Sound Design

[heck]

I notice in alot of games that the sounds are taken from generic sound source providers.  3 examples, and I'm sure there are more: Phantasy Star Online, Star Wars Galaxies, and World of Warcraft. 

I hear the same exact sound effects from these games on tv commercials and radio spots.  This even happens with music.  WoW's Gnome intro story features the same music from Farenheit 911, which leads me to deduct that both Moore and WoW's designers got their music from the same generic source.  (generic source, meaning a company or person that sells sounds and/or music for a subscription or flat rate.)

My question is, why would major games such as WoW take the cheap and unoriginal route with their sound design?  And you can tell me that games take the cheap and unoriginal route with everythiing, but I'm speaking in relative terms.  To me it seems that the sound and music should be as important as the rest of the game; even if it's derivative it should be unique to that game.

My beef here is that I'm a sound designer and musician who'd jump at the chance to do an original score and sound fx catalog for a game.  And at the very least I'd like to not hear sound fx from the games that I play on tv and on the radio, reminding me that when I open my inventory slot, I'm hearing "cloth rub #19" from a cd catalog.

Maybe this is an unrealistic expectation, but it's certainly a pet peeve of mine.

[stray]

My beef here is that I'm a sound designer and musician who'd jump at the chance to do an original score and sound fx catalog for a game.

Ditto.

I don't know the story behind the games you pointed out, but as far as the web and multimedia realm goes, many people are generally inclined to use royalty free music and samples. Mainly because of cost, but also because they simply do not value and appreciate audio and music as much as they should. I can imagine that it's the same deal with a lot of game designers.

[Stormwaltz]

Well, it's like this.

Licensing a generic piece of music - cheap, one-time cost. Ditto for sound effects - just buy a bunch of commercial CDs and sample.

Hiring a sound designer - expensive salaried position.

Turbine couldn't afford a sound designer until midway through AC2. Whereas BioWare has three full-time sound designers working on Mass Effect right now, plus a contracted composer for the score. EDIT: But that's a value judgement. A lot of people don't see sound and score as important - just like a lot of people don't see quality writing as important. So when it comes to budgeting, a lot of people would rather hire another programmer and buy a pack of CDs than hire a sound designer. Just as a lot of people would rather hire another programmer and get a lead or producer to write instead of hiring a writer.

[Sky]

Seeing a bear on tv makes me cringe. Is there only a single bear roar? Aside from true nature shows, it's the same goddamned roar. If a bear roars in the woods and there's nobody to hear, is it a shitty stock loop?

A lot of people seem to find a lot of important things unimportant, according to SW. I think a lot of people should be fired.

And hire more AI guys.

[HaemishM]

My question is, why would major games such as WoW take the cheap and unoriginal route with their sound design? 

Because it's cheap, making the money hats bigger when the game is a success.

Sound design is, at most shops and especially in MMOG's, the LAST thing anyone wants to spend money on. And having done Flash presentation pieces, where cost is an issue, NO ONE wants to hire a studio musician to come up with something. They want cheap, stock background music that fits the presentation's mood, even the clients who will agonize over the minute kerning in a logo.

For most people, the music is just meant to be "there." MMOG's this is triply true.

[Roac]

In MMOGs, most people get tired of the music after the first few weeks (if not sooner), and simply turn it off.  It's very difficult to come up with enough (and enough of good quality) music to not become annoying after the first thousand hours of gameplay.

[Shockeye]

[And having done Flash presentation pieces, where cost is an issue, NO ONE wants to hire a studio musician to come up with something. They want cheap, stock background music that fits the presentation's mood, even the clients who will agonize over the minute kerning in a logo.

You have your own personal level of hell, don't you?

[HaemishM]

Yes, it's filled to the brim with PowerPoint Presentations on autorunning CD's.

[Murgos]

Yes, it's filled to the brim with PowerPoint Presentations on autorunning CD's.

And apparently, kerning.

edit:  D o e s   t h i s   b o t h e r  Y o u ? : )

[Yegolev]

Yes, it's filled to the brim with PowerPoint Presentations on autorunning CD's.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom]
"AutoRun"=dword:00000000

[Sairon]

I think music is highly underestimated. I recall the music in WoW being good but I don't remember any of it, probably because as you said it's all generic stuff I've heard elsewhere. Now take AO for example, the music in that game was clearly made by some music dude at Funcom. When I recently got back to AO for another bite I instantly got the goosebumps when I heard the music. AO is one of the few MMORPGs which leave the in game music on from time to time. Good well placed music can really highten the experience many times over. Entering the lair of some large raid boss and hearing some good pumping up music makes all the diffrence.

[schild]

I took a keen liking to the login screen music in SW:G. That wasn't by choice though. I still find myself humming it when I wait in lines at banks and supermarkets and such.

[El Gallo]

AC1 had the best interface sounds.  I still remember that satisfying "pling" when you increased a skill.  Though the Olthoi death screech still haunts my dreams these many years later.

[Furiously]

http://loresdelsith.unicyber.org/trp7/vid_varios/Wilhelm!.mov

and

http://www.filmsound.org/cliche/

Never enjoy cinema again.

[Kenrick]

Though the Olthoi death screech still haunts my dreams these many years later.

Thankfully I've blocked that one from my memory.

Olthoi... /cry