3DsoundSurge: The Week in Review


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The Week in Review: March 4-10, 2002

Last week's features at 3DsoundSurge

Last week's sound news

Drivers and bugs

PlayCenter 2 v2.52 Update for Nomad
Creative Labs NomadWorld site offers a PlayCenter 2 v2.52.18 update for Nomad users which also includes NOMAD Drivers.

New games, demos, patches and bugs

Star Trek: Bridge Commander feature EAX
The recently released (last month) demo of Star Trek: Bridge Commander feature EAX. You need at least an EAX 1.0 capable card to enable even though it uses Miles Sound System which makes me wonder if it takes full advantage of the 3D positioning or just EAX effects. If you want to check it out you can find download links and a short description of the game on Avault.

Lost Continents will feature 3D sound
VR1's upcoming online world, Lost Continents, that draws its inspiration and setting from countless pulp adventures in the African jungles and the Egyptian deserts will feature 3D sound according to an interview on RPG Vault. This is the third and final part in RPG Vault's Lost Continents interview series and this time Lead Game Designer Keith Baker brought in some reinforcements in the persons of Lead Software Engineer Mark Cieslar, Audio Lead Mike Smith, and Community Manager Travis McGeathy who all join in to help discuss quests, grouping, death penalties, the game engine server technology, the importance of community and a lot more. Here's some audio related snips:
Jonric: What are the key features of your game engine?
[snip]
Mark Cieslar:[snip]Tesla also includes support for full 3D audio and music that will change dynamically with the environment and situation the player is in. All of these things add up to an engine that will bring the setting of Lost Continents to life in ways never before seen in an MMORPG.
[snip]
Jonric: To what extent do you plan for sound and music to be important elements in Lost Continents? What sound format are you using? Will you support 3D sound?

Mike Smith: Absolutely! Sound and music go a long way toward involving the player on an emotional level. Since we have a very involved storyline, it makes sense that we'll want to use music to communicate the emotional importance of each major event. Likewise, since the philosophy of this game is to make a hero out of the player, it's very important that the sound effects give the player a real sense that "destroying the enlarging ray" is a BIG deal - so the sound design as much as anything really has to communicate that.

As for format, we're using DirectX 8 - so, depending on both the type of sound that it is and the player's sound card, both 2D and 3D sound will be supported.
MS Links 2003 will feature 3D audio
The press release today where MS announced the agreement with PGA golf star Jesper Parnevik to lend his expertise and digital self to ``Links® 2003,'' includes the following interesting bit on the audio:

PC golfers can expect to see shadows and hear birds chirping in stunning 3-D audio while playing on the most detailed grass, sand and water textures around.

The game is set to hit stores this holiday season. You can find more details in the press release
Command & Conquer Renegade features 3D sound
Not exactly surprsing but not seen any review confirm that Westwood's recently released 3D action game Command & Conquer Renegade feature 3D sound until now. The review appeared on Tuplay and had the following to offer on the audio aspects of the game:

Good sound is imperative for a game like this. If you see absolute mayhem happening on your screen, you want it to sound like mayhem coming out of your speakers as well. Renegade’s got gunshots, lasers, and explosions galore and the right noises to match. The sound effects overall are quite good but not the best I’ve heard. The bass from the explosions is strong but not so overpowering that it drowns out the other sounds in the background, that is, unless you’re directly in the direct middle of the blast area. In that case you’ve probably got other things to worry about. My only real complaint is that at times the sound stage seemed slightly off, i.e. the transition of sounds moving from the left speaker to the right weren’t exactly smooth as they could be. The audio configuration menu has selections for 2 speaker, 4 channel, surround, and headphone modes for whatever your listening situation may be.

