Reflection

Week 1:

 This week went really well as I wrapped up the last project and moved onto this project, Bob The Blob. I received the brief this week and I was very excited because I had the chance to play around with sound and finally understand sound design. I completed a Games Jam that involved me creating a musical instrument in Construct using pre-recorded audio, this went better than I expected because I was able to confidently and independently import and call audio when it was needed. Also, I learnt a lot of theory around Foley sound design, this was really interesting because I have always wondered how sound effects are made for films and games, I hope to use the Foley method when it comes to creating the audio for Bob The Blob because I have a great understanding of what it is and how I can utilise it to create organic audio. I did encounter one problem when experimenting with different ways of adding audio to a game and that was when I was trying to add multiple buttons to mute different audio files, the buttons would not successfully call and mute the audio. But, I later solved this by adding a "Tag" to the files and applying the "Tags" to the buttons. Going forward, I must ensure that I continue to remember to add the "Tag" to the audio files and I must also ensure that I continue to experiment with different methods of efficiently utilising audio in Construct in preparation for the final task of adding audio to the Bob The Blob game.  

Week 2:

Week 2 of this Bob The Blob project involved a level of difficulty as I encountered a few issues when it came to figuring out how to program distanced audio that decreases and increases in volume based upon the players distance from an object. I overcame these issues in the programming stage by doing some research into how to properly program this in to Construct 3, I also carried experimentation into this area and this helped significantly. In the next projects, I will ensure to properly research and test a new mechanic or feature to ensure that the programming stage runs smoothly. Also, I recorded all of my audio for Bob The Blob this week, this was a fun and creative task and I really enjoyed experimenting with different objects and the sounds that they make. I then put these sound effects into the game and tested them out, after a few tweaks to the timing, volume and panning of the audio I was very pleased with the outcome to this project, considering this is the first time I have used the Foley design method and programmed audio into Construct 3.  Following on from last week, I used the "Tag" feature throughout my application of audio into the game, to ensure that the correct audio file was being called at the correct time.

Final Evaluation:

Over the whole of this Bob The Blob project, I have worked to the best of my ability ensuring that I meet a very high-standard. I really enjoyed working on this project as all of the learning regarding audio design, Foley sound design and programming audio into Construct has all been new information and I looked forward to applying this new knowledge into my practical work. 

In the analysis phase of this project I looked into the different sound design terms that are used and analysed three games, describing the audio choices. This was really helpful as I learnt a lot of new key terminology such as Contrapuntal and Diegetic, also I was able to refresh my memory on previously learned sound design terms following my GCSE Media course. I was then able to apply this built up knowledge of sound design terms to my write up and throughout the recording process of the project.

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 (2010)

• Parallel

• Fidelity

• Both Diegetic and Non-Diegetic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZW8rGO_y_A

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 uses a mix of both non-diegetic and diegetic audio and sound to create an upbeat, fun and entertaining tone and mood that switches during the gameplay experience based on the events in the various scenes. From 0:00 to 1:00 in the gameplay video we can hear a range of different sounds, the most notable piece or pieces of audio is from the non-diegetic audio of the Harry Potter theme song, this theme song increases in a crescendo as Hagrid is flying down in his motorcycle. This audio switches from a minor to major key in an accelerando to build up the curious mood and magical tone of the game. The audio is parallel to the events happening on screen as when Hagrid crashes and then stands up the mysterious and major key non-diegetic audio is then played signifying the weird and magical nature of the character. In addition to this, at 0:45 the non-diegetic audio switches back to a minor key conveying a sombre timbre that can be interpreted as a change in mood from a curious and magical one to a dark and sad mood, this is most likely due to the fact that Hagrid, Dumbledore and McGonagall are dropping Harry off at the muggle family house. At 0:53 however the non-diegetic soundtrack then changes again to form a crescendo in a major key, this is played when we see Harry's face for the first time, this may have been chosen because the magical mood is yet again present because obviously Harry is a legend in the wizarding world so the audio needs to reflect this and I believe that the parallel audio has done this perfectly. Throughout this one minute of gameplay the soundscape is made up of the diegetic sounds of footsteps, cats meowing, talking or in this case mumbling, crashing sounds, laughter etc. and the non-diegetic sound of the changing minor to major soundtrack. All of the soundscape is parallel and matches the fidelity of the gameplay. As we move into a pure gameplay scene at 1:07:10 to 1:08:30, the scene is more reliant on the non-diegetic audio as the pace and tone of this audio greatly affects the mood that is felt by the player. At the start of the scene the non-diegetic audio is of a minor key but is at an accelerando highlighting the tension in the scene and creates a timbre of rapidness and urgency. Diegetic sounds can also be heard within the soundscape that match the fidelity of the scene for example the rubber duck makes a squeaking noise, the dog is barking viciously and the characters all make walking noises and other interaction sounds. After the stinger of the non-diegetic audio is played and the harp has been built by the player the audio then swaps to a ritardando and diminuendo to signify that the dog has calmed down and it is now safe to walk past it. As the player drops immediately into the trap door, the non-diegetic audio then changes back to a sharp, minor key soundtrack which plays over the top of the diegetic parallel audio of the characters struggling. This soundscape matches the fidelity and mood of the scene very well and it makes the player feel as if they are in the scene and they are struggling with the characters as well. Overall, the game relies heavily on non-diegetic audio while also using an array of parallel diegetic audio cues that are triggered whenever a certain condition is met. In comparison to Dead Space, Lego Harry Potter uses a lot more non-diegetic audio and has a less horror tone than that of Dead Space. Just like Dead Space, Harry Potter uses a large amount of diegetic audio all of which matches the fidelity of the scenes perfectly. 

