Well, I'm a beginner to the game development world and am having my first big trial in the form of a 3D exploration game set in the near-future Chernobyl Power Plant.

I think there's a lot of feelings that can be associated with this experience, making it somewhat lyric. Not only making the player understand the magnitude of the catastrophe, but also showing that was life there before everything happened. People that vanished leaving nothing but ghosts.

Well, this is actually my mission on this game project. But to make it happen I have to make it really able to immerse players into the desolation through sound and image. As for sound, what are you guys' hints to make it happen as desired? It's my first real trial at ambience and it is actually a little frightening...

do the music last, just like making a movie. create the visual and story line (if any) experience, then score it. much easier. unless you already have music in mind. then the music can help inspire the feeling of the graphics, instead of the other way around (the "scoring" a film method). by the time it comes to score it to music, you may have thought of appropriate types of music based on the graphics.

do the music last, just like making a movie. create the visual and story line (if any) experience, then score it. much easier. unless you already have music in mind. then the music can help inspire the feeling of the graphics, instead of the other way around (the "scoring" a film method). by the time it comes to score it to music, you may have thought of appropriate types of music based on the graphics.

Thank you!

For atmosphere, I believe that both things should be considered as equals. Ambiance isn't only music - it's the subtle sound effects, rocks crumbling, birds chirping, wind rustling the leaves.

You will need to close your eyes and listen through a library of sounds. Imagine the scenes you want to portray - if it's an open world exploration game, setting the correct mood might be a bit difficult than a linear path, since you have to account for the player roaming around.

IMHO, if you want the player to trully feel the desolace and weight of the tragedy, background music should be very sparse, set to a few key points. Let the player focus on his surroundings and natural sounds of a place long gone, where you can feel the eyes of those that passed follow you around.

There is nothing more ominous than silence.