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game-audio skill

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This skill helps you design immersive game audio systems and adaptive music workflows that enhance player immersion and feedback.

npx playbooks add skill vudovn/antigravity-kit --skill game-audio

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SKILL.md

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---
name: game-audio
description: Game audio principles. Sound design, music integration, adaptive audio systems.
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep
---

# Game Audio Principles

> Sound design and music integration for immersive game experiences.

---

## 1. Audio Category System

### Category Definitions

| Category | Behavior | Examples |
|----------|----------|----------|
| **Music** | Looping, crossfade, ducking | BGM, combat music |
| **SFX** | One-shot, 3D positioned | Footsteps, impacts |
| **Ambient** | Looping, background layer | Wind, crowd, forest |
| **UI** | Immediate, non-3D | Button clicks, notifications |
| **Voice** | Priority, ducking trigger | Dialogue, announcer |

### Priority Hierarchy

```
When sounds compete for channels:

1. Voice (highest - always audible)
2. Player SFX (feedback critical)
3. Enemy SFX (gameplay important)
4. Music (mood, but duckable)
5. Ambient (lowest - can drop)
```

---

## 2. Sound Design Decisions

### SFX Creation Approach

| Approach | When to Use | Trade-offs |
|----------|-------------|------------|
| **Recording** | Realistic needs | High quality, time intensive |
| **Synthesis** | Sci-fi, retro, UI | Unique, requires skill |
| **Library samples** | Fast production | Common sounds, licensing |
| **Layering** | Complex sounds | Best results, more work |

### Layering Structure

| Layer | Purpose | Example: Gunshot |
|-------|---------|------------------|
| **Attack** | Initial transient | Click, snap |
| **Body** | Main character | Boom, blast |
| **Tail** | Decay, room | Reverb, echo |
| **Sweetener** | Special sauce | Shell casing, mechanical |

---

## 3. Music Integration

### Music State System

```
Game State → Music Response
│
├── Menu → Calm, loopable theme
├── Exploration → Ambient, atmospheric
├── Combat detected → Transition to tension
├── Combat engaged → Full battle music
├── Victory → Stinger + calm transition
├── Defeat → Somber stinger
└── Boss → Unique, multi-phase track
```

### Transition Techniques

| Technique | Use When | Feel |
|-----------|----------|------|
| **Crossfade** | Smooth mood shift | Gradual |
| **Stinger** | Immediate event | Dramatic |
| **Stem mixing** | Dynamic intensity | Seamless |
| **Beat-synced** | Rhythmic gameplay | Musical |
| **Queue point** | Next natural break | Clean |

---

## 4. Adaptive Audio Decisions

### Intensity Parameters

| Parameter | Affects | Example |
|-----------|---------|---------|
| **Threat level** | Music intensity | Enemy count |
| **Health** | Filter, reverb | Low health = muffled |
| **Speed** | Tempo, energy | Racing speed |
| **Environment** | Reverb, EQ | Cave vs outdoor |
| **Time of day** | Mood, volume | Night = quieter |

### Vertical vs Horizontal

| System | What Changes | Best For |
|--------|--------------|----------|
| **Vertical (layers)** | Add/remove instrument layers | Intensity scaling |
| **Horizontal (segments)** | Different music sections | State changes |
| **Combined** | Both | AAA adaptive scores |

---

## 5. 3D Audio Decisions

### Spatialization

| Element | 3D Positioned? | Reason |
|---------|----------------|--------|
| Player footsteps | No (or subtle) | Always audible |
| Enemy footsteps | Yes | Directional awareness |
| Gunfire | Yes | Combat awareness |
| Music | No | Mood, non-diegetic |
| Ambient zone | Yes (area) | Environmental |
| UI sounds | No | Interface feedback |

### Distance Behavior

| Distance | Sound Behavior |
|----------|----------------|
| **Near** | Full volume, full frequency |
| **Medium** | Volume falloff, high-freq rolloff |
| **Far** | Low volume, low-pass filter |
| **Max** | Silent or ambient hint |

