Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: badhorse on August 05, 2010, 02:36:05 PM
-
First this is not intended to be a whine, but a serious question. Can anyone explain how the new sound system is an improvement over what we had in the past? I've noticed that since the change my stereo headphones don't seem as sensitive as they once where. Harder to distinguish left and right unless there is a large difference.
I'm sure it is a better system or the change wouldn't have been made. I was just curious as to what the difference was.
thanks
-
+1, the doppler effect is hard for me to hear left and right in regards to the engine shounds.
-
I honestly cant tell much of a difference.
-
I've been using headphones for years and distance seems a lil funky now. I'm going to hook the surround sound up this evening and see if that's any better.
-
Like anything else, once you get used to something being presented one way, having it presented a different way is going to throw you off a bit.
What you hear with the miles system is going to depend on your system, just like the differences in the graphics. If you're using a USB headset, you may not hear the same sounds as someone using a Soundblaster or Realtek audio chip...and vice versa.
The miles system is going to allow more flexibility with the quality and quantity of sounds within the game.
I use an onboard hi def audio chip, and the only thing that is out of whack for me is external plane engines...they sound like bees when they go by, some are higher pitched than others.
-
I've got a 5.1 set of headphones. I find directionality is better in my case, though I've seen many reports to the contrary.
Badhorse- I believe HTC stated the advantage to this system is it will allow more sounds to be played at once, a capability they're looking at using in the future.
I also get the 'bees' sound type that Gyrene mentioned, it seems to me to be an attempt at the doppler effect, and I just took that as 'Ok, that's how it is now.' Not sure if it's intended or not.
Wiley.
-
Research
Miles Sound System (http://www.radgametools.com/miles.htm)
wrongway
-
I don't care what they do... I got my volume controls back. :D
-
On my system, Realtek MB sound + headphones, the new sound is slightly worse than before. Directional imaging is not great; maybe it would be better if I had a surround system. Also, volume control is too quantized. Example: instead of fading in from zero, the sound of planes approaching will just suddenly become audible. Or, if you are in the tower external view and there is a GV approaching the base and you spin around using the position keys the GV will be either definitely audible or suddenly silent depending on whether you swing to a shorter or longer range. On my system even the volume sliders are very quantized. It's kinda like it uses a single 8 bit volume setting which is coarse near the low end?? I had to turn the Windows volume and AH master volume up full and turn the mechanical volume control on my headset down to minimum to try to get a little smoother control.
-
It sounded a little off to me too at first, then I noticed the boxes for the setting for HEADSET . Once I clicked all the settings to that it sounded like it always did loud and clear
-
I am completely dissatisfied with this change. Ive tried both On board and separate sound cards. There is a drop in quality. example: I am flying at 300 knots and a friendly or enemy plane are 1.5k out. I dont hear the engine but I hear their guns firing clearly. This system IS messed up and Im not going to POST every example of the problems with it. WE are paying for a service and THIS service has gone down hill. Sound used to be pleasurable Now its Horrible.
KAM
-
On mine, the VOX sounds really tinny like when it was first put out for testing, though not as much, but no where near the VOX quality of the original system.
-
On mine, the VOX sounds really tinny like when it was first put out for testing, though not as much, but no where near the VOX quality of the original system.
SAme here Ranger...Plus the tinny engine sounds...especially the p-51 in a dive...I die laughing when it comes in..Kind of a joke sounding ..... It needs fixing and as usual. HTC hasent let us know there is a prob we just have to endure and HOPE they are doing something about it.
Bummer but Par for the course...
KAM
-
The miles system is going to allow more flexibility with the quality and quantity of sounds within the game.
I guess in time we will find out about the quantity but I think as far as quality goes the old system was better.
-
It needs fixing and as usual. HTC hasent let us know there is a prob we just have to endure and HOPE they are doing something about it.
Bummer but Par for the course...
KAM
It would seem to me that its up to the players to let HTC know if there is a problem. Not the other way around.
Some of the complaints/glitches I've heard are indeed valid. Planes sounding like buzzing bees for example. Too high pitched. I myself have had that though admittedly its not nearly as bad as it was. Same ting with hearing guns at a longer distance then plane engines. Or engines suddenly cutting in at 600 out instead of fading in as they should.
Again these things are better for me now then they were..
But instead of assuming HTC should let everyone know there isa problem is off.
