Audio enhancements?

[longiron]

There's nothing like the rumble of diesel engine through a subwoofer as it revs to add an element of realism. Trains uniquely generate a lot of low frequency sounds and lots of high frequency sounds too, like squeals, turbos, etc that would really increase the feeling of "as real as it gets".

I wonder if 5.1 or 3D audio going to be supported? Discrete or Matrix? What about better bit rates?

[stonelance]

It will be the same as FSX, or better. We are still trying to finalize some plans for the audio system.

[Skoaler]

Just my suggestion but have random radio audio going off like you can get ATC traffic in FSX..it mostly is just there for effect in the background..In TS2 it would be random such as "601 --clear north Orange grove" and or have defect detectors -computorized voice say "Defect detector,milepost 1-4-6,no defect-total axle 3-4-4,no defect" All of this triggrered random radio from nearby radio traffic simular to the Flight sim series..you could also have nearby yard radio and dispatcher audio playing..It would have nothing to do with you and your operation but would be an option to hear random realistic radio communications going off in the background at a low level audio as you ride along:cool:

[coreynolds]

I'm curious as to how train sounds will be improved en route. I'm sure it won't be the same continuous loop which sounds horrible and gets extremely annoying after a while. The sounds of flat spots and and other wheel sounds are huge. Wheels squealing at the proper locations, and the banging over frogs would be a great improvement as well. Not to mention the difference of welded vs. stick rail. I'll be interested to see how these improvements will be made.

[oakpalms]

Have you checked out sounds for download for MSTS? There have been numerous improvements with MSTS including sounds for the things you mentioned. If MSTS-X can't come any better than what is already available then I would think they have been working with their head in the sand--which I doubt.

Bob Edwards

[stonelance]

We are planning on doing all the sounds you ask about. I'm not sure if the flat spots will be dynamic though. It may be that you have to create different liveres of the same rolling stock with different ground roll sounds to get some variation. I think that is all still up in the air at this point.

[BNSF4723]

This is definitely a feature of the sim that I'm keeping a close eye (ear?) on. I always found the sounds lacking in MSTS. Very few 3rd party packs provided an experience that I felt was prototypical. So far what we have heard in videos is good though. Freight car sounds is definitely something I'll be paying attention to. Flatspots seemed to not even exist in a default installation of MSTS.

[SCrails]

being able to hear the notching a mile away in a pretty quiet area, and then get louder as it approaches would be good. I was always able to tell when a train was coming even though I couldn't see it

[HHackman1]

being able to hear the notching a mile away in a pretty quiet area, and then get louder as it approaches would be good. I was always able to tell when a train was coming even though I couldn't see it

You want to railfan it or drive it.:rolleyes:

[coreynolds]

Railfans and others who just play the game want to do both.

[SCrails]

You want to railfan it or drive it.:rolleyes:

I like both if that's ok. I'm just saying if they could be able to get the sounds really on point would be great. Where I used to live, there were little slopes in the distance and beyond them was the incoming train. I couldn't really see the train, but I could hear it come. Somehow I developed a knack for it, where I could hear it from my house and used to run outside and catch it everytime. lol

[zarker99]

You have to remember that the 'lack of imagination' in the sounds department for both MSTS-1 and KRS is the design signature of the same development company,

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a different developer will have a little more flair here. Certainly FSX has all the right environmental sounds for the flight models: open cockpit, closed, etc.

Personally, I'm feeling quite optimistic :cool:

[Company Notch]

Personally, I'm feeling quite optimistic :cool:

So am I... :)

-Rick

Rick Selby
Lead Game Designer
Microsoft Train Simulator

http://yardlimits.spaces.live.com

[zarker99]

I like both if that's ok. I'm just saying if they could be able to get the sounds really on point would be great. Where I used to live, there were little slopes in the distance and beyond them was the incoming train. I couldn't really see the train, but I could hear it come. Somehow I developed a knack for it, where I could hear it from my house and used to run outside and catch it everytime. lol

When I was a 14 year-old trainspotter (we called ourselves 'trainhunters') in the UK, myself and two friends managed to talk our parents into letting us go to scotland for the weekend (Glasgow was about 300 miles away from us), to visit some engines about to be scrapped (15 x 'Claytons' D8500) We caught the 22:30 overnight train which got us in to Glasgow at 08:00 next day.

It was an amazing weekind, but for months afterwards I could hear that 22:30 train in the distance accelerating away from 'our' station - 3 miles away.

Another thing I remember was the Deltics - you could feel the ground vibrating about 2-3 minutes before the engine came past. An awesome piece of machinary!