Sound... Lets talk about it

[BlazeKun]

Well we know there will be sound in HL2... and we know that sound will have the "doppler shifting" effect... Does this mean that objects will sound realistic as they fly past you? Say a car drives past you, will it sound as if it has really driven past you like it would in say... LIFE 1.0?

What other neato effects will be brought out in HL2's sound stage... Dynamic echos? Realistic falling object sound by how hard it hits the ground? We know Valve has done some amazing work with sound in the way of voice to mouth movements... But would you really like every box to sound the same when it falls? The wood to sound exactly the same every time you shoot it?

This a little talked about subject, even though it would play a big part in immersing yourself within the HL2 world. What do you think HL2's sound SHOULD be like?

 

[Direwolf]

I beleive we also know that HL2's sound is arranged in "soundscapes" which lets the music change dynamicly as you progress to different areas.

 

[Logic]

I'm pretty sure it's been said that the 'material' system takes care of making sure the right sounds come from collisions between different types of objects\surfaces, just as it takes care of how things react physically. I'm sure there will be plenty of variation in sound, depending on exactly how various collisions take place.

And yep, doppler shifting means that sound will change dynamically in pitch as objects move past you.

What I'd really like to know is if the engine has it's own software sound processing engine, or whether it uses hardware reliant sound manipulation such as creative EAX (Environmental Audio, used in the original HL and many other games) or EAX2. Obviously the engine will support some kind of sound processing like this, and it will be very advanced and impressive no doubt, but if it's hardware reliant, some people will miss out.

 

[Logic]

Originally posted by Direwolf
I beleive we also know that HL2's sound is arranged in "soundscapes" which lets the music change dynamicly as you progress to different areas.

Yeah, I remember reading about the soundscape system. It's not just for the music though. It's basically a system that generates appropriate ambient sound specifically to enhance the desired mood.. for example, distant eerie sounds may be used to raise tension depending on where the player is or even to scare you into thinking there's danger around the corner when you're low on health (even if there isn't). It's a very dynamic system that can be used in many of these sorts of ways. (That is, of course, if I remember correctly.)

Music will change dynamically too, but this is nothing revolutionary. Lucasarts have been doing it since Monkey Island 2

 

[BlazeKun]

Originally posted by Logic
Yeah, I remember reading about the soundscape system. It's basically a system that generates appropriate ambient sound specifically to enhance the desired mood.. for example, distant eerie sounds may be used to raise tension depending on where the player is or even to scare you into thinking there's danger around the corner when you're low on health (even if there isn't). It's a very dynamic system that can be used in many of these sorts of ways. (That is, of course, if I remember correctly.)

If it's implemented correctly... I've seen some very badly implemented dynamic music systems... AO comes to mind... you hear the same thing over and over with very few differences... This is valve we're talking about though so I doubt they'd screw up

 

[Logic]

Originally posted by BlazeKun
If it's implemented correctly... I've seen some very badly implemented dynamic music systems... AO comes to mind... you hear the same thing over and over with very few differences... This is valve we're talking about though so I doubt they'd screw up

Dynamic music systems are only effective if there's a large quantity of music available to it to suit many different purposes. If there's not enough, it gets repetitive. Valve have said that there will be much more music in HL2 compared to HL1, so hopefully this won't be a problem.

Edit: then again, it also depends on the type of music. Ambient music (if it's decent) can be played over and over without getting tedious, but themic music should never be used too repetitively. The style of music in HL2 lends itself heavily towards repetition anyway, and it's fairly ambient too, so it should be fine. And besides, you can turn it off. I probably will be regardless of whether or not it's good. I found HL to be more immersive without the music.

 

[CrazyHarij]

Originally posted by Logic
Yeah, I remember reading about the soundscape system. It's not just for the music though. It's basically a system that generates appropriate ambient sound specifically to enhance the desired mood.. for example, distant eerie sounds may be used to raise tension depending on where the player is or even to scare you into thinking there's danger around the corner when you're low on health (even if there isn't). It's a very dynamic system that can be used in many of these sorts of ways. (That is, of course, if I remember correctly.)

Music will change dynamically too, but this is nothing revolutionary. Lucasarts have been doing it since Monkey Island 2

Wow , this sounds REALLY cool!!!!!!!! :afro:

 

[Sp00fman]

Would be best to have at least 4 speakers.

 

[pixartist]

hmm i think playing with a headset is much better

 

[Maxi]

no 4 speakers are better...

 

[Logic]

It depends how good your system is. I have a creative 5.1 setup, which is great now that I've replaced the speakers. Unless your speakers are good, though, it'll sound better in headphones. I generally use headphones anyway since I prefer not to make a huge racket.

 

[Gorgon]

I just bought Audgy2 7.1 zx with 7.1 speakers.

HL2 will support many technologies.

Off Topic:
I just installed HL1 and I have problem with the sound, it keeps lingering every 8 seconds. It lingers for 0.3 sec.
Help ME please.

 

[BlazeKun]

Can't wait until computers use the technology used in disneylands "Great moments with Mr. Lincoln" attraction... OMG any of you guys ever gone to that?

 

[Aralkar]

In Unreal 1, there was 3 types of music for each level. There was the "action" one, the "normal" one and another one I don't remember. The music changed depending of the situation, so I think HL2 will use this system but much better.

 

[Nuclear_Gerber]

All I know is that valve said it'll support 7.1 .