Cyberpunk 2077 / CD Projekt RED
The sound designers of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty experimented to make the sounds of weapons more unusual and interesting.
According to CD Projekt RED sound engineer Sebastian Sagastume, some of the effects of gunfire and weapon reloading were inspired by a soda machine at KFC. Another inspiration for the sound design Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty were the boiling vegetables in the kitchen.
«I wanted to ask the manager if I could buy five soda refills in exchange for them to stay quiet and kill the music for five minutes. They were like, ‘Okay, this is so weird, but whatever.’ Well, the main reason is because I wanted to record the soda dispenser that eventually became one of the weapons engines in Phantom Liberty», — the sound engineer said.
As a result, the humming of the machine gun and the rattling of the cans were turned into sounds that became part of the small arms in the game. But the search for different sounds that could resemble weapons did not end with soda cans. That’s why Sebastian Sagastume was inspired once again at home when his girlfriend was cooking.
«Again, another example. One time I was at home, my girlfriend was just boiling some vegetables. I heard it, and it sounded wobbly, sticky. And for the Hercules weapon, it’s shooting some acid bullets. So it was perfect for me to add this layer on top of this weapon», — he adds.
Such methods are not new to the industry. Vegetables are often used for the sounds of movies or games, for example, celery is used to create a crunch when tissue is torn. And watermelon and cabbage imitate perfectly the sound of breaking bones, while carrots, pumpkins, and eggplant are used as musical instruments. One unusual example is the terrifying screeching of the Nazgûl in «The Lord of the Rings» — it’s the sound of a plastic plate rubbing against a glass
Therefore, Polish developers were also looking for ways to make the Phantom Liberty sound palette more interesting. So now you know that some of the sounds in the futuristic setting of Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty are just boiled greens. I wonder what sounds will be used in the sequel to Project Orion, which will be larger and at the same time will receive a city like Chicago? For now Cyberpunk 2 is officially in pre-production.
Source: Games Radar