Perhaps they dont know unless we tell them. Could be on their machines everything works perfectly. But with the nearly infinite variety of systems and the components that go into them. HTC cant possibly be prepared to know if there is something thats off on every system
-
I am completely dissatisfied with this change. Ive tried both On board and separate sound cards. There is a drop in quality. example: I am flying at 300 knots and a friendly or enemy plane are 1.5k out. I dont hear the engine but I hear their guns firing clearly. This system IS messed up and Im not going to POST every example of the problems with it. WE are paying for a service and THIS service has gone down hill. Sound used to be pleasurable Now its Horrible.
KAM
So it has nothing to do with anything on your computer. Yeah...riiiight.
Even if there are issues with the existing sounds and way they are processed with the Miles sound system, aside from the fact that there are a good number of people who aren't having any problems with the sounds the way they are, it's not something that cannot or will not be addressed in some manner. It may not meet your standards, but the choice to continue paying is totally up to you and I'm willing to bet good money that HiTech and company are not going to bend over backwards and revert back to the old system based solely on your displeasure.
-
So it has nothing to do with anything on your computer. Yeah...riiiight.
LMAO Every patch for years we get a new one all freak out and start blaming OUR Hardware. Funny thing is that if we wait long enough and for enough patches it seems to get fixed. Its rare that a good running machine becomes a hardware problem after THEIR patch..
Its usually a PROGRAMMING PROBLEM..
Plus 2 compleatly soundsystems tried on my machine with same result = Their programming
KAM
-
LMAO Every patch for years we get a new one all freak out and start blaming OUR Hardware. Funny thing is that if we wait long enough and for enough patches it seems to get fixed. Its rare that a good running machine becomes a hardware problem after THEIR patch..
Its usually a PROGRAMMING PROBLEM..
Plus 2 compleatly soundsystems tried on my machine with same result = Their programming
KAM
Then by your erroneous perspective, everyone who plays this game is having the same problems as you. Bad news, not a fact.
You should learn some things about programming and computer hardware, it's an eye opener.
-
Ummm..
I'm not
-1
Oh and just for the record my hardware was wonky as all get out a couple of weeks ago. With the help of some members, HTC, and my squad mates, my comp is running like a scalded ape and I'm AVERAGING 70 to 73 FPS in the MA's. Hmmmmmmmm.... Just saying.
Ick I just agreed with a Gyrene ;)
-
I've been using headphones for years and distance seems a lil funky now. I'm going to hook the surround sound up this evening and see if that's any better.
+ 1
i can't judge engine noise in a tank like the old sound.
also, sometimes the merging planes have cool race car sounds and other times it's the same old stock motor sounds.
froger
-
From my experience.
Vox quality is not as good as it was before.
Harder to determine direction of enemy with sound.
Doppler sounds aren't quite right.
The sound threshold has a harder edge. (enemy sound non-existent then at D800 sound level increases sharply instead of fading into the mix)
No 'show-stoppers' but not as good as it was before, but this is only the second patch. I hope they keep tweaking it until its better than what we had before.
-
Gentlemen many people do not seem to know there are 2 issues that are changed.
One is Miles sound system, make sure you select your speaker layout. This makes all sounds sound a little different, for all of us at HTC and many others, this system creates a deeper richer sound.
The other thing that has changed has nothing to do with Miles, We have changed many sound settings in the game, things like sound ranges, sound ranges when your engine is running, different settings if you are hearing a vehicle or plane...,and how they fall off with range along with ranges at which they are no longer played. This has nothing to do with the miles system.
HiTech
-
I've got a 5.1 set of headphones. I find directionality is better in my case.
TB HPA2's here and the sound has improved. The sounds prior to Miles were opposite, if a plane was on my right, I heard it in my left side, etc. Everything has been improved, engines sound better (I use Sketchworks/AKDogg), I've always heard flaps, gear, etc over the engine.
Vox is superior as well.
Thank you HT.
-
Gentlemen many people do not seem to know there are 2 issues that are changed.
One is Miles sound system, make sure you select your speaker layout. This makes all sounds sound a little different, for all of us at HTC and many others, this system creates a deeper richer sound.
The other thing that has changed has nothing to do with Miles, We have changed many sound settings in the game, things like sound ranges, sound ranges when your engine is running, different settings if you are hearing a vehicle or plane...,and how they fall off with range along with ranges at which they are no longer played. This has nothing to do with the miles system.
HiTech
Any chance you could tell us the "before" and "after" ranges?
-
Essentially what HiTech is saying that if you don't have your speakers setup correctly in your audio properties, your audio may sound wonky. I think he's also referring to that we must identify what kind of speakers you're using... i.e. headphones, 2,2.1 4, 4.1 etc.. Then you can make other adjustments to your sound.
