Gaming Console - Then VS Now

My first gaming console was the PlayStation 2.
My current gaming console is the PlayStation 4.

The PlayStation 2 was released on 4th March 2000.
The PlayStation 4 was released on 15th November 2013.

Comparing these two consoles together, the PlayStation 4 is now able to do a lot of things that the PlayStation 2 could not, such as;

• Online functionality (the PlayStation 2 could be played online but required an adaptor to do so)
• Purchasing games digitally, completely removing the need of a disc.
• Running much larger games and processing them much faster than a PlayStation 2 could.
• Better graphics.
• Wireless Controllers that also feature motion sensing technology, letting the player move to controller to play.
• The ability to transfer save data through cloud storage, rather than using a memory card.
• Online achievements known as 'trophies', this gives players a goal outside of the main game.

The reason I liked the PlayStation 2 console was because it featured many exclusive games I have grown up with and love, some of these games are even now available on the PlayStation 4 to be downloaded digitally. A reason I like the PlayStation 4 is because it allows me to play online, letting me enjoy the games with other people, friends and strangers.

Some of my favourite games on the PlayStation 2 console were the 'Jak and Daxter' series and the 'Kingdom Hearts' games. These games are still available for purchase today on the PlayStation 4's digital store.

PlayStation 2:                                   PlayStation 4:

CPU Speed - 294.91 MHz               CPU Speed - 1.6 GHz

GPU Speed - 147.46 MHz               GPU Speed - 800 MHz

CPU Cores - 1                                  CPU Cores - Dual 4 core modules

System RAM -32 MB                      System RAM - 8 GB

Information found on:
https://www.engadget.com/products/sony/playstation/2/1st-gen/specs/?guccounter=1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_4_technical_specifications

Assignment 1

These are audio problems I have discovered within games and what I would do to possibly fix them.

One audio problem I have identified within a video game is the low health sound effect used in the video game 'Kingdom Hearts'. The sound I am referencing is a beep-like noise that occurs when the player's health drops below a certain point. The problem with this sound is that the sound is extremely irritating and annoying for the player during game play. The sound uses a very high pitch which could potentially be painful for the ears and also the frequency of the sound is very high, the noise is almost continuous with hardly any breaks between each beep, ringing in the player's mind. This annoyance is a problem because it does nothing other than disrupt the player's experience. In this game, player's may find themselves in a dire situation where health is low and they are close to death, the intense beeping noises do nothing but distract the player and as a result of this, ruin the moment. The game's flashing red character icons when health is low is definitely enough for the player, they do not need a sound (or at least an irritating one like this) to be aware of their current health.

The sound can be heard using the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mihlgVO6aQ

After researching and conducting various solutions, I think this problem could be solved in many ways. Technical solutions to this problem involve lowering the pitch of the noise using sound editing software and also bringing down the frequency of the sound. If the beeping noise was not so sharp on the ears it likely would not be much of an issue for the players when they play the game. In addition to this, a lower frequency would also benefit the sound as it wouldn't be consistently going off in the players ear when they try to focus. Another technical solution for the problem could be to simply only have the sound play for a brief amount of time, for example, if the player's health reaches a low point, the beep sound will go off four or five times and then stop. A more creative, different solution to this problem could be to use an entirely different noise, such as a heartbeat sound and the other audio in the game could be muffled and quietened down, potentially even a black and white screen. This has a much stronger impact on the player. If the heartbeat sound was also to be used it could be recorded using Foley, this makes the sound more realistic as the producers could use a real heartbeat.

Another audio problem I have discovered within a video game is the out of sync dialogue and mouth movements in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The issue with this sound is that the dialogue is heard after the animation plays which results in an awkward moment for the player as suddenly the scene just looks ridiculous and immersion is broken, damaging the player's enjoyment of the game. In this game, these scenes are very important as they reveal parts of the story and give the player insight about the game, having these scenes ruined by sound problems like this has a heavy influence on the game itself. If the player sees bad audio that is not matched up with the animations they will assume that the developers were lazy and could even contemplate not buying another one of their games.

This scene featuring faulty lip syncing can be seen in the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOSyasKJtk

Research on this problem has led me to some conclusions to solve the problem. The best technical solution for this would be, in my opinion, to use Foley and record the voices over the scene as it plays. This way the producers can ensure the audio matches the animation which makes for a smoother experience. Another slightly more complicated technical solution is to adjust the animation to match the sound, or simply alter the sound file to make it play at a different time, matching up the two. A more creative solution for this problem would be to possibly not use sound at all. If the producers struggle to do it correctly, they could be better off using text dialogue only and making the player read instead of hear, although this idea does also come with flaws, such as people who may struggle to read or don't enjoy it. A more drastic creative solution would be to completely redo all dialogue using Foley to match it up with the animations. I think redoing dialogue is wise as most of the voices and dialogue already in the game sound extremely forced and fake, this again, breaks immersion as nobody sounds serious about anything in the game.

Primary research is collecting information yourself through surveys, this helps to get feedback and make improvements.

Secondary research is using data that has already been made, this is usually found from other sources and is usually done before primary research takes place.

These methods could be used to analyse a problem with a game as you could use the feedback you get to improve or alter sounds.

Quantitative research is asking a lot of people their opinion and valuing quantity over quality, e.g. if you get 40 people who agree and 10 who disagree you will favour the agree vote. Qualitative research is a lot more complex , it is taking everybody's individual, detailed opinion, rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing with something. This gives a larger insight into the problems and would allow for a better solution.

Two examples of quantitative research are doing votes, yes or no questions.

Examples of qualitative research are forums, tweets, posts, etc.

