Posted by admin on March 30th, 2009 — Posted in Uncategorized
Horse N Rider Match recently released its brand new website designed to find every rider the perfect horse. The website features horse classifieds, options for selling your horse and lots of information about owning, buying and selling a horse.
With Horse N Rider Match you can list your horse for sale including up to three photos without paying until you start getting leads. This gives you the opportunity to see results before you pay.
Horse N Rider Match is ideal for breeders and other equine professionals who want to sell multiple horses as well as individuals desiring to buy or sell a single horse.
Click on http://www.horsenridermatch.com to find Possibly the Perfect Match.
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Posted by admin on March 29th, 2009 — Posted in Civvies
Each year people look for the best hairstyles to wear and are very careful not to be caught dead with a botched hairdo. It is amazing how many people out there have really crappy hair and where it in such a silly way you have to think yourself; What are these people thinking?
However, this summer you’ll see many hairstyles and you’ll see the best and worst in people magazine. Perhaps if you go around town you’ll see people with absolutely ridiculous retro hairdos and you’ll look at them and say; I do not know that person. It beehoves you to know of the worst hairstyles for Summer in 2006 and to stay the Haiti away from them too.
It is essential that you’re not wearing one of the worst hairstyles for Summer 2006. And it is recommended that you do a little research so you are not caught with the wrong hairstyle at the wrong time making a bad first impression and turning off not only your friends but also perhaps future acquaintances that you’d like to meet. If you are a professional person or run a business a bad hairstyle can be very devastating to your career.
It is amazing how something as simple as a good haircut or hairdo can make you more attractive to the opposite sex and more inviting to acquaintances, which will propel your personal life and help you achieve a successful career. Consider this in 2006.
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Posted by admin on March 29th, 2009 — Posted in Uncategorized
from David the Dogman
- Gather presents, boxes, paper, etc. in middle of living room floor.
- Get tape back from puppy.
- Remove scissors from older dog’s mouth.
- Open box.
- Take puppy out of box.
- Remove tape from older dog’s mouth.
- Take scissors away from puppy.
- Put present in box.
- Remove present from puppy’s mouth.
- Put back in box after removing puppy from box.
- Take scissors from older dog & sit on them.
- Remove puppy from box & put on lid.
- Take tape away from older dog.
- Unroll paper.
- Take puppy OFF box.
- Cut paper being careful not to cut puppy’s foot or nose that is getting in the way as it “helps”.
- Let puppy tear remaining paper.
- Take puppy off box.
- Wrap paper around box.
- Remove puppy from box & take wrapping paper from its mouth.
- Tell older dog to fetch the tape so he will stop stealing it.
- Take scissors away from puppy.
- Take tape older dog is holding.
- Quickly tape one spot before taking scissors from older dog & sitting on them again.
- Fend off puppy trying to steal tape & tape another spot.
- Take bow from older dog.
- Go get roll of wrapping paper puppy ran off with.
- Take scissors from older dog who took them when you got up.
- Give pen to older dog to hold so he stops licking your face.
- Remove puppy from present & hurriedly slap tape on to hold the paper on.
- Take now soggy bow from puppy & tape on since the sticky stuff no longer sticks.
- Take pen from older dog, address tag & affix while puppy tries to eat pen.
- Grab present before puppy opens it & put it away.
- Clean up mess puppy & older dog made playing tug-of-war with remnants of wrapping paper.
- Put away rest of wrapping supplies & tell dogs what good helpers they are.
Found on the Internet author unknown
Commitment, Firmness, but kindness.
Brought to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/, your source of FREEWare Content online.
Do you have any problems with your pet? Then why not send your problem to DAVID THE DOGMAN.
David is a Canine Behaviourist who works and lives in Marbella, Spain. Tel/Fax (00345) 2883388.
His web site is located at: http://www.thedogman.net.
David has his own radio and TV shows, and writes for many newspapers and magazines. David has been working with dogs for many years and started his career in Israel, working on the Border Police. He has been involved in all forms of training, including air sea rescue, air scent work, and has trained dogs for finding drugs. David has devoted the past 10 years to studying behaviour and the very passive approach. He does not use choke chains, check chains, or any form of aggression.
David The Dogman is available for private consultations in your home, for further details telephone; Tel; (95) 2883388
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Posted by admin on March 28th, 2009 — Posted in Bikes
When dirt bike racing was in it’s infancy riders wore whatever was available to protect themselves. Open faced helmets, Jofa pants, leather protection… as the protective equipment was not specifically made for dirt bike racing, riders looked more like confused hockey playing bikies than dirt bike racers!
