作者：Steve Kutay

1.音频的发展

新主机时代已经到来。而众开发者们除了怀有满满的期望，同时也带着稍许的不情愿。在过去十年时间里程序员已经投入了大量时间去挖掘PS2，Xbox以及Gamecube中的每一个潜能。

而当这些机器的执行效果大大超出了开发者的预期后，技术枷锁也再次被打破了。但是下一代的掌机是否能够为我们带来更棒的音频效果呢？

因为内存空间的扩大，以及我们能基于BD-ROM和单面双层DVD-ROM格式添加更多额外内容，所以我们便能够在设备中储存更多音频。但是音频的播放效果不一定取决于设备的性能和传送规格。我们操纵音频的能力也将得到提高，但是如果不能有效地传送音频，这一切也就没有了意义。所以我将通过本篇文章分析声音的创造并帮助音频设计师更好地制作出成功的互动游戏声音。

不管你面对的是何种游戏格式，你都能够将创意带进开发过程中。规划声音团队并掌握他们的工作流程将帮助你确保游戏音频制作的有序发展——不管是从艺术还是从商业角度上看。

2.音频团队

早年有一部让我印象深刻的动画短片。其中的一名动画制作人白天都在一家非常有名的娱乐公司（刚发行了一款关于恐龙的CG电影）上班。当我问他在项目中负责什么工作时，他回答道：“制作恐龙的脚趾甲。”

我不禁想到还有其他人负责恐龙的牙齿，眼睛，磷屑等工作。所以他们最终才创造出了一部极具视觉冲击力的电影。而事实上，仅凭微薄的游戏预算我们根本不可能组建起如此庞大的音频制作团队；但是通过这个例子我们便清楚音频团队中的每个人都应该在自己的分内工作中尽职尽责。只有基于团体合作你才能创造出更加出色的音频。

过去，开发者在拟定游戏预算时总是会尽可能压低制作成本，所以开发团队中一般只有一两个人在执行游戏音频的制作工作。但是今天，随着风险的不断提高，游戏预算也相继得到提高。用户对于游戏的期望值越来越大，他们希望在家里玩游戏也能够感受到如电影般的体验。互动市场成了开发者突显品牌优势的战场。而那些乏味且频繁出现的音频终将被发行商和开发者们所抛弃。

不管你是基于内部音频开发还是外包音频，你都需要确保每个负责人都能明确自己所扮演的角色，绝对不能轻易越界。如果音频制作主管同时兼任声音设计师，且声音设计师也分担着作曲家的工作，你便会发现他们很难真正将注意力集中在这些共享的工作上。我们必须为整个音频团队罗列出每个成员所负责的具体工作。同时还需要特别强调你将声音预算用于加强哪些领域的声音制作。我将在后面的内容进一步讨论预算，而现在让我们先开始今天的分析。

3.交流观点：前期制作

1）早起的鸟儿有虫吃

具有创造性的人总是能对自己所做的一切充满激情。你的声音团队也必须具有这种热情。但是如果缺乏指导这种内在动机也会逐渐消失。你必须像制定预算那般重视团队士气的鼓舞，千万不要让声音团队成员只抱着“试试看”的想法。当提到添加声音时，声音设计师总是比制作团队的其它成员拥有更明确的优势和弱势。

优势在于，当是时候针对游戏创作音频时，游戏已经几乎成形并具有自己的特性，从而能够帮助设计师更好地明确音效设计方向。弱势则在于，因为声音设计总是发生在游戏开发的最后阶段，所以声音设计团队便不得不顶着截止日期的压力进行工作。让声音设计师尽早掌握游戏的相关信息便能够帮助他们避免高成本的反复修改工作。

2）文件！

让声音团队尝试最新的游戏版本，并只提供给他们游戏美术方向的部分图片。与美术部门一样，声音团队也必须了解游戏角色和场景的各种变化。

开发者最好能够按照时间顺序以文本或电子文件形式详细描写游戏的图像创造过程——从最早的草稿到最后的游戏定图。同时还需要为声音设计师，作曲家和美术主管安排一次具有深度的会议，让他们能够基于美术角度共同讨论游戏的开发过程。这样你的音频团队才能够创造出匹配美术人员作品的声音。

