Another game I want to research is Halo Infinite. I remember when it was coming out all the trailers for it. They had a lot of videos explaining the sound design. At the time we were doing the specialising module and I was working on foley and sound effects for a short film. The video showed them doing very unique things to record sound to manipulate into monsters and weapons for the game. I want to do further research into it and perhaps use what I’ve learnt for the current game I’m working on.
Firstly I watched this video that went through a few sound design field recordings they made. It started with rockets being fired outside, to then using electromagnetic microphones from LOM on an Xbox console and recording those sounds. Recording a pug eating for monster sounds, hydrophones on glass, and making the glass break. Recording old machinery bears in a zoo, the manufacturing of the Xbox remotes.
In this video they use a piano for sound effects, starting by placing a huge bass speaker on the top and recording it. Then breaking the piano, hammering it. Tightening the strings until they snap, cutting the strings as well. They even place dry ice on the piano strings, you can hear the dry ice fizzle like a screaming alien. Really cool stuff!
I also watched this interview with the sound design team at Halo Infinite.
They start by speaking about the guns, one of the most important parts of the game, since it’s first-person it’s the main character. The sound designers speak about hey they design the weapons in layers. Firstly the thud indicates the power and impact of a weapon. Secondly, the mechanical layer which offers tactile feedback with satisfying click clanks of metal. Thirdly, the tail end creates an atmosphere with the gun bouncing of the environment this gives it a sense of where the gun is fired, is it an interior or outside space.
Adaptive sound design is something they use in this game, they tailor sounds to any outcome. This gives feedback on their actions to the player, for example, the mechanical sounds of a weapon get louder as the gun begins to run out of ammo. And sounds of an empty clip are a typewriter and explain communication to the player they have nothing left to shoot.
Car sound design was grounded on real-world vehicles, they recorded real helicopters and dune buggies, as well as a 1918 vintage tractor as they didn’t want a futuristic tank to sound like a current one.
“Making appropriate sounds from inappropriate objects.”
They also spoke on sound fatigue, something I hadn’t really considered. Because unlike a film players will be putting hundreds of hours into it, they need the sounds to not have too much high frequency or low frequency so the mix doesn’t become muddy.
Following this I want to record more outside and spend a full day attempting sound effects for our current game, there is so much room for cool ambient sounds and technology or other sounds. I want to take this further than it already is.