Multiplayer Dev Diary #9 — Music and sound design
Hello raiders!
Welcome to our latest dev diary dedicated to our multiplayer project. Today, we’re excited to give you an insight into a crucial aspect of our production that we haven’t covered yet: music and sound design. The first question is: What kind of music and sounds do we need to create for the game we’re working on? We studied the sound design and soundtracks of major space combat games to build a solid reference base, just as we do with other aspects of our projects, to understand how we can develop something unique that aligns with our vision of space combat games. As we studied them, we realized that to best capture the adrenaline-fueled soul of our fast-paced multiplayer game, we needed to complement the more “space,” minimalist sound approach with elements from classic multiplayer FPS games. We started with the sounds of weapons, collisions, and impacts. We aimed for dirty, less clean sounds to convey our Mad Max-inspired aesthetic within the context of a space battle. We took inspiration from mechanical sounds like the clinks of magazines and the cranks of gatling guns. These gritty, scratchy sounds align perfectly with our post-apocalyptic, rough battlefield aesthetic, featuring ships made from makeshift parts. After creating the sound effects and music with Reaper, we integrate them into Unreal using the MetaSounds system.
We then mixed those rougher sounds with the sounds of the ship, like the engines. The engine sound effects were particularly challenging because, on one hand, they are one of the most satisfying things to hear, it’s like they’re telling the player, “hey, look how powerful your ship is!”, but on the other hand, they have to be unobtrusive. We built a sound that could be satisfying but not boring, and after a while, it would naturally fade into the background without being distracting.
Additionally, we’re fine-tuning the various UI sounds, ensuring they blend seamlessly into the game flow with subtle variations to prevent player fatigue. We’re also putting significant effort into ambient sounds and their spatialization. The theme of planetary flight requires various sound elements (like water!) that need to be integrated into the soundscape.
Our sci-fi projects also have a mystical, mysterious layer. To incorporate this, we decided to infuse the music with tribal sounds, blending Mad Max atmospheres with those of Dune’s deserts. In a multiplayer project, the music must be well-balanced so as not to distract players, and we’re diligently working on that too.
That’s all for today. We look forward to sharing more with you in the next dev diary!
Keep in mind that you can follow our articles directly on X from our official page https://x.com/HauntedSpace_/status/1825113995025465855
Farewell, raiders!