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Informant Diegesis in Videogames Informant Diegesis in Videogames Bjørn Jacobsen ­ Informant Diegesis in Videogames ­ 2016 ­ Aarhus University. Page 1 of 112 Bjørn Jacobsen ­ Informant Diegesis in Videogames ­ 2016 ­ Aarhus University. Page 2 of 112 Bjørn Jacobsen Aarhus University Student Number: 20112217 Master Thesis Stud.Cand.It. Audio Design Hand­in February 1st 2016 Supervisor: Morten Breinbjerg Informant Diegesis in Videogames Bjørn Jacobsen ­ Informant Diegesis in Videogames ­ 2016 ­ Aarhus University. Page 3 of 112 Informant Diegesis in Videogames by Bjørn Jacobsen ​ © Bjørn Jacobsen ​ Tryk: Eurographic A/S ​ 1. Udgave 2016 Printed in Denmark Udgivet på: http://gopubli.sh Thesis formalia: Is set with Arial, font size 12 and contains 112 numbered pages. With 183428 Characters including spaces and 31736 words; which is equal to 76.42 ​ ​ normal pages at 2400 characters each as stated by the Studieordning, Audio Design, Aarhus University The thesis contains 46 illustrations and 12 screenshots or images. All illustrations and screenshots are done by myself, the images are from various online sources. Front cover spectrograms is of a creaky floorboard at my house on the front and a microwave recording at 192kHz sample rate on the back, screenshot from iZotope RX4. Thesis supervisor is Morten Breinbjerg. Author contact: www.cujo.dk / www.gameaudio.dk / www.whitenoisetrash.com ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Bjørn Jacobsen email: [email protected] ​ Phone contact: (+45) 30 137 909 Student number at Aarhus University: 20112217 This thesis will be available for download on my website for as long as possible: http://www.cujo.dk/thesis/InformantDiegesis.pdf Videogame is in one word, because: http://www.wired.com/2007/11/on­videogame­ve/ and https://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged­in/video­game­videogame­spellchecking­ga ming­great­debate­26.html Bjørn Jacobsen ­ Informant Diegesis in Videogames ­ 2016 ­ Aarhus University. Page 4 of 112 Table of contents Foreword ……………………………………………………………………….……….…..p.7 ​ 1.0 Abstract ……………………………………………………………………..…….……p.8 ​ 1.1 Method ………………………………………………………………………....…..p.9 ​ 1.2 The reader …………………………………………..………………………….…p.10 2.0 Game Audio History and explanation of the subject within …………………..p.11 ​ 2.1 History ………………………………………………………..…………………...p.11 ​ 2.3 What is an audio designer in videogame development …………………...p.14 2.2 What is Informant Diegesis ………………….………………….……………..p.14 ​ 2.4 Why is informant diegesis needed by audio designers ……………….......p.16 3.0 Communication models ………………….………………….……………………...p.17 ​ 3.01 Allocution ………………….………………….………………….……………...p.17 ​ 3.02 Conversation ………………….………………….………………….………….p.18 ​ 3.03 Consultation ………………….………………….……………………………...p.18 ​ 3.04 Registration ……………………………………………………………………..p.19 ​ 3.1 Using the models in combination ………………….………………………....p.19 ​ 3.2 The Constant Conversation ………………….………………………………..p.21 ​ 3.3 Game Communication model and The Constant Conversation ………....p.23 ​ 3.4 Conclusion of the communication models ………………………………….p.23 ​ 4.0 Informant diegesis, leitmotif and earcons in game design …………………....p.24 ​ 4.1 Games is a giant earcon ………………….………………….………………....p.25 ​ 4.2 Leitmotif as informant ………………….………………….…………………....p.28 ​ 4.3 Examples of earcons, leitmotifs and informant diegesis ……………….....p.31 ​ 4.31 Diablo II ………………….………………….………………….…………….…..p.31 ​ 4.32 Uncharted series ………………….………………….………………………...p.33 ​ 4.33 Bioshock ………………….………………….………………….……………....p.34 ​ 4.4 Conclusion on earcons and leitmotif in games …………………………….p.36 ​ 5.0 Mickey Mousing, isomorphic music, In videogames ……………………….…..p.37 ​ 5.1 Conclusion of Mickey Mousing ………………….…………………………….p.40 ​ 6.0 Informant Diegesis ………………….………………….…………………………….p.41 ​ 6.1 An informant diegetic sound ………………….………………….……………p.42 ​ 6.2 The Model ………………….………………….………………….……………….p.43 ​ 6.3 Examples ………………….………………….………………….………………..p.45 ​ 6.31 Example one ………………….………………….……………………………...p,45 ​ 6.32 Example two ………………….………………….……………………………...p,45 ​ 6.33 Example Three ………………….………………….…………………………...p.46 ​ 6.34 Example Four ………………….………………….…………………………….p.46 ​ 6.4 The different types of informants ………………….………………………….p.47 ​ 6.5 Conclusion of the model ………………….…………………………………....p.49 ​ 7.0 Informant examples and games with audio informants …………………….....p.49 ​ 7.01 Fallout 3 and 4 ………………….………………….…………………………...p.50 ​ 7.02 Myst, several version ………………….………………….…………………...p.52 ​ 7.03 League of Legends ………………….………………….……………………...p.52 ​ 7.1 Conclusion of the games ………………….………………….………………..p.55 ​ 8.0 Technical setups for informant diegesis ………………….……………………..p,55 ​ 8.1 The constant conversation ­ in action ………………….…………………....p.56 ​ Bjørn Jacobsen ­ Informant Diegesis in Videogames ­ 2016 ­ Aarhus University. Page 5 of 112 8.2 Game and Sound Engines ………………….