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On the importance of sound in video games
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MaiLina KaTar
Katar Corp
#1 - 2011-11-15 13:19:50 UTC  |  Edited by: MaiLina KaTar
Hi CCP,

a common meme amongst Eve players, and even developers, is the phrase "Eve has sound?". And though it may seem funny it's actually quite the opposite. The state of Eve's sound engine, and the overall quality of the game's sound, is atrocious. I don't think I have to tell you this. If you're doing your job with any sort of sincerity you know what the deal is.

Now I could go on a pagelong tirade on sound and why it's so much more important than people realize. I could tell you how sound can define a game to the point where most of it's success or even cult status can be directly attributed to certain sound effects or tunes. I could mention "Super Mario" and "pipe" and watch you smile as you mentally play back that iconic sound effect, walking down memory lane right back to your childhood.

Or I could just quote your colleagues:
Developermarch wrote:
A Game without Sound is a Story Told with No Emotion

It is common among writers, story tellers and even the audience/game players to believe that visuals alone can tell a story well. While visuals can bring life to the story and connect to the audience actively, sound can connect to the audience passively and most unobtrusively. This is what makes sound - a combination of music, dialogues and sound effects - very important in story telling & enhancing realism in game play. Visuals without complimenting sound is like a story told with no emotions. Varun Nair, a Sound Designer at Blue Forg, gives sound an importance rating of 15 on a scale of 10 and believes the effect sound has on a player at the subconscious level cannot be substituted by any other sensory medium. Sound is one of the key emotional drivers in an audio-visual media piece across all formats – be it a game, a commercial or a feature film.

You churn out a lot of great work on the visual front. That's something you always did better than most other studios out there. What I'm asking you to do is put the same effort and love into your game's sound, because it matters just as much, if not more, than the visuals.

Thank you.
Koronakesh
Seekers of a Silent Paradise
#2 - 2011-11-15 13:30:05 UTC
For an example of how amazing sound integration can enhance, or even define, a game's atmosphere Amnesia: The Dark Descent is basically the benchmark for how excellence really looks (or, in this case, sounds P ). EVE's is.... well, not exactly on the scale in comparison. Sad

SASPR Amir al-Mu'minin
Chribba
Otherworld Enterprises
Otherworld Empire
#3 - 2011-11-15 13:31:23 UTC
EVE HAS SOUND! I heard it with my own ears!

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Visit my in-game channel 'Holy Veldspar'

Twitter @ChribbaVeldspar
WisdomLikeSilence
BurgerkingTM
#4 - 2011-11-15 13:36:12 UTC
Configurable sound effects are needed since a long time. THey should serve as an audio backup to information the overview is giving you.

Recently we had the introduction of warning klaxons for hull breach etc. More of this is needed. War target in system for example.
Liu Ellens
Sebiestor Tribe
Minmatar Republic
#5 - 2011-11-15 13:43:05 UTC
While there's a lot of visual-shiny being worked on, I'd love to jump on an aural-shiny bandwagon. (Imagine: instead of the obligatory WIP screenshot, a soundbite in a devblog...)
Games - especially these days - show what sound engines can be capable of.

Well, they oughta know what to do with them hogs out there for shure.
MaiLina KaTar
Katar Corp
#6 - 2011-11-15 13:58:26 UTC  |  Edited by: MaiLina KaTar
Liu Ellens wrote:
Games - especially these days - show what sound engines can be capable of.

Yeah.

My brother, who stays at my place looking for a new crib, just bought Battlefield 3. When he hooked it up to my sound system it felt like the crib's been teleported to Iraq. It's crazy. They did an amazing job not only on the assets but also implementation.

Another example is Skyrim. The way Bethesda implemented music is phenomenal. The game is worth playing for the sound and music alone.
Akrasjel Lanate
Immemorial Coalescence Administration
Immemorial Coalescence
#7 - 2011-11-15 14:01:26 UTC
Chribba wrote:
EVE HAS SOUND! I heard it with my own ears!


Like this dude said. Blink

CEO of Lanate Industries

Citizen of Solitude
Famble
Three's a Crowd
#8 - 2011-11-15 14:02:07 UTC
I fully endorse this product and/or service.

