Game Design, Programming and running a one-man games business…

New Sounds, New data… how big a deal?

cliffski

I bought some new stock sounds for Kudos 2 today to replace some of the sounds that are still in there from the original game. I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I can imagine some people who own Kudos 1 will be annoyed if (for example) they hear the same sneeze sound from the first game. After all, you have paid for a new game right? But on the other hand, does it *really* matter? There is a lot of new content and art and features in the new game, but to be honest, the sound of someone sneezing is the sound of someone sneezing. Does it really matter? Did they change the MP40 gun sound between COD 2 and COD 1? I have no idea, and doubt I would care or notice, but obviously I want my customers to be happy.

Clearly
its cheaper and easier and quicker to leave in old sounds (and text where applicable) rather than pointlessly redoing things for the sake of it. I’d rather spend that time and money adding new stuff like the stand up comedy night, new books, new jobs and new sounds etc. I’m interested to know what people think, especially if you bought Kudos 1. Would recognizing some sounds and text annoy you?

5 thoughts on New Sounds, New data… how big a deal?

  1. My vote is that it’s better to spend the time and money on new content than on replacing old content. People are more likely to appreciate something completely new that simply a replaced cough sound or similar. Don’t throw away what worked in the original game – build on it to make it better.

  2. I agree with Tom. And to be honest, sounds like the sneeze will get repetitive anyway no matter whether it is a new sound for K2 or not. If players are really bothered about it, they can just go to Flashkit or some other sound site and replace it with a new one.
    It’s much better to spend your time and money on the stuff that really matters in the game than the little bits that don’t.
    I’ll be looking forward to the game no matter what the sound is like! :)

  3. I remember in The Movies they used a sound from Black and White. The one in Black and White that gets played when your workshop has finished building a scaffold. That kind of annoyed me; but I think that was more to do with the sound itself being really annoying.

  5. Sound is part of character building. It doesn’t matter that the sound is “new”. It matters that the sound is appropriate to the character.

    If you’re re-using old characters they should sound the same. New characters should have their own voices. Would you use the same sneeze for 2 different characters in the same game?

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