What I Did This Week

This week, I have mainly sourced and organised the following categories of sound effects:
• Deer sound
• Peacock sound
• Notebook opening sound
• Sound of a notebook page turning
• Two victory sound effects

When selecting these sound effects, I focused not only on the authenticity of the sounds themselves, but also on whether they fit the game’s overall atmosphere and whether they matched the overall atmosphere of the forest and felt natural within the game world.t environment.

Process & Problem Solving

The most challenging part of this week’s sound design process was selecting the right deer call.

During the initial research phase, I found that the calls of most deer species—such as elk and reindeer—are very loud, with a rather shrill tone that can even sound somewhat aggressive. Whilst this is natural in the wild, incorporating such sounds directly into the game would disrupt the currently quiet and gentle forest atmosphere.

Elk deer sound:

Reindeer sound:

So I began to research the calls of different deer species in greater depth, and tried to find sound effects that were softer and better suited to environmental storytelling.

Following research, I compared the calls of various deer species and ultimately decided to use the call of the Sika deer for the game’s deer sound effects. Compared to the calls of the elk or reindeer, the Sika deer’s call is softer and less shrill, making it better suited to the game’s current tranquil, natural forest atmosphere and helping to maintain the overall sense of immersion .

Figure 1. Team Feedback on Sound Selection

This section documents the team’s discussions regarding various sound effects, including deer sounds, notebook interaction sounds, and the direction for ensuring overall atmospheric consistency. This feedback also influenced subsequent decisions regarding sound selection and sound adjustments.

After discussing the sounds with the team, we gradually became more certain about which direction suited the game better.

Ollie mentioned that some of the sounds—particularly the sound of turning pages in a notebook—create an atmosphere that suits the game well overall, but might be a little too subtle during gameplay. He also felt that the initial deer sound was a bit too sharp given the game’s current, generally quiet tone, and therefore suggested trying softer, ambient-style sounds, such as hoof sounds.

This feedback has helped me further clarify the direction for future sound selection and atmospheric adjustments.

Reflection & Learning

After working through this week’s material, I have learned a lot about game sound. Firstly, sound effects not only contribute to the ambiance of the environment but also impact players’ perception of its atmosphere. This means that when you’re choosing your sound effects, you have to consider realism and player experience.

This week’s team discussions made me realize the value of collaboration. The sound of a sika deer was recommended by team members. This helped me quickly discover the right direction. Moreover, the sound effects chosen are more in line with the overall design direction of the team. The team discussion also made me more aware of the importance of collaboration in development. Issues I hadn’t originally noticed—such as whether the deer sound was too shrill or the page-turning sound too faint—became much clearer thanks to feedback from different team members.