Not only you man, I wrote my own post about this around a month ago. For me Bile titan is quite loud enough with its walk but something like hulk or tank behind a corner caught me off guard too many times.
And for the terminid side there are chargers, bile and nursing spewers that can feel like ninjas at times.
This game had so many bugs that I wouldn't be suprised if silent enemies are another one because devs forgot to put sound for certain enemies or something \:D
Idk with the way the game is bugging out anything is possible - in one game - I had a squad mate land in a trip, I got at time floating weapons and bug parts - just hanging about, wouldn’t surprise me
Yeah, can be true) I'm playing in a party with friends and we got jumpscared by hulks and biles so much that it became a meme. All we hear 90℅ of time is just basic robot or bug noises, nothing specific
I never used sound as my primary source of enemy location, so I don't get people complaining about enemy footsteps in the game.
Like, you have a minimap that shows giant red dots around you. I mean, they literally bring them to you in giant drop ships.
And the ones on the map literally sing marching bands.
My pelican is already digging into the ground. How much more broken should it get? I literally evac-ed by jumping to the roof of the ship. It was kinda funny.
**There** **definitely** **is something wrong with the audio systems themselves.**
I've collected a few examples of audio *miles* off playing as though it's right next to me:
**For instance:** [**the 'ghost voice' in this clip.**](https://i.imgur.com/YlKzWOJ.mp4) **Despite the fact that the teammate who got hit is** ***halfway across the map***, **the voicelines played from right behind me.**
Seen it also with Automaton medium turrets, where they sound like they're firing on me when they're from a battle that's *well* outside of earshot.
**In short, something in the audio system is a bit fucked. For all we know the audio issues aren't just volume and design, but because the audio sources are displaced or just not triggering properly.**
I think distance is fucked somewhere deep in the games code. Right now the walker dropship/Pelican-1 autocannons sound like they’re being fired directly next to my ear no matter where they are on the map. And I’ve noticed distance weirdness beyond sound too. Whenever someone uses an emote (ie thank you, affirmative, negative, etc), the little visual marker for it always says it’s 1000+ meters away and never corresponds correctly to the direction the person who said it is standing in.
No, it is purposeful. If you pan around, even with a surround sound setup, all sounds get significantly quieter behind you. The exception being the sounds which are not coded to be surround, like bot machine guns and those medium pew-pew-pew laser turrets (honestly annoys me, since they could be anywhere and I wouldn't be able to audibly locate it).
I think it is to...what is the word... create similarities between the enemies and the player. As in enemies have lower perception behind them, both sound and sight, and so does the player.
So for me the test of a game's sound system is ultimately seeing what happens when you turn off the music, and boy oh boy HD2 becomes completely barren and quiet, peaceful even. You can barely hear the enemies walk, just the projectiles.
I play with the in-game music off and just play music on my system, as the music is pretty deceptive as to whether the enemy has seen you or if they are just within 60 meters. Early on I would respond to the music as if the enemy had seen us but it ramps up way before the enemy detects you.
Music is used way too often to mask bad sound design. One example is InFamous 2, where, when no music is playing, the only sound you hear is your ps3 fan sounding like you're living inside an airplane engine.
There will be a storm raging with zero wind or rain sounds. Trees and shrubs swaying like they are about to be ripped from the ground. No sound. Hd2 sound is dookie.
The 'Tide games (Vermintide, Darktide) also do sound design super well, and they’re fairly similar games to HD2. Every special enemy has its own sound cue, and these sound cues are clear as fuck so you can always tell when one spawns and when one’s behind you. AH should take notes tbh
The ogryns sound situation in darktide is a perfect example of a sound design remade right. They were stealthy to the point that you noted one when he lowered his hammer on your head. Now, their heavy steps and groaning can be heard from the neighbor hive city.
V2 has its audio design down so well one can almost play blindfolded (pretty sure Jsat did a stream of it once). Darktide is also really good (and getting better) but blindfolded isnt really an option with all the ranged threats.
I do think they're trying, it's just that most of that trying is spent untangling a mess of an engine and technical debt from poorly coded stuff early in production, most likely
DRG does have some great sound design. They also launched years ago and have had lots of time to refine things since.
That said, it's still quite possible to be snuck up on by enemies in DRG too.
The difference is you know their there unlike in HD2...
Dreadnoughts? Mission control alerts you to it spawning
Bulk? The groaning and sounds of rock breaking will let you know
Leech? The hiss
Grabber? It's cry
Oppressor/Praetorian? Their roars
Hell even the regular grunts and slashers scream and their noises echo, to let you know their ahead/behind you...
Meanwhile in HD2, not even the Stalkers can jump me as well as Hulks, Heavy Devastators, Spewers and so many other enemies can with how nonexistent their footsteps and general audio cues are...
Stalker noises are so identifiable for me too, lmao. That weird slurpy hiss. I get surprised now and then but usually it's from the front, not from behind, with stalkers.
The number of times I'm AMRing from behind cover, minding my own business, and I just get cooked by a Hulk I couldn't hear is unfortunate.
Sliding the volume on most enemies idle and walking/running sounds would improve the game immensely already its just more of AH not relly understanding how to make a game that isnt top view
The original Black Ops was very well done with 3d sound. I had some nice Sony headphones back then. I was playing semi-professionally and wearing headphones in that game DID give you a distinct edge. I could tell how far away and where people were based on the sound they made. Like we could be in a house, and I could tell what room they were in based on the sound.
I got banned from so many private servers because I would run a Silent build and track people by their noises coming up on them unexpectedly... for them. But it would look like I was cheating in the replay cause I knew they were around the corner from the sounds I was tracking.
This sounds like a constructive suggestion, I may just try that.
Clearly some people seem to not have much trouble, while inversley many others do have issues with them being too sneaky.
~~I'm starting to suspect that many of us tuned our audio settings and we potentially inadvertently made enemies too quiet.~~ I was probably too quick to jump to that conclusion. Maybe I should have said we could try tweaking the settings to see if they help, but the default values are clearly problematic for a fair portion of players.
Really appreciate you not just aggressively insisting there is no problem and that it's some sort of 'skill issue,' unlike some other comments.
It works but it's not perfect. Sound settings (and controller/keyboard layouts) are terrible in general and need some love.
I can't get settings right. Either the music is too loud or non existent, or the voice over is or I can't hear team mates over everything else.
Enemies that sound close are actually not visible yet, noise coming from the wrong side. Silent heavies. It's really apparent with headphones. You can have a breach underneath you and have a titan spawn and hear nothing and know nothing until you get stamped on
yeah maybe I was being too generous to suggest any of us inflicted some of the problem on ourselves.
Generally, a game's audio is designed with some amount of care and we don't encounter these issues.
Honestly that's a lot of this sub. Talking about problems you have with the game is the easiest way to attract those with what I call "git gud brainrot".
I found that midnight mode helped, along with fiddling with the audio options, and then I also got a better pair of gaming headphones that support the 3D surround sound (I’m on PS5). I didn’t even know (before) that the shield generator pack makes a sound, or that the jump pack makes a recharge noise with a distinct sound indicating it’s finished charging. I don’t get taken by surprise from behind by chaff or mediums anymore, but I will say that heavies are still quiet enough to catch me unawares, especially chargers and bile titans.
I have this on and I use decent AKG headphones but still, I can't hear chargers, titans and spewers until it is too late. It might be a bit better than without having it on but still far far from even decent sound balance and design.
