Re: We are developing a fps audio game using 3D sound (HRTF)
Thanks Jones, good question.
There are a few rules we follow when designing levels to make navigation as straightforward as possible. Firstly environmental/ambient space station sounds are almost always placed near doors, so that the player should be able to navigate the level fairly easily by simply following these atmospheric sounds. You can hear doors open when you are in range of them, and they close behind you once you have passed through, indicating that you have successfully left that room/passage.
The levels are also designed to guarantee a lot of looping back and forth between areas, so if the player is paying attention he/she can easily get a good impression of the layout of the rooms and passages. We also make sure that each individual room or passage is fairly small, so it's not really possible to get hopelessly lost since there's not too much room to get lost in. The game is going more for an arcade-like approach than a strictly realistic one, we don't generally place sounds in rooms just for the effect alone. Chances are if you can hear a sound, it's been strategically placed there to guide you.
That said it is possible to get a bit confused at times and find yourself bumping into walls, but the game makes it very clear to you when this is happening by having your character make a recognisable "umph" sound, which I suppose could be considered a virtual cane of sorts. When this does happen, one should simply walk backwards or strafe out of that position and try to re-orientate him or herself.
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