对于受故事驱动的游戏，每个团队成员可以通过脚本副本而明确游戏的开发动机和目标。这对于作曲家来说非常重要，如此声音设计师才能进一步融入游戏中并更好地进行创作。

也许最佳的交流方式应该来自游戏设计师。游戏设计师总是不断地追求着创造出“最优秀的游戏”。他能够滔滔不绝地描绘出游戏创造的目的。尽管他的工作是发挥创造性，但是他所提出的方法却是最具有技术含量的。没有人比游戏设计师更了解游戏角色所具有的能力——他所创造出的大量技术文件便能够证明这一点。而对于音频团队来说这些文件更是非常有价值。通过掌握游戏的关卡描述和敌人说明，声音设计师和作曲家便能够创造出相应的音频描述。这些文件中都会有关于boss或敌人的详细描述，而这也是声音设计师创造音频的最佳背景。

3）音频样带

当完成了上述的准备工作后，声音设计团队和作曲家便需要开始创造游戏的音频样带。基于游戏中的不同关卡制作三到四个60至90秒长度的样带。并且一定要考虑到游戏环境的变化，从而才能表现出游戏从较低关卡向更高关卡的转变。但是如果你所面对的是街机游戏，这种方法便不适用了。

当完成了声音设计和音乐制作后，声音制作领导或音频总监便需要（游戏邦注：基于立体声，环绕立体声或同时包含两种模式）将所有的音频内容整合在一起，并传送到影像中进行审查。

拥有一个能够检阅设计师创造性想法的评论团队非常重要。评论团队成员包括（但却不限于）开发制作人，发行制作人，执行制作人，联合制作人，游戏设计师，美术总监，音频总监以及特许经营商代表。一个强大的评论团队能够为开发者创造一份精确且综合的评价。如果音频样带需要做出改变并也得到了制作人的认可，那么你便可以正式投入音频制作了。

4.声音设计

1）对于声音的情感反应

人类从一诞生便会对各种声音做出回应。不管是妈妈的声音，教堂的钟声还是警鸣都会引起人们的情感回应。声音能够帮助我们更好地了解周边世界；能够警示我们注意任何危险，提醒我们采取行动并赋予我们的生活和平与宁静。声音的表现力越强，我们所做出的情感回应也会越大。游戏中的音效不仅能够唤醒玩家的这种回应，同时也能突出游戏中的环境，事件以及游戏角色等元素。因为游戏中的声音具有随机性，所以当多个声音相继出现时设计师必须确保在未牺牲定义或角色的前提下让这些声音有效地共存。

2）警惕声音疲劳

在我们的耳朵出现疲劳之前它能够接收到的声音数据也是有限的。所以声音程序员或管理员就需要区分哪些声音才是最重要的，以及在什么时候它们的重要性才会显现出来。另外，声音设计师也需要创造出最有效的内容，而不管当时所播放的是何种声音。良好的音效既能够独立发挥作用也能够与其它声音有效地结合在一起。虽然这是一种具有挑战性的任务，但是如果设计师足够深谋远虑，他便能够创造出精彩，具有动感且能够让听者满意的交互式背景音乐。

避免声音疲劳的关键便在于创造出音量和频率不断波动的音效。一个音量较大且包含了等量的低，中，高频的声音在单独播放时可能是有效的，但是如果所有音效的音量都很大且涵括着相同的频率范围，我们便很难从下一个声音中解读之前的声音。大多数情况下，声音设计师总是会基于适当的音量去播放声音，并让音频管理员或程序员有序地将这些声音整合到游戏中，并为每个声音设置回放音量。而声音设计师的工作则是根据每个声音的要求去设置不同的频率。高频能够呈现细节，中高频能够创造存在感，而低频则将描写出能量。过于强调高频和中高频将会造成听者的听觉疲劳，而呈现出过多包含低频和子频的声音则破坏整体声音的质量。设计师的目标应该是创造出相互补充而非相互抗衡的独特声音，所以他们就必须思考所有能够与每个音效相互搭配的最佳频率是什么。这一过程将舍弃任何不必要的声音空间，而提供额外的空间去呈现其它音效。当设计师合理地设置了音量和频率时，不同音效间便能够更好地连接在一起而不管它们是何时出现的。

