DEVLOG #10
5 July, 2024
Author: Lloyd Green, Alex Crean
Ski Lodge Murder Dev-log #10: Audio Implementation
Script Setup For Contextual Audio Response
INTRODUCTION:
When it comes to audio implementation, the pipeline varies heavily dependent on the specific type of game genre, but generally involves several key stages, including sound design, integration, and testing to ensure that audio cues enhance gameplay and immersion for the player.
Typical games tie player actions to audio, which whilst effective across a varying number of genres and games, may become repetitive in our specific story driven narrative experience. To add depth within the soundscape (the overall sound feel) of The Ski Lodge Murder we aim for a dynamic audio system that adjusts not only to player actions but also to narrative changes and environmental cues. Let's orchestrate the suspense!
Audio Volume In Scene- Vinyl Player
CONTEXTUAL AUDIO DYNAMICS
Within the Ski Lodge Murder, we have created a dynamic audio system to conduct various versions of the same sound effect to help add variety to the player action based on key factors. Audio is mapped too specific variables- for instance on dropping a box, velocity, distance and weight are all considered. This will then impact the intensity, pitch, and duration of the sound produced, creating a more realistic and immersive audio experience. The dynamic audio system is achieved through several components including rigid-bodies, physic materials and C# classes to compile all necessary aspects and ensure the audio reacts appropriately to different interactions. This did take a lot of testing and trial and error to get just right, however the results have been profound.
IMPLEMENTING DIEGTIC AND NON-DIEGETIC AUDIO SEAMLESSLY:
As explained by a past dev log, non-diegetic means audio that occurs outside the game world and is not heard by the characters, serving solely to enhance the player's experience, whilst diegetic audio refers to sounds that are part of the game's world and can be heard by the characters, like footsteps, doors closing, or dialogue. Implementing both types seamlessly involves careful planning and integration to ensure each enhances the other without overwhelming the player, maintaining a balanced and immersive audio soundscape.
Several questions are posed during the implementation- is the audio instant and quick or long and slow? Is the sound produced directly by the player or produced indirectly?
DIEGETIC SOUNDS:
The game engine Unity has spatial audio settings built right in with an "Audio Source" component. Within the Audio Source Component, there is a slider called Spatial Blend- which if set closer to 2D, the sound will be the same from every direction, no matter where you are in the game.
At the top end of the scale, 3D, the sound starts to act like it's coming from a specific place, getting louder or softer depending on how close you are to the source.
In practice! Fireplay 3D spatial audio with a maximuim distance of 7 and a quick fall off.
IN CLOSING CORDS!
We hope you have gained a deeper understanding of how important audio implementation is for games and how it can control the mood, feel and atmosphere!
We are excited to bring you more about the development and business process at Serious Point Games in our upcoming posts.
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RECORDING AUDIO:
When it comes to audio creation- especially for SFX, there are several options for software. On windows, the SPG team uses Adobe Audition and Audacity. Audacity is open source and as a result has free plugins that have allowed us to expand on the variety of effects we can apply without additional cost. This flexibility has been invaluable in creating unique soundscapes and enhancing the overall auditory experience in our projects. Adobe Audition, on the other hand, offers more advanced editing tools and seamless integration with other Adobe products, which is essential for more complex audio production tasks. Together, these tools provide a robust set-up for any audio recording and editing needs.
If you are creating your own game, we would highly recommend using a variety of sounds to add weight to player actions and remove repetitiveness, though keep in mind that this still needs to be balanced and limited dependent on certain actions. Sometimes it is easier to have one sound effect for the sake of cognitive load.
The spatial audio in the Audio Source component is incredibly easy to set up and user-friendly, making it versatile for a wide range of applications—from the crackling sounds of a fireplace to music emanating from a radio or vinyl player, as well as ambient environmental noises like the rustling of wind.
Audacity and Filter Curve EQ example
Of course, whilst this setup works for the SPG audio team on the Ski Lodge Murder game- an Indie production, there are several other key tools used within industry. For example, Pro Tools is widely recognized as a standard in the industry, favoured for its powerful editing capabilities and extensive support for various audio formats and plugins. Pro Tools are particularly popular due to its precision and reliability.
For game development, FMOD and Wwise are pivotal for integrating audio into games. These middleware solutions allow sound designers to implement and manipulate sounds in real-time based on gameplay, providing a dynamic audio environment that reacts to player actions. Speaking of dynamic audio- how do the SPG team handle dynamic audio in our projects?
NON-DIEGETIC SOUNDS:
On the other hand, non-diegetic sounds are less exciting but still play a crucial role in the overall soundscape, feel and mood of the game.
For the Ski Lodge Murder, to convey information, we use internal thoughts to shape the player's actions and guide decision-making. Additionally, we strategically use musical scores to set the tone during critical gameplay moments, building suspense that greatly can improve the overall immersive quality, making each moment more memorable.
Non-diegetic sounds are also great for enhancing user interface interactions as they provide auditory feedback, which helps users confirm their actions within the game.
In our previous production at Serious Point Games- we implemented everything mentioned here with direct environmental elements such as floorboard creaking! When the player enters the box collider, dependant on the velocity of the player's movement, specific creaking sounds are played!
We felt this was an amazing example of how diegetic sounds can be implemented to add to weight to the player action!
Floorboard creek C# class with a box collider
