You cannot hear footsteps if there's no visual contact

https://streamable.com/6rc2i

As you can see in the clip in 3 different cases you hear the running enemy or friendly only when there's visual contact. It's even a bit scary because you think you're alone and suddenly someone "spawns" in front of you.

It seems there's either a problem with the sound engine or incompetence. I don't care what the case is but if this isn't changed / fixed until official release I'm out. This is total absurd to have no footsteps of players running around you in a so called hardcore shooter.

I have the same issue.
It's most noticeable when i lead "the pack" from spawn, between 4-8 guys running behind me and i cant hear a thing. I hear them shoot or arm a grenade, but no footsteps.
This needs to be fixed, but the volume of footsteps should be quiet enough that gun shots, explosions, flash-bangs, etc mask them. the first alpha the footsteps were too loud, making it too easy to hold an obj.

@reeceaus everybody has this issue. Most of them don't realize it because they are what to say "noobs" or too casual idk. But for a person with good ears and one with great situational awareness this becomes very problematic very fast. I died countless times already protecting an objective thinking I'm alone while suddenly someone jumps in and kills me without any prior sound. It's just not gonna work for me.

And actually the footsteps should be very loud and it should be hard to take an objective in 1v1 situation not just run there jump around and kill the defender.

last edited by Genoharadan

I understand where your coming from, I think running steps should be loud, but not walking.
With a low ttk game if the footsteps are too loud then the Meta for gameplay becomes camping.

@reeceaus said in You cannot hear footsteps if there's no visual contact:

With a low ttk game if the footsteps are too loud then the Meta for gameplay becomes camping.

Good thing then that this is not a low TTK game.

Yup glad I saw this thread, this explained a lot of why I couldnt hear enemies constantly on my flank.

@genoharadan said in You cannot hear footsteps if there's no visual contact:

It seems there's either a problem with the sound engine or incompetence. I don't care what the case is but if this isn't changed / fixed until official release I'm out. This is total absurd to have no footsteps of players running around you in a so called hardcore shooter.

Why don't you just report the issue in an appropriate manner and don't act like this is a fully released, polished game?

Good find, bad message.

yet another reason to keep FOV at max?

Good find for sure, I was wondering if the sound localization was very bad or limited, but I'm glad this is just a bug. I was confused more than once trying to track footsteps only to realize I was wrong. Otherwise agreed it should be audible enough, but certainly should be masked by gunfire or any realistically louder noise.

In fact, the fact that it is audible prompts attackers to walk instead, which makes it harder to rush in and surprise, as it should.

Also not sure what's wrong with camping when defending, that's the whole point. I'm a big CoD4 player and I despise camping. In TDM. Because it's cheap and easy and not necessary at all for that game mode. In objective-based modes however, it's not only expected but kind of necessary to defend points. I have no reason to complain against it, and all reasons to do it.

Bottom line: in a "do anything you can to win" situation, such as is in objective-based game modes, competitive or casual (all insurgency game modes), you should expect cautious tactics and attempt to counter them. At least I found complaining about it is useless. And it only feels logical to do honestly. You attempt to win or you don't.

last edited by Coachon

Looks like this is a bug related to the optimization changes they made recently.

https://steamcommunity.com/games/581320/announcements/detail/1702812522818893705

Removed spawning of bullet impacts if not visible by the player.
Removed spawning of bullet audio if not audible by the player.
Removed particle effects for character movement if not visible by the player.
Removed spawning of character audio if not audible by the player.

The last change must have gotten conflated with the visual ones.