Looks fine there. Guess I'll be doing that then.....unless there is something else?
I'm looking for a deal too. The only thing I've found so far is @ Amazon where you get some kind of $10 credit
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846
So I didn't really play the beta much. Is it worth it especially since I dont have many friends that I'd be playing with?
So I didn't really play the beta much. Is it worth it especially since I dont have many friends that I'd be playing with?
[DICE] SlyOkapi | 10.24.13
Responsible for the all-out war soundscape of Battlefield, the award-winning audio team at DICE has had its hands full for the past two years making Battlefield 4 sound just right. In this installment of The Road to Battlefield 4, our audio experts discuss everything from field recordings of naval units to metaphorical Spaghetti Bolognese.
Try imagining Battlefield without its collective soundscape. You quickly realise how crucial the shouts of squad members, the bullet cracks, jets roaring, or just the sound of your soldier vaulting over a concrete slab, are for the overall Battlefield experience. With several BAFTA, GANG and AIAS awards under their belt, the DICE audio team was confident in taking on Battlefield 4 but there were many new challenges along the way.
The Battlefield audio team consists of many different divisions. Voice-overs, the sounds of your soldier, Levolution moments, and map ambience all play a part in the soundscape. To shed light on the many elements of Battlefield 4s sound design, we hand over to Ben Minto (Audio Director), Mari Saastamoinen Minto (Lead Sound Designer), Andreas Almström (Lead Sound Designer), Viktor Israelsson (VO Designer) and Ludvig Kullberg (VO Producer).
Approaching the Sounds of Battlefield 4
As an audio team, we have accumulated great experience in sound design by working on DICEs previous titles. When a new project comes along, we know we have to evolve but we are confident we are up to the task thanks to our experience. Approaching Battlefield 4 however, many new challenges have presented themselves with features like Levolution, Commander Mode, and Naval Warfare.
Take the falling skyscraper in Siege of Shanghai for example: to achieve something like that, we cant just get a sound of a collapsing building and add that to the level. We have to find out what it sounds like from different distances. What does it sound like if youre hundreds of metres away, or actually on top of it? We also need to figure out how the entire map sounds before the building goes down, and what the aftermath sounds like. You can actually tell whether the skyscraper is still there or not, just by listening to the overall character of the soundscape.
The team responsible for the sounds of Battlefield 4, just days away from the launch of the game.
Another vital part of the new audio is the recording of water-based sounds, these have to be up to the same level of quality as those we already have for air and land combat. We needed to gather new sounds for swimming, diving, drowning, water-based combat and much more connected to water. The drowning sounds took a bit of experimenting. Many audio designers make the mistake of using too much to simulate drowning, which produces a cartoonish sound that just makes you laugh. Our audio director, Ben Minto, was convinced that in order to accurately capture the sound of drowning he needed to fill his mouth, nose and throat with water and then cover the mouth and nose to stop the breathing. It was quite painful to force water around in your system like that, as though you are gasping for non-existent air. It took some time but it was worth it. Those sounds really felt right in the end.
Playing Better Thanks to Sound
One of the most important parts of sound in Battlefield 4 is the information it gives you as a player. Your line of sight in the game can only gives you 60-70 degrees of the panorama, but sound is all around you. So its our job to fill in the gaps of information. If you can hear a tank behind you, you can decide to run into a building to hide or run to find more ammo for your RPG. Its about giving players information so they can make decisions.
We dont want to make it like a pinball game with effects like DING! You got 10 000 points!, though. You should have to work a little bit for the information. By making people listen for sounds like enemies running up stairs or deploying a tripod, they engage more, they take part, they listen and filter for information. The Battlefield should be readable through the sound that is happening.
Waves crashing, engines roaring, and guns blazing. All these sound sources are mixed in real-time to give the player an immersive and informative soundscape.
Bullet sounds also give you information of the Battlefield, and we can honestly say that those impress us almost daily, even though weve worked with them for several years. The impact of the bullets, the sound of the ricochets being in a gunfight still seems fresh when we play the game thanks to the quality of the recordings, and all the variations.
Personal, Varied and Close
If theres one major difference in the audio for Battlefield 4, its the fact that its more personal and close to the soldier than ever before. Weve worked a lot with sounds related to the soldiers clothes, helmet and other gear. The sound of rain, for example, has been expanded this time around. Now you will hear rain, or water from indoor sprinklers, actually dripping on your helmet. To achieve these sounds, weve done everything from standing with a helmet in the shower to walking around in real rain with microphones tucked in our hoods.
Recording the soldier in Battlefield 4 basically the sounds of us wearing a military vest was done from scratch by running around with the vest in different environments. A lot of time was spent just on choosing the right kind of fabric for the vest, to get that modern, rustling sound. There are also a ton of variations of sounds like these. Take the sound of the solider vaulting, for example. There is around ten variations of vault, and these in turn have their own pitch variations. And variety is one of the mantras for Battlefield 4. Every time something happens in-game, it should sound as unique as possible.
