Smart placing of soundscapes
I'm not entirely sure how Valve use soundscapes in their maps, if they stick to one or more. In my map I'd like to have at least two soundscapes, combined with music. The music part is complete. However the soundscapes are a bit more tricky when the player changes area.
See, I'd I want to have two soundscapes in two different areas, on each in other words. But if the player choses to portal over to another area without getting into the perimiter of the soundscape, then it won't trigger. Is there a smart way to trigger soundscapes in certain areas?
Is it a good idea to create huge trigger_multiples for these areas or is there a better solution? Thanks in advance!
hmm, you can set the radius higher, so it fills the entire room. If thats not possible (when the other area is to near), use some worldportals
There is a trigger_soundscape entity that might be of use to you...
Or try adjusting the radius of your soundscapes...
Yeah, adjusting the radius will help - in fact, I'm almost certain that good placement and a big radius will fix your problem. The physical location of the SS entity doesn't matter (but not in the void),as long as the player is within its radius. So just increase it until it fills the space it needs to.
If, for some reason, that won't work then place identical SS entities around the room so that the entire area is filled by the soundscape you want.
Or, if you want to be REALLY careful, put soundscapes in front of the portalable surfaces so that they get trigger when the player enters via portals.
Hmm, i would prefer this method
Thanks for the answers! Resizing the radius won't help since the different areas have locations that won't allow it, or at least make it very difficult. Perhaps I should just go with placing multiple of the same soundscape in specific locations, making sure the player always get the soundscape I wish it to get.
Will this affect the map quality? Is it expensive/cheap/good/bad to do it this way? Thanks again!
I dont think that.
A couple of extra point entities shouldn't make much of a difference. So go for it!
For ease of use .. instead of placing multiple env_soundscapes around your room, place one in "a spot so you know its the main one for that area" then use env_soundscape_proxy around your room. What this means is that for editing/adjusting/tweeking/playtesting you only need to change the main one for that area and all the proxies "update" also .... ...
Another thing I was thinking of is this; env_soundscapes can be parented and enabled/disabled according to the VDC.. so why not set up your scapes in front of the player spawn. Parent them to the player on map load, and then enable/disable as needed by triggers ?...effectively if you disable them all the player would still be listening to one, but when you enable another the player should switch to it (as it is parented to them and still in front of their face)..??.... Might work, just an idea that passed my mind... ..