dojo_b
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(Note: I tried to send this to the bugs@ address, but it seemingly bounced, so... maybe that's a bug?)

I'm really enjoying Gunthro ATEB!

This is not quite a bug, but I think it should probably be addressed. When a sound effect is triggered multiple times at once, it can be VERY loud on headphones even when sound-effect volume is set relatively low. I'm thinking of the Eyeball enemies in particular, but also consider e.g. gate triggers.

If you're interested in getting a more measured/realistic increase in volume, maybe consider trying small random phase offsets in the playback? Partial phase cancellation helps explain why four violins don't sound 4x as loud. ...or, just cap the number of active SFX?

mrimer
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Good point! Explosions also come to mind.

Let's come up with a proposal together for the max number of each kind of sfx that should be initiated on a given turn, and we can discuss and implement it.

Ideas?

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 09-25-2020 08:37 PM]

skell
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I say two of the same sound effect is the most you need. The difference between ONE and MANY is much clearer than between SPECIFIC MANY and another SPECIFIC MANY, so upping it to any number above 2 would not bring much value to the player (if they hear MANY they know they need to pay attention to the whole room), and it avoids having to tune the max for each sound effect (eg. 10 build sounds are still probably less offending than 2 orb strikes at once). For the biggest offenders like orb strike or explosion it might be even a good idea to slightly reduce the volume of the sound effect itself.

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dojo_b
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The question of the "right" dynamic/loudness range for games is complex and not settled. There are even games that calibrate dynamic range as well as volume

https://martinbussy.com/audio-dynamic-range-calibration-system/

https://www.mcvuk.com/development-news/audio-loudness-for-gaming-the-battle-against-ear-fatigue/

In general I would suggest choosing a target loudness range by analyzing the signal from a successful AAA game; then, trying to mimic it in DROD. But in any event I think it's fair to say that the dynamic range should NOT be heavily determined by the number of identical SFX instances playing at once.

Also, DROD's a puzzle game, and that suggests a relatively calm player state and gentler dynamic range than an action game. I remember the same kind of volume-multiplied enemy grunts from original DOOM (although not as extreme!) but there it contributed naturally to the adrenaline rush.

mrimer
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Ah, yeah. Totally recall that from DOOM! That did work well in that case. It's the opposite of what I'm going for with DROD.

My original reason for the multiple invocations of the same sfx playing simultaneously is to provide hearing multiple positional playbacks within the room, relative to the player's position. The goal isn't to make the sound effect cumulatively louder; just provide positional playbacks.

Maybe when multiple copies play at once, the volume for each one could be decreased in proportion to the number of identical sounds that are going to be played at that moment? I forget off the top of my head whether that's a parameter we can provide to playing sfx.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 09-27-2020 04:30 PM]

mrimer
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I've implemented the last thing skell and I suggested above. It sounds nicer to me now, not playing so loud when multiple instances of the same sound fire simultaneously.

I've also added some other fx refinements:
* Subtle frequency modulation for orb strikes, mirror smashes, and tarstuff splats.
* Orb activation flash fades out smoothly

You be the judge if these changes work for you in the next dev build.

PR


____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

---

[Last edited by mrimer at 11-02-2020 06:40 AM]

kieranmillar
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Can confirm the following no longer destroys my eardrums in 5.1.1.alpha.2020-11-04:
* Setting off a load of bombs
* Hitting multiple orbs at once
* Dropping a big bridge into water

Can confirm the sound modulation for mirror smashing, the orb and tarstuff modulation might be there for orbs and tar cutting, but my ears struggled to hear any difference.

Orb activation flash seems fine.

mrimer
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Thanks for verifying!

kieranmillar wrote:
Can confirm the sound modulation for mirror smashing, the orb and tarstuff modulation might be there for orbs and tar cutting, but my ears struggled to hear any difference.

That's fine. I wanted the changes to be subtle, in the hopes this will make them subconsciously feel less repetitive without jumping out at you.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.