The next big thing in terms of customization and immersion

Overall the game keeps moving in a positive direction but the scope of what I've seen in the last year or so got me thinking, what else is there? In my mind, there's one major area that is still lacking: the Audio system.

I know there have been some good incremental changes recently. However there could and should be a long hard look at the system as a whole, and how to kick it up to the new level of awesome.

Here are 3 areas I think can be improved:

Player sounds-
Here's where some aspects of customization come in. Of course I'm not expecting full speaking audio that new games like SW:TOR are making, however I think it could be possible to expand the the sounds characters make in combat and travel and emoting. Distinct male/female sounds, and even distinctions between large and small characters. Additionally, control over the kinds of sounds made by certain costume pieces would be nice. It's great to hear different sounds when I run across metal or pavement, but it would be even cooler to hear metal legs or bare feet sound differently. That leads into area 2:

Environmental sounds-
As I said, there are good environmental sounds, but there could be more. Power sounds in some sets are crisp and very visceral (War Mace). In other sets the sounds are somewhat "mushy" and indistinct. On top of that, I feel that NPCs could go a long way to feeling more distinct if they had their own range of unique sounds. Fighting the gangs should sound a lot different than fighting Nemesis. Some groups already manage this. The ghosts we fight here and there do a good job, and so do Clockwork. They could be better though. Additionally, the open zones could do with a lot of improved soundscapes. Civilians are virtually silent, as are vehicles. Giant Monsters would feel a lot more impressive with special noises (Ghost Ship and Hellion Fires do a fair job already).

Music- There are some great bits of music here and there in the game. There's not enough. I think a dynamic music system could lend itself to both of the other areas I've listed above. Potentially a layered system of instruments and rhythms similar to what is seen in Spore could provide a lot of variety without a lot of work. Players could build their own "Theme Song" as could different enemy groups. I'm not necessarily talking about constant music at all times, but a kind of dynamic scoring that generates music at key times would be great. Imagine a system that integrates different aspects of each player's themes, and combines them with the theme of their foes, and generates a kind of score that plays through a mission. Someone dies and a bit of defeat music pops. They get rezzed or make the killing blow and a little triumphant beat comes out.

This is completely an extension of an idea, I have no idea how technically feasible it would be. I just think the game could be a lot more engaging auditorially.

You know, I don't really see this as customization. It's more along the lines of 'upgrading the current system' which I'm completely behind. I'd say link the sounds your steps make to the boot costume pieces, like you said.

The music thing sounds a bit more difficult. I think they could do a far better job with it now if they decide to change it but certain music in certain areas and maps or even when fighting initiated would be cool and enhance the tension or suspense. Or the big leap you mentioned: choose your music. I'd be quite awesome if NCsoft teamed up with itunes so you could buy some music and have an ingame GUI that plugs it in where you want it.

As for player voices, yeah I've been itching to change the voice of my old katana/SR scrapper because he's a young 12 year old boy and the voice he has doesn't work. More options (catgirl/catboi sounds pweese?) would make all my characters happy. Hmm, do any MMOs currently allow you to alter sounds and music yet?

I would definitely love all those things. More ambient sounds = win.

It'd have to all pretty much be toggle-on/off, though, for people with lower end systems or poor internet. More info = more trouble.

They should totally have casting calls for voice talent. I know there are PLENTY of people here who would gladly give up some shouts, grunts and taunting for this game.

I would like to someday have voice macros. We have them in planetside and I've always loved them. 5 different voices to choose for males and 5 different voices to choose for females. The voice macros also usually include some emote or animation associated with them such as "Hello" Your character waves its arm.

Usually don't run into that very much unless you sit in the control console at every hack heh. I'm usually hanging out near the spawn room. Good times. Always glad to meet someone else that plays or did play ps.

Thoughts:

• Selectable voices during character creation is pure win.
  
  • All audio gets downloaded in patches
  • A single digit gets added to character data transfer to indicate which voice set to use
  • No additional data needs to get sent during action because the sound would be linked to the action

• Customizable music would have to be very simple
  • Themes would be way too difficult for coding because of dissonant overlap
  • Allowing in-game access to iTunes shouldn't be too much of a problem
  • They could even allow you to build iTunes playlists for your character during creation

• Pie-in-the-sky wish:
  • Use snips of music during certain events such as entering a mish, getting killed, getting rezzed, etc.
  • Would only play on your local machine as opposed to being transfered, so griefing is not possible

• Additional/more complex/realistic environmental sounds would be great as long as it's not music

• I'd like to see them give a slider for pseudo-music volume. Right now the boom-box emotes are not considered music, nor is the sewer mish ramp/entrance music. Because of that you can't turn it down without turning down your sfx. It's old and changing it will only make it new for a little while. I want to be able to turn it off.

