I’m new to FMOD and I’m learning how it works. I’m trying to make a labelled parameter sheet for footsteps that plays a multi instrument depending on the material the player is stepping on.
Since sometimes 2 or more materials are involved, I’d like to ask whether there is a way to keep things tidy and efficient like image 1 or if I have to do something cumbersome like image 2.
I did something similar to image 1 with a 2d timeline sheet but I guess it’s not the most efficient way to deal with this.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
PS: should also a “Footsteps” event intended for the player (not the NPCs) be 3D and Stereo? A tutorial I was watching recommended to set that as 2D and Mono.
This depends entirely on what you want the event to be capable of.
If the character’s foot can only step on one substance at a time, then the event shown in screenshot 1 should work just fine. The event shown in screenshot 2 allows a character to step on any combination of dirt, sand, water, and wood with each step, which may be more appropriate for games featuring relatively complex environments and large feet.
Again, this depends on what you need the event to do. As a rule of thumb, players expect their “ears” to be located wherever the game’s camera is - so in a first-person perspective game, making the player character’s footstep event 2D makes sense, as the player’s ears and feet will always be located at the same position. On the other hand, if the game has a third-person perspective camera, the player’s character might move around independently within the camera’s field of view, making a 3D event more appropriate.
So there’s no way to avoid that ON/OFF switch from the second image? (at least 2 parameters would be required for a “walk/run” system but for now I want to have just “walk”)
That makes sense, so to make it clear, does it all comes down to how the player’s character is located within the camera view? I.e. in a game like elder scrolls where the camera is attached to the player (independently whether it is a first-person or third-person view), I will prefer a 2D Mono event, while for a baldur’s gate 3 where you can navigate the field with your camera a 3D Stereo is more appropriate.
I don’t know what the “Footsteps” ON/OFF parameter does in that event, nor do I know whether you want your event to have the same functionality, so I honestly can’t tell you if you need it.
More or less, yes. To be pedantically precise, it generally comes down to whether the thing making the sound (the player character’s feet) is able to change position relative to the camera. In most first-person games, it won’t move, but there are rare exceptions; for example, if a normally first-person game allows the player to have an out-of-body experience while their body is walking around, it might make sense for the footsteps to be spatialized; and if the game allows the player to look down and see their body (a rare but not unheard-of feature in first person perspective games), it might make sense to spatialize the footsteps in that case, too.
Ultimately, it always comes down to how you want the sound to behave in your game. Every game has different requirements, after all, and nearly any behavior could be effective in the right context.