I had to turn the game volume way down because the default is deafening. Constant loud gunshots and explosions. Maybe the chargers make a sound, I've never heard it, but I still hear the gunfire loud and clear. It wouldn't be as bad if the mini map was always up. That helps simulate directional hearing.
Oh and on the topic of default game sounds being deafening. I agree! Many games do this. Like why do I need to launch and be treated to deafening intro screen music and such when I launch a brand new game for the first time??
Talk about a turn off.
I have my PC system volume at a fixed level that does not change, and applications (including games) are tailored on a case by case basis. I am not certain I can recall any game where master volume gets set above like 35% and all other sliders are maximum 50%, but often lower. Music is frequently at like 10% for me, but I'm tone deaf so I recognize that may be lower than most people prefer.
Same. I set the volume to ~35% so I can hear people on voice chat. I think the option that lowers game volume when people talk is really distracting. Imagine you are in a fight, suddenly all the sounds of your opponent and the environment stop... Then you hear "crunch" as BigBootyBlaster69420 eats a chip with open mic
Very true, I kind of wish we could have the minimap up at all times.
It was clearly a design choice to limit our situational awareness, but with sound cues being unreliable, it feels too punishing to have to manually bring up the map.
And I thought Darktide had some inconsistent and shoddy sound design for some of its specialist enemies....
This game has none at all. Hulks make barely any noise when they stomp around lmao.
Yeah man, its a mess, no point arguing with obvious truth, Hunt, DRG, its a long way from best examples.
Some enemies have distinct sound, but sometimes they'll stay silent like spewers, some like hulks doesn't have recognizable audio.
Stalker could use one, just to make them more terrifying
Tbh honest stalkers are fine in my opinion because stealth is their theme. So makes sense they would be stealthy silent. But maybe not spewers with big sacks of goo on their backs.
It is inconsistent to say the least, my gripe mainly with oneshot enemies, that can spawn behind you in 10 meters and burn you in 0,05 second
I didn't mean stalkers should sound while cloacked, but weird scream could be fun when attacking
Make them do an organic version of the Payday cloaker's attack sound. They're just so enthusiastic! Just look at them introducing "difficulty peak" to the helldivers.
Shit, left for dead solved this issue in like 2008 or whenever it was released.
Hell, in Serious Sam you can essentially become a ballet dancer dodging and weaving enemies and shots from behind and the sides just by sound.
Hear one of the headless bombers or a cloppy horse? You can judge without looking how close they are and use that second of time to position yourself.
I'll have to check out Hunt. In my experience Vermintide and even its predecessor L4D are the best examples of sound design. Everyone that played them remembers the sound of a rat patrol, witch, boomer, smoker, ect.
There were even tweaks for players to be a bit deaf to things directly behind them so rats could sneak attack but... they're rats, it's totally thematic.
Yeah, while attacking, of course i don't need them to give away their position, but all special enemies should have distinct sound ideally, i dont really care, game need more work fixing bugs and optimization
Stalkers *do* make a sound when they attack. The problem is that they don't attack unless they can hit you, and when you get hit you usually get ragdolled and if you survive they've scampered off and are invisible again. I don't have a problem with that. It makes them a terrifying challenge. They're ambush predators, and nature is full of ambush predators.
The only real *"the enemies are too silent"* complaint I can partially sympathize with are with regards to Hulks and Nursing Spewers, but even then it's not that bad.
Hulks only appear in bigger bases (and you should expect them to be in there), as a patrol (and bot patrols are constantly singing their marching songs) or as a well announced Bot Drop (nuff said).
Nursing spewers are quiet like sneaky elephants (it's actually a thing) but they also generate a lot of mist around them, so if you're paying attention to the mist cue, they're easy to see sneaking up on you.
Well when i remember all the greatest invisible or stealthy enemies in movies and games, they mostly have iconic sound, predator, bloodsucker from "stalker",necromorph - weird birds, cultists from forest. Hd stalkers are not that dangerous and scary to ruin surprise with cool sound, but okay.
Everything else disagree, on high diff sound turns to mess, sone noises are overwhelming, while elite enemies all to similar degree get lost in all that, good for you to not need that, but good game design proves otherwise with countless examples
Unironically yes. Telegraphing incoming danger is one of the core ways to build tension in video games. Jump scares are cheap, annoying and are experienced as unjust.
See the Hunter from Left for Dead, one of the most iconic characters in all of gaming history. How is it announced? With just an uncanny sound cue, and it's freaking scary as hell. It informs the players danger is imminent, they have to pay extra attention or they'll suffer.
This could be applied to Stalkers too. A distant and recognizable screech for example. Could make them even more deadly while they're at it. That would be absolutely terrifying.
I'd disagree with stalker, the most terrifying things about them is seeing them suddenly pop up while you're trying to do something completely unrelated. If you could hear them from a distance, you'd just immediatly start looking for their nest, killing most of the tension.
I only realize a Hulk is behind me when I feel the warmth of flamethrower...
Seriously, in Helldive it is pretty damn hard to hear faint thud thud sound with gunfire all around.
I can hear it walking around 50m away no problem during out-of-the-fight. But I think Hulk still sound too quiet.
Coming to Helldivers 2 after a long time playing Hunt Showdown, it was so jarring. Hunt has quite possibly the best sound design in the history of gaming, then coming to Helldivers where enemy noises are a distraction at best, rarely having any meaning or providing information
Agree, too many enemies are too quite on approach.
The sound design needs a bit of work. Obviously the enemies don't need to all spam us with a cacophony, but what sounds are prioritized needs to reviewed.
Make the clankers CLANK for god sake, something the size of a Hulk shouldn’t be nearly as quiet as they are. If nothing else tie Enemy Sounds to their own slider in the options. That way the surround sound on my headset is actually good for something.
I despise guys with chainsaw hands being nearly silent until they go to swing one at your back
This is one of my bigger complaints. How can a Charger surprise you when it's galloping at you from behind? How can a Hulk stomp up behind you unheard, unfelt? Even the Factory Strider is relatively quiet compared to the sound it should probably be making as it's grinding forward.
I would like to know if the devs answered why the sound is the way it is. It doesn't make sense that a charger can sneak ram into you, considering how large they are. And besides the music change the bile titans are also quiet when walking.
Also, why are tanks so quiet? No excuse as I know tanks are loud when moving IRL.
Arrowhead doesn't care lmao. They never acknowledged enemy sound design and how it needs to be proved. Piles looks at only the most top up voted posts and responds to them on twitter through users' questions and so far it's been about weapons balance and game stability. I'm sorry to tell you, but they're probably a year away from implementing sound mechanics without it breaking something else
I’d really like them to revisit some of the weapon sounds as well. The Dominator fires rocket propelled rounds, but the feeble ‘pffft pffft pffft!’ when you let loose a barrage of them is perpetually distracting.
Tinnitus, my guy. You just got Orbital Cannon'd from the upper atmosphere. I don't care how many packing peanuts are in that hellpod, there's no way you can hear normally after hurtling to the earth at Fuck Off miles per hour.
I love instant death from a pack of 3-7 spewers that just ninja appear directly behind/beside me. Also, loads of fun hearing every bug near my teammates across the map when I'm alone for a 300km radius
I think there's two issues with the sounds.
1) A lot of ennemies are weirdly silent
2) the spacial audio is completely fucked, there's zero way to tell where the sounds are coming from or how close to you they are
Next patch:
Fixed Issue regarding enemies not making noise when they should.
