Chapter 11: Dynamic Music
Chapter 12: Scripts and Effects
Chapter 13: 3D Sound Using DirectX Audio
Chapter 14: 3D Sound Using OpenAL
Chapter 15: Advanced Topics in 3D Sound
Chapter 16: DirectPlay Voice
Chapter 17: Audio Visualization
Welcome to the advanced section of the book. Now that you have worked through the first chapters, you're ready to extend the audio engine beyond just the basics of sound effects and music playback.
In this section, you'll learn about several advanced techniques to increase the quality of your game's audio. You'll learn how to create and play back dynamic music—that is, music that changes in real time. Dynamic music allows you to change the music in response to game events.
You'll also look at audio scripting, a feature of DirectX Audio that allows you to give full control over how a sound effect or piece of music sounds to your sound designers. No more, "Hey, I made this new sound effect, can you put it in the game for me?" questions—with audio scripting the sound designers can add, delete, and change sound effects without having to recompile your game's code.
Later in this part, you'll get a peek at 3D Audio, a fascinating technology that can trick your brain into thinking that a sound is coming from anywhere in 3D space. Using 3D Audio, when the ogre is sneaking up behind your player, its breathing and footsteps will appear to actually come from behind them, significantly adding to the sense of reality and immersion in your game.