Forums » Suggestions
Well, this may very well be thread necromancy (I couldn't find another one like this, if it exists)... but I'm going to resurrect it anyways!
Ship engine sounds!!! Wouldn't it be great if the hum of the ship's drive reflected what kind of ship you were flying? I know there's a difference as it is now, but not much of one. It seems to just be frequency. Lets say an 'older' ship like the Behemoth would have a really deep, slow, powerful pulse to it... one that almost makes the cockpit shake because of it... and the Itani Valk would have a much quieter and smooth - even a very strange/different sounding engine to it. The vulture would perhaps have almost a high-pitched 'scream' to it. Observers would beep rythmatically as they float past you... Etc. etc. you get the point.
The sounds for most other things are really great (signs, missiles, etc...) But a little variation would be nice. It's been suggested - some kind of sound for a warp in-system, and a different one for a wormhole jump. Probably nothing sharp, loud or annoying, but something pleasingly hypnotic. Different explosion sounds/effects would be nice too.... like a crackling effect, or a really low-pitched implosion bass sound (but the explosion itself would probably have to be different too - that would probably just be for larger ships - somewhat similar to Jenga Fett's sonic destructo roid splitter thing that he uses when he's chasing down Obi-Wan in EpII, with less treble). Observers would beep rythmatically as they float past you... Etc. etc. etc.
Games aren't all about graphics and gameplay. A really really great game emulates all the great things about life. Awesome music, stunning sound effects, awesome visuals, good storyline/dialogue/acting, etc. It would boost the feel of the game by a significant amount if some more/modulated sounds were added in.
Ship engine sounds!!! Wouldn't it be great if the hum of the ship's drive reflected what kind of ship you were flying? I know there's a difference as it is now, but not much of one. It seems to just be frequency. Lets say an 'older' ship like the Behemoth would have a really deep, slow, powerful pulse to it... one that almost makes the cockpit shake because of it... and the Itani Valk would have a much quieter and smooth - even a very strange/different sounding engine to it. The vulture would perhaps have almost a high-pitched 'scream' to it. Observers would beep rythmatically as they float past you... Etc. etc. you get the point.
The sounds for most other things are really great (signs, missiles, etc...) But a little variation would be nice. It's been suggested - some kind of sound for a warp in-system, and a different one for a wormhole jump. Probably nothing sharp, loud or annoying, but something pleasingly hypnotic. Different explosion sounds/effects would be nice too.... like a crackling effect, or a really low-pitched implosion bass sound (but the explosion itself would probably have to be different too - that would probably just be for larger ships - somewhat similar to Jenga Fett's sonic destructo roid splitter thing that he uses when he's chasing down Obi-Wan in EpII, with less treble). Observers would beep rythmatically as they float past you... Etc. etc. etc.
Games aren't all about graphics and gameplay. A really really great game emulates all the great things about life. Awesome music, stunning sound effects, awesome visuals, good storyline/dialogue/acting, etc. It would boost the feel of the game by a significant amount if some more/modulated sounds were added in.
Did you forget that your in space? The only sound you would ever hear is your own engine and your own rocket just as you launch it. Warping would still have a sound since it effects your ship to make a sound.
Well, if we're going to get all technical, then while we're at it, let's remove the billboards, because there's no way to project light so that it just stops in mid-space and hovers indefinitely.
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No sound in space = LAME. That's the reason that games haven't NOT had sound. If VO goes by exDragon's model, I will leave. Period.
I am wholeheartedly in agreement with Doukutsu.
I am wholeheartedly in agreement with Doukutsu.
I have to agree, you cant here the noise of other peoples engines in space , but this IS a game and I dont think That people would like to live the games life in silence, and I think that the different engine sounds would be a cool feature, but it would probably be based on the strength of the engine.
actualuy engins in VO might make sound. because they use gavity for prupultion, the engins may cause a vibration in space time that would manifest as an ossilating force andy object it enountered as it expanded from it's point of oragin. then that occilating force would vibrate the hull of any ship it encountered producing sound inside the ship.
