Your opinions on audio effects?

[Dr.Rosenthal]

Hi all,

 

I'm curious about what you guys think of this, because it's been bothering me for a while and I'm not sure if it's just me or the game itself.

 

So... GTA V is a wonderfully crafted game with lots of attention to detail and everything - BUT what's up with the "static" audio? I usually play with headphones, and can't help but notice how all dialogue sound the same in terms of acoustics, no matter if the characters are in the street, in a car, or in the tunnels below the city etc.

 

I can understand why it's problematic when, for example, the characters are riding a bike or a boat and having a conversation. In real life they'd have to scream to be heard but this is hard to create in a game because there's just too many variables to it and they'd have to record huge amounts of audio to make it work.

 

But some things, like echo or reverb seem to have been entirely ignored by the R* audio team. That surprises me. I mean, explosions in the city centre, automatic gunshots etc should echo between the buildings. Doesn't seem very hard to make either.

 

And as for conversations, I always feel like the characters are just speaking into a mic and it feels weird once you start thinking about it. I would really like to feel the environment have more impact on the audio effects in the game. Any thoughts on this?

Edited June 26, 2014 by Dr.Rosenthal

[InnocentA]

Good points, i noticed this but i never really gave it much thought. I know GTAV took a long time to make, but some aspects feel rushed, this is another thing that would have been so simple to do but wasnt. the actual guns dont sound very realistic either, in real combat gunshots from a distance sound like clicks & pops, ricochets and zips as they fly overhead, and up close, ear-splitting bangs, not the action movie "bang bang" you get with GTA

[fac316]

gunshots leave alot to be desired...I miss in IV when cars passed by you'd hear the bass of the music.

[happygrowls]

gunshots leave alot to be desired...I miss in IV when cars passed by you'd hear the bass of the music.

You can in V. Usually you have to get up really close and turn up your volume.

Or the Sentinel XS driver in online has his music blasting.

[Dr.Rosenthal]

Good points, i noticed this but i never really gave it much thought. I know GTAV took a long time to make, but some aspects feel rushed, this is another thing that would have been so simple to do but wasnt. the actual guns dont sound very realistic either, in real combat gunshots from a distance sound like clicks & pops, ricochets and zips as they fly overhead, and up close, ear-splitting bangs, not the action movie "bang bang" you get with GTA

 

Exactly. It just feels to me that the sound is such a huge part of the experience, and while some of the sound effects in the game are brilliant, other effects could be improved in a way that would make for a more immersive experience. Gunshots is a great example, sometimes they feel a bit "flat".

 

Just imagine what a gunfight in the street would feel like if you could actually hear those distant pops & clicks and hear your own gunshots echo back and forth between the buildings.

 

Also, speaking of dialogue, when I'm playing GTA V, a lot of it feels like a movie but then the characters speak and their voices are sort of "in your head" and they don't come from wherever the character is standing. That bugs me. It doesn't ruin the game but it could be done better (and it surprises me that R* didn't make it better). Maybe it is as you said, the game was rushed and that made the impact...

[ol_skool_staff]

Thoughts:

Reverb - random sound repetition under 30 milliseconds

Delay(echo) distinct sound repetition after 30 milliseconds

 

How much realism does everyone need?

 

SFX

 

The environmental dynamics of the acoustics seems fine.

 

Sure not everything sounds like real life, but a good job is done setting the mode of specific locations sounds are more raw when in 3rd person view when operating a vehicle and they sound flatter and stuffy from the 1st person/window view.

 

I hear a motorcycle in the far distance. Crickets, wind, water, the brush of foliage.

 

Maybe if cats ( as in people) stopped making a big deal of all the little things, they can then take the time to realize what a big impact the little things make.

 

Agreed gunshots and engines can have more umphfff. Oh well, I never complained about crust on my sandwich or if food was touching. Just turn the other cheek. And deal with it.

 

Dialogue

 

I can make out what they are saying. Fine with me.

 

Music

 

IV was awesome how you could still hear the music when outside of the car or the bass from other cars.

 

Overall thoughts - Maybe an EQ for the music. I grew up in the world of 8 bit, I like the fun factor of games. No point of making a mountain out of molehills.

 

For those who want real gun sounds and explosions with all the bells and whistles, go fight in a war. Just don't cry when you get 5 hours sleep a week from the constant whistles of mortar shell.

[zuckmeslow]

i play with my speakers and the car crashes sound amazing, the far away explosions are great and full of bass.

 

 

but the car explosions up close sound very "cheap", like its low quality almost.

 

 

car sounds are too quiet and the guns sound terrible. no bass or power like in gta 4.

 

 

voices do sound like they have been compressed, hopefully that will change on the ps4.

 

the surround and ambient noises are good, just wish it was more of a city like ambiance with people talking, cars revving up and bass playing from some distant subwoofer.

[Dr.Rosenthal]

Thoughts:

Reverb - random sound repetition under 30 milliseconds

Delay(echo) distinct sound repetition after 30 milliseconds

 

How much realism does everyone need?

 

SFX

 

The environmental dynamics of the acoustics seems fine.

 

Sure not everything sounds like real life, but a good job is done setting the mode of specific locations sounds are more raw when in 3rd person view when operating a vehicle and they sound flatter and stuffy from the 1st person/window view.

 

I hear a motorcycle in the far distance. Crickets, wind, water, the brush of foliage.

 

Maybe if cats ( as in people) stopped making a big deal of all the little things, they can then take the time to realize what a big impact the little things make.

 

Agreed gunshots and engines can have more umphfff. Oh well, I never complained about crust on my sandwich or if food was touching. Just turn the other cheek. And deal with it.

 

Dialogue

 

I can make out what they are saying. Fine with me.

 

Music

 

IV was awesome how you could still hear the music when outside of the car or the bass from other cars.

 

Overall thoughts - Maybe an EQ for the music. I grew up in the world of 8 bit, I like the fun factor of games. No point of making a mountain out of molehills.

 

For those who want real gun sounds and explosions with all the bells and whistles, go fight in a war. Just don't cry when you get 5 hours sleep a week from the constant whistles of mortar shell.

 

Uhm, ok, who let you out of the cage? I'm not complaining, I'm just interested in hearing other peoples ideas about the sound effects.

 

What has real war got do with anything? I'm just saying, to me, it's surprising that R* didn't put more effort into ricochets and overall weapon sounds. Plus the voices seem like they sounded better in other games such as Max Payne 3 for example.

[Flesk99]

The Doppler effect exists in game

[davetopper]

Go to the bank in Los Santos up by the Chinese Theater and get in a fire fight with the cops in there. Go up the stairs and hunker down behind the glass walls. Just watch the stairs and take them out as they come in. Anyway the acoustics in there are quite impressive. It is as though they recorded the sounds in that kind of environment.

 

Some other places are not that impressive, but then again to blow the whole thing is a squeaker on a mic.