3）节奏—-创造高峰时刻

现在让我们从大局的角度去检查声音设计。游戏和关卡设计文件将基于重要时刻而呈现出游戏架构。一般来说这些架构都是以高峰和低谷的形式表现出来，而以此传达出游戏过程中的难度变化。通常高峰便代表着玩家与boss进行抗战（游戏邦注：不过不一定总是这样）。总的来说，声音设计将适度影响着这种弓形架构，并且从某种意义上来说还将创造出更多高峰时刻。如果声音设计师彻底检查了游戏中的敌人和各种情境，他们便能够有序地排列整体的声音设计，并遵循着游戏中的高峰和低谷时刻。而如果小兵的声音如boss般强而有力，设计师就必须做出适当调整，即降低这些没有多大抗击难度的敌人的音量。如果不这么做，声音设计将与游戏的弓形模式相矛盾。简单地来说也就是游戏中将会充斥着“过多美好的事物”。接下来让我们开始分析游戏声音设计中的一些特定领域。

4）背景—-通过声音定义环境

首先，背景声音总是能够有效地描写游戏的环境，位置，时间框架或者它的各个关卡。例如打击乐和双簧乐，各种买卖叫喊以及遥远的铃铛声都暗示着中世纪集市这一背景。而随着游戏的发展，背景声音将逐渐呈现出玩家所融入的环境。而环境中的声音是否能够给予玩家危险或安全，活动或静止等提示？相反地，背景也能够通过呈现出一个错误的环境去欺骗玩家。如在突袭前创造出一种风平浪静感。在这种情况下，适当的背景音乐设置能够为玩家描绘出一个生动的游戏环境。

尽管未实际呈现在游戏布景中，背景声音所带来的心理影响将能够增强屏幕图像所带给玩家的感染力。例如遥远且持续不断的婴儿哭喊声便暗示着脆弱性与不安全感。在一座废弃之城中破篱笆发出的嘎嘎声仿佛在向我们诉说着玩家早前的悲惨遭遇。而这些都只是用于唤醒玩家各种意识的微妙案例。设计师会添加更明显的声音去提醒玩家即将到来的危险。嗡嗡声或者含混的敌人的声音都能让玩家清楚一场激战的即将到来。如果设计师能够有效地设置游戏中的背景声音，玩家便能够从中获得害怕，期望以及忧虑等感觉。

5）冲撞和破坏—-来自于非生命体中的声音

早前，漫画书中总是会通过使用一些拟声词去描述行动场景中的声音。但是总有一天像“thud”，“pow”以及“zap”等拟声词将会失去其效能，而漫画作者将不得不发挥想象力，采取更有创意的方法去表达各种声音，如“Kathwaaaap”，“fwuuuhmp”等等。同样的，早前游戏中的音效的复兴以及串流技术的发展都让我们能够在动画中体验到更多不同的声音。而保持重放性能不变则能够确保音效的质量——如果声音的表现力不是很强的话。

从声音角度来看，冲撞和破坏将能够有效地传达出苦楚与屈服。这些声音总是会很自然地出现在玩家遭遇进攻的时候，但是如果它们被应用于非生命体身上时则会显得较为抽象。因为人类的声音是现有生物中最具表现力的，所以将人类的特征应用于非生命体中能够赋予其声音更多的生命力和表现力。缠绕声，重金属撞击声，抨击声，混凝土碎裂声，木头嘎吱嘎吱声，爆裂声等都是重力碰撞时所传达出的声音，就像是人类受伤时所发出的咕哝，呻吟和呼声。

除此之外，冲撞和破坏声也能够有效地呈现出武器和目标间的能量转移。伴随着弹跳动画的金属爆鸣声是对于子弹撞击金属的有力呈现，这时候我们便能够发现能量正以极快的速度从低质量目标身上发生转移。另一方面，导弹爆炸虽然具有更大的爆破力但是爆破速度也相对较慢，所以设计师便需要设置同等比例的回应。创造具有毁灭性的声音需要经过三个基础阶段：攻击，维持和释放。

攻击是三个事件中最早出现也是最短的一个。我们需要注意的是攻击并不是武器或射弹所发出的声音。在这种情况下，导弹的爆炸声音是发生在导弹爆炸动画播出的同时。因此，攻击是以目标材料为基础的影响性声音。因为攻击和导弹爆炸是同时发生的，所以攻击必须拥有较短的“引入”时间或者保持沉默而引起爆发高潮，否则听者将会认为导弹最初的爆炸与目标材料没有任何关系。

