Sound Direction of Animal Cues

[Joel]

Anybody else feel like the sound you hear and where it is seems way off when you're not facing it directly?
Even when the source of sound is barely 45 degrees from your centre of vision, audio only plays out one side, giving the impression that the sound is coming from off-screen to your side.

I suppose the visual audio cues help in that regard, but how is anybody meant to play without them? How is "Ranger" difficulty going to work if you can't tell where something is coming from reliably?

[iFred]

Have you double checked that you dont have any sound enhancement software active?

I have HDMI to a receiver and it´s pretty much on the spot.

[Bjørn]

I can recommend using a spatial software like Windows Sonic (free) or Dolby Atmos (15 dollars) for all games. Especially for this game it helps a lot with sound direction and volume / balance, at least Dolby Atmos, which is what I'm using.

Dolby Atmos also simulates sounds from above (with normal stereo headsets), so the rain sounds great in this game, feeling like it's hitting your head and such...

[kubanskiloewe]

i use windows sonic for headphones and i still cant detect from which direction the animal sound is coming....therefore i refuse to play Ranger mode.

[Geronimo]

Could it be as simple as making sure the right option selections are made on your TV, or display screens?

You might be using specific hardware that should be compatible, but are cancelling it out by not selecting it somewhere.

[Joel]

I'm running my PC audio in stereo. This issue isn't present outside of WotH. The game itself has no audio settings apart from gain.

The issue must be originating from the game itself. Simple L/R balance issue where the volume drop off is greatly exaggerated for what it should be. Feels like they tried cramming a 180-degree image into the FOV of a 16:9 monitor.

[dbump]

I've played with both speakers and headphones, and the only time I notice serious spatial issues is with ducks and geese, and I suspect that's related to the larger volume issue specific to their calls. Wish I had some better suggestions. Any details on your setup?

[Joel]

Originally posted by dbump:

I've played with both speakers and headphones, and the only time I notice serious spatial issues is with ducks and geese, and I suspect that's related to the larger volume issue specific to their calls. Wish I had some better suggestions. Any details on your setup?

I think you're right there. It definitely isn't all sounds, I only notice it with birds and cracking branches. Anyway, I'll just keep using hunter sense for now. Maybe there will be a patch in the future where this is no longer an issue for me.

[Bjørn]

Yes, I haven't gone for many birds yet since the sounds for them are still a bit out of whack, especially for ducks. Also water sounds come from 'all around' when approaching water sometimes. I think I've read they're still tweaking the sounds, though.

Also the 'snapping branches' and other ambient sounds like the distant deer / sheep sound seem to come from random directions, but that's probably intentional.

But with sounds from animals close by, I immediately hear where they come from. Not without Dolby Atmos, though.

[Malker]

Directional audio definitely needs some improvement with stereo headsets.

[Cruentar ©]

i got same problems in some situations. im using stereo headphones and cant tell where the animal call/noise came from at some time. never had a problem like that in call of the wild or other games