Creating the sound and music of Jumpgate Evolution
We've been wondering what's happening over at NetDevil with Jumpgate Evolution of late. It's been a bit quiet on the news front, but we've come across a recent dev blog from Jumpgate Evolution Producer Hermann Peterscheck that explains the importance of audio in this sci-fi MMO.
Peterscheck explains NetDevil's approach to audio in a space game and the various steps taken to ensure the game sounds as good as it looks. He writes, "Try imagining Star Wars without John Williams' sound track or James Earl Jones' booming Darth Vader voice. Poor audio on top of great video can really deteriorate production value. The trouble with audio is that it generally comes late in the development cycle and all too often as an afterthought."
Whether a given audio project is being done in-house or outsourced, their work is done with Jumpgate Evolution's concept art and story documents in mind -- having a playable version of the game is essential as well.
Their aim is to use audio to trigger emotional response in JGE's players, identifying what's most effective both in terms of primary audio directed at the player and ambient sound. They capture gameplay video and turn it over to the audio production team, who then work their magic to create a more compelling game experience beyond the visual.
If you're curious about what the Jumpgate Evolution devs have been up to or have ever wondered what's involved in creating that often-overlooked sound in your games, Hermann Peterscheck's "Making the Sound of Music for Space" could be enlightening.
