More on the sound design for Guild Wars 2

by Eliot Lefebvre on Aug 3rd 2011 6:30PM

Fantasy, Video, Previews, News items, Guild Wars 2, Free-to-play

Yesterday, the Guild Wars 2 sound team got to have a day in the limelight with a video detailing the process of making the sounds that go into the game. Today, the team is back in the spotlight, showcasing an equally-important but slightly different aspect of the audio game. This time, the video isn't showing off getting the sounds just right, it's showcasing getting the sounds to work correctly in the game world, rather than just playing a footstep effect every few moments.

As demonstrated in the video, the team uses a complex dynamic layering system in which several different sounds can have varying levels of volume, frequency, and focus -- as demonstrated by a windmill, which has ten different sounds playing at intervals to create the illusion of wood and cloth slowly turning. Guild Wars 2 players might not find any tips about the gameplay just past the cut, but they will find a video that further explains how you make just the right kinds of noise in the game.

Tags: anet, arena-net, arenanet, audio, behind-the-scenes, design, guild-wars-2, gw2, ncsoft, sound, sound-design, sound-effects, video

Reader Comments (12)

Inb4 Darkmoone shouts "VAPORWARE" 400 times!

@Faction 3

...or JohnLane tries to type "something". :(

@Faction 3 See, I was pretty sure that gameplay demos and design featurettes pretty much constituted the opposite of vaporware.

From my perspective, GW2 seems quite close to beta/release. Once the 8th profession* is revealed, what else is there? 3-6 months and we'll probably see the announcement.

*pleasebemesmerpleasebemesmerpleasebemesmerpleasebemesmerpleasebemesmerpleasebemesmerpleasebemesmer

Good stuff!

But what's with their fascination with banjo music all of a sudden?

@Lenn Maybe that was the new Sylvari concept they were working on?

ArenaNet is teasing me with news that I don't know if I wanna care. I still wanna care cuz it is GW2 related, but yeah.... this is not an update.....

@Tyrang

Patience, friend. Videos such as this one are not 'updates', you're correct there. They are nevertheless informative and enjoyable, and they give a peek into the minds and work of the people behind it all.

Enjoyed the 2 audio team videos :)

Was suprised to see 10diff sounds for just a windmill, and the fact that depending on clothing and weps you wont make the same generic sounds :)

There are putting alot into small details that really will shine through.

Awesome. =) Patiently waiting.

Hmm, wish they'd give a hint of a release date. I have SWTOR preordered right now because I want to play something new but if GW2 is going to come out a couple months later, I'll gladly wait. We should know more before SWTOR right? Right?

@chum There is going to be a flood of new info for GW2 in just a couple short weeks. Gamescom (which starts the 17th). Stay tuned. However, you are going to have to wait a while before they give a release date. Unlike SWTOR, they are actually taking their time so they can make an excellent game. They have said that closed beta will start before the year is over then from there they will know when to release a release date.