Smiley's Better Voice
If you have spent any time with VarmiteYT's Verity JE, you already know how much personality a talking companion can bring to a world. But the default text-to-speech can feel flat, robotic, and a little lifeless. That is exactly where Smiley's Better Voice comes in. This add-on swaps Verity's built-in TTS for cloud-powered voices from Fish Audio and Cartesia AI, giving your companion a natural, expressive, and fully customizable way of speaking. The best part? Verity still thinks the same way. This mod only changes how he sounds.
What Smiley's Better Voice Actually Does
At its core, this is a voice replacement layer that sits on top of Verity JE. It does not replace the parent mod, and it does not rewrite Verity's AI brain. Instead, it intercepts the speech output and routes it through a provider of your choice. That means you keep all of Verity's existing behavior, memory, and dialogue while gaining a dramatically better voice.
Two providers are supported, and each one has a clear strength:
- Fish Audio (default) — Best overall quality and emotion, with rich in-line [emotion] tags that shape delivery.
- Cartesia AI — Fastest responses and tight pronunciation accuracy, ideal if you want snappy replies.
You can flip between them at any time without retyping your settings, because each provider keeps its own API key, voice, speed, and volume.
Supported Versions and Requirements
Before you download Smiley's Better Voice, make sure your setup matches the requirements. The add-on targets Minecraft 1.20.1 and runs on Forge 47+. You will also need Verity JE 6.0.0 or newer, plus the latest versions of Cloth Config and GeckoLib.
One important note: this mod does not replace Verity JE. It works alongside it, so both JARs need to be installed for anything to function.
Installing with the foxygame.net Launcher
If you would rather skip the manual file juggling, the foxygame.net launcher handles the heavy lifting for you. Its add-on catalog includes Smiley's Better Voice, so you can install it with a single click and let the launcher manage version compatibility automatically. That means fewer mismatched dependencies and more time actually talking to Verity.
How to Install Smiley's Better Voice for Minecraft
Manual installation is straightforward once you know the steps. Here is the quick-start flow using Fish Audio, which is the recommended provider.
- Drop both mod JARs (Verity JE and Smiley's Better Voice) into your mods folder, then launch Minecraft.
- Create a free account at Fish Audio and grab your API key.
- Pick a voice from the discovery page and copy its Voice or Reference ID.
- In-game, open Mods, then Smiley's Better Voice, then Config.
- Toggle Enable Smiley's Better Voice on. The TTS Provider defaults to Fish Audio.
- Open the Fish Audio tab, paste your key and voice ID, and hit Done.
- Say hello to Verity and listen to the difference.
Prefer Cartesia? Sign up, grab a key and a Voice ID, then set the TTS Provider to Cartesia and fill in the Cartesia tab instead.
Voice Mimicking and Emotion
Version 3.0 introduced one of the most surprising features: voice mimicking. With "Let Verity Mimic Your Voice" enabled, the mod captures roughly ten seconds of clean push-to-talk speech and uploads a private Fish voice model server-side. Verity then has a 1-in-20 chance to speak in your own voice during normal dialogue. Mimics are private to your Fish account, limited to one per player per world, and stored on the server for multiplayer use.
Emotion handling differs by provider. Fish Audio uses in-line [emotion] tags covering basic emotions, advanced emotions, tone markers like [whispering], audio effects like [laughing], and pauses. These tags are stripped from chat text and memory so they never clutter the HUD. Cartesia takes a different route, reading Verity's word choice, punctuation, tone, and even his facial expression to detect mood automatically.
Handy Extras
- Talk with Verity while holding him in your inventory, toggleable at will.
- Local fall sounds mean no API call when Verity takes fall damage.
- The classic throw scream uses your configured voice, not the mimic.
- Friendlier on-screen error messages when a key or voice ID is missing.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Most problems come down to configuration rather than bugs. An "Invalid API Key" error is often a Groq or Ollama key issue inside Verity JE's own config, not the TTS key, so double-check both. If Verity stays silent, confirm the add-on is enabled, text to speech is on in Verity JE, your provider tab has a valid key and voice ID, and you are online. Provider error toasts usually point to a missing key, a bad voice ID, a rate limit, or billing. Voice mimic failures include Fish's own error text, and the usual fixes are a valid key, enough credits, and about ten seconds of clear speech.
Final Thoughts
Smiley's Better Voice for Minecraft is a focused, well-built add-on that solves a very specific problem: Verity deserves a voice worth listening to. Whether you want the emotional depth of Fish Audio or the speed and accuracy of Cartesia, the setup is quick and the payoff is immediate. Just remember it is an unofficial add-on, requires an internet connection while cloud TTS is active, and depends on your provider's usage limits. Install it, pick a voice, and let Verity finally sound as alive as he acts.