AUDIO! Make it right this time!

[Richey79 10]

Audio is more important then graphics in my books.

Absolutely.

Some of the audio mods out there make the game so much more enjoyable to play.

I don't really understand why the audio in Arma is so wimpy: they clearly go to lots of effort to capture the sounds and get the right technology in place.

In the end, I don't care in the least about how many audio channels there are / what the sampling rate is etc., or even whether the sounds are 'Hollywoodesque'. The A10 Gau needs to sound satisfying. I want to be crapping my pants as an infantryman if I hear a 30mm cannon firing 300 metres away. RWS achieves this. Battlefield Bad Company 2 gets closer to it than Arma 2 vanilla - simply because more immersion is created.

[SgtBigRig 10]

please add better sounds that canned OFP crap just wont cut it.

I want revereration off the mountains ect, I want different effects for when a round strikes the side of a tank or the side a humvee. same old same old isnt gonna be worth the expected 49.99-59.99 this game is going to be :/

[Leopardi 0]

please add better sounds that canned OFP crap just wont cut it.

I want revereration off the mountains ect, I want different effects for when a round strikes the side of a tank or the side a humvee. same old same old isnt gonna be worth the expected 49.99-59.99 this game is going to be :/

Yeah I dont really feel like buying if I hear the same library/whatever cheap sounds is used in ArmA 2...

If I heard a trailer with realistic explosion sounds, reverbs, echos etc. I would simply not be able to resist buying ArmA 3.

[tpM 478]

The sounds in Arma came from quite good sound libraries. The problem is that it seems BIS dont give too much attention to edit/improve these sounds. The tank gun, and even the AKM's "woodish" TAK-TAK-TAK sound is from a professional sound lib. Just need to make some EQ settings, increase the volume by a few decibels, mix some better reverb (if its not dynamic) and it would sound much better.

[tacticalnuggets 24]

This is armas big chance. If ArmA3 does a full audio upgrade, it could be an extremely easy boost to the game engine. The game is simply far enough behind in its audio that any real upgrade would be greatly appreciated. And I agree that there is a good sample library to already there (excluding the lame boom that seems to still exist). Many sound effects exist in professional systems that allow you to model real life things. Reverb is a big one. A sound mod already tried to achieve this, but its struggling with the messed up method of mapping the sounds. Perhaps an environment editor would be useful. You can paint out a rectangle or ellipse over an area (like a marker) and set its environment paramters (like mountains, valleys..). I should probably start a thread about an environment editor. There is much need to polish this game and make up for the lack of polish in their prior game releases. So maybe an environment editor and improved audio engine is a good thing to squeez in as a feature in 2012.

[cossack8559 10]

One of the most important things to me besides gameplay is sound effects. Graphics i care little for as long as the game is great but sound effects are very important for me and i always use sound mods in most games. I hope arma3 will improve on the sounds a bit if not i'm sure somebody from the community will take care of it. :D

[KingN 251]

I have to agree with Leopardi. The original sounds in Arma games have been a place holder for me until I find a suitable sound mod to fit my taste. I think the sound environment is an important aspect of a "military simulation".

When it comes to Arma 3, I hope they don't just record new sounds but overhaul the whole sound engine. This is what I'm asking from the BIS to implement. I mean, the community can always make a sound mod with a new set of sound samples but the way the game handles the sound samples in a given situation within the game is the thing BIS should work on. It should be an overwhelming experience to hear an explosion nearby. You should crap your pants hearing a bullet whizzing by your ear accompanied by the loud bullet crack. That will surely be an immersion boost to a war game. Some sort of realistic sound simulation makes you actually feel like being on a battlefield. This is a "simulation" game afterall!

[zooloo75 834]

As a music producer/audiophile, sound is a very big factor in games to me. BFBC2 completely blew me away with their sound engine. I would like to hear delay, phasing, reverb, etc. It will allow greater immersion.

[tacticalnuggets 24]

As a music producer/audiophile, sound is a very big factor in games to me. BFBC2 completely blew me away with their sound engine. I would like to hear delay, phasing, reverb, etc. It will allow greater immersion.

