ZinC°hda Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 One of the most memorable facets of the Star Wars universe is sound. Whether it's the unforgettable John Williams score, the distinct snap/hiss of a lightsaber igniting, or a Wookiee battle cry, the sounds are ingrained in our heads. In this developer diary, lead sound designer Nick Peck talks about the challenges in faithfully re-creating the sounds fans know from the movies into a video-game format. Editor's Note: To hear exactly what Nick Peck is talking about, click over to FilePlanet.com to download two exclusive sound files he's delivered to us for this entry. Sound design for all video games pretty much follows the same process: You start by identifying what sounds are needed in the game (X-Wing engines, Super Battledroid wrist-blaster fire, etc.), then you create the sounds, and then you integrate the sounds into the game itself through programming. In Star Wars games like Battlefront, we create our assets through a combination of processing existing sounds from the film, and making new sounds in the same style, always pushing the envelope of creativity while trying to remain true to Ben Burtt's original vision. In Battlefront, we have taken pains to make sure the signature blaster sounds, vehicle engines, and background ambience are faithful to the original films. We've researched and pulled the original sounds wherever possible, and then augmented them to make them really pop within a video-game context. If an AT-ST falls in the forest and only Ewoks are around, does it make a sound? Foley is the art of recording sounds made by humans: footsteps, the rustle of clothing, the clink of armor or weapons, and so forth. Because so much of the action in Battlefront takes place on the level of an individual unit, such as a Stormtrooper or Rebel pilot, I decided to go record all new foley for the game. We went to Skywalker Ranch, and spent two long days recording movement for every character possible within the game, on every possible surface (dirt, stone, metal, wood, etc.). We used the original props and shoes on the same foley stage, with the same engineer and audio settings that were used in the film, for absolute authenticity. Creating and integrating these 1200 foley sounds into the game was a painstaking and detailed process, but the results are worth it, adding a subtle layer of realism to Battlefront. Vehicle engines are another element of this game that is getting special treatment. Typically, engines use single loops that get pitched up and down relative to the acceleration of the player. In our case, we decided to split all vehicle engine sounds into three loops, broken down by frequency: low rumbles, midrange growls, and high-frequency whines. In this way, we can model the engine sounds more realistically, creating separate amplitude and pitch curves for each frequency range. The net result is that the game engines behave more like engines in the real world, while still maintaining their Star Wars flavor. Working with Stewart Miles, Chris Fusco, Andrew Cheney, and Jim Diaz on this project has been enormously satisfying for me. Each of these audio professionals is a topflight guy, and have shown me once again that great things get done the old-fashioned way: through teamwork. Stay tuned … we'll be back in a month with another report from the Battlefront. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tFighterPilot Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 You know, you could just give a link... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinC°hda Posted July 8, 2004 Author Share Posted July 8, 2004 Nothing to see there bud, just writing no new screenies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBF Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 ...for including the text. Keeps me in the Forum! Sound is such a crucial component and it can really elevate a gaming experience...way to go, LucasArts for investing time and effort in subtle layers of detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tFighterPilot Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Originally posted by PBF ...for including the text. Keeps me in the Forum! Sound is such a crucial component and it can really elevate a gaming experience...way to go, Pandemic for investing time and effort in subtle layers of detail. fixed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tFighterPilot Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I don't wanna sound like a n00b or anything, but I looked in gamespy, and didn't find it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler_Durden Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 The sound is a very important aspect of the game as many of those who aren't as familiar with the Star Wars universe can mix up sounds and put them on the wrong weapons or make up sounds that aren't from Star Wars. Being a SW geek, i can spot these discrepensies (hope i spelled that right) a mile away. As with the blastech pistol in JA, it wasn't the right sound which pissed me off so i imported the sound and made a .pk3 with the right one. It's very important here as well, I'm glad the team is making strides to take the immersion level as far as it can go. Thanks for the update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke'sMaster Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Well maybe you just didnt look good enough. I dont think that HDA_Postal typed all that himself and made it all up. What point would there be in that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tFighterPilot Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Could you please give me a link? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinC°hda Posted July 8, 2004 Author Share Posted July 8, 2004 http://xbox.gamespy.com/xbox/star-wars-battlefront/528501p1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tFighterPilot Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Thank you Now I understand why I missed it, I looked it the PC battlefront instead of the xbox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tFighterPilot Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I wanted the link so I could download the audio file. Now I'm waiting 40 minutes for a download that takes 3 seconds. You gotta LOVE FilePlanet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TK-8252 Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 For anyone who wants the download and doesn't want to wait a half hour, I've uploaded the file to http://www.risingorder.com/members/swr/swb%20sounds.zip for your convienience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasan Moor Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Originally posted by TK-8252 For anyone who wants the download and doesn't want to wait a half hour, I've uploaded the file to http://www.risingorder.com/members/swr/swb%20sounds.zip for your convienience. thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alegis Posted July 11, 2004 Share Posted July 11, 2004 yeah fileplanet waiting line for 205 kb :\ :\ thanks I didn't expect pandemic to go that far but i love it, same footsteps for each charactezr bugged me sometimes, i'm sure the extra efforts done for this will make a lil nice difference. Goody goody! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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