"What's Next for the Next Next Gen?"

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  • 7/29/2019 "What's Next for the Next Next Gen?"

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    jesse harlin// aural fixation

    www.gdmag.com 51

    Whats Next for theNext NextGeN?A survey of Audio's new frontiers

    fIx It IN the MIx

    At the start of the next generation, sound designers are finally in a place

    where the battle in AAA development for detail and variation is a waning

    concern. Complex instance culling and stream management systems are

    already a must, and will only continue to become more of a fundamental

    need. Sound designers can expect the usual fidelity increases to both asset

    bit and sample rates and, subsequently, the usual increased impact on both

    memory and disc footprints.But thats the small stuff. The next generation of game sound is going to

    be about maturity. Weve shown how big the worlds we can create can be.

    Now we need to show how well we can get them to sound.

    As such, the new frontier of sound design is mixing and mature

    implementation. The days are gone where its acceptable to simply have

    static master levels for sound and music that are occasionally ducked by

    voice. Nuanced mixes and intelligent systemic mixing systems are the next

    big focus. As we gain the ability to add more real-time convolution reverbs

    and more detailed surround ambiences, were going to need the ability to

    deftly sculpt frequency space and create situational mixes that change

    depending on player feedback and myriad shifting game states.

    CLoUD CoNtroL

    Game music only continues to get more sophisticated and more complex,both compositionally and technically. Wwise and FMODs considerable

    acceptance across the industry has given game composers an advantage

    that was sorely missing for years: standardized tools. When the gig can be

    about composing interactive musicas opposed to building technology that

    facilitates composing interactive musiccomposers as a group can begin to

    focus on innovation rather than reinvention.

    The ubiquitous music loop was once the undisputed king of game

    scoring. King Loop, however, has become tiresome, and audio teams across

    the industry are now working with game music systems that focus on more

    variety. Interactive music scores are starting to be more about stitching

    non-looping material together, rather than wall-to-wall loops of repetitive

    music. This increase in variety is bringing with it an increase in the amount

    of music needed to cover a game.

    By the end of the next generation of gaming, conversations regardingdisc footprint will be a thing of the past. Cloud storage and cloud streaming

    of content will not only be the norm for digital distribution of game software,

    but also for game content. In-game radio stations, streamed level music

    for Facebook games, and even faction-specific multiplayer music no longer

    need to live on a physical disc or even on the end users machine. If game

    developers and publishers dont offer the technology themselves, expect to

    see a rise in streaming services akin to YouTube and SoundCloud that can

    be used to propogate in-game musical content.

    Vox PoPULUs

    In-game text is an endangered species. Weve reached a point as an

    industry where even a gigantic MMO like Star WarS: the Old republicis

    fully voiced. As such, expectations from players are shifting. Increases in

    storage space mean that everything that can be voiced should be voiced.

    Additionally, players are coming to expect a wider range of localized

    languages within games. Including Chinese subtitles simply won't be

    enough anymore.

    As graphics and animation technology improves, game voice is going

    to be massively impacted by the further proliferation of facial motion

    capture. Our industry was once closely related to the animation world,

    in which VO actors ruled the day. We're now shifting into a camera- and

    physical performance-oriented field. More and more, game industry

    casting directors are looking for their actors to have previous motioncapture experience as well as a physical likeness that can be used

    in-game. The traditional role of voice over-only talent isnt going to go

    away. However, this influx of new film and TV-vetted actors, mixed with

    an increasing importance placed on cast records and actor involvement

    in script and character development, is already bringing a new level of

    nuanced drama to our games.

    After six years of writing for Aural Fixation, this column will be my last.

    Thanks to everyone whos taken the time to read and comment over the

    years. See you all in the trenches.

    j e s s e h a r L I N has been composing music for games since 1999. He is currently the

    staff composer for LucasArts. You can email him at [email protected].

    as both a CreatIVe aND teChNICaL DIsCIPLINe, INteraCtIVe aUDIo has made tremendous strides over the last console cycle.When I took over writing this column six years ago, most companies were still laboring to build proprietary audio engines. Handheldgaming was primarily in the control of first-party console manufacturers. Rich, interactive music was a cutting-edge feature rarely

    found in-game. iTunes video game marketplace, Kongregate.com, and Zynga didnt exist yet.Six years on, smartphones now dominate the handheld market, and games have a thriving independent developer community

    again. Proprietary audio engines have lost ground to Wwise and FMOD. Interactive music is now the rule rather than the exception,and the internet is now the frontier of game platform innovation.

    As we gear up for the next generation of consoles and the next burst of technical and creative advancement, its worth looking atwhat the next areas of focus should be for game audio.