So if I understand the purpose of these Ambient Machines correctly, the idea is to add an audio element in your stronghold. Background noise if you will. Like you put the Temple Whispers in your room with all the ancient artifacts, or Party Chatter in your Cantina room, etc.

 

So my question is this; Why do I have to turn the thing on every time? Shouldn't it be on by default? It seems to me that the purpose is defeated by having to click the thing to get the sounds to play. Someone coming into my stronghold to visit and look around should get the... well, ambiance in full measure without having to click the thing. Maybe click it to shut it off, but it should be on unless manually turned off I think.

 

Agree? Disagree?

I, too, would prefer if they were on by default, and that clicking them turned them off.

 

Unlike noise-making decorations that also serve a visual purpose (droid NPC's, water fountains), ambient sound machines are placed in a stronghold specifically because the owner wishes to add ambient sound to an area. They have no other purpose! And unlike a jukebox that plays music, ambient sounds are meant to be more natural/unplanned background noises, not something that you "turn on".

Edited December 15, 2015 by Gwena

Agreed. Also turn up the volume, as it is you have to be standing on top of them to even -possibly- hear them, take one step away snd you cant hear them at all.

 

I can hear the crackling flames from my Thranta Trophy from a room over, i step 3 inches away from the ambiance machine and dont hear diddly squat

Edited December 16, 2015 by XiamaraSimi

Co-signed.

Very much agree! I love the idea of these, the execution, not so much.

Pretty much would like to see them on by default as well.

Bumping.....please fix these.

Dear Developers,

 

please make this change happen finally! I am annoyed that

 

1.) I have to switch on all ambient sound devices whenever I log in so my possible guests find hear what they are supposed to hear.

2.) The volume is so small in comparison to other sounds like the PvP-queue pop. If I want to hear the ambient sound, I have to turn my speakers on in a way that every PvP-queue pop would destroy my ears.

 

Solutions:

 

1.) Make the ambient machines be switched on by default. I don't even know why it should be possible to switch them off because you can just remove them, if they annoy you. But yeah if you like it, give us the option to switch them off by clicking.

2.) They have to be much louder. The volume of the Jukeboxes is fine. Make the ambient devices as loud as that. So that if you play a Jukebox you can still hear the "party chatter" somewhere in the background. Now its almost impossible to hear it.

 

I was searching the internet for this issue and I find so many complaints about the ambient sound machines being of no use because of problem 1.) and 2.). There are no arguments against chaning that and it is just a small change. So please just do it!

I'm sitting the fence on this. There are some that I'd like to see on all the time (weather sounds) and others that I want to turn on at will (tech and party sounds). The one thing I really want is for them to be louder but with a shorter range. Also, the Casino ambient seems distorted to me. It could use some work.

/signed

 

the sound should also be completely even in the ENTIRE room it has been placed in. You move away four steps and you can barely hear it anymore.

 

They should also be invisible outside of editor mode ffs...

 

Very poorly designed.

I was almost about to blow a lot of money on one of these - like an idiot, I assumed they'd a) be on all the time and b) change the sound throughout the stronghold. Instead it seems to be a pointless trinket you have to click to start. What a waste, glad I didn't waste any credits on the GTN.

Instead it seems to be a pointless trinket you have to click to start. What a waste, glad I didn't waste any credits on the GTN.

 

Folks have complained about that previously. Since there hasn't been any change, guess it's "working as intended."

It's true, the Ambient Machines have almost no volume. In addition, the voice walla portion of the Casino and Party decorations sounds like they're talking underwater. They have terrible sound quality compared to the Jukeboxes.

 

I really wish the Ambient Machines had 150% volume over 75% area, with clearer and more realistic-sounding tracks.

Very good idea. Even with NPCs it seems like a Tomb.

+1

Huge support for an "auto on" feature, or at least that ON be the default setting and if somebody dislikes them, you can turn them off.

 

This includes things like the Bounty Board, the Imperial or Republic Starfighter Displays, and Ambient Machines. They all default to "off" if the stronghold is reset/nobody was in it while they were turned on. It's annoying as heck coming back and having to manually do it all if I want to see my fancy things doing what they should be doing.

 

Seriously deserves a quick fix, Bioware.

I would like it if they were on by default too. I would also like it if they had versions like a floating droid that could be placed on the floor.

I think an auto-on feature might be good, but there are some ambient sound machines I'm not sure I want on all the time. Still, I could deal with it if they were. However, turning up the volume on and extending the range of the sounds from the ambient machines is an absolute MUST. Right now they are next to worthless, because even if you have your ambient volume slider turned way up in game you simply can't hear them unless you're standing right next to them! They should cover a whole room, if not a whole floor of a stronghold.

I think an auto-on feature might be good, but there are some ambient sound machines I'm not sure I want on all the time. Still, I could deal with it if they were. However, turning up the volume on and extending the range of the sounds from the ambient machines is an absolute MUST. Right now they are next to worthless, because even if you have your ambient volume slider turned way up in game you simply can't hear them unless you're standing right next to them! They should cover a whole room, if not a whole floor of a stronghold.

 

I think a good way to handle it would be for ambient machines to be on by default, with the players having an option to shut them off.

You know, I remember them being fixed so you could hear them better, but now it sounds like they have gone back to being too quiet.

