Level Up.pdf

Sounds Like a Game to Me 401
• Weapons. Guns bang, swords clang, and laser blasters “ pew pew! ”
The bigger the weapon, the bigger the sound effect. Your weapons can
also sound as unique as they look: for example, Star Wars’ iconic hum
of a lightsaber.
• Hit reactions. “ Oomph!s ” , “ Ow!s ” , and “ Aarrgh!s ” may sound funny
while you are recording them, but they are some of the most important
sounds in the game. Whenever the player gets hit, they need to know it!
• Vocal cues. Need to communicate to the player? Use your character.
Having your hero say “ What ’ s this? ” when they spot treasure or “ That ’ s
better! ” after being healed will not only let the player know what ’ s been
accomplished or is possible but it ’ s a chance to add some character
to your character. Don ’ t forget effort
cues, such as grunts of exertion when
pushing moveable blocks and pulling
stubborn levers.
• Death. Nothing says “ you ’ re dead ” , better
than a good blood - curdling scream. Make
sure you account for all the horrible ways to
go, from a groan when getting slain to the
gurgle of death by drowning to a long
scream when plummeting off a cliff.
• Success. Use both “ musical ” and vocal
sound effects to indicate success to your
player. Play a “ sting ” to let players know
they ’ re a winner and don ’ t forget to have
your character celebrate vocally with a
“ woo - hoo! ” or “ yeah! ”
For temporary sound effects, I suggest buying CD libraries from sound ­
effect providers like Sound Ideas or Hollywood Edge. Their libraries have
sounds for things you can ’ t even believe anyone would ever need: cougars
sneezing or the hum of a nuclear reactor. They even have sound effects
from some of the most popular Hollywood movies and TV shows. Even if
you don ’ t have a dedicated sound effects designer on staff, they are useful
tools to have around the studio. Be prepared to spend many hours trying to
fi nd “ the right ” sound effect.
You can also find many sound effects online for free (though of course
always check for copyright and so on — better to be sure than on the end of
a zillion dollar lawsuit later). However, even with all of these great resources
online, sometimes you just can ’ t find the effect you need. This is why I turn
to sound editing tools like Sound Forge or Vegas. With these programs I can
quickly and easily mix together two or more sounds to get an idea across to
my sound effects designer.