Project 1: Sound

Within 'The Adventures of Zork', I wanted Audio to be a very important focus within the concept. Considering the consistent amount of environment and theme changes, I believe it is crucial to create sound that replicate those worlds in a way that is the most authentic and believable. Using sound to your advantage within environments especially, adds mood and personality to the story or action, making the entire world seem more authentic, original and exciting.

Within current successful Video game titles, Sound is used cleverly and authentically depending on the theme/genre. One of my personal favourites 'Red Dead Redemption' is one of the most impressive Video games for sound, that I have ever encountered. It focuses on creating atmosphere for every element of the game, such as character emotions, action, story progression, lighting and primarily environment. The game feels so authentic to the genre  because of the way sound is used. The instruments are relative to the era, such as harmonicas, guitars and violins are all used according to the action taking place. Whether it's ambiance, an emotion from a character or to display action, the relative instruments are used accordingly to represent those expressions. Making the whole experience immersive and captivating for the player.

Here is a sound example of ambiance that plays during free roam within the environment:

Without evening witnessing the game play from this moment, the music is so expressive, that you begin visualizing what the surroundings would look and feel like. It's with that attention, you can add emotion and personality to the game, that still ties in within the theme AND genre.

Another example is that of Halo. Halo already has a high reputation for sound within all of it's releases, primarily because it captivates the player into a authentic world, that enhances every element of the game. The concept of Halo, being a war based game set on an alien universe, the mixed emotions are expressed through different sounds. The survival war type element is replicated through different tempos of tribal drums and chants, the other aspect of an alien type world is expressed with unusual synthase and ambiances. It's combining those elements together, that create coherent world for the player that will always be immersive.

Here is an example of how Halo uses all those elements to express a particular action sequence. In this case, this audio track is from when you explore structures where the enemy is unaware of you presence. So you have to be sneaky. You can literally feel that sense, without every playing the game.

Bibliography:

. http://www.youtube.com

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evfk0fG7Apc 

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cXsoRRYf5A