Sound Problems in games:

Game: Kingdom Hearts

Sound: Critical Health Beeping Sound Effect

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mihlgVO6aQ

Problem: Annoying sound effect that plays when the player's health reaches a certain point, unnecessary. Is not needed to alert the player of their health, the health bar already flashes red and takes up a large portion of the game screen.

Fix: Make the sound a quieter, give it a lower pitch and make the frequency lower as the sound does not need to play continuously, it is just irritating for the player.

Game: Mass Effect Andromeda

Sound: Bad Lip Syncing (doesn't match animation)

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omOSyasKJtk

Problem: One specific line of dialogue does not match with the animation, resulting in the player seeing the mouth move before hearing the sound, this breaks immersion for the player.

Fix: Make the speech sound effect play sooner, or delay the animation so it is slower and matches up with the sound. This would make the experience feel smoother and keep the player immersed in the game.

Game: Resident Evil

Sound: Opening / Closing Door

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNU29JfzKOI

Problem: The door sounds very fake and loud, it doesn't sound like a door in my opinion, it's more like someone is slamming shut a car door when the door in game is supposedly made of wood.

Fix: Use a more creaky sound effect, possibly use foley to record a real life wooden door sound effect, this would also help to increase immersion and help the fear factor of the game as the genre is horror.

Investigating Audio Production and Technology:
Exercise 1:

Game: God of War 3
Sound: Thunder / Lightning
These sound effects convey a sense of danger, which also symbolises what is coming as this kind of weather and sound effects occur in the game moments before something big happens, e.g boss fight or important scene.

Game: Outlast 2
Sound: Panting / Heavy breathing
This sound effect symbolises exhaustion to the player, after sprinting for a certain amount of time the character will lose stamina and become more tired, the heavy breathing and panting tells the player that they are becoming tired and will need to stop sprinting soon.

Game: Overwatch
Sound: Endgame music
As the current game the player is in approaches finish, for the last 30 seconds or so the music will pick up and become more intense / dramatic. This conveys that time is running out and both teams have one final attempt to win the match, it overall symbolizes the end of the game.

Investigating Audio Production and Technology:
Exercise 2:

a. Why is music and sound FX so important within games development?

Music and sound FX are important in games development because it allows the player to experience a specific mood / atmosphere. For example if the player is currently in a dangerous area, the music will create a sense of danger, fear, suspense etc. using a variety of different sounds. Music can also help to give the player an understanding of a situation or to help the visualise the current scene, it makes the game more immersive.

b. What is waveform, (wavelength, amplitude, frequency); pitch; Hertz (Hz); decibel level (dB); sound generator (loudspeaker)?

Waveform is the shape and form of a signal or sound at a given time.
- Wavelength is the distance between waves
- Amplitude effects how loud or how quiet a sound wave is
- Frequency is the number of wave cycles that occur in one second, essentially how frequent the sound is

Pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge if sounds are 'high-pitched' or 'low-pitched'
- Hertz is the measurement of frequency
- Decibel (DB) is used to measure sound level
- A sound generator is an object which produces sound through vibrations such as a loudspeaker

c. What is Foley?

Foley is the reproduction of everyday sounds such as glass breaking, walking through leaves, speech, etc. This enhances the audio quality and makes the sound clearer for the viewer, avoiding distortion in the sound that might have been there if the sounds were recorded live, e.g. wind or other background noises. It is essentially artificial sound.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent

Review:

This game has a theme of Fear, Perseverance and Valour. The element of fear is produced by the endangering creatures and monsters encountered throughout the game in an attempt to create difficulty and dread for the player. Perseverance comes from the player's need to pass each area and reach the end of the game despite how frightening and deadly the monsters are, this also makes the player relatable to the protagonist 'Daniel' whom the player controls as his goal throughout the entire game is to reach an area and kill a man named Alexander. Valour is another theme that corresponds throughout the entire game as these monsters are fast and some even have the capability to kill the player in one hit, giving the player (and Daniel) a sense of valour as they overcome the dangers and remain focused on their goal.

The genre of this game is Adventure, Puzzle and also Horror as the player explores an eerie old castle, waking up inside with no knowledge of how or why they are there. They must traverse this dark place, exploring many areas and solving puzzles along the way which open up the way to the next area whilst also having to deal with the dread and terror of the monsters looming around the area. In addition to this the player also has to worry about the darkness as being in it for too long causes Daniel's 'insanity' to go up, making the controls nauseating and causing hallucinations for the player. This in itself is a puzzle the players must deal with throughout the entire game as they try to figure out the best routes to avoid darkness and monsters together. A sense of adventure is also to be found however as player's can read notes found around the different areas which tell backstories and previous events, along with this Daniel's memory slowly comes back to him as the player progresses further, allowing the player to understand and make more sense of the story.

It is a game only featuring a Single Player Game Mode, this helps to tell the story to the player but this also allows them to control the pace of how they play. They can choose whether to rush through each area or enjoy every moment and take the slow and scenic route, uncovering every secret of the game. Additionally this makes the player feel even more isolated, they are completely alone with no one else other than the monsters out to kill them.

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is played through a First-Person Perspective, the player views the game through Daniel's eyes as they make their way through a castle full of deadly obstacles. This makes a link between the player and Daniel, they experience what he experiences, they see the entire story from his point of view which makes the player feel more immersed and in the game. This further drives a sense of fear into the player as the monsters are trying to kill them. This helps the player to sometimes forget that they are Daniel and makes them think that these things are coming after them, it is them who are in danger and it is them who need to escape. This makes the game very effective at causing fear for the player.