What does the 3D sound channels do in the sound settings?

[nattydread]

Im just curious, it doesnt really explain it in the manual or when mousing over the option. It has some numbers though...v1:1 v2:4, v3 and v4 or something like that.

[Fearless]

It relates to sound travel.

Eg if you hit a merchant that's a reasonable distance away, you'll see the explosion but won't hear the explosion until a few seconds later. The further the explosion is away from you the longer it takes for the sound to be heard.

[nattydread]

so what do the numbers and slider mean? I thought realistic sound travel was a tick box

[Nightmare]

Yes, the realistic sound travel is a tick box. I believe the slider for 3d sound channels is the selection of how many sounds can be played at the same time. Some (older) sound cards have a limit of how many sound can be played simultaneously.

[nattydread]

a ha!, ok

[Fearless]

Thanks Nightmare, forgot to mention that. Depending on the soundcard you'll find that by using 3D sound you may get a temporary game freeze when a torpedo hits a target so I suppose fiddle with the slider settings to check out what's acceptable to the soundcard.

[XanderF]

For most 'onboard' solutions (you plug the speakers in near the keyboard/mouse/USB jacks), there is a pretty sharp dropoff in performance and quality going from 16 simultaneous sounds to 32 - so you don't want to use 32 if you can avoid it (and they can go no higher than 32 at all - so if it lets you, and you set this option higher, you will likely break something).

Creative's SoundBlaster 'Audigy'-series cards can do up to 64, and in hardware, so it has (virtually) no performance impact at all (except the 'Audigy SE'). The X-Fi cards can do 128, again, in hardware (except the 'XtremeAudio' model).

[Fearless]

Yes, with my onboard sound I have 3D slider setting at 1:1. No probs at all now.

[nattydread]

can this be the source of the horrible screaching and static sound i get when Ive severly damaged or sunk some ships? Its horrible and drowns out all other sounds

[Weather-guesser]

I wonder if me having my 3D slider up too much is why I never have interior damage sounds then??? I have been smashed with depth charges and had pipes bursting and glass shattering, but they make no sound. All other interior sounds are fine. :hmm: