Friday Facts #396 - Sound improvements in 2.0

[Moo Rhy]

Am I the only one who is missing the squealing noise from trains when the wheel flanges contact the rail? Could be added in switches and curves at certain speeds.

[samamstar]

Ooh! Do we think this means proper adaptive music? I've always felt Factorio was missing a properly peppy factory tune like in the trailer, and if they're putting this much effort into entity sounds...

[Henry Loenwind]

Nice, but ... I hate those inventory sounds.

I would also suggest a basegame setting to force them all to use one sound set (preferably the old one, although that could be modded), as doing that with a mod would mean digging through all items added by mods and modifying them one by one.

[planetfall]

calcite deposits reveal!

[laethos]

This sounds amazing!

I agree on the water sounds being overly demonstrative, they sounded like someone splashing water with their hand. Maybe it is a volume thing as Donion said though. Either way it’s a great direction to be moving in.

Question - what’s going on with that splitter in the inventory sounds video? It’s swapping the lanes of iron and copper? They can do that??

[TheKingOfFailure]

Love the inventory sounds.

Reminds me of how our brains are trained to distinguish the sound of pouring hot water and cold water, allowing you to hear temperature.

Soon i will be able to hear when i am filling a furnace with coal or collecting plates, instead of just spamming shift-clicks to guarantee its been done.

[aka13]

Love the inventory sounds.

Reminds me of how our brains are trained to distinguish the sound of pouring hot water and cold water, allowing you to hear temperature.

Soon i will be able to hear when i am filling a furnace with coal or collecting plates, instead of just spamming shift-clicks to guarantee its been done.

Are you a magician by chance?
How would one differentiate temperature by sound...

[TheKingOfFailure]

Are you a magician by chance?
How would one differentiate temperature by sound...

Steve Mould explains it in 3 minutes

https://youtu.be/Ri_4dDvcZeM

[GROOV3ST3R_]

This is one odd thing that is weirdly exciting! Didn't realize till now we needed it but we do and can't wait for the DLC!

Feedback wise, here is a word soup of thoughts I have about the sounds:
- water ambient doesn't yet feel like it has the right impact, it feels more like a cat fountain dripping rather than a shore or a wavy lake. Not sure about the breathing-like sounds? Need more rustling leaves!

- transitions between driving surfaces seem a little lost in the mix, not nearly audible enough. IRL, driving on brick/cobble would generate quite a loud humming noise, concrete should probably "click" more and be more "echo-y" as the sound wave would bounce off a solid surface and reverb across the factory while grass and earth tiles should mute the sounds more, reduce any reverb significantly and sound more "crunchy", simulating wheels/tracks sinking into the ground and displacing soil and growth. Tank tracks need more of a clack when driven on hard surfaces.

- I love the almost roller-coaster like feeling when a train is passing over elevated rails, but the regular rails now feel a little lacking - need more metallic humming and grinding noises when cornering - which are there but not very audible

- a low rumble and that "psst" sound (anyone who has ever lived near a railway or even been to a train station will know what I mean) preceding a train approaching from a distance when standing near a railway track could be a fantastic addition, both for immersion sake as well as an audible cue for player to warn them of an approaching vehicle

- a transition between elevated and ground rail, it should have a more ramp-like feel. Maybe a metallic clank of loose joints in the structure or dull thuds and pressure-release of built-in shock absorbers (which no doubt a structure capable of elevating a train moving at 300kph within a span of like 10 meters would have to contain)

- crossings/splits need a sound too

- vehicles in general could receive a more complicated sound set seeing as there are never going to be too many cars or tanks active on screen at any one time, nor too many trains moving in one place as they usually space out a fair bit due to throughput. Car feels like it needs a little more low-end noise, maybe an intake whoosh, suspension creaking noises and randomly spaced dull thuds simulating traversing over bumps, brake squealing and ..... gears! One could add simulated gear shifts dependent on speed, purely aesthetic and non functional but would add more immersion and make it feel like you're riding an armored buggy rather than a single speed gokart

