Evaluation
First of all, I really enjoyed learning about how audio effects games as I've never really looked into it before, or really never noticed it to question it, it was just there. I did have the certain soundtracks from games I liked, but I never really took into account all the little sounds, the little details which actually take a lot of work. I found the Foley sounds to be particularly interesting to learn about as they use normal everyday objects to make things that sound like something, for example I saw someone use a feather pillow to simulate the sound of a bird flapping its wings. Also, as these sounds are sou subtle they are still really critical in a scene, if removed the scene will feel lifeless and unnatural.
I also liked learning about ambient sounds and sounds that create atmosphere in games as I'm a huge fan of games that give a great sense of immersion and putting great soundtracks and sounds into these games will immerse you even more. Then when we had to analyse different scenes to try and pick up the things that create atmosphere its amazing to see how much things can create immersion.
However the bad points I think for me was the fact we had to create a story and for me, this is really hard as I struggled in English and cant really do creative writing in general. We also had to create a storyboard for this and I'm not a huge fan of them either, but I can cope a little better on that as I can draw which is my strong point. I know that my story is bad and would be bad, but I wanted to focus on the drawings for the scene more than the story. I thought that we had to work to hard on the actual story considering we are meant to be working on the audio for it. I think when we start to actually make the sounds its going make the project on a whole a lot better than what we've done so far.
Having not done a storyboard in a while as I refuse to do them, I was a little weary how mine would turn out as I find character drawing to be quite hard. However I really like how it turned out, since I had last done a storyboard I have progressed a lot more in my artwork and didn't actually find it that hard to do all of the compositions and camera angles I wanted in my scene. I think if I was to do this again I would of put annotations and arrows indicating where the camera is moving as I think mine is lacking these features but instead it just looks like a series of thumbnails. I think I would of put more time into my story as well, actually thinking about what is going to happen.
In conclusion I have really enjoyed this project so far as were looking into things I've never looked into or considered before and its definitely changed the way I play, and look at games now.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Sound Assets for Story
Sound Assets for Story
The Numbers are linked to the ones on the storyboard.
1.)
This is where the story starts where you see the deer sitting in the sun and it slowly panning out from being quite close up.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
2.)
This shows the camera after its panned out through the scope of the rifle.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the gunman trying to control his breathing
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
3.)
This shows the gunman walking through the forest trying to track the deer after it ran away and also in search of the strange sound.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the mysterious sound echoing through the woods
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
the gunmans strap on the gun
the gunman fiddling with the gun
the sound of water and streams
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
4.)
This scene is showing the hunter returning to his truck and realising its gone. It's also showing that its quite late as the sun is setting.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
5.)
This is showing the gunman looking for his car and happens to notice the strange lights coming from the woods.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
The mysterious sound
the beginnings of loud bass noise's thumping from its engines
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
6.)
This scene is showing the strange lights coming through the trees.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
The mysterious sound
the loud bass noise from the chip has now increased
the sound of strong winds circling around the ship
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
7.)
This is showing the gunman slowly looking up at the lights to reveal that its actually a ship of some kind.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the loud clap that knocks the gunman out
The mysterious sound
the loud bass noise from the chip has now increased
the sound of strong winds circling around the ship
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
8.)
This is showing the walkers in the woods the next day and finding that the gunman is actually dead. The scene then ends with the mysterious sound.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the walkers talking amongst themselves about what to do, whether he is alive, they call an ambulance as well.
bugs flying around
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
The Numbers are linked to the ones on the storyboard.
1.)
This is where the story starts where you see the deer sitting in the sun and it slowly panning out from being quite close up.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
2.)
This shows the camera after its panned out through the scope of the rifle.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the gunman trying to control his breathing
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
3.)
This shows the gunman walking through the forest trying to track the deer after it ran away and also in search of the strange sound.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the mysterious sound echoing through the woods
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
the gunmans strap on the gun
the gunman fiddling with the gun
the sound of water and streams
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
4.)
This scene is showing the hunter returning to his truck and realising its gone. It's also showing that its quite late as the sun is setting.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
5.)
