Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
If you don't have the information you need to confidently move forward
with ambient sound, your best bet is to ask for it!
Another type of environmental VO is the audio log . Some are automat-
ically triggered to play when the player wanders near, while others may re-
quire manual activation. Fictionally, they may be represented by conceits
such as:
A TV in an electronics store or apartment
A radio in a car
A digital or tape voice recorder
A security system
A computer
A two-way radio
And the content of their messages might consist of:
A personal audio diary
An audio recording of a scientific experiment or other event
A recorded phone call or voicemail message
A news report
A commercial
A public service announcement (PSA)
A talk show
An urgent warning or call for help (but with no way for player to
reply)
The player can generally keep playing and exploring while listening to
the contents of these logs, making them “ambient” after a fashion.
Audio logs usually don't contain narrative content that's crucial to un-
derstanding the overall story or even the current objectives, but they can
be a powerful delivery mechanism for background and character-devel-
oping story material. They're also relatively affordable to produce, consid-
ering they can provide almost as much bang for your buck as a cutscene!
In fact, I have worked on games in which certain scenes that were inten-
Search WWH ::




Custom Search