I think a good way to handle it would be for ambient machines to be on by default, with the players having an option to shut them off.

 

I'd second this - I'd like to see them:

• On by default, ideally with an edit-mode-only switch to turn them off
  
• Visible only in edit mode
  
• Louder, if possible
  

This is a popular topic. I'm not surprised to see one of these threads come back up.

 

• On by default, ideally with an edit-mode-only switch to turn them off
  
• Visible only in edit mode
  
• Louder, if possible
  

I could live with them being auto-on, as long s clicking them turns them off. I'd rather see upgrades to the existing Ambient decos, and then the release of new Ambient decos that are on by default.

 

I don't want them to be invisible. I've used them as decoration pieces, sort of like Holo-signs. They're easy enough to hide inside other wall items, for those who don't want to see them.

 

Some of them make sense being louder and over a wide area, others don't. To be specific, I'd love to see:

* Birds: 50% louder, 50% less area.

* Casino: 50% louder, 25% less area, needs much clearer sound.

* Party Chatter: 50% louder, 25% less area, needs much cleaner sound.

* Rain: 50% louder, same area. We don’t want to hear it in deep interior rooms.

* Snowstorm: 50% louder, same area.

* Techlab: 25% louder, 50% less area. There are already many tech sounds from decos and when too many overlap, the sounds become annoying.

* Thunder: 100% louder, same area.

* Temple Whispers: 50% louder, same area.

* Waterfront: 50% louder, 50% less area.

 

We could also use some new ambient machines:

* Public announcements. Similar to the repeating announcements on Nar Shaddaa, in alien language. There could actually be several versions, one for each alien language, perhaps one with each of the Event dialogs (Rakghoul warnings, etc.)

* Jungle sounds for Yavin 4. A mix of occasional odd birds, squirrel-like chitters, and flapping wings, lizard hisses, etc.

* Conversations. No casino jingle or party laughter, something for a meeting room or casual gathering.

* Fly-bys. Occasional sounds of shuttles and fighters passing overhead, needs Imperial and Republic versions.

* Droids. Boops, beeps, and other droid conversation/communication sounds. This could also use an Imp/Pub version, since Imperial could have probe droids and Republic could have astromech sounds.

* Military chatter. Comm chatter and other military style sounds.

* Low winds. No rain or thunder, just a wind that alternates between subtle and mournful.

* Electromagnetic fields. These could work for power systems, shields, or any other tech deco that doesn't make its own sound.

* Interior hum. Just something subtle, a suitable spaceship or tech room interior.

 

 

We could also use some ambient walla machines that are Floor Small instead of wall, for exterior and underground areas.

Edited January 12, 2018 by Xina_LA

This is a popular topic. I'm not surprised to see one of these threads come back up.

 

 

I could live with them being auto-on, as long s clicking them turns them off. I'd rather see upgrades to the existing Ambient decos, and then the release of new Ambient decos that are on by default.

 

I don't want them to be invisible. I've used them as decoration pieces, sort of like Holo-signs. They're easy enough to hide inside other wall items, for those who don't want to see them.

 

Some of them make sense being louder and over a wide area, others don't. To be specific, I'd love to see:

* Birds: 50% louder, 50% less area.

* Casino: 50% louder, 25% less area, needs much clearer sound.

* Party Chatter: 50% louder, 25% less area, needs much cleaner sound.

* Rain: 50% louder, same area. We don’t want to hear it in deep interior rooms.

* Snowstorm: 50% louder, same area.

* Techlab: 25% louder, 50% less area. There are already many tech sounds from decos and when too many overlap, the sounds become annoying.

* Thunder: 100% louder, same area.

* Temple Whispers: 50% louder, same area.

* Waterfront: 50% louder, 50% less area.

 

We could also use some new ambient machines:

* Public announcements. Similar to the repeating announcements on Nar Shaddaa, in alien language. There could actually be several versions, one for each alien language, perhaps one with each of the Event dialogs (Rakghoul warnings, etc.)

* Jungle sounds for Yavin 4. A mix of occasional odd birds, squirrel-like chitters, and flapping wings, lizard hisses, etc.

* Conversations. No casino jingle or party laughter, something for a meeting room or casual gathering.

* Fly-bys. Occasional sounds of shuttles and fighters passing overhead, needs Imperial and Republic versions.

* Droids. Boops, beeps, and other droid conversation/communication sounds. This could also use an Imp/Pub version, since Imperial could have probe droids and Republic could have astromech sounds.

* Military chatter. Comm chatter and other military style sounds.

* Low winds. No rain or thunder, just a wind that alternates between subtle and mournful.

* Electromagnetic fields. These could work for power systems, shields, or any other tech deco that doesn't make its own sound.

* Interior hum. Just something subtle, a suitable spaceship or tech room interior.

 

 

We could also use some ambient walla machines that are Floor Small instead of wall, for exterior and underground areas.

 

Necro thread, but having just started playing with Yavin (I know...) this having to 'turn on the ambience' is still a thing.

Can it be that hard to change to auto/always on?

 

Stay safe and wash your hands!

Yeah, I'd like them to be on by default and if you want to turn them off, you can click it.

 

As for Jukeboxes, id still leave them off until you click them on.

I'll give this a +1 too, would be nice