I think that by carrying out this analysis phase I was prepared to start making sound design choices of my own in the sound plan document and planning stage. I also compared the sound choices to each game to ensure that I could tell the difference between each game theme and to fully understand the use of the key terminology.

Following from the analysis phase I was able to then continue onto the planning phase of this project, where I looked at different methods of recording the appropriate organic audio for the Bob The Blob game. I created a detailed sound plan that highlighted the different sound effects that I needed, how I was going to record this sound effect and when would it be played in game. I also used key terminology throughout this document, stating whether I was choosing to stick with diegetic audio, parallel audio or non-diegetic audio. This sound plan document was very important in keeping track of all the audio effects that needed to be recorded for the game and ensured that I kept to the sounds that I had planned for. In the end, I checked the sound plan and marked off every sound effect to ensure I recorded each one. If I was to do this again, I would ensure that I always referred back to the sound plan and I will make sure to create a document like this whenever I need to record audio for any project in the future.

Moving on from the experimentation phase, this prepared me to move into the research phase where I researched into two different methods of programming distanced audio to a construct game. This distanced audio means that an audio effect increases in volume the closer the player gets to the audio emitter and as they move further away the volume decreases. Researching into two methods of achieving this was a good choice as I was able to compare the methods and apply knowledge from both sources, to program in this distanced volume. Researching into this area was a great choice as I really wanted to add immersion to the game, so I applied this method on multiple audio sources within the Bob The Blob game, such as the Cannons and the Water lakes. If I was to carry out this research again I would ensure that I include a third source just to allow me to have a wider choice of methods instead of sticking with just two, but I was very pleases with the outcome of the distanced effects in the final game. Carrying out experimentation was a very important and helpful task as I was able to work out any problems with the code and sound before I went on to uploading the audio into the final game.

Audio Adjustment - Distance Construct 3

After doing some research I came across two sources explaining how to program positioned, distanced audio into Construct 3. The first source was a Construct 3 forum page that explained “how to use the audio position parameters correctly in relation to an object distance from the listener point” (Construct 3, 2021).This went through the steps that were needed to be carried out in order to correctly use and program in positioned audio based upon the distance away from an audio source. The forum explained how I can add an emitter source to the layout and apply positioned audio functions to each source and apply different Inner and Outer angles as well as a Roll-off factor that ensures the audio decreases as the player moves away from the object. This research was very helpful in building up my knowledge on implementing distance variable audio to Bob The Blob. The next source I looked at was a demo in Construct 3 that featured a simple demonstration of the code needed to implement the distance effect to the game, “It makes a sound that changes its volume with distance” (How to construct demos, 2023). What I took away from the .c3p file was that you can implement a system that determines the position of the player and chooses the appropriate audio source. In this example it was a speaker. This can be achieved by using a global variable that records the position of the player and then compares the audio sources to allow it to pick the closest object, at which point the audio will play. As the player moves closer the audio volume will increase, this is achieved by using a secondary audio file at a higher volume. I have decided to use the second research source as I believe that this practical demonstration will help me effectively implement this feature better than the vague explanation on the Construct forum. An example of the implemented audio adjustments will be available in the experimentation tab.

Bibliography

Construct 3 Forum. (2021) [SOLVED] DECREASE SOUND RELATIVELY TO OBJECT POSITION [Website]. Available from: https://www.construct.net/en/forum/construct-3/how-do-i-8/solved-decrease-sound-169933 [Accessed 6 December 2023].

How to construct demos. (2023) Changing Sound Volume With Distance C2/C3 [Website][Construct 3 File]. Available from: https://howtoconstructdemos.com/changing-sound-volume-with-distance-capx/ [Accessed 6 December 2023].

Overall, I am very pleased with how the final audio in the Bob The Blob game turned out and I am sure it reflects the amount of effort that I put into recording organic, parallel, diegetic audio and the overall effort that I put into all of the stages throughout this project. If I was to redo this project I would use professional recording equipment to ensure the highest possible audio quality for the sound effects to further enhance the gameplay experience. Furthermore, going forward I will be sure to use all of this knowledge and apply it where possible in future projects and beyond that.