If you are having issues, can we all:
a) update our sound drivers to the latest
b) ensure our audio setup is matched to the audio equipment we use
Furthermore, can we also put into perspective that the quality of sound equipment your computer has both inside the machine and speakers could be a reflection of what it'll sound like?
I mean, if you're using onboard (motherboard-buildin) sound, are you going to be to take advantage of the Miles sound quality? I'm using an Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Sound card. It cost me $100. If I use onboard or a $20 sound card, what are the chances my sound won't be the greatest or work properly with other games? I've been playing games that use the Miles sound systems for a number of years with ZERO issues on a variety of machine types. My speakers are always setup properly and I try to use the latest drivers + ensure my direct-x is working properly/updated.
I don't like sounding like a 'know-it-all', but some of this stuff is what we called in the military... CDF. Common dog fudge. You should know this stuff already if you're a serious gamer... right?
-
Fork- I think the issue most people are taking with it is, before the sound they were getting from their system was perceived as being at a certain level of quality. After the change, they are experiencing a decrease in that perceived quality. No hardware change, no driver change, drop in quality on their end. The system might be capable of better performance, but it may also require them to tweak their sound settings which they didn't have to do before.
For example, I would never have described the ingame vox as 'good'. I would have rated it at the lower end to middle of 'adequate' before the change. Now I find I'd rate it a couple of notches lower, but it's not a big deal to me because I didn't think it was that great to begin with. It's still about as good as it was before, most of the time it seems like as long as their mic is not a complete POS, you can understand what they're saying.
I'm not much of an audiophile. I use onboard sound, it does a pretty decent job for what I want out of it. Like I said before, I find it interesting that my directionality seems to be improved from before. I wonder if the difference between my and others' experience is simply that I've always had my speakers set up right and the Miles system deals with it a bit better.
I don't think the sounds are scaling quite right when stuff goes off into the distance though. It seems to fade out down to about 20% volume, then cut out and go silent which is a bit jarring at times. Maybe it's desired behavior.
There's also another school of thought which I happen to subscribe to when it comes to setting up gaming machines. 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.' I am sure I don't need to tell you the number of times video and sound manufacturers have put out updated drivers that broke things in unexpected areas. I generally don't play that many different games, so as long as the drivers I'm using for the ones I'm most concerned about (AH) are working well for that purpose, I'm not going to mess with it. It's a policy that has served me well for a long time, though I might wind up updating my sound drivers just to see if there's an ingame improvement.
Wiley.
-
If you are having issues, can we all:
a) update our sound drivers to the latest
b) ensure our audio setup is matched to the audio equipment we use
a) did that- didn't help
b) did that from the start, still have problems
However, Hitech's post tells me that the main problem I have is not a bug; it's a design feature (sudden cutoff of sound with increased distance).
-
According to HT then it is not the new system but changes they made that are the culprit. That being the reason means they will fix it.
The sounds are not deeper and richer for me but now that I can adjust them I can live with it. If the sound before was a 10, I'd give the sound now a 7.5 or so.
As for issues with direction and distance I'm sure they will fix that.
-
According to HT then it is not the new system but changes they made that are the culprit. That being the reason means they will fix it.
As for issues with direction and distance I'm sure they will fix that.
If they made these changes deliberately, I'm not so sure it would occur to them that it needs fixing.
-
If they made these changes deliberately, I'm not so sure it would occur to them that it needs fixing.
Which means you've never done any programming, nor heard of the Law of Unintended Consequences.
Not everything done deliberately does what you were attempting to do.
-
If they made these changes deliberately, I'm not so sure it would occur to them that it needs fixing.
Its more likely that your expectations are skewing the results. Since you expect to experience 'A' when instead you experience 'B' you are immediately unhappy and refuse to accept the correctness of the new result. This is a known human trait of unwillingness to accept change.
-
If they made these changes deliberately, I'm not so sure it would occur to them that it needs fixing.
You have to start somewhere. First implementation was pulled due to some unforseen problems. Second implementation took away a popular fixture, component sound control. Third implementation added the control back in.
I'm sure they will adjust further as more feedback comes in.
-
Gentlemen many people do not seem to know there are 2 issues that are changed.
One is Miles sound system, make sure you select your speaker layout. This makes all sounds sound a little different, for all of us at HTC and many others, this system creates a deeper richer sound.
The other thing that has changed has nothing to do with Miles, We have changed many sound settings in the game, things like sound ranges, sound ranges when your engine is running, different settings if you are hearing a vehicle or plane...,and how they fall off with range along with ranges at which they are no longer played. This has nothing to do with the miles system.
