1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGN
Unit 73: Sound For Computer Games
Game Title Timesplitters Future Perfect
Provide detailed descriptions from chosen examples that establish… Clearly state what production technique(s) you think have
been used to create specific soundtrack elements
Setting The cutscene is set off the coast of a small European island in the middle of the
ocean. Most of the cutscene revolves around a small rowboat travelling towards the
island, while a larger navy waits nearby.
As part of the setting they introduce a number of
background elements into the sound design, such
as the bird calls of seagulls and the sound of
water moving and making contact with the
rowboat, though it is relatively quiet to provide
focus to the dialogue.
Mood The cutscene is overall light-hearted, and does not make much reference to any
serious amount of danger despite certain events that occur to the contrary. There is
a shift of focus in the scene from the beginning – where there is a greater focus on
the introduction and interaction of the characters – to later when there is a greater
focus on an event that is occurring around where the characters are.
Although guns and explosives are featured in this
cutscene the sound design does not revolve
exclusively around them, as the sounds of the
guns are relatively shorter and quieter than they
would be in a number of other games or in reality.
In the cutscene dialogue is loudest in the mix.
Game genre Timesplitters is an action oriented shooter game played in first person. Weaponry is featured a lot in this cutscene, and
the sounds made by the weaponry are louder
than any background sounds (even at a distance
where the sound would be mitigated, such as the
sound of a gun being cocked). As the events of the
cutscene unfold, they introduce music to the
cutscene as it transitions to gameplay.
Narrative In this cut sequence, the narrative follows two characters, one of whom is earlier
established in the story and the other is introduced in this cutscene. The cutscene
displays three major events: the introduction of the characters and their interaction,
those two characters being endangered, and the resolution of the actions of those
characters as the setting of the ‘level’ is displayed to the player.
The sounds in the cutscene are louder when they
revolve around the characters or the characters
focus point, such as when a gun is shot at them or
when they focus on the naval ships nearby. When
the naval guns begin to fire, focus is taken entirely
from the characters to the ships and we don’t
hear any sounds that involve the characters.