接下来便是维持，它将表现出爆炸所造成的碎片和材料分解的声音。我们将在这一阶段注意到更多细节问题。维持的声音不如攻击那般浓厚，所以我们便能够听到破坏的更多细节内容。

最后一个阶段便是释放，这是对于破坏的回应。这一阶段的破坏需要包含材料被摧毁后而降落的残骸以及灰层，泥土，甚至是蒸汽的移动。

完成了这三个阶段后，破坏所呈现出的声音将更具有表现力，并通过描绘出武器的爆炸性能而更好地突出了武器的威力。

对于《绿巨人:终极毁灭》，我们便是通过不断改变三个破坏阶段的立体声而突出各种细节以及爆破力。攻击阶段基本上都是单声道的，并在维持阶段快速拓宽立体声领域，并最终在释放阶段保持较宽且足够稳定的立体声领域。如此破坏声音便能够在一个较宽的领域中快速移动着，并最大限度地呈现出绿巨人强大的力量。

6）武器—-知己知彼

很少人知道近距离射击的声音远远不如40码，甚至80码远的射击声来得可怕。因为很少人真正开过枪，所以他们总希望娱乐媒体能够尽可能提高枪声的音量。所以即使是在历史模拟类游戏中，我们也有必要对一些声音进行润色。所以在“某一时代”的战争游戏中，设计师将把某一特定武器的多种录音混合在一起而创造出最能让玩家满意的枪击声。这将包含各种距离的枪声录音的混合，以及松开某一特定枪支的扳柄和卸下外壳时所发出的声音。基于这种方法去创造声音既能够带给玩家乐趣感也能够保留武器的历史准确性。

不管是科幻小说还是幻想类游戏，想象力总是声音设计师的唯一限制。就像我之前所提到的，设计文件将阐明游戏中敌人和角色的能力。而文件中也需要详细解释每种武器所具有的破坏力。并且非常重要的是武器所伴随的各种声音将能够更好地呈现出它的破坏力，并且在某种程度上玩家也将通过武器所发出的声音去判断它们的破坏力。例如在武器开火前会出现一种充电声，这时候玩家便会清楚自己将面对何种强大的力量。同样的，那些能够创造出巨大噪声的武器也能够带给玩家同样的危机感。

从文体角度来看，武器也是每个角色的个性延伸，能够表现出角色的物理特性，能力，有时候甚至能够传达出他们的传承或历史。例如宝剑，刀具以及武士刀所发出的声音就如其持有者（忍者）那般神秘。而这些声音也能够表现出忍者所具有的物理特性及传统。明确了这一点你便会希望能够听到一些较轻，但却极端猛烈，且能够感受到对方快速移动的声音。

7）汽车

因为汽车的声音就是对于控制器移动的回应，而不是一种动画，所以我们很难基于任何合理的方式去表现这种声音。赛车游戏开发者总是会通过设置强大的代码去控制汽车的声音。而因为我们只是专注于声音的制作，而非编程，所以我们只能从构成汽车声音的基本元素着手。

大部分情况下声音设计师将针对每辆汽车而提供四个单独的引擎声音：空闲循环，加速，稳定的推力循环和减速（引擎降压或刹车）。空闲循环预示着汽车处于使用中状态。而加速和减速声音的设置则应该基于编程无缝地在稳定推力循环中交替变化着。这种方法非常适用于低速汽车，即在按压按钮或释放触发器前总是很快便达到了最快速度。

如果汽车的视觉角度能够发生改变，那么声音也应该发生改变。这样才能体现出更强烈的现实性。如果内外视角都是可行的，那么观察引擎声音中应该呈现出微妙的变化以支持视角的改变。内部视角将不再强调引擎声音中的高频率，从而让听者在听取引擎内部声音时有种含混感。其中有一种方法便是声音设计师基于观察视角而提供单独的引擎声音版本。如果声音设计师能够基于不同视角进行录音，他便能够很轻松地做到这一点。而如果声音视角不可行，或者汽车是虚构的，那么为了维持视觉视角的体现设计师将执行包含变化的独立混合体。

为了添加现实感，基于汽车的行驶条件或驾驶状态设计师可以添加一些断续声以创造出一种反馈。例如汽车车轮在碰触到地表时所发出的划纹噪声便预示着汽车受到了损害。添加这种断续声能够提高玩家在驾驶汽车时所体验到的现实感和沉浸感。