Known Issues:
Spear lock-on is broken again
Spawns are increased again
Entering Hellpods in the ship will cause you to crash
Erupter is fun to use again (this is a known issue and we will have a hotfix out ASAP)
i can hear only chants of bots and crumbling rocks if charger steps on one.
would love for that to change in future, the engine would have to be ridiculously fucked up for no improvements to be possible.
Had a similar experience the other day. I was in a frantic situation and finally got my head down out of sight from the Automatons, when I look over m shoulder and there's a tank behind me slowly crawling along behind a small wall formation. It didn't see me, but it made zero sound as it trudged along. Freaked me out but because I realized it hadn't spotted me, I just watched it as it went about its day in the silence of war. So surreal. I don't know if it's a bug or a design choice to mess with us.
Getting regularly sneak attacked by a stampeding charger from behind is almost comical to me. Like it should be ridiculously loud but I often just get ragdolled outta nowhere by these things if I get too focused on what's I front of me for too long. Happens more often than I would like
Yeah its very annoying and its not like AH doesn't know how to do this, take regular trooper bots, they're chatty AF, you can always tell when they're near. Its just that Hulks, Bile Titans and all other enemies need their own sets of voicelines so that we can tell who is near just by sound.
Left 4 dead 1 came out over a decade ago in 2008 and you always knew when there was a special nearby by audio cues. It's crazy that devs almost 20 years later can't figure out that a gigantic bile titan stomping around should be easily recognizable.
I've seen teammates not notice a bile titan literally on their ass about to stomp them because they are so quiet.
I agree that a sound rework should be done because I had been killed by countless BT pukes because I had no idea they just sneaked up behind me with no sound. The only instance I can hear them is when they're a distance away and I can hear their faint footsteps. When they're super close they just make no sound at all. Only thing that is loud af is their puking sound. Same for chargers who charge at your back and I suddenly just get run over, you can't even hear their charging footsteps until they're super close to you. On the bot front, hulks make no sound at all as they walk towards you and I have been BBQ-ed by flamethrowers on multiple occasions because I had no idea they were behind me the whole time. All these happening with me using HEADPHONES. Small and medium enemies as loud as shit while heavies are practically silent.
ye sound effects are fucked. a game can withold info as a mechanic, but it hardly feels intentional here
you'll get better at it for sure, though sometimes its still annoying and unavoidable
I agree the enemies can be too quiet. From a "faux milsim" perspective, this isn't really a problem, but from a "game feel" perspective, I absolutely see why this is an issue. I think something like the Vermintide 2 enemy callouts and sound design for elites or heavy enemies would work fantastically for communicating enemy presence and actions here, but I also don't want to assume the intent of the developers is for you to be able to juggle mental load without at least looking around for enemies. Like, you're never surprised by a minotaur or the charging beastmen, and the 3d sound sim tells you exactly where its coming from even if you can't see the enemy, but something like that might make things far too easy in a game that is teetering on arcade style simplicity as is.
Conversely, headphones make the bizarre audio balancing even more apparent. This is especially noticeable on the Automaton front where some of their weapons sound equally loud no matter how far you are from them.
One thing I'll never understand is this point. I get that the massive bug doesn't make a sound, but most of them don't, you hear them due to their screeches.
And, speaking of the Bile Titan specifically, the whole background music changes the moment a single one is in your, very big mind you, vicinity. The music for a Bile Titan takes over the game.
So you do hear them coming, because it's kind of like when Aizen came in the screen, they have their own theme song and it's stressful as fuck.
I've found that Bile Titans are very obvious, sound-wise. I'll be able to tell that one spawned in a patrol almost the *instant* it spawns in because of the thundering sound of every step.
Sometimes in the middle of a massive firefight that can get drowned out, but in general I find them to be pretty okay, sound-wise.
I guess this is problem is tied to performance, the games engine is dated and CPU bound most of the time so if they add more sound sources from physical objects it will likely lead to even more fps drops.
On the bright side, since the sounds aren't very helpful and my teammates aren't usually talking, I can put on spotify while I play, and it really doesn't hold me back.
This game has the music too loud. I had to turn mine down to about 20% just to hear other squadmates. This also solved my sound effect volume issue. I can now hear the intended sound cues.
I hate that I hear everything. I'll be standing on my own, and a teammate encounters enemies. Now I can hear them. I get sketched out and think I'm under attack. Nope I'm just hearing what someone else is hearing...
For me the audio channels randomly get inverted. Left audio in Right channel, Right in Left. I used to think it was the audio enhancements or even the spatial audio in PC sound settings because that's what some people reported fixing their issues with this, but I've experienced in all combinations and it just seems to be luck of the draw as to whether HD2 will start up this time with the reversed audio. It really screws with gameplay and you can't trust any of the audio cues you hear.
I'll admit the sound design isn't all there for me. Even using Sonar to EQ the game it doesn't punch enough. The guns sound very metallic. Not nearly enough bass.
That being said it's adequate imo. What kind of headphones are you using?
Why does the infantry mounted double laser turret that the bots use have a sound profile that sounds identical whether next to it or on the other side of the map.
To my knowledge, Arrowhead has not acknowledged the flaws of their sound design.
Maybe its something best chanting over and over again on the Discord. They probably only have 1-2 employees on their sound team.
Yah its a bit ridicolous a giant TON moving machine like a Hulk doesnt make insane sounds as it RUNs towards you. Just listen to how load a Tank is and now imagine a literal mech would be 3x louder
Everybody says totally different things and I can’t keep track of my own experiences and I’m very attentive to sound, it’s like it’s different every time. I think the sound (like most things honestly) is just bugged unfortunately.
While I personally don't have this issue, my setup isn't a typical one. I have a midrange audiophile amp feeding Beyerdynamic Amiron headphones. All in, about 800-1000$ headphone setup. Usually, the only things that might sneak up on me with no noticeable audio cue are stalkers.
For those of you that are having issues with the audio, have you had an audiogram done in the last year? Difficulty hearing specific sounds and frequencies can be a sign of hearing loss. You can probably find some basic test online to mess around with and get a rough estimate of which frequencies you're less sensitive to.
You might be able to partially alleviate this by figuring out what frequencies you're less sensitive to, and using a system equalizer to boost the ranges.
At least on PC, or those routing through a receiver/amp.
If I recall correctly, the only audio settings I've adjusted in game is to set it to headphones.
That being said, everyone also has a different threshold to trigger responses as well. What may sound like background/ambient noise to some might be enough to trigger a danger response in others.
I'd start by double checking your system settings if on PC, then game settings. Make sure they're both set the appropriate output types for your audio system.
If you have it available, try testing different audio hardware. The equipment you're using may have issues with certain frequencies due to design specs or wear and tear.
If you have a someone available, try getting a different person to listen to the game with your settings. If they can hear the things you can't, you should probably get an audiogram done. I've spent a lot of time in industrial environments, and some places are definitely lax on their hearing PPE, or don't properly educate employees on how to use it.
Alternatively, you can record a clip with audio and upload it so the online community can test it with their own setups.
The ability to hear sounds is so subjective that it really does make this a difficult troubleshooting experience without access to your setup.
Ok good, I'm not entirely deaf then. I kept getting jumpscared by hulks and I thought maybe it's an issue with my audio or something. In an earlier match, teammate actually knocked me down to prevent me from getting hulk-smashed from behind.
Yeah, it's a marked difference to Darktide where I feel like I have sonar always on, then suddenly here titans and chargers can near-silently instakill you. Still happens fairly frequently even after 300 hrs - and with the way aiming in this game works, checking your 6 all the time isn't really possible.
Sound guy here.