This is showing the gunman looking for his car and happens to notice the strange lights coming from the woods.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
The mysterious sound
the beginnings of loud bass noise's thumping from its engines
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
6.)
This scene is showing the strange lights coming through the trees.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
The mysterious sound
the loud bass noise from the chip has now increased
the sound of strong winds circling around the ship
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
7.)
This is showing the gunman slowly looking up at the lights to reveal that its actually a ship of some kind.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the loud clap that knocks the gunman out
The mysterious sound
the loud bass noise from the chip has now increased
the sound of strong winds circling around the ship
the echoes of owls
the howls of foxes
the hunter panting
crickets in the grass
the gunmans footsteps
the sounds of his feet walking through leaves
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
8.)
This is showing the walkers in the woods the next day and finding that the gunman is actually dead. The scene then ends with the mysterious sound.
The kind of sounds that would be in this scene would be:
the walkers talking amongst themselves about what to do, whether he is alive, they call an ambulance as well.
bugs flying around
Birds chirping in the background
the sound of leaves blowing in the wind
the rustling of leaves and twigs on the forest floor
echoes of other animals in the woods
the deer eating grass
the breathing of the deer
sounds of flying bugs
StoryBoards
Storyboards
Storyboards are graphic organizers that visualize scenes in movies or games in a form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualize a motion picture or game. Storyboarding was developed at the Walt Disney Studio during the early 1930's, after several years of similar processing being in use at Walt Disney and other animation studios.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
Storyboards are created in multiple steps, they can either be made digitally on a computer or hand drawn. The main characteristics of a storyboard are:
Viualize the storytelling.
Focus the story and the timing in several key frames, which is very important in animation.
Define the technical parameters: description of the motion, the camera, and the lighting etc.
The first thing to do is to create or download a storyboard template, These look much like a blank comic strip , with space for comments and dialogue. Then sketch a thumbnail, some directors sketch thumbnails directly in the script margins. However most filmmakers rely heavily on the storyboarding process.
There are four different storyboard layouts, each of the storyboard layouts targets specific multimedia products. The different types consist of:
Linear,
Hierarchical
Non-Linear
Combination
Storyboards are graphic organizers that visualize scenes in movies or games in a form of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualize a motion picture or game. Storyboarding was developed at the Walt Disney Studio during the early 1930's, after several years of similar processing being in use at Walt Disney and other animation studios.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storyboard
Storyboards are created in multiple steps, they can either be made digitally on a computer or hand drawn. The main characteristics of a storyboard are:
Viualize the storytelling.
Focus the story and the timing in several key frames, which is very important in animation.
Define the technical parameters: description of the motion, the camera, and the lighting etc.
The first thing to do is to create or download a storyboard template, These look much like a blank comic strip , with space for comments and dialogue. Then sketch a thumbnail, some directors sketch thumbnails directly in the script margins. However most filmmakers rely heavily on the storyboarding process.
There are four different storyboard layouts, each of the storyboard layouts targets specific multimedia products. The different types consist of:
Linear,
Hierarchical
Non-Linear
Combination
Story and Storyboard
Story and storyboard
It was a beautiful sunny, Sunday afternoon in the Canadian forest. Sun shafts were beaming through the leaves creating crazy patterns across the forest floor forming a circler shape in a clearing in which a deer was sat. The deer was was just sitting there enjoying and taking in the warm sun. The camera then begins to pan out towards the edge of the clearing, still focused on the deer. The camera continues to pan out to reveal a scope with the cross-hairs focused on the deers head. The gunman is trying to control his breathing so he can make the perfect shot to kill the animal when suddenly there is a loud, deep and powerful sound which echoed through the whole forest. The gunman looked around in shock as he had never heard such a sound before, he then turned back to where the deer was to see it had darted off.
By this time its getting quite late but the gunman decides to follow the deers trail as he hasn't managed to catch anything all day, but also to look around to try and pinpoint where this mysterious sound came from.