8）菜单—-物以稀为贵

随着游戏越变越精致，菜单亦是如此。玩家既能够定制各种选择也能够观看或购买一系列未开封的内容。当然了，这需要游戏提供更多的导航。大多数情况下声音将伴随着导航而呈现给玩家更生动的反馈。但是不管这些声音多有趣，不断的重复最终只会惹恼玩家。所以创造一些短而精细的声波（游戏邦注：并让玩家通过感受而不是聆听）便是游戏能够采用的较为安全的方法。

游戏邦注：原文发表于2006年3月8日，所涉事件及数据均以当时为准。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

The Game Audio Explosion – A Guide to Great Game Sound Part I: Pre-production and Sound Design

By Steve Kutay

I. FAR BEYOND BLEEPS AND LOOPS

The new console era is upon us. It has been met by developers everywhere with great anticipation, promise, …and yet,reluctance. Programmers have spent a large portion of the past decade squeezing every last bit of potential from our PS2s, Xbox’s and Gamecubes.

Now, after tricking these machines into performing beyond their expectations, the shackles of technology have been lifted yet again. But will the next generation consoles guarantee better audio?

No. We can certainly expect more audio due to an increase in available memory, and the ability to add additional content within BD-ROM and dual layer DVD-ROM formats. But what makes audio sound good doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with performance and delivery specs. Surely, our ability to manipulate audio will improve, but it will mean nothing if the content doesn’t deliver. This article focuses on sound creation, and will enable you to pave the way for effective and successful interactive game sound.

You have the ability to put the creative spark in motion regardless of which game format you are developing. Knowing and preparing your sound team as well as understanding the processes through which they work, will ultimately help you to keep the audio on track, both artistically and financially.

II. THE AUDIO TEAM

A few years back, I was scoring a short animated film. One of the animators for this film held a day job at a well-known entertainment company that had just released a CG movie about dinosaurs. I asked him what he did on that project,to which he replied, “I did all the toenails.”

I couldn’t help but think of the army of people responsible for the teeth, eyes, scales, and so on. None-the-less, I saw the movie and it was visually stunning. Realistically, game budgets will not allow for such an extravagant audio team, but it does illustrate a good principle; that your audio personnel have well- defined roles with which to focus their efforts. Collectively, your audio will be that much better for it.

Game budgets once mandated that production costs stay low, so it wasn’t unusual to find that one or two people produced all of a game’s audio. Today, the stakes are much higher, and so are the budgets. Consumer expectations have grown, requiring a movie-like experience within the confines of their homes. The interactive market has become a battlefield for franchise superiority. Bland, over-used audio must not be the exposed link in the armor of any publisher or developer.

Whether you are using an in-house audio department or outsourcing the audio completely, it is important that individuals have well-defined roles that do not cross over into the other aspects of sound production. If the Audio Director is splitting time as the Sound Designer, and the Sound Designer is also the Composer, you can be sure that none of these shared jobs will get the proper attention they require. It is important to obtain a list of your entire audio team that breaks down the responsibilities of each member. Use your sound budget to fortify any areas in sound production that need particular emphasis. We will discuss more on budgets later, but for now let’s start at the beginning.

III. COMMUNICATING THE VISION: PRE-PRODUCTION

A. EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM

By their very nature, creative people are passionate about what they do. You shouldn’t have difficulty finding the enthusiasm amongst your sound team. Yet this inherent motivation is not something to be left without guidance. You will be doing your budget as well as your team’s morale, a disservice by letting
your sound team simply “have at it”. When it comes time to add sound, the sound designers have both an advantage and a disadvantage compared to the other production team members.

The advantage is, that by the time the game is ready for audio creation, the game has taken real shape and personality. This helps to guide the direction of the sound effects design. The disadvantage is, that since the sound design is one of the last stages to be developed, previously fallen deadlines become the
responsibility of the sound design team to make up. By bringing your sound designers up to speed early, you can avoid costly third and fourth revisions.

B. THE DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!

Giving the sound team the most recent build to play, only gives them a partial picture of the artistic direction of the game. The sound team, like the art department, must understand the metamorphosis of the game’s characters and landscapes.

To do this, compile a book or digital archive that chronologically depicts the artwork, from the earliest sketches to the final in-game representations. Arrange an in-depth meeting between the sound designers, composer and the Art Director to discuss the game’s development from an artistic standpoint. This will help your audio team create the proper palette of sounds in much the same way an artist creates a palette of colors.