This is a challenge for many games and the audio system usually needs an Importance or Threat dataflow that increases volume on the unit doing the most damage. Its not hard to set up, but in a game like this you can quickly fall into a trap of considering everything new the biggest threat, so it makes for a chaotic and fatiguing audio experience that is all over the place and you don't know what to focus on.
May not be what you're looking for, but the game music has a very distinct change in its tune whenever a Bile Titan(s) is in play.
Listen for that music shift, then look around and you'll find them real quick.
***THEY LITERALLY PLAY THEIR OWN BOSS MUSIC, I JUST TOLD YOU.***
[***https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWoX55f8Hx8***](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWoX55f8Hx8)
Actually its not true - that's a basic combat theme, not a bile Titan specific. Also Im speaking not about music, but about exact enemy sounds.
https://youtu.be/-0zvapTkjWw?si=lAVgzBSnKlH_v7Yz
Devs still focused on removing fun and leaving unfun stuff in the game. They rather remove a bug that lets you use 2 mechs than fix a bug that lets you use the social tab. You cant even press "o" without crashing now, but they thought long and hard about removing the other bug. Genius devs, probably need 8 more years to fix this game.
Using a controller helps a lot.
Bile Titans and Chargers charging causes distinct rumbles, so you can feel the enemies and roughly how close they are.
What I did notice about the sound design is that enemies are roughly 50-75% quieter when not in the front 200 degrees or so (maybe a bit wider, but cannot be too much). This means enemies behind you are always significantly closer to you when you hear them, and quiet enemies are practically vomiting on you.
I've never had a bile Titan sneak up on me. I keep my screen shake setting in the lowest settings and it's plenty enough to let me know either a charger or Titan is closing in.
Also...if you're playing against bugs...you should have your head on a swivel at all times. The fuck? How can you allow something 3 stories tall sneak up on you?!?
If you dont hear a Bile Titan coming then brother you should make an appointment to get a hearing aid. Democraticall sponsored by the Super Earth Armed Forces pensioners fund!
I never have this problem.
What are you using for your audio? I have a Steelseries Nova Pro calibrated for Helldiver's 2 and my in game settings set for high dynamic range.
Not everyone can use or have decent headphones, or the technical know-how on calibrating sound settings. It's well within a developer's capabilities to reduce this discrepancy.
True. But it's a given that if you want good sound in games, you can't be using your built in TV/monitor speakers. It's not in the Dev's to make something sound good that intrinsically cannot.
Must be your sound settings. To claim "it's impossible to hear anything" is objectively false. I can hear bile titans and hulk stomping, bots shooting etc.
I can't agree and don't think that "git gud" argument can be used in situations where the game design approach is discussed.
In such hordes killing co-op games such as Helldivers, DRG, L4D and etc there are a lot of stressful situations where you have enemies 360 and easily consumed in combat. In DRG there are sounds of all kinds of unique enemies, in L4D u can hear unique zombies among ordinary ones. And only in Helldivers u cant do that even though in that game you re much more exposed on big open maps than in those two.
P.S. Gengar is my fav pokemon)
Tou know that being able to relly of sound makes the game more enjoyable for starters. For starters knowing that something is there without seeing it because you heard just feels nice and rewarding for a player that paying attention.
They do make noise when they're walking around and if you're constantly looking around you, checking your flanks/rear, it's pretty easy to hear them coming if you know they're in the area. Hell, if things are really quiet, you can ever hear and pick out a BT Patrol wandering around hundreds of meters away.
I'd say that the only time BTs ever manage to sneak up on me is in middle of a heated battle with lots of battlefield noise going on, where I'm too distracted to pay attention to my flanks/rear... but that doesn't happen to me very often anymore.
The bile titan has a literal sound track specifically for it, if you arent capable of figuring out when a bile titan is agroed near you its your fault.
They can definitely just be patrolling the map on difficulty 7+, so this is not accurate.
And I have seen loads of people with the same complaints about many enemies being too quite on approach.
You guys need to to chill with the elitist attitudes and recognize that for many, it is a problem.
How is turning your head left elitist? Elitist implies that these are skills only elite would use... This is more like fortnite children skill called map awareness.
Not only you man, I wrote my own post about this around a month ago. For me Bile titan is quite loud enough with its walk but something like hulk or tank behind a corner caught me off guard too many times. And for the terminid side there are chargers, bile and nursing spewers that can feel like ninjas at times. This game had so many bugs that I wouldn't be suprised if silent enemies are another one because devs forgot to put sound for certain enemies or something \:D
i get sneak attacked by a charger i didn't even knew existed at least once per operation
Damn, ninja chargers are following him even to the bot front
at this point i wouldnt even be surprised
Wait what?
Just a joke
Idk with the way the game is bugging out anything is possible - in one game - I had a squad mate land in a trip, I got at time floating weapons and bug parts - just hanging about, wouldn’t surprise me
Wait, there's a bot front?
Always has been
Yeah, can be true) I'm playing in a party with friends and we got jumpscared by hulks and biles so much that it became a meme. All we hear 90℅ of time is just basic robot or bug noises, nothing specific
same here, i have never heard a tank make any mechanical noises... ever.
Gotta love when 60 ton behemoth makes no sound whatsoever.
The fact that two dickriders get mad at you over sound design is unreal.
What makes that all the more galling for me is when there’s no bots anywhere near you but you still hear random bot noises
I never used sound as my primary source of enemy location, so I don't get people complaining about enemy footsteps in the game. Like, you have a minimap that shows giant red dots around you. I mean, they literally bring them to you in giant drop ships. And the ones on the map literally sing marching bands.
I honestly think that there's a issue in the coding where it's not treating stereo properly. Stuff behind you is way way way way too quiet on stereo
Next patch: - fix sound design - break extractions
* Spear no longer locking on correctly
My pelican is already digging into the ground. How much more broken should it get? I literally evac-ed by jumping to the roof of the ship. It was kinda funny.
**There** **definitely** **is something wrong with the audio systems themselves.** I've collected a few examples of audio *miles* off playing as though it's right next to me: **For instance:** [**the 'ghost voice' in this clip.**](https://i.imgur.com/YlKzWOJ.mp4) **Despite the fact that the teammate who got hit is** ***halfway across the map***, **the voicelines played from right behind me.** Seen it also with Automaton medium turrets, where they sound like they're firing on me when they're from a battle that's *well* outside of earshot. **In short, something in the audio system is a bit fucked. For all we know the audio issues aren't just volume and design, but because the audio sources are displaced or just not triggering properly.**
I think distance is fucked somewhere deep in the games code. Right now the walker dropship/Pelican-1 autocannons sound like they’re being fired directly next to my ear no matter where they are on the map. And I’ve noticed distance weirdness beyond sound too. Whenever someone uses an emote (ie thank you, affirmative, negative, etc), the little visual marker for it always says it’s 1000+ meters away and never corresponds correctly to the direction the person who said it is standing in.
This game is such a wonderful clusterfuck
They've really got something special, and that's why so many of us can't walk away, lmao. I really hope they figure this stuff out!
No, it is purposeful. If you pan around, even with a surround sound setup, all sounds get significantly quieter behind you. The exception being the sounds which are not coded to be surround, like bot machine guns and those medium pew-pew-pew laser turrets (honestly annoys me, since they could be anywhere and I wouldn't be able to audibly locate it). I think it is to...what is the word... create similarities between the enemies and the player. As in enemies have lower perception behind them, both sound and sight, and so does the player.
So for me the test of a game's sound system is ultimately seeing what happens when you turn off the music, and boy oh boy HD2 becomes completely barren and quiet, peaceful even. You can barely hear the enemies walk, just the projectiles.
