Neocron Community Sound Design Project

[Midgar]

Hello Everyone!

It's been a while since I have played Neocon consistently. Have a look at my biography for more of that..

Neocon is doing a lot of cool things and I personally believe this is a game that is not only a classic but should also be made brand new and full of life! The community development team is taking a lot of time and effort to bring new life into this game and I think that is amazing.

I am graduating with my bachelors of science this upcoming October, in Music Production.

This technical degree covers everything from film and game sound design to full orchestral writing and scoring, on into audio video editing, post production and implementation with WWISE specifically. We also had to touch on a lot of the modern game creation engine with emphasis on the unreal engine and WWISE for implementation.

I am currently seeking to obtain my WWISE Certification, which will make me an expert and sound and audio staging an d implementation into any video games with industry standard tools.

What I am proposing is a full re-design of all NC2's current Sound Elements. Foley, Sound FX, and so on. As well, with a more modern addition of Dialogue for NPC chats and backstory from Voice actors. We will cover Everything from the bestiary to the general footsteps and weapon sounds. Essentially remaking the entire asset libray of Neocron with High Fidelity and appropriate sounds.

What about the Music? I believe more elements of the game could use thought provoking and engaging, immersive music in areas that either lack it or have ambiant soundscapes in it's place. I do believe there is plenty of room for soundscapes, but as well, I believe there is a need to have sound tracks in other places. Like the Gaia mine for instance, Or the fire or poison caves and other locals. Some music we may not want to touch at all. Like Tech Haven. Some we may want to remake, remix, or make more vibrant like the military base or clubs.

With that brings the question of legality:

While we design and implement NEW assets, signing on to this volunteer project will give neocon and all affiliated personnel and entities a non exclusive, royalty free license to use, modify, lease, sublease and sell all of the audio assets created therein. Where it pertains to utilizing and implementing copyrighted material, such as modifying and utilizing existing compositions and scores; The project manager (me) will obtain a written license from any owner of copy written material before any work or modification will take place. The written permission will be displayed publicly in this or any other appropriate forum.

Having a working knowledge of music business and how to find and obtain legal permission from owners of creative works and intellectual properties, I feel that this task, however monumental can be carried out effectively and without any legal mishaps or questions of legality.

Anyone who joins the project and attempts to use copy written material without permission will be dismissed. Everything must be original except where we choose to get appropriate permission to use and modify the assets we like currently in game.

This project will be volunteer in nature and have timely milestones for completion. I understand we all have lifes outside of the game. We don't have to beat ourrself's up and produce, produce. In fact we are in no immediate hurry. Milestones will be used to satisfy that volunteer members to this team are in fact completing work and not just loafing around!

I took an opportunity to work on the Elder Scrolls community "Re-Development" Team in the sound arena and acquired a decent knowledge on how to organize and implement a project of this scope.

We will use a Sound Design discord channel for communications purposes. We will use Trello to implement project "cards" for design assets. A card could be a general item pickup and drop sound design. A weapon SFX of certain footstep Foley's. Wheen a members takes a card, a date will be assigned not for completion, but rather review of your current progress oin the card. Assets that are deemed complete and approved by the Neocron community development team will be moved to an implementation folder and await implementation. We will use Google Drive to share and catalogue our collective works as a team. We will formulate an asset naming standard and have lots of fun! We will start small, working or remaking the current sound assets as NEW Assets. Once implemented we can focus on implementing assests that are non existant such as new soundscapes and/or Music and dialogue in places that do not have it.

This will not be a cheap-o-matic project.

This team will need persons with a background in sound and design and music. The assets we create will be professional and worthy of delivery to this game as though it were a brand new game hitting the shelves. The audience must be convinced these sounds fit and are real and convincing to the brain. When you fire a plasma cannon, the player must believe it's a plasma cannon. When you are being hunted by a launcher cyclops or a warbot, the player must fear that enemy as though it were real

What do you all think?

[hudsonbeck]

Wow... what a huge and great project. Thank you for taking lead and further pushing NC forward. I have no background in sound/music but I support you guys & gals!

[Sidhardha]

Nice. Now just need retexturing project too.

[Midgar]

In the Elder scrolls project, they structured as mentioned and had department heads running each side project. Texturing. Landscaping. Animation and so on. We could include these other projects however, I am only willing to oversee one project at this time. With my time constraints due to school and work and family.. anbd gaming ofc I would not have time for any other projects.

[Midgar]

I am currently working on a demonstration Board on Trello, so everyone can see the structure I am talking about.

[Bruder Malmsdoo]

Interesting project! Thank you for you efforts.

[Midgar]

Here is a link to the Mock-Up Trello Board:

https://trello.com/invite/b/iB2uSw1c...n-sound-design

On trello, an added member will have his/her own Section to take cards. Cards are the pictured elements in each category that we need something done for. In this case, sound and music design.