For story-driven games, distributing copies of the script will be necessary to illustrate the motivation and goal of the game. While this is critical for composers, the sound designers will benefit by the added sense of immersion into the game.

Perhaps the best form of communicating the vision will come from the Game Designer. The game designer works tirelessly in his pursuit to create “the best game ever”. He is never short of words when describing the intent of the game. Though his work is creative, his methods are mostly technical. No one understands the abilities of the characters in such detail as the game designer, as the great number of technical documents he produces will attest. These documents are invaluable to the audio team. By thoroughly examining level overviews and enemy specs, both sound designers and composers can create complimentary aural depictions. Bosses that are slow but powerful, or enemies that are stealthy will be revealed in great detail within these documents, providing the backdrop from which the sound designers can create.

C. THE DEMOS – GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE

Once the above preproduction steps have been completed, it’s time for the sound design team and composer to begin creating demos from game capture. Create three to four movies 60 to 90 seconds in length from different levels in the game. Be sure to include the ambient portion prior to the action in order to hear the game shift from low to high levels of activity. However, this may not be possible for some arcade style games.

Once the sound design and music are complete, a mix of all the audio content should be performed by the Sound Lead or Audio Director in either stereo, surround or both, and exported with the movies for review.

It is important to have in place a team of reviewers that appropriately represent those who have creative input. These might include, but are not limited to, the Developing Producer, Publishing Producer, Executive Producer, Associate Producer, Game Designer, Art Director, Audio Director and a franchise representative if applicable. A robust review team will help generate an accurate and collective review. If changes in the demonstration audio are required and then subsequently agreed upon, your audio is ready for production.

IV. SOUND DESIGN PRODUCTION

A. EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO SOUND

From the beginning we have been programmed to respond to sound. A mother’s voice, a church bell, or police sirens conjure an emotional response. Sounds help us to decipher the world around us. They warn us of danger, call us to action and bring peace and tranquility to our lives. The more expressive the sound is, the greater our emotional response to it. Sound effects correctly placed in a game should evoke this response while defining the environment, circumstance and personas on screen. Due to the random nature by which sounds are triggered in a game, they must effectively co-exist without losing definition or character when multiple sounds occur in close proximity to each other. Let us examine some general observations in game sound design.

B. BEWARE OF SONIC SLUDGE!

There is a finite amount of sound data that the ear can properly interpret before fatigue sets in. It is the role of the sound programmer or director to prioritize which sounds are most important and at what times they are important. The sound designer on the other hand, must always create content that will be effective, regardless of the circumstances that exist at the time a sound is played. Good sound effects should work well alone and in combination with many other sounds. This is a challenging task, but careful forethought and planning will produce a rich, dynamic and satisfying interactive soundscape.

The key to preventing sonic fatigue is to create sound effects that vary in volume and frequency in relation to each other. A single sound effect that is loud and contains equal amounts of low, middle and high frequencies may be effective when played alone, but if all the sound effects are loud and contain a similar frequency spectrum, it becomes difficult to decipher one sound from the next.

In most cases, the sound designer delivers the sounds at a reasonably loud volume, to allow the audio director or programmer to appropriately mix those sounds into the game, setting the playback volume for each sound. However, it is the job of the sound designer to emphasize different frequencies according to the requirements of each sound. To do this, the designer must know which sounds are likely to be played together at any given time, then selectively decide which sounds will emphasize specific frequencies. Higher frequencies provide detail. Upper middle frequencies provide presence, while lower frequencies depict power or energy. Too much emphasis on high and upper- middle frequencies will lead to fatigue, while too many sounds containing lower or sub frequencies, will become muddy and detract from the overall detail of the sound design. The goal is to create individual sounds that do not compete, but compliment. With this in mind, the sound designer must appropriately focus on the frequencies that will best suit each sound effect. This process essentially carves out any unnecessary sound space to allow additional room for other sound effects to be heard. When volumes and frequencies are selectively assigned, the sound effects will breathe and compliment each other regardless of when they play.

