Fire & Lava - Cues/Kismet

Burning Straw

Aside from the burning torches in the level there are other fire sources within the level which needed addressed. In the opening room there is a pile of straw in one corner that is set up to go on fire if the player triggers a predefined kismet sequence. A burning torch mounted on the wall next to the straw is attached to a 'Matinee' sequence in the kismet which triggers it to fall and set the straw alight when the player touches a trigger point.

Triggered Burning Straw

Supporting Kismet sequence

The Mono File Issue

1st of all there was a fire sound cue created for the burning action using a mono wavs of individual fire sounds that make up the cue. However once placed within the level (attached to a note like the dripping sounds) there was a drastic shift in sound perception from left to right as the player rotates within the room. This problem within UDK as mentioned in earlier posts could prove to be a major issue for this project as any unnatural distraction like this could potentially put up a barrier for immersion to take place, especially so early in the game. When the player has a sound source at 90 degrees off to the left for example the audio signal will be completely cut from the right (quite abruptly too). Further reading up on this is required to try and establish a work around or fix.

The sound cue for the burning straw is made up of two base burning loops as well as a looping, delayed, modulated and randomised fire cracking sound as used for the burning torches cue.

Right Channel of Burning Straw Sound Cue

As these base sounds were originally stereo wavs the idea was to bounce them off as left and right mono channels and create two separate sound cues for each left and right. Then to place them within the level in a stereo position much like a set of speakers. This allowed for a stereo feel but with the spatialisation function which is only applicable to mono sound cues. These cues were attached to notes and placed in the level at various locations and distances apart until a suitable sound was achieved. These was some phasing issues to contend with whilst figuring out placements of these cues, more s when they were too far apart.

Final placement Of Left and Right Burning Straw Cues (attached to notes via Kismet)

Kismet sequence for triggering burning sounds

A very simple Sound cue was also created for the sound of the torch falling, this was basically a portion of the original fire recordings I was working with with a volume envelope applied to make it appear to swoosh. This cue also doubled up as the sound for when the player picks up the buring torch as a vital light source.

Torchfall Cue doubled up as the take this torch sound

Lava Sounds

Another fire source within the level was the lava which is present in three locations, two of which were identical (located under a metal grid underfoot) and the last one being behind metal bars which is basically a whole burning room full of lava.

Lava room cue

Lava under foot cues

The two sound cues created for each of the lava sounds were very similar apart from a different base burning sound which was heavier for the big lava room and lighter for the lava under foot cues. Both utilised bubbling loops which are a pitch shifted recording of bubbles being blown through a metal tube into a beer keg full of water.