With the upcoming release of Update 2.4, we are excited to unveil several enhancements to the audio experience that will significantly improve clarity and readability within the game. To provide some context for these changes, let's take a moment to reflect on our journey from the beginning of this discussion.

For us, a core aspect of Hunt's appeal and identity has always been its immersive world and its intrinsic connection to audio. Players engage with an environment that 'speaks' to them—whether it's the unsettling buzz of a hive, the distant barking of dogs, the sharp crack of a gunshot, or the profound silence that follows. These auditory cues are not only crucial for gameplay but also serve to deepen immersion. Striking the right balance between Hunt's dark, naturalistic audio aesthetic and the clarity needed to support the game's competitive nature is a fundamental focus for us as audio designers on Hunt: Showdown 1896.

With this in mind, we have implemented several changes throughout various areas of the game that moves the needle a bit more towards gameplay readability.

Here's a recap of some of the changes we've made in previous updates and what is more to come in 2.4:Bug fixes:

• Silent/Missing Footsteps:

We have resolved multiple issues that could lead to silent or missing footsteps. These were caused by missing or wrongly assigned surface types, no footsteps when running through vegetation, and floating hunters. We monitor this topic closely and continue to investigate if these issues continue to arise.

• Improved accuracy for positioned Sounds

We found a systemic issue with our audio positioning for moving/positioned sounds in the game. While the fix is a subtle change, it overall improves the perceived movement accuracy and “smoothness" for all 3D sounds in the game.

The position of a sound is now updated more frequently, resulting in smoother and more precise audio from all sources. You can think of this as an increased frame rate for audio.

• Audio Readability Improvements:

The term audio readability refers to the clarity with which essential gameplay information can be comprehended solely through listening. For instance, there is a distinct difference in the sound of a gunshot fired inside a building compared to one shot outside.

Some of the key areas we have been focusing on, are:

• Vertical Audio:

We have released a dedicated blog post on the topic of CrySpatial and 3D Audio Technology in Hunt that you can find here.

With Update 2.4, we looked at the vertical audio readability on the sound design side. Specifically, the upstairs/downstairs interior footsteps system. Essentially, Hunter footsteps sound different if they are above or below the player inside of a building. This will make it easier to understand if an enemy hunter is moving above you inside a building.

With these changes, someone running above you will sound “close and bassy", while someone below can now be heard as “hollow and clicky". This system is now independent of the listening player's location. Previously, they were required to be within a building to participate.

Please let us know about your thoughts and experiences on these readability changes once you have the chance to experience them.

• Underground Audio:

Underground Audio is a tricky area to get right, especially in a game like Hunt that relies so heavily on audio cues for its gameplay. This is also visible in the feedback we receive from the community about it. Some hear too much sound when in the underground whilst some dislike the fact that sound is so heavily muffled.

We tweaked the design with Update 2.3, reducing edge cases by decreasing the strength of the underground system and therefore the amount of filtering of all sounds coming from an underground. This slightly tips the scale towards audio readability. Fuses have benefitted from this change especially as now they are more audible.

• Audio Obstruction:

The same problems that players can experience with the Underground Audio system can also be observed with the wide and complex topic of Audio Obstruction. When we talk about “Obstruction" this describes how a sound reacts to being “blocked" by objects in the world.

Hunt uses a straightforward Obstruction system that checks if there are objects between the source of the sound and the “listener" (the ears of the player in the virtual world). Filters are applied depending on the material of the blocking objects.

This obstruction system is not only relevant for audio realism, but also crucial for the games readability. In general – enemies behind a wall are not as dangerous as the ones that are not obstructed. In Hunt, this is especially true for anything that is behind a rock/stone wall, which is why these materials apply stronger filters to the sound than for example, objects made from wood or fabric.

The audio obstruction system operates completely independently from your preferred audio output format or spatial audio solution. And the strength of the audio obstruction is not linked to your usage of CrySpatial, Dolby Atmos or conventional surround sound audio output.

With the release of Update 2.4, we have re-evaluated several filter values to enhance overall readability. Brick walls dampen sound to a lesser extent, while thick wooden walls constructed from tree trunks, similar to those found in Grizzly Lodge on Mammon's Gulch, have a more significant impact on sound.

• Gunshot Improvement - Distance readability:

In Update 2.0 we introduced a mixing change the was intended to give our guns a bit more of a cinematic feel in close range. We reversed this change with Update 2.4 which will now help you better judge distances of enemy gunshots in close range.

• Gunshot Improvement – Interior Tails:

Our indoor gun readability for handguns and rifles showed inconsistencies over distance. The new behavior has smoother attenuation for the indoor elements of enemy and teammate gunshots. Besides that, we also took the opportunity to replace outdated indoor tail assets for those weapons. Not only does this fit better with the improved attenuation behavior – we also love the punch of it when firing your own gun inside a building.We can confirm that you'll be able to experience this change with 2.4.

• (Gunshot) Echo System
  

The release of Hunt: Showdown 1896 saw the release of our new Echo System. The system is only used on gunshots and explosions to give them a more realistic echo behavior. For example, if you see a mountain in the distance, we want you to hear gunshots echoing back from that mountain.

We used the opportunity in Update 2.4 to slightly touch the mix on these sounds to make sure they integrate better into the gameplay.

With all these changes, our goal is that players can accurately judge the distance between enemy hunters. The above-mentioned changes are already enhancing this aspect, and we are investigating additional design improvements.

• Ambient Audio

With the release of Mammon's Gulch and the re-release of Stillwater Bayou and Lawson Delta, one of our goals from the audio side was adding more detail and depth to the sense of immersion in Hunt's world.

In Update 2.0, we introduced a whole set of positioned sounds throughout the map. Players now experience the creaking of wooden footbridges, the metallic clinks from old rusty cranes, as well as adding dedicated ambiences for various environments such as forests, cornfields and wheatfields.

We knew about the potential impact of these sounds on gameplay and therefore have been careful with their design, implementation, frequency, and volume.

• Positioned Ambient Sounds
  

With Update 2.4, we've performed another pass on these sounds to reduce their presence in the mix even further. Players should now be able to better differentiate between important and unimportant sounds.

• Environmental Ambient Loops
  

Environmental Ambient Loops (that you can hear when standing inside a Forest, Cornfield, Wheat Field, etc.) have been re-mixed to reduce their potential negative impact on gameplay as well. While still audible, they should now be less prominent and shouldn't cover any important gameplay related sounds anymore.

These changes were designed with much of the feedback you all have shared over the last year in mind. Our teams spend a lot of time reading your thoughts and opinions across our social channels, Reddit, Discord and more. We once again want to thank all of you that have provided feedback, clips, or even reported a bug.

This is far from the end of the road for audio improvements in Hunt, and we will continue to monitor your thoughts closely. We can't wait to see what you all think of the latest changes when Judgement of the Fool launches with Update 2.4.

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