An hour passes and with no luck on finding the deer or this sound the gunman starts to head back to his truck parked at the edge of the woods.
The gunman approaches to where his truck should be, by this time its sunset and nearly dark, and its not there, its disappeared. As the gunman looks around to try and find any sign of it he notices some strange lights in the woods ahead of him, he quickly sprints over as it could be his truck. Pushing through the bushes and trees the gunman notices its became windy rather strangely, but the lights are now a few feet away. As the gunman reaches the lights the wind had picked up significantly, then suddenly the same loud noise heard earlier appears, this time it was much, much louder. The gunman slowly looks upward towards the lights to reveal what seems to be a massive floating sphere liked object covered in a chrome like matierial. Then suddenly everything goes black.
The next morning two walkers are walking through the woods when they come to the same clearing where the deer was the previous day, it was still sat there a long with the gunman that was laying next to it. The couple try to speak to him but they hear no answer or movement. They walk over slowly and the deer darts off again, the man isn't breathing. The camera then pans out to the edge of the clearing to reveal the mysterious sound.
It was a beautiful sunny, Sunday afternoon in the Canadian forest. Sun shafts were beaming through the leaves creating crazy patterns across the forest floor forming a circler shape in a clearing in which a deer was sat. The deer was was just sitting there enjoying and taking in the warm sun. The camera then begins to pan out towards the edge of the clearing, still focused on the deer. The camera continues to pan out to reveal a scope with the cross-hairs focused on the deers head. The gunman is trying to control his breathing so he can make the perfect shot to kill the animal when suddenly there is a loud, deep and powerful sound which echoed through the whole forest. The gunman looked around in shock as he had never heard such a sound before, he then turned back to where the deer was to see it had darted off.
By this time its getting quite late but the gunman decides to follow the deers trail as he hasn't managed to catch anything all day, but also to look around to try and pinpoint where this mysterious sound came from.
An hour passes and with no luck on finding the deer or this sound the gunman starts to head back to his truck parked at the edge of the woods.
The gunman approaches to where his truck should be, by this time its sunset and nearly dark, and its not there, its disappeared. As the gunman looks around to try and find any sign of it he notices some strange lights in the woods ahead of him, he quickly sprints over as it could be his truck. Pushing through the bushes and trees the gunman notices its became windy rather strangely, but the lights are now a few feet away. As the gunman reaches the lights the wind had picked up significantly, then suddenly the same loud noise heard earlier appears, this time it was much, much louder. The gunman slowly looks upward towards the lights to reveal what seems to be a massive floating sphere liked object covered in a chrome like matierial. Then suddenly everything goes black.
The next morning two walkers are walking through the woods when they come to the same clearing where the deer was the previous day, it was still sat there a long with the gunman that was laying next to it. The couple try to speak to him but they hear no answer or movement. They walk over slowly and the deer darts off again, the man isn't breathing. The camera then pans out to the edge of the clearing to reveal the mysterious sound.
Monday, 2 December 2013
Foley Sounds
Foley Sounds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)
Foley sounds are a reproduction of everyday sound effects which are added in post production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video games or the radio. These sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing or using a pillow to recreate the sound of a bird flapping its wings. Most high level Foley sounds go into film which goes un noticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality to the scene and world without these sounds the scene or world feels lifeless, empty and unreal.
Jack Donovan Foley began what is known as Foley art in 1927, he started work with universal Studios in 1914 during the silent movie era. When Warner Studios released its first film to include sound, The Jazz Singer, Universal knew it needed to get on the bandwagon and called for any emplyees who had radio experience. Foley became part of the sound team that would turn Universals then upcoming 'Silent' musical show boat into the musical that it is known as today. As microphones could only pick up speech at the time, Foley and his small crew would project the film on a screen while recording a single track of audio that would capture their live sound effects in real time. The timing had to be perfect and sync with the actors movements.
Here is a great example of Foley soounds being used.
