Sound

[metadigital]

Recently, I wandered across to the fan mod site for Half-Life (run the Flash intro on http://www.blackmesasource.com/ to follow in my footprints).

 

I noticed just how quickly and well my mind was catapulted back into the game.

 

Then I remembered playing the Space Invaders pinball game, about twenty years ago, and noticing that my heartrate had synchronised with the overt bass beat, which had been accelerating as the game progressed, reaching a crescendo or excitement that linked directly to my autonomic nervous system through my aural senses.

 

So I am asking you lot; do you think sound is important for ambience and immersion?

 

Is it more important than graphics, perhaps?

[GhostofAnakin]

I'm not really sure, although I think it can be. KOTOR's graphics weren't that great, by today's standards, but what made me feel immersed in the game was the music and sound effects at certain times of the story.

 

Btw, I picked the lawyer option, because while I believe it's important and helps with immersion, I'm not convinced it is the most important feature.

[DAWUSS]

Music helps a lot with the mood, but it isn't the most important feature

[Deraldin]

I have to agree with GoA. Sound is one of the most important factors, however if we are talking about music then I can take it or leave it. The ambient sound effects and things like footsteps or similar sounds are what really bring the immersion level up. For example, Thief and System Shock. Two of the most immersive games that I have ever played and neither one has great graphics however they don't detract from the atmosphere and really allow the sound effects to do their work.

 

Also depends on the type of game. For something like the games I mentioned above, the sound effects are what make or break a game IMO, but for something like a C&C game, or Warcraft, I could really care less about the sound. (Unless the music is done by Frank Klepacki. )

[metadigital]

Did you follow in my footsteps? Did you? I almost went straight back to Half-Life to replay it again ...!

[Deraldin]

Did you follow in my footsteps? Did you? I almost went straight back to Half-Life to replay it again ...!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Um... no?

[metadigital]

...

Sound is one of the most important factors ... The ambient sound effects and things like footsteps or similar sounds are what really bring the immersion level up. For example, Thief and System Shock. Two of the most immersive games that I have ever played and neither one has great graphics however they don't detract from the atmosphere and really allow the sound effects to do their work.

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So you agree with me.

[Deraldin]

Oh thats what you were talking about. The footsteps thing confused me. I must have just skipped over that part in your first post.

 

I did check the link and it really had no impact on me at all. It was neat however it may have had more of an effect had I actually played Half Life.

[Gabrielle]

Sound has to be top notch or I won't play it. Crappy sound and music won't cut it for me in a game. VtM: Bloodlines has one of the best soundtracks out there which is one of the reasons I enjoy this game, even though it has bugs.

[mkreku]

Sound is a great addition when it's good. But bad sound has never stopped me from playing a game, like bad graphics has. Therefore, my slightly intoxicated brain draws the conclusion that graphics (which aren't all that necessary) is slightly more important than sound. I guess that puts sound pretty far down the list of what's important in a game for me.

[Llyranor]

10 years from now, I won't remember the 'good' the graphics of a classic were. What I will remember is the tune being played during those defining gaming moments, as I'll still be whistling them.

 

I still hum themes from Secret of Mana - the first game which had music to really captivate me - and that was from over 10 yrs ago.

[EnderAndrew]

Check out the sold-out Final Fantasy concerts.

 

Sound is crucial to a movie, and I think sound should be focused on more in games.

[metadigital]

Yeah, I was going to use the same observation as Llyranor; if you play Half-Life or System Shock the graphics are not much to look at, even though they were bleeding edge at release.

 

Everyone keeps harping on about graphics, but in years to come they will be meaningless; sound, on the other hand, seems to be much more integral to the definitive gaming experience.

[Gabrielle]

I'll tolerate sub par, not bad graphics, but I won't tolerate sound that sucks.

[GhostofAnakin]

I'll tolerate sub par, not bad graphics, but I won't tolerate sound that sucks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Define sub par though. I, personally, wouldn't go anything below the IE games. While I'm not a graphics whore, I do need some degree of graphics to immerse myself.

[Gabrielle]

I'll tolerate sub par, not bad graphics, but I won't tolerate sound that sucks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Define sub par though. I, personally, wouldn't go anything below the IE games. While I'm not a graphics whore, I do need some degree of graphics to immerse myself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

2D games like the IE and Fallout games is good. Blocky 3D games or where I can see the pixels is bad.

[Deraldin]

I'll tolerate sub par, not bad graphics, but I won't tolerate sound that sucks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Define sub par though. I, personally, wouldn't go anything below the IE games. While I'm not a graphics whore, I do need some degree of graphics to immerse myself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All links go to in game pictures to demostrate the craptacular graphics.

