Final Project Proposal for ARTS 2610: Musical-Based Pixel Art Game Scene

Project Title

"Harmony Quest: A Pixel-Art Sound Adventure"

Objective

To create a musical-based pixel-art scene in Unity that demonstrates sound design principles and interactive audio elements covered in ARTS 2610. The focus is on crafting a visually and aurally engaging environment, with sound effects for character actions and environmental triggers.

Project Description

The project will consist of a single interactive pixel-art scene where a player character

explores a small environment (e.g., aforest clearing). The emphasis will be on using sound as a core element of gameplay, covering:

1. **Character Movement Sounds**:

- Footsteps: Different sound variations for walking on grass, wood, and stone.

- Jump and landing sounds.

2. **Environment-Triggered Sounds**:

- Birds chirping when the player approaches trees.

- Rustling sounds when walking through tall grass.

- Water sound effects near a stream or pond.

3. **Musical Interactions**:

- A basic looping ambient track that shifts subtly based on player movement or interactions.

- Simple musical cues triggered when interacting with objects (e.g., a treasure chest emits a harp sound upon opening).

4. **Dynamic Sound Design**:

- Sounds adjusted for proximity using Unity’s audio spatialization features.

- Volume and pitch changes for variety and depth.

Tools and Techniques

1. **Unity**:

- Game engine for creating the scene, integrating audio sources, and implementing interactivity.

2. **Audacity**:

- Sound editing and processing tool to create and refine audio clips for footsteps, ambient noise, and musical effects.

3. **Pixel-Art Assets**:

- Custom or free pixel-art assets to create a visually cohesive game scene.

4. **Unity Audio Features**:

- Spatial audio to simulate 3D sound effects.

- Looping background tracks using Unity’s Audio Mixer.

5. **Basic Interaction Scripting**:

- C# scripts for triggering audio based on player proximity or actions.

Key Course Concepts Covered

1. **Unity Audio Tools**:

- Use of Unity’s Audio Source and Audio Mixer components.

2. **Audacity for Sound Editing**:

- Creating and refining sound effects and music.

3. **Interactive Sound Design**:

- Incorporating player-triggered and environmental audio.

4. **Pixel-Art Integration**:

- Simple yet engaging visual style. aligned with game design principles.