Just HOW important are sounds?

[SantaFebuff]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55er3D1U_I

Yes, I know that's a promotion, but look at all attention to sound. It really reminds you just how important sounds are. Especially true for railroad simulators. They really do pull it all together!

Cheers,
Joshua

 

[Euphod]

I've always maintained that a correct soundscape is required for enhanced game immersion.

 

[simulatortrain]

My WM West Sub project is going to have a lot of natural sounds from the environment, not because you would really hear them from the train but when you're watching it.

 

[Fender849]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55er3D1U_I

Yes, I know that's a promotion, but look at all attention to sound. It really reminds you just how important sounds are. Especially true for railroad simulators. They really do pull it all together!

Cheers,
Joshua

Sounds are ULTRA important and IMHO far more important than "Multiplayer" or "Sattelite view" as introduced in TS2012.
Cheers, Fender

 

[JCitron]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G55er3D1U_I

Yes, I know that's a promotion, but look at all attention to sound. It really reminds you just how important sounds are. Especially true for railroad simulators. They really do pull it all together!

Cheers,
Joshua

I agree the sound can make a big difference in how the good the experience is. With a simulated environment, there is so much real tactile physical disconnect from what is being represented, therefore the sound effects fill in the gaps. In the digital musical instrument world, this is a big problem. The digital pianos and harpsichords may sound very real, but they feel like you're pressing rubber buttons because the sound is distant from the instrument. It can be likened to listening to a CD of the instrument rather than playing it yourself.

Now having said that, the same is with the simulations. Hearing the motor vibrate, and perhaps even feeling it using force feedback, can make the difference between watching a movie and experience the almost-real deal.

There is a problem though. The only companies that can afford the big budgets needed for sound effects work don't have any rail simulators, if they did, they cut back on the sound effects in some way. EA has their RW, but is the sound any good in that one? Microsoft had the money to spend on theirs, but Kuju didn't really do a great job at their sound effects either, and finally N3V has gotten better, but their sound effects aren't super spectacular by any long shot either. And as we know, N3V doesn't have the budget that either of the former companies have to spend on a good sound in a rail simulation.

Now there's another clincher. In the Trainz world, the content isn't developed by the company, and is done by all third-party developers who either work on their content for free, or for only a small cost per model. As we know, very few of these folks are going to have million-dollar budgets for a huge professional sound system, and the staff needed to run the equipment and create the effects for the models.

So, we're stuck with mediocre sounds for now in our hobby.

John

 

[nimec]

Just How important are sounds

Sounds give the game its semblence of reality. however there are two sound theatres. The first is as the spectator or external observer of a train i.e following or going past, as in camera 2 or 3 and the second is as the driver in Camera 1. Some of the creators have done a magnificant job with sounds, others so -so. As a steam engine fan I look for the 'chuffs' firstly to see that they are loud enough, especially when the loco is working hard and then that they match [or are close to] the wheel revolutions i.e. that there are four beats [chuffs] to each revolution of the wheel. The S & C 9f's are quite good. If all is Ok then it gives the route/game some authenticity. It doesn't have to be perfect but many ex- railway men like to see it close to authenticity. Camera 2 rail clicks and envoronmential sounds are very good in some routes but is that the reason why we do this, or is it to capture the realism of the railway? Some locos in some games are so good I can just about smell the oil and steam smells of yesteryear.
Cheers

 

[Deano5]

Sounds are without a doubt the most important part of any sim, you cannot get deeply immersed in your session without them. The feel of the bass speaker on the floor creating the rumble and deep engine sounds, just perfect.
Although it has been a long time since I used Trainz04, I think that version had the best quality of sound. From 06 onwards it all went down hill and has never managed to get back up since.

 

[ex-railwayman]

It doesn't have to be perfect but many ex- railway men like to see it close to authenticity.
Cheers

Did someone call, oh sorry, I see what you mean......:hehe:

Of course we like the sounds, it's what makes this game so brilliant. Listening to the rail joints, hornsounds, engines, station announcements, warehouse activity, birds singing, et al, and not only that but other sounds also, school playgrounds, people laughing, dogs barking, fireworks booming, circus noises, typists in their offices, dotmatrix printers, electric shavers, telephones, showers, lawnmowers, the DLS is an absolute smorgasbord of variety due to the efforts of so many creators and we thank them wholeheartedly for it.

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[mezzoprezzo]

~snip~

So, we're stuck with mediocre sounds for now in our hobby.

John

I can’t agree that the Trainz in game sounds are mediocre.

I reckon they’re pretty good, although a reasonable set of speakers will make a big difference.

I still remember the first time I found out that you could download sound assets. I originally thought that objects purely consisted of tree, buildings, rolling stock etc – things you could see rather than hear, and you only got sound if the creator had added them to the asset.

Since that day my route has gradually filled with station, city and traffic sounds and the countryside is now populated with some excellent dawn to dusk bird sounds and night-time insect noises. Seaside shorelines also have the noise of breaking waves, seagulls etc.

All of these provide a huge increase in the illusion of reality when placed in the correct location. Moving from city to countryside is a great experience. In addition, the Trainz software takes care of the sound placement, so my surround system always places the sound so that it plays from the correct angle wherever in the 360deg area it should be.

Like all assets, some can be better than others, but even a poor quality one is better than none.

Huge thanks to the original software designers and asset creators for making the sim such a joy to use.

Cheers
Casper

 

[Dep]

I guess that depends on what sounds people are talking about. Loco/train sounds should be very realistic in this day and age. If Lionel and other toy train makers can incorporate REAL loco sounds into their train locos (and they DO), it should not be a problem to do the same thing on a computer-generated loco.
As to other sounds...they are okay as long as they don't distract from the train sounds. I don't want to hear bees buzzing and birds chirping when I should be hearing a steam engine laboring under a heavy load.:hehe: