Active Noise Cancellation Module
TelluriumCrystal
Ohio Join Date: 2016-12-26 Member: 225528Members
Ohio Join Date: 2016-12-26 Member: 225528Members
I have found that the ambient noise and music used in games can have a very dramatic impact on the "feel" of the game. Subnautica currently does a very good job of this, but something that has consistently bugged me is that you can very easily hear the vocalizations of nearby creatures while inside a seabase. This certainly makes sense - vibrations in the water probably travel through the habitat walls quite easily - but it can become repetitive and annoying if you spend a lot of time in your seabase. Case in point: I built my first large base in an area with reefbacks and they are slowly but surely driving me nuts.
This got me thinking about ways to insulate seabases against noise. It would probably be more effort than it's worth to code a system where one could add noise insulation to individual base segments. However one idea that might be worth looking into is an active noise cancellation module. This would be placed inside the base and would generate anti-waves to mostly cancel out external noise from the environment. This technology is already in limited use today, so I can easily see it being lore-friendly given the advanced level of technology in the game. Fragments could be found on-board the Aroura to in the crew quarters, with the reasoning being that such a system was in place to reduce engine noise.
From a gameplay perspective this would be a module that would be placed on the wall, like the communicator, that would reduce the volume of external environmental noise (maybe even add a muffled effect). It shouldn't be terribly difficult to code, as we already have sound changes upon entering bases, though this is hard to know without access to the game's code. The model would be a box with speakers, similar in shape to the battery charger but flatter. It would require power to function but would not consume a significant amount of power while active. An on/off button could be added, though I'm not sure what situation would lead to someone wanting to turn it off. I can certainly see this being a welcome addition for bases built near thermal vents and in areas with reefbacks or lots of predators (such as the stalkers in the Kelp Korest). Perhaps it could eventually be used to add player-specified ambience to seabases or even music, though the latter would probably not fit the Subnautica theme very well.
Would anyone else like to see something like this in the game?
This got me thinking about ways to insulate seabases against noise. It would probably be more effort than it's worth to code a system where one could add noise insulation to individual base segments. However one idea that might be worth looking into is an active noise cancellation module. This would be placed inside the base and would generate anti-waves to mostly cancel out external noise from the environment. This technology is already in limited use today, so I can easily see it being lore-friendly given the advanced level of technology in the game. Fragments could be found on-board the Aroura to in the crew quarters, with the reasoning being that such a system was in place to reduce engine noise.
From a gameplay perspective this would be a module that would be placed on the wall, like the communicator, that would reduce the volume of external environmental noise (maybe even add a muffled effect). It shouldn't be terribly difficult to code, as we already have sound changes upon entering bases, though this is hard to know without access to the game's code. The model would be a box with speakers, similar in shape to the battery charger but flatter. It would require power to function but would not consume a significant amount of power while active. An on/off button could be added, though I'm not sure what situation would lead to someone wanting to turn it off. I can certainly see this being a welcome addition for bases built near thermal vents and in areas with reefbacks or lots of predators (such as the stalkers in the Kelp Korest). Perhaps it could eventually be used to add player-specified ambience to seabases or even music, though the latter would probably not fit the Subnautica theme very well.
Would anyone else like to see something like this in the game?
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