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Insurgency: Sandstorm sound design will help you pinpoint enemy locations and surroundings without seeing them

Sound design in Insurgency has always been one of its greatest assets, and today's Insurgency: Sandstorm trailer is a nice reassurance that the sequel is only going to make things better.

Insurgency: Sandstorm's new trailer, called soundstaging, takes a look at positional audio in the game. While this particular aspect was present in the original game, the sequel's systems are more accurate.

Locating enemies using the sound of their shots and callouts is a key part of close quarters gameplay in Insurgency. The video shows how Sandstorm, through careful switching between stereo and mono sounds, allows players to figure out a shooter's location without seeing them.

Depending on whether the target is above or below you also plays a major role in the sound you end up hearing. Footstep sounds are a prime example of this. Walls also affect weapon sounds, which is crucial in determining if your enemy is inside or outside, and you can even decide if they're firing at someone outside or inside.

Developer New World believes there's enough information in sounds to help anyone get a pretty decent idea of their opponent's location. See, or rather hear it out for yourself in the video below. Headphones recommended.

Watch on YouTube

The first of two betas for Insurgency: Sandstorm goes live tomorrow and for the entire weekend. Head over to the link for all the details.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is out September on PC, and in 2019 on PS4, and Xbox One.

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Insurgency

PC, Mac

Insurgency: Sandstorm

PS4, Xbox One, PC

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Sherif Saed

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Sherif (he/him) is VG247’s go-to shooter and Souls-likes person. Whether it’s news, reviews, or op-eds – Sherif is always eager to tell you about video games. He's one of VG247's most veteran writers, with 10+ years experience on the site.
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