GUIDE: Planet sounds and how to know everything from System Map.

[domaq]

I'm sure Akira will back me up on this, but so far everything weve seen indicates there is some variety in the planet sounds per type. I.E. high metal has two to three tracks it plays (which sound similar) and earthlikes appear to have 2-3 tracks that they play as well (which also sound similar). The similarity between earthlikes and high metals has been addressed earlier on in the thread, and its been suggested that for potential earthlikes you'll need to listen a little longer because one of the high metals has a long "intro" track in which you do not hear the metal guitar for about 30-40 seconds, or if its an earthlike and you listen for that time without hearing the metal string chords, it should be an ELP.

Basically, no, not every planet is exactly the same as others of its type since there's multiple tracks but the variety is predictable and learn-able and the different tracks share enough in common to use the descriptions as guidelines.

If youve heard an earthlike that is completely different from what is described in this thread please let us know so we can adjust the known sounds or re-examine the technique.

Understood, thank you. I should rephrase the question to read, has anyone else experienced a planet sounding different each time they click on the same planet?

I'm still working on training my ear to hear the nuances.

[Murishani]

Understood, thank you. I should rephrase the question to read, has anyone else experienced a planet sounding different each time they click on the same planet?

I'm still working on training my ear to hear the nuances.

oh sorry I just re-read your post (still waking up over coffee here), if the SAME planet sounded different after listening again, that would be news to me, and might complicate things a bit.

If you're having trouble hearing it you may want to do the following:
set volume to wherever you like
set the music drop down to MUTE the music
then turn on all the individual musics (exploration, combat, supercruise etc.)

For me that made it much easier to hear the planets sounds in system map (even though you would think muting music would eliminate them, it doesnt.)

[CMDR AKIRA MASAKARI]

Understood, thank you. I should rephrase the question to read, has anyone else experienced a planet sounding different each time they click on the same planet?

I'm still working on training my ear to hear the nuances.

When you switch from a planet to another, the previous planet sound will persist for a second or two. The trick is to wait at least 2 seconds and let the track play. In this period the previous planet sound will fade away and only the current planet sound will be left. As i wrote in the guide, switching between planets very fast leads only to confusion.

I've done many tries and in my experience the same planet will always sound the same if you give it time to play its track.

Regarding different sounds on same kind of planet type, there can be little difference in high metals. If they have an atmosphere the winds will be a little more prominent.
Since these differences are minimal and the sounds are quite constant, i'm not willing to discuss this in the guide since it can lead to super confusion.

I hope to find a CLEAR and CONSTANT difference between high metals and earth likes, but for now i had no luck. Earth likes do have bird chirping, but high metals amd expecially metal rich ones have a buzzing sound that is not CLEARLY different.
So before suggesting people to supercruise thousands of light seconds to find a bluish high metal maybe not even terraformable, i want to wait to have more sure data.

What is clear for now, is that earth like does not have the low pitch bubbling of water worlds, and some blue planets with not visible land mass from system map, might be earth likes and in this case sound is cruicial.

[DiddleDum]

Nice thread! Last night, I grabbed the noise-cancelling headphones, threw it on Nighttime setting and spent hours listening. I can definitely tell the Earthlike, water, and ammonia worlds.

The galaxy map also has sounds, and I spent several hours listening to those too. I was wandering through a G and F star field, as this is where I've found most of my Earthlikes. If you go to the galaxy map and zoom in on your star, you'll hear what sounds like radio static. Moving the camera around, you can also hover over other nearby stars and they'll produce static too. Some static is high pitched, some low. And on certain stars, you'd hear what can be described as the feedback from a microphone. Again, some were mid-range, while other feedback shrieks were incredibly high pitched. Some were deep shrieks. These aren't faint - you'll hear them after a couple of seconds, but not all stars produce the feedback. A disclaimer - the same star won't always produce the feedback shriek each time. Sometimes, I'd have to pick several other stars, and then choose it again to get the shriek after a few seconds.