Checking the demo it appears it's supporting DS3D and A3D using Miles Sound Systems. Yoou can grab the demo from Avault
Secret Service and EAX Advanced HD
Creative's latest newsletter reveals that Creative Labs was demonstrating Secret Service: In Harm's Way, an EAX ADVANCED HD-enabled game title, at various retail chains on March 9 and March 10 in US and Canada. A Creative employee was present and equipped with an Audigy Platinum, Inspire 5300, NOMAD Jukebox, and PC Cam 300.
We got confirmed that the support is out of the box and the EAX Advanced HD features it takes advantage of that's not present in previous versions of EAX are Environmental Filtering (The filtering adds new control for developers to simulate the tonal nuances of wide open spaces) and Morphing (Offers smooth transitions from one audio environment to the next). Secret Service: In Harm's Way was released late last year and is a budget squad-based first-person shooter developed by Fun Labs. You can find more info on Activision Value (the publisher) or Fun Labs site.
Warrior Kings Demo
The demo of Black Cactus and Microids Warrior Kings, an epic real-time strategy game, has finally been released. If you got the bandwidth to download this beast (250MB) you can grab it from 3D Gamers, Bonus Web and FilePlanet. The demo feature use of 3D sound.

Operation Flashpoint Patch
Yet another (1.46) patch for Operation Flashpoint has been released

New version of JDoom, jHeretic and jHexen
New version of the enhanced Win32 ports of JDoom (1.12.3), JHexen (1.1.2) and JHeretic (1.0.5). They are all using the latest version 1.5.4 of the Doomsday engine which takes advantage of 3D sound and reverb using DS3D, EAX and A3D 3.0. This is the first time the ports are not considered beta

WWII Online Patch
Yet another minor patch (v1.55) for World War II Online has been released

Battlecruiser Millennium Patch
A new (1.0.0.7) patch for Battlecruiser Millennium has been released. As usual you can find what's new on the Version Control page

How to enable 3D Sound in Medal of Honor Guide
We previously mentioned a thread in our forum on how to get 3D sound in the Medal of Honor Demo. Allied Assualt has now posted a guide on how to enable it in the full game. They also have a German version of it if that's your preference. Thanks to Falcon for the pointer.

Reviews of soundcards, speakers, headphones and MP3 players.

Hercules GameSurround Muse XL
Avault has done a review of Hercules GameSurround Muse XL. It's using the CMI-8738 chipset and features Sensaura's 3D sound and reverb engine. In case of output it offers 4-channel analog output. Avault found it to be an excellent card considering the price ($30).

Audigy Player
PC Power Zone has posted a long and very positive review of the Audigy Player. They had really no major complaint and found it to be great choice for most usage, especially gaming. Audigy Player is the gaming oriented card sold in Europe, similar to the Audigy Gamer (identical hardware, different software bundle) in US.

Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo II
A new review of Hercules Gamesurround Fortissimo II soundcard has appeared on GibTek. GibTek offers a lot of praise for the Fortissimo II and no complaints in their fairly short review.

Hercules XPS 210
A review of Hercukes $50 2.1 system, the XPS 210 has appeared on MGON. It's overall very positive, especially when it comes to the 3D surround feature. They found it to really create the sense of surround sound. I have not tried this system but in general I would suggest to not enable these type of stereo expansion/virtual surround features for games that support 3D sound since it will then likely mess up the 3D sound created by your soundcard.

MegaWorks 510D
Digit-Life has put the MegaWorks 510D to the test in its usually fairly technical review. They found it to be a very good system, much better than Creative Labs Inspire line, and probably the highest-quality system in its class. However they point out the price ($400) is out of the reach for most PC users and quality is still below what most expect from a home theater system. Having said that they still expect it to find its niche.
Same can be said about the ProMedia 5.1, VideoLogic's Sirocco Crossfire and DigiTheatre DTS that also fall somewhere between what the overall majority of PC users are prepared to pay for a PC system but still clearly below what people still consider a typical home theater system. People used to the more typical multimedia systems will be thrilled with the performance these systems offers while people comparing it to more expensive home theater systems will probably find them to offer only mediocre performance. I still expect many will find these systems to offer the right balance, especially if you consider the life time of speaker system is much longer than a PC not to mention a 3D graphics card. Compared to most but not all home theater systems the feature set (e.g. shielded satellites and bass management) and the relative compact size are important benefits of the mentioned systems in a typical desktop environment. Thanks to JcyH for the pointer.
Logitech Z-560
Gamer's Depot has finished its review of Logitech's Z-560. They found it to be the first system that really could match Klipsch ProMedia line (their ckear favourites among PC speaker systems before they put the Z-560 to the test. Worth noting it appears they only compared it to the ProMedia 4.1 and not the ProMedia 5.1 which offers better quality).