 

I'll go back before the IE games in my playing. I don't play any RPG's from before then, mainly because I don't have any, but I still play Alien Legacy and Red Alert on a fairly regular basis. Both of these games have graphics far worse than those of the IE games however they don't require much immersion. "

[EnderAndrew]

I'll tolerate sub par, not bad graphics, but I won't tolerate sound that sucks.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Define sub par though. I, personally, wouldn't go anything below the IE games. While I'm not a graphics whore, I do need some degree of graphics to immerse myself.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

2D games like the IE and Fallout games is good. Blocky 3D games or where I can see the pixels is bad.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Prerendered games looked so much better than early actual 3D games.

[alanschu]

Anyone play the original Mechwarrior? Oy!

 

 

In any case, good sound is great, and a fantastic music score is, well, fantastic.

[SteveThaiBinh]

The music is hugely important for me. It has to be really bad for me to turn it off. On the other hand, once I've played through a game once and am replaying it, I often turn the music down (not off) and have Radio 4 (speech based) playing in the background. This is one of the benefits of a game like Arcanum where most of the dialogue is not voiced.

[zer"0"]

Sound is important, but good art direction, immersive gameplay and attention to detail and bugs are as well.

 

If a game has mediocre sound but is good overal, I will still play it.

I won't bother if its boring or has irritating gameplay - even if it has some of the best graphics and sound that technology can build. E.g: Doom 3

 

Games with killer sound that actually influence how you play are

great and some of the best. E.g: Thief series, System Shock 2, Deus Ex.

But these games also had many other things going for them.

 

Fond memory: Necropolis. Now that is ambience! - Still get goosebumps whenever I hear it.

 

What gets me the most though are crappy voice-overs.

 

On a related note: http://www.audioatrocities.com/index.html

Dedicated to the study and enjoyment of truly terrible video game voice acting. From the earliest game systems until the present day.

[kalimeeri]

Music isn't 'everything' when it comes to immersion, but it certainly can make or break a game. The best soundtracks evoke emotion, and set the mood for specific scenes or the tone of the whole experience. Decent voice-acting is imperative; and every once in a while you come across 'great' (Kreia). I particularly like games that give only audio 'clues' to character situations--it shows someone was paying attention and using every resource at their disposal. When it all comes together, it's sweet; and as has been said, there are memories of music drifting around long after the graphics are sadly outdated.

 

Bad sound, particularly bad music, detracts horribly from an otherwise interesting game. When I spend more time thinking about how much I hate that lousy, repetitive music than I do actually thinking about the story, it's time to walk away. Yes, sometimes you can turn it off; but I think it reflects badly on the developer. Like they need to spend some time playing their own games, until they figure out what could have been improved. Guaranteed, it wouldn't take long--it's much more obvious and more of a killer than many bugs.

[Musopticon?]

Fond memory: Necropolis. Now that is ambience! - Still get goosebumps whenever I hear it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean the Old Quarter in Thief? Or what? Bonehoard?

 

 

I don't play a game if it doesn't have either:

 

a)memorable tunes which help me get to the rythm of the game instantly

and remember it after many years e.g; Thief, Mafia, BG 2, etc.

 

b)great ambience, which both helps the immersion and

is synonymous to the game's atmosphere, and/or ups the

tension/creates sounscapes; e.g Half-Life 2 Prince of Persia: WW,

Fallout 2, Call of Duty, etc

 

"Pipe-blown music in the tombs. How classic"

[Guest Fishboot]

Sound is incredibly important in first person games, since the game can leverage a lot of real world reactions to sound (particularly positional sound). For third person over-the-shoulder games it's still somewhat important in the same manner. Otherwise sounds are essentially there to keep the game from being silent. I think I have unartistic ears, because in many games that I hear people complain about over the sound effect quality (K2 springs to mind) I can't tell any difference.

 

Music... it's possible that it enhances the game in a subtle, subconcious way, but I can't put my finger on a game where, a-ha, music helped made the game. Maybe from Fallout is the last song (since the bleep-and-bloop era, anyway) that really comes to mind.

[Lord Tingeling]

Sound is very important, but I would hold that the immersion good sound can generate greatly depends on the game itself, as Fishboot said.

 

Take Thief, System shock 2 (which I'm currently working myself through) or Band of Brothers, for example. Sound here plays a very vital role, as it helps discern enemy positions. locate threats, noisy items of import, what have you. Essentially, the immersion many developers strive for is one that makes the player identify with and feel like the guy on the screen as much as possible. You're experiencing the character's senses by using your own, so to speak. And hearing a footstep or a creaking door with your own very ears often feels more "real" than watching a bunch of pixels on a screen.

 

In other games the audio/music might be around to inspire emotion or simply be there so the player has something to listen to. While I would put immersion/sound as a prime criterion for a good Thief-esque game or a realistic WWII shooter or something similar, the sound part would to me be of much lesser import in a game such as Age of Empires.

 

Edit: typos galore!