TCoM's audio (both SFX and soundtrack related) prioritizes intimacy and atmposphere over high energy or dramatic scores. Sound should be used to ground the player in Malsburrow or whatever atmosphere they find themselves in, as well to sell the tone / shift in Noah's emotional state throughout the storyline.

Music (OST)

The soundtrack is defined by its acoustic core, melancholy tone, and sparse arrangements supported by basic synths as needed. It should sound slow and intentional for what its trying to convey.

Instrumentation

• Core Instruments
  • Acoustic Piano, steel / nylon guitars, cello, contrabass.
  • Ambient synths
  • Percussion instruments (Pitched or unpitched)

• Supporting instruments

  • Woodwinds
  • Strings
  • Electric Keys (Electric piano, not really sure the proper term)
  • Bells (Or plucks depending on how you see them, i call them either)

• Pacing

  • Generally slower tempos (110bpm or less), and are structured in a way that prioritizes looping. Harmony is often modal or melancholic for ambience.

Thematic Composition

Music adjusts to the gameplay, emotional tone, or atmosphere. Often times a single track is recreated several times using different instruments and pacing depending on the setting that it plays in (this is primarily used during the lifesim for weather effects during the day and not really outside of that).

Sound Effects & Ambiance

Sound design focuses on hyper-realism and layered environmental audio to make the low-poly 3d world feel alive. This often means that there are several different variations for simple audio cues (such as picking up objects of a certain texture or walking on a specific material) or unique sounds for specific characters and their cues.

Ambiance & Environment

Ambiance layers are dynamic, as they change based on the time of day, location, weather, and population density. Some examples are as follows:

• Veyloris Precinct Ports

  • Includes the creaking and groans of the wooden buildings, docks, ladders, etc. Subtle lapping of water from the marsh or lake. Distant and muffled ship horns as they come and go from the ports. Calling of birds as they fly past. Muffled dialogue of the residents or laborers in the port.

• The Suburban Zone (Includes foresty regions)

  • Sounds of wind rustling through trees and grass. Distant animals calls (be it domestic or wild birds / rodents living in the trees). Faint sounds of nearby quarries or sawmills.

• The Public District (Includes general populated areas)

  • Mudded and blended conversations of nearby individuals. Local sellers shouting to advertise product. Muffled sounds from nearby buildings with open doors / windows. Local music.

• Interiors

  • Muffled outdoor sounds. Internal furniture sounds such as wood stoves hissing, ticking clocks, candle crackling, etc. Thumping of footsteps against planks or stone flooring. Interiors can also be suffocatingly quiet during the night.

• Seasonal / Time / Weather changes

  • Wind and snow footsteps being more prevalent during winters. Bug chirping during summers. Rain and thunder during stormy days. Silence during the hours before or after midday.

• General Footsteps

  • Footstep SFX should be clear and distinct for every major surface type (wet wood, stone street, interior rugs, packed earth) with 2-3 different variations played at random to help emphasize realism. Pitch can vary for characters depending on weight.

Interactions / System SFX

SFX related to player interaction should support the "handcrafted" UI aesthetic.

• Dialogue Advance

  • Dialogue advance varies between characters and monologue with each character having a unique advance sound for their lines of dialogue.

• UI Navigation

  • Subtle, non-electronic sounds (the sound of paper sliding for menu transitions, light pencil scratching for journal related updates, clicking and pushing of pens or other buttons / straps.)
  • Interacting with items within the inventory should play sound cues dependent on the types of items and their materials (Rocks should sound like clacking stones together, paper should sound like shuffling of pages, plastic containers should have a hearty slap to them, etc.)

• Lifesim Activities

  • For foraging/crafting, highly realistic, tactile sounds should be used (e.g., the thud of wood, the tear of fabric, the snip of a cutting tool.)

Character & Emotion SFX

Since character expressions are simple, specific vocalizations and ambient sounds are vital to emphasize certain character emotions.

• Emotional Vocalizations

  • Characters use non-speech vocal SFX (sighs, short breaths, sharp exhales, muffled laughs, and small vocal ticks) to convey emotion without the need for full voice acting.
  • Taijekan characters can also use distinct sounds matching the animal they derive from for certain emotions (such as iris purring during happier emotions or chirping when surprised).

• Voice Acting

  • While there are currently no plans for voice acting at the moment beyond emotional vocalizations, its possible that partial VA can be used for more important or prominent scenes in the story (Such as action scenes between Adrian & Noah).