The crystal clear sounds from outside the cockpit

[fly_slightly]

I like the explanation provided by Commander Nutter on this link: https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30754

 

[Privata]

The lore states that the ship computers emulate sounds in a way humans can understand them. in multiple times and in multiple books it is mentioned (they allso mention they the cockpits or lenses on the helmets reduce bright lights to avoid eye pain)

 

[Tinman]

Let me guess. You just made that up or is there really any documentation about that available?

From and interview with one of the audio designers of the game:

The player’s ship is at this point both the main character and scenario in the game, so my goal is to have it generate a rich soundscape on its own: the hums and chatter from the electronic equipment (think Nostromo starting up), the whirl of the air conditioner, the resonances of the weapons in the cockpit... there’s a myriad of elements that we can work within this inner space, all of which can be reactive to meaningful parameters to the point that an experienced pilot should know the state of the spaceship just by listening to it.

When it comes to outer space, my approach is to gather meaningful information and bring it into the cockpit via sound, if the pilot cannot naturally hear it. We have a device in the spaceship that could potentially simulate an entire aerial battlefield (delivered via earplugs or bone conduction), but what it actually recreates, and how, is entirely up to us. The question is then really a matter of design: does the pilot-player need to hear explosions? Do we represent all the explosions or only those within a certain distance and radius from the player’s point of view? Should they sound airborne-like, etc.

In addition to the “sound HUD”, the spaceships will include a different device, a radio of sorts, rudimentary but dependable, that plays through a speaker in the cockpit and passively tunes to radio frequencies, say that of a “nearby” pulsar or the engine of a spaceship passing by; in case of general interface malfunction, the radio might very well be the only source of information on the outside world.

Finally, when an atmosphere is present, airborne sounds will come into the mix, and the pilot will for instance hear a nearby explosion, enhanced by a deep submarine-like HUD boom, and punctuated by a little crackle on the radio, each of those elements contributing to the feedback.
It is important to stress that both radio and HUD are real devices, so they can malfunction or be damaged, and replaced by better models with different capabilities (both) or sound sets (HUD). The pilot should have some degree of control over them, from within the ship’s interface –a volume slider, a sound HUD checklist to activate or deactivate types of data sonified. More so, since both HUD and radio can be muted, it is possible to just drift along listening to the sounds that truly belong to the inner space, and nothing else.

https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8236

Not all of this is yet in the game...would be cool to have the "sound HUD" malfunction or maybe just choose to disable it manually.

 

[Plage]

Thanks for all the info, links and input. I understand that some players and the devs think this actually adds to the immersions but I'm not that opinion and think how this is handled is not conclusive nor very immersive at all.

Did you ever notice the speakers on either side of the pilot's chair's headrest?

I think you're refering to these things here.

But let me tell you they aren't speakers but directional rocket boosters to keep an ejection seat stable. Maybe that's a left over from a not implemented feature or they're just there for the looks. That they really are boosters and not speakers is underlined by how they are located on the left and right of the seat and also its front and back as far as I know.

 

[Zplintz]

From and interview with one of the audio designers of the game:


https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php?t=8236

Not all of this is yet in the game...would be cool to have the "sound HUD" malfunction or maybe just choose to disable it manually.

The sounds stop when your canopy is blown. All you hear is your own breathing.

It would be nice to able to turn off the external sounds and just have the internal but I doubt many would play like that.

 

[Tinman]

The sounds stop when your canopy is blown. All you hear is your own breathing.

It would be nice to able to turn off the external sounds and just have the internal but I doubt many would play like that.

Yes, the sounds stops when your canopy is blown, but that's because the atmosphere just left your ship so soundwaves from your speakers have no medium they can travel through. What I meant was that the actual "sound HUD" itself could break (as mentioned in the interview) so that the sounds could start to crackle and fail without the canopy breaking.

 

[Dante80]

Thanks for all the info, links and input. I understand that some players and the devs think this actually adds to the immersions but I'm not that opinion and think how this is handled is not conclusive nor very immersive at all.

That is cool, after all beauty is sometimes in the...ear of the beholder

Have in mind though that this is not "some" players, but the vast majority of them. ED is lauded for its sound design. And the current system also makes sense for the 34th century setting. As a future imaginary space pilot I would want (and need) to hear those things. <3

Ultimately though, its a game design decision. Which I personally love. Same goes for the static we get in our in game voice comms for example.There is no reason that 34th century communication over very small distances would produce clutter and static. It does add to the experience though, at least for me.

 

[Loskene]

Thanks for all the info, links and input. I understand that some players and the devs think this actually adds to the immersions but I'm not that opinion and think how this is handled is not conclusive nor very immersive at all.



I think you're refering to these things here.

http://i.imgur.com/NKbQVCK.jpg

But let me tell you they aren't speakers but directional rocket boosters to keep an ejection seat stable. Maybe that's a left over from a not implemented feature or they're just there for the looks. That they really are boosters and not speakers is underlined by how they are located on the left and right of the seat and also its front and back as far as I know.

http://i.imgur.com/Pfupowk.jpg

Those look more like RCS thrusters than speakers alright but you can't say the sound HUD is immersion breaking when it's probably what we'll actually have when spaceships become as common as cars. If you still see that as immersion breaking, well then that's on you, the given explanation works fine for the rest of us.

 

[Zplintz]

Yes, the sounds stops when your canopy is blown, but that's because the atmosphere just left your ship so soundwaves from your speakers have no medium they can travel through. What I meant was that the actual "sound HUD" itself could break (as mentioned in the interview) so that the sounds could start to crackle and fail without the canopy breaking.

Yeah I understood what ye meant. Just pointing out that it is already in the game. Perhaps when FD are lookimg to increase ship damage complexity we will see this too. (Like my cargo spilling out of a hole in my Anaconda).

 

[Greyhawk]

I think the speakers they are referring to are directly connected to the bone so even when there is no air you can still hear sounds albeit muffled.

 

[woodhouse]

...but I like going pew pew dakkadakka zwoosh zap boom...

One of the reasons I am so fond of the Clipper is that the pew pew is a lot softer in the Clipper than it is in, say, the Asp. I think it's great that there is diversity in the sound balancing between different ships.

 

[Greyhawk]

If you hate everything else about this game, there is no way you can diss the sound. Easily the best sound I've heard in a game for a LONG time

 

[Arksun]

Thanks for all the info, links and input. I understand that some players and the devs think this actually adds to the immersions but I'm not that opinion and think how this is handled is not conclusive nor very immersive at all.

I suspect not so much 'some' but vast majority, being able to hear the ships zoom past, fire and explosions in a very 3D spacial way whilst in a combat zone totally adds to the immersion and wouldn't be half as much fun without it.

 

[woodhouse]

If you hate everything else about this game, there is no way you can diss the sound. Easily the best sound I've heard in a game for a LONG time

And it was even better in 1.0 before sounds started pushing each other to te background in supercruise...

 

[Zplintz]

Either way you look at it you have your in-game explaination of how you are hearing sound from outside your ship so now your immersion should be restored.