It’d probably be 10 or 20 lines of code; coded within 30 mins. An artist could create a slider in Options menu in probably 10 mins since they already have all the artwork done. Connecting the two dots (volume sliders to sound files) isn’t rocket science. Then, UAT would be rolled into the broader release as one tiny element to test along with every other change going into the release. This truly is a microscopic request for anyone familiar with the code and game’s construct. If this is somehow a, say, 40- or 200-hour work request, then the game has incredibly flawed source code and stifling bureaucratic processes surrounding code updates.
Is there a JIRA ticketing website I can submit this ticket for them if that helps shave off 5 minutes of the 45 minutes or hour it’ll take to implement this?
I can tell you don’t want the update. But at least be realistic on time commitments that would be involved. We’re talking about decreasing the volume of a couple sound files; not making a brand new civ. Every month or two they paint beautiful pieces of artwork for the Main Menu of the game, and create/add cheat codes, profile icons, game enhancements, event-specific content, etc. Again, adding two volume control sliders isn’t rocket science and isn’t the end of the world. You’d still eventually get all of the above and more things you want.
But if they implement this and it ends up being the very last thing they release for the game because it takes so long to make and Microsoft risks bankruptcy from the sheer effort, then my apologies
I doubt anything like this will ever be added, nor that it should be added. How I see this option being used:
You set the interval to 60 seconds because you are annoyed by it
You lose an entire army because you didn’t notice it being attacked
You complain that the game is frustrating to play, army is too hard to control, and the minimap is unreadable. Even though it was you changing attack notifications that caused issues.
Some things are not meant to be changed, because adjustements are very likely to cause problems. As an example, you probably know that most strategy games and MOBAs have a very strict limitation on how far you can zoom out. That’s intentional as well, because if you let people zoom out too much, they start complaining about poor visibility, slow-paced gameplay and so on.
At the very least, the ability to decrease its volume should be implemented. Whether I hear the battle sound blaring at 130dB (jack hammer) or at 40dB (quiet office), I still hear it. Just one of those volumes is a lot less annoying.
And to circumvent your worries about having a less frequent or inaudible sound, a visual indicator could negate those concerns.
Either way, the player has some responsibility to not screw up their experience. I could play at 640x480 resolution and wonder why my graphics are pixelated and awful, but I don’t. Same with most any player.
Sounds like Utopia to me Well, near-Utopia anyways. I do know some notifications are necessary. I just have a problem with their loudness and repetitiousness. Well, the sounds themselves could also be revamped to be less annoying, ideally.
But, hey, with user-customizable sliders, we’d all be happy. You could crank it up, and I could lower it to barely audible.
Throw in a “frequency of occurrence/repetition” slider, as I’ve also proposed a few times over the years, then we’re all even happier. Give me $1.99 DLC with 10 different sound files I could choose to replace the annoying sounds, then super.
But, apparently, implementing these in the game must require an astronomical amount of time and resources, or the devs just really, truly love hearing the battle sounds… like a beautiful symphony to fall asleep to… because what I feel are jolting, abrasive, and incessant sounds still remain after years and years.
Annoying sounds like these (and the ridiculous doorbell chat sounds in DE) must be like ASMR to those in charge of the code and the updates. I can’t figure out how else some of these sounds have survived “as is” this long. Is too bad.
Well, near-Utopia anyways. I do know some notifications are necessary. I just have a problem with their loudness and repetitiousness. Well, the sounds themselves could also be revamped to be less annoying, ideally.