Terraformers – Sounds On Mars
BETTER SOUND 2024 | Category: Game Audio
Entrant
Abstract
Game Audio Design for Terraformers. Dive into the colonization of Mars with Sonic Minds’ immersive sound design. Blending real-world elements and sci-fi nuances, enhancing strategic gameplay and player engagement. Ambient atmospheric and interactive sound design that enhances the experience and journey through the red planet’s colonization.
Description
Introducing Terraformers. Terraformers is an colony builder and resource management game. The objective is to explore the red planet, develop cities, spread life and terraform the planet with ambitious projects. Terraformers is a project created with passion and skill from developers Asteroid Lab. Let us take you on the exciting journey on how we brought life on Mars.
The Challenge
Asteroid Lab did not want Terraformers to sound like a standard sci-fi video game with an abundance of synthetic and futuristic sounds. Instead, they wanted everything to sound tactile with a mild sci-fi feel. Both to complement the visuals and UI design, as well as stand out from the crowd among other sci-fi video game competitors. The soundscape should be immersive, as the game is more akin to a board game with limited animations and visual elements. The sounds had to sell the idea of real world events happening and keep the player engaged in the experience.
Insights
UI sounds needed to be informative and have a clear purpose. As the game is mostly UI based, a lot of sounds had to be designed to cover all of the different kinds of buttons and actions the players could interact with. Terraformers is a game about strategy and planning, so the listener needed to be able to concentrate deeply while playing and not be distracted by any audio elements. This required the audio to be informative and not too attention-grabbing, whilst still maintaining a clear auditory identity.
The Solution
Through several iterations, game changes and tight collaboration, a sonic identity was moulded for Terraformers. Prior to final approval, we meticulously integrated them into the game environment, allowing us to explore their impact and effectiveness firsthand. This approach provided us with a reliable benchmark for evaluating the sounds and enabled us to assess their cohesion within the overall gaming experience swiftly and effectively. Being part of whole process allowed us to explore various directions and styles, aiding us in identifying the ideal soundscape for our collaboration with Asteroid Lab. Through this process, we discerned which sound elements aligned with the vision for the project and which did not. As a result, we crafted a distinct and captivating gaming experience that immerses players in the thrilling adventure of terraforming the red planet, complete with bustling cities, vibrant lifeforms, and exhilarating encounters.
Here are some of the design decisions we took to accomplish the auditory goals:
– Every button was designed to sound like pressing a real tactile button.
– Most of the UI sounds were designed to be reactive.
– Soundscapes to immerse the player in the world and support the narrative.
– Sounds designed from same source material to create a clear auditory identity.
Project Video