As the sport (best sport in the world mind you 
became more popular, the growth was then able to sustain ‘parallel’ or complimentary manufacturing industries. Companies like JT USA, Sinisalo etc. could now focus primarily on making only motocross gear.
More money was now being pushed into research and development of motocross gear, sponsorship of riders and marketing programs
More emphasis was being placed on style so colour was added to gear to match dirt bike colourings or just to be outrageous and different. Pink was big mid eighties (I did not say it was always in good taste).
Body armour moved to be worn over the top of race jerseys therefore they became more stylised to appeal to users. In itself becoming a fashion statement, but was researched and tested to also be practical and offer maximum comfort. Today’s body armour has ‘floating’ shoulder cups as well as flexible back and side panels to cater for both sitting and standing positions when riding. Can come in a range of colour options including clear as well as built in kidney belts on some models.
Race pants received there own special treatment made out of heavy duty nylon with doubled stitching, extra room in the butt to cater for the crouched/sitting riding position as well as cordura, kevlar and leather panels in high wear areas such as the seat and knees. Spandex panels are used to allow for movement where necessary. A quality race pant will offer extra room in the knee area to allow for knee braces that more and more riders are wearing.
Jersey material went from cotton to sweat/moisture wicking polyester/cotton blends to offer greater comfort for prolonged periods of riding. Vented panels were placed in ‘hot spots’ and even little touches like rubber strips in the tail to hold them into the race pants on even the roughest ride.
Boots were being designed to deal with high impact landings and ultimate ankle protection. Replaceable soles and buckles prolonging their use. They are now carefully constructed to avoid the damaging lateral and hyperextension movements around the ankle area.
Dirtbike gloves - choose them wisely and make sure they fit correctly. Some gloves are better suited to certain types of riding than others. Motocross gloves offer better feel for the rider with less padding in the palms. Enduro gloves can be the opposite with more padding to give greater comfort for longer rides.
Elbow protection can be found in a “sleeve” that also covers the forearms. Knee/shin guards are lighter as well as stronger and some hinder ‘lateral’ movement of the knee (gone are the days of using skateboarders protection). Although with the onset of lightweight, composite materials it is possible to have the ultimate in protection with knee braces.
All this protection would mean nothing if you cannot see. So it is very VERY important to properly protect one of your greatest assets (as well as one of the five senses) in your sight. Different goggle manufacturers have their own registered names for their lenses, but they basically mean the same thing - scratch resistant, shatterproof protection for your eyes.
So next time you go for a dirtbike ride, dress in the latest motocross gear and be comforted in the knowledge that you have minimized risk to your body as much as possible. That will allow you to focus on what you are there for… enjoying the ride!
The old saying is still as true as ever - “dress for the fall, not for the ride”
Mark Sturge is the webmaster at http://www.dirtbike-action.com A site where visitors can find information on motocross gear such as the motocross helmets as well as useful hints and tips for dirtbike enthusiasts.
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Posted by admin on March 26th, 2009 — Posted in Games + Cheats
Video games for children, teens and young adults bring in $10 billion a year in the United States. Certainly some of the games offer harmless entertainment and maybe even some educational value. But the games that seem to be the most eagerly anticipated, the games that major retailer Zany Brainy says “the industry is focusing on,” and the games that fly off the shelves as soon as they’re released are those rated “M” for mature and “AO” for adults only.
To garner an “M” rating, the content is intended for people aged 17 and older, and may contain sexual themes and intense violence or language. An “AO”-rated game is suitable only for adults 18 and over, and may include graphic depictions of sex and/or violence.
The popularity of the games is astounding. According to a 2004 report by the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, a 2001 review found that 49 percent of the 70 top-selling video games contained serious violence. Out of all games, 41 percent required violence for the protagonists to achieve their goals. And in 17 percent of the games, violence was the primary focus of the game itself.
The violence is often brutal and degrading to women. In the game “Duke Nukem,” for instance, a player can enter a room with naked women saying “Kill me,” while tied to posts. In the Grand Theft Auto series, one of the most popular and also most violent and controversial of the games, a player is rewarded if he has sex with a prostitute and then murders her (the most recent of the series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was the best-selling title in 2004).
Whether or not these games contribute to violent “real-life” behavior among their primary users (pre-teen and teen boys) has spurred major controversy. And, as with most hot-button issues, there are strong proponents and opponents on either side.
Yes, Video Games Cause Violence
Much attention was brought to video game violence after it was realized that the two teenagers behind the Columbine High School shootings played (and even created their own levels of) DOOM, one of the first “first-person shooter” video games (attesting to its popularity, a movie version of DOOM was just released on October 21).
The most recent study on the topic, to be published in the January 2006 edition of Media Psychology, found that playing violent video games does indeed cause violent thought patterns in the brain.
A team of international researchers observed 13 males, aged 18 to 26, for the study. It was found that, after playing a mature-rated game, 11 out of the 13 participants showed significant effects from the games.
“There is a causal link between playing the first-person shooting game in our experiment and brain-activity pattern that are considered as characteristic for aggressive cognitions and affects,” said René Weber, assistant professor of communication and telecommunication at Michigan State University (MSU) and a researcher on the project. “There is a neurological link and there is a short-term causal relationship.
“Violent video games frequently have been criticized for enhancing aggressive reactions such as aggressive cognitions, aggressive affects or aggressive behavior. On a neurobiological level we have shown the link exists,” he says.
Previous studies have also found such links. Said psychologist Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D.:
“Violent video games provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations. In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise.”
Some researchers say that violent video games are worse than watching similarly violent TV programs or movies because the interactive nature of the game makes the player become involved and learn to identify with the aggressive game character.
No, Video Games and Violence are Not Related
On the other side of the coin are those who argue that no such link exists. One recent study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign supports this case. After playing a violent video game called Asheron’s Call 2 (AC2) for an average of 56 hours in a month, no link between the game and real-world aggression was found in the 75 players (average age 28).
Said lead author Dmitri Williams, “Players were not statistically different from the non-playing control group in their beliefs on aggression after playing the game than they were before playing. Nor was game play a predictor of aggressive behaviors. Compared with the control group, the players neither increased their argumentative behaviors after game play nor were significantly more likely to argue with their friends and partners.”
Another study of 35 8- to 12-year olds, in which the children played a non-violent and a violent video game for 15 minutes each, found the game playing did not alter the children’s previous tendencies toward aggressiveness or empathy.
Are the Game Ratings Enough?
Just as controversial as the violence issue is whether or not the game ratings go far enough. While some contend that it’s up to parents to monitor the game ratings and their children’s exposure to them, a study found that many parents, though aware of the ratings and of their meanings, do not take them seriously.
“Most parents think their child is mature enough so that these games will not influence them,” said Jurgen Freund, chief executive with the Swiss research firm Modulum.
According to the study of over 1,000 UK adults, parents were more concerned with the number of hours their children were playing video games than with what game they were playing.
“Parents perceive age ratings as a guide but not as a definite prohibition,” said Freund. “Some may have not liked the content but they did not prohibit the game.”
And while the debate is likely to continue on a large scale in years to come (California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed into law Assembly Bill 1179, which prohibits selling or renting violent video games to Californians under 18), one thing’s for sure — kids will continue to be drawn to them, if for no other reason than because they’re not supposed to have them.
“We called it Magic 18,” said Freund. “The 18+ label was seen as promoting the content, promising adult content rather than saying ‘my parents will stop me playing this.’”
This article was provided by the world’s #1 most popular and trusted holistic living e-newsletter — FREE to you right now at http://www.SixWise.com! The old way of thinking: “holistic living” pertains only to personal health. The new way of thinking: “holistic living” means prevention of the negative and adherence to the positive in all SIX practical areas of life: relationships, finances, career, home environment, safety and health. With the SixWise.com e-newsletter, you will get holistic wisdom from the world’s top experts in all six of these areas — completely FREE with a simple sign-up (and a guaranteed no-spam policy!) at http://www.SixWise.com
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Posted by admin on March 26th, 2009 — Posted in Great Real Estate Tips, Parents + Kids, School of Psychology
Moving is one of life’s most nerve-wracking events. For kids, it is likewise an emotional turmoil adults oftentimes do not pay adequate attention to. Below are some matters to think about.
Involving the Whole Family
It’s only natural that your kids will want to be involved with what is progressing. Some ways to get your kids involved are:
- Involving them to assist and prepare your yard sale. They can make bright notices to stick up nearby.
- Letting them to select a small number of toys or other things to keep with them on moving day.
- Empowering them by letting them pack and label a few of their own boxes
- Ensuring they have a special task to look after on moving day. This will allow them feel like they’re having a valuable contribution.
- Letting them to decide how their new rooms should decorated and arranged.
