Sound in video Games + use in GameMaker
45This video is an updated basics video about how to use sound in general for video games and in GameMaker. I wanted to do a comprehesive new video, to fill in the blanks and give you a solid start and minimal use case,
as a basic a guide.
Content:
1. What music and sound effects mean in video games (music/sfx theory), 2:17
2. How to setup sound files before using them in gamemaker or any other engine, best practise 6:14
3+.4 How to play sounds in GM, 7:54 + 12:58
1. The concept is fast and easily explained. Most of this know you instinctivly. Good music/sound can make or break a game. As an industry standard developers seperate music and sound effects each in one group each. There can be sub groups (ingame sfx, ui sfx etc.) but let's keep it simple.
How are music files stored?
Generally music files are being stored/saved in the .wave or .mp3 or .ogg format, which most programms can use. As a general rule it is best practise to use .wave for small sound effects that are many and .mp3 or .ogg for your larger music files.
Imagine the how much of compression and quality loss you have to do to reduce it file size overall.
What is music in video games?
Music resembles the tone/feeling of the current level/environment and is being looped without the player having any direct effect on that. It gives context to the current place we as the player are in.
What are sound effects (sfx) in video games?
Sound effects on the other hand are short tunes or jingles that indicated something is happening and underline the video game experience. Their main function is give the player accustic information about the gameplay (feedback)
Fancy not so useful trivia!
If you want to be super fancy, you can use terms like diagetic and non diagetic. In a nutshell, diagetic means means what characters in movies/games can hear in their environment (footsteps, wind, others talking) and non diagetic, what the audience (yes you) can hear
2. Setup sound files and use tools like Audacity
This is optional but, you can use the free software Audacity to export you sound files into other format + compression/quality levels and compare each sound in order to normalize them into one harmonious "mold".
3. How to use sound files in GameMaker
You sound files are resources that you have to create and setup on the right side, where the asset panel is.
If you want to play a sound file you can use the audio_play_sound function.
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// game shown - Batbarian and Heros of Hammerwatch
CHAPTERS
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0:00 How sound is being used in video games and in GameMaker
0:20 Subscribe
0:34 Time stamps for each chapter
2:17 What music and sound effects mean in video games
2:45 How to setup sound files
7:54 How to play sounds in GameMaker
12:56 Additonal things you can do in GameMaker