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3D音效可从6个层面强化游戏体验

发布时间:2013-11-04 17:02:24 Tags:,,,

作者:Michel Henein

“声音对影像的强化作用不是加法,而是乘法。”——黑泽明

引子

过去几年,我们已经目睹了电影中的声音从5.1/7.1声卡过渡到高通道数和基于目标的声音格式,使当下的电影制作者可以将“环绕立体声”进阶到更大大增加受众沉浸感的程度(Dolby ATMOS、DTS Multi-Dimensional Audio和Auro Technologies的Auro 3D)。这些格式在周围添加扬声器,包括上述的受众发出“elevation cue”,使声音得以在所有三个维度中环绕。

游戏也可以使用elevation cue使音效在所有三个维度中进一步拓展(游戏邦注:例如,使用立体耳机,不需要额外的扬声器);通过使用数字过滤器,可以通过调整声音对象在游戏空间中的XYZ座标位置来创造令人信服的3D“效果”,模拟在人在3D声音域中听到声音的对应点。

是的,3D音效技术和解决方案已经出现了好一段时间了,但现在大部分游戏开发者都没有在游戏中执行真正的3D定位音效;相反地,开发者往往坚持使用标准的立体声和5.1围绕声作为绝大部分游戏的事实标准。记住,并非所有3D音效解决方案都相似,真正吸引人的3D音效往往需要大量资源——音效处理并不能总是获得宝贵的资源。随着手机的多核处理器的普及、强大的次世代游戏机将于年底推出,新GPU(即AMD的TrueAudio)提供的专用音效DSP资源,游戏开发者在他们跨平台游戏中大规模使用和标准化3D音效解决方案的时机已经成熟了。

3d-audio(from futuristicnews.com)

3d-audio(from futuristicnews.com)

以下是3D音效可以带给游戏开发者的东西:

Elevation(仰角):上下位置

Azimuth(偏振角):前后和左右位置

Distance(间隔):使用仰角和偏振角来确3D音域(即包围着你的球形声音领域)中的声音的位置,声音可以用间隔推出空间,以便改进深度知觉(比如,使用间隔线索处理,3D房间模拟)。

这些参数扩展音域,超越了立体声音、5.1和7.1可以产生的音域(2D格式)。对于追求现实感和沉浸感的开发者,3D音效可能是“最容易摘到的果实”。

以下是开发者使用3D音效来强化游戏体验的6种方法:

1、强化手机游戏沉浸感:

小屏幕的游戏(手机或平板游戏)可以利用3D音效来创造大游戏的错觉同。虽然小屏幕和球形音域可能有一点儿脱节,但3D音效可以增加“在游戏世界中“的感觉。

Ear Games工作室的iOS游戏《Ear Monsters》就非常有前瞻性,利用3D音效来促进玩法而不是视觉效果。使用3D声音线索来驱动玩法有助于把游戏世界的范围拓展到小小的屏幕之外,例如,玩家可以触击他听到的声音的在3D空间中来源(比如,当听到攻击的声音来自屏幕上方,就触击屏幕上方)。

2、以声音为中心的游戏:

使用3D音效,以声音为中心的游戏可以:

1)帮助视觉受损的人享受游戏。比如,玩家不需要看屏幕上发生什么就可以玩《Ear Monsters》。

2)交互故事可以利用旁白和3D音域中的音效创造有沉浸感的故事叙述体验。

3)恐怖游戏可以利用黑暗和缺少能见度,使玩家依赖3D声音线索,从而创造更有沉浸感的体验。

以上只是列举了声音为中心的游戏的无限可能性中的三种。

3、提高3D游戏(即3D FPS)的环境意识

通过使玩家依赖对声音线索来源的正确判断,3D音效可以提高玩家在FPS游戏中的环境意识。例如,在利用立体声、5.1或7.1音效传输的大部分现代战争FPS游戏中,当地面上的玩家被藏在高塔的狙击手射中时,玩家听不出来狙击手的枪声来自高处。而使用3D音效,玩家可以听到狙击手的声音来自高处。

4、减少UI图形:

声音可以代替部分UI(如子弹用光了或用声音提示玩家命值),从而使界面更加整洁,这是众所周知的。通过使用空间来暗示更多信息,3D音效可以拓展声音线索(使用声音线索,用仰角来显示暴雨即将来临)。

5、多人语意聊天的位置3D音效:

利用3D音效,可以制作一种“3D无线电通信”式的交流方法,即根据小组成员在游戏中的位置听到成员的通信声音(即小组成员在山上时,玩家听到的通信声音就来自高处)。

6、3D音效增强虚拟现实体验:

传统的立体声、5.1或7.1音频播放把音域限制为二维平面,这与虚拟现实技术提供的视野是脱节的。3D音效允许全面3D音域解决了这个问题,完美地增加了3D立体视野。头戴设备(例如Oculus Rift)与3D音效相结合,使玩家通过头部转动来确定声音的来源方向。

开发者如何在游戏中实现3D音效?

游戏的运行时间声音引擎通常使用音效中间件解决方案(比如FMOD和Wwise),这样开发者就可以利用Dolby、DTS、GenAudio、Auro 3D和Iosono的3D音效技术。鼓励你的团队探索各咱3D音效解决方案,使你的游戏的听觉体验胜过立体声、5.1和7.1能提供的。(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

6 Ways 3D Audio Can Expand Gaming Experiences

by Michel Henein

“Sound is that which does not simply add to, but multiplies the effect of the image.”  Akira Kurosawa.