Settling In
Realize that there may be a mourning period for youngsters after a big move; it may live on a few weeks, perhaps even a few months. Here are a few easy things you can do to make moving more comfortable for your kids.
- Enquire and explore your new region together. Look for new and challenging things.
- Visit your kid’s new school with them in advance and walk about the new school together to aid them to find their bearings.
- Come with your youngsters on their path to school until they are comfortable travelling on their own.
- Check out after-school activities where your kids can make new friends with like interests.
- Do not forget to encourage them to keep in contact with old friends.
Being Alert to Early Warning Signs
A major change is certainly very challenging for a youngster. Even the most well adjusted kid can have difficulty grappling with moving.
Be alert, it’s critical to pick up on small warning signals that your kid may need extra help managing with his or her new environs.
Here are some signals to be alert to
- Disengaged behavior
- Loss of appetite
- Problems sleeping, or regular nightmares
- Outbursts of anger or tears
- Reluctance to stray far from the house or family
- Difficulty making new friends
Picking out local movers can be tricky enough, moving with a family might be even more tough. There are a lot of changes going on for you and your family. That’s why it is important to spend some time assisting your kids manage the switches taking place around them. The advice laid out here will help your move go more smoothly.
Additional Moving Resources
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Posted by admin on March 19th, 2009 — Posted in Beyond Cats
Though PropertyIndex.com is still a pretty young company, (they were founded only in March 2007), they were very quick to advance to expert status. In point of fact a extraordinarily incomplex company fully concentrated on guiding anyone who is proposing to buy, sell, rent etc. real estate all over the world. They guarantee help you spot bang-on what’s desired quick and, further, sans pain.
Real estate is being offered everwhere at the moment, one of the elite areas being realty you can purchase in the USA. It should be no big challenge to pinpoint all the great property for sale in the USA, the explanation for picking real estate here is the houses and apartments you can purchase and the chance of spending your life among such a energetic populace.
It is one of the truly trendy property markets at the moment, and with the lovely landscape and wonderful weather surrounding you, how could you conceivably go wrong? Real estate in the USA is steeped in history, art and culture, this geographical region is and has always been home to many civilizations.
Around 30 years back there’d be only very few of Britishers looking for property in the USA. Just ask any person who has moved to the USA and they’ll be sure to substantiate this. Many people would will call it a temporary rage and others will call it a as something approaching an infatuation. People who will actually move to this area may extend from newly weds keen on a bit of a new life perspective to pensioners who are looking to enjoy themselves and unwind.
Note that you might hit on some hindrances when purchasing property overseas - expectably there are dozens of differentiated actions whether working out a plan, touring or buying and completing. If you only miss one single step this may well escalate broad hindrances plus, critically, a financial trouncing.
Naturally, as can be assumed with this trendy region, property may be high-cost in this area and that is only caused by the increasing demand. Regardless of this the client really is very spoilt in a location boasting such a fantastic scenery. Definitely it’s got the whole shebang you could fancy and plenty more.
Property Index sell a range of villas and apartments, take a look at their site if you are looking for overseas property investment, click here to view the properties.
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Posted by admin on March 19th, 2009 — Posted in Enterprise, Living With Investment, Sales Techniques
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Posted by admin on March 19th, 2009 — Posted in Civvies
If men can run the world, why can’t they stop wearing neckties?
How intelligent is it to start the day by tying a little noose around your neck? - Linda Ellerbee
Neck tie was born as a piece of material worn by roman emperors around the neck for reasons of climate of hygiene or climate and was considered to be a symbol of elegance and refinement. It nicely expresses the personality of the wearer and had become an instrument in social relations.
Today, if asked that what is the most important clothing accessory for a man besides shirts and trousers that displays his professional image? I’m sure your answer would be a neck tie. In this professional world, your success depends upon your field, the way you communicate, manner in which you carry yourself and above all your dressing style speaks a lot about your personality. Even when you attend any official meetings, parties or go out for an interview, a neck tie is a must.
So if you are a beginner and don’t know much how to tie a neck tie then simply follow these steps:
1. First face yourself in front of a mirror and then wrap your tie loosely hanging around your neck under the collar of your shirt.
2. You have two ends of your neck tie whereby one is the wide end and the other one is the narrow end. Now you have to cross the wide end over the narrow end.
3. Next bring the wide end below the narrow end.
4. Again bring the wide end of the tie over the narrow end.
5. Then hold the wide end of the tie and bring it through the back of the loop formed.
6. Now hold loosely with the help of your index finger the front of the knot and pass wide end down through the loop.
7. Next remove your finger tighten your knot. For this hold the narrow end with your hand and draw the knot upwards to your collar.
