I've been thinking about this lately. It seems audio design is getting more attention now, but that may just be the way I see it. Thoughts?
Audio design is the most important thing in presentation.
yes.
gameplay mechanics > sound design = atmosphere > story/lore
>>344666862
Audio can be even more important factor in atmosphere and overall "feel" of the game than visuals. Silent Hill games for example would definitely not feel even half as disturbing without their brilliant soundtracks and sound effects. There's also been many shooter games where the gunplay feels just meh, because the audio feedback the guns provide is just so lame.
gameplay>audio and atmosphere>story>graphics
Works very well in horror games but it's important for games with combat as it helps add some weight. It's fun punching something in Smash 64, getting a parry in Street Fighter 3 is orgasmic. I don't think I even need to mention the gun sounds in Battlefield or any DICE and and using Rebellion in Devil May Cry 3 sounds super crunchy. Explosions need a decent amount of low end too. Can't have it completely lack any bass.
>>344666862
Definitely.
Had this thought while watching some footage of Strafe on Giant Bomb. For atmosphere seems really dark and there's gore everywhere, but for whatever reason the soundtrack is straight shredding and chiptunes with a neo-'80s aesthetic.
Imagine this game with a more sinister, somber soundtrack and better lighting. It would be completely different. Probably better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxzu6lj6N5w
That is honestly about the only thing that saves Teleglitch from being mediocre and nothing more. At least as far as horror goes, it's extremely important. As far as atmosphere, slightly less so.
I agree with all of the points made here. See, I'm writing a research paper on the importance of audio design to the gaming industry, but I'm finding it hard to get a hold of creditable sources. Do you guys have any good suggestions for games I could throw into the paper? So far I've thought of SH, Limbo, and a couple of independent games.
>>344666862
Definitely.
Just on a pure information level it can convey information to the player very effectively if done right.
The human response time to sound is actually better than the response time for visual queues (I may be bullshitting).
It offers awareness that isn't constricted to the players Field of view or their current focus of attention.
And being one of the few senses available to you through the medium sound can convey a lot of additional input.
Ambient music and sound also sets the feel of the game.
>>344668650
Go play Team Silent's original Silent Hill games (1-4), and watch their Making Of videos. The series has one of THE most famous vidya composers, who also happened to be the overall audio designer of the series: Akira Yamaoka.
K0taku of all things actually made a quite fascinating article few years ago, "What Do Game Developers Know About Real Guns?", where Akira Yamaoka himself shed some light to how he designed his gun sounds, adding more "oomph" to the otherwise kinda simple sounds of reality.