C. PACING – BUILDING TOWARD CLIMACTIC MOMENTS

Now let’s examine the sound design from the “Big Picture” perspective. Game and level design documents will provide the structure of the game in terms of moments of emphasis. Generally, these structures take the form of peaks and valleys that convey changes in difficulty as the game progresses. Usually, the
peaks represent a boss fight, though not necessarily so. When examined as a whole, the sound design should appropriately compliment these arching structures, and allow, from a sound perspective, a sense of building toward these peak moments. If the sound designer has examined the enemies and situations thoroughly, the overall sound design will naturally fall into place, appropriately following the peaks and valleys within the game. However, if for example, minions sound as powerful as bosses, some adjustment will be necessary to bring down the emphasis of these weaker and less difficult enemies. By not doing so will result in sound design that does not match the arching pattern of the game. To put it simply, there can be”too much of a good thing”. Let’s now look at the specific areas of game sound design.

D. AMBIENCE – DEFINING ENVIROMENTS THROUGH SOUND

Initially, ambient sound should effectively portray the setting, location and time frame of the game or its various levels. For instance, percussion and double reed music, a multitude of bartering voices and distant clanking iron would suggest a medieval marketplace. As the game progresses the role of the ambient sound is to support the circumstances with which the player is involved. Does the sound within the environment evoke danger or safety? Activity or inactivity? Conversely, ambience can be used to deceive the player through suggesting a false circumstance, such as creating a sense of calm before an ambush. Under all these conditions, good ambient sound should portray a living environment.

The psychological impact of ambient sounds can add much to the onscreen imagery, though not physically present in the scenery. For instance a distant, sustained cry of an infant suggests vulnerability or insecurity. A broken fence rattling in the wind of an abandoned city, suggests to the player a previous traumatic event. These are subtle examples used to arouse awareness in the player. More obvious sounds should be used to cue the player of his direct proximity to danger. Dark drones or muffled enemy vocalizations will prepare the player for fierce combat ahead. Fear, anticipation and anxiety are easily evoked by the careful placement of ambient sounds.

E. IMPACTS AND DESTRUCTION – BREATHING DEATH INTO THE NON-LIVING

Early on, comic books depicted the sound of the action scenes through the use of words that sonically mimicked the action. Over time, words like “thud” “pow” and “zap” lost their effectiveness. Comic book writers had to jog their imaginations to express sounds in more creative and exciting ways, such as “Kathwaaap’, “fwuuuhmp” and so on. Similarly, the sound effects in early games experienced a renaissance as memory increased and streaming technology allowed for more and varied sounds to be launched under the animations. However, no increase in playback performance will ensure the effectiveness of the sound effects, if the sounds are not expressive.

From a sound perspective, impacts and destruction must primarily convey suffering and submission. These terms apply naturally to the vocal efforts triggered under an opponent or avatar under attack, but are more abstract when applied to inanimate objects. Since the human voice is the most expressive instrument in existence, applying human-like characteristics to the ‘non-living’, will help give the sounds a more life-like and expressive quality. Twisting, screeching metal, the deep thud and release of broken concrete and wood that creaks, pops and splinters convey expressive responses to the forces applied to them, in much the same way a grunt, moan and exhale expresses human injury.

Additionally, impacts and destruction sounds should proportionately depict the transference of energy between the weapon and the target. A metallic ping with a ricochet is an effective response to a bullet on metal, in which the transfer of energy between a low-mass object at high speed can be observed. A missile explosion, on the other hand, is more powerful and slower to develop, therefore requiring an equally proportionate response. The sound of larger impacts with destruction should develop through three basic phases: Attack, Sustain and Release.

The Attack is the first and shortest event of the three. It is important to note that the attack is not the sound of the weapon or projectile. In this case, a missile, contains it’s own dry explosion sound that is launched under the animation of the missile explosion. Therefore the attack will be the impact sound based on the material composition of the target. Since the attack and the dry explosion of the missile will happen simultaneously, the attack should have a short period of ‘lead-in’ or silence to allow the peak, or initial part of the explosion of the missile to be heard uncompromised by the attack of the material impact.

Next is the Sustain, which introduces the debris and material breakdown created by the explosion. Over this phase, detail should be observed. The sustain should sound less dense than the attack so that the specific details of the destruction can adequately be heard.

The final phase is the Release, which is a response to the destruction that should characterize a kind of ‘submission’. This phase of the destruction should contain lighter falling debris based on the materials destroyed, movement of dust and earth and perhaps steam.

When all three of these phases are exhibited, the destructions will sound more expressive and compliment the weapons by adequately portraying their explosive energy.

For “The Incredible Hulk – Ultimate Destruction” we maximized the detail and movement of large, explosive forces by dynamically altering the stereo field throughout the three phases of the destruction. The attack phase was almost entirely monophonic, while a quickly widening stereo field was applied to the sustain, finally resting on a wide and fixed stereo field for the release. The result was destruction that moved rapidly over a wide area, thereby adequately portraying the Hulk’s enormous power.

F. WEAPONS – KNOW THYSELF, KNOW THY ENEMY!

It is a lesser-known fact that a gunshot at close range, sounds less threatening than from 40 or even 80 yards away. Since most people have never fired a gun, their expectations for the sound of gunshots as depicted by the entertainment media are very high. Therefore, even in games based on historical simulation, some amount of sonic sweetening will be necessary. In the case of a “period” war game, multiple recordings of the specific weapon should be blended together to create a satisfying gunshot. These might include mixing together the various distances recorded for the gunshot, as well as the dry trigger and shell discharge sounds for the specific firearm. Sounds created this way will be sonically interesting while retaining the historical accuracy of the weapon.

For science-fiction or fantasy games, the imagination is the sound designer’s only limitation. As mentioned previously, the design documents will shed light on the abilities of the enemies and characters within the game. The weapons detailed in this document should explain the amount of damage incurred by each weapon. It is important that these sounds appropriately match the damage potential, since the player will, to some extent, be judging the amount of damage from each weapon by the sound it creates. For example, weapons that contain a charge-up sound before firing, indicates to the player that a great amount of force is forthcoming. Likewise a weapon that produces a large discharge noise would produce the same result.

From a stylistic perspective, weapons are an extension of the personalities of each character and should compliment the character’s physical attributes, abilities and in some cases, their heritage or history. For instance, the sounds of swords, knives and shuriken should be as stealthy as the master ninja who wields them. The character of these sounds should compliment the physical qualities exhibited by the ninja and reflect the mastery of the ninja tradition. With this in mind you should expect the sounds to be light but fierce, focused and evoke quickness of movement.

G. VEHICLES

Since vehicle sounds typically respond to controller movements, and not animations, they can be difficult to perform in a plausible manner. Developers for racing games are likely to have robust code for manipulating vehicle sounds. Since we are focusing on sound production, and not programming, let’s examine the basic elements that make up vehicle sounds.

In most cases the sound designer will provide four separate engine sounds per vehicle: an idle loop, acceleration, a steady thrust loop and a deceleration (engine decompression or braking). The idle will simply indicate that the vehicle is engaged. The acceleration and deceleration sounds should be designed to seamlessly crossfade into, and out of the steady thrust loop via programming. This formula is effective for simple vehicles with a low threshold of speed in which the vehicle will quickly reach maximum velocity until the button or trigger is released.

If the visual perspectives of the vehicle can be changed, so too should the sounds that accompany the vehicle. This will ensure a greater sense of realism. For instance, if inside and outside perspectives are available, subtle shifts in the observed engine sounds should be present to support the change in perspective. An inside perspective will result in a de-emphasis of the higher frequencies that are present within the engine sounds, giving those sounds the muffled quality one would expect when listening to the engine from inside. One way to perform this, is for the sound designer to supply separate versions of the engine sounds based on the perspective observed. If the sound designer has access to recordings from the various perspectives, this will be easy to supply. However if these sound perspectives are not available, or if the vehicle is fictitious, separate mixes that include changes in equalization should be performed in order to support the visual perspectives.

For added realism, intermittent sounds can be supplied to add feedback based on the driving conditions or the state of the vehicle while operating. For instance, wheel-based vehicles will contain surface noises used to indicate the terrain (tarmac, gravel etc.). Metallic rattling and scraping is used to indicate the state of a vehicle that is damaged. The addition of these and other intermittent sounds add a heightened sense of realism and immersion when operating the vehicle.

H. MENUS – LESS IS MORE

As games have become more sophisticated, so too have the menus. Player’s can customize a variety of options as well as view or purchase an array of unlock-able content. This, of course requires more navigation. In most cases, sounds will accompany the navigation to provide greater sensory feedback. No matter how enjoyable these sounds may be, their repetition will soon become an annoyance. It is always safe to create short and subtle sonic events that are felt rather than heard.（source：ezinearticles）