Hellgate: London Designer Diary

In IGN PC’s first Hellgate: London designer diary, Flagship Studios’ Dave Steinwedel tells us about how he created many of the game’s sound effects. A snippet:

It’s a warm summer evening, right around 9PM. I’m leaving my apartment, recorder over my shoulder, headphones atop my ears, and microphone in hand. Tonight’s goal is to capture the sound of screeching train rails, preferably from an exterior position on the train. After walking three blocks to the subway station, I head four stories into the earth, pop my ticket in the machine, and slide through the gates, making sure my gear stays clear. An east-bound train pulls into the station. I hop on, aghast at how many people are still riding this late into the evening (humans are enemy #1 when it comes to capturing sound, they are loud always talking and moving as noisily as possible at all times). I find the least crowded car and set up shop. A passenger wearing headphones moves close to me & the mic picks up his music so I move to a new spot. Passengers talk from time to time. Each conversation is effort I will have to spend later combing the recording to cut them out.