Visit our website tying-neck-tie.info
Olivia Andrews, writer of tying-neck-tie.info is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, entertainment, music, apparels and mobile phones.
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Posted by admin on March 15th, 2009 — Posted in Games + Cheats
I. FAR BEYOND BLEEPS AND LOOPS
The new console era is upon us. It has been met by developers everywhere with
great anticipation, promise, …and yet, reluctance. Programmers have spent a
large portion of the past decade squeezing every last bit of potential from our
PS2s, Xbox’s and Gamecubes.
Now, after tricking these machines into performing beyond their expectations,
the shackles of technology have been lifted yet again. But will the next
generation consoles guarantee better audio?
No. We can certainly expect more audio due to an increase in available
memory, and the ability to add additional content within BD-ROM and dual
layer DVD-ROM formats. But what makes audio sound good doesn’t
necessarily have anything to do with performance and delivery specs. Surely,
our ability to manipulate audio will improve, but it will mean nothing if the
content doesn’t deliver. This article focuses on sound creation, and will enable
you to pave the way for effective and successful interactive game sound.
You have the ability to put the creative spark in motion regardless of which
game format you are developing. Knowing and preparing your sound team as
well as understanding the processes through which they work, will ultimately
help you to keep the audio on track, both artistically and financially.
II. THE AUDIO TEAM
A few years back, I was scoring a short animated film. One of the animators for
this film held a day job at a well-known entertainment company that had just
released a CG movie about dinosaurs. I asked him what he did on that project,
to which he replied, “I did all the toenails.”
I couldn’t help but think of the army of people responsible for the teeth, eyes,
scales, and so on. None-the-less, I saw the movie and it was visually stunning.
Realistically, game budgets will not allow for such an extravagant audio team,
but it does illustrate a good principle; that your audio personnel have well-
defined roles with which to focus their efforts. Collectively, your audio will be
that much better for it.
Game budgets once mandated that production costs stay low, so it wasn’t
unusual to find that one or two people produced all of a game’s audio. Today,
the stakes are much higher, and so are the budgets. Consumer expectations
have grown, requiring a movie-like experience within the confines of their
homes. The interactive market has become a battlefield for franchise
superiority. Bland, over-used audio must not be the exposed link in the armor
of any publisher or developer.
Whether you are using an in-house audio department or outsourcing the audio
completely, it is important that individuals have well-defined roles that do not
cross over into the other aspects of sound production. If the Audio Director is
splitting time as the Sound Designer, and the Sound Designer is also the
Composer, you can be sure that none of these shared jobs will get the proper
attention they require. It is important to obtain a list of your entire audio team
that breaks down the responsibilities of each member. Use your sound budget
to fortify any areas in sound production that need particular emphasis. We will
discuss more on budgets later, but for now let’s start at the beginning.
III. COMMUNICATING THE VISION: PRE-PRODUCTION
A. EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM
By their very nature, creative people are passionate about what they do. You
shouldn’t have difficulty finding the enthusiasm amongst your sound team. Yet
this inherent motivation is not something to be left without guidance. You will
be doing your budget as well as your team’s morale, a disservice by letting
your sound team simply “have at it”. When it comes time to add sound, the
sound designers have both an advantage and a disadvantage compared to the
other production team members.
The advantage is, that by the time the game is ready for audio creation, the
game has taken real shape and personality. This helps to guide the direction of
the sound effects design. The disadvantage is, that since the sound design is
one of the last stages to be developed, previously fallen deadlines become the
responsibility of the sound design team to make up. By bringing your sound
designers up to speed early, you can avoid costly third and fourth revisions.
B. THE DOCUMENTS, PLEASE!
Giving the sound team the most recent build to play, only gives them a partial
picture of the artistic direction of the game. The sound team, like the art
department, must understand the metamorphosis of the game’s characters and
landscapes.
To do this, compile a book or digital archive that chronologically depicts the
artwork, from the earliest sketches to the final in-game representations.
Arrange an in-depth meeting between the sound designers, composer and the
Art Director to discuss the game’s development from an artistic standpoint.
This will help your audio team create the proper palette of sounds in much the
same way an artist creates a palette of colors.
For story-driven games, distributing copies of the script will be necessary to
illustrate the motivation and goal of the game. While this is critical for
composers, the sound designers will benefit by the added sense of immersion
into the game.
