Sound effects: Never underestimate them

I think sound can be very subtle, but it can make or break a game.

I'm not talking specifically music, as after the honeymoon period is over players may choose to turn that off.

I also mean Other things like interface sounds. Clicking on npc sounds. Entering the game world sounds. Ambient sounds. Combat sounds.

Which sound effects from your favourite games have influenced you, and which similar effects would you like to see in AoC?

Which sound effects do you not want in game?

For me, Rift had the weakest sound effects. They didn't sound impactful, and way too minimalistic.

WoW had good enter world sounds, Clicking on Npcs had an impactful bass tone to it in addition to their dialogue (albeit limited)

Don't limit discussion to just MMOs either.sounds are universal!

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Comments

Cutie

Would love to see the iconic menu ping sound from GTA San Andreas

Jokes aside, I think creating sound effects that gives a sense of immersion in terms of echoing in larger open areas is amazing (lighntingstrike echo or the mining echo from New World)

Burnzey

Cutie wrote: »

mining echo from New World)

This is actually huge.nothing says MMO like hearing another player hit ore or the tree falling in the woods. Is that player Friendly? Foe?

SongRune

Rain. And the sound of my footsteps changing on different terrain, and in different weather. The bit of squish squish when I'm walking through a marsh in the rain is very meaningful to me. More than I would have expected before I had first experienced it. My friend has a set of plate armor that makes his boots clink slightly when he walks. He really appreciates this.

Attention to the subtle details of how we interact with the world, particularly as the state of the world around us changes, is one of the biggest factors in good sound design.

TheDarkSorcerer

From viewing the monthly update with season preview, i like the direction where they are headed with environmental SFX. I would like to hear more spell sfx. That is huge. Amazing sound effects on spells can make the tiniest spell feel very grand and impactful. Posted this scene before. But the SFX here is stunning. Just listen to Dumbledores water conjuring sound effects.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAHDS5Rn4kg

CROW3

Recent examples that I thought nailed ambient immersion with sound are Cyberpunk (just chill in Japantown at night and it sounds dead on) and AC: Odyssey (I’m late playing it) which I think builds of what I love about just standing around in RDR2. The natural blends on insects, wind, animals, water, and sound dampening from fog or rain are just wonderfully immersive.

Craiken

I agree that WoW does sound effects really well. Character movement sounds are especially important. Footsteps have already been mentioned, but it's also important that plants rustle as you move through them.

Burnzey

One thing I'd like to hear is if you're falling/flying there is a whooshing sound as the wind passes you by. I think Apex Legends does this when dropping from a tall building.

When in Skyrim there was a gust of wind in the open, this combined with overcast lighting and bluish tones actually made me feel colder. That's good immersion

JoeBadmemes

If possible, sound should change depending on what you're trying to hit. Swords clashing against armor vs flesh sound extremely different. Berserk (2016) is a bad example of this.

https://youtu.be/fxk1syuf5lo

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