Hi All,
In my Beta project I have sound effects turned off by default.
Do you think it is wise to do this?
Does it really matter?
Should I turn it on by default because the user probably has used the Operating System option for this?
Thanks in advance for your opion.
Best regards,
Take your favorite game that has music (mine==Super Mario) and try to imagine it without music. When I’m playing a game usually I don’t want to fiddle with the settings. The average user will just want to go straight to the gameplay. How it’s set in the beginning is probably how it’ll be throughout the entire game.
I’d say default to ON. But if the user then turns if off remember their preference for next time, so they don’t have to go and turn if off every time the game starts up.
Considering it’s Beta, you can probably have sound-off by default as long as your testers know. For release though you want to enable anything that adds to the experience. Sounds, music, and at least an acceptable amount of graphics. Better to give the audiance what you can and let them decide what’s too much.
Unless, of course, your music is REALLY bad. Then turn it off. ;D
I’d say it depends on how you think the player is likely to first encounter the game.
Personally, if someone sends me a “try this, it’s cool!” link, and when I click on it a barrage of sound effects comes out of my machine, then I’m likely to reach for the close button pretty quick. (Thing is, I’m probably at work at the time.)
On the other hand, if I’m deliberately downloading a game with the intention of playing it for a few minutes, then I want it sound effects and all.
So, OFF by default for casual/browser-based games, ON by default for anything less casual?
Hi All,
Thank you for your votes and comments so far!
@dishmoth: Good point. It is a browser based game. So probably you are right that this might be played in the office for instance. And this might lead to some awkward faces.
@ beowulf: Sound effects are , from my perspective, adding to the experience but the point dishmoth raises is more
important to me. If the user closes quickly I definitely could lose sales, because the sound-effects are identifying that you are playing a game that you maybe aren’t suppose to do.
@ Andrew: That is a great suggestion and I will implement it
(The option selected will be the default next time around)
Allthough the sound effects will add to the experience I think it could scare first-time users away…
(I have environmental sounds like frogs and birds. Imagine a large FROG noise coming from your computer in a large office, ha ha ha ha)
Best regards from
ME