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[18+] Speaking off topic "Phycological audio"

venquessa

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EDIT: Adding the 18+ warning.

Has anyone played "Alien Isolation"?

This game, along with a lot of others with similar soundscapes take advantage of your audio threat perception to deliberately raise "the hairs on the back of your neck", or at least stress levels. They can literally raise and lower your heartrate on their whim... and they will.

This particular game, I could not finish. I got to the end game scene and I just couldn't continue. I could not take the stress. The physco-acoustics had me. The suspense, the constant impulses that force alertness, the constant dread about what that noise means.... "where is it?", "It's close, but where". "beedup, beedup, BEEdup BEDUP, BDUP, DDP!" OH F...ridge magnets, where is it!" it's an absolute master piece of messing with your head and I believe the majority of it is the audio phycology employed. Actually being caught and killed by the zeno morph is rather tame. Having it hunt you and 90% of your only perception be 3Dish audio. Terrifying. Literally.

You "can" of course play it in a bright room with the volume down really low, but... that's like watching a movie under similar conditions. Big monitor (or VR), headphones and total immersion, this game will give you nightmares.... even at 40. The game of course has many elements where that 3D audio perception is an advantage. Knowing it's coming is terrifying, knowing from where does really help you feel better, but it does help you play the game.

I really should look up the sound scape producers for these games, as I have heard several similar "sounding" games, where real thought in how we hear and how it plays into our emotions.

Caution. Not safe for kids or sensitive types. (Note it's not inappropriate, its just, as above strong).
Random video of reactions.
 
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venquessa

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I found this as what appears to be a base audio 'track' for a stage in the game. It appears dynamically generated and very, very creepy.

This ^^^ is just the background to the whole game stage, which could be hours. It's playing all the usual horror tweaks at you constantly while on top of that is the added stress of that damn alien hunting you and the noises it makes or your motion detector makes.
 
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venquessa

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I am not surprised that this exists. To be honest, I wish I had this when I was playing the game. It's the background ambience used mostly in the game when there is zero threat.... mostly. As a survivor of the game I can see the therapeutic use.
 

threni

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Disappointing lack of seaweed-based discussion in this thread so far.
 
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venquessa

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Disappointing lack of seaweed-based discussion in this thread so far.

Pi 4 (moOde) -> Topping E30 -> Asgard 3 -> Sennheiser HD 660 S
Pi Zero W (moOde) -> Apple USB-C/3.5mm Dongle (A2049) -> Sennheiser HD 595
Pixel 6a -> UAPP -> Sony WH-1000XM3

However.... irony was not supported.
 

threni

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