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Shadowhand Dev Diary #17: sound effects

Shadowhand has got a LOT of sound effects, mostly supplied by Power Up Audio, though a few are ones I have carried accross from older games such as Regency Solitaire.

There are:
– 71 UI/gameplay sounds
– 60 combat sounds
– 73 Voice over samples (for enemies)
– 119 ambient background sounds
Total: 323

And for good measure there are 37 music tracks!

Each one of those sounds (and music tracks) has been specified, created, plugged into the game, tested/edited, and finally mixed. That’s a lot of work for Power Up Audio and me as the guy integrating them into the game.

Attack Sequence

When an enemy attacks the player in the game several sounds are triggered in sequence with carefully timed delays and balanced volumes so that you can hear them all. For example:
– Enemy yell (triggered immediately)
– Weapon attack sound (like a swoosh of a sword which is triggered immediately but peaks at 250ms)
– Weapon impact sound (e.g. a crunch or squish. This occurs after 300ms)
– Player hurt sound (played at same time as weapon impact sound)

Furthermore those attack sounds have to be heard over the battle music which plays at a volume that doesn’t blot out the general cardplay sounds.

Anyway, for the last couple of days I’ve been listening to the final mix in-game and adjusting some volumes here and there. I listen with headphones on, then through my speakers which are quite large, just for a different perspective.

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