It is showing the things Leslie Bloome (foley artist) does to create Foley sounds used in films.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foley_(filmmaking)
Foley sounds are a reproduction of everyday sound effects which are added in post production to enhance the quality of audio for films, television, video games or the radio. These sounds can be anything from the swishing of clothing or using a pillow to recreate the sound of a bird flapping its wings. Most high level Foley sounds go into film which goes un noticed by the audience. It helps to create a sense of reality to the scene and world without these sounds the scene or world feels lifeless, empty and unreal.
Jack Donovan Foley began what is known as Foley art in 1927, he started work with universal Studios in 1914 during the silent movie era. When Warner Studios released its first film to include sound, The Jazz Singer, Universal knew it needed to get on the bandwagon and called for any emplyees who had radio experience. Foley became part of the sound team that would turn Universals then upcoming 'Silent' musical show boat into the musical that it is known as today. As microphones could only pick up speech at the time, Foley and his small crew would project the film on a screen while recording a single track of audio that would capture their live sound effects in real time. The timing had to be perfect and sync with the actors movements.
Here is a great example of Foley soounds being used.
It is showing the things Leslie Bloome (foley artist) does to create Foley sounds used in films.
The Power of Sound - The War of the Worlds
The Power of Sound - The War of the Worlds
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio_drama)
On October 30th, 1938 a radio adaption of H.G. Wells novel The War of The Worlds was aired over the Columbia Broadcasting system radio network. It was directed and narrated by actor and future film maker Orson Welles.
The first two thirds of the 62 minute broadcast were presented as a series of news bulletins, which suggested to many listeners that an actual alien invasion by Martians was actually taking place. one of the issues was was the fact that the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a sustaining show and it ran without breaks which added to the programs realism. Also one of main reasons so many people panicked was because of the fact a lot of people tuned in late in which the missed the start where they announced this was taking place. This caused a lot of people to think this was actually real.
Several days after the adaptation there was widespread outrage in the media and panic by many listeners. The news bulletin format was described as cruelly deceptive by some newspapers and public figures leading to an outcry against the perpetrators of the broadcast.
Despite all of the complaints, the episode secured Welles's fame as a dramatist.
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/624_351/images/live/p0/1k/k2/p01kk2b9.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio_drama)
On October 30th, 1938 a radio adaption of H.G. Wells novel The War of The Worlds was aired over the Columbia Broadcasting system radio network. It was directed and narrated by actor and future film maker Orson Welles.
The first two thirds of the 62 minute broadcast were presented as a series of news bulletins, which suggested to many listeners that an actual alien invasion by Martians was actually taking place. one of the issues was was the fact that the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a sustaining show and it ran without breaks which added to the programs realism. Also one of main reasons so many people panicked was because of the fact a lot of people tuned in late in which the missed the start where they announced this was taking place. This caused a lot of people to think this was actually real.
Several days after the adaptation there was widespread outrage in the media and panic by many listeners. The news bulletin format was described as cruelly deceptive by some newspapers and public figures leading to an outcry against the perpetrators of the broadcast.
Despite all of the complaints, the episode secured Welles's fame as a dramatist.
http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfeatures/624_351/images/live/p0/1k/k2/p01kk2b9.jpg
Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Games for Blind People
Article on a blind teenager that plays video games using sound.
Ben Breen, 19, uses muscle memory to play games like guitar hero,
He's been able to beat his sighted friends at mortal combat games and rockband.
Ben Breen has strong GCSE's and achieved a Degree in the International Baccalaureate.
He went for a computer taster day at the Kent association for the blind and discovered a game called Grizzly Gulch Western Extravaganza. It was a simple sound oriented 4-key adventure game aimed specifically at blind gamers. He began to learn how to use a computer with screen reading software and from then on he started buying games.
He then turned to the Wii and found that if his timing was right at tennis he could return the ball without any major difficulty.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2266516/Meet-blind-teenager-Ben-Breen-cracked-video-game-world-relying-solely-sound.html
Ben Breen, 19, uses muscle memory to play games like guitar hero,
He's been able to beat his sighted friends at mortal combat games and rockband.
