Hi Che, I use Xact with Entombed. It's a very clunky interface and I think difficult to make accessible. Most .NET developers prefer other sound solutions that are less confusing, but I like it a lot. It was created to allow sound designers create and test their sounds without needing a programmer's input. So it's basically a sound designer's tool. I like it because it allows me to easily mix sounds and has a few excellent features but also some crippling drawbacks.
The good: - It has automatic provisions to allow you to randomize sounds. You can randomize pitch, location, volume, and more. I can't stress how awesome this is. For example, from one footstep sound, you can get an infinite variety of plays that don't sound exactly the same. I use this all the time with Entombed. - It allows to easily mix sounds. Each sound by default is set at negative 12 decibles which allows you enormous freedom in mixing them together. - You can dynamically change sounds in code. I use this in Entombed to alter the sounds of monsters who have been shrunk. It makes their voices higher pitched. - You can dynamically position 3D audio. - You can set up sound play lists to be random, or follow a set order, without having to program anything in code. The bad: - It doesn't support .mp3s. WAV files only. Wav files are okay for sound effects because Xact compresses them. But for music, Xact is absolutely not what you want. Use the built-in media API that comes with XNA 3.0 for music. Ironically, the built-in sound effect class is pretty barebones which is why I use Xact. It's fine to get simple sounds working in your game, but it would be hell to work with on a large project. - Its minorly unstable. I've had it crash numerous times. - Its clunky and the interface is difficult to navigate. - It's complicated to get your head around initially. If the tool was designed better it would be fantastic. It's not that Xact isn't powerful, it's whoever designed the interface wasn't quite as skilled as those who wrote the engine. Jason --- Gamers mailing list __ [email protected] If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to [email protected]. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to [email protected].
