Introduction

Game Audio Fundamentals

Audio importance in games
- Enhances immersion
- Provides feedback and cues
  - Enemy proximity alerts
  - Quest/objective feedback
- Sets mood and atmosphere
- Delivers narrative through dialogue
Core audio asset types
- Sound effects
  - Short clips for game events
  - Examples: footsteps, crates, combat
- Music
  - Sets emotional tone
  - Varies by context (battles, exploration)
- Ambience
  - Environmental sounds
  - Examples: wind, birds, water
- Dialogue/Narration
  - Story/quest information
  - Character voices
Unreal Engine audio components
- Sound Cues
  - Building blocks for audio
  - Individual/sequence sound files
- Sound Classes
  - Define properties/behavior
  - Control volume, pitch, attenuation
  - Apply effects (reverb, modulation)
- Sound Mixes
  - Overall audio control
  - Balance different channels
  - Set master volumes
  - Apply global effects

Audio forms the emotional and immersive foundation of games through various asset types and systems. Unreal Engine provides robust tools to implement and control these audio elements through its three main components.