Ben Breen has strong GCSE's and achieved a Degree in the International Baccalaureate.
He went for a computer taster day at the Kent association for the blind and discovered a game called Grizzly Gulch Western Extravaganza. It was a simple sound oriented 4-key adventure game aimed specifically at blind gamers. He began to learn how to use a computer with screen reading software and from then on he started buying games.
He then turned to the Wii and found that if his timing was right at tennis he could return the ball without any major difficulty.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2266516/Meet-blind-teenager-Ben-Breen-cracked-video-game-world-relying-solely-sound.html
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Aspects of Sound
Analysing Sound and Music in Games
Creating Atmosphere
This may set the overall theme, sound is core to making a space a place. This could be music, ambient sounds or sound effects.
Assigning meaning to an event
these are happy sounds, something that sounds rewarding to the player for example the picking up of an XP boost.
Appeal to a Certain Market
This is mostly done through music on games such as Dj hero vs Guitar hero
Providing Rhythm for gameplay
bit trip runner, this can be used in games to give the player a sense of momentum and adrenaline, or the synchronised sounds with player movements.
Cueing Gameplay Events
5.1 surround sound noises coming from a certain direction, this works great in games such as horrors.
Linked to Broader set of concepts
sound and music may have deeper contextual relevance to individuals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFGnBoS95SU I think there a 2 different kinds of atmosphere in this scene. 1 being the lighting used, and 2nd being the piano soundtrack in the background. Also as the pod is descending into a building in the city there are people singing this song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4cWPKRhwIc
This gives a really sense of importance about the place, like this is a new eden thats been created in the heavens, this place is magical. Its so relaxing and keeps the gob smacked effect in motion from the previous scene which has you floating through the city. also this song is echoing through the halls, it starts quite faint and gets louder as you get closer to it, this is guiding the character through the level and is a great example of 'cueing gameplay events'.
Once you've stepped out of the pod you find yourself walking through water with candles lit all around you, this can provide really interesting ambient and background sounds, especially with the water, there's always something relaxing about hearing water droplets. It also provides Foley sounds of your footsteps as you walk through the water. Again as you step out of the pod you get assigned an objective which has a distinct sound which is used throughout the game, its a rememberable sound and could be considered 'assigning meaning to an event' sounds and Bioshock 2 uses plenty of these in the form of 'Pick ups' throughout the game.
Once you enter the city more atmospheric sounds come into play as you can here people all around you having conversations with eachother, birds flying, church bells, and children playing around a burst water pipe. Another great feature that Bioshock does is instead of using a general soundtrack that plays in the background while your walking around the world, the game uses old radio's, so as the player is discovering the world you will hear various old fashioned songs from the 60's. Of course there not everywhere so at times all the player will here are the sounds of his surroundings.
Creating Atmosphere
This may set the overall theme, sound is core to making a space a place. This could be music, ambient sounds or sound effects.
Assigning meaning to an event
these are happy sounds, something that sounds rewarding to the player for example the picking up of an XP boost.
Appeal to a Certain Market
This is mostly done through music on games such as Dj hero vs Guitar hero
Providing Rhythm for gameplay
bit trip runner, this can be used in games to give the player a sense of momentum and adrenaline, or the synchronised sounds with player movements.
Cueing Gameplay Events
5.1 surround sound noises coming from a certain direction, this works great in games such as horrors.
Linked to Broader set of concepts
sound and music may have deeper contextual relevance to individuals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFGnBoS95SU I think there a 2 different kinds of atmosphere in this scene. 1 being the lighting used, and 2nd being the piano soundtrack in the background. Also as the pod is descending into a building in the city there are people singing this song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4cWPKRhwIc
This gives a really sense of importance about the place, like this is a new eden thats been created in the heavens, this place is magical. Its so relaxing and keeps the gob smacked effect in motion from the previous scene which has you floating through the city. also this song is echoing through the halls, it starts quite faint and gets louder as you get closer to it, this is guiding the character through the level and is a great example of 'cueing gameplay events'.