Audiovox DVD-1500 portable DVD player
Monster Hardware has put the inexpensive (sub $400) Audiovox DVD-1500 portable DVD player to the test. It features a 5.8' TFT active matrix LCD, 2.2 hours battery life, wireless remote control, 2-channel analog output and SPDIF output (AC3 and DTS). The review is overall very positive even though it includes some complaints about the audio quality (compared to a standalone DVD player), lack of MP3 playback and the battery life.

Pioneer DVD-500M 16X DVD-ROM
PC Stats has posted a review of Pioneer DVD-500M 16X DVD-ROM Drive. Putting it through a series of test they found it to live up to expectations and be a great buy (retails for about $55 according to the review).

Other sound news

Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 510D Available This Month
Creative Labs has finally confirmed that the Cambridge SoundWorks MegaWorks 510D will be available at Creative's online shop and retail stores in US and Canada this month. No press release yet nor is it currently available from Creative Labs online shop but it was mentioned in this week's newsletter from Creative Labs.

Altec Lansing drops the 641 price to $200
reports that Altec Lansing is lowering the price of its top of the line 4-speaker gaming system, the 641 from $280 to $200. Not seen any press release with this announcement and the official site still list it for $280 so not sure exactly when we will see the street prices reflect this change. It also raise the question if they intend to reduce the price for the 2.1 version (621) and/or it's midrange 2 and 4.1 system, the latter currently retails for $200. Anyway the price reduction means Altec Lansing no longer have a price disadvantage compared to Logitech's top of the line 4-speaker system, the now famous Z-560.
For details on the 641 you can check out the original press release
TruSurround From SRS Labs Utilized by Sony Electronics For New Digital Satellite Receiver
SRS Labs, has announced that Sony Electronics Inc., has adopted TruSurround(TM) for Sony's new DIRECTV digital satellite receiver, model SAT-A65, which is available now throughout the United States at Sony authorized retailers.
The patented TruSurround technology, which is an established standard for virtual surround sound, delivers a 5.1 home theater experience through any two-speaker system including built-in television speakers. All users of Sony's SAT-A65 with at least stereo playback can enjoy a compelling surround sound experience from DIRECTV's multi-channel programming. The SAT-A65 DIRECTV receiver is the first set-top box product from Sony to use TruSurround. You can find more details in the press release. You can also check out past SRS press releases
Turtle Beach Unveils API for its AudioTron
Turtle Beach(TM) has unveiled an application programming interface (API) for its AudioTron(TM) digital audio appliance, showcasing its benefits to attendees at Electronic House Expo Spring 2002. The API permits a wide range of third-party devices such as PDAs and home automation systems to control the device. You can find more details in the press release. You can also check out the original press release from April 2000

Digital Closet and Turtle Beach Provide Digital Audio to the Home Network
Digital Closet(TM) now offers NETAUDIO, powered by Turtle Beach(TM) technology. With NETAUDIO, digital music modules are installed within Digital Closet to enable a networked-based audio experience. The entire home network is enhanced, allowing Digital Closet to provide high-quality audio streaming to every room of the house. Users will enjoy a customizable central library of files that can be created from downloads or CDs and played through any audio appliance or PC connected to the home network. You can find more details in the press release

Micronas Unveils World´s Smallest USB Headset Connector
Micronas unveils the world’s smallest USB-headset connector, designed small enough to fit into the palm of a hand. Fitting into a USB connector, it integrates a complete audio system enabling system manufacturers to develop a huge variety of new digital headsets, and free users of the restrictions and inconvenient handling of conventional analog headsets. Furthermore, with the new USB-headset connector, analog soundcards in the PC become unnecessary. You can find more details in the full press release

