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VR and game development are two things that I have always been passionate about and have wanted to try my hand at. Being able to be part of the presence group and participate in game development and production is a thrilling prospect.
I am delighted to have created such a sound work. The sound design process involved discussing the design, pre-recording, foley, audio editing, music production, Wwise, and C#, which gradually enriched the content and ultimately formed a complete work. I am proud to have been involved in every step of the creative process and to have witnessed its growth.
Throughout this journey, I learned a lot. The pre-recording and foley process allowed me to better understand the details of environmental sound. Brainstorming Foley methods for sounds like bird flapping wings, rain, and fire enhanced my creativity and imagination for sound creation and production. Creating music that matches the visuals increased my experience in music composition and confidence in music creation. Lastly, using Wwise and C# to set up sound helped me gain familiarity with coding and game sound development, which enhanced my personal sound design abilities from multiple aspects.
However, there are several areas that I believe could be improved. First, better time allocation would allow us to complete the connection between Wwise and Unity more thoroughly and calmly and add more rich sound content and more detailed sound effects. Second, a richer sound library would provide more usable sound effects in the random playback of sounds in Wwise, creating a more vivid, realistic, and rich forest environment.
Finally, I am grateful to every member of the team for their efforts in this project.I will cherish these memories of working late into the night. I am also thankful to Professor Jules for providing valuable feedback on our proposals and to our tutor, Leo, for their patient guidance and great help in making C# run smoothly.
The recording took place at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh using a Sennheiser MKH 416 short shotgun microphone. This type of microphone has strong directional properties, allowing for clearer and more precise capture of the ambient sounds. A location deep within the botanical garden was chosen to minimize background noise pollution. The team recorded a variety of sounds, including bird calls, the sound of flowing water, the scurrying of squirrels, and the rustling of leaves in the wind. The recorded audio was then imported into Reaper for editing and ultimately became sound effects in the game.
After discussions and communication, we have decided to follow a realistic sound environment and incorporate more natural sounds in our game audio design. We will add some music effects on this basis to enhance the game atmosphere, enrich the sound environment, and increase player immersion.
Recording section:
After our meeting to determine the direction of game audio design and the needs for sound materials, I decided to record some sounds on-site to enrich our sound library materials.
I have booked the equipment:
Sound Devices – MixPre-6 II
Sennheiser MKH 416 short shotgun microphone
Rycote – Windshield/Jammer
Rode 3m Boompole
AAA Rechargeable batteries X4
SD Card -16GB
Beyerdynamic – DT 770 PRO 250 OHMS
XLR Male to XLR Female
I selected the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as the location for recording because it provides us with rich environmental materials and a quiet space atmosphere. The microphone used is the Sennheiser MKH 416, which has strong directional capability, allowing for better and clearer reception of on-site sound. The recording location was selected in the deep part of the botanical garden to effectively reduce noise pollution. I recorded ambient sounds and animal calls, such as bird calls, river sounds, squirrel running sounds, and wind sounds. After finishing, I imported them into Logic for editing and eventually created sound effects for the game.
Foley section:
When editing the recorded audio, we searched and selected usable audio files. We then compared the available materials with the required sound list and created a list of sounds that needed to be synthesized. We then had to use our imagination and common everyday objects to synthesize the missing sounds on the list.
After everything was prepared, we booked Music Studio 5 – B12 and reserved the use of the following equipment:
AKG C414B Multi pattern large diaphragm condenser
Beyerdynamic – M 201 – Dynamic – Hypercardiod
Microphone Stand
XLR Male to XLR Female
We booked two types of microphones for our recording session, one is a dynamic microphone and the other is a condenser microphone. The sound recorded by the dynamic microphone is rich, full, and has strong noise resistance, while the condenser microphone has high clarity and sensitivity. Each type of microphone has its own unique characteristics and advantages in picking up sound, providing us with more options during foley recording.
We foleyed many sounds, such as:
Birds flying: To simulate the sound of birds flapping their wings, we used clothes and tissues to flap quickly. Thin clothes and soft paper were used to simulate the sound of small birds flying, while jackets and slow, sweeping motions were used to simulate the sound of large birds flying.
Rain: To simulate the sound of rain, we each held a handful of rice and scattered it onto cardboard on the ground from a height. The frequency of the rice scattering was controlled to simulate different rainfall intensities. Then, we used corn chips held in our hands to simulate the high-pitched and hard-sounding raindrops, representing different states of rainfall.
Animals stepping on leaves: We crushed dry and fresh leaves with our hands to simulate the sound of small animals stepping on leaves. Finally, we placed the leaves on the ground and used our feet to simulate the sound of large animals stepping on leaves.
Bees flying: We put an electric toothbrush in a sealed bag, pressed the switch, and adjusted the angle to simulate the sound of bees flying.
Burning branches: We squeezed plastic foam to simulate the sound of burning branches.
