u/theoxfordtailor

I know we're getting a little sick of AC8 suggestion/wishlist/etc. threads but I have one that I don't I've seen yet and I believe would substantially increase how good these games are without actually changing or removing anything we love.

Note: There are some bullet points below which will summarize what I'm saying without needing to read my walls of text.

This past weekend, I saw both Top Gun movies in Imax. It was a positively thrilling experience and if you ever get the chance, I cannot recommend it enough! What stuck out for me the most was the sound. The theater was smart enough to turn the volume up which made the jet engine, missile, and explosion sounds really pop. The Danger Zone intro was, in particular, incredible. The sound is what sold it was an experience like no other because you really felt like you were there standing next to a flaming jet engine.

The dogfight scenes in both movies were made far more intense thanks to the audio. Every time a missile hit or a there was a close pass from a jet, it was hard not to jump a bit from the sudden boom or whoosh.

Another instance of good sound design involving jet engines that stands out to me is Microsoft Flight Simulator. The afterburner is deep, explosive, and follows the speed of sound. If you rotate the camera in front of the jet, you can't hear it, but as soon as you're behind it, it's loud. You get a real visceral sense of the power behind these planes.

Which brings me to Ace Combat. The visuals are top notch. There really is not a better-rendered fighter jet in gaming. But what I would like to see is the sound design to accompany it.

My asks:

• Loud, overpowering jet engine, missile, gun, and explosion sounds.

• To get around the extra sound, have it soften during dialog.

• This might get me the most flack, but make the soundtrack dynamic rather than constantly playing. To be clear, I love the AC soundtracks. Imagine you could a score that can up in intensity during dogfights but slow down in quieter moments. You could have certain moments where no music to plays at all. It's not something that hasn't been done before. The score is more based around cues rather than a straight-through "song". Hopefully that makes sense.

• Same thing with dialog. If I'm actively dogfighting or engaging in something intense, the dialog cues should either hold off on triggering or be more contextual to the situation. The game would be more immersive if characters weren't discussing sandwiches or talking about telling stories to their son while I'm getting hit by multiple SAMs and fighting for my life.

• At least more options to control volume. In AC7, there aren't many slider options what volume options you control with sound effects all being lumped into one. I'd love for exterior sounds to be a controllable option.

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I don't see audio design discussed much as a way to improve the game, but I can promise you that some relatively simple changes such as just changing how loud certain things like engines are could really improve the overall experience. I hope people don't take this post as a criticism. I am a huge fan and love these games as is without my suggestions.

IMHO, the sound is just as important as the visuals. If there is an easy way to dramatically improve these games without changing the formula we all love, this is it.

What do you think?