So, for those stars with a high feedback pitch, I found either water or ammonia worlds. But, I didn't get a lot of testing in, and I might have just been lucky stumbling into a good planetary instance. There's probably some organization to the star sounds and what is contained within those systems... or at least, I'm hoping that is the case. It'd be great to hover over a bunch of G stars, and pick which ones will produce water or ammonia worlds.

[ColdFish]

Wow, I learned something new today!
Fantastic thread, repped!

[DiddleDum]

oh sorry I just re-read your post (still waking up over coffee here), if the SAME planet sounded different after listening again, that would be news to me, and might complicate things a bit.

If you're having trouble hearing it you may want to do the following:
set volume to wherever you like
set the music drop down to MUTE the music
then turn on all the individual musics (exploration, combat, supercruise etc.)

For me that made it much easier to hear the planets sounds in system map (even though you would think muting music would eliminate them, it doesnt.)

Question - if you mute the music, does that mute the system map music? That's the hardest thing for me - trying to pick out the planet sounds from the music overlay. It'd be great if you could mute that and only hear a sound when you clicked each planet.

[Murishani]

So, for those stars with a high feedback pitch, I found either water or ammonia worlds. But, I didn't get a lot of testing in, and I might have just been lucky stumbling into a good planetary instance. There's probably some organization to the star sounds and what is contained within those systems... or at least, I'm hoping that is the case. It'd be great to hover over a bunch of G stars, and pick which ones will produce water or ammonia worlds.

I've been wondering if there was any truth to this, Im skeptical though because the star sounds start when you simply highlight them, the system is not generated until you jump in. If the stars make those sounds it meanst he contents of the system are already known, in which case why generate them? If however they ARE un-generated, how would the star noise know what was present?

If you can show a hard correlary that can be used for predictive ability, that would be amazing.

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Question - if you mute the music, does that mute the system map music? That's the hardest thing for me - trying to pick out the planet sounds from the music overlay. It'd be great if you could mute that and only hear a sound when you clicked each planet.

Thats exactly what it does! follow those instructions and it will mute that background music and leave the planets "talking"

[DiddleDum]

I've been wondering if there was any truth to this, Im skeptical though because the star sounds start when you simply highlight them, the system is not generated until you jump in. If the stars make those sounds it meanst he contents of the system are already known, in which case why generate them? If however they ARE un-generated, how would the star noise know what was present?

If you can show a hard correlary that can be used for predictive ability, that would be amazing.

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Thats exactly what it does! follow those instructions and it will mute that background music and leave the planets "talking"

Many thanks for the music advice!! I'll work on those galaxy map sounds and see if I can determine any repeatable patterns.

[CMDR AKIRA MASAKARI]

If you can show a hard correlary that can be used for predictive ability, that would be amazing.

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SNIP


Thats exactly what it does! follow those instructions and it will mute that background music and leave the planets "talking"

yes, system generation should start when you enter it if you are the first. But what if there is a random seed that bears contact more likely to generate an ELW?

even knowing that that sound will just INCREASES the odds of an ELV, would be extremely useful.

ihave all sounds enabled but volume at 0, for planet it's working a like charm, but didn't write it in OP, so I shall when i won't be at mobile, and possibly quote you again murshani. Want to check the nighttime importation, I fear it messes the thing up raising pitch to be tought to low, causing confusion. Like class iii giant mistaken for water life ones. Maybe with normal
settings it's a lower pitch and there is no doubt.

BUT if it makes the ELWchpirping more clear it will something to consider: being that rare, for an uncertain ELWi can
switch a setting.

[DiddleDum]

I listened to the galaxy map for a couple of more hours yesterday. Expanded the listening to F's, G's, and K's. I'm not thinking there's any ELW distinctiveness in galaxy map star sounds. As a test, I grabbed a star system we all know has an Earthlike world - SOL. I pick SOL, zoom in, and the sounds are the same (radio static with microphone feedback shriek). I then pick a couple of neutron star systems. Same sound.

So, I'm thinking that the galaxy map star sounds do not provide a way of "peeking inside" before you arrive. However, kudos to the FD sound team for creating variations (low/med/high static and low/med/high feedback shrieks) on something that could have been handled with a single sound bit!

[CMDR AKIRA MASAKARI]

Edited OP with ELW bird chirping, planning to add pictures Where visual are inconsistent with planet Type. Just yesterday i've found an ELW with no visible land mass from system map, understood it's nature by sound.

Also now that i know the combination of water streams and Holo HUD Icon, I'm finding a whole lot of water giants. only yesterday night i've found 2 in 30 jumps. Probably they are less rare than thought, it's just that in many occasion we skipped them.

[Kancro Vantas]

I listened to the galaxy map for a couple of more hours yesterday. Expanded the listening to F's, G's, and K's. I'm not thinking there's any ELW distinctiveness in galaxy map star sounds. As a test, I grabbed a star system we all know has an Earthlike world - SOL. I pick SOL, zoom in, and the sounds are the same (radio static with microphone feedback shriek). I then pick a couple of neutron star systems. Same sound.

So, I'm thinking that the galaxy map star sounds do not provide a way of "peeking inside" before you arrive. However, kudos to the FD sound team for creating variations (low/med/high static and low/med/high feedback shrieks) on something that could have been handled with a single sound bit!

WRONG!

Make sure you have GalMap Music ON in options. Turning the music OFF in the GalMap also turns the planets sounds OFF!

Then go back to Earth and listen VERY carefully. Zoom in as much as you can in the GalMap...that raises the volume...you will hear the tropical birds chirping away after a few seconds....

I have found Water Worlds, Ammonia Worlds, and Earth Like Planets just like that...is incredibly accurate...has made exploration both: easier and also more rich, as I keep finding things I would have skipped otherwise.

[CMDR AKIRA MASAKARI]

WRONG!

Make sure you have GalMap Music ON in options. Turning the music OFF in the GalMap also turns the planets sounds OFF!

Then go back to Earth and listen VERY carefully. Zoom in as much as you can in the GalMap...that raises the volume...you will hear the tropical birds chirping away after a few seconds....

I have found Water Worlds, Ammonia Worlds, and Earth Like Planets just like that...is incredibly accurate...has made exploration both: easier and also more rich, as I keep finding things I would have skipped otherwise.

I think that DiddleDum was trying a way to understand system composition while listening to a star sound from galactic map. He was not talking about system map.
We think that since systems are randomly generated when someone enters them for the first time, there's no way to predict their composition before entering them. That would make exploration a joke anyway, so it's better that way.

[CMDR DoubleSkulls]

We think that since systems are randomly generated when someone enters them for the first time, there's no way to predict their composition before entering them. That would make exploration a joke anyway, so it's better that way.

Please can you let me know what the evidence is for that? I thought I'd read somewhere that FD had created the universe programatically and then overridden where they wanted to either align to known status or tweak for gameplay. So I'd assumed all the systems were generated and part of the install. I know there is sometimes lag in hyperspace, which could be generating & uploading new system data - but I'd assumed it was just updating CMDR location information/match making etc.

If it were the case it would mean that every time someone visited a system for the first time they'd need to download the system data and/or generate the system. Not implausible, but it would generate more network traffic.

[Murishani]

Please can you let me know what the evidence is for that? I thought I'd read somewhere that FD had created the universe programatically and then overridden where they wanted to either align to known status or tweak for gameplay. So I'd assumed all the systems were generated and part of the install. I know there is sometimes lag in hyperspace, which could be generating & uploading new system data - but I'd assumed it was just updating CMDR location information/match making etc.

If it were the case it would mean that every time someone visited a system for the first time they'd need to download the system data and/or generate the system. Not implausible, but it would generate more network traffic.

As far as I know, a completely unvisited system is not known by anyone, players or devs. The galaxy has a complex procedural generation engine, when a brand new system is visited, this procedural generator goes to work based on the location of the system and other factors. The resources for that system are already downloaded (textures meshes etc.) all you're downloading (which you do in witchspace) is the position and arrangement of these elements. The construction of a system is done on the fly, they do not have 400,000,000,000 star systems stored on a hard drive somewhere. An explorer visists it, it generates, you see and explore it, and THEN it gets saved.