• Let us turn off the combat warning sounds such as out-of-end, recharging, etc. They really take away from immersion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Techbot Alpha ...I have the patience of a coffee-fueled flea...

Would be nice if the contacts when giving you missions would actually talk as well...

Stormy

I would not mind them speaking bits of chatter, like other environmental NPCs. However I don't want them narrating every mission. That would be a ridiculous amount of work, and something that most people would end up wanting to skip or block, like cutscenes.

I think my goal in posting this suggestion was to come up with interesting ways to make the game more vibrant, without weighing down gameplay. Just like it's great seeing some of the fun bits of commentary in the NPC chatter channel, it would be fun to be flying along and hear a civilian cheer or scream in terror. I'm hoping people will find out there are cool reasons to turn their volume back up instead of playing silently and listening to other things.

Hi:

I do support the idea of an increased audio enhancments to help with inmersion into the game. But after having 14 level 50 Lady Heroes and 14 Level 50 lady Villains, I sometimes find myself asking, what next?

When I played CoV, it was fun for awhile for it had new maps, new power sets, new ways to address things, and the missions given by contacts tended to be in the same zone. But in general many of the missions i was doing, made me feel more heroic than villanous; there are a few exceptions like the ones you go destroying children's books and their food :<)

I would like to see a new series of threads, that can be done solo or grouped, that starts at level 1 and goes on to level 50. The one adventure thread you keep uncovering stuff, defeating stuff, till the final climatic event where you discover who the bad/good guy is and bring his/her ultimate plans down. This way, you feel you are in pursuit of something, call it a mistery story along your career.

Despite of my idea above, it helps immersion in the game as you progress, but does little once you reach 50.

I would like to see SG/VG game sponsored activities, where the SG/VG can gain reputation and have it posted, for brqgging rights :<) What these activities may be, I really am not sure. For those of you who have played Dark Age of Camelot, the Frontier (their PvP Zone) had a number of keeps (bases) which could be invaded by the baddies (opposing factions); these keeps being significant for exclusive PvE zones (Darkness Falls) would be available based on who had the greatest number of keeps under their control. As a result many of the DAOC guilds would adopt a keep and accept responsibility to keep it safe. This in itself did much for immersion. I am not quite sure, how to implement this in CoX. I could see for example, each of our PvP zones having a generic base, which could be occuppied by either a hero or villain group, basically they get to flag it. CoX could create a new zone, with cool stuff and great rewards, which can only be accessed by the side with the most PvP bases under their control (flagged). The zone remains closed to both, if they both has as many bases under control. This suggestion may help with immersion and perhaps boost PvP action some. I can see SG/VG get reputation based on how man bases they have under control and how long, also they can gain reputation for their members completing TFs as well.

Somehow I would like to see somekind of wandering monster, that if left alone or ignored gets increasingly powerful and in fact more disruptive on player activities; thus forcing the SG/VGs to want to do something, and gain some reputation as well as mentioned above. To be fair to the low leveled players, death by wandering monster does not result with penalties, just the inconvenient run from the hospital to the mission.

Hugs

Stormy

Thank you for attempting to derail the actual topic of the thread. I won't comment on whether I agree/disagree with your suggestions, I will just say they belong in another thread.

One I idea I've thought of is changing the "personality" of your character. For instance, the popup dialog that appears at the start of a mission usually assumes you are either a heroic soul fighting crime altruistically, for blueside, or a cruel villain that likes to break things, for redside. Particularly a Brute, redside. You just seem to sound more like a Brute.

Anyway, in addition to letting you choose text that would make you seem more "Intellectual" or "Indifferent", just as an example, there could also be options for "Robot" or "Undead", or what have you. Combine that with your idea, and you could have sound effects that reflect your given character. So your Intellectual character would not make the brutish grunts when he leaps, and your Robot would make "clank" sounds when he walks. Definately different options for females, as well, perhaps "Dainty" on one end of the scale, and "Amazonian" on the other. A couple of kid options, maybe both male and female sounds for the Huge model, and so on.

A bit off topic, perhaps, or maybe just expanding your idea to be more than just sounds. It could even effect the way Contacts or even NPCs react to you. ("Whoa! Zombie Man, did your ear just fall off onto my foot? Could you pick that up, I don't think I want to touch it...")