classification

diegesis: Non-diegetic
functional_type: Frontend shell
component_type: List/grid

Wireframe

OPTIONS SIDEBAR          OPTIONS > AUDIO
----------------        -----------------------------------------
GAMEPLAY                helper text for focused row
AUDIO [selected]         Text Language        < English >
CONTROLS                 Keyboard             < English >
VIDEO                    Voice Language       < English >
CREDITS                  Speaker Mode         < Stereo  >
RESET GAME               Master Volume        [-----100--]
                         Music Volume         [-----100--]
                         SFX Volume           [-----100--]
                         Voice Volume         [-----100--]
                         Save/Load Sounds     < On >
                         -------- SUBTITLES --------
                         scroll indicator

                         [Apply]    [Reset All]       [Back]

Modal overlay:
                 +------------------------------+
                 | Choose Dialogue Language     |
                 | [dropdown value]             |
                 | [OK]              [Cancel]   |
                 +------------------------------+

Components

Options category sidebar with AUDIO selected.
Breadcrumb/header label: OPTIONS > AUDIO.
Context help text above the active row.
Language selector rows: text language, keyboard language, voice/dialogue language.
Speaker mode selector.
Volume sliders: master, music, SFX, voice.
Save/load sounds on/off selector.
Subtitle section divider and lower scrollable subtitle settings.
Vertical scrollbar for the settings panel.
Bottom actions: APPLY, RESET ALL, BACK.
Dialogue-language modal: title, dropdown field, OK, Cancel.
Subtitle modal: explanatory prompt, Enable, Disable, Cancel.

Parameters & Audio

Parameter	Value	Type	Notes
Master volume, music volume, SFX volume, and voice volume use separate numeric slider values.	Master volume, music volume, SFX volume, and voice volume use separate numeric slider values.	Text	—
Speaker mode is selectable, with STEREO visible in the source screenshot.	Speaker mode is selectable, with STEREO visible in the source screenshot.	Text	—
Save/load sounds can be toggled independently from gameplay volume.	Save/load sounds can be toggled independently from gameplay volume.	Text	—
Dialogue language is selected via modal dropdown rather than directly in the row.	Dialogue language is selected via modal dropdown rather than directly in the row.	Text	—
UI feedback is visual-first	highlighted row text, arrowed value boxes, modal focus, and bottom action button states.	Text	—
No dedicated sound preview control is visible in the captured evidence.	No dedicated sound preview control is visible in the captured evidence.	Text	—

Dependencies & Logic

Available written-text, keyboard, and voice language values depend on the localized build and installed language packs.
Audio output modes depend on supported platform/audio device configurations.
APPLY depends on whether one or more settings have changed from the currently committed configuration.
Subtitle modal choice controls whether subtitle rendering is enabled during dialogue/cutscenes.
Volume settings feed into the game audio mixer channels for master, music, SFX, and voice playback.

BDD Scenarios

Scenario: Adjust an audio slider

Given: the player is on Options > Audio
When: the player changes the master volume slider
Then: the master volume value updates visually
And: the Apply action becomes available if the value differs from the saved setting

Scenario: Confirm dialogue language

Given: the player opens the Choose Dialogue Language modal
When: the player selects a language and confirms with OK
Then: the modal closes
And: the selected dialogue language is applied or queued for Apply according to the settings flow

Scenario: Cancel dialogue language selection

Given: the Choose Dialogue Language modal is open
When: the player activates Cancel
Then: the modal closes
And: the previous dialogue language remains unchanged

Scenario: Choose subtitle preference

Given: the subtitle prompt modal is open
When: the player chooses Enable or Disable
Then: the modal closes
And: subtitle behavior changes to the selected state

Scenario: Return from audio settings

Given: the player is on Options > Audio
When: the player activates Back
Then: the game returns to the previous Options menu level without opening a gameplay screen

Edge Cases

Language dropdown should handle long localized names without clipping the modal or overlapping buttons.
If a language pack is unavailable, the selector should not expose a broken option.
Canceling a modal must not leave partially changed language/subtitle state.
Scroll position should preserve the selected/focused row when moving into lower subtitle settings and back.
Audio sliders should clamp at valid min/max values and avoid displaying values outside the expected numeric range.
Reset All should restore audio defaults consistently across selectors, sliders, and toggles.

QA Notes

Verify all rows are keyboard/controller navigable, including left/right selector arrows and slider adjustment.
Verify APPLY, RESET ALL, and BACK state changes after modifying then canceling or confirming values.
Verify dialogue language and subtitle modals trap focus until an explicit choice is made.
Verify subtitle enable/disable affects subsequent cutscene/dialogue subtitle rendering.
Verify audio mixer channels respond independently for master, music, SFX, and voice volume.
Verify localized strings fit in row labels, dropdowns, modal titles, and buttons.

References

1.
Desperados III (L70-80 of 283)
2.
Desperados III (L114-118 of 283)
3.
Desperados III
4.
Desperados III
5.
Desperados III