This is the third and probably final blog regarding the topic started a little while ago, please be sure to check those out if you haven’t seen them yet. Thanks!
Let’s refer to this breakdown image again…
In the last blog post we talked a little bit about how pairing 2 parts of the soundscape, or focusing on them can become effective tools for various types of storytelling. But we did not touch on what the “?” in the middle, or the utilization of all three parts is good for.
At one point I think I put “magic” in that space, but that is actually kind of the opposite of what the result of this space represents. In most cases if there is a moment that has sound design, music, and voice over playing at the same time it can be a bit overwhelming, or worse for a player, confusing. Now I’m not saying it can’t be done. Particularly in a linear piece there can be a masterful orchestration of all three that works well, but in my experience that is extremely rare.
To find a parallel in film, event in the most intense Marvel action sequence, if you take this image and track what is being utilized moment to moment you will likely find a mix of all three is almost never used. The mix is usually altered fairly dynamically to avoid just that.
So how do we achieve the same kind of dynamism to best utilize a game’s soundscape as effectively as possible with so much chaos and possibility moment to moment. The truth is there are a number of approaches to take, but that is a topic we can crack into another time.