………………….…….………....p.57 ​ 8.21 What is an engine? ………………….………………….…………….…….…..p.57 ​ 8.22 How does it work? ………………….………………….……………………….p.58 ​ 8.23 How can it be triggered? ………………….………………….………………..p.59 ​ 8.3 Sound engine playback of informant diegetic sounds ………………….....p.60 ​ 8.31 Single sample feedback ………………….………………….………………...p.60 ​ 8.32 Parameter Variable Feedback ………………….……………………………..p.60 8.33 Switchable feedback ………………….………………….………………….....p.61 ​ 8.34 Granular feedback ………………….………………….……………………….p.66 ​ 8.35 Combination feedback ………………….………………….………………….p.68 ​ 8.4 Glacier 2 Engine and Wwise ………………….………………….…………….p.70 ​ 8.5 Musical controllers for creating informant music …………………….…....p.76 ​ 8.6 Explaining other games ………………….………………….……………...….p.79 ​ 8.61 L.A. Noire. Piano notes as feedback ………………….…………………….p.79 ​ 8.62 The last of us, Amount of NPC visibility ………………….………………..p.81 ​ 8.63 Manhunt ………………….………………….………………….…………...…..p.83 ​ 8.7 Conclusion of the technicalities ………………….…………………………...p.83 ​ 9.0 Informant Diegesis Features in my own games …………………………..….....p.84 ​ 9.1 EVE Online ………………….………………….…………………………….......p.84 ​ 9.11 Problems with EVE online ………………….………………….………....…..p.85 ​ 9.12 Problem Solving audio with EVE Online ………………….…………….….p,86 ​ 9.2 EVE Valkyrie ………………….………………….………………………..……..p.88 ​ 9.3 Hitman ………………….………………….………………….…………...……...p.89 ​ 9.4 Conclusion of my own games ………………….………………………….…..p.91 ​ 10.0 Real World Audio Informants ………………….………………….……………...p.92 ​ 10.1 Crossing the street ………………….………………….……………………...p.92 ​ 10.2 Pilots and Airplanes ………………….………………….…………………….p.93 ​ 10.3 Hollow walls ………………….………………….……………………………...p.94 ​ 10.4 Papa Sangre. A real world directional audio game example …………....p.94 ​ 10.4 Conclusion of the Real World Audio Informants ………………………....p.96 ​ 11.0 Informant diegesis in video games conclusion ………………….……...….....p.97 ​ 11.1 Critique of the conclusion ………………….………………………………...p.97 12.0 Perspectives ………………….………………….………………….………………p.98 ​ 12.1 Critique of the perspectives ………………….……………………………....p.98 ​ 12.2 final notes ………………….………………….………………………………...p.99 13.0 Acknowledgement ………………….………………….…………………………..p.99 ​ 14.0 Bibliography ………………….………………….……………………………...….p.100 ​ 15.0 Appendix for images and figures ………………….…………………………....p.101 ​ ​ 16.0 Appendix for Discussions ………………….………………….…………………p.102 ​ Bjørn Jacobsen ­ Informant Diegesis in Videogames ­ 2016 ­ Aarhus University. Page 6 of 112 Foreword As a professional sound designer I have often experienced the divide between the theories of sound design in audio visual media and the actual creative process involved in creating an interactive soundscape. Sure there is a difference in the actual craftsmanship of creating sounds and mixing sound and music in any medium is different, but the theories also, and then again maybe not so much? I often read about sound design, or game design for that matter, and a minor gap appears between what works in the practical world and how the creativity flows. How theories and opinions can seem to have a very strict way of seeing things. With this thesis I intend to explain some of the differences in audio visual media, especially with focus on sound in videogames and how they function differently from other media, but also their similarities. The role of the sound designer can seem identical to that of motion picture and that of a videogame sound designer, but they are very different and yet so alike. Through my years as a professional sound designer I have used a lot of theoretical knowledge to fuel my creative skills and work, but have also experienced that sometimes theories just doesn’t work in real life and a so­called hack is needed, bending the theories so that the product, in the end, sounds perfect. Which is the goal of any product, theoretically correct or not. Since the dawn of videogames and videogame sound in particular, a constant process was started to achieve, not only the best sound, but the most efficient sound or at least the most efficient and economic way of dealing with sound, that too goes for motion picture. Tools have been developed to ease the creative process, but with computers in general also came something as beautiful as real­time adaptive powers, algorithms on the go and procedurally generated sound. Procedural is such a wide aspect that it can impossibly be grasped fully in any book, but it does leave us with the fact that it is possible to create soundscapes that is shaped around the player or audience of the interactive medium that immersion becomes greater than ever before. It is possible to have a constant conversation with your computer, just by communication through something as “simple” as a videogame. In this thesis, I explain how sound can be used to inform, guide and help or even
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