After finishing the recording, I edited and modified the sound recorded from the dynamic microphone, and then organized it before uploading it to the group’s shared document for later production use.
Music section:
I created music for the third part of the game, rebirth part. This section depicts the aftermath of a raging fire where the screen is predominantly black, and players can see twisted tree roots when looking down. At this point, the protagonist is on the verge of death, and the Mother Tree seeks to transfer energy to other trees with its last bit of strength. The white balls appearing on the tree roots represent the energy transfer process.
This section is sad but also symbolizes new hope. In designing the music, I opted for a soothing melody with a foundation of quarter and eighth notes. I chose a lower pitch to give the music a slow and somber feel that conveys the dying life of the Mother Tree. I then added crisp high-frequency notes of wind chimes to illustrate the Mother Tree’s energy transfer to other fresh life in the scene. The music is vibrant and rhythmic, presenting a combination of a somber main melody and lively notes that depict the cycle of life and death. The constant transfer of energy reflects the endless cycle of the biosphere, conveying the greatness of life and the belief that it never truly fades.
When combined with the visuals, the music enables players to perceive the movement of energy visually. The collision of ethereal and deep sounds enhances the player’s immersion and amplifies the impact of the game’s overall experience.
Sound design:
The player spawns in a terrain surrounded by rocks with gentle and soothing music playing in the background. As the player controls the controller, they gradually ascend and can see animals such as foxes and birds, as well as the dense forest around them, from a subjective point of view. Birds fly around the forest, and the sound of flapping wings helps the player locate them at any time. As the player rises, the environmental sounds also become richer. Upon reaching the highest point, the weather changes to rain. The rain is designed to be immersive with dense and surround sound effects. The second part of the sound design begins with the appearance of fire, where the sound of flames feels close to the player and adds to the immersive experience. The life of the trees gradually weakens, and the music changes to a mournful melody that complements the desolate atmosphere. In the third part, when the trees burn out, the player’s view turns dark, and they can see the chaotic roots of the trees beneath them. As the center of white energy, the Mother Tree is using its last strength to spread energy to the surrounding trees and make its final contribution to this homeland. The music uses slow and mournful long notes as the foundation, and adds crisp wind chimes to express the collision between the decline of life and the vitality of new life, while also embodying hope for new life in the midst of a desolate and sorrowful atmosphere. At the end of the game, the player is reborn in the forest, surrounded by a lively and vibrant environment. The music uses piano and cello to create a soothing and vibrant melody, expressing the theme of the greatness of life and the belief that it never truly fades away.
Regarding personal work reflection:
Firstly, if I can better allocate my time, I will have more time to record more sound materials and enrich the sound library of the team, which can provide more sound options in the later stage and more randomly played sound materials in Wwise. Secondly, the sound design of the project can be more diverse, and more interactive sounds can be added in c#. This means that there is still a lot of learning space for these directions in the future.
Regarding Collaboration:
Being able to participate in every step of the sound production process allowed me to have a more comprehensive understanding of game sound design. After each visual adjustment, the sound would follow a new direction, allowing us to explore sound design that is better suited to the visual design. This is an essential part of sound work and a necessary element in team development.
The whole experience is from the first view of the flower. The viewpoint has the life value of the flower. The sound could be like Hoopoe in Catching Fire, showing the emotions of the flower.
The flower grows from the earth and is later picked and taken home to the children of the family. The flower is planted in a pot by the child and is observed in the third person perspective of the family. The child studies, his mum and dad go out to work every day and his grandparents come to their house at weekends. (Here you can then watch childhood, middle age and old age.) Ways to increase interaction: for example the flower can wilt if it wants attention 🥀 so that the owner will come and water it and take it out into the sunshine. The owner can exercise in the sun while the flower basks next to him and watches him, and tries to do the same actions as the owner. Watch people’s lives from the flower’s first view and see their own life value. As time passes, the flower withers and the old man, for example, dies. The flower is eventually placed in the old man’s coffin, but as it is being placed, a wind blows and a petal floats up. The view follows the petal as it drifts higher up, overlooking the funeral, and finally drifts into the distance. The image fades and then reappears in the earth.
Landline telephone ringing, used in adult office scenarios.
The Octavo, a classic sound of childhood memories.
The sound of a toy turning a clockwork. Can be applied to childhood scenes.
Wind chimes, which can be used as music during the first part of the flower growth
Printer sound, office scenes
Inspiration for the game’s sound design：
There is no blood and no time limit in the game Flower. Despite the simplicity of the gameplay and the lax rules, the game is not boring.
The peaceful and beautiful sounds of the first level instantly transport you to another world without the noise. There is also a tinkling sound effect as the petals fly over the flowers. Especially when flying along a row of flowers, the sound effects connect into a musical scale and it’s a wonderful experience. Depending on the level, the sound changes.