Same here. Many people are in disbelief when they hear their voices completely changed by a few of my samplers and effects systems.

---------- Post added at 19:32 ---------- Previous post was at 19:27 ----------

Some times I wonder if BIS really lacks a sound engineer. I mean, they obviously have really good although possibly stubborn coders, but between the voices and gun sounds, meh.

[Laqueesha 474]

The sound engine is pretty decent, it just needs a little more work. Now, the default sounds packed within the games are pure rubbish. ;)

[KingN 251]

One more thing: Like some people here have said, I have thought of the same idea for a long time that it could be a nice idea to provide different sounds for each weapon for different distances. Like for example 1 sound for the 1st person mode because it really sound different firing the weapon by your ear, you can hear all the metallic clicks and clacks of the shell casing ejection/reloading mechanics, 1 sound from like 50 meters away and 1 sound more from like 500-1000m away, a distant version. Plus have the sound fade smoothly from 1 sound sample to another as you get further away from the shooter, that should simulate quite nicely the distance effect!

[Tonmeister 14]

As a music producer/audiophile, sound is a very big factor in games to me. ... I would like to hear delay, phasing, reverb, etc. It will allow greater immersion.

i agree that sound plays an important role in the sense of immerson. but what you happen to be refering to in a musical context does not entirely translate.

As a sound engineer what you need to take into account are our subjective preferences for sound in space and applying simple musical qualities to sound does NOT on its own impose a sense of immersion. If you fail to acknowledge spatial hearing as an important function of our ability to sense space then your argument of immersion is completely baseless. Its not as simple as applying musical qualities to sound.

i think you should read up on the basic theories of auditory awareness and spatial hearing. An area which has been in the musical realm since the 1940s'.

eb

[tacticalnuggets 24]

i agree that sound plays an important role in the sense of immerson. but what you happen to be refering to in a musical context does not entirely translate.

As a sound engineer what you need to take into account are our subjective preferences for sound in space and applying simple musical qualities to sound does NOT on its own impose a sense of immersion. If you fail to acknowledge spatial hearing as an important function of our ability to sense space then your argument of immersion is completely baseless. Its not as simple as applying musical qualities to sound.

i think you should read up on the basic theories of auditory awareness and spatial hearing. An area which has been in the musical realm since the 1940s'.

eb

So, are you a sound engineer? Because most EDM producers and producers in general deal with 3d mastering of the music. Infact, its dimension of its own and requires a lot of time to do. To simulate bullet sounds, it requires the same sort of time and skill.

[Tonmeister 14]

i think your confusing the situation. mastering music within the 3d sense is only useful when the listeners position within the soundfield remains centralised and static. Realtime simulations of physical spaces is easily performed through convolution techniques using impulse responses obtained from rooms. if this occurs as a realtime calculation using hrtfs is an entirey different conversation, but it would get you closer to the sensation of "immersion"

eb

[pogoman979 10]

I haven't played it in a few years but i remember the Project Reality mod for Bf2 had amazing audio (much better than A2), and that game is old.

[tacticalnuggets 24]

i think your confusing the situation. mastering music within the 3d sense is only useful when the listeners position within the soundfield remains centralised and static. Realtime simulations of physical spaces is easily performed through convolution techniques using impulse responses obtained from rooms. if this occurs as a realtime calculation using hrtfs is an entirey different conversation, but it would get you closer to the sensation of "immersion"

eb

And their are those very static situations. What sits in your hands and makes a noise every time you pull its trigger? The point I THINK we are making is that the pre-processed audio needs mastering and quality sound engineering before we can even consider the dynamic environment. The very sample needs a pre-level of effects and mastering. Sounds are dynamicaly changed, but an explosion will always be an explosion no matter what the room.

[maturin 12]

Just start with updating the sound engine to allow more control and audio features. If you runs short of resources you could put towards better AI when it actually comes to getting recordings, so be it. This is a PC-exclusive and the modders will handle the rest. Any server admin that doesn't allow soundmods is a douche.