HiTech
Typical Its not us its your machines...LOL I better start with my Power supply. Also If we only understood better then we would realize its really not a problem.
-
I have the sound configuration set to EAX 4.0 and I hear the surround sound just nicely and the quality of sound is a big improvement over the old sound system. I think maybe just the sound distances on a few of the sounds needs to be adjusted but those have really nothing to do with the sound system itself. Also, when the custome sound packs with the sounds tailored for the Miles system things will also improve greatly. I'm happy with these changes, it's been a long time coming.
ack-ack
-
Typical Its not us its your machines...LOL I better start with my Power supply. Also If we only understood better then we would realize its really not a problem.
No where in that statement of mine did I even hint at anything that you insinuate. The statement was simply to separate the two issues so people can explain their issues better.
You would be hard pressed to find anywhere with out absolute knowledge of an issue where I say it isn't our problem. Even then we have found the issue by isolating the problem that we could not fix.
HiTech
-
Its more likely that your expectations are skewing the results. Since you expect to experience 'A' when instead you experience 'B' you are immediately unhappy and refuse to accept the correctness of the new result. This is a known human trait of unwillingness to accept change.
No where did I say I was unhappy or that I refused to accept anything. You are so quick to flame people you don't bother reading what they write. All I asked was how the the new sound system was an improvement over what we had before. Get it right cupcake.
-
You implied through your post that 'they' (HTC) deliberately made changes that 'then' needed fixing. This implicates you as not accepting the blame yourself.
And dont call me cupcake there Francis.
EDIT: BTW my implication was that you are unwilling to accept change. In other words: Stubborn. Your proving it now.
-
Gentlemen many people do not seem to know there are 2 issues that are changed.
One is Miles sound system, make sure you select your speaker layout. This makes all sounds sound a little different, for all of us at HTC and many others, this system creates a deeper richer sound.
The other thing that has changed has nothing to do with Miles, We have changed many sound settings in the game, things like sound ranges, sound ranges when your engine is running, different settings if you are hearing a vehicle or plane...,and how they fall off with range along with ranges at which they are no longer played. This has nothing to do with the miles system.
HiTech
And you proved you open your mouth before you read. HTC said they changed things. To me that is doing things intentionally. And no where did I say they needed fixing. Like I said, get it right cupcake.
-
Meh... stubborn francis. :D
-
I'm more than willing to give HTC all the time they need to tweak these sound settings. Not to mention give all of our great sound designers time to create new sounds for the game.
I wasn't anywhere near as patient when the 'advanced' sound controls didn't exist. Give them time, this will improve with time too... the overall amount of complaining has diminished drastically already.
-
Delirium is it off somehow on your end? I get the high frequency doppler shift as planes approach front quarter but other than that this is Miles (pun intended) better. I can get the house shaking with audio from the speakers and still hear vox over headphones which to me is just what I asked for!
-
If you are experiencing an occasional scratchiness in your vox transmissions you might try turning Windows System Sounds to Off (no sounds).
-
I have noticed now that when I hear a engine sound and turn to see where it is it will be where the plane is, before the change the sound did not seem to link to where the plane was :old:
( my wife bought me a new sim seat, it must be the new sound system ont the seat :old:)
-
Despite how I feel about Sound Blaster they do have the best 3D positional hardware or at least the high end SB stuff does. In fact they may be the only game in town. The HT Omega can simulate 3D positioning but it does it by loading the CPU (minimally). I dont think there is an onboard system that offers positioning at all and the same is true of USB (except for high end headphones). Auzentech should be good too because it uses the X-Fi but I dont know for sure. I want to do some more testing with them but other things have me distracted right now.
-
The latest Realtek HD audio chips do have 3D positioning capability. Though not as good as the latest Soundblaster cards, it's adequate. There are also fewer sound compatibility issues with the Realteks.
-
I have one of the Realtek HDs latest and its not even close. There is also a USB dongle hardware piece that has 3D but its way off also.
When you are listening for GVs moving in the bushes and the 3D position indicates a direction that is 40 degrees out of whack... its not going to help you succeed very well.
-
Hooked the surround system up and it works amazingly well. Only issue is the neighbors prolly think I'm packing some serious firepower in my living room now :D .
-
I am using a Sound Blaster Arena Surround Headset. I downloaded and installed an updated driver and I did notice an improvement to the quality of the sound. I still don't think the sound is as good as it was prior to the changes, but it did improve.
-
LOL...I installed an updated driver for my built in sound chip yesterday, and I had to turn the volume of the sounds in AH down even more. Kind of unusual. No more buzzing bees though. :D