The maps themselves also have sounds of their own and we try to give all the Battlefield 4 maps their own unique and realistic tone, based on their environments. Right now were working together with the audio team at DICE LA on the new Caspian Border in Second Assault, the upcoming Battlefield 4 expansion, and we need some fitting bird sounds. For Caspian Border in Battlefield 3, we used sounds from swallows that exist in the real Caspian area. But in Second Assault its autumn, so we want birds with a more autumn-like sound. Weve found a bird called Caspian Snowcook, but weve already used that in the Alborz Mountain map, so the bird hunt goes on You can really immerse yourself in things like these as a sound designer.
The sound of a rocket launcher being fired differs a lot in characteristic depending on where you are on the map, and what other sounds exist in your vicinity.
There are also a lot of personal sounds in Battlefield. If theres an elevator or an alarm in the game, we use the sounds of the elevators and alarms here at DICE for the recordings. When we go on holiday, like when DICE went to Dubai, we record sounds to get exotic birds or the sounds of the desert. That makes it more unique for the player, and more personal for the sound designers who work here.
All these kinds of details may feel like small steps forward, and theres often a lot of work behind a small step. But they all take you closer to sound thats really believable.
Real-Time Mixing and Spaghetti Bolognese
Its hard do give an exact number of how many sounds we have in total, but there are easily over a million files in the DICE sound library: anything from a piece of metal hitting the floor to hour-long recordings of tanks. But the number of audio files isnt really that relevant. Since were using real-time mixing with the help of the Frostbite Engine, the variations of each sound become even greater. The sound of a pistol being fired varies depending on where you are on the map, and the game engine helps us calculate this. An analogy would be that we dont serve spaghetti bolognese, we create the basic ingredients pasta, tomatoes, minced meat etc. and then inside Frostbite we create the recipe, but with an built-in chance for there to be lots of variations in how they are combined.
Different sound variations of one weapon being fired on the Battlefield.
This requires a lot of play testing since there are many combinations of sounds appearing in multiplayer that we cant predict. As we said, we give players all the basic ingredients, we give them a map and release 64 players into it and they create mayhem. We cant test every possible sound permutation beforehand, so we are sometimes surprised how some sounds in multiplayer turn out.
In these playtests we need to ask ourselves a lot of questions. What does it sound like when Im indoors and a tank drives across and smashes a building across the street? Was there too much glass? Was the bass level too high? Did it feel scary? Is my pistol louder than the tank driving through that building and should it be? Can I still hear the person thats sneaking up behind to stab me? Checking things like this takes time, and thats why many of the sound designers here have over 200 hours of Battlefield 4 playtime.
Voice actors on our Field of Screams, working hard to perfect the tone of the Battlefield 4 battle cries.
Weve recorded a lot of the Battlefield 4 sounds in the studio, but of course theres always the need for field recordings. In the most recent one, we recorded weapons here in Sweden, which became the base of the Battlefield 4 weapon sounds. Its a huge plus to do your own recordings, since it gives us the control of all the microphones and such. There are recordings that you can buy, but they are recorded with a different mindset, and are mainly designed for movies. We know what versions of sounds will work in the game, thats why we need the control that own recordings bring.
The cast of the Battlefield 4 single player campaign, doing voice-over and motion capture work.
All different kinds of people here in Sweden have been very helpful by letting us do our field recordings. Weve been helped by both people with access to military hardware, but also by swimming pools that lend us their facilites and go sure, well close the pool down for the afternoon so you can practise drowning each other. Thats been a pleasure.
The Voices Behind the Soldiers
The voice-over work is another huge part of the sound design in Battlefield 4 and the need for world-class, believable VO both in single player and multiplayer cant be underestimated. Weve been working with a great cast for Battlefield 4, and the actors have done loads of research on their characters. Its impressive to see how the actors really become their characters; Michael K Williams is Irish, Andrew Lawrence is Pac, and so on. In multiplayer, its a different kind of drama. Even though we use voice-over actors here too, the drama is created by the players, since they often have the power of when the characters speak thanks to the Commo Rose.
Its easy to think that all the voice-over lines consist of screams and hectic dialouge. Sure, since the lines are spoken on a battlefield, a lot of the voices are of course urgent and noisy. If someones throwing a grenade, when its a matter of life and death, the tone is going to be hectic. But if someone throws you a medkit or revives you, the tone is calmer. So theres more variety than you might think.