[Tonmeister 14]

And their are those very static situations. What sits in your hands and makes a noise every time you pull its trigger? The point I THINK we are making is that the pre-processed audio needs mastering and quality sound engineering before we can even consider the dynamic environment. The very sample needs a pre-level of effects and mastering. Sounds are dynamicaly changed, but an explosion will always be an explosion no matter what the room.

sure... and if you happened to miss my first post, i was talking about immersion. And anyway much of what is being said in terms of "effects" is being adopted in the wrong way to describe temporal qualities of sound (ie. pitch, duration, timbre etc..) NOT spatial (reverberation, echoes, immersion etc..)

eb

[Nicholas 5]

I don't understand. Are you saying that you can't tell if ArmA II sounds are realistic or not? Then good luck to you.

I never said that, but I'm saying that you can't compare video game sounds to something you have never heard. You think you might know what it sounds like, but unless you've actually fired the weapon or been around when someone fired it, then you can't really compare if it's realistic or not. Simple logic.

I own an AR-15 (Basically an M16) and I think it sounds pretty real in the game. But I cannot speak for the other sounds as most of them I haven't actually heard in real life.

They record the sounds for ArmA from the real weapons. But as I said, you can't compare something in a game to something you have never actually seen or heard for real.

[tacticalnuggets 24]

I never said that, but I'm saying that you can't compare video game sounds to something you have never heard. You think you might know what it sounds like, but unless you've actually fired the weapon or been around when someone fired it, then you can't really compare if it's realistic or not. Simple logic.

I own an AR-15 (Basically an M16) and I think it sounds pretty real in the game. But I cannot speak for the other sounds as most of them I haven't actually heard in real life.

They record the sounds for ArmA from the real weapons. But as I said, you can't compare something in a game to something you have never actually seen or heard for real.

The basic in-game sound is close, but it packs zero punch compared to a real one. Even more so with the AK. I mean, you cant honestly say its that good. I think the upper range is good, but it just feels empty. And the low end is mostly artificial (which is normal, but lacking work)

[Leopardi 0]

I never said that, but I'm saying that you can't compare video game sounds to something you have never heard. You think you might know what it sounds like, but unless you've actually fired the weapon or been around when someone fired it, then you can't really compare if it's realistic or not. Simple logic.

I own an AR-15 (Basically an M16) and I think it sounds pretty real in the game. But I cannot speak for the other sounds as most of them I haven't actually heard in real life.

They record the sounds for ArmA from the real weapons. But as I said, you can't compare something in a game to something you have never actually seen or heard for real.

Even if you were deaf, you could still tell the sounds in ArmA II are unrealistic. That same explosion is used in many games, WiC fuel air bomb comes to my mind for example.

Now I understand you if the sounds were close to realistic, but most of them are not even close to what you'd expect from real sounds.

Edited May 21, 2011 by Leopardi

[Rak 0]

I don't actually care for the weapon sounds because they can be modded, but the sound engine needs a big overhaul.

Get rid of the synthesized vehicle "speeding sounds" at least. Copy & Paste Battlefield BC2 sound engine if you lack imagination^^

[mrcash2009 0]

First of all, great to see this announcement :)

As regards sound I have a few things Id like to chime in with arma3 ....

First of ive asked loads of places for independent volume slider for first person voice, I realy hope that comes into it.

The implementation of reverb/realistic 3d audio engine for some kind to deal with what modders have be trying for spacial effects. This would take the load off of sound mods to create bullet fire trails and other reverberated effect.

Maybe better config support and easier implementation for modders and the while config issue with modders who are audio nuts and not code nuts.

Maybe BIS also taking more care in the while vanilla sounds dept with explosion variations, and realy take note of what modder and user have wanted through what mods have done.

[hellfire257 3]

When you look at it from the point of view of the sound modding capabilities, it does have some flaws. You can say that we'll just wait for another awesome soundmod, but how much more awesome would that already awesome soundmod be if could take advantage of more parameters and features?

Things like sounds at range, and as Cash said, reverb and spacial effects, would be excellent additions.

[coder4crack 10]

Hopefully they'll manage to get the AI to at east sound half human...