Animals should be making sounds

[Malena 2,854]

As a new player to Wurm, the fact that animals don't make any sounds during their normal non-combat state, has felt very strange to me. Especially considering how much effort has been put into making the game so immersive otherwise. Something as simple as hearing a horse whinny or snort, a cow moo, a chicken cluck, a cat meow, a dog bark, an incoming wolf pant, a bear grunt etc - could enhance the immersion ten-fold. Right now these silent animals make them feel like lifeless game robots.

 

The other day I tried out a branding iron for the first time and was absolutely shocked to hear the horse suddenly neigh in response to the pain! So the sounds are there, but are only used for when the animals are fighting/hurting? 

 

It goes without saying that I don't want the game to sound like a zoo 24/7 - however an occasional sound from nearby animals would enhance the atmosphere a lot! 

 

The sounds would not have to be attached to any sort of trigger, hell I'd be happy to just hear them once in a while. However if you really wanted to make things fancy it would of course be super cool if horses for instance snorted or pawed the ground upon grooming, or if one or two whinnied upon approaching the horse pen. This would also make tracking down wild animals more fun. I think back with much warmth to my Ultima Online days and keeping my ears open for a possible horse neigh in hopes to find a nightmare.

 

And while we're talking about sound, it would be cool that the closer you got to the shoreline, the more you could hear the sound of seagulls to accompany the lap of the waves. When inland or on high mountains you could instead hear the sound of a hawk pass over once in a while. These sounds could help you navigate when lost in the middle of a huge forest as well. "Go towards the water, go towards the sound of seagulls"

 

 

[RockyBalboa 565]

+1

[Xallo 2,599]

I think livestock and what not used to make noises occasionally, but people (mostly breeders) found the sounds obnoxious and disruptive. Personally, I liked it, but perhaps having it as a toggle would be better.

[Sharkin 1,319]

Yeah, toggle sounds good. It would be a massacre on my deed otherwise!

Edited February 25, 2014 by Sharkin

[Steveleeb 1,067]

Plenty of invisible ducks about, you can hear them.

 

+1

[Alden 209]

+1

 

Being closer to large animal populations should be more noisy than low population areas, but without driving breeders mad.

Perhaps each animal can only make one vocalisation at a random time per hour.

 

Also interested in how this might affect pvp behaviour.

[Cerberus 247]

I think livestock and what not used to make noises occasionally, but people (mostly breeders) found the sounds obnoxious and disruptive. Personally, I liked it, but perhaps having it as a toggle would be better.

it was CONSTANTLY! I culled my cattle herd because I could not stand the constant mooing. occasionally would have been fine.

[Arronicus 634]

They make lots of noises if you have a hot branding iron.

[Valdor 1,426]

They make lots of noises if you have a hot branding iron.

 

What was the point of this reply? Pointless. That's not what she is talking about.

 

The animal noises are there, at least most of them, but some players didn't like the frequency of the sounds. Now, from time to time you will hear an animal sound (without the branding iron), but it's literally every few weeks, if not months.

 

I think putting the sounds back would be great. To appease those who have a lot of animals, the frequency should be reduced to what it used to be, or a toggle - like suggested above - should be introduced.

 

+1

[Marshlander 188]

This is why a fresh player's observations and suggestions can be so valuable.

 

Huge +1 for environmental sounds that actually tell you something about the environment (i.e. types of mobs, tiles, elevation, distinction sea/inland water body etc there).

[Wox 1,477]

We did have mooing cows but when players had like 20 of em penned it was just a mooooooo mooooommoomommooommoooooo until it did drive you crazy  

So it need some neat system somehow when it is many at the same place or something.

[Elen 1,013]

If you can't handle the moo, get outta the barn.

 

Limit the sound frequency in the client with a timer. If the moo was within the last (user defined) seconds, don't play the sound.

Edited February 25, 2014 by Elen

[Rathgar 959]

Theres ambient sound, like ducks near water, and birds in places with certain vegetation.     A nice, relaxing and inobstrusive background sound could be used for areas with a lot of cattle/horses.

 

  So there woudlnt need to be a specific sound option for it, or special systems for how often a cow will moo.   Just a new sound track to the existing system.

[mrgbgbo 413]

+1

[Heroic 30]

Nice idea.

 

+1

[Wraithglow 787]

*imagines the howling of wolves at night* can it be dependent on time of day in game too?

+1

[Valdor 1,426]

We did have mooing cows but when players had like 20 of em penned it was just a mooooooo mooooommoomommooommoooooo until it did drive you crazy

So it need some neat system somehow when it is many at the same place or something.

 

Right

 

Perhaps the frequency of the mooing was too much? Perhaps it can be reduced? Would that even solve the problem?

 

Or, as suggested, also add a setting in the game where farmers with 20 cows can keep their sanity and we can keep our petty indulgences

[Arronicus 634]

We did have mooing cows but when players had like 20 of em penned it was just a mooooooo mooooommoomommooommoooooo until it did drive you crazy

So it need some neat system somehow when it is many at the same place or something.

Is it possible to introduce ambient animal noises, when those types of animals are present? For example, if there are cows nearby, regardless of if there is 1 cow, or 1000, you would hear the occasional cow noises? Same for chickens, roosters, etc. No scaling in frequency of noise, maybe not even volume, just, if they're near, or not.

 

 

What was the point of this reply? 

You pay someone to hang out in your farm and occasionally brand animals. Voila =)

Edited February 25, 2014 by Arronicus

[AlexLong 128]

It would be nice but I think having the ability to toggle is a must. lol

[Malena 2,854]

Oh one more thing that came to mind as I was travelling by horse... it would be soooo nice if the horses hoofs made your standard horsey clippity clop instead of the exact same sound as when your character is running.

[Hussars 511]

*imagines the howling of wolves at night* can it be dependent on time of day in game too?

+1

Come back around to Iron Works have a howling wolf that I just can't seem to find.  Been looking on and off for a few days now and hoping the thing dies from hunger soon.

 

As for other animals, as long as they still make noise when you use them as ammo (Thanks Emoo )

 

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvLbidSEodE

[Zwei 210]

Might help with hunting to be honest, and the sound quality is everything, I don't want a human really terrible "MOOO" for a cow or something that just shatters my ear drums, but a decently sounding moo from a cow or something.

[lithi 77]

We did have mooing cows but when players had like 20 of em penned it was just a mooooooo mooooommoomommooommoooooo until it did drive you crazy

So it need some neat system somehow when it is many at the same place or something.

 

It's not too big of a deal code-wise. Check the amount of animals in the area, tune down the amount of sounds generated, problem solved.

 

On the idea, yeah its a good idea. It would certainly make my hunting trips more worth while. Going dark in the forest, generally not seeing anything will make you miss animals (No, i'm not tuning up my contrast). Now it's just me trying to mouseover all over the place, hopefully to catch something. Like fishing without a bait.

Edited February 27, 2014 by lithi

[Elen 1,013]

I forgot I have a rooster because it doesn't seem to make any noise. IRL you will NEVER forget you have a rooster in the house.

[Druidnature 1,118]

I forgot I have a rooster because it doesn't seem to make any noise. IRL you will NEVER forget you have a rooster in the house.

OR a few houses down , every day, 5:45 am...