---

## 6. Platform Considerations

### Format Selection

| Platform | Recommended Format | Reason |
|----------|-------------------|--------|
| PC | OGG Vorbis, WAV | Quality, no licensing |
| Console | Platform-specific | Certification |
| Mobile | MP3, AAC | Size, compatibility |
| Web | WebM/Opus, MP3 fallback | Browser support |

### Memory Budget

| Game Type | Audio Budget | Strategy |
|-----------|--------------|----------|
| Mobile casual | 10-50 MB | Compressed, fewer variants |
| PC indie | 100-500 MB | Quality focus |
| AAA | 1+ GB | Full quality, many variants |

---

## 7. Mix Hierarchy

### Volume Balance Reference

| Category | Relative Level | Notes |
|----------|----------------|-------|
| **Voice** | 0 dB (reference) | Always clear |
| **Player SFX** | -3 to -6 dB | Prominent but not harsh |
| **Music** | -6 to -12 dB | Foundation, ducks for voice |
| **Enemy SFX** | -6 to -9 dB | Important but not dominant |
| **Ambient** | -12 to -18 dB | Subtle background |

### Ducking Rules

| When | Duck What | Amount |
|------|-----------|--------|
| Voice plays | Music, Ambient | -6 to -9 dB |
| Explosion | All except explosion | Brief duck |
| Menu open | Gameplay audio | -3 to -6 dB |

---

## 8. Anti-Patterns

| Don't | Do |
|-------|-----|
| Play same sound repeatedly | Use variations (3-5 per sound) |
| Max volume everything | Use proper mix hierarchy |
| Ignore silence | Silence creates contrast |
| One music track loops forever | Provide variety, transitions |
| Skip audio in prototype | Placeholder audio matters |

---

> **Remember:** 50% of the game experience is audio. A muted game loses half its soul.

Overview

This skill teaches practical game audio principles for sound design, music integration, adaptive systems, and 3D spatialization. It delivers clear guidelines for categories, mixing, platform constraints, and creative workflows to make audio that supports gameplay and emotion. The focus is actionable decisions you can apply in engines and production pipelines.

How this skill works

I present a concise system for categorizing audio (Music, SFX, Ambient, UI, Voice) and a priority hierarchy to resolve competing sounds. The skill covers SFX creation approaches, layering templates, music state machines and transition techniques, adaptive parameter design, spatialization rules, platform format recommendations, and mixing targets. Each section gives trade-offs and concrete settings you can use in implementation.

When to use it

Designing audio for a new game or prototype to set consistent rules
Creating SFX and music that must adapt to player state and intensity
Tuning 3D positioning and distance behavior for immersive worlds
Setting memory/format targets for mobile, PC, console, or web
Establishing a mix hierarchy and ducking rules for clear dialogue

Best practices

Define categories and a priority hierarchy early; make voice highest priority
Use layering (attack/body/tail/sweetener) for rich, reusable SFX
Implement music state systems with crossfades, stingers, and stems for adaptability
Mix to targets (voice 0 dB reference, music -6 to -12 dB) and automate ducking rules
Provide 3–5 variations per repeated SFX and avoid looping a single track forever

Example use cases

A combat system where threat level ramps music stems and adds percussion layers
Footstep system: non-3D player footsteps, 3D enemy footsteps for directional cues
Mobile build: compress and limit variants to fit a 10–50 MB audio budget
Boss encounter using horizontal segments for phases plus vertical layering for intensity
Dialogue-heavy scene where voice ducks music and ambient for clarity

FAQ

When should I synthesize sounds instead of recording?

Synthesize for sci-fi, UI blips, or when you need unique textures quickly; record when realism and organic detail matter.

How many variations per SFX are enough?

Aim for 3–5 variations to reduce repetition without inflating memory; more for high-frequency events like footsteps.