CCP Antiquarian wrote:Greetings, Capsuleers! This post will discuss the changes coming out for the Audio settings of EVE Online.
In 2014, we released Kronos which provided players with in-depth sound customization options in the form of Advance Audio Settings. We introduced that change because we wanted our players to have more control when choosing what they personally prefer to hear in the game - especially when playing with many clients at the same time - and also because we wanted to encourage the experience of EVE Online's unique soundscape.
The Advanced Audio Settings have been a partial success, functioning as intended but not having all the desired effects. We did indeed make the audio side of the game more flexible for our players, introducing some 30 different sliders for many possible audio mixing scenarios. Despite that customization, however, only a handful of players ultimately ended up using these customization options. Client settings logging reveals that around 9% of total EVE players are using the Advance Audio Settings menu at all. Of them, only a third (3% of all EVE players) are using each individual slider. A large majority of the 9% are only using one or two sliders in the Audio Customization menu. Some are only using sliders for elements they've disabled via the normal Audio settings.
Via survey, self-reporting, and focused testing, it became clear that complexity is the most likely reason for this lack of engagement with the menu options. New players confronted with the already gargantuan EVE Online options menu find the list of sliders daunting, and manual upkeep of the code yields more defects on the development side than the usage merits. Additionally, upkeep of the existing system when upgrading our middle-ware and adding new sounds to EVE is somewhat cumbersome. Frequently it is unclear where a sound should be included, or how to link new sound triggers into the existing system. We are dedicated to empowering EVE players, but in this instance simplification seemed better for both players and developers.
With that in mind, in order to make the menu more inviting for everyone and clear up valuable interface space (not to mention developer hours) we have decided to simplify the Audio Customization menu greatly. This will require adjustment for many of the 9% that have been using the existing sliders, but we've taken steps to minimize that disruption by shifting and grouping the various sounds according to usage and type. The names of the regular Volume Level settings (the UI, Music, Speech, World and Master sliders) are not being changed but some of the old Advanced sliders are being diverted into those controls. For example, Aura's voice will now be controlled by the Speech Volume slider.
The names and functions of the Advanced Sliders change as listed below:
New Sliders:
Atmosphere
Jump Activation
Secondary Interfaces
Ship Effects
Ship Ambience
Turret Volume
Warning Sounds
Old Slider -> Appears under New Slider:
Turret volume -> Turret Volume
Impacts -> Turret Volume
Stargates -> Atmosphere
Wormholes -> Atmosphere*
Jump Activation -> Jump Activation
Crimewatch -> (UI Sound Level)
Explosions -> Ship Effects
Engine.MWD.AB -> Ship Ambience
Station Exterior -> Atmosphere
Station Interior -> Atmosphere
Modules -> Ship Effects
Ship Ambience -> Ship Ambience
Warping Effect -> Ship Effects
3rd Party warp -> Jump Activation
Map and Ship Tree Vol -> Secondary Interfaces
Locking -> (UI Sound Level)
EVE store -> (UI Sound Level)
Planets -> Atmosphere
UI Click -> (UI Sound Level)
Radial Menu -> (UI Sound Level)
UI Interaction -> Secondary Interfaces
Aura -> (UI Speech Level)
Hacking -> Secondary Interfaces
Shield Warning -> Warning Sounds
Hull Warning -> Warning Sounds
Ship Damage Warnings -> Warning Sounds
Cap Warning -> Warning Sounds
Atmosphere -> Atmosphere
Music Dungeons -> (Music Level)
Music General -> (Music Level)
* This indicates general wormhole atmosphere. The wormhole activation sound is controlled by the Jump Activation slider.
We continue to investigate ways to improve this system, including modifying which features are controlled by which sliders and adjusting for popular requests, so do not hesitate to comment on the forums and make your own noise across New Eden. We look forward to streamlining the process of customization for all capsuleers and hopefully bumping that 9% up so that more players can experience all that EVE has to offer.
Fly free!