Perhaps the best form of communicating the vision will come from the Game
Designer. The game designer works tirelessly in his pursuit to create “the best
game ever”. He is never short of words when describing the intent of the game.
Though his work is creative, his methods are mostly technical. No one
understands the abilities of the characters in such detail as the game designer,
as the great number of technical documents he produces will attest. These
documents are invaluable to the audio team. By thoroughly examining level
overviews and enemy specs, both sound designers and composers can create
complimentary aural depictions. Bosses that are slow but powerful, or enemies
that are stealthy will be revealed in great detail within these documents,
providing the backdrop from which the sound designers can create.
C. THE DEMOS - GETTING ON THE SAME PAGE
Once the above preproduction steps have been completed, it’s time for the
sound design team and composer to begin creating demos from game capture.
Create three to four movies 60 to 90 seconds in length from different levels in
the game. Be sure to include the ambient portion prior to the action in order
to hear the game shift from low to high levels of activity. However, this may
not be possible for some arcade style games.
Once the sound design and music are complete, a mix of all the audio content
should be performed by the Sound Lead or Audio Director in either stereo,
surround or both, and exported with the movies for review.
It is important to have in place a team of reviewers that appropriately represent
those who have creative input. These might include, but are not limited to, the
Developing Producer, Publishing Producer, Executive Producer, Associate
Producer, Game Designer, Art Director, Audio Director and a franchise
representative if applicable. A robust review team will help generate an
accurate and collective review. If changes in the demonstration audio are
required and then subsequently agreed upon, your audio is ready for
production.
IV. SOUND DESIGN PRODUCTION
A. EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO SOUND
From the beginning we have been programmed to respond to sound.
A mother’s voice, a church bell, or police sirens conjure an emotional
response. Sounds help us to decipher the world around us. They warn us of
danger, call us to action and bring peace and tranquility to our lives. The more
expressive the sound is, the greater our emotional response to it. Sound
effects correctly placed in a game should evoke this response while defining
the environment, circumstance and personas on screen. Due to the random
nature by which sounds are triggered in a game, they must effectively co-exist
without losing definition or character when multiple sounds occur in close
proximity to each other. Let us examine some general observations in game
sound design.
B. BEWARE OF SONIC SLUDGE!
There is a finite amount of sound data that the ear can properly interpret
before fatigue sets in. It is the role of the sound programmer or director to
prioritize which sounds are most important and at what times they are
important. The sound designer on the other hand, must always create content
that will be effective, regardless of the circumstances that exist at the time a
sound is played. Good sound effects should work well alone and in
combination with many other sounds. This is a challenging task, but careful
forethought and planning will produce a rich, dynamic and satisfying
interactive soundscape.
The key to preventing sonic fatigue is to create sound effects that vary in
volume and frequency in relation to each other. A single sound effect that is
loud and contains equal amounts of low, middle and high frequencies may be
effective when played alone, but if all the sound effects are loud and contain a
similar frequency spectrum, it becomes difficult to decipher one sound from
the next.
In most cases, the sound designer delivers the sounds at a reasonably loud
volume, to allow the audio director or programmer to appropriately mix those
sounds into the game, setting the playback volume for each sound. However, it
is the job of the sound designer to emphasize different frequencies according
to the requirements of each sound. To do this, the designer must know which
sounds are likely to be played together at any given time, then selectively
decide which sounds will emphasize specific frequencies. Higher frequencies
provide detail. Upper middle frequencies provide presence, while lower
frequencies depict power or energy. Too much emphasis on high and upper-
middle frequencies will lead to fatigue, while too many sounds containing
lower or sub frequencies, will become muddy and detract from the overall
detail of the sound design. The goal is to create individual sounds that do not
compete, but compliment. With this in mind, the sound designer must
appropriately focus on the frequencies that will best suit each sound effect.
This process essentially carves out any unnecessary sound space to allow
additional room for other sound effects to be heard. When volumes and
frequencies are selectively assigned, the sound effects will breathe and
compliment each other regardless of when they play.
