We may take fore granted how advanced the presentation of today’s games are. Gaming technology has advanced quite a bit over the last four decades, and that includes production of game audio. Long gone are the days of “bleeps” and “bloops” trying to mimic sound in the most crude way possible. Giants shows just how advanced this process has become in a showcase video that shows all that the audio team does to capture real machinery audio for Farming Simulator.
Developers from Giants give us a look at the intricate way they capture sound for the different machines in Farming Simulator. For instance, they’ll place mics all around a tractor to capture the sounds made throughout various stages of operation, such as the engines revving up during acceleration and dialing back during deceleration. Even the way the tractor’s huge tires interact with the ground at different speeds are captured with high quality mics.
Big wheels and big engines
There’s even a machine called a dynamometer that functions as a fake implement to put the tractor under load. Under these conditions, the tractor makes different noises, and the dynamometer captures those more varied sounds.
Once the audio is captured, the files are then played back and edited in order to make sure the right levels are brought out; such as making sure there’s enough bass for lower frequency sounds. Using a series of manual fine-tuning and automated processes, the files are finalized and sent off to programmers to “fix” them onto the different states of the virtual vehicle.
Considering that this is only one element of the creation process for the simulator, it’s a reminder that such projects truly are bigger behind the scenes than they might first appear. Farming Simulator as a franchise has existed for well over a decade at this point, and it has grown quite a bit in terms of fidelity. The crude, basic presentation of its first introduction has long been surpassed with far more intricate detail work across the realms of visuals, tech, and sound.
The first big expansion for Farming Simulator 22 will release later this year with it a slew of new machinery. Undoubtedly, those machines will likely include some new, custom sounds too.