Well.....oscillations in spacetime would be oscillations in your entire frame of reference. In other words, undetectable. Further, gravity waves (which I imagine you're talking about) would not have a frequency that is audible to the human ear. Maybe if you were the size of a star you would have senses capable of "hearing" such frequencies. Provided you get past them being undetectable, of course.
Anyway, that's not to say I'm against sounds. I like em. Just don't try making an explanation for why they're there.
Anyway, that's not to say I'm against sounds. I like em. Just don't try making an explanation for why they're there.
I echo what Harry said. It's a game. I want sound. More sound the better.
My favorite explaination, which is also one that makes some sense, is that the your ship synthesizes the sounds as auditory feedback of it's surroundings to the pilot to increase their situational awareness. It's the same system that provides the radar beeps when there are incoming homing missiles, and the doppler whizzing noise when energy weapons fly past.
The idea of different sounding engines for different ships, and adding more sounds to other things would likely be an extension of your ships aural feedback system (which consequenty is a 1:1 relation to the game's sound system).
To me, all sound in VO is a perfect ship-side aural feedback simulator. More sound just means more simulation
- T.K.
The idea of different sounding engines for different ships, and adding more sounds to other things would likely be an extension of your ships aural feedback system (which consequenty is a 1:1 relation to the game's sound system).
To me, all sound in VO is a perfect ship-side aural feedback simulator. More sound just means more simulation
- T.K.
I wasn't saying to have no sound. Also tkjode idea is great.
Hi. More engine noises: Good. I agree. I've actually been talking to a sound designer guy recently who might be making some stuff for us. I haven't had any time of late, obviously.
On another note, the "exterior noises" in the game are generated by your shipboard computer to represent the electromagnetic emissions of various objects and let you use all your senses to navigate. Using more senses is better. Honestly, I've always wanted things like asteroids to make sounds even (some low noise when very nearby) to add that much more to the possibility of being able to fly through space nearly "blind" (something else I've always wanted, but won't go into). I don't think there's anything unrealistic or bad about it.. it makes sense. Of course sound doesn't propogate in a vacuum, but of course a futuristic ship designer would want to give as much "data input" to the pilot as possible.
On another note, the "exterior noises" in the game are generated by your shipboard computer to represent the electromagnetic emissions of various objects and let you use all your senses to navigate. Using more senses is better. Honestly, I've always wanted things like asteroids to make sounds even (some low noise when very nearby) to add that much more to the possibility of being able to fly through space nearly "blind" (something else I've always wanted, but won't go into). I don't think there's anything unrealistic or bad about it.. it makes sense. Of course sound doesn't propogate in a vacuum, but of course a futuristic ship designer would want to give as much "data input" to the pilot as possible.
Me is backrolling away for 2 hostiles, when he suddenly hears "Ice, Yo!" - knowing he is about to collide with an Ice Crystal, he changes direction.
Sweet!
Sweet!
Yeah, wouldn't that be neat? I always wanted this crinkling.. crackling sound for ice.. did anyone see Titan AE? That had some great ice noises.
What about surround-sound? Is there a simple way to put that in without licensing an API from somebody for 100 grand?
Well, the EAX stuff we can do easily, but it's windows-specific. Dolby Pro Logic is trivial to do, but it's only sorta "surround" (we used to do Pro Logic for our old demo stuff, just involves a phase inversion for the 'matrixed' rear channels, but you can't do anything more positional than "behind"). Full-blown surround would require AC3 or DTS encoding, neither of which is trivial to do realtime. DTS is particularly cpu-intensive, if I recall. But, I suppose we could throw together some thing to do pro logic.. but how many people really have pro-logic capable decoders and speakers set up on their PCs?
Licensing isn't really the big deal, more like just.. implementation and CPU overhead for encoding the soundstream in realtime.
Licensing isn't really the big deal, more like just.. implementation and CPU overhead for encoding the soundstream in realtime.
Freespace 2 uses a kind of crackling static/rumbling noise for asteroids and (large) pieces of destroyed ships that float past you.
I don't have prologic stuff.
just as a survey :D
just as a survey :D
Would putting in the different sounds first and then ramping up to surround sound later be more feasible in the short term?
Ships first, then asteroids and so on?
Ships first, then asteroids and so on?
SFX for warping too!!