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So lets understand the OP's reasoning for in game sounds of lasers not being "enough" or "as they should be".
Lets start with what Hollywood and the gaming industry has conditioned us to believe is the effect we would hear or for that matter see. Great hissing and thundering of sounds mixed with crackling and some form of sound effect futuristic blend of humming. All theatrics and make believe.
Current scientific and tech advances in various forms of "Laser" and "Directed Energy" weaponized systems are far from noisy. I fact they don't make any sounds at all, and produce no light detectable by human senses.
Why do you think they produce smoke and vapor clouds so you can see the Laser light during laboratory experiments and club or concert locations. Because you can't see it unless it's being absorbed by something.
- A localized area effect of being able to actually see the beams may be possible through Beam absorption but that is not the normal standard.
- A laser beam or particle beam passing through air can be absorbed or scattered by rain, snow, dust, fog, smoke, or similar visual obstructions causing the energy stream to become visible.
- Additionally this effect adds to blooming problems and makes the dissipation of energy into the atmosphere worse. (Laser beams begin to cause plasma breakdown in the atmosphere at energy densities of around one MJ per cubic centimetre. This effect, called "blooming," causes the laser to defocus and disperse energy into the surrounding air. Blooming can be more severe if there is fog, smoke, or dust in the air.)
Now that's great for game play isn't it, fire something and see nothing. Not! But luckily most of the area's this game is played in has some form of atmospheric obstructions, smoke, mist, dust all add to game play and allow us to actually see something. Hollywood and game artists/designers rejoice.
Now back on topic to the sounds we hear when firing these monster weaponized lasers.
- theoretical as these systems don't exist:
If we follow the problem that currently the actual laser itself doesn't make any noise, then what we must be hearing are all the supplementary systems that are used to cause and react during and after the laser fires. The charging systems, the cooling elements working, the components used to focus the beam at different operating distances, all working during and after the actual energy is discharged from the mech weapon. Or are these sounds just produced so the pilot has clues to a weapon system discharging or being used.
It would be a pretty boring game if there were no sounds from energy based laser weapons. Similar to what is depicted in movie space battles, great explosions and huge sound effects, when in reality there would be no sounds.
Note here: Todays Industrial cutting and manufacturing lasers don't make any sounds. Yes, there's lots of noise at the item being cut, and more at the power generators, but nothing at the actual beam generator or beam.
It's a game set in the future, using weapons that don't exist. (yet) So I can understand developers wanting big Hollywood sounding weapons to add to the emersion. Heck, I even think the different manufactures of laser based weapons should have somewhat different sounds. (different materials and operating systems involved.) And I would truly miss that woob, woob of pulse's firing. Are these elements being improved, changed and adapting, yes. With the new updates to the game engine, visuals, I expect to see lots of additions to environmental sounds and weapons.
Lets the developers get the upgrades installed into the game, UI2.0, Dx11, New Engine, then we can ask for a sound update and improvement if it's needed.
9erRed
Edited by 9erRed, 22 November 2013 - 01:58 PM.
