Hidden cubes single-handedly ruin any fun this game has to offer

[anarchy]

Whoever thought wandering aimlessly around an island for 2 straight hours trying to stumble over an invisible block that doesn't make the noise it's meant to make would be good gameplay should really have a good long introspective about why they hate fun.

[Juggernaut93]

The noise is there and pretty noticeable too. You are either using bad headphones/speakers or you might suffer from hearing loss.

[Fogmoz]

I’m afraid I have to agree with Juggernaut (mostly). You do need to turn SFX to max and Music to min/off, but once you do that the sound they make is very noticeable.

My advice is, the next time you find one, adjust your audio settings and move around near it until you can hear the sound and determine the distance you can hear it.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to look for them if I was you, however. That’s an exercise in futility. Unless you’re trying to complete an Enclave, it’s better for your sanity to just get them as you come across them - they tend to hide near structures.

[zjjcaa]

there is also an upgrade that make sound range bigger, get that upgrade first before going on hunt of cubes.

These cubes is really really difficult to see. Without the sound, it is very hard to blindly search for them

[CascadeHush]

Yep, they are horrible and the sound doesn't help. I will never take a quest that requires finding hidden cubes, been there done that. Took me 3 days to finish it one time, and I only held onto it because it was a rare 2000 quest and I'd done everything else. I think I would have been better off cancelling it for something else.

[anarchy]

1. I do have tinnitus. Having zero accessibility options while making the only reasonable way to find these things a high pitched screech is poor game design.

2. I DO have SFX maxed with music off. Everywhere I go all I can hear is the OTHER high pitched screeches in the game, the launch pads which are audible from a ridiculous range and through walls, the completed Wandering things, etc.

3. Even if all of those things weren't the case, finding a tiny invisible block in a big open area is NOT A PUZZLE.

[Fogmoz]

1. Me too! At a high pitch that almost matches some in-game sounds

2. They all sound different though. Learning the difference is part of the game.

3. Hidden Objects is very famously a recognized type of puzzle, and besides, they aren't invisible; they shimmer like glass - to the extent that some actually stand out at a distance if the light is hitting them at the right angle.

If you think hidden cubes are an auditory nightmare, just wait till you encounter some of the more difficult music cubes...

I apologize if this comes across as dismissive or combative. Many players, including myself, think the game needs some kind of puzzle locator, and hidden cubes are a big reason why. Ultimately I agree with you, I just don't find it as egregious of a mechanic. If I see/hear one, I grab it. If I miss it, I miss it - no big deal.

Also, I don't know if you've come across it yet, but there's a spot in the third area that's just covered in hidden cubes. I nearly got a headache from the constant ringing.

[Osmium]

Originally posted by anarchy753:

trying to stumble over an invisible block that doesn't make the noise it's meant to make
...
I do have tinnitus. Having zero accessibility options while making the only reasonable way to find these things a high pitched screech is poor game design.

First off, I empathize with having hearing issues. I can't solve a single music puzzle due to my own hearing problems.

Your post raises some questions: How do you know what noise it's meant to make and that it's not making that noise when you can't hear properly? That's like a colorblind person saying that the traffic light is broken because all the colors look the same. I just realized I have no idea what colorblind people do if they come across a horizontal traffic light because not every city arranges them vertically. A Google search shows that they can be either red / yellow / green or green / yellow / red, though usually it's the first one. That sounds horrifying.

I understand wanting closed captioning or some other system to detect sound proximity and I want that too. However, you're claiming that the correct sound isn't there, when it's significantly more likely that you simply can't hear it. Nothing in this game screeches at me, so that's either an audio bug I've never heard of or it's something on your end with your speakers or ears.

I'll admit the cubes are relatively quiet. I can only hear them within 3 meters or so, which means I'm basically touching it anyway. The sound has only been useful for me finding one under stairs or above me in the rafters of a building. I mostly rely on my eyes and the shimmer effect of the cube to find them. They tend to be tucked into nooks and crannies like tree roots or rocks. They're almost never out in the middle of an open field.

[CascadeHush]

It's been discussed at length before, and even mentioned in this thread. The only way to hear it is to turn the music off, and the other volume way, way, up. And even then it's likely to be drowned out by other things in the environment like waterfalls, lifts or shy auras or even IRL stuff like the fans in your computer, air conditioning, the sound of your own breathing. If you like to listen to podcasts or have a video on on the second screen (the only way to play IMNSHO) forget about it. OTOH, the hidden arches, auras and wandering echos all make plenty of easily distinguishable sounds. There simply isn't any excuse for such a poor piece of sound design to add insult to an already tedious puzzle.

As you said, you'll probably see it before you hear it, making the whole sound thing not only irrelevant, but ripping people off for an upgrade that doesn't do anything.

