Portfolio II

Environmental Elements

Upon entering an environment, you recognize objects, sounds, colors, smells, etc. This sets the foundation of your current surroundings. Creating the aura for this environment presented challenges that called for unorthodox methods. There is no right or wrong way to make "creepy". Glancing at the photo, one can notice how this scene takes place underground in a mysterious cave. I wanted to create creepy, deep, and dark ambiances that force you to take your next step carefully. I also incorporated a low-frequency bass that forms the pressure you feel underground.

Object Sounds

This environment presented several separate assets that played an essential role in the game but did not remain a constant sound. For example, the game shows flaming torches on an undefined cave wall. The creation of the flame involved materials around the house. One item was a thick, reclosable, polybag used for delivering small items from Office Depot. Shockingly, this item produced a middle frequency, shaping the flame you hear. The low frequency was accomplished using a polypropylene welcome bag. This generated the illusion of the flame dancing around the torch as the wind brushes past. Adding reverb to the sound delivered the echoes created from the abstract cave walls.

Player Sounds

An important asset to create is the footsteps a player takes throughout the game. The footsteps tell you a transition of room space has occurred. It also gives away your position with respect to an object in the game. This environment has three different surfaces to walk on. One surface is a wood bridge held together by planks and old nails. Establishing that sound involved layering footsteps with wood. Adding a small echo to the sound creates the image of stepping on multiple planks that may give out at a moment's notice. The echo works in unison with the reverb to create the wood plank sound at the Chamber location.