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So this thread exists. Recently, users TheCV and frostration have made several contributions to this thread that are absolutely mind-blowing. I find it jarring to use our Pokemon on Showdown and not have any sounds come out of our creations. I chatted with Zarel and he confirmed that it is possible to upload audio files (mp3 and ogg both required) for CAPs.
All that really needs to be done is to have a process decided. As far as I see it, we have a few options:
Birkal (or any flavor head) just chooses cries as they're submitted and passes them on to be uploaded.
A CAP Noise Team is created by some criteria, and they determine which cries become official (similar to 3D modeling team).
We formulate an actual stage in CAP for a Pokemon's cry.
Which of these do you prefer? I think it doesn't do us well to sit on our hands when we have some seriously amazing contributions here. I'm for any of the above ideas, but also willing to listen to other ideas. Thanks for reading!
I think that this idea is honestly really cool, and I absolutely think that we should get some noises on Showdown. It's another element that can help make CAP a more customizable experience, which is something I think all of us appreciate.
However, I am completely against any notion right now that this should be a part of the CAP Process, even at the end of it. It just means more time for each project in my eyes and CAP Projects already go on for plenty of time. Also, this was suddenly two people who just got interest back into it, so we don't know if there will be a significant audience like other parts of the flavor process. I feel like there are too many unknown variables to include it in the main process right now.
A CAP Noise Team, although the funny name, is actually a much better idea. It could give feedback on submitted sounds and maybe have a sort of pseudo-check process to help check quality of them. It also does not have to operate whenever it needs to, meaning it can get them uploaded whenever they get done and not under a strict time limit of a CAP Process. Only question is who would exactly apply to the Noise Team. Otherwise, I think this would be the route to go.
I'll second what Luc said about the idea of a team handling this outside of process, but I would like there to be a vote of some kind. There are already CAPs with multiple submitted cries, and I would imagine making this official would only increase the amount of submissions, though maybe not by a large amount. Models are much more intensive to make compared to cries I'd imagine, and they require more cooperation. Hence why we only get one model at the end of the day. Since we'd likely have more than one cry submission per CAP due to the lower input required, to me a vote seems logical.
I think I good Idea is having the CAP noise team should select a couple of cries that people/members of the team, have sumbit/created and then those went into a votation and select that good and then the regular user vote for the best one and use that one. this can take not that much time because they are already a ton of cries that can be into a poll and be selected.
Adding this another part of the process will make this longer and sure this will boost flavor and making it fun is not that important like the desing or pokedex because they are a lot of people who use his own playlist and use showdown in mute.
I, too, like the idea of the CAP Noise Team, and would certainly apply for a position on it if we end up going that route. I've been a supporter of the CAP Cries thread and quite enjoy listening to and critiquing user-made sounds. I've also taken classes involving music technology and would be willing to learn more about how users produce these cries in order to give better feedback on the technical end of things, as opposed to just sound-quality advice.
The biggest concern here, as others have pointed out, is that we do not have a large enough audience of sound effects artists to justify a full stage in the process. To accommodate for the current lack of users, perhaps we could enact a plan that goes something like the following:
We begin reaching out to some of the more musically and aurally-inclined Smogoners, advertising to them that at the conclusion of CAP 25, we will be having a contest to give our new Pokemon cries. We gauge interest, and if needed can revise this plan accordingly.
In the meantime, we allow and encourage those interested to continue working on cries for existing CAP mons, informing them that, after CAP 25, we will begin the process to implement them.
Once Art is completed for all three starter CAPs, we begin the aforesaid competition as an element somewhat set aside from the rest of the process.
The CAP Noise Team helps critique submissions, and, if there are enough applicants, slates a poll of the best options for the community to vote on. If there are relatively few applicants, then all serious submissions will be slated. Options will be slated and voted on individually for each Pokemon, to prevent a three-piece package deal where two of the cries are well-liked and the third is not.
Following the completion of CAP 25 and the CAP 25 Noise Contest, we go back and hold a contest for each CAP chronologically; we could either do this purely chronologically, or process chronologically through those that already have 3D models and thus have the least left until they can be complete before moving onto those without models.
We may pause the Noise Contests if the Art stage completes on another CAP and we thus need to prioritize a cry for that, so as to prevent two dueling Noise Contests.
Once all Noise Contests have completed (which will surely take months, at the least, possibly up to a year, if we're planning long-term), we do a review of the success of the program and determine whether we should add it as a full stage in the CAP Process or leave it as its own side project.
I perceive the advantages in this to be that it allows us time to advertise for this project and gauge interest prior to doing a trial run of it at the end of CAP 25, which ultimately decides how we move forward with it, and that it allows for community interaction and voting, in traditional CAP style. The disadvantage in this is that it means we will go a longer time without having official cries on Pokemon Showdown. However, it would feel wrong to me if we were to implement an artist's cries in the interim if it was done without voting on a fair number of options and if it was possible that their work might be removed later.
Let me know how you feel about this, and it would also be great if anyone else who would be interested in being on the CAP Noise Team if it happens could directly state so.
I generally like the plan of beginning to start after the Art Stages of CAP 25, however I don't think it should be directly after it. We still have a significant amount of competitive process after the Art stages, and I think doing it directly after them could drag people away from the main discussion, especially since it would kind of act as a new part of the process, even if its not. I think it should be done alongside the Name or Pokedex Stages of the Process instead, as those are the biggest flavor parts of the process besides the art, and don't really conflict with the more competitive aspects.
I also don't like the usage of the word contest in this scenario. I think it would create a bit too much of a competitive edge to it, especially when its a flavor stage. And contest or competition usually indicates some sort of reward, when there really isn't a big one besides getting your cry on the mon. I think the wording should be changed to something.
Otherwise I think it will be fine how you layed it out. I think you saying that this could take months and maximum a year might be a slight underestimate, especially for a new "competition", considering a lot of the stuff CAP goes through every couple of months. Everything else I agree with.
So I've been thinking about this for a while and originally I was against this because it was not a voted for process when it all originally happened way back when.
However, since we now have the 3D render team (who are doing amazing work) which does NOT have a voted for model/animation etc when it is completed I think we can move towards doing something similar for the cries. I would support having a workshop/space for people to create these sounds and have it apart from the normal CaP process. We don't need to make that any longer! If multiple people submitted cries for the same CaP Pokemon then we can obviously hold a vote with those as options, however if we were to do it this way we would specifically need to make it clear that this is what we intend to do to give time scales and a window for submissions etc.
Fortunately, cries are something which are easily completable outside of the normal CaP Process.
I would really like to move forward with DHR's proposal above. I know that LucarioOfLegends and EpicUmbreon29 have tossed around some other ideas, but I strongly feel that this is something best left outside of the process and left to a dedicated team. This is not something anyone can do using their cellphone -- we need specific lengths and pitchsets for our sounds, not too mention all of the requirements on file size and type imposed by Pokemon Showdown.
TheCV and frostration are both amazing at what they do, and I'd like to work with the two of them (and anyone else who has a knack for this) to join the team on Discord/the forums. As DHR noted, if we ever run into a disagreement on a sound, we can always put it to a vote for the community.
If I don't hear any feedback here in the next 72 hours, I'll go ahead and put up a CAP Cries thread in the main forum.
