Sound Design
From Time Travel Game
Contents |
Sound Use
Due to the time travel aspect of the game the sound design should be as robust as history itself (an easy task to complete I am sure!). During the game the player will be jumping between different time periods from the modern day to the distant past, to the far future and to outside of time itself. I've broken down the different time period settings and their specific sound requirements below. Along with a general sound design that will be present across the whole of the game. The key aspect of the sound design will be that each time period visited in the game will be accompanied by the music contemporary to the period, with the future setting's sound being derived from educated guesses.
Out Side of Time
Music of the time very other worldly and strange. Theremin like sounds could be used.
The time stream is very much a weird place and the sounds used in these levels should reflect that. While the player will be confined to the Time Agency HQ whenever they are there they will get glimpses of the outside and time itself. There should also be a persistent and low noise of the time stream colliding against the Time Agency HQ.
Far Future
Music of the time: very digital and very Tron like (5:40 onwards) because players will connect with that type of sound being the future from a lifetime of hearing it in the films and TV shows they watch and the games they play.
While these types of sounds are used in near future settings (see Deus Ex: Human Revolution and the previously mentioned Tron: Legacy. Everything in the far future setting should seem cutting edge. Cars hovering and humming instead of chugging along on petrol and guns firing with pluses of energy instead or the crack of traditional gun fire.
Not To Distant Future
Music of the time: something god awful like a barcode scanner beep that has been stretched out into a high-pitched tone along with the natural evolution of Dubstep type music.
The idea is that this setting will only be 20-30 years in our future. So it stands to reason that while thing will have change there will be an element of familiarity to it. So a good idea is to take what it popular or upcoming in our contemporary youth culture and show what it will be like when it is at the forefront of popular culture in the future.
Modern Day
For music of the time go for contemporary chart hits.
Being set in the modern day means that it will be fairly easy to put the soundboard for these levels together. The look and feel of these levels is very ordinary so the sound should reflect this idea of the norm too.
World War II
Music of the time a mixture of the light-hearted morale boosting songs and the more somber songs about the conflict itself.
The major thing players should take away from the World War II levels is that they are loud. There should be a constant racket being made by the sounds of conflict all around the player juxtaposed with sounds of the music being used. So the more lighthearted songs should be heard in the background on record players while the player is confronted with the horrors of war. War is hell and the game should reflect that.
Victorian London
Music of the time Victorian music tends to be more gentle and classically styled.
In the game the players will be rushing through the Victorian area during the course of the last mission so there isn't to much to be done for this area. Just standard bag round noises for the era such as horse drawn carriages mixed with the noises of industrial machinery.
Medieval Period
Music of the time perhaps the most familiar type of music featured in the game due to its use in fantasy set games, movies and TV shows.
As for the sounds of the time. They are all very clunky and dirty. Carts being dragged through the mud and the clash of knight's swords against shields and armour. There is a layer of grime across everything so slightly dampening the sounds could add to this feeling.
Ancient Egypt
Music of the time despite being one of the most well known and written about periods of history and civilisations Ancient Egypt still holds a sense of mystery and wonder and fittingly the music of the time has this too.
The obvious sounds for this area of the game will be footsteps on sand, sand blowing in the breeze, sand storms, camels, the odd eagle hunting for dying prey, sand, oh and more sand. All that along with the whip cracks and noises of the slaves building the pyramids.
Jurassic Era
Music of the time! Despite there not being any actual music from the age of dinosaurs the Jurassic Park soundtrack does a good job of conveying the vibe of the Jurassic level. Grand adventure.
This is the big mission that closes the first act of the game and everything in the level should be big. From the dinosaurs to the explosions. We will need the sounds of a dinosaur filled forest, various types of dinosaurs and a thumping theme as players race across the planes towards the enemy base.
Overall Sound Use
Despite having all these contemporary types of music for each time period in the game there needs to be a couple of unifying songs and themes to tie the whole game together.
The different time periods allow us the freedom to play variations of the game's main theme in many different styles. The other major thing to consider is the set of persistent sound effects that will be attached to the game's main character and the equipment he uses.
Dialogue
While the game will have cutscenes to show key dramatic moments and to tie the various missions and levels together the majority of the dialogue in the game will be between the main character and P.A.T (the main character's Personal Assistant Technology) that will serve as the game's main information giver and bouncing off point for the player. P.A.T's voice should be a slightly robotic female voice, the trick will be to avoid it sounding like other female robotic voices such as GLaDOS and Siri. As for the main character we want an average sounding everyman that anyone can connect to.
