Interviewees: David Möllerstedt (Head of Sound, DICE), Henrik Andersson (Sound Designer, DICE), & Bence Pajor (Sound Designer, DICE)

Developer: DICE
Publisher: EA
Game Title: Battlefield 2142

In a hazardous operation, I manoeuvred my BTR-20 air transport in place above Digital Illusions' Titan mothership, which hovers high over downtown Stockholm, and jumped on board. Making my way through the labyrinth of echoing corridors, I approached the Titan Core with extreme caution. This time though my objective was not battle and destruction, but conversation! In the Core chamber, just as we had agreed, three of DICE's most experienced troopers were waiting for me. We donned our HS-600 headsets, made sure that VOIP was enabled, and the chat began...

Q1. Could you tell us how you got involved in gaming audio, and what projects you've been involved with in the past?

David: I work as Head of Sound at DICE since about a year. Previously I was in the music business working as a producer & mixer. I have also designed musical synthesizers as an audio dsp programmer at the Swedish company Elektron.

David: My role is to coordinate the sound design and I'm responsible for sourcing the music. Luckily I have the very experienced Sound Designer team Henrik Andersson & Bence Pajor, the people that brought sound to Battlefield 2, to do the actual sound design work. They are also here to answer the questions related to sound design.

Q3. Battlefield 2142 is the latest game in the Battlefield series following a string of massive hits such as ‘Battlefield 1942' and ‘Battlefield 2', and expectations are high. What challenges did you face creating this sequel?

David: For the first time for a Battlefield game we did not have the truth at hand to compare with. We had to invent all the sound and do sound design for the future. Our goal was to create a believable future. The completely new game mode, ‘Titan Mode' also was a challenge to us, as it is concentrated around the two huge Titans, a totally new object in the Battlefield universe.

Q4. Can you tell us a little bit about the new game mode 'Titan'?

David: Absolutely. Titan Mode is all about capturing the other teams Titan while protecting your own Titan from their attack. Using Ground to Air missiles you first eliminate the shield of a Titan then board it and fight your way to the end goal, the enemy Titans core, and blow it to pieces. The tight corridors provide the most intense fighting I have experienced in a BF game so far.

Henrik: I think that we were more aware of the impact the soundtrack had after Battlefield 2 so with Battlefield 2142 we wanted to take it to the next level and use it to create an overall feeling for the game. A sound designer's goal is always to be one step ahead in terms of design.

David: For BF 2142 we have also the most ambitious music score for a Battlefield game so far. We have been working with composer Gregor Narholz creating the Original BF 2142 Score. Gregor Narholz is an LA based composer specially selected in cooperation with Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Audio for EA. The Main Theme is based on the original BF1942 theme carrying the musical legacy, on top of that there are the 10 original level tracks tailored for each level.

Q6. The game does sound exceptional, how did you go about designing and creating audio for the futuristic weapons and vehicles found in the game? Do you use softsynths, old analog synths, sample CDs? Or do you record present-day sounds and 'mangle' them with DSP effects?

David: Perhaps Bence or Henrik should answer that.

Henrik & Bence: Silence

David: Apparently we are not giving away our trade secrets today.

Q7. And was the sound design influenced by other games, by sci-fi movies, or what?

Bence: We checked out several sci fi movies and came away with the fact that none of them sound too futuristic when it comes to guns and explosions, it's the small details and various gadgets that allows you to go future. A gun is still a gun, even though it's the future you still want it to go boom when you pull the trigger.

Q8. Did the sound effects go through a lot of alterations during testing, or were the sounds that ship with the game pretty much the same ones your team came up with in the first instance?

Bence: Lots of iterations were done, it's the only way to really get the shape and form you're looking for. Like a puzzle, all pieces have to fit into one another to make a nice picture.

Q9. Are there any particular effects, areas or maps that you like the most?

Henrik: As the creator of the soundscape for all levels, I'm particularly proud of the Sidi Power Plant ambient which I feel has such a dynamic and futuristic feel to it that you feel like you are actually there....can almost be scary sometimes.

Bence: Then I have to point out the Air Vehicles. The way the sound design interacts with the physics is really fantastic, that's the single part I'm most proud of.

Q10. What role does 3d audio play in Battlefield 2142?

David: Huge. By using and learning to react on 3d sound cues you could gain a great gameplay advantage.

Q11. Have you played the game on a SoundBlaster X-fi through headphones, and if so did you find CMSS-3D useful for helping to locate enemies?

David: We have 5.1, stereo & headphone setups here. 5.1 and headphones are by far the most detailed.

Q12. How was OpenAL and EAX^® ADVANCED HD™ used in Battlefield 2142 and how do they add to the experience?

David: Occlusion, especially inside the Titan, works really well. The air filtering is also very effective for creating the feeling of being put on the battlefield when you start the game. We actually did the final tweak of the air filter coefficients during final mixing and it really helped the mix come together.

Q13. Whats next for the audio team at DICE? Can you tell us about your future projects?

David: Yes, but I would have to kill you. Seriously, we have just recently announced Battlefield: Bad Company™ which is a new title unique to the Xbox 360 and the PS3. It's the first game to bring a full story and character driven singelplayer experience to the Battlefield and I'm personally very exited about. Other than that I can't say much.

Q14. Finally, I guess you've been playing BF2142 a lot, any tips to avoid an ass-kicking?

David: Actually, I have routinely been humiliated by both Bence & Henrik during our countless internal playtest. If I was you I would be more worried about facing the two of them on the battlefield.

David, Bence and Henrik - thanks for your time!