Simon Ashby Founder & Product Director Audiokinetic

1. Guy Concordia Interactive Audio for Video Game Simon Ashby Founder & Product Director Audiokinetic

2. Presentation Agenda • General overview of the game development • Audio Lead profile • Interactivity, artistic and technology : A balance story • Authoring example using Wwise

3. Game Development Overview • Development takes an average of 18 to 24 months • Development team is around 50 to 150 persons • Next-gen. titles cost is around $10 to $20 millions

4. Key Persons and Positions • Producer • Like the Conductor of an orchestra • Creative Director, Game and Level Designers • The “holders of the vision” • In charge of the creative facets of the game • Define the rules of the game and the level design • Modelers and Animators • Create the environments and animate the characters • Programmers • Write and implement the game assets and mechanisms

5. Audio Department Disciplines • Audio Director • Manages all projects and audio resources • Responsible of schedules and budgets • Oversees production • Administrates tasks such as licensing music and outsourcing • Audio Lead • The point person for an individual project • Ultimate understanding of a project content needs

6. Audio Department Disciplines • Sound Integrator • The person responsible to integrate the music and SFX • Sound Engineer • Recording, mixing and mastering • Composer and Sound Designer • They write music and create SFX • Often subcontracted

7. Audio Lead - Work Station

8. The Audio Lead is the “artistic-manager” of the creation process and the audio assets integration. Audio Lead Profile • Artistic: • Design the artistic direction according to the game design intentions • Overseeing Sound Designers and Composers Work • In-game tweaking and mix

9. The Audio Lead is the “artistic-manager” of the creation process and the audio assets integration. Audio Lead Profile • Manager: • Planning and production follow-up • Tools creation, pipeline and workflow definition • Design audio according to the technological constraints • Integration manager • Profiler and debugger • Performance keeper

10. Audio Lead Profile • Playing games (at least once in a while…) • Knowing the basis of computer science • Solid background of traditional audio • Music language • Recording and mixing • MIDI, audio synthesis, sound design techniques, etc. • Acoustics and physics • Most of the rules from the film applies to video game

11. Audio Lead Human Skills • Being able to deal with insecurity and the “it’s-not-decided-yet-but-it-should-someday” • Being able to work 6 days a week / 10 hours a day with the same teammates for 18 months • Excellent communicator. Evangelization is part of the job… every day!

12. Balance of Power Interactivity • Audio production vs. • Game intentions • Linear vs. Modular • Avoid repetition • Dynamic environments Artistic Technology • Tools • Platforms • Performance Constraints • Budget • Timeline • Resources

13. Interactivity “Interactivity” means “Modularity” • Film and Music - Linear • At 10:52:32:15, the plane explosion • At bar 67, the second chorus starts • Video Game - Modular • Event based • Generally, audio “reacts” to stimuli • Ex. The suspense movie error

14. Interactivity “Modularity” means: • Breaking up sounds in several parts and applying behaviors to them: • Guns • Real-time property modifications • Real-time parameter control • State changes

15. Random Offset Interactivity Avoid Repetition • Variation for most frequently heard sounds: • Audio Files • Audio Properties (volume, pitch, low pass filter, etc.) • Random offsets within a defined range • Envelopes • Oscillators • Music • Don’t write music with repetitive patterns • Silence is music’s best friend • Dynamic response to game events (Stingers)

16. Artistic Artistic Direction What serves as a vehicle for your artistic direction? • The game design intentions • The location in time and in space • The main character • The scenario • Etc. Myst IV – Splinter Cell

17. Artistic Mixing Your Game • Rules that applies to cinema applies to games • But mixing a game has special particularities: • Hard to reproduce all possible circumstances • Sounds properties: the art of compromise • The same sounds are used 1000s of times… • …but it is impossible to hear all voices in the game context. • Solutions: • Establish reference levels with engineer & post production • Premixing before integration

18. Technology Performances • You wanna sound like Peter Gabriel… • But you’ve got 10% of a P4 3GHz • And 20 megs of RAM (if you’re lucky)

19. Wrap up • Audio Knowledge • Human Skills • Technological Challenges • Long and Highly Involving Projects

20. References • Associations • G.A.N.G. www.audiogang.org • IA-SIG www.iasig.org • IGDA www.igda.org • News and Articles • Develop Magazine www.developmag.com • Music4Games www.music4games.net • Gamasutra www.gamasutra.com • Events • Game Dev. Conference www.gdconf.com

21. References David Sonnenschein Sound Design: The Expressive Power of Music, Voice and Sound Effects in Cinema • Paperback: 250 pages • Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions (November 2001) • Language: English • ISBN: 0941188264 Cinema: A must-read for crafting an artistic direction

22. References George Alistair SangerThe Fat Man on Game Audio: Tasty Morsels of Sonic Goodness • Paperback:528 pages • Publisher:New Riders Games (June 25, 2003) • Language:English • ISBN:1592730094 A goldmine of info. Because the guy as invented the job.

23. References Alexander BrandonAudio for Games: Planning, Process, and Production • Paperback: 240 pages • Publisher: New Riders Games (October 7, 2004) • Language: English • ISBN: 0735714134 To understand further the audio production process

24. References Aaron MarksComplete Guide to Game Audio • Paperback: 240 pages • Publisher: CMP BOOKS(September 1, 2001) • Language: English • ISBN: 1578200830 Mainly oriented for composers.