Final Words
The bottom line when it comes to Doom 3 audio is surround sound. In fact, we tested the system with two sets of stereo speakers (one in rear and one in front) and got very playable results after fiddling around with the levels for a while. We feel that Doom 3, in spite of its intense visual experience, is an incomplete game without surround enabled. The enhancements provided by being able to hear where danger is coming from really makes a key difference in playability, usefulness, fun, excitement, and intense terror.While not necessary as a game play enhancing feature, the use of the center channel does add a nice touch to the overall effect. If a choice must be made between a center channel and a power sub, the choice is hands down the sub. The effects of some of the more intense scenes, hearing generators roar and feeling weapons fire is a very nice touch.
Our recommendation for a full Doom 3 experience is a 5.1 speaker system paired with a sound card that supports the same. For minimum playability, we absolutely recommend at least four speakers set up with a front pair and back pair on a sound card that supports at least 4 channels. Just set the speakers to surround in windows (even though the center channel is lacking) and surround can be enabled in Doom 3. As we've mentioned before, the game is still more than playable on surround without a center channel.
In the end, we may have preferred a personal radar system to locate enemies, as the additional impact of surround sound injected almost too much realism, and intensity, and fear into the game. Often times our expectations for the impact of additional features are a little low, while our hopes are set high. Surround sound under Doom 3 added more than we imagined, and is well worth whatever upgrade is necessary, even if its just a cheap 5.1 add-in card and 2 pair of stereo speakers.
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DerekWilson - Sunday, August 8, 2004 - link
ViRGE ... I suppose almost partially glad is alright ;-) And I agree that it should be a user's choice ... But I don't think using audio solution specific enhancements are the way to go. And I'm gonna have to disagree with any acceptance of software patent strong arming.Definitely an opinion, and, obviously, id Software's thoughts were on par with your own.
ViRGE - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
Considering the lackluster headphone performance, this is why I'm almost partially glad that Creative is strong-arming id in to working in EAX; while good 3D sound with a 2.1 system is still too difficult to be very useful, there's no good reason why such a feature shouldn't be included for headphones. Even EAX2 can do good positioning of 3D sound for headphones, and if it's an issue of lacking reverb or whatever, that should be a choice the user can make.Concillian - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
Did you guys do any performance comparisons?I would have liked to also see a SoundStorm included, as well as performance comparisons of no sound vs. software 3D onboard vs. Audigy2 vs. SoundStorm APU.
With the obvious CPU dependency seen in the CPU article, I imagine performance differences may be more with Doom3 than your average game.
DerekWilson - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
I should have mentioned that we also tested with headphones.While much more immersive than a simple 2 or 3 speaker setup, headphones (unless the headphones support "5.1" -- which we didn't test) just cannot represent sound the same way as a surround system.
If you absolutely can't get your hands on a front/back channel setup, go with headphones over 2 or 3 speakers.
And, Poser, if you set you speakers to headphones in the control panel you will not be able to enable surround in Doom 3.
SilverBack - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
The graphics are really great, the sound is great, unfortunatly the game is after a very small time boring.Go into room A be attacked by a spawned in fire thrower. Kill it, find health and ammo. Follow the linear game movement to the right door and go through it.
Go into Room B. Kill things that walk at out you from the dark. Kill them all. Find health and ammo. Follow the linear game movement to the right door and go through it.
Repeat as often as necessary to follow the linear game movement. Figure out some simple puzzles and follow the linear game movement.
Game of the year, so far, FarCry..
Poser - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
I've got much the same question as SKiller. If I understand how hearing works correctly, you can only tell that a sound is behind you or off to one side because of how the sound waves get distorted by your outer ear and by when the sound arrives at each ear. I was under the impression that a important piece of what a good gaming sound card could do is reproduce those distortions and timing shifts to accurately immitate surround sound with just a pair of headphones.I'm fairly sure I'm right about the hearing part. I'm not near so sure I'm right about a good gaming sound card being able to really trick the ear.
Anyone who can test it firsthand -- how good is the surround sound immitation when you use headphones + an audigy2 (set to headphones in the control panel) + Doom3?
Anemone - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
Surround is really great when its done well. There is nothing like being real enough to hear a critter coming from back and to your left, spinning and dealing with the situation based on what you 'heard'. TONS o fun and wish more dev houses had the means to do it this well. Let's hope this engine gets used in other places yes?As for your 2gb system, I'm assuming that's on an AMD64 system? Your graphics article used both sides and its not clear to me which this was testing on.
Thank you :)
SKiller - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
What about headphones? A good implementation can get you close to an actual surround system and has always been prefferable to a 2 speaker setup for me. Anyone try it with a good pair of cans? How does it compare?skiboysteve - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
my cambridge THX 550s were the best piece of hardware i had for this gamegibhunter - Saturday, August 7, 2004 - link
I have to agree with the reviewer. I've been playing the game at home on a laptop with headphones, then tried it today at a friend's house on his desktop with 4 channel expensive Cambridge Soundworks setup hooked up to Nvidia's Soundstorm. The sound from behind and the sides was amazing. Makes you forget where you are and immerses you totally into the game. Yes, it's definitely a more intense eperience.