A member of the project can click and drag a card to their section to "Claim" it for production. Once a member has taken a card, a due date will be set for review. When the Member has completed their card for review, they will move it to the Pending/Review section for review.

Each card has design appropriate notes to guide the creative process.

Audio Uploads of finished and for review assets will take place on a google Drive Board. On this board we will catalogue and name assets in an appropriate manner. From here they can be reviewed and organized under each member until completion.

This does not have to apply only to sound design. We can add projects to the trello board for terrain, mission design, texturing, on and on with endless options. This is a most effective resource for organizing and completing projects appropriate to the goal of the game design.

Go ahead, sign up and mess with the trello board all you like to see how it feels I love it!

Trello Board.jpg

[RuNmAN]

I really appreciate your efforts but I am not quite sure if a sound project is the right approach to push Neocron “forward”. What's wrong with the sounds? There are people who don't care about sounds, because they never put headphones on or just mute them, but others do. I've been playing Neocron for over 14 years now and a lot of good memories or nostalgic feelings are actually connected to these sounds. Casting a deflector for instance, wandering through the wastelands with the howling wind in the background, or just the legendary “Roooaarr, come on!”. I you rip these sounds out or just replace them, people might even get a stronger feeling to leave the game and finally join the classic project. So am I.

So, what is your plan to improve the sounds AND keep the identity of this game?

[Bruder Malmsdoo]

I really appreciate your efforts but I am not quite sure if a sound project is the right approach to push Neocron “forward”. What's wrong with the sounds? There are people who don't care about sounds, because they never put headphones on or just mute them, but others do. I've been playing Neocron for over 14 years now and a lot of good memories or nostalgic feelings are actually connected to these sounds. Casting a deflector for instance, wandering through the wastelands with the howling wind in the background, or just the legendary “Roooaarr, come on!”. I you rip these sounds out or just replace them, people might even get a stronger feeling to leave the game and finally join the classic project. So am I.

So, what is your plan to improve the sounds AND keep the identity of this game?

I think it is clear that we need a conservative approach to changing the soundfiles. But a lot of the sounds in NC are simply bad. For example the howling of the wind in the wastelands. It is always the same regardless of the weather.

[Midgar]

Well, as mentioned before there are somethings to change for sure, and some to not change or simply enhance. Some weapon/PSI USe sounds are nostalgic and sound great. Those I would only make Hi-Fi using various mixing tools and change little. Only to emphasis their more adoring qualities. Some sounds are not adequate Like the sound of a knife chomping away and away. A very cheap sound for sure. Some sounds deserve more presence Like the Plasma cannons. In the end the game is bare of some soundscapes or music. Like Bruder Malmsdoo said with the wind howling in the wastelands. Everything can always sound better. The idea is not to kill everything and star over, but to enhance what is there that makes the game unique and also to be rid of things we don't.

Tech haven music on the other side of things is classic. I would not want to get rid of that. Eventually, there are some places that would do well with added music and soundscapes. Places where you might grind more or be at for longer periods of time.

We also could have an in game option to use new assets or the old sound assets. Whatever the case, we would try things out on the test server first, or in a demonstration trailer.

[stonehaven25]

I think its a great idea, Thanks for your efforts holmes

Like you said the knife does need some work as well as many other things like the nailgun and/or maybe fix some sounds that come in too loud or too soft; cant remember any sounds that come in soft but the music at MB comes in way too loud I always thought.

[Midgar]

So I want to get a couple demo sounds done. I would like some feedback from the community on what you feel is a truely Nostalgic sound element that can use enhancement but no changing to keep the game nostalgic. And I will pick an Element of the game I would change for the better that may not particularly be Nostalgic and do it over.

[devilstriker]

I cant help but i wish the vehiclesounds, mostly the Quad sound need an overhaul. The Rhino needs a more deeper humming sound... would be more fun to drive it and specially the Rhino with it horse power and tons of weight.

[zyph]

Neocron has a very own special feeling and that not last effected by the sounds. I gladly compare it to the movie Bladerunner. Btw. there is nice new film with similar feeling. Syncronicity.

For me many sounds are very importent for the idendity of neocron. Several years after my 1st neocron game-period ends, iv remembered the sounds, so i downloaded the soundtrack. It was very fine, it felt like to be in the game simply by hearing the ost.
But not only the music and the ambient.

For example the wind-background in the wasts effects the greatest for me.

Or the stat-upgrade sampler. So wonderful. (Thx @ Midgar for extracting it, so i can have it on my phone now

But i agree too to the bad vehicle sounds - there are very ugly.

The weapon-sounds are great. Especially the rayguncannons and the plasma-weapons. I think the orginal sound desinger made a very good work here.