Player activated environment sounds

[Max Planck 7174]

The game has a number of ambient sounds that seems to play at random intervals. Sounds such as: creaking gates/doors, birds crying out in alarm and flying off, branches breaking and so on and so forth.

Would it be possible for these sounds to be triggered by nearby players as well?

As it is now, the noises stop being scary after a while since we know they get played at random. but, if we knew there was a chance that the Bluejay we heard was scared up by a player, a walk in the forest could be a very tense affair.

 

 

EDIT:

Basically, I would like all sounds to have a real cause.

Edited January 12, 2014 by Max Planck

[Soldier of Failure 14]

Id assume that this would be possible with some easy coding (I say even though I know NOTHING about coding) and it would be quite awesome. Maybe the blujay would play when a player spawned or something like that, having one randomly make noises would just be annoying for people, as its something they cant control.

[nobody 31]

YEAH... awesome idea

[Zeromentor 169]

It would be possible. If those sounds are individual and can be relocated, all they'd have to do is say:

Player is walking on dirt with grass, que 'twig snap effect' to a distance of 35 meters (or so). Sure that isn't how you'd ACTUALLY code it, but that's to help see how it would work. Like the gravel, asphalt, and dirt sounds are restricted to their own surface, twigs would snap when you are under or near trees/bushes, and on dirt.

Other sounds could also be 'equipped' to their own spots. But they'd have to be limited in how often they go off. If I heard, 'snap' I'd freak out a little but might explain it away as ambience or zombies. But 'snap snap snap' would be a dead giveaway.

[Max Planck 7174]

It would be possible. If those sounds are individual and can be relocated' date=' all they'd have to do is say:

Player is walking on dirt with grass, que 'twig snap effect' to a distance of 35 meters (or so). Sure that isn't how you'd ACTUALLY code it, but that's to help see how it would work. Like the gravel, asphalt, and dirt sounds are restricted to their own surface, twigs would snap when you are under or near trees/bushes, and on dirt.

Other sounds could also be 'equipped' to their own spots. But they'd have to be limited in how often they go off. If I heard, 'snap' I'd freak out a little but might explain it away as ambience or zombies. But 'snap snap snap' would be a dead giveaway.

[/quote']

There could be a percentage chance of sound? It might put strain on the server though, but I don't know diddely about these matters.

[Max Planck 7174]

Shameless bump.

Also, can anybody with esoteric coding smarts tell if a percentage chance of player activated sound is possible without a large fps drop?

[hollow05 0]

UP!!!

[Bo0G 7]

I like the idea for playing a "clumsiness" sound when a person spawns into the game only. They bump into something, knock something over, snap a twig. This would keep people from being taken from behind by a player who just spawned in.

I don't like the idea of random clumsiness sounds. I'd like to be the one determining how careful I am, not fate.

[SGT Phon 44]

I've been thinking about the same thing for a while now. If the sounds of birds scattering were random or actually triggered by me.

I'm all up for this, would be a great complement to peripheral dots. I agree that it should work on a sort of dice roll system. You shouldn't be snapping twigs every time you try to sneak up on someone. It shouldn't be expected and be a rare enough occasion to warrant a "Oh sh-" moment for both players. Same thing would apply to any other sound but with different probabilities depending on the situation.

[Max Planck 7174]

I don't like the idea of random clumsiness sounds. I'd like to be the one determining how careful I am' date=' not fate.

[/quote']

Makes sense, but I think there are sounds you can't avoid making while walking through woods.

For instance, if a bird is sitting around in a tree and you come sneaking by under it, it will very likely throw a fit. Same with branches/twigs hidden under leaves, it is simply impossible to be completely silent.

Anyway, the point of it was more to make you jump everytime you heard something, than to give away someone sneaking up on you. As long as the sounds get played randomly as well as on cue, I think it would work.

[Shroom 12]

OMG does anyone else FREAK the fuck out when they hear the chain fence sound? FUCK me, scares the living piss out of me every goddam time.

I just wish it would only happen if a player touched the fence. Then I'd actually have something to freak out about if I heard it.