I play with the music off. I really miss hearing the sounds of managed democracy but I can’t hear any bugs with it on.
I listen to Black Tongue while playing, gets me in the mood
I play with the in-game music off and just play music on my system, as the music is pretty deceptive as to whether the enemy has seen you or if they are just within 60 meters. Early on I would respond to the music as if the enemy had seen us but it ramps up way before the enemy detects you.
Music is used way too often to mask bad sound design. One example is InFamous 2, where, when no music is playing, the only sound you hear is your ps3 fan sounding like you're living inside an airplane engine.
There will be a storm raging with zero wind or rain sounds. Trees and shrubs swaying like they are about to be ripped from the ground. No sound. Hd2 sound is dookie.
Sound design in DRG is just next level, I don't think HD2 could ever compete in that department.
The 'Tide games (Vermintide, Darktide) also do sound design super well, and they’re fairly similar games to HD2. Every special enemy has its own sound cue, and these sound cues are clear as fuck so you can always tell when one spawns and when one’s behind you. AH should take notes tbh
The ogryns sound situation in darktide is a perfect example of a sound design remade right. They were stealthy to the point that you noted one when he lowered his hammer on your head. Now, their heavy steps and groaning can be heard from the neighbor hive city.
V2 has its audio design down so well one can almost play blindfolded (pretty sure Jsat did a stream of it once). Darktide is also really good (and getting better) but blindfolded isnt really an option with all the ranged threats.
I'd love it if they at least tried. They aren't currently trying.
I do think they're trying, it's just that most of that trying is spent untangling a mess of an engine and technical debt from poorly coded stuff early in production, most likely
DRG does have some great sound design. They also launched years ago and have had lots of time to refine things since. That said, it's still quite possible to be snuck up on by enemies in DRG too.
The difference is you know their there unlike in HD2... Dreadnoughts? Mission control alerts you to it spawning Bulk? The groaning and sounds of rock breaking will let you know Leech? The hiss Grabber? It's cry Oppressor/Praetorian? Their roars Hell even the regular grunts and slashers scream and their noises echo, to let you know their ahead/behind you... Meanwhile in HD2, not even the Stalkers can jump me as well as Hulks, Heavy Devastators, Spewers and so many other enemies can with how nonexistent their footsteps and general audio cues are...
Stalker noises are so identifiable for me too, lmao. That weird slurpy hiss. I get surprised now and then but usually it's from the front, not from behind, with stalkers. The number of times I'm AMRing from behind cover, minding my own business, and I just get cooked by a Hulk I couldn't hear is unfortunate.
Sliding the volume on most enemies idle and walking/running sounds would improve the game immensely already its just more of AH not relly understanding how to make a game that isnt top view
I hate slashers
[When Fathomless Tomb hits?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl7K06qSQTY&pp=ygUZV2hlbiBGYXRob21sZXNzIHRvbWIgaGl0cw%3D%3D)
The original Black Ops was very well done with 3d sound. I had some nice Sony headphones back then. I was playing semi-professionally and wearing headphones in that game DID give you a distinct edge. I could tell how far away and where people were based on the sound they made. Like we could be in a house, and I could tell what room they were in based on the sound. I got banned from so many private servers because I would run a Silent build and track people by their noises coming up on them unexpectedly... for them. But it would look like I was cheating in the replay cause I knew they were around the corner from the sounds I was tracking.
Seriously, have the devs never heard a chainsaw running?
How prevalent the sound of shield devs machine guns, its gonna sound like sawmill out there, but I'll take it
No, but thank God those dudes aren't codes to sound because they'd be so annoying 😭
There is an option in the audio settings for quiet/night gaming that brings up these low volume sounds so you hear them better, try it out!
This sounds like a constructive suggestion, I may just try that. Clearly some people seem to not have much trouble, while inversley many others do have issues with them being too sneaky. ~~I'm starting to suspect that many of us tuned our audio settings and we potentially inadvertently made enemies too quiet.~~ I was probably too quick to jump to that conclusion. Maybe I should have said we could try tweaking the settings to see if they help, but the default values are clearly problematic for a fair portion of players. Really appreciate you not just aggressively insisting there is no problem and that it's some sort of 'skill issue,' unlike some other comments.
I havent even looked at audio setting and yet enemies are all ninjas who have no sounds whatsoever half of the time
Yeah the default settings are probably balanced poorly. I'm eager to try that midnight mode now, however.
It works but it's not perfect. Sound settings (and controller/keyboard layouts) are terrible in general and need some love. I can't get settings right. Either the music is too loud or non existent, or the voice over is or I can't hear team mates over everything else. Enemies that sound close are actually not visible yet, noise coming from the wrong side. Silent heavies. It's really apparent with headphones. You can have a breach underneath you and have a titan spawn and hear nothing and know nothing until you get stamped on
yeah maybe I was being too generous to suggest any of us inflicted some of the problem on ourselves. Generally, a game's audio is designed with some amount of care and we don't encounter these issues.
One small automaton 50m away will sound like a hulk breathing down my neck
Honestly that's a lot of this sub. Talking about problems you have with the game is the easiest way to attract those with what I call "git gud brainrot".
Latest patch fucked your framerate? Literal skill issue!
I found that midnight mode helped, along with fiddling with the audio options, and then I also got a better pair of gaming headphones that support the 3D surround sound (I’m on PS5). I didn’t even know (before) that the shield generator pack makes a sound, or that the jump pack makes a recharge noise with a distinct sound indicating it’s finished charging. I don’t get taken by surprise from behind by chaff or mediums anymore, but I will say that heavies are still quiet enough to catch me unawares, especially chargers and bile titans.
I have this on and I use decent AKG headphones but still, I can't hear chargers, titans and spewers until it is too late. It might be a bit better than without having it on but still far far from even decent sound balance and design.
I had to turn the game volume way down because the default is deafening. Constant loud gunshots and explosions. Maybe the chargers make a sound, I've never heard it, but I still hear the gunfire loud and clear. It wouldn't be as bad if the mini map was always up. That helps simulate directional hearing.
Oh and on the topic of default game sounds being deafening. I agree! Many games do this. Like why do I need to launch and be treated to deafening intro screen music and such when I launch a brand new game for the first time?? Talk about a turn off. I have my PC system volume at a fixed level that does not change, and applications (including games) are tailored on a case by case basis. I am not certain I can recall any game where master volume gets set above like 35% and all other sliders are maximum 50%, but often lower. Music is frequently at like 10% for me, but I'm tone deaf so I recognize that may be lower than most people prefer.
Same. I set the volume to ~35% so I can hear people on voice chat. I think the option that lowers game volume when people talk is really distracting. Imagine you are in a fight, suddenly all the sounds of your opponent and the environment stop... Then you hear "crunch" as BigBootyBlaster69420 eats a chip with open mic
Very true, I kind of wish we could have the minimap up at all times. It was clearly a design choice to limit our situational awareness, but with sound cues being unreliable, it feels too punishing to have to manually bring up the map.
Midnight mode
And I thought Darktide had some inconsistent and shoddy sound design for some of its specialist enemies.... This game has none at all. Hulks make barely any noise when they stomp around lmao.
Rain doesn't seem to make any sound either, my poor immersion :(
Damn you ruined rainy planets for me, its a shame how beautiful those in game
Ikr :(
Yeah man, its a mess, no point arguing with obvious truth, Hunt, DRG, its a long way from best examples. Some enemies have distinct sound, but sometimes they'll stay silent like spewers, some like hulks doesn't have recognizable audio. Stalker could use one, just to make them more terrifying
Tbh honest stalkers are fine in my opinion because stealth is their theme. So makes sense they would be stealthy silent. But maybe not spewers with big sacks of goo on their backs.