C. PACING - BUILDING TOWARD CLIMACTIC MOMENTS
Now let’s examine the sound design from the “Big Picture” perspective. Game
and level design documents will provide the structure of the game in terms of
moments of emphasis. Generally, these structures take the form of peaks and
valleys that convey changes in difficulty as the game progresses. Usually, the
peaks represent a boss fight, though not necessarily so. When examined as a
whole, the sound design should appropriately compliment these arching
structures, and allow, from a sound perspective, a sense of building toward
these peak moments. If the sound designer has examined the enemies and
situations thoroughly, the overall sound design will naturally fall into place,
appropriately following the peaks and valleys within the game. However, if for
example, minions sound as powerful as bosses, some adjustment will be
necessary to bring down the emphasis of these weaker and less difficult
enemies. By not doing so will result in sound design that does not match the
arching pattern of the game. To put it simply, there can be “too much of a
good thing”. Let’s now look at the specific areas of game sound design.
D. AMBIENCE - DEFINING ENVIROMENTS THROUGH SOUND
Initially, ambient sound should effectively portray the setting, location and time
frame of the game or its various levels. For instance, percussion and double
reed music, a multitude of bartering voices and distant clanking iron would
suggest a medieval marketplace. As the game progresses the role of the
ambient sound is to support the circumstances with which the player is
involved. Does the sound within the environment evoke danger or safety?
Activity or inactivity? Conversely, ambience can be used to deceive the player
through suggesting a false circumstance, such as creating a sense of calm
before an ambush. Under all these conditions, good ambient sound should
portray a living environment.
The psychological impact of ambient sounds can add much to the onscreen
imagery, though not physically present in the scenery. For instance a distant,
sustained cry of an infant suggests vulnerability or insecurity. A broken fence
rattling in the wind of an abandoned city, suggests to the player a previous
traumatic event. These are subtle examples used to arouse awareness in the
player. More obvious sounds should be used to cue the player of his direct
proximity to danger. Dark drones or muffled enemy vocalizations will prepare
the player for fierce combat ahead. Fear, anticipation and anxiety are easily
evoked by the careful placement of ambient sounds.
E. IMPACTS AND DESTRUCTION - BREATHING DEATH INTO THE NON-LIVING
Early on, comic books depicted the sound of the action scenes through the use
of words that sonically mimicked the action. Over time, words like “thud” “pow”
and “zap” lost their effectiveness. Comic book writers had to jog their
imaginations to express sounds in more creative and exciting ways, such as
“Kathwaaap’, “fwuuuhmp” and so on. Similarly, the sound effects in early
games experienced a renaissance as memory increased and streaming
technology allowed for more and varied sounds to be launched under the
animations. However, no increase in playback performance will ensure the
effectiveness of the sound effects, if the sounds are not expressive.
From a sound perspective, impacts and destruction must primarily convey
suffering and submission. These terms apply naturally to the vocal efforts
triggered under an opponent or avatar under attack, but are more abstract
when applied to inanimate objects. Since the human voice is the most
expressive instrument in existence, applying human-like characteristics to the
‘non-living’, will help give the sounds a more life-like and expressive quality.
Twisting, screeching metal, the deep thud and release of broken concrete and
wood that creaks, pops and splinters convey expressive responses to the
forces applied to them, in much the same way a grunt, moan and exhale
expresses human injury.
Additionally, impacts and destruction sounds should proportionately depict the
transference of energy between the weapon and the target. A metallic ping
with a ricochet is an effective response to a bullet on metal, in which the
transfer of energy between a low-mass object at high speed can be observed.
A missile explosion, on the other hand, is more powerful and slower to
develop, therefore requiring an equally proportionate response. The sound of
larger impacts with destruction should develop through three basic phases:
Attack, Sustain and Release.
The Attack is the first and shortest event of the three. It is important to note
that the attack is not the sound of the weapon or projectile. In this case, a
missile, contains it’s own dry explosion sound that is launched under the
animation of the missile explosion. Therefore the attack will be the impact
sound based on the material composition of the target. Since the attack and
the dry explosion of the missile will happen simultaneously, the attack should
have a short period of ‘lead-in’ or silence to allow the peak, or initial part of
the explosion of the missile to be heard uncompromised by the attack of the
material impact.
Next is the Sustain, which introduces the debris and material breakdown
created by the explosion. Over this phase, detail should be observed. The
sustain should sound less dense than the attack so that the specific details of
the destruction can adequately be heard.
The final phase is the Release, which is a response to the destruction that
should characterize a kind of ’submission’. This phase of the destruction
should contain lighter falling debris based on the materials destroyed,
movement of dust and earth and perhaps steam.
When all three of these phases are exhibited, the destructions will sound more
expressive and compliment the weapons by adequately portraying their
explosive energy.
