LAFS PREPRO Session 7 - Game Audio and Levels
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The document discusses various aspects of game audio and level design. It describes different types of game audio including diegetic sounds, non-diegetic sounds, zone sounds, effect sounds, and interface sounds. It also discusses different types of game music such as main themes, low-key music, and intense music. Additionally, it provides tips for good level design and recommends including information about level layouts, obstacles, resources, objectives, and win/loss conditions when designing levels. Students are instructed to include audio and level design samples in their concept presentations.
LAFS PREPRO Session 7 - Game Audio and Levels
- 1. Session 7 David Mullich Concept Workshop - Game PreProduction The Los Angeles Film School
- 2. Game Audio Diegetic Sounds are sounds that occur within hearing distance of the player character. This includes sound effects and dialogue. Non-Diegetic Sound refers to background music and sound effects not within the game environment.
- 3. Game Audio Zone refers to environmental sound, such as birds or sirens. These sounds set the game ambience. Effect refers to sounds during gameplay that are produced by characters: i.e., footsteps, gunshots, explosions. These sounds can be on or off screen. Affect refers to sounds that set the mood of the game. These range from orchestral music to moody low tones. Interface refers menu sounds or sounds related to the HUD. The main use of these sounds is to confirm that the player’s input was registered properly.
- 4. Game Audio
- 5. Game Music Video game music refers to the soundtrack or background music accompanying video games. Music is dynamic and the intensity of the music has a powerful effect on the player's emotions.
- 6. Game Music Main Theme: This track should be one that would be identifiable with your game. Low Key: This track represents a quiet moment in the game, or during an exploration mode. Intense: This track represents a dramatic moment in the game, such as combat.
- 7. Game Music Other music: Fanfare: Short/non-looping music used to signal victory. Defeat: Short/non-looping music used to signal a loss. Stings: Very short, non-looping music used to dramatize surprise, threat, or humor.
- 8. Sound Effects Fanfare: Short/non-looping music used to signal victory. Defeat: Short/non-looping music used to signal a loss. Stings: Very short, non-looping music used to dramatize surprise, threat, or humor.
- 9. Create an Audio Page in your Concept PowerPoint for: Main Music (1 sample) Low-Key Music (1 sample) Intense Music (1 sample) Zone Sound (2 samples) Effect Sound (2 samples) Interface Sound (1-2 samples) PowerPoint
- 10. Game Levels
- 11. Game Levels
- 12. Game Levels 1. Good level design is fun to navigate 2. Good level design does not rely on words to tell the story 3. Good level design always tells the player what to do, but never how to do it 4. Good level design constantly teaches the player 5. Good level design is surprising
- 13. Game Levels 6. Good level design empowers the player 7. Good level design is easy, medium and hard 8. Good level design is efficient 9. Good level design creates emotion 10. Good level design is driven by mechanics Dan Taylor, GDC 2013
- 14. Create a Levels page in your GDD Wiki that has the following: General Progression and Difficulty How do the levels progress? (The game flow) What makes the game challenging? What can you adjust if you find the game to be too easy or hard? How do you plan to handle the difficulty ramp as the player transitions from novice to expert? For each Level What is the level's layout? What is the level’s starting point? Where are the obstacles/enemies? (including spawn points, if any) Where are the resources the player must acquire? What are the intermediate objectives (if any -- include waypoints) What are the win/loss conditions? Where is the level's exit (if any)? Wiki
- 15. Example Within this game the flow follows a certain pattern. The player moves from room to room in each level, where they have to both maneuver along platforms and around pitfalls and fight enemies along the way. Each level has about 5-10 separate rooms and at the end of each level they have to fight a boss before they progress to the next level. The game is challenging in the fact that the player has to move creatively not only to hit enemies but also to traverse through the specific environments. The difficulty ramp in the game will be done in two major ways. One, the enemies will become stronger and thus require more hits to take down, thus either using more of the blaster energy or taking a chance to leaving the player vulnerable if they go in for the melee attacks. The second way is to ramp up the number of not only obstacles and pitfalls but put them in creatively to where the player has to figure out the best way to maneuver and their margin for ever grows smaller and smaller throughout the game. If it becomes too easy or hard the best way to scale up or down would be not only adjusting the health of the enemies but also moving around the locations of the obstacles.
- 16. Example