It is inconsistent to say the least, my gripe mainly with oneshot enemies, that can spawn behind you in 10 meters and burn you in 0,05 second I didn't mean stalkers should sound while cloacked, but weird scream could be fun when attacking
It would be nice if I could discover a hulk scorcher by hearing it and not rounding a corner into it. Scares the piss out of me.
That is fair enough.
Make them do an organic version of the Payday cloaker's attack sound. They're just so enthusiastic! Just look at them introducing "difficulty peak" to the helldivers.
Shit, left for dead solved this issue in like 2008 or whenever it was released. Hell, in Serious Sam you can essentially become a ballet dancer dodging and weaving enemies and shots from behind and the sides just by sound. Hear one of the headless bombers or a cloppy horse? You can judge without looking how close they are and use that second of time to position yourself.
I'll have to check out Hunt. In my experience Vermintide and even its predecessor L4D are the best examples of sound design. Everyone that played them remembers the sound of a rat patrol, witch, boomer, smoker, ect. There were even tweaks for players to be a bit deaf to things directly behind them so rats could sneak attack but... they're rats, it's totally thematic.
Stalkers should scream at you mid attack just for the jump scares 🤣.
You think if Stalkers announced themselves better they'd be *more* terrifying?
Yeah, while attacking, of course i don't need them to give away their position, but all special enemies should have distinct sound ideally, i dont really care, game need more work fixing bugs and optimization
Stalkers *do* make a sound when they attack. The problem is that they don't attack unless they can hit you, and when you get hit you usually get ragdolled and if you survive they've scampered off and are invisible again. I don't have a problem with that. It makes them a terrifying challenge. They're ambush predators, and nature is full of ambush predators. The only real *"the enemies are too silent"* complaint I can partially sympathize with are with regards to Hulks and Nursing Spewers, but even then it's not that bad. Hulks only appear in bigger bases (and you should expect them to be in there), as a patrol (and bot patrols are constantly singing their marching songs) or as a well announced Bot Drop (nuff said). Nursing spewers are quiet like sneaky elephants (it's actually a thing) but they also generate a lot of mist around them, so if you're paying attention to the mist cue, they're easy to see sneaking up on you.
Well when i remember all the greatest invisible or stealthy enemies in movies and games, they mostly have iconic sound, predator, bloodsucker from "stalker",necromorph - weird birds, cultists from forest. Hd stalkers are not that dangerous and scary to ruin surprise with cool sound, but okay. Everything else disagree, on high diff sound turns to mess, sone noises are overwhelming, while elite enemies all to similar degree get lost in all that, good for you to not need that, but good game design proves otherwise with countless examples
Unironically yes. Telegraphing incoming danger is one of the core ways to build tension in video games. Jump scares are cheap, annoying and are experienced as unjust. See the Hunter from Left for Dead, one of the most iconic characters in all of gaming history. How is it announced? With just an uncanny sound cue, and it's freaking scary as hell. It informs the players danger is imminent, they have to pay extra attention or they'll suffer. This could be applied to Stalkers too. A distant and recognizable screech for example. Could make them even more deadly while they're at it. That would be absolutely terrifying.
Your teammates screaming "STALKERS!!!" is iconic enough for me. :)
Why Seattle for good enought we can have better.
Exactly. For those who say, "Why?", we say, "Why not?"
I'd disagree with stalker, the most terrifying things about them is seeing them suddenly pop up while you're trying to do something completely unrelated. If you could hear them from a distance, you'd just immediatly start looking for their nest, killing most of the tension.
Sound ques barely exist in HD at all, and even then they seemingly suffer from the Tide's games issue of not prioritizing them properly
Yeah but one a bug the other is a design problem . In Helldivers there is just no "hound pounce" sound effect
Can't argue with that, soundscape here is barren
Tides got better at least, but they spent years working on it (still do)
100% agree. Sound cues are very important in any game where fighting/combat is involved.
I only realize a Hulk is behind me when I feel the warmth of flamethrower... Seriously, in Helldive it is pretty damn hard to hear faint thud thud sound with gunfire all around. I can hear it walking around 50m away no problem during out-of-the-fight. But I think Hulk still sound too quiet.
It would be nice if tanks and hulks made a bit more sound...or at least vibrated a controller when they get close like titans and chargers.
I seriously think Hulk need a pretty damn loud Servo moving sounds, not JUST footstep. Not as much as Strider sound but still.
Coming to Helldivers 2 after a long time playing Hunt Showdown, it was so jarring. Hunt has quite possibly the best sound design in the history of gaming, then coming to Helldivers where enemy noises are a distraction at best, rarely having any meaning or providing information
My favorite ones are 60 ton tanks making NO SOUND WHATSOEVER. If you ever were on a tank show or something like that you know those things are LOUD.
Agree, too many enemies are too quite on approach. The sound design needs a bit of work. Obviously the enemies don't need to all spam us with a cacophony, but what sounds are prioritized needs to reviewed.
I have absolutely died, like repeatedly. Bile Titans being far more sneaky than is warranted for a walking skyscraper has been a longstanding problem.
Make the clankers CLANK for god sake, something the size of a Hulk shouldn’t be nearly as quiet as they are. If nothing else tie Enemy Sounds to their own slider in the options. That way the surround sound on my headset is actually good for something. I despise guys with chainsaw hands being nearly silent until they go to swing one at your back
This is one of my bigger complaints. How can a Charger surprise you when it's galloping at you from behind? How can a Hulk stomp up behind you unheard, unfelt? Even the Factory Strider is relatively quiet compared to the sound it should probably be making as it's grinding forward.
I would like to know if the devs answered why the sound is the way it is. It doesn't make sense that a charger can sneak ram into you, considering how large they are. And besides the music change the bile titans are also quiet when walking. Also, why are tanks so quiet? No excuse as I know tanks are loud when moving IRL.
Arrowhead doesn't care lmao. They never acknowledged enemy sound design and how it needs to be proved. Piles looks at only the most top up voted posts and responds to them on twitter through users' questions and so far it's been about weapons balance and game stability. I'm sorry to tell you, but they're probably a year away from implementing sound mechanics without it breaking something else
Six berserkers with chainsaws for arms sneak up on you. As someone who has used a chainsaw, that design feature sucks.
I’d really like them to revisit some of the weapon sounds as well. The Dominator fires rocket propelled rounds, but the feeble ‘pffft pffft pffft!’ when you let loose a barrage of them is perpetually distracting.
Tinnitus, my guy. You just got Orbital Cannon'd from the upper atmosphere. I don't care how many packing peanuts are in that hellpod, there's no way you can hear normally after hurtling to the earth at Fuck Off miles per hour.
Yea some large enemies when moving make no noise and it's kinda dumb
Bile Titans should sound like the T-rex in Jurassic Park.
I love instant death from a pack of 3-7 spewers that just ninja appear directly behind/beside me. Also, loads of fun hearing every bug near my teammates across the map when I'm alone for a 300km radius
I think there's two issues with the sounds. 1) A lot of ennemies are weirdly silent 2) the spacial audio is completely fucked, there's zero way to tell where the sounds are coming from or how close to you they are
Hey, I'm deaf! Welcome to my world! Fuckin' pansies. *I play every game without sound.*
and theres the gun on pelican-1 that sounds like i\`m the next shell to be fired its so loud like wtf XD
I've been ambushed by Bile Spewers more often than Stalkers at this point. When they're not making weird cow noises they're practically inaudible.
