How to boost my soundscapes from "Meh" to ":O"?

[Lord Ned]

I'm trying to create a really "hair-raising" environmental experience (Eg. Causing the player to be on edge via the environment).

However, instead of being all "Hurr spooky sound" type of environment, I'm trying a tropical storm, where everything is just uneasy, nothing is quite at rest, etc. To compliment this in the terms of soundscape, I'm looking at a tropical - storm environment.

To me this is: Distant thunder, (With closer claps of thunder + lightning), Distant waves (With waves on the shore front), Long howling winds, gusts of wind, distant creaks and groans (Building stressing in the wind), maybe distant water gurgling.

If you've got any other ideas feel free to add them. :p

Now... Here's my soundscapes. Some of the sounds are hand made, some of them are from Neotokyo and some are from L4D. (This is designed to be a L4D map)

Code: Select all

"tstorm_01.seaside_outside"
{
   "dsp" "1"

   //Background Outdoor Ambient. Generally distant thunder/waves, and rain.
   "playlooping"
   {
      "volume"   "1"
      "pitch"      "90,110"
      //Rain...
      "wave"   "ambient\weather\crucial_rumble_rain.wav"
      
   }
   
   //Distant Thunder loop. We're on some sort of... island so waves are always present.
   "playlooping"
   {
      "volume"    ".6"
      "pitch"       "80, 90"      
      "wave"   "ambient\water\shorelinewaves_loop.wav"
   }
   
   //Distant water loop.
   "playlooping"
   {
      "volume"    ".4"
      "pitch"      "90, 105"      
      "wave"   "ambient\ambience\rur5b_watersedgeamb.wav"
   }
   
   //Nearby birds, randomly plays one.
   "playrandom"
   {
      "time"      "12,26"
      "volume"   ".1,.2"
      "pitch"      "80,110"
      "position"   "random"

      "rndwave"
      {
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/Forest_Bird01.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/Forest_Bird02.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/Forest_Bird03.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/Forest_Bird01b.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/Forest_Bird02b.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/Forest_Bird02b.wav"
         
      }
   }
   
   //Play Seagulls
   "playrandom"
   {
      "time"      "12,26"
      "volume"   ".2,.4"
      "pitch"      "80,110"
      "position"   "random"

      "rndwave"
      {
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/RUR5b_Seagull01.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/RUR5b_Seagull02.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/RUR5b_Seagull03.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/RUR5b_Seagull04.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/RUR5b_Seagull05.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient/Random_Amb_SFX/RUR5b_Seagull06.wav"
         
      }
   }
   
   //Waves... They use Position 1.
   "playrandom"
   {
      "time"      "5,15"
      "volume"   ".1,.2"
      "pitch"      "80,110"
      "position"   "1"

      "rndwave"
      {
         "wave"   "ambient\water\wave1.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient\water\wave2.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient\water\wave3.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient\water\wave4.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient\water\wave5.wav"
         "wave"   "ambient\water\wave6.wav"   
      }
   }
   
   //Random thunder...
   "playrandom"
   {
      "time"   "5, 15"
      "volume"   ".1, .6"
      "pitch"      "70, 110"
      
      "rndwave"
      {
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\thunder_1.wav"
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\thunder_2.wav"
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\thunder_3.wav"
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\thunder_4.wav"
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\thunder_5.wav"
         
         //Distant Thunder...
         "wave"   "ambient\weather\thunderstorm\thunder_far_away_1.wav"
         "wave"    "ambient\weather\thunderstorm\thunder_far_away_2.wav"
      }
   }
   
   //Randomly playing rain and wind-gusts...
   "playrandom"
   {
      "time"   "60, 75"
      "volume"   ".1, .6"
      "pitch"      "70, 110"
      "position"   "random"
      
      "rndwave"
      {
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\wind_distant_loop.wav"
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\wind_heavygusts.wav"
         "wave"   "tropicalstorm\wind_longsalvo.wav"         
      }
      
   }
      
}


And here's a zip of the sounds:
http://www.filefront.com/14564807/TropicalStorm.zip (35mb jesus!)


What I have is... not much like I hoped it would be like. Can anyone here play around with it and hopefully create something more like what I described? More custom sounds is fine, axing some of them is fine, etc.

Thanks!

[Armageddon]

Is this for that windwaker map?

[Lord Ned]

No. It's for a l4d campaign (Hopefully) set in a tropical storm.

But it would be cool to have a rainy windwaker map. :p

[TicTac]

I love the title of this thread xD

Oh yea, that's it btw

[Chopium]

I think it would be cool if the storm was approaching the setting during the course of the campaign, slowly going from cool night, to raging sky for the finale.

[Lord Ned]

The idea actually was the survivors are lured out during the eye of the storm. Then as the campaign progresses, the eye gets closer and closer, closing in on the player. (Not as realistic as moving past them but I don't think people would notice it getting closer on only one side).

[dookiebot]

You are on the right track. I think what will help bring in the :O is having different sound zones set up.

For example, being outside the wind and rain and thunder could help mask the sounds of special infected. Making players uneasy about not being able to hear where they are about to strike from as easy. Whereas going inside a building things become quieter, so it's not only a visual transition, but an audible transition as well.

I am still learning but I am also working on some custom sounds in my map and like what I am reading here. At one point in my map I use sound to bring in tension. The survivors are in a cavern and the exit is going through a waterfall. I want the waterfall to increase tension for players because they can't see what's on the other side and they can't hear what's on the other side because I have a loud waterfall sample playing.

It's a small detail, and players only spend a few seconds at the waterfall, but I always want them to pause a second before going through and the sound is what really sharpens the edge.

[Lord Ned]

They'll probably just rush through the waterfall anyways, guns blazing.

[Hellraz0r]

Not if it's cinematic and has a camera take over the players movements for that brief moment..

Would be great.

[dookiebot]

Not if it's cinematic and has a camera take over the players movements for that brief moment..

Would be great.

Naw.. .I don't want camera control in the middle of an L4D campaign. Especially because infected could om nom nom on survivors during the sequence.

But will survivors go blazing through the waterfall? Most likely in COOP. Sure.

In VS though that could be another story. A competent infected team could set up a nice ambush outside. Similar to how they can set up an ambush at the sewer exit in NM3. Survivors always come up with a plan before going up that ladder to exit. I would like something similar here at the waterfall exit.

[Armageddon]

Can we see some pics?

[dookiebot]

Can we see some pics?

Most likely next week- about the same time I will release the 1st chapter for beta testing.

The waterfall works as intended but I am still working on the texture to make it blend in with the rest of the L4D atmosphere.