Help for my proseminar lecture

[Unknown,Unknown]

Hello,

and happy new year for everybody.

I’m 25 years old student from Finland and I’m writing my proseminar lecture about evolution of pc-game soundscapes.
I’m currently studying 3rd year in Tampere Polytechnic School of Art and Media (www.cult.tpu.fi) and I’m asking if Ken and Roberta would have time to answer a short questionaire to help me out writing my lecture. The lecture will be written in finnish.

Thanks in advance.
Aki Flink

[Unknown,Unknown]

(re: Help for my proseminar lecture) Aki:
Post any questions you have here, and I’ll do my best to answer them.
You should read through the board first though, as 99% of your questions are probably already answered here.
Thank you,
Ken Williams

[Unknown,Unknown]

(re: re: Help for my proseminar lecture)

Thanks,

I posted the questionaire to Al Lowe and he pointed out
Mark Seibert as developer of Sierra’s sound system, so
I’ll annoy him too with my questions.

I’ll paste the questionaire here and also read the forum
thru.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Questionaire begins here
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

1. Name and (current/former) occupation ?

2. Game projects which you’ve taken part ?
(partial list will be okay)

3. Name 5-10 most important steps in evolution of
PC-game soundscape (technical or software related)

4. The best pc-game soundscape founds in ? (you may
point out several titles)

5. Personal favourite games (PC / other platforms)

6. What creates immersion in game soundscape ? Most
common ways to blow out the immersion?

8. How does the interactive music/sounds affect to
game immersion in different genres?

7. Importance/affects of game sounds in different
genres and how they have changed thru time?

a) 1st person shooters (Doom, Quake etc.)

b) Realtime/turnbased strategy games
(Command & Conquer, Warcraft etc.)

c) Roleplaying games (Neverwinter Nights,
Pools of Radiance etc.)

d) Race / Rally games (Death Rally,
Rally Trophy etc.)

e) Platform jumpers (Rayman, Flashback etc.)

f) Fighting games (Street Fighter,
Mortal Kombat etc.)

g) Simulators (Flight simulator etc.)

h) Space ‘simulators’ and shooters
(Descent, Freespace, Wing Commander etc.)

i) Adventures (point’n click, icon based and
pure text adventures)

j) other game genres ?

Thanks for you time and effort.

[Unknown,Unknown]

(re: re: re: Help for my proseminar lecture) You are commenting on (or, replying to) the following message:

Thanks,

I posted the questionaire to Al Lowe and he pointed out
Mark Seibert as developer of Sierra’s sound system, so
I’ll annoy him too with my questions.

I’ll paste the questionaire here and also read the forum
thru.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Questionaire begins here
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

1. Name and (current/former) occupation ?

Ken Williams – Retired. Former CEO of Sierra On-Line

2. Game projects which you’ve taken part ?
(partial list will be okay)

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3. Name 5-10 most important steps in evolution of
PC-game soundscape (technical or software related)

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4. The best pc-game soundscape founds in ? (you may
point out several titles)

What is a soundscape? Do you mean soundtrack? It has been a long time since I listened to the Sierra sound tracks, but there are some awesome ones.

5. Personal favourite games (PC / other platforms)

Phantasmagoria and Leisure-Suit Larry!

6. What creates immersion in game soundscape ? Most
common ways to blow out the immersion?

I’m not a composer … I couldn’t begin to tell you. My best (but lame) laymans answer would be to say that the music must match the action.

8. How does the interactive music/sounds affect to
game immersion in different genres?

There are many books written on scoring films. I haven’t read them. Sorry – this is an area best left to professionals, and I’m not one.

7. Importance/affects of game sounds in different
genres and how they have changed thru time?

My career spans the whole computer evolution. When I started sounds were nothing more than a simple buzzer – and, today, there are essentially no limitations.

a) 1st person shooters (Doom, Quake etc.)

Sorry – I’ll pass on these questions. I’m not convinced there is any difference. The composer composes what the composer thinks is appropriate. That depends on the mood the designer is trying to create. It is scene based, not game genre based.

OK – I’ll add one more thought – sound effects are obviously a big deal. Our games had a separate group to do the “foley” work (the sound effects), from the composer. I’m not sure what I can add to this. The sound effect should add to the reality of the action.

Sorry … I feel really dumb answering this. To be honest, I am neither a composer nor a sound effects person. I hired the worlds greatest composers, and the top sound people – but, personally couldn’t begin to understand what they do.

b) Realtime/turnbased strategy games
(Command & Conquer, Warcraft etc.)

c) Roleplaying games (Neverwinter Nights,
Pools of Radiance etc.)

d) Race / Rally games (Death Rally,
Rally Trophy etc.)

e) Platform jumpers (Rayman, Flashback etc.)

f) Fighting games (Street Fighter,
Mortal Kombat etc.)

g) Simulators (Flight simulator etc.)

h) Space ‘simulators’ and shooters
(Descent, Freespace, Wing Commander etc.)

i) Adventures (point’n click, icon based and
pure text adventures)

j) other game genres ?

Thanks for you time and effort.

[Unknown,Unknown]

(‘soundscape’)

First of all thanks for your time and answers.

With this term soundscape I’m meaning whole aural part of game (fx, music and ambience sounds). I’m pretty sure that you can’t find that word from any dictionary (at least not in this meaning), it’s just something that I made up.

aki flink

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