Intro:

Over the past few years, we’ve witnessed sound for cinema being transformed from 5.1/7.1 to the high channel-count and object-based sound formats available for today’s film-makers to extend ‘surround sound’ to the next level of immersion for audiences (i.e. Dolby ATMOS, DTS Multi-Dimensional Audio, and Auro Technologies’ Auro 3D). These formats add speakers all around, including above the listener to emit ‘elevation cues’, allowing sound to pan around in all three dimensions.

Games can also use elevation cues to further expand audio in all three dimensions (without the need for additional speakers by using stereo headphones, for example); through the use of digital filters (HRTFs derived from dummy-head measurements or modeling of the auditory cortex), a convincing 3D ‘effect’ can be created by leveraging  a sound object’s XYZ position in game space to simulate a sound being heard at a corresponding point in a 3D sound-field.

Yes, 3D audio technologies and solutions have been around for quite some time but the majority of today’s game developers do not implement true 3D positional audio into their games; instead developers tend to stick with standard stereo and 5.1 surround sound as the de facto standard for the vast majority of titles being produced today. Keep in mind that not all 3D audio solutions are alike and really compelling 3D audio typically requires quite a lot of processing resources — precious resources that aren’t always made available for audio processing. With the explosion of multi-core processors for mobile gaming, powerful next-gen consoles arriving later this year, and dedicated audio DSP resources being offered on new GPUs (i.e. AMD’s TrueAudio), the conditions are ripe for the mass adoption and standardized use of compelling and powerful 3D audio solutions by game developers for their game titles across many different platforms.

Here is what 3D sound can provide game developers:

Elevation: placement above and to some degree, below

Azimuth: placement in front, behind, and to the sides

Distance: using elevation and azimuth to define a position for a sound inside a 3D sound-field (i.e. a spherical sound-field wrapped around you) the sound can be pushed out in space with distance to allow improved depth perception (using distance cue processing, 3D room simulation, for example.)

These parameters expand the sound-field beyond what stereo, 5.1, and 7.1 can produce (which are 2D formats). For developers looking to offer a bit more realism and immersion for their players, 3D audio may be the ‘lowest-hanging fruit’ available to do so.

Here are 6 ways developers can use 3D audio to expand gaming experiences:

Enhanced immersion for mobile games:

There are tons of fun games on the small screen (for your mobile phone or tablet) however, 3D audio can be used to create the illusion of a larger game world through the use of an immersive sound-field that envelops the player. While there may be a bit of a disconnect between a small screen and an enveloping, spherical sound-field, 3d audio for mobile gaming can heighten the feeling of being “in the game.”

Ear Monsters, by Ear Games, is a forward-thinking iOS game that employs the use of 3D audio to drive gameplay, rather than visuals.  The use of 3D auditory cues to drive gameplay serves to extend the boundaries of the game world beyond the small screen of the mobile device, for example, the player can tap in the general direction of the sound being heard in 3d space (for example, tapping the top of the screen if an attack is heard coming from above.)

Sound-centric games:

Using 3D audio, sound-centric games can:

Help the visually impaired to enjoy gaming. Ear Monsters allows players to play without needing to see what’s happening on screen.
Create interactive stories using voice over and sound effects positioned in a 3D sound-field for an immersive story-telling experience.

Use darkness and lack of visibility to increase reliance on 3D sound cues can make more compelling and immersive horror games.
This list barely scratches the surface with all the possibilities that sound-centric games can offer players.

Improve situational awareness in 3D games (i.e. 3D FPS):
3D audio can improve situational awareness in FPS games by relaying sound cues from certain directions correctly to the player. For example, in most modern combat FPS games that rely use stereo, 5.1, or 7.1 audio delivery, when a player on the ground level is being shot at by a sniper who’s perched high in a tower, the sound of the sniper’s shot does is not heard from above. With 3D audio, the sound of the sniper’s shot would be heard from above, like it’s supposed to.

Reduction of UI graphics:

It is well known that using sound to substitute for UI (i.e. running out of ammo or player health indication using sound prompts) can help remove display clutter. 3D sound can be used to extend the sound cues by using space to indicate more information (i.e. using a sound cue with elevation to indicate a rainstorm is coming.)

Positional 3D audio for multiplayer voice chat:

By leveraging 3D audio, a ’3D radio communications’ of sorts can be created to hear team member communication based on actual position in the game (i.e. if a member of a squad is up on a hill, the radio communication from that player would be elevated.)

3D audio compliments the VR experience:

Conventional stereo, 5.1, or 7.1 audio playback limits the sound field to a two-dimensional plane creating a disconnect with the visual field offered by VR. 3D audio eliminates this problem by allowing a full 3D sound-field to perfectly compliment the 3D stereoscopic visual field; head-tracking (with the Oculus Rift, for example) coupled with 3D audio allows the player to move their head around and expect to hear sound all around them correctly, including sounds from above.

How can developers implement 3D audio in their games?

Games typically use audio middleware solutions (FMOD and Wwise, for example) for their run-time sound engines so developers can utilize 3D audio technologies made available from Dolby, DTS, GenAudio, Auro 3D, and Iosono (check with your audio middleware provider for available solutions.) Encourage your teams to explore using either of the various 3D audio solutions available today to enhance the aural experience for your title(s) beyond what stereo, 5.1, and 7.1 can offer. (source:gamasutra)


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