---

I don't like the idea of random clumsiness sounds. I'd like to be the one determining how careful I am' date=' not fate.

[/quote']

Makes sense, but I think there are sounds you can't avoid making while walking through woods.

For instance, if a bird is sitting around in a tree and you come sneaking by under it, it will very likely throw a fit. Same with branches/twigs hidden under leaves, it is simply impossible to be completely silent.

Anyway, the point of it was more to make you jump everytime you heard something, than to give away someone sneaking up on you. As long as the sounds get played randomly as well as on cue, I think it would work.

+1

[Max Planck 7174]

OMG does anyone else FREAK the fuck out when they hear the chain fence sound? FUCK me' date=' scares the living piss out of me every goddam time.

[/quote']

I used to... But after getting used to it and knowing it's being played at random, not so much. Hence this thread. If I knew there was an ever so slight chance that a noise meant someone was close to me, I'd be just as jumpy as when I first started playing. I would love that.

[Yeti (DayZ) 9]

OMG does anyone else FREAK the fuck out when they hear the chain fence sound? FUCK me' date=' scares the living piss out of me every goddam time.

I just wish it would only happen if a player touched the fence. Then I'd actually have something to freak out about if I heard it.

[hr']

I don't like the idea of random clumsiness sounds. I'd like to be the one determining how careful I am' date=' not fate.

[/quote']

Makes sense, but I think there are sounds you can't avoid making while walking through woods.

For instance, if a bird is sitting around in a tree and you come sneaking by under it, it will very likely throw a fit. Same with branches/twigs hidden under leaves, it is simply impossible to be completely silent.

Anyway, the point of it was more to make you jump everytime you heard something, than to give away someone sneaking up on you. As long as the sounds get played randomly as well as on cue, I think it would work.

+1

That fence used to freak me out when I was around in cities. Then I started hearing it in the woods and I was paranoid and questioning if I actually heard it. Until I heard it too often. Then the magic was gone. However that industrial machine sound/music still gives me chills. It reminds me of the book "Bonecrusher" (a steampunk zombie book, great read btw) like there is some mechanical machination below stirring up the undead...

I digress. I like the idea of sound triggers a lot, especially if other sounds were also random but more rare.

[Flawed 26]

This needs to be implemented. Instead of footsteps that you can hear from a player, just randomly add in one of these sounds, with a chance of it being louder than normal. Great idea.

[Shorttallguy 3]

OMG stop with the fence sound. if no one touches a fence i don't wanna hear it. the music is freaky enough you don't need random sound effects of things that could be mistaken for actual triggered events. it's just confusing and does not add to the atmosphere. you want to add atmosphere then do the opposite of random sounds. make all sound effects actually reflect what is happening around you. you know...like... in your ATMOSPHERE!!! fake fence sounds are just fake atmosphere and provide no substance.

[Max Planck 7174]

OMG stop with the fence sound. if no one touches a fence i don't wanna hear it. the music is freaky enough you don't need random sound effects of things that could be mistaken for actual triggered events. it's just confusing and does not add to the atmosphere. you want to add atmosphere then do the opposite of random sounds. make all sound effects actually reflect what is happening around you. you know...like... in your ATMOSPHERE!!! fake fence sounds are just fake atmosphere and provide no substance.

I think the fence sounds are fine as long as there are fences nearby, so not in forests obviously. I'd like to see sounds being played at random like now, but with a chance for players to trigger them as well.

[krtshv 362]

I like this idea.

Should def' add stuff like sounds of birds taking off in a forest when a player is sprinting through it.

If a player wants to sneak by, he can crouch to avoid the bird sound.

[Zarniwoop 1193]

Very nice idea !

[Max Planck 7174]

I like this idea.

Should def' add stuff like sounds of birds taking off in a forest when a player is sprinting through it.

If a player wants to sneak by' date=' he can crouch to avoid the bird sound.

[/quote']

The sounds are already there, they just need to be triggered. Thing is, I have no idea if it would be hard on the server? Too many calculations? Maybe someone knows abou these things?