- maybe de-couple vehicle engine sound and transitions from being purely speed dependent and instead make them more throttle dependent - louder and deeper with throttle on and more muffled off-throttle. Tank definitely needs a turbine spool like sound to add a sense of weight, menace and power build up which would spool up and stay whistling for as long as throttle is on, releasing rapidly off throttle

- Similarly, trains, which I assume are more hybrid-like in construction (prime mover + generator, seeing as we can power them with a variety of fuels) should have a throttle-dependent sound, building up revs rapidly upon setting off and staying up high when accelerating, dropping to a half-throttle state when cruising at top speed and dropping to idle when decelerating, with addition of dynamic braking hum and light metallic squealing (not too intrusive to avoid driving people insane). Constant engine roar / generator hum + steadily rising electric traction motor hum would go a long way toward making them feel less scale-model like and more weighty, substantial and ...unstoppable

Ultimately mostly nit-picking, and I imagine someone will mod something like this into the game in the future anyway using the new system

[mcmase]

By the way, as someone who enjoys trains quite a lot and spends a lot of time around them I suggest adding a faint 'metal screeching' noise as they go around corners. Because the wheels will be grinding up against the rails themselves.

This, immediately. First thing I expected to hear when the train video popped up.

Again, amazing, awesome stuff, can't wait, but please, please, PLEASE let's get a big update next week! Combat, or planet number 3, or SOMETHING!!! Feels like its been so long since the last major teaser.

I just want to know whether combat has received as much attention and improvements as the other aspects of the game... like *raid planet*...

[mmmPI]

Personally, I think the train sounds are good. Yes, they aren't that cool, but maybe that's because they want to keep the cool sounds for some monster that will come in the future?

here is a "cool" train sound : 4 hours of relaxing train sound and blizzard howling

one can hear the "clickety clack" while reading the comments , they are warm (i'm not sure that's the proper english for "tadac tadoum") That particular noise is significant for many people but it also goes against the idea for the more terrifying engine noise for the train which would be for safety purpose when playing zoomed in / gameplay related, as it could ruin the relaxing ambiant. Maybe you are correct about the balancing question, maybe in the future there will be other noisy things that are not monsters and that also have cool sound. I wonder now if wind sound different when it's hot wind vs cold wind.

[Mango]

Are you a magician by chance?
How would one differentiate temperature by sound...

Steve Mould explains it in 3 minutes

https://youtu.be/Ri_4dDvcZeM

That is black magic

[Shuisman]

Bush is drawn in front of tank. Literally unplayable…

unplayable.png (1.36 MiB) Viewed 2519 times

[kpreid]

Question - what’s going on with that splitter in the inventory sounds video? It’s swapping the lanes of iron and copper? They can do that??

A filtered splitter puts everything that doesn't match the filter on the other output. Or if you didn't know splitters could have filters: splitters can have filters.

[MrGrim]

Brilliant! Sound is so often overlooked in critical analysis, but it's so important. These are some great new capabilities, and they're used exceptionally well!

ngl still miss old belt sounds tho.

[MrGrim]

A filtered splitter puts everything that doesn't match the filter on the other output. Or if you didn't know splitters could have filters: splitters can have filters.

I'm patiently awaiting the FFF that talks about circuit control being added to these.

[FuryoftheStars]

[Gouada]

I look forwards to these updates every week. The sounds sound amazing. Thanks dev team!

[mrudat]

Ooh, the wind whistling through the trees when they're thinly spread?

A more whistly and less rustly sound for wind in dying trees?

Wind whistling through the factory?

Some night sounds that get blocked by lights, and some that don't?

Hmm. Alien critters that get startled and fly away from sudden strange noises? Particle/sound effects tied to a sufficient tree density triggered by sudden factory activity?

Alien critters that fall off their perch in high pollution? Tied to tree death stages, perhaps?

[laethos]

A filtered splitter puts everything that doesn't match the filter on the other output. Or if you didn't know splitters could have filters: splitters can have filters.

Oh wow… I use filters all the time, it just never occurred to me to that I could take two adjacent lanes and swap their contents like that. I always use undergrounds to create a gap in one lane.

I’ll just pretend I’m a new player and don’t 2000+ hours logged