Audio Engine

[Scrub 0]

This thread is to discuss the future of the AFX (Audio effects) processors in Game 2.

Since most sound card manufacturers have DSP (digital signal processing) onboard, I was wondering if we could discuss some nice effects and programming functions that would be available to the modding community. I have had a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZX for a while now, and have yet to lag from my maxed sound settings. It has dramatically improved my fps, and was wondering if we could use the AFX for more creative things.

It would be nice, for instance, to have the distortion of a tight-band secure comms channel. Or to have the actual radio chatter able to be heard away from the radio, to a programmable level (i.e. an earplug headset would not be able to be heard, but an old field radio would). Like in OFP 1.4 we could talk and be heard spatially. The AFX processor would eliminate the processing overhead.

Comments?

[Jinef 2]

Sound is one of the most important aspects of immersion.

It should be as detailed and intricate as possible to allow as many options as possible.

OFP was revolutionary with the speed of sound being modelled. Let's keep the record.

Sound Ranges -

Weapons should not be audible at 5km when you turn the sound up all the way. There should be set ranges for sound waves.

At night sound travels further.

Terrain should influence sound. Helicopter pilots are taught to use terrain to mask their presence, it blocks radar energy and sounds. E.G. I was walking around 30 feet below a ridge on a Mountain called Snowdon. All of a sudden I was surrounded in noise as 2 Puma troop carriers ripped overhead at a rate of knots. They were using the ridge to mask their presence from the hill top. Currently in OFP you can hear helicopters 12 km away.

A really efficient sound management system, file type and maximum use of hardwares abilities should be utilised to reduce lag. Sound is the major killer of OFP framerate presently. When the FPS drops sounds become nastily distorted.

Jay Sanders.

[Mr_Tea 0]

Game 2 should support the new Sound Blaster X-FI soundchips.

Info can be found here.

[Baphomet 0]

Hardware audio = suck.

Game2 should include a sophisticated software sound engine.

If it were true that audio hardware takes the load off of the CPU I would agree with it, however what with EAX consuming a solid 10% more CPU time than without it. I would say making a broadly compatible sound engine with enhanced effects for sounds such as doppler shift (I know we have that), and other similar effects for sounds heard at a distance, etc. I think we'd be just as well off as far as CPU load goes.

[Scrub 0]

Quote[/b] ]Baphomet Posted on Sep. 25 2005,00:53

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Hardware audio = suck.

Game2 should include a sophisticated software sound engine.

If it were true that audio hardware takes the load off of the CPU I would agree with it, however what with EAX consuming a solid 10% more CPU time than without it. I would say making a broadly compatible sound engine with enhanced effects for sounds such as doppler shift (I know we have that), and other similar effects for sounds heard at a distance, etc. I think we'd be just as well off as far as CPU load goes.

What sound card are you speaking of?  Sound Blaster Live! series had ok processing capabilities, but relied heavily on the CPU for organization and data handling.  The Audigy series on up has actual 24 bit professional audio processing acceleration and there have been some knock-off manufacturers that are attempting to follow suit to some effect or another.  EAX is no longer sucking my resources as with the SB Live! card I had before..  Just wondering, how can a software based effects system take away from the CPU?  I would think it would shoulder the entire load instead of a small fraction?  Please explain a bit more of what you mean.

@ Jinef:  The effects and terrain blocking you mention have been around on hardware for some time, and would be a very nice addition indeed!  It's difficult to sneak up on troops in MP when they hear your turbines spooling up at the base 5km away  

@ Mr. Tea:  X-fi will rock the gaming world, if you can set up the speakers just right.  From what I've read, it's going to be a audiophile's dream and possibly priced to suit for some time to come.  I hope I'm wrong.  

[Baphomet 0]

You basically outlined my main point right there, I guess successive revisions of the SB live series of cards have eliminated that annoying CPU requirement that the SB live had.

I'm not very tech savvy as far as newer sound cards go, however I haven't heard anything more about them requiring more or less from the main CPU. So I suppose that's good to hear.

Quote[/b] ]A really efficient sound management system, file type and maximum use of hardwares abilities should be utilised to reduce lag. Sound is the major killer of OFP framerate presently. When the FPS drops sounds become nastily distorted.

You know how many post-OFP FPS games managed not to have laggy full auto sounds during processor intensive periods? (FARCRY, RVS, IGI:2, etc etc etc) They used looping audio. They synced the cyclic rate to the sound. Then when the person stops shooting. The looped sound stops and then plays a trailing off sound.

It's much more efficient than replaying the entire sound over and over and over again, for every shot fired.

OFP can do this to an extent, however poorly. It's the soundcontinuous variable. The main differences are:

1: the sound doesn't stop playing after you take your hand off the trigger/mousebutton, it plays through the duration. Also, if you loop just the firing part to sync with the cyclic rate of the weapon, you lose any supersonic trail-off noise.

So. Here's hoping they use something like this for Game 2.

Quote[/b] ]Weapons should not be audible at 5km when you turn the sound up all the way. There should be set ranges for sound waves.

What's more. Weapons, and vehicles, etc. Should also SOUND diffrently at different ranges. Having ordinance/firearm discharges sound they way they do in real life at longer distances would in my opinion bring far more to the table in terms of ambience and immersiveness than any visuals could.

To me, sound is more important that hi-fi visuals.

[Scrub 0]

Ahh, I understand now.  Yes, you are right, the software side (and older hardware) are a bit wanting.  But if you know anybody that has an Audigy 2 or a competitor, which is now pretty mainstream, you could hear and see the difference that the new hardware makes.  Most (not sure about all) the environmental/distance effects you guys mentioned are handled very well in the tech demos.  

Just thinking a bit, for immersion, and modders flexability..  What if, in addition to the players VON voice and radio being heard spatially,  the radio had user definable 'frequencies' (don't want to talk too much here about the possibility of using the freq channels label to jam or cause distortion in an addon    ) that the players, or more probable, the mission maker can choose to set?  In a large MP battle, it is a wee bit important to be able to get thru to the people you need.  8-16 people (hopefully more) all chatting on the same channel with out emergency freq's can be a bit confusing..

Just dreaming about playing...

Edit: What Jinef said... Three days ago, it seems.   Admin thread

[Scrub 0]

Quote[/b] ]From what I've read, it's going to be a audiophile's dream and possibly priced to suit for some time to come. I hope I'm wrong.

Update Edit: I was wrong X-Fi prices are ~$129.00 USD already and performance is noticably improved..

Dolby DS or EAX 5 anyone?

[Mr_Tea 0]

My Audigy2 is doing o good job, but i`m thinking about making myself an gift with the Soudblaster X-FI. The Audigy2 is a good soundcard, but the X-FI is far better and worth the money it cost.