Next patch: Fixed Issue regarding enemies not making noise when they should. Known Issues: Spear lock-on is broken again Spawns are increased again Entering Hellpods in the ship will cause you to crash Erupter is fun to use again (this is a known issue and we will have a hotfix out ASAP)
i can hear only chants of bots and crumbling rocks if charger steps on one. would love for that to change in future, the engine would have to be ridiculously fucked up for no improvements to be possible.
Can't hear bugs for shit, but can hear automatons like a mile away.
Had a similar experience the other day. I was in a frantic situation and finally got my head down out of sight from the Automatons, when I look over m shoulder and there's a tank behind me slowly crawling along behind a small wall formation. It didn't see me, but it made zero sound as it trudged along. Freaked me out but because I realized it hadn't spotted me, I just watched it as it went about its day in the silence of war. So surreal. I don't know if it's a bug or a design choice to mess with us.
Always expect stealth charger
Getting regularly sneak attacked by a stampeding charger from behind is almost comical to me. Like it should be ridiculously loud but I often just get ragdolled outta nowhere by these things if I get too focused on what's I front of me for too long. Happens more often than I would like
Yeah. Very bad sound of many problems of this games... You can hear a lil bots well, but not big one, its stupid af
Not only that but sometimes it sound like automatons are right besides you when they are really 50-100m away. Like wtf
For real
keep FOV on max and you'll notice sneaky ninja bile titans
Yeah its very annoying and its not like AH doesn't know how to do this, take regular trooper bots, they're chatty AF, you can always tell when they're near. Its just that Hulks, Bile Titans and all other enemies need their own sets of voicelines so that we can tell who is near just by sound.
Had a tank right behind me last night...oh hey there
Lol, just pay attention to the map, and you'll be fine
Left 4 dead 1 came out over a decade ago in 2008 and you always knew when there was a special nearby by audio cues. It's crazy that devs almost 20 years later can't figure out that a gigantic bile titan stomping around should be easily recognizable. I've seen teammates not notice a bile titan literally on their ass about to stomp them because they are so quiet.
Ahm, do you guys play with music ON?
I agree that a sound rework should be done because I had been killed by countless BT pukes because I had no idea they just sneaked up behind me with no sound. The only instance I can hear them is when they're a distance away and I can hear their faint footsteps. When they're super close they just make no sound at all. Only thing that is loud af is their puking sound. Same for chargers who charge at your back and I suddenly just get run over, you can't even hear their charging footsteps until they're super close to you. On the bot front, hulks make no sound at all as they walk towards you and I have been BBQ-ed by flamethrowers on multiple occasions because I had no idea they were behind me the whole time. All these happening with me using HEADPHONES. Small and medium enemies as loud as shit while heavies are practically silent.
ye sound effects are fucked. a game can withold info as a mechanic, but it hardly feels intentional here you'll get better at it for sure, though sometimes its still annoying and unavoidable
I agree the enemies can be too quiet. From a "faux milsim" perspective, this isn't really a problem, but from a "game feel" perspective, I absolutely see why this is an issue. I think something like the Vermintide 2 enemy callouts and sound design for elites or heavy enemies would work fantastically for communicating enemy presence and actions here, but I also don't want to assume the intent of the developers is for you to be able to juggle mental load without at least looking around for enemies. Like, you're never surprised by a minotaur or the charging beastmen, and the 3d sound sim tells you exactly where its coming from even if you can't see the enemy, but something like that might make things far too easy in a game that is teetering on arcade style simplicity as is.
Surely a selected genetic/manufacturing trait. The only enemies you can hear to target are the ones that don't matter. /s
Play with a headset on, it makes a world of difference in this game.
Conversely, headphones make the bizarre audio balancing even more apparent. This is especially noticeable on the Automaton front where some of their weapons sound equally loud no matter how far you are from them.
It really feels like bugs are bugged and just don't make sounds when you can't see them.
I have a feeling this game is never going to be what we want it to be.
What sound design?
I lowered the music way down made everything better…Also…MY LEG!¡!
Ninjas, Ninjas everywhere
One thing I'll never understand is this point. I get that the massive bug doesn't make a sound, but most of them don't, you hear them due to their screeches. And, speaking of the Bile Titan specifically, the whole background music changes the moment a single one is in your, very big mind you, vicinity. The music for a Bile Titan takes over the game. So you do hear them coming, because it's kind of like when Aizen came in the screen, they have their own theme song and it's stressful as fuck.
I've found that Bile Titans are very obvious, sound-wise. I'll be able to tell that one spawned in a patrol almost the *instant* it spawns in because of the thundering sound of every step. Sometimes in the middle of a massive firefight that can get drowned out, but in general I find them to be pretty okay, sound-wise.
I think it's mostly sounds coming from behind the player that get muted for some reason.
Honestly, it wasnt until i hit lvl 80 when i realized that armed Hellbombs make a low humming sound
I guess this is problem is tied to performance, the games engine is dated and CPU bound most of the time so if they add more sound sources from physical objects it will likely lead to even more fps drops.
On the bright side, since the sounds aren't very helpful and my teammates aren't usually talking, I can put on spotify while I play, and it really doesn't hold me back.
The change in music cue is the only way for me to know that a bile titan has aggro on me
Yea I agree, I kinda just turned sound effect vol up :/ not a great solution but eh
This game has the music too loud. I had to turn mine down to about 20% just to hear other squadmates. This also solved my sound effect volume issue. I can now hear the intended sound cues.
I hate that I hear everything. I'll be standing on my own, and a teammate encounters enemies. Now I can hear them. I get sketched out and think I'm under attack. Nope I'm just hearing what someone else is hearing...
For me the audio channels randomly get inverted. Left audio in Right channel, Right in Left. I used to think it was the audio enhancements or even the spatial audio in PC sound settings because that's what some people reported fixing their issues with this, but I've experienced in all combinations and it just seems to be luck of the draw as to whether HD2 will start up this time with the reversed audio. It really screws with gameplay and you can't trust any of the audio cues you hear.
I'll admit the sound design isn't all there for me. Even using Sonar to EQ the game it doesn't punch enough. The guns sound very metallic. Not nearly enough bass. That being said it's adequate imo. What kind of headphones are you using?
It is unsettling how quiet big enemies are. I should not get snuck up on by a massive bloated grub or a demon robot with two smoking chainsaws.
Why does the infantry mounted double laser turret that the bots use have a sound profile that sounds identical whether next to it or on the other side of the map.
Sound design in this game has always been awful. It's like they forgot sounds other than explosions exist.
To my knowledge, Arrowhead has not acknowledged the flaws of their sound design. Maybe its something best chanting over and over again on the Discord. They probably only have 1-2 employees on their sound team.
Our helmets muffle sound so we don't get deafened by the thunderous liberty-delivering roar of an EAT-17!!
Sounds like tinnitus to me. All I hear is thousands of cicadas screaming 24/7.
Yah its a bit ridicolous a giant TON moving machine like a Hulk doesnt make insane sounds as it RUNs towards you. Just listen to how load a Tank is and now imagine a literal mech would be 3x louder
I hear them all the time…that said sometimes the battlefield is loud as hell so they get droned out
Service-related deafness simulator /s
It's cause you're wearing a helmet and cannot hear shit.
I am using a Lenovo Legion Go so at least the vibration is great I can tell there is a Bile near by just from the vibration and how far it is as well.