Once you've stepped out of the pod you find yourself walking through water with candles lit all around you, this can provide really interesting ambient and background sounds, especially with the water, there's always something relaxing about hearing water droplets. It also provides Foley sounds of your footsteps as you walk through the water. Again as you step out of the pod you get assigned an objective which has a distinct sound which is used throughout the game, its a rememberable sound and could be considered 'assigning meaning to an event' sounds and Bioshock 2 uses plenty of these in the form of 'Pick ups' throughout the game.
Once you enter the city more atmospheric sounds come into play as you can here people all around you having conversations with eachother, birds flying, church bells, and children playing around a burst water pipe. Another great feature that Bioshock does is instead of using a general soundtrack that plays in the background while your walking around the world, the game uses old radio's, so as the player is discovering the world you will hear various old fashioned songs from the 60's. Of course there not everywhere so at times all the player will here are the sounds of his surroundings.
Wednesday, 9 October 2013
My Top Ten Soundtracks For Games/ Game Trailers
My top ten soundtracks in a game/ game trailers
In order of which I played them:
Crash bandicoot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnPEh331aLE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WKCGCtYd3M
1:09
Crach Bandicoot is the first game I remember playing, my uncle gave it to me a long with a PS1 as he worked for Sony at the time and helped develop the game. His name is John Roberts and is in the link provided. Even today I find this game and all the other crash bandicoot games to be so much fun, sadly my uncle no longer works for Sony...
Baulders gate dark alliance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JLmmFqr6aU
Baulders Gate Dark Alliance was the first kind of fantasy adventure game I had ever played and was actually the first game I owned on PS2. It was a down looking angle similar to the Diablo franchise and used similar mechanics.
Pokemon yellow http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PKoLnPzzp8
This is probably the most addictive game I ever owned on Gameboy, I played several other pokemon games after this, but I remember this one the most and found it the most fun. I can still even remember some of the soundtracks from this game.
EA Games http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPYkOMj-3iI
I remember the sound of this quite well because at the time most EA games was using this on there games, however the game I remember it most from was The Lord of The Rings. This game was probably one of my most favourite from my childhood. I think it was because at the time Lord of the Rings films were being released and I loved how the game puts you in the same scenes from the film and allows you to play characters from film and each different one witnessed a different campaign. I also think this game was one of the best games to be taken on from a film as they usually suck.
GTA San Andreas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXCRGh7_TkA
I remember putting way to much time into this game from my childhood. Even though this game was an 18 it was probably the most wanted game from young teenagers and most of them had it, I think thats what convinced my parents to actually get it for me. The soundtracks I remember best from this game was the ones used on the radio featured in the game. As I played it so much most of them just stuck in including the one in the link.
Fear http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y6UzJQjEbQ
I picked Fear not for its soundtracks but actually the sound effects and ambient sounds it uses, being a horror game it rely's on this heavily. In fact I think this is probably my favourite horror game despite it giving me nightmares the first time I played it, bare in mind I was 11 and this was an 18. one of the things I loved the most was when there was any paranormal activity around you at the time you would get some electronic interference and the sound that gave off scared me every time because you knew something was there but couldnt see it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14R5EKJut90 bioshock 2
Bioshock has to be a fantastic game for sounds. One of the great editions to Bioshock games I love is that when the player is walking around there is no real soundtrack playing. What the games done instead is place radios around the game world or vending machines and old fashioned items of the 1960's which play songs from the time period which works as the soundtrack.The reason I chose the 2nd one is because I think it has a much better storyline than the first, especially people that have played the first one will understand a lot of whats going on and therefore enjoy the game more experiencing events after the first, it mentions things about Andrew Ryan for example and whats happend since he died. (spoilers)
assassins creed embers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMgryPsS5wM
Assassins Creed Embers is a short animation about 30 mins long which shows the events of 'Ezio's last moments that take place after the 'Revelations' game. Now being a huge fan of the AC games, Ezio has been in 3 of them and over the 3 years its taken for the games to come out its made you bond with this character more than any other from the games. This video is basically showing you his final moments of life before passing away, personally i would of preferred it if they made this playable instead of a video, but the soundtracks used makes the video really emotional to watch considering me, and a lot of fans have bonded with this character.