For “The Incredible Hulk - Ultimate Destruction” we maximized the detail and
movement of large, explosive forces by dynamically altering the stereo field
throughout the three phases of the destruction. The attack phase was almost
entirely monophonic, while a quickly widening stereo field was applied to the
sustain, finally resting on a wide and fixed stereo field for the release. The
result was destruction that moved rapidly over a wide area, thereby adequately
portraying the Hulk’s enormous power.
F. WEAPONS - KNOW THYSELF, KNOW THY ENEMY!
It is a lesser-known fact that a gunshot at close range, sounds less threatening
than from 40 or even 80 yards away. Since most people have never fired a gun,
their expectations for the sound of gunshots as depicted by the entertainment
media are very high. Therefore, even in games based on historical simulation,
some amount of sonic sweetening will be necessary. In the case of a “period”
war game, multiple recordings of the specific weapon should be blended
together to create a satisfying gunshot. These might include mixing together
the various distances recorded for the gunshot, as well as the dry trigger and
shell discharge sounds for the specific firearm. Sounds created this way will be
sonically interesting while retaining the historical accuracy of the weapon.
For science-fiction or fantasy games, the imagination is the sound designer’s
only limitation. As mentioned previously, the design documents will shed light
on the abilities of the enemies and characters within the game. The weapons
detailed in this document should explain the amount of damage incurred by
each weapon. It is important that these sounds appropriately match the
damage potential, since the player will, to some extent, be judging the amount
of damage from each weapon by the sound it creates. For example, weapons
that contain a charge-up sound before firing, indicates to the player that a
great amount of force is forthcoming. Likewise a weapon that produces a large
discharge noise would produce the same result.
From a stylistic perspective, weapons are an extension of the personalities of
each character and should compliment the character’s physical attributes,
abilities and in some cases, their heritage or history. For instance, the sounds
of swords, knives and shuriken should be as stealthy as the master ninja who
wields them. The character of these sounds should compliment the physical
qualities exhibited by the ninja and reflect the mastery of the ninja tradition.
With this in mind you should expect the sounds to be light but fierce, focused
and evoke quickness of movement.
G. VEHICLES
Since vehicle sounds typically respond to controller movements, and not
animations, they can be difficult to perform in a plausible manner. Developers
for racing games are likely to have robust code for manipulating vehicle
sounds. Since we are focusing on sound production, and not programming,
let’s examine the basic elements that make up vehicle sounds.
In most cases the sound designer will provide four separate engine sounds per
vehicle: an idle loop, acceleration, a steady thrust loop and a deceleration
(engine decompression or braking). The idle will simply indicate that the
vehicle is engaged. The acceleration and deceleration sounds should be
designed to seamlessly crossfade into, and out of the steady thrust loop via
programming. This formula is effective for simple vehicles with a low threshold
of speed in which the vehicle will quickly reach maximum velocity until the
button or trigger is released.
If the visual perspectives of the vehicle can be changed, so too should the
sounds that accompany the vehicle. This will ensure a greater sense of realism.
For instance, if inside and outside perspectives are available, subtle shifts in
the observed engine sounds should be present to support the change in
perspective. An inside perspective will result in a de-emphasis of the higher
frequencies that are present within the engine sounds, giving those sounds the
muffled quality one would expect when listening to the engine from inside.
One way to perform this, is for the sound designer to supply separate versions
of the engine sounds based on the perspective observed. If the sound designer
has access to recordings from the various perspectives, this will be easy to
supply. However if these sound perspectives are not available, or if the vehicle
is fictitious, separate mixes that include changes in equalization should be
performed in order to support the visual perspectives.
For added realism, intermittent sounds can be supplied to add feedback based
on the driving conditions or the state of the vehicle while operating. For
instance, wheel-based vehicles will contain surface noises used to indicate the
terrain (tarmac, gravel etc.). Metallic rattling and scraping is used to indicate
the state of a vehicle that is damaged. The addition of these and other
intermittent sounds add a heightened sense of realism and immersion when
operating the vehicle.
H. MENUS - LESS IS MORE
As games have become more sophisticated, so too have the menus. Player’s
can customize a variety of options as well as view or purchase an array of
unlock-able content. This, of course requires more navigation. In most cases,
sounds will accompany the navigation to provide greater sensory feedback. No
matter how enjoyable these sounds may be, their repetition will soon become
an annoyance. It is always safe to create short and subtle sonic events that are
felt rather than heard.
Steve Kutay is the co-founder of Radius360, an award-winning audio post
production company, specializing in sound for film and games, located in Los
Angeles, California. You may contact Steve at steve.kutay@radius360.com.
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