If a player is sprinting he already sounds like a freight train full of cuckoo clocks, no need for bird sounds here. The way I imagined, there should be a very small risk of triggering a sound if you sneak. That way, all the ambient noises we are currently hearing will suddenly be scary again, because there is a chance they are caused by someone who is stalking you.

[Siri302 37]

Really neat idea! Also think that maybe when shots are fired within a wooded area birds should fly up, but probably only if that area hasn't see a any shots fired for let's say 30 minutes to an hour. I don't mean from the whole forest, maybe 5-10 birds within a 20m radius around the player who fired the shot. Just think this added effect would allow you to work out realistically what direction the shot came from and whether you need to get the heck out of there. And if this happens when you're surveying a forest from outside the treeline you could pinpoint where it came from by seeing where the birds flew up. This would also make people think more carefully about their shots if they're using the cover of a forest, as there would be a chance of this happening to them. Though saying that, maybe it would have to be a kind of random event since players might just shoot one round every half hour just so they were sure this wouldn't happen to them when the time came to take a real shot.. suppose that would only apply to someone who was camping out an area though. ^^

[Aeoneth 163]

I have a modest amount of coding knowledge, this could probably be implemented as a trigger system. The client triggers the percentage chance every 5 seconds or so and if it triggers the noise it sends a packet containing that data to the server. The server would receive that packet and then play the sound and anyone near enough to the source would hear the sound play.

I believe this would reduce taxation on the server but again my knowledge of coding / networking is modest at best.

[Max Planck 7174]

I have a modest amount of coding knowledge' date=' this could probably be implemented as a trigger system. The client triggers the percentage chance every 5 seconds or so and if it triggers the noise it sends a packet containing that data to the server. The server would receive that packet and then play the sound and anyone near enough to the source would hear the sound play.

I believe this would reduce taxation on the server but again my knowledge of coding / networking is modest at best.

[/quote']

It is you who are modest, your first paragraph made my run to my drinks cabinet, then phone my mum.

Well, maybe not that bad... But it is nice to hear that it is theoretically possible.

I also like the 'birds-taking-off-when-shots-are-fired' idea from the previous poster, good one.

[Flawed 26]

I think a lot of this has to do with the textures that are already implemented in the game. It's been a while, but I did do some level design back in the day. Most "tiles" have a default sound - pavement=hard footsteps, grass=crunching, riverbeds=splashing, etc. You'll notice the cover mechanic changes as one steps on the varying surfaces, such as roads your audibility/visibility increases. I don't think it would be too difficult to add a cvar that adds a percentage to trigger an additional chance of one the already mentioned sounds (Fence sound in urban environment, twig breaking in forest, etc.)

Like I said, it's been a while - so this could be really easy (add a few lines of code to already existing sounds/textures) or really time consuming (going over the entire map of Chenarus and adding the modifiers to every single tile - that's how it was on the old days, but hopefully it has been improved upon since.)

[Max Planck 7174]

I think a lot of this has to do with the textures that are already implemented in the game. It's been a while' date=' but I did do some level design back in the day. Most "tiles" have a default sound - pavement=hard footsteps, grass=crunching, riverbeds=splashing, etc. You'll notice the cover mechanic changes as one steps on the varying surfaces, such as roads your audibility/visibility increases. I don't think it would be too difficult to add a cvar that adds a percentage to trigger an additional chance of one the already mentioned sounds (Fence sound in urban environment, twig breaking in forest, etc.)

Like I said, it's been a while - so this could be really easy (add a few lines of code to already existing sounds/textures) or really time consuming (going over the entire map of Chenarus and adding the modifiers to every single tile - that's how it was on the old days, but hopefully it has been improved upon since.)

[/quote']

Thanks for the answer, I hope it works the easy way you mentioned. If they have to go over the whole map tile by tile I don't see this being implemented anytime soon. And I would really like the audio-suspense back, I miss jumping at every sound.

[Lockstock 0]

Yes please! I love this one. It would be even MORE awesome if actual birds were stirred up and would fly around.