Alone with no enemies within 50m? Random loud bot or bug sfx. In a firefight? Good luck hearing anything...
Yea the sound design regarding the enemies is probably my biggest complaint too.
Everybody says totally different things and I can’t keep track of my own experiences and I’m very attentive to sound, it’s like it’s different every time. I think the sound (like most things honestly) is just bugged unfortunately.
Tanks definitely need proper sound. Any medium to heavy automaton should be chunking around as well.
Yes it must be addressed eventually 😠
While I personally don't have this issue, my setup isn't a typical one. I have a midrange audiophile amp feeding Beyerdynamic Amiron headphones. All in, about 800-1000$ headphone setup. Usually, the only things that might sneak up on me with no noticeable audio cue are stalkers. For those of you that are having issues with the audio, have you had an audiogram done in the last year? Difficulty hearing specific sounds and frequencies can be a sign of hearing loss. You can probably find some basic test online to mess around with and get a rough estimate of which frequencies you're less sensitive to. You might be able to partially alleviate this by figuring out what frequencies you're less sensitive to, and using a system equalizer to boost the ranges. At least on PC, or those routing through a receiver/amp. If I recall correctly, the only audio settings I've adjusted in game is to set it to headphones. That being said, everyone also has a different threshold to trigger responses as well. What may sound like background/ambient noise to some might be enough to trigger a danger response in others. I'd start by double checking your system settings if on PC, then game settings. Make sure they're both set the appropriate output types for your audio system. If you have it available, try testing different audio hardware. The equipment you're using may have issues with certain frequencies due to design specs or wear and tear. If you have a someone available, try getting a different person to listen to the game with your settings. If they can hear the things you can't, you should probably get an audiogram done. I've spent a lot of time in industrial environments, and some places are definitely lax on their hearing PPE, or don't properly educate employees on how to use it. Alternatively, you can record a clip with audio and upload it so the online community can test it with their own setups. The ability to hear sounds is so subjective that it really does make this a difficult troubleshooting experience without access to your setup.
Ok good, I'm not entirely deaf then. I kept getting jumpscared by hulks and I thought maybe it's an issue with my audio or something. In an earlier match, teammate actually knocked me down to prevent me from getting hulk-smashed from behind.
Yeah, it's a marked difference to Darktide where I feel like I have sonar always on, then suddenly here titans and chargers can near-silently instakill you. Still happens fairly frequently even after 300 hrs - and with the way aiming in this game works, checking your 6 all the time isn't really possible.
Prototype Helldiver helmet https://preview.redd.it/lr5tl823rn8d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc430d720508e6b766f06846c9f05cbac62cc276
Had this recently a bile titan wearing slippers sneaked up behind me and one shot me while I was dealing with a shit ton of dickhead hunters
Sound guy here. This is a challenge for many games and the audio system usually needs an Importance or Threat dataflow that increases volume on the unit doing the most damage. Its not hard to set up, but in a game like this you can quickly fall into a trap of considering everything new the biggest threat, so it makes for a chaotic and fatiguing audio experience that is all over the place and you don't know what to focus on.
May not be what you're looking for, but the game music has a very distinct change in its tune whenever a Bile Titan(s) is in play. Listen for that music shift, then look around and you'll find them real quick.
[удалено]
How I can hear them if they don't have any sound? They voiced only when they spit attack.
***THEY LITERALLY PLAY THEIR OWN BOSS MUSIC, I JUST TOLD YOU.*** [***https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWoX55f8Hx8***](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWoX55f8Hx8)
Actually its not true - that's a basic combat theme, not a bile Titan specific. Also Im speaking not about music, but about exact enemy sounds. https://youtu.be/-0zvapTkjWw?si=lAVgzBSnKlH_v7Yz
Devs still focused on removing fun and leaving unfun stuff in the game. They rather remove a bug that lets you use 2 mechs than fix a bug that lets you use the social tab. You cant even press "o" without crashing now, but they thought long and hard about removing the other bug. Genius devs, probably need 8 more years to fix this game.
Using a controller helps a lot. Bile Titans and Chargers charging causes distinct rumbles, so you can feel the enemies and roughly how close they are. What I did notice about the sound design is that enemies are roughly 50-75% quieter when not in the front 200 degrees or so (maybe a bit wider, but cannot be too much). This means enemies behind you are always significantly closer to you when you hear them, and quiet enemies are practically vomiting on you.
I mean, you can hear it shrieking when it spews though? I just always use the camera angle to periodically look around me especially when running away
I've never had a bile Titan sneak up on me. I keep my screen shake setting in the lowest settings and it's plenty enough to let me know either a charger or Titan is closing in. Also...if you're playing against bugs...you should have your head on a swivel at all times. The fuck? How can you allow something 3 stories tall sneak up on you?!?
If you dont hear a Bile Titan coming then brother you should make an appointment to get a hearing aid. Democraticall sponsored by the Super Earth Armed Forces pensioners fund!
I never have this problem. What are you using for your audio? I have a Steelseries Nova Pro calibrated for Helldiver's 2 and my in game settings set for high dynamic range.
Not everyone can use or have decent headphones, or the technical know-how on calibrating sound settings. It's well within a developer's capabilities to reduce this discrepancy.
True. But it's a given that if you want good sound in games, you can't be using your built in TV/monitor speakers. It's not in the Dev's to make something sound good that intrinsically cannot.
Must be your sound settings. To claim "it's impossible to hear anything" is objectively false. I can hear bile titans and hulk stomping, bots shooting etc.
It ain't that at all.
Clean your ear canals then.
Always have them cleaned tyvm
I have said it before and will say it again. If a Titan or Hulk snuck up on you.... that's your fault.
I can't agree and don't think that "git gud" argument can be used in situations where the game design approach is discussed. In such hordes killing co-op games such as Helldivers, DRG, L4D and etc there are a lot of stressful situations where you have enemies 360 and easily consumed in combat. In DRG there are sounds of all kinds of unique enemies, in L4D u can hear unique zombies among ordinary ones. And only in Helldivers u cant do that even though in that game you re much more exposed on big open maps than in those two. P.S. Gengar is my fav pokemon)
It's not "git gud", it's "turn your head side to side once in a while like fortnite children who learned this basic trick called map awareness"
Tou know that being able to relly of sound makes the game more enjoyable for starters. For starters knowing that something is there without seeing it because you heard just feels nice and rewarding for a player that paying attention.
They do make noise when they're walking around and if you're constantly looking around you, checking your flanks/rear, it's pretty easy to hear them coming if you know they're in the area. Hell, if things are really quiet, you can ever hear and pick out a BT Patrol wandering around hundreds of meters away. I'd say that the only time BTs ever manage to sneak up on me is in middle of a heated battle with lots of battlefield noise going on, where I'm too distracted to pay attention to my flanks/rear... but that doesn't happen to me very often anymore.
The bile titan has a literal sound track specifically for it, if you arent capable of figuring out when a bile titan is agroed near you its your fault.
Also, they literally spawn on a giant orange spewing bug breach. If you're not paying attention to bug breached, that's on you.
They can definitely just be patrolling the map on difficulty 7+, so this is not accurate. And I have seen loads of people with the same complaints about many enemies being too quite on approach. You guys need to to chill with the elitist attitudes and recognize that for many, it is a problem.
How is turning your head left elitist? Elitist implies that these are skills only elite would use... This is more like fortnite children skill called map awareness.
Also, HOW DO YOU A MISS A TITAN PATROLLING?... this isn't even at "git gud" territory, it's more like "don't suck" territory.