Suggestion: I did a small experiment, and FF14 needs some audio FX upgrades
It would be nice, if in a patch, or in the next expansion; we could see some improvements, to effect noises in the core of the world and characters of the game.
I AM NOT wanting to change combat sounds.
This forum only allows 3000 characters, so Ill be brief.
Reason:
Sound is a HUGE part of a game. It has a bigger effect in games than it does in movies because these sounds are not only going to be listened too longer and more repetitively, but they are going to keep the gamers attention and eventually become something that the gamer realizes is off, or maybe even annoying as the hours tread on.
I recorded your sounds from bits of the game without music playing, just my character running around and getting into different environments and the results were stunningly bad.
Such as:
-Footsteps for heavy armor, leather, cloth. They desperately need to be upgraded to actually sound appropriate and with their intended weight and material. These sounds are abysmally inadequate, and sound extremely dated.
-Surfaces for footsteps.
WOW, this area is really bad. As there are multiple surfaces that use the exact same sounds, and then there are surfaces that sound absolutely NOTHING like their intended interaction.
-Sheathing and unsheathing a weapon sounds absolutely awful. the tiny "clink" of my giant axe hitting my back on a marauder/warrior, sounds the same as a sword being put back on a Death Knight, or my ninja putting away his daggers... no no no. Lets upgrade this. Give the player a sense of the "badass-ness" and the "unique-ness" of his weapon. Sleek and sexy, or heavy and powerful... give me the feel of that weapon being slid back into place after a fight, by helping me hear that weapon slide back into place. That sound and that weapon are tied to the player like a soul in this game. Its what we do and what we are. So sound like it.
- Animals, namely these are standard mobs that we are forced to grind for hours and hours; they deserve an upgrade. They are the target of our constant punishments, and the focus of our ears for HOURS AND HOURS... give us bat wings that don't sound like foot steps around us. Give us mechs and machines that sound like they are crushing the world beneath their terrifying feet. Give us Salamanders that slap at the water with their webbed paddle-like feet, give us elementals that buzz with energy... sound is a part of life, and so the better sounding the world, the more alive the game feels.
Conclusion:
I think this game deserves this kind of attention to detail. FF14 is celebrating 18 million players, so then maybe the game, AND PLAYERS, deserve to be treated to a little change... in a GOOD way. And make the game slightly more friendly to the ears, so it is more friendly as a whole; and more complete work of art.