If anyone ever looks at you and says,_ "Hold my beer, watch this,"_  you're probably going to want to pay attention.
Deamos
Hideaway Hunters
The Hideaway.
#9 - 2011-11-15 14:02:48 UTC
Chribba wrote:
EVE HAS SOUND! I heard it with my own ears!


You beat me to it, Chirbba!
Deamos
Hideaway Hunters
The Hideaway.
#10 - 2011-11-15 14:02:54 UTC
.... Ugh accidental dual post
Florestan Bronstein
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#11 - 2011-11-15 14:05:12 UTC
meaningful sound doesn't get along well with multiboxing
MaiLina KaTar
Katar Corp
#12 - 2011-11-15 14:16:52 UTC  |  Edited by: MaiLina KaTar
Florestan Bronstein wrote:
meaningful sound doesn't get along well with multiboxing

One could argue that multiboxing shouldn't even be neccessary with a good game. It shouldn't take multiple clients to keep you entertained. That said, multiboxing and its concerns have no relevance to the topic, despite that fact that well implemented sound can enhance the multiboxing experience drastically.
Florestan Bronstein
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#13 - 2011-11-15 14:47:13 UTC
MaiLina KaTar wrote:
One could argue that multiboxing shouldn't even be neccessary with a good game. It shouldn't take multiple clients to keep you entertained. That said, multiboxing and its concerns have no relevance to the topic, despite that fact that well implemented sound can enhance the multiboxing experience drastically.

multiboxing is a crucial part of CCP's business model and does as such bear relevance to all game-design related questions.
Destination SkillQueue
Doomheim
#14 - 2011-11-15 14:56:00 UTC  |  Edited by: Destination SkillQueue
Florestan Bronstein wrote:
MaiLina KaTar wrote:
One could argue that multiboxing shouldn't even be neccessary with a good game. It shouldn't take multiple clients to keep you entertained. That said, multiboxing and its concerns have no relevance to the topic, despite that fact that well implemented sound can enhance the multiboxing experience drastically.

multiboxing is a crucial part of CCP's business model and does as such bear relevance to all game-design related questions.


That's nice, but with this issue multiboxing is more of an excuse than anything else. Surely you aren't suggesting EVE should always have crappy sound environment because of multiboxing. Regardless it's a moot point, since everyone has the option to turn sounds and music down or off entirely, so they can alter their experience to fit well with multiboxing.
Evenus Battuta
#15 - 2011-11-15 14:57:00 UTC
Some of the ingame music are cool but the most of them sounds really dated, tiresome and lacks appeal.

On the other hand, ALL of the login screen musics used were SOO DAMN COOL and make me tremble and donn't wanna login. It's such a waste that you just throw them away at each new expansion.

I suggest making old login musics in game and replace the current tracks with them.

OR AT LEAST A LINK TO DOWNLOAD THEM PLEASE!
Black Dranzer
#16 - 2011-11-15 14:57:49 UTC
You know what we need? Mood music. Lots of it. And customizable jukeboxes.

When I jump into a system and there are flashy reds everywhere, I want this music to start playing.

Walking in Stations as a Social Hub: Business vs Pleasure in Incarna
Apollo Gabriel
Kill'em all. Let Bob sort'em out.
Ushra'Khan
#17 - 2011-11-15 15:09:40 UTC
In space no one can hear you scream.
Always ... Never ... Forget to check your references.   Peace out Zulu! Hope you land well!
Naran Eto
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#18 - 2011-11-15 15:53:39 UTC
MaiLina KaTar wrote:

a common meme amongst Eve players


It is a common meme amongs MMO players fullstop, almost every MMO has gone through the "XXXXXX has sound?" meme faze, it's nothing to do with the quality of EVE's sound and everything to do with trolls being nothing but mindless sheep who repeat the same tired meme's endlessly from game to game.
Enik3
Pyke Syndicate
Solyaris Chtonium
#19 - 2011-11-15 16:07:17 UTC
Funny, the only sound I ever notice is the gut-wrenching screech of your ship's hull breaching Shocked
Daedalus Arcova
The Scope
#20 - 2011-11-15 16:09:57 UTC
CCP should hire the guy who did the score for Deus Ex: Human Revolution. He won an award for that. His name is Michael McCann, aka Behaviour.

I'm probably in the minority as someone who play eve with the sound on. But that really shouldn't be the case. Fix the bugs, improve the sound effects and atmosphere, and the players will thank you for it (and actually turn their sound on).
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