Game sounds are uncomfortable and obscure
Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:40 pm
A good part of the current version of the in game sounds could be improved significantly. While this may be up to personal perception, I know many regular players share this negative perception of the current sounds. It is also not just a thing of getting used to the "new" sounds, since they were released almost two months ago already (0.18.27 in may).
While this appears to be a broader issue with the sound design as it affects many sounds, I want to give some specific examples that are in particular need to be addressed. For me personally, the most obnoxious sound is the ghost placement sound.
Ghost Placement
I experience actual physical discomfort when hearing this sounds, similarly to the screeching of chalkboard. Looking at the frequency spectrum:
I suspect it are the frequencies in the 8k and 5k spectrum. It is known that frequencies between 2 kHz and 5 kHz are perceived as annoying. I am fairly sure the 8k is not much better. Maybe it is also related to the short duration of 20 ms and sharp attack.
Note that these sounds of user interaction are important in enabling precise control, e.g., counting how many entities have been placed.
Assembling Machine
Another pressing example is the sound that assemblers make. E.g. highlighted by this clip:
https://clips.twitch.tv/CredulousAnimat ... YouDontSay
All I can hear here is indistinguishable (white/pink) noise that, as noise does, is just absorbs all other sounds at the same volume (in this case background music that is normally clearly audible).
To illustrate here is a spectrum comparison of only assemblers between 0.18.36 (left) and 0.17 (right).
First, both are recorded at the same volume levels in the same setup - the new sound is significantly louder. That adds to the problem but is not the main point. Compared to the old one, the new sound has no distinguishable features over time or frequency. The old one, while also very "noisy" at least had some focus and identifiable clacking.
I could probably go on with the inserter and mining sounds as well, and I suspect other players may put other priorities. I would really appreciate to see these sounds in particular and the sound QA in general being addressed with the same meticulousness as the rest of the game.
It is difficult to offer a suggestion other than *not like this, please*. I can only say that the affected previous sounds were much more pleasant and distinguishable. I don't question that some sounds have improved with the redesign. But that worsened sounds have a much stronger impact on gameplay experience. Even just going back to them would be a strong improvement by now. And to repeat - I am convinced this is not just a matter of getting used to certain sounds.
Menu / UI
As a little "bonus", I would also like to point out the UI sounds. The problem here is different and not nearly as urgent because we don't have to listen to them for hours. When going quickly though the menu:
I believe I heard six (maybe seven) different sounds - some also being uncomfortable to listen to. That immediately felt like a fresh installation of Windows 95 - I distinctly remember disabling sounds was one of the first things after a Win95 installation was to disable them. UI design has made some improvement by now and these playful UI sounds feel like an impurity in a polished interface like Factorio.
While this appears to be a broader issue with the sound design as it affects many sounds, I want to give some specific examples that are in particular need to be addressed. For me personally, the most obnoxious sound is the ghost placement sound.
Ghost Placement
I experience actual physical discomfort when hearing this sounds, similarly to the screeching of chalkboard. Looking at the frequency spectrum:
I suspect it are the frequencies in the 8k and 5k spectrum. It is known that frequencies between 2 kHz and 5 kHz are perceived as annoying. I am fairly sure the 8k is not much better. Maybe it is also related to the short duration of 20 ms and sharp attack.
Note that these sounds of user interaction are important in enabling precise control, e.g., counting how many entities have been placed.
Assembling Machine
Another pressing example is the sound that assemblers make. E.g. highlighted by this clip:
https://clips.twitch.tv/CredulousAnimat ... YouDontSay
All I can hear here is indistinguishable (white/pink) noise that, as noise does, is just absorbs all other sounds at the same volume (in this case background music that is normally clearly audible).
To illustrate here is a spectrum comparison of only assemblers between 0.18.36 (left) and 0.17 (right).
First, both are recorded at the same volume levels in the same setup - the new sound is significantly louder. That adds to the problem but is not the main point. Compared to the old one, the new sound has no distinguishable features over time or frequency. The old one, while also very "noisy" at least had some focus and identifiable clacking.
I could probably go on with the inserter and mining sounds as well, and I suspect other players may put other priorities. I would really appreciate to see these sounds in particular and the sound QA in general being addressed with the same meticulousness as the rest of the game.
It is difficult to offer a suggestion other than *not like this, please*. I can only say that the affected previous sounds were much more pleasant and distinguishable. I don't question that some sounds have improved with the redesign. But that worsened sounds have a much stronger impact on gameplay experience. Even just going back to them would be a strong improvement by now. And to repeat - I am convinced this is not just a matter of getting used to certain sounds.
Menu / UI
As a little "bonus", I would also like to point out the UI sounds. The problem here is different and not nearly as urgent because we don't have to listen to them for hours. When going quickly though the menu:
I believe I heard six (maybe seven) different sounds - some also being uncomfortable to listen to. That immediately felt like a fresh installation of Windows 95 - I distinctly remember disabling sounds was one of the first things after a Win95 installation was to disable them. UI design has made some improvement by now and these playful UI sounds feel like an impurity in a polished interface like Factorio.