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Video GameAudio
Prototypingwith
Half-Life 2::
Granulation
Leonard J. Paul
VideoGameAudio.com
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 2 of 17
Overview
Overview of audio for video games
Why is audio prototyping important ?
Description of system
Demonstration
Q & A
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 3 of 17
Games Overview
Video games are a widespread form of “interactive entertainment”
Grand Theft Auto IV $500 million in sales in 24hrs vs. The Dark Knight's weekend opening of $158 million
Games are software with interactive content and require innovative technology to stay current
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 4 of 17
Game Audio Overview
Like film audio, game audio is comprised of speech, sound effects and music
However, unlike film audio, the audio is interactive and must respond to changes in gameplay
Older systems such as the Playstation 2 had little CPU power available to audio, so sample playback was all that was easily possible
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 5 of 17
Old-Gen Game Audio Workflow
Conventional methods before the current generation of game consoles (pre-2007) have required recompilation and game coder involvement to hear results which is typically slow:
Create
30 mins
Compile
5-30 mins
Run Game
3 mins
Locate
2-5 mins
Test
5 mins
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 6 of 17
Next-Gen Game Audio
Promises techniques such as wave-tracing reverbs, granulation and physical modeling
Game audio becomes a combination of older methods of sampled sound and newer generative sound design methods
Sound designer becomes familiar with procedural sound design techniques = scary ? ->
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 7 of 17
Next-Gen Game Audio Workflow
Devise a system that doesn't require recompilation of audio behaviours when changing procedural sound design
Test design interactively
Create
30 mins
Compile
5-30 mins
Run Game
3 mins
Locate
2-5 mins
Test
Interactive
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 8 of 17
Next-Gen Audio Prototyping
Allow sound designers to create their procedural sound designs in real-time while the game is running
Middleware solutions such as Wwise allow real-time tweaking of parameters, however only for existing patches and basic synthesis unless plugins are used
Use of Kismet within Unreal allows for some scripting
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 9 of 17
Game Audio Pipeline
GameCode
CommercialSoundTool
GameAudioTool
SoundDriverCode
GameAudioCode
OSC Layer
OSC Layer
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 10 of 17
Game Parameters to Granulation
Granulation is a good match for games as it requires many parameters which the game can provide (ex. RPM -> playback rate)
Physics allow for continuous control over playback of sample (ex. ragdoll -> foley)
Complexity overload
Lines of code ?
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 11 of 17
Open Sound Control (OSC)
OSC is open-source software that allows communication between the game and PD
OSC is included in PD extended and just requires the addition of several C++ modules into the game engine
Access to the game events while the game is running
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 12 of 17
Pure Data (PD)
Relatively easy to learn open-source interactive audio implementation environment
Can integrate directly into game code (as in EA's Spore), but not optimal as it is interpreted
Create compiled code from (simple) patches as shown by pd2j2me
public void met0Bang() { double a; a = counter.bang(); a = a * 3; a = a / 4; }
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 13 of 17
Audiomulch
Independent audio processing tool that is good for granulation
Doesn't support OSC but can receive MIDI control information from PD server
Easy to use and quick to prototype real-time adaptive musical ideas
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 14 of 17
Half-Life 2 Half-life 2 is a PC game/XBox that won over 40
“Game of the Year” awards in 2004 and allows users to change the maps and other content of the game using the “Source engine” technology in C++
Left 4 Dead and other games based on Source
Hammer editor allows for map editing
Make your own too
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 15 of 17
Half-Life 2 Source Mod
A mod is a modification of the game that can be quite simple or be advanced enough to create an entirely new game (ie. total conversion)
Change code using Microsoft's free compiler Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition
Cost for replicating this system is just the cost of the game - $19.95
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 16 of 17
HL2 Demonstration
VideoGameAudio.cominfo {at} VideoGameAudio.com
VCMM 2009Vancouver, BC
Slide 17 of 17
Questions ?
Leonard J. Paul
email: info {at} VideoGameAudio.com
web: VideoGameAudio.com