5.1 Surround Sound

[()Alf]

I know, this is an old topic but i can remember playing valve games with surround sound years ago on Windows which was a really great experience, especially online.

Now i'm back playing valve games again, also total conversions with the source engine but had to realize, no surround sound at all, at least on Linux.
I don't know if Windows users still have surround, if yes, it's an unfair online situation in many games using the source engine. Also the gaming experience in stereo is far below surround sound atmosphere.

I suggest to reimplement surround, since "only stereo" is a bit 20th century (even then we got 5.1), not 21th. It would make gaming experience so much better for all source based games.

Is there ANY chance that we get surround / 5.1 back?

I think i am not the only one who would love to have surround sound back again

Since you are working on source 2 and hopefully you are providing surround there again, might it be possible to use that experience for use on source 1?

I hope i'm at the right place to write this, see profile for systemspecs.

[Gwarsbane]

Posting in the discussion area of the game you are talking about would be more effective then posting here as this is the suggestions and ideas area for the steam program itself which has nothing to do with the games other then launching them.

[()Alf]

As i understand, this is also Valve related, since Steam and the Source Game Engine (many, many games here use that) are of Valve, so i thought this might be a good.

It's somehow globally adressed, not to a single game.

But i'd be glad to hear about a valve and/or SGE 1 & 2 discussion area.

[Gwarsbane]

Again this is the discussion area for the steam program itself which has nothing to do with games other then launching them. It does not control anything in the source engine, it doesn't do anything to the game engine other then launch the game.

Just because a game uses the source engine doesn't mean its up to Valve to fix every one of those games. Its up to the devs of those games to fix them. And there are a lot more games then just Valve games that use the source engine.

There is a discussion area for each of the valve games where you are suppose to post issues and stuff.

Also consider this....

Think of how hard it would be for a game dev to find suggestions for their game if suggestions/problems for all 10,000 or 20,000+ games were all posted in this one discussion area. It would be pure chaos.

Don't you think they would have an easier time finding the suggestion/idea/problem in the discussion area of their own game? Not some suggestion and idea area that has nothing to do with their game so they don't bother looking at it?

[()Alf]

As i understood, surround was patched out through the source engine, that's why afaik ALL source based games lost surround, that's why i'm asking here.

Like you say, i should ask the same "game related" question in 20+ discussion areas, just to get the answer, that this is a problem of the SGE created by valve and where they can't do anything about?
I can follow your point, but can you mine?

[Gwarsbane]

Seeing as how this is the suggestions and ideas area for the steam program itself, which again has NOTHING to do with the source engine or any games other then launching them you have no point.

It would be like me posting an idea in the HL2DM area for the steam program. The 2 are unrelated and the people who take care of the steam program won't be looking in the HL2DM discussion area for suggestions or ideas for the steam program.



I just checked L4D2 which runs on the source engine and it still says I can run 5.1 sound, heck it says I can do up to 7.1 sound. I also can't seem to find anywhere, where they say they patched it out, and why would they patch it out and not say anything and leave stuff in their own game that makes it look like its still able to do that? Ever consider the problem is on your end?

[Spawn of Totoro]

Publicado originalmente por Gwarsbane:

I just checked L4D2 which runs on the source engine and it still says I can run 5.1 sound, heck it says I can do up to 7.1 sound.

I just tried it on Portal 2 and Team Fortress 2. Both Linux and Windows versions. I also see a 5.1 option available.

Tested with my 5.1 headset and it worked fine too.

It maybe a driver/configuration issue if you are not getting 5.1 in the games.

[()Alf]

Oh ok, you see me surprised. Just before this thread, i found this[github.com], which supported other information i already had.
Any idea then where to find more info about "my" general problem?

[Spawn of Totoro]

Publicado originalmente por ()Alf:

Oh ok, you see me surprised. Just before this thread, i found this[github.com], which supported other information i already had.
Any idea then where to find more info about "my" general problem?

EAX is a diffrent issue from surround sound. EAX was creative's sound suite for sudio effects and has long since been dropped, even by Creative it's self.

Newer Creative sound cards support current surround standards, such as HTX and Dolby Digital 5.1.

You don't list your sound card on your profile, so it is kind of hard to suggest a course of action.

As Gwarsbane suggested, it would be better to ask in a game's game hub or the Steam for Linux forum.

[()Alf]

Updated my specs, in fact it's only onboard. Btw. 5.1 is working in videos.
I must admit, in Portal 2 and L4D2 i have the option for 5.1, on the other hand i don't have that option with HL2 + EP1 +EP2 + Portal 1 - am i missing something?

(sorry, that i'm offtopic by now related to the discussion "suggestions and ideas". If a transfer to the "Steam for Linux" is possible, i try to continue there.)

[Black Blade]

Not sure if these will be good for you, but also what abut the Source SDK hub?
http://steamcommunity.com/app/211/discussions/

[()Alf]

Publicado originalmente por Black Blade (Card Idleing):

Not sure if these will be good for you, but also what abut the Source SDK hub?
http://steamcommunity.com/app/211/discussions/

Thanks for that! :)

[Spawn of Totoro]

Sadly, I don't have the option to move the thread to Steam for Linux. You can always re-post your first post there and link this thread to it.

[Black Blade]

Publicado originalmente por Spawn of Totoro:

Sadly, I don't have the option to move the thread to Steam for Linux. You can always re-post your first post there and link this thread to it.

I assume as its hidden from the Search for some reason

Publicado originalmente por ()Alf:

Thanks for that! :)

O by the way, they may be more likely to listen on the GitHub to be honest, but cant really tell...

[()Alf]

Do you have HL2, EP1, EP2, Portal 1 or Counterstrike Source? Would be interesting if you have 5.1 there too.
Codename Cure (Free2Play) can also be added to those games with just stereo.

Anyway, i posted something there now. Seems a good place to find insiders. ;)

[Gwarsbane]

I'm installing them all now, will be a few hours before I can tell you use they have the options. but again Left 4 Dead 2, which is a source engine based game, is still able to change to 5.1 and 7.1 so I don't see why they would be any different.