I think sound is important, though, let's face it, you can usually play games like MMORPGs with the sound off, unlike an FPS.
Sound in an MMORPG is a wonderful accompaniment and atmosphere generator that enhances the experience greatly, but I wouldn't want it to be as essential and fundamental as in an FPS.
I really like the idea of music being used as environmental cues, blending with the perception-based systems - that kind of subtle, but important sound is a fantastic feature - but I can totally understand how that would exclude a good many people who are hard of hearing or just don't play with sound on.
I think it's the same as voice comms for groups/raids. I can understand people wanting it and can see how it enhances the game for some, but I wouldn't want it to become defacto or essential, because a lot of people I know need to play quietly.
I'm all about immersion in games like this and sound is just one more thing that adds to that effect. As long as it's not intrusive and compliments the area/content appropriately, sound effects and music can go a long way in helping feel immersed in the game world. If it seems to interupt the feel of the game, then I'll likely turn it off.
Sounds are what I have found trigger nostalgia for me when going back to older games and it brings up memories that I may not have been able to remember had the sound not triggered those memories. So, even if it's subconsciencly, sound does have an affect on the experience.
stonetothebone85 said: The sound can be the difference between playing a game and experiencing a game
This is more or less what it's all about. If the game have low-tier music and annoying sound effects - I'm disabling in-game sounds and listen to something different in the meanwhile - wether it's music, audiobook or something on Netflix and I'll forget all about the in-game soundtrack - and let's face it - it's not required for playing the game. Saying that all the best and most memorable games had amazing soundtracks (and sound effects) that allowed us to immerse in the games world so much that faint creak could have us on ours toes and mellow melody could relax our tense muscles - they make us to come listen to the soundtrack after years of playing the game and listening to it in turn make us want to come back and play the game. So in my opinion it's situation "all or nothing" - don't even bother with mediocrity - either rely on voice chats and our own music collections to fill the void or give us something truly epic!
Doesn't matter the game, in the past 15+ years, it goes like this:
(All in-game sliders)
Master Volume is always initially too loud, so I change the max to 50%.
Then the music is still too loud, so I change that to 10%.
Then the voiceovers are way too loud, so I change that to 50%.
Then the interface sounds are too loud, so I change those to 50%.
After playing for 5-15 minutes, the music repeats, so I turn that off.
Then the voiceovers are slower than reading, so I turn those off and switch to subtitles.
Then the interface sounds are still too loud, so I change those to 25%.
Finally, what I really want to hear (ambient, clues, footsteps, hidden, some part of sound tied to an essential combat or non-combat mechanic) I turn up to a value that ensures I don't miss it.
Essentially? I end up turning almost everything off except what I need to play. Music and voice overs are completely wasted on me, I have absolutely zero interest in hearing them.
In MMO's, I also end up turning off footsteps, because (for some insane reason) all the designers tie vanity/cosmetic pet footsteps to the same channel as the invisible Duergar who backstabs you for half your health footsteps, which is a shame. Vanity/Cosmetic pet footsteps also continue to be heard, even if you disable them, visually. It's ridiculous that so many games suffer from this same problem. A hurricane of pitter patter.
Personally, I would be happier with a visual indicator (for those deaf or hard of hearing) for required mechanic sounds / tells. At least then you could tell direction and distance, accurately, and it could be used for a variety of other non-visual senses, too.
It's important to me at the beginning. I like hearing the music associated with certain areas.
the question is, how long or short should the loop be before it gets boring? if there is bridge, is the bridge the hook? people get attached ot the strangest things.
Dynamic music- never been done before. Dynamic voice, yes, but dynamic music? why not?! Prepping for a raid- big boss ahead, loop rossini's william tell overture- the bit that sounds pastoral, and when engaged? have the music trigger the bit that sounds like a storm (neither of these are the "lone ranger" bits). need the raid to run real fast to another area over rough terrain? THEN trigger the Lone ranger bit :D to be the music que.
Otherwise maybe code something that tones down the music based on number of times perosn ahs entered the zone. by time 10, the ambient music will be low, more background, think of the music in Critical Role twitch. But time one through 4- its normal volume.
More important to me than to many. I like listening to the music (unless it is awful) even after hearing it many times. I like the game sounds and voices (if any) and often they help me fight or craft more effectively. It is one reason I absolutely refuse to use voice chat when doing routine game activities and will leave a guild that does not have an active typed chat channel.
Kilsin said:Community Debate - Game Sound, how important is it to you, do you have it on or turn it off and why? #MMORPG #CommunityMatters
Music is off. It's nice to hear the first time, but after that it is just repetitious and annoying.
As for environmental, atmospheric, combat, etc, I like to have that on but at a level that doesn't interfer with voice comms. Positional audio can greatly expand your awareness of your surroundings as well as telegraphing actions to which you might need to respond.