The whole 'puzzle' needs a complete rethink. They need to be more visible from further away and the sound needs to actually work.

[anarchy]

Originally posted by Osmium:

Your post raises some questions: How do you know what noise it's meant to make and that it's not making that noise when you can't hear properly? That's like a colorblind person saying that the traffic light is broken because all the colors look the same. I just realized I have no idea what colorblind people do if they come across a horizontal traffic light because not every city arranges them vertically. A Google search shows that they can be either red / yellow / green or green / yellow / red, though usually it's the first one. That sounds horrifying.

Because I can just barely hear one when it's alone, out in the middle of nowhere and the game is silent around it.

When they add a combination of launch pads and waterfalls over the entire area (Shattered Oasis) I can stand next to one I've found without activating it and know that its noise is entirely masked.

Originally posted by Fogmoz:

3. Hidden Objects is very famously a recognized type of puzzle, and besides, they aren't invisible; they shimmer like glass - to the extent that some actually stand out at a distance if the light is hitting them at the right angle.

Maybe, but classically that works because hidden objects are made to be seen when looked for carefully. When your hidden object is 100% out of view, tucked into a tiny gap in the terrain which you can only really find because there is an audio cue, it doesn't work. Nobody's "I Spy" or "Where's Wally" books ceased to function because the artist forgot to use a sound everyone can hear.

[CascadeHush]

I've never seen one 'shimmer like glass' unless I was so close I could touch it. Unlike hidden rings and arches which I see from a long way away.

[Krapht]

I did a quick recording of me hunting cubes for about 4 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfOwj39qQ-A

If you can hear the cubes in my video, there is an audio issue with your game, or you don't have the cube sound upgrade yet. https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197993263352/screenshot/2456222204380255738/

If you can't hear the cubes in my video there is an issue with your headset/speakers or your hearing.

Do note that some cubes can spawn underground and I believe I found one of those around the 3 minute mark. I will go back to double-check, and maybe create a ticket about it. This would be the 3rd one I've come across with 171 found in Lucent Waters, so it's fairly rare.

I spend most of my time in Lucent Waters and at least there the cubes are around rocks, structures and debris. I don't think I've ever found a cube out in the open with nothing around it

[CascadeHush]

Skip to 2:55 if you want to hear what they sound like, if you've never heard the sound before.

Other than that the video only proves OP's point. The sound is significantly quieter than your footsteps and other environmental sounds and can't be heard over the top of the music unless it's completely off. There is no good reason for this. The devs need to fix their game and people need to stop defending the devs for something indefensible.

[Krapht]

Yes, I've turned off music and play with fairly high volume in order to hear them. Also the sound of jump-pads, waterfalls, wandering echo and even wings all have similar sound components. Normally I'd consider this "fine", but where it's not fine is the accessibility part of it. If you have certain type of hearing loss, you're missing out. Yes, you can sometimes see the cubes, but it's super rare to just stumble across them. If I'm listening to music while playing (which I prefer) I only find the occasional cube, compared to when playing with only game sound where I find a majority of the cubes every day.

So generally I don't mind the hidden cubes puzzle, but due to the accessibility issues I do think that something needs to be done. Maybe some kind of visual oscilloscope that indicates the distance to it. If you get close to one, it starts moving and the closer you get the more it moves.

[CascadeHush]

Originally posted by Krapht:

Do note that some cubes can spawn underground and I believe I found one of those around the 3 minute mark.

How would you know that it's a different cube making the noise? There is a cube right there. Do they stop making noise after you find them. It seems to me like sometimes they just keep making noise. Maybe it's just the cube you can see that is making noise and the game bugged out and didn't turn the noise off.

I'm asking because I'm trying to do a shifting mosaic, and there is a cube nearby that I already 'found', but I can still hear the noise and it's driving me bonkers. I've had a really good look around and i'm convinced that the only thing that could possibly be making the noise is the cube I've already found.

[Fogmoz]

Originally posted by CascadeHush:

Originally posted by Krapht:

Do note that some cubes can spawn underground and I believe I found one of those around the 3 minute mark.

How would you know that it's a different cube making the noise? There is a cube right there. Do they stop making noise after you find them. It seems to me like sometimes they just keep making noise. Maybe it's just the cube you can see that is making noise and the game bugged out and didn't turn the noise off.

I'm asking because I'm trying to do a shifting mosaic, and there is a cube nearby that I already 'found', but I can still hear the noise and it's driving me bonkers. I've had a really good look around and i'm convinced that the only thing that could possibly be making the noise is the cube I've already found.

From my experience the sound has always ended once the cube has been found, but the sound effect for gliding often glitches for me so it wouldn’t surprise me if you encountered a buggy cube.