how will be the sistem sounds of SOW?

[SPUDLEY1977]

I flew IL-2 for 2 yrs with one of the top tier (as analyzed by third party audiofiles) Realtek ALC 889. I had read all the onboard vs add in comparisons and opinions. Then I replaced it with X-FI Extreme Gamer with the highest available EAX 5.0 an excellent onboard sound processor chipset. (Option of onboard soundcard Ram does nothing with semi modern system configurations).

I do a lot of audio listening, and the new card running Il-2 I noticed NO improvements to sound effects quality nor any improvement in immersion or surround.

LOCKON was the same - NO improvements.

However Battlefield 2 did show SIGNIFICANT sound quality and surround/directional improvements.

General audio listening - SIGNIFICANT improvements.
The improvements were hard to imagine untill I made the purchase. There are some very useful technical/functionality improvements with this card over the Realtek 889. I only wish I had done this noticeable upgrade earlier!

CAVEAT: I have a good 5.1 sound system, Logitech G51. A good sound system and a good card are the basic tenets of audio quality. How the sounds are programmed in the specific application is the other indisputable key to your sound immersion. Different applications may not have received the audio programming they really deserve. Lockon and IL-2 are two of them. BF2 audio programmers really show the significant improvements to immersion that are possible.

BEWARE: the x-fi Audigy series do NOT have the fundamental X_FI processor technology of the other X-fi series cards. ( I would not buy the AUdigy line).

[Feathered_IV]

I expect Oleg will make some effort to improve the sounds over what we have in Il-2. He did say once on ORR that the sound system for Il-2 proved be a "mistake".

The thing that I am particularly worried about is the quality and diversity of Speech files for SOW. This is a crucial area for creating immersion, but unfortunately one that is frequently neglected.

[Chivas]

Originally Posted by Feathered_IV

He did say once on ORR that the sound system for Il-2 proved be a "mistake".

I'd like to see that quote. I doubt very much that he said the sound system in IL-2 was a mistake. He's has said that people with sound problems should first check their own PC sound systems.

That said I'm sure the sounds in BOB SOW will be better than IL-2.

[AA_Absolute]

I think the worst problem with sound is "sonic radar", almost all online pilots could hear other planes... this "cheat" make unsucesfull lots of sneak attacks at low six.

Oleg says new sound solve this "trick", i'm happy if servers could disable external sound in 4.09

[Feathered_IV]

Originally Posted by Chivas

I'd like to see that quote. I doubt very much that he said the sound system in IL-2 was a mistake. He's has said that people with sound problems should first check their own PC sound systems.

That said I'm sure the sounds in BOB SOW will be better than IL-2.

He said it at about the same time as the Pe-2 addon came out, in regards to the so-called dynamic sound scheme that Il-2 employed with it's default sounds. He said that it proved to be an error in view of the diverse types of setup each user had, and he would use a different approach next time. He did not give any clues as to how the new approach would work. His tone was slightly reproachful of the community, and he intimated that he'd be forced to change it more because people were so inclined to complain about the Il-2 method of sound, rather than that it didn't work per-se. You were away for some time I believe, and might have missed much of the debates over sound back then. But you may recall how Oleg is inclined to dig his heels in from time to time when responding to critisism.
I'm sorry that I can't provide a link to the post, as ORR no longer exists. I've always remembered this comment of his over the years though, particularly later when the sound mod came out.

[SlipBall]

In the bonus dvd that came with 1946. I seem to remember some footage of sound's being collected at a airshow. I'm sure that the SOW sounds will be far better than those found in IL-2. For me sounds are as important as graphic's and fm

[Red Dragon-DK]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

For me sounds are as important as graphic's and fm

Agree 110%

[WhiteSnake]

I just hope SoW will be OpenAL audio and not DirectSound(3D) so it will work normal with soundhardware under Vista.

EcoDragon, you can hear an other aircraft in more cases than you think but in battle the first notice of an other plane would be a glint of sunlight reflecting of it or bullets flying past or hitting you plane from behind wich would give the sound of hail on a tin roof.


Spudley might be runnin Vista in wich case the X-Fi cards dont work at all and the sound procesor simply gets bypased, or even worse can distort audio/ cause stutters or even system crashes.
All hardware suport for Audio should be turned off under Vista, especialy EAX etc.

[fireflyerz]

For me sounds are as important as graphic's and fm

Agree 120%

[TX-EcoDragon]

Originally Posted by SlipBall

. . .I seem to remember some footage of sound's being collected at a airshow. I'm sure that the SOW sounds will be far better than those found in IL-2.

The real challenge is not getting the flyby sounds correct - and these are the sounds you would more easily get an airshow. The place where we will spend most of our time is in the cockpit, and the the sounds in a piston engine fighter are vastly different than the sounds a spectator at an airshow hears. I can also tell you from my own experience that most recordings I've made do a very poor job of reproducing sounds accurately compared to what I heard when making them! This is partially the result of my consumer level products being used instead to make recordings/videos instead of pro gear. In reality, I can glean significant information about what is going on with the aircraft just by listening to it, in a recording, only the most dramatic changes are obvious.

This is one of the largest problems with the sound mods I've heard, they fully neglect slipstream noise, airframe buffeting, and the continuous prop tip drone that a pilot hears, instead playing sounds that are more like what a person outside the airplane would hear.

Also, the "sonar" we have in game is another big issue - in the real world, you just don't hear another aircraft in most any circumstances. Even in cases where the aircraft noise signatures are very dissimilar!