To get that exact temperature and intensity of the actors lines is probably the most important part of voice-over work. For example, doing VO for Commander Mode was a real challenge. We wanted to find a tone of voice that wasnt as intense as the tone of the soldiers fighting on the Battlefield. The sound of a Commander should of course be urgent, but at the same time controlled. The actors nailed it in the end, and by giving the Commander another type of radio sound characteristic, that audio really became distinctive.
The Birth Cry of the Battlefield
The absolute best thing of being part of the Battlefield 4 audio team is something thats yet to come and thats the release of Battlefield 4. Just for the audio department, over 15 people have been working their butts off and doing levels and levels of intricate work during the last couple of years. Even though we work close to each other, we havent heard everything thats been done. To experience all the love, effort and little details that are in the final game that will be a fantastic part of the process.
Experiencing Battlefield 4 going live with real players, and hearing all their combined actions, is also going to be very exciting. Weve simulated that in playtests, and weve experienced a lot in the Beta. But to be there when the final version come alive with real people, thats where the joy comes out. It will be like watching a child unwrap christmas presents and hearing what that sounds like.
UPDATED: 10/23/2013
Wondering when you'll be able to jump into Battlefield 4? Find your region below for worldwide pre-load and launch timing.
Pre-load means that, starting at the listed time, you'll be able to go ahead and download your game early, but won't be able to play until the stated release time. Pre-loading lets you get your download process finished earlier so that you can get in to the game the second it's out in your region.
Note, the times below represent when Battlefield 4 will be released digitally through the Origin Store. Battlefield 4 is available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in each region per the date listed alongside the release time.
- You'll be able to pre-load Battlefield 4 at least 24 hours before the game's release in your region. Some players may be able to pre-load earlier than others depending on when the game is set to release per region.
- Find your country in our Region Definitions article if you're unsure which release-region you're in.
All times are listed in local time respective toward the region.
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- East and Central Asia
Game Launch: Oct 29 at 12:01AM KST
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- North America
Game Launch: Oct 29 at 12:01AM EDT
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- Russia
Game Launch: Oct 29 at 12:01AM MSK
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- Australia
Game Launch: Oct 31 at 12:01AM AEDT
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- European Union
Game Launch: Oct 31 at 12:01AM CET
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- New Zealand
Game Launch: Nov 1 at 12:01AM NZDT
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- India
Game Launch: Nov 1 at 12:01AM IST
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- South Africa
Game Launch: Nov 1 at 12:01AM SAST
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal
Game Launch: Nov 1 at 12:01AM GMT
Pre-load: At least 24 hours before launch
- Japan
Game Launch: Nov 7 at 12:01AM JST
Wow. All of that work and effort on motion capture and voice acting for the SP campaign, but you can tell from the videos they're still using the same lifeless, boring, whack-a-mole AI scripts for enemy NPCs.
Ah well, I'm not sure why BF even messes with a SP campaign anyway.
Wow. All of that work and effort on motion capture and voice acting for the SP campaign, but you can tell from the videos they're still using the same lifeless, boring, whack-a-mole AI scripts for enemy NPCs.
Ah well, I'm not sure why BF even messes with a SP campaign anyway.
MP1st - Battlefield 4 "Flood Zone" Gameplay Incoming this Friday, Xbox One and PS4 to Follow.
MP1st - Battlefield 4 "Flood Zone" Gameplay
Reminds me a lot of Zatar wetlands from BF2, even though the land areas are covered in multi-floored buildings.
MP1st - Battlefield 4 "Flood Zone" Gameplay
Reminds me a lot of Zatar wetlands from BF2, even though the land areas are covered in multi-floored buildings.
I would not mind actually trying to fly choppers with a flystick for BF4. Is there an actual advantage to using a stick for the chopper/jet ?
You can't dive while swimming, if you jump in from a higher level you do go deeper into the water so this might allow you to access something you're "not supposed to".Wow, that rooftop gameplay is just amazing. Looks like they combined the parkour of Mirror's Edge with the detail of Max Payne 3 and the gunplay of BF3.
And how about swimming under water to find strategic locations (or to hide)? That will add so much to this game.
I'm surprised we haven't seen more pre-order discounts. I'm betting EA knows it has a big seller on its hands.
I would not mind actually trying to fly choppers with a flystick for BF4. Is there an actual advantage to using a stick for the chopper/jet ?
You can't dive while swimming, if you jump in from a higher level you do go deeper into the water so this might allow you to access something you're "not supposed to".
You can't dive while swimming, if you jump in from a higher level you do go deeper into the water so this might allow you to access something you're "not supposed to".
MP1st - Battlefield 4 "Flood Zone" Gameplay
Reminds me a lot of Zatar wetlands from BF2, even though the land areas are covered in multi-floored buildings.
Here is LevelCap's video of Flood Zone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exutnipd3u4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUlMXf2oP5UiW_V4dwHxY0Mg