SCP: Secret Laboratory · published
Welcome to Site-02 Transmission #11! In this post, we will be discussing and showcasing the new SCP audio stingers and chase themes that we have been working on for our upcoming 14.2 update, which will aim to vastly improve the lighting, music, and atmosphere of our game.
Before we start, let's provide context. Prior to the 12.0 update, we utilised the horror stingers and chase track from SCP: Containment Breach, “Bump in the Night,” by Kevin MacLeod. This was kept in the game for a long time and was never considered for replacement. However, during the refactoring of the Character Class Manager (CCM), which took place during 12.0’s development cycle, the code was disabled and was not reintroduced in that update outside of 173’s stare ambiance. However, after the update, there was little time for our limited audio team to focus on the audio stingers. There were always more important audio effects that took priority, such as SCP-049’s ability sounds, SCP-106’s breathing and jumpscare sounds, the Experimental Weapons and their unique locker, and various Heavy Containment Zone sounds, including the Bulkhead and Waterfall. This was a feature we always wanted to bring back and had written plans for. The original idea was to include it as part of a larger audio update, but we weren't able to dedicate enough time to fully commit to that project. It eventually became clear that the opportunity might not come soon enough, so we decided to make it a separate focus. Circumstances aligned favorably after 14.1; the audio department had no major tasks to complete, a substantial portion of the community was lobbying for the return of this feature, Halloween was approaching, and our audio engineer, Sixxy, was available to work. As a result, we decided we could make the reimplementation of stingers a priority for 14.2!
There are two types of audio that will play when a human encounters an SCP: horror stingers (this includes jumpscares) and chase themes. Stingers will play upon first seeing a SCP and have a few variants depending on how immediate the danger is (mainly evaluated from proximity to the SCP). Chase themes play after a stinger and are a looping soundtrack that will continue for as long as the relevant SCP is still in line of sight. The soundtracks contain different layers which will be added and removed dynamically depending on SCP-specific conditions (such as being targeted by Good Sense of the Doctor from SCP-049, or being traumatised by SCP-106), but generally, all SCPs get their own set of chase themes. Now, without further delay, let's dive into each of the individual tracks.
SCP-049’s themes were our first testing grounds. Due to Sixxy (the audio engineer behind all the stingers for 14.2) having past experience working with SCP-049 after creating all of their new sound effects during the 13.0 update cycle, we had a good base to model the theme around. As a result of that process, we also had some extra audio materials that could be integrated into the theme. Some examples include the ‘sirens’ for Good Sense of the Doctor or the sounds of crows for the jumpscare. SCP-049’s chase theme has two variants. The main theme consists of the baseline and drums, while the second layer plays only when the player is a target of Good Sense of the Doctor.
SCP-939’s track is designed to reflect the animalistic nature of a hunter. It uses drums and a guitar to create a tense track, giving the impression that 939 is always searching for the player, even when it can’t see them. It too contains elements of SCP-939’s gameplay sounds, with the whispers of Amnestic Cloud being layered into the chase theme alongside 939’s screaming for the jumpscare. The chase theme for SCP-939 is one of the more complex chase themes, featuring three different variants. There’s the quiet variant, which plays when a human has seen SCP-939, but it is not aware of the human. Next, there is the more intense variant, which is used when the human has created a sound blip that 939 can see, such as if the human was running in 939’s view, firing a gun, or using proximity chat. Finally, the most intense chase theme plays when the human is within SCP-939’s close vision distance, which means that 939 can likely visually perceive the player, putting them in immediate danger. It will also continue playing for a short time after the player has left 939’s close vision. It's important to note that these chase themes are based entirely on estimations using information available to the player. They primarily exist to provide tension, rather than definitively confirm whether SCP-939 has detected the player.
SCP-173’s audio is unique, as it was originally the only SCP to be given its own chase theme. The SCP-173 rework in update 11.0 included new ambiance sounds for when it is encountered and when it disappears/reappears. This was used as a base for the new audio sounds layered onto these effects, such as the jumpscare sound including elements of the original 11.0 sound effects with a more musical composition to them, and the chase theme having some of the ambiance effect subtly included in the base of the theme. SCP-173 has only two types of chase themes that are both dependent on proximity to the player. The main chase theme will play when the player spots 173, and the drums are layered on top of the chase theme when the player enters the lethal range of 173. This layer of the soundtrack will stop playing if the player gets far enough away from SCP-173 (approximately double the lethal range away from 173.
Due to SCP-106’s nature and tone, his theme was heavily inspired by the original chase theme "Bump in the Night” by Kevin MacLeod, an influence that can be heard in the drums used in the chase theme. Within the SCP-106 theme, Sixxy was also able to include a faint layer of his pocket dimension theme, which will replace the rest of the theme if you are captured by 106. The old man’s chase themes are simple to understand. There are only 2 layers: the regular chase, which plays all the time after encountering SCP-106, and the traumatized chase, which plays when the player encounters SCP-106 while Traumatized.
SCP-096’s audio stingers were the last to be made and the most unique out of the SCP soundtracks. As the enraged Shy Guy has a reputation for being an unstoppable force that is nigh impossible to escape from, the soundtrack was made to enhance the feeling of helplessness. The chase theme takes some inspiration from heavy metal, with layers of electronic screaming, fast drums, and the use of an air raid siren all helping create a feeling of impending doom. Because of SCP-096's alternating nature, there are only two stingers that can play upon seeing him. One to replace the current audio drop when a player directly looks at SCP-096’s face (the old clip is still used as a notification for SCP-096), and another which acts as the first encounter and plays whenever 096 is seen but his face isn’t. Regarding chase themes, there are two versions of each track, depending on whether the player is an active target of SCP-096 or not. Each version also includes two sub-variants: one that plays when SCP-096 is docile, and another when he is enraged, on top of a special drum-only clip used to transition between the two states. This means that SCP-096's chase themes utilise six different layers that are mixed depending on his current status and whether the player has seen his face.
As you may have noticed, all the soundtracks have a very similar tempo and beat. This is because each soundtrack can layer and mix with each other — the more SCPs in chase, the more elements added to the chase theme. This ends up creating a horrific orchestra of chaos the more SCPs join the chase! This system also takes into account which SCP is the greatest threat and makes that soundtrack loudest, while the other SCPs get the basic layer of their track inserted into the chase theme.
We are extremely pleased with update 14.2. Jumpscares and chase themes were something that we always wanted to add back into the game, and we hope that you enjoy listening to them as much as possible while running away from an SCP (or four). One final note: we are integrating a chase theme volume slider, which ranges from disabling the themes entirely to turning them all the way up to 200%, allowing you to adjust your volume however you wish. With all that being said, we would like to thank you for your continued support. But until next time, see you in the dark. - Northwood Studios