Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
browser) and are helping to dei ne a new generation of touch-based
gaming that has fantastic new sound potential. A whole host of new
game development platforms are springing up, accessible to a large and
increasingly diverse base. However, as mentioned before, this brave new
world is i lled with various pitfalls for the unwary audio developer who is
unprepared for a whole host of new audio challenges.
Unity 3D is among the latest game engines to appear and features a fairly
robust set of audio features. In fact, the Application that accompanies
this topic is developed in Unity3D.
Handheld games are also competing on the market. The Nintendo
DS and PSP and Vita all feature lots of great games, along with some
interesting audio capabilities. Powered by the Virtual Mobile Engine,
the PSP features built-in stereo playback, surround sound support
with headphones, a GM-compatible synthesizer, audio EQ, playback
compression and a built-in microphone for interesting interactive audio
capabilities. There has been more than one game that asks the user to
blow or speak into the microphone in order to make something happen
in the game. If you listen to these games, they sound very similar to
some of the original golden age games of the early 1980s. No wonder, as
the audio developers once again must learn how to make sound magic
happen in less than 200KB.
