Faster Than The Eye Can See

The Final Game Jam

The third jam, working alongside Music Technologies students, was Faster than the Eye can See, a fast paced sword-fighting game like 'Furi' with a thick mist that hinders the player’s ability to see, forcing them to use sound to react to enemies.

he atmosphere was important to this game, providing a dark and gloomy setting, befitting the low-visibility aspect of the game. When enemies are present, the mist that surrounds the player thickens, concealing the enemies until they are too close to react. Each enemy however has sound cues before each attack, allowing players to respond appropriately, blocking, dodging and counterattacking in order to survive.

Dynamic, spatial sound is very important to the game. The sounds an enemy makes are played relative to their position in the world. The player hears the enemies’ footsteps as they encircle the player, and any attack is audibly telegraphed.

FMOD was used with the project, allowing for more dynamic and varied audio. Different versions of each sound effect were added in, allowing a variety in effects that happen frequently, such as breathing or footsteps. The players’ breaths are tied to their health, and the intensity of the music is based on how many enemies are alive.