Unlock Audio Reveal How to Ace Your Game Audio for an Alpha Launch

This article was written by Jon Ruse from Unlock Audio.

Alpha releases are a vital opportunity for developers to put their gameplay through its first big test, and no alpha gameplay is complete without sound design to draw players in and set high expectations for the full release.

Walk with me into the world of alpha-level game audio, drawing on examples from Unlock Audio team's explosive work for Studio369's open-world FPS mech battler 'MetalCore'!

            Prioritise Essential Sounds

Of highest importance are early player impressions. Does the gameplay meet their expectations of challenge or ease?

How immersed could they see themselves in the experience when the full game releases?

Baseline immersion is crucial even for an alpha release, and audio plays an ever important role in the player experience.

Essential sound design provides key sensory feedback where visual cues alone could be overlooked.

Consider the primary points of interaction throughout your demo. User interfaces are often unavoidable, so make them a top priority for even some simple sound design to start.

Then take stock of the core elements of the world inside the game, from environment to items and materials to key gameplay interactions, and determine how to first fill the awkward silence before getting overly detailed in your mix.

            Limit Your Variations

Once you've outlined the primary instances where sound would be sorely missed, it's time to assign selections from your library to fill in the gaps.

Here's where developers can take advantage of certain efficiencies and allow sounds to carry their weight where nuance is a nice-to-have rather than a must.

The gunplay of 'MetalCore' is a great example with its massive variety of weapons to choose from, both manual and mechanised.

Addressing every variation of pistol, rifle, or cannon is a lot of unneeded stress and would likely require more widespread adjustment as developers work through playtester feedback prior to beta or full release.

            Pursue Personality Over Polish

Where early effort counts most is in elements that lend originality to the game. When prioritising your alpha audio mix, pay special attention to the features that could benefit from extra creativity or ingenuity to instill that special something that grabs playtesters' intrigue.

For example, 'MetalCore' features many weapons that are standard to first person shooters, but it would be strange to reinvent the sound of something already so familiar.

A rifle should sound like a rifle, and there are plenty of sound libraries to draw upon for quick treatment. Unfamiliar elements are our biggest opportunity to be inventive with the original nature of any game.

            Keep Your DAWs Primed

Player feedback will precipitate a range of creative changes, so be ready to fire up your DAW and dive back into your samples and stems for the final sprint to the full release.

Once your initial concepts are validated, this is when variation will come into major play as well as any extra production tonaturalise any abrupt sounds with reverberation and more organic fades.

After you've sufficiently filled the sonic void and honed in on elements that help your alpha release stand apart, then you can consider your initial challenge aced!

"The pursuit of ultimate sound design perfection picks up when your alpha concludes."

http://www.unlockaudio.com