Awareness in these games is built upon 3 options: Visual, Text and Sound. If you're facing off against an NPC, a cleric class NPC for example, you want to be mindful of it trying to cast a heal. If you're looking right at the NPC you will see the spell effects, see the 'A_Cleric_NPC begins to cast Heal' in your chat window and you'll hear the sound of the spell. Face away from the NPC and you still have 2 means by which you can know what is happening. You might be in a situation where an NPC comes up behind you and starts to cast a spell, you'll see the text and hear the spell.
Sound is a critical means by which you can be notified of your surroundings and is one that I find I am more attuned to.
Sound is very important to me. Not just music (I tend to always have game music on) but sound effects as well. As an example, one of the little things that tends to dramatically enhance my immersion is footstep sounds being different for walking/running on dirt, on stone, on snow or sand, and so on.
So yeah, I almost always have game sounds turned on - all of them. I sometimes find that I need to turn ambient sounds down a little bit so that they don't get in the way of the music, but that's it. It's very rare for me to ever turn anything off - usually, I'm turning the volume up from the defaults.
pretty important.
usually master volume down to 20% (for voice comms)
music is off (as an immersion scientist, music should only exist in areas appropriate origin, such as a bard, a band or a magical device whispering honeyed sounds into my ears, shudders)
audio ques for pvp is pretty important. hearing distinguished sound effects, such as a major cooldown from the left or right let's me know if i'm about to get smack by a pom pyro(very distinct wooomp flloosshh sound)
hopefully there's virtual space sound(7.1? i don't know what it's actually called) directional sound? i know that's ezpz with unity so vr will probably live up to expectations in that department.
classes should also have distinct sound effects:
clerics: light and chimey
paladin: heavy and chimey
warrior: meaty and punchy
dire lord: bloody and choppy
ranger: flashy and loud
rogue: not flashy and subtle
monk: ohm and thwapish
summoner: smuggish and commanding
enchanter: sweet whispers and crystalish
wizard: angry chants and oompf
druid: naturelike and fluffy
shaman: naturelike and hard
bard: should just be the game music when idling or humming/whistling a diddy
necromancer: bone clanking and musty
Game sound is so important to me that I'm planning on finding a group of friends or a guild that has a "no voice chat" policy in place. It doesn't mean I NEVER want to use voice chat, but it's gotta be for very specific reasons and very organized. I would never choose to hear someone elses voice or commentary over the actual sounds of the game.
No Battlemusic please. Battlemusic interrupts common music and warns you about aggro and especially when travelling it triggers continuesly...you get the idea.
Music is nice, but having it always on is tiresome too if you hear it much. But if you can have a tune triggering only once in a while you still get the atmosphere without having the music getting boring.
I'm taking the liberty to modify several replies from other communitymembers here to highlight the arguments why Game Sound is highly important to me.
Hegenox; ...Music that allowed us to immerse in the games world so much that faint creak could have us on ours toes and mellow melody could relax our tense muscles - they make us to come listen to the soundtrack after years of playing the game and listening to it in turn make us want to come back and play the game.
Dorotea: I like the game sounds and voices (if any) and often they help me fight or craft more effectively. It allows you to attune yourself more to the game and situation, really living in the moment.
Nephele: ...Music dramatically enhances my immersion ... It thereby creates desired drama and enhances the impact that the game has to the player.
MauvaisOeil: Game sounds can add a layer of awareness to the player when they are responsive and synced to the situation.
Kalok: It can pull you into the world even further and can make you feel like you present in that world rather than just playing a game.
Music is often times the glue that really solidifies memories we have into our brain. For many years laters, we'll still be able to recall or bring back those emotions and fond experiences we had during the time that music played. It's a brainmechanic thing. If a Game Sound can have such an impact on the player (just a quick one: the ding level sound or skeleton laughter sound of eq), then one can not emphase strong enough on the importance of this aspect of a game. If done correctly of course! Sound that does not connect to the gameworld or to the player can push players away from the game. The time I turned down music in the game is the time, I start to get bored of the game as a whole and as result start to disconnect.
More often, when I play a game, I go to place or zones just to hear those Sounds/music. I go crafting, if I want to hear the sound of crafting tools. I will seek out a dungeon if I want to feel the rush of combat sounds. I'll run to cross a zone just to hear the sound of the forest or creatures present there.
The sound in everquest was one of the things I loved the most about it. I remember hearing a Wasp pass behind my character and the noise transfer from one ear to the other and I knew where it was simply on sound. It was one of those times where I knew this game was different. Sound is a huge factor in immersion too.
That being said I do turn the sound down sometimes and watch netflix now while I'm playing other games. So it's incredibily important but I'm not going to lie and say I listen to game sound every second I'm playing it.