Tested in all flavours and colours of Marathon.

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On Bungie's "Grenade Launcher" sound:

Having actually used a similar weapon "back in the day", I've always hated the standard "Grenade Explosion" sound in all flavours of Marathon. It's unrealistic, grating, lacks power.

So I decided to change it.

As for whether this particular sound is "realistic"...

Lemme tell ya somethin', mate: If you've ever had a rifle-mounted grenade launcher discharge in your hand, or had the projectile from said impact the ground near your physical position, then we'll talk.

That said, this sound still isn't "Dead On" by any means (no pun intended)...but it's closer than the Bungie offering, for sure. And obviously, the game engine can't take into account the kind of surface the grenade is hitting.

Right?

ON THE OTHER HAND:

If you're not using headphones, the difference provided by "Much Superior Grenade" will probably not be as dramatic as I've just mentioned. I personally never game without headphones (doesn't seem to be much point), and use the fabulous Sony MDR-V600 series, which have excellent bass response.

Standard CPU speakers don't reveal the bass, nor the impact.

If you've got a decent sub-woofer setup, however, the lack of headphones shouldn't be an issue, though I still recommend 'phones for an intimate gaming experience.

So there's your disclaimer.

Anyway...

"Much Superior Grenade" was created by extracting the original Marathon grenade sound. Then the sound of a Dorf Bottle exploding, from Bungie's "Myth: TFL", was mixed-in.

Amplification of the original grenade was reduced 40%. An EQ was run on the Dorf Bottle track, adding substantial bass and just a pinch of midtone.

The Dorf Bottle was then amplified appx. 60%.

The stereo sound was then mixed to mono, and then converted to 16-bit, 22 KHz, with highs "resolved."

The result is here.

The first file is in ResEdit format, for the Macintosh. For you PC guys, it's here as a WAV.

As for putting it into your own Sound files, well, that's up to your own technical prowess. I'd love for someone to make a shuttle for this thing. I used the ancient M2 Sound Converter myself, though other products do lurk.

As for the sound itself, it's now reminiscent of the original, but much more powerful. Indeed, it's made the games actually more fun, because the grenades report more like "impending doom" rather than the amplified slamming of a VW passenger door.

To close, I created this pretty-much for my personal use. If you "get it," fine. If not, there's a handy trash icon somewhere on your desktop, even if you're stuck using Windows...

So there you have it.

:: Beer Can ::

Platinum_Ark@excite.com

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Version History:

1.0 - December 2001

Initial Release

1.1 (Final) - 03.08.02

Added a dash of bass to the Dorf Bottle track. Your mileage may vary.

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