Poor sound quality makes this game unplayable

[Swordgun]

I don't mind the older graphics, I think they're charming in a way. But ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ the audio quality is just unbearable. I genuinely feel disoriented while playing because of it. Whether it's the bad mixing, some things are too loud than other things, weird echo-y effect everywhere, low bit depth and sample rate recordings. It's a mess.

[Life synpopsis]

Get good

[The Great Misanthropist]

Yes, Half-life has been unplayable for 25 years for millions of people. lol

[Swordgun]

Originally posted by Rektopus:

Yes, Half-life has been unplayable for 25 years for millions of people. lol

I realize the game is old. However, considering the many big changes the anniversary update has brought up you'd think audio would've been among the first things to be touched, since it's not aged well at all. It's easily the worst aspect of the game as of today.

Yes, it is unplayable for many new players including myself. Thankfully there's Black Mesa but I still think it would be cool to experience the original game regardless.

After some googling, I found this new cool mod that remasters the audio well including dialogue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vh1UkCPXLA -- something like this would've been really nice. But hey now I know something like this exists I will definitely play the original HL.

[Herr Dethnout]

This feels like a "If can't do 60 frames is unplayable" kind of thing.

[Rahk]

The game is old dude if that bothers you it's too old for you I guess? I've never seen the audio bother anyone since it kind of comes with the territory of playing a game from that era.

[Swordgun]

Originally posted by Rahk:

The game is old dude if that bothers you it's too old for you I guess? I've never seen the audio bother anyone since it kind of comes with the territory of playing a game from that era.

I think HL is especially bad though. Most if not all the games I've played from that era had good/better sound design. PS1 and N64 games that is.

Yes of course I know it's old, I'm just a little disappointed it was not improved in the slightest with the anniversary update. I just assumed it's a given audio would be remastered or touched in some way at least.

[Cat]

I never noticed anything wrong with the sounds, except maybe the assassin footsteps were a little too much even when they are walking slowly.

[benakenobi]

Not sure how this new build has it, but i replayed HL this summer and it had a very unpleasant droning reverb in some places, like in the meat storage in Office complex

[SonOfDeFreaki]

Dude, the game is from 1998 where they did not have as much money or the tech needed for a much higher sound quality. It was the first game that they made, although they did have 2 years to save up money, resources, and people to work on the game. The sound is not that bad, do you have the sound quality setting on high? It still holds up to this day, or are you just too brain-washed from the sound quality from newer games that have a giant budget compared to Half Life.

[SonOfDeFreaki]

Originally posted by Herr Dethnout:

This feels like a "If can't do 60 frames is unplayable" kind of thing.

That has to be the most perfect summary of what this post is.

[SonOfDeFreaki]

Originally posted by Vim:

Originally posted by Rahk:

The game is old dude if that bothers you it's too old for you I guess? I've never seen the audio bother anyone since it kind of comes with the territory of playing a game from that era.

I think HL is especially bad though. Most if not all the games I've played from that era had good/better sound design. PS1 and N64 games that is.

Yes of course I know it's old, I'm just a little disappointed it was not improved in the slightest with the anniversary update. I just assumed it's a given audio would be remastered or touched in some way at least.

They had an already successful business, this was Valves' first game that they made.

[Junior]

play the remake black mesa then,

[Sikobae]

You had to be there when we had hardware sound processing.

[StrobaCat]

crappy audio makes it AWESOME
specially in mods like afraid of monsters, makes the enviroment more scary

[gorliggs]

Yeah I noticed the sound was off for me as well. You playing this with a soundbar?