Micronas Introduces Intelligent System Solution for MP3 Hard Disc Player
Micronas unveils the company’s first application board for the development of audio players with an interface to IBM’s Microdrive™. The Micronas ColumbusDRIVE features a SDRAM buffer memory and memory management system that will extend playtime three to four times than that of battery operated audio players retrieving their data from spinning media, and completes Micronas’ range of solutions supporting flash-based media such as SD cards and MMC. You can find more details in the full press release

Jeremy Soule (Composer) Interview
YiYa has conducted an interview with composer Jeremy Soule. The questions is about game music in general and not focused on any specific game. Here's a couple interesting Q&As
Which is the primary/fundamental difference between compositions of soundtracks for computer games, soundtracks for movies, or concert works?

Games are just about the hardest medium to score as they are often 3-D, nonlinear and fairly unpredictable. Movies are easy by comparison. In fact, I write about twice as fast when I'm writing for a movie as I do for ingame music. Concert works are a luxury for most composers to produce. I personally love the idea of creating music for music's sake. However, I find it difficult to find the time to produce works for orchestra halls. So many other composers, including John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, have this dilemma as well.

How is it possible to change the soundtrack according to the present situation within the game without disturbing the fluency of the soundtrack or the composition, unless using the fade in/out method?

Game music will never work exactly like a movie. I often use crossfades and transition music. However, the good ole' crash edit works well even though the scene needs to change rapidly to make it work. A lot of people don't realize how abruptly the music changes in films! Listen to "the sixth sense" and you'll hear some very surprising turns. I don't think game soundtracks need to be a continuous symphony with no bumps or surprises. I think a lot of programmers would like to see music be controlled to the level that everything else in the game is. This is simply not necessary and really, at the end of the day the only thing that matters is how well the music is composed and how reasonably it is placed in the game.
Reviews and interviews from Music for Games
Music for Games sent us a long list of interviews and reviews they have posted. Let's start with the reviews which all can be described as music reviews with the focus on how the music and audio design complements or contributes to the game experience, although they may refer to gameplay success within this context.
Moving on to Interviews they have posted the following two
- composer Harry Gregson-Williams (recently finished the soundtrack for Metal Gear Solid 2 PS2 but he is more famous for the soundtrack for movies such as Shrek, Spy Game, Armageddon and The Rock
- Westwood's Composer Frank Klepacki (recently finished the soundtrack for C&C Renegade)

SoundMax SPX Game Audio Technologies Available for PlayStation 2 Developers
Analog Devices has announced that it will make its advanced audio rendering technology, SoundMAX(R) SPX, available to PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system developers through the Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Tools and Middleware Program.
PlayStation(R)2 game developers are now able to incorporate SPX "animated audio" - realistic sound effects that change in real-time in direct response to a game player's input - into their new game titles for the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. You can find more details in the full press release
Game Audio Network Guild announced
Music for Games reports that some of the audio professionals of the video game industry will present the newly formed Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G) at this year's Game Developer Conference (March 19-23). They will then (March 21st to be exact) launch its new website (http://www.audiogang.org/). You can find for details in Music for Games full report
In related news Music for Games has posted a review of The Complete Guide to Game Audio.

For more news from last week check out our news archive.

Upcoming features at 3DsoundSurge

Reviews that we are currently working on:
Updated Santa Cruz/Sonic Fury and GameTheaterXP reviews
Hercules Fortissimo II
Terratec DMX Xfire 1024
CMedia CM8738 Reference Review
Full Audigy Review
Full Philips MMS305 Review
There are several other hardware reviews in the pipeline including, but not limited to the following:
Guillemot Maxi Sound MUSE
Terratec m3po
DigMedia MusicStore
Philips Seismic Edge
Lots of other stuff on the go in including several guides and major site revisions that we will soon be releasing more details on.

As always if you have any ideas for products we should review or features we should do, please let us know.

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