Battlefield 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_t8JYv6Q4k&list=FLllkov6ahM4hpNkoUa38qxw&index=677
Now this game (now Battlefield 4) has to be one of my top games of all time. As I'm a massive fan of FPs games this has everything you would want in one. Amazing graphics, amazing gameplay, massive maps, 64 player servers, destructible environment where you can level buildings, and the sound effets used are incredible. Especially the sounds of the destruction being shot at and destroyedm or the sound of an RPG flying past you.
Mass Effect 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiqzv8rntes
Now I actually never played the full game of this, I only played the demo which features the first mission I think. But the reason I put this on here is because the first few moments of the game are so upsetting and emotional, these massive aliens have come down the destroy your world and causing chaos everywhere. The soundtrack used in the link has to be one of my favourite ever in a game.
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Adaptive and Reactive Sounds
Audio is probably one of the main features in games, if you took it away from games it would ruin it completely especially for immersive games where is plays a big part. In some games you may not even notice the audio or background music but if removed the game would play totally different.
Audio can also help lead the player through the game world or cause things to happen for example, you may be walking up to a corner of a corridor and a guard around the corner may here you coming and react to it.
In game sounds can be split into two types, Adaptive and Reactive sounds.
Adaptive sounds which the player doesnt effect or have control over, such as background and ambient sounds, they are triggered by the game instead of the player.
Reactive Sounds are triggered as a response from the player, such as gunshots and footsteps. They can also be triggered by player actions instead of just the player for example, throwing a rock to distract a guard.
Breaking down the adaptive and reactive sounds from a flash game and a film scene.
Thing Thing 2
The game is a side scrolling shooter in which you play a man with a gun and have to survive as long as you can through various levels.
The only Adaptive sound I could find was the soundtrack playing on a loop in the background.
The reactive sounds would be the gunshots, bullets landing on the floor, blood splatters, and picking up ammo.
Prometheus
Here is the soundtrack used in the scene which is a much better quality.
being a big Alien fan seing this scene has to be one of my best movie moments in my opinion.
I think the soundtrack plays a huge part in this scene as it gives the sense of size and power as this ship is trying to take off.
Adaptive Sounds would be the soundtrack being played, maybe things like wind and dust.
Reactive sounds consists of the sounds the ship makes, the explosions, the crash as it lands, the air the shoots out the vents as it takes off. The sound of the escape pod being launched.
Audio can also help lead the player through the game world or cause things to happen for example, you may be walking up to a corner of a corridor and a guard around the corner may here you coming and react to it.
In game sounds can be split into two types, Adaptive and Reactive sounds.
Adaptive sounds which the player doesnt effect or have control over, such as background and ambient sounds, they are triggered by the game instead of the player.
Reactive Sounds are triggered as a response from the player, such as gunshots and footsteps. They can also be triggered by player actions instead of just the player for example, throwing a rock to distract a guard.
Breaking down the adaptive and reactive sounds from a flash game and a film scene.
The game is a side scrolling shooter in which you play a man with a gun and have to survive as long as you can through various levels.
The only Adaptive sound I could find was the soundtrack playing on a loop in the background.
The reactive sounds would be the gunshots, bullets landing on the floor, blood splatters, and picking up ammo.
Prometheus
I actually wanted to get some of the footage before this clip as well as this but I couldn't find it anywhere, even this is bad quality.
Here is the soundtrack used in the scene which is a much better quality.
being a big Alien fan seing this scene has to be one of my best movie moments in my opinion.
I think the soundtrack plays a huge part in this scene as it gives the sense of size and power as this ship is trying to take off.
Adaptive Sounds would be the soundtrack being played, maybe things like wind and dust.
Reactive sounds consists of the sounds the ship makes, the explosions, the crash as it lands, the air the shoots out the vents as it takes off. The sound of the escape pod being launched.
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