Anyone else generally bothered by sound effects that seem to universally exist in space games? - as space is a vacuum, it's not possible to hear sound waves.
I can't think of a space game that has managed this well - usually there's lots of "pew pew, whoosh whoosh, bang boom" type sounds. Understandably so, playing a game that's completely silent is fairly mundane, and finding a realistic medium might be difficult. The television series "Firefly" does this well though, for instance.
Sounds emanating from one's own ships (that one would reasonably expect to hear while on the ship) always feel appropriate to me: "launch fighters," "incoming missile detected," or "fire on the bridge" types of things. But hearing laser beams skitter across empty space ... not so much...
Sound differences can really change the perception of space to being a busy, bustling, and warm environ or being cold, dark and unforgiving.
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
Maybe a simple "space is silent" toggle would/could make everyone happy.
-tid242
It's possible to mod this in GC2, so I imagine you could do the same in GC3.
The toggle is a nice idea, but I doubt anyone would use it for more than a single fight (they'll miss the sounds).
Well you could still have internal sounds - because if your ships have atmosphere you can hear what's going on inside them - but in GC2 at least you wouldn't be able to pick out an internal sound at random and play it when there's a weapon impact. It would be the same sound each time a particular weapon is used.
Stop being so critical about what is "real" and what is not. It's a game, get over it. Whether it's green/purple stars or sound you could also argue light/warp speed. There are many things that are not possible as currently known, are any of these game breaking, no as if they were, I hope your not science fiction fans of Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, or most other sci-fy movies.
No, because it's a game. A game without sound effects would just look cheap and lacking polish.
Yeah, that. +1
No issues with music playing from nowhere? (space or in ship)
Nothing beats sound effects like in Mag Blast though. Which would be a funny feature if this game had tactical combat (which it doesn't) and it was required (along micro and speakers) for multiplayer.
Everyone has their own particular preferences and while the vast majority of players might prefer to have weapon sounds, some might not. Personally I found some of the weapon sound effects in GC2 so annoying or loud or quiet that I had to change them. Your auditory mileage may vary.
If I was expecting a hyper realistic space simulator yes but I am not. I am expecting a fun strategy game with big explosions and sounds. By the way, the explosions that you see in games is also unrealistic. To even get something like that in an atmosphere takes a few added tricks. And we can go on and on and on and oh you get the point.
Its not just games. Not very many "sci fi" movies shuck the sound in space fantasy trope. :/
LOL.Silent space battles would go down well.
The audiences of early SF movies and TV shows had sounds in space to try to make their audiences feel more comfortable.
Now, however, I think the attitude of audiences toward sound in space has shifted, so I think some adjustment needs to be made by the entertainment industry. If well done, I think the idea of a toggle for space sounds is a good idea.
"Maybe a simple "space is silent" toggle would/could make everyone happy."
There already is a toggle. It's in the audio tab of the options menu, where you can control the volume of sound effects, music, and something else, and there are toggles for each of these things as well.
If the assumption is that we are inside of a ship or a remote viewing chamber somewhere, then sound effects for weapons and defenses make perfect sense as a way to draw attention to what is going on, and potentially convey other information that might not be readily apparent to the viewer (e.g. producing 'engine noise' from behind and to the left so as to give an indication that there is something in that direction). Having sound in space battles is completely justifiable as long as we aren't expected to believe that the sounds we hear are propagating through space to reach us and as long as it isn't sufficiently loud to significantly impair voice communications.
As a result, I'd say that sound effects during space battles are one of the less unbelievable aspects of many sci-fi films, shows, and games. Certainly it's no worse than "lasers" which produce a glowing beam along the path between the "laser" emitter and the target in open space or which take noticeable amounts of time to propagate through even short distances, if we take the name "laser" to mean that the bit that we see propagate is in fact a laser by the current technical definition.
sound waves don't travel in a vacuum, but explosions are much less fun without the accompanying boom, so keep the sound effects for space battles please. An option to toggle them off might not be a bad idea, but its not an option I would ever use.
Why not just turn the volume down on the computer if you don't like sound while your playing a game, after all there is no music in space either lol,
Perhaps put in a vibrating chair as there is turbulence generated in your space ship from the engines unless you researched stabilization techniques, after all we want to make it as real as possible
Did you not see the part where I said I would not use that option if it was available? I want the bloody sound effects even though I know they're unrealistic. I only say it might not be a bad idea for those who claim they want this level of realism in their games.
Its called a Mute Button/keystroke - its on a keyboard near you.
Its obviously a slow news day out there in the Inter-Gallatic Void
Good grief what a controversy Topic !! I play with NO sound.
Star Wars just isn't the same without the sound effects...
And, to agree with some of the previous posters, if you think there should be no sound, then turn sound off! Also, most Captains in space/real life don't go into battle blaring some operatic soundtrack - so you should turn that off too.
Myself, I play this game partially as an escape from reality, and the pew pews make me happy...
You added the keyword.
Games.
They're games. Not simulations of reality.
Games are meant to be fun, not anally retentive - leave that to reality.
So no, not bothered, unlike some who seem to be posting here, I can differentiate between games and reality.
LOL Amen it's just a GAME, I like my games with sound effects.
Here's an idea if it bothers you mute your speakers for every battle.
But remember there is still music coming from nowhere and oh yeah you can get a very unrealistic "gods eye view" of your Empire that wouldn't apply to RL...etc etc.
So I guess if the original poster was unfamiliar with the term 'dogpile' they sure are now.
[wrong thread, please delete]
Hell yes, add sounds even if it breaks the laws of physics, if you do this then add green stars because this game isn't based on realism.
Based on what? The highly negative reaction here? The people who think this is in any way a good idea are a microscopic minority.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:
Sign in or Create Account
