Major changes in the sound system

[IAmNotHanni]

This post was created built on ideas and feedback we got from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1fgyc1Ew4g&feature=youtu.be

Introduction Hearing is the second most important human sense isn't it? Nevertheless Cube2: Sauerbraten is a very very quiet game. Beside the sounds of the map (if exist) you can only hear the following things during a game:

• jump sounds
• damage sounds
• weapon sounds
• flag/base/quad announcements (scores)

I think the following changes sould be made:

• [ ] Introduce foot noise/steps Do you even know any other shooter that has none? The absence of step sounds wastes a lot of potential game atmosphere. Many players gave us feedback that we should implement something like sneaking (again something that many other shooters have) in Inexor. (Laying down is too much maybe?) The sound of the footsteps should be bonded to the material on which you walk.
• [ ] 3D sound propagation #147 See this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buU8gPG2cHI Im focussing on this feature atm. It will be hard, but will bring a major changes to the atmosphere of a map. Unfortunately, the GSound library is not licensed for our purposes. Although some of us contacted the author I doubt that he'll change the license. Plus it is not supported on Linux.
• [ ] Make it easier to include sounds Maybe we should make something like a "sound browser" (similar to the texture browser...)
• [ ] Refactor the sound engine code The sound code of Sauerbraten shouldn't be that much. I would like to rewrite all the features that are currently supported as classes (using the entity system).
• [x] Audioaugust Audioaugust is going to be a Creative Commons Collection of vairious sound effects and enviroment noises recorded with the goal to extend the use of sound effects in Inexor. It is currently being recorded by me during August 2015. All the material is 100%ly recorded by me and is 100% CC!

I'd like to hear your feedback

[Croydon]

3D sound propagation: #147

[a-teammate]

I like the parts that include refractoring the sound system and providing something like a sound browser. that would be a huge step.

However, i really do not think inexor should be changed into a standard shooter. and imo thats beginning with slowing it down with sneaking (atm: sneaking = not jumping, you want: sneaking = slow walking, walking = step sounds). I furthermore do not think this would even work. Inexor is too fast for that. (And thats a good thing imo). I think atmosphere do not need to be gathered here, but if we use more map sounds (atm we rarely use any).. will already do the job.

Sounds are just totally underrepresented ingame, we need to tackel that

[IAmNotHanni]

Development of Audioaugust will continue. I successfully removed the old sound system from the game. It just had some little links with the network and movie recorder code. Now Im going to design a new and easier sound system... sounds.cpp is quite weird.

[Fohlen]

Can't we use OpenAL for the 3D propagation? Or is that API not suited well?

[Croydon]

Some inspirational stuff found by @basile-henry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyzrrPIL1is