Today we had our midterm crits in which we were to show our rough drafts of our sound assets and game design. We were the first group to go, which is always a bit nerve racking. I personally struggle with giving presentations in front of a classroom full of people, especially a room of friends and collaborators who I respect endlessly. When we got up Ana started the presentation in which she led the class through the concept of the game and the inspirations behind it. She then got a volunteer from the class to run through the rough sketch of the game, apart from a few technical difficulties it went well.
I showed the class through some sound assets I have created for the game, or just as a placeholder. I am the primary creator of the ambiences/soundscapes for the game. With that job I have to create the general ambience of the game which will vary a lot throughout the game as it becomes more intense. I provided the class with some ambiences made from manipulated tube field recordings, and the sampling of old opera vinyl records (in a similar vein to artists like The Caretaker). The sounds were made for the more intense parts of the game, where the game acts more like a horror game. The sounds aren’t going to be used, but act as a good starting place for me and my peers to work up from.
I feel the presentation went well, although I wish it went smoother. I was the only one who uploaded sound assets before to the lecture, although we did get another sound uploaded to the drive. I do wish it was a bit smoother. I think I came across quite anxious and I tend to ramble when presenting as I feel if I don’t speak it will be awkward. I do think I started to settle in the longer I was talking for.
We got some good feedback, especially for sound. One thing our lecturer Ingrid mentioned was the use of the SOMA ETHER electronic magnetic microphone. I am lucky enough to own one myself, so I will be using this to collect harsher electronic soundscapes.
This is our final lecture before our easter break, which is about 3 weeks long. I have made a list of sounds to achieve over the break which you can see here. Throughout this break I will work on these sounds and send them to my group to get any feedback. Though we have specific roles in this project everyone is encouraged to collaborate with each other, as it is a collaboration project, and it is good to work with your peers.