BF6 Audio: Third-Person Guns Too Quiet, Hitmarkers Too Loud

This addresses two critical audio failures: (1) third-person weapon audio is drastically quieter than first-person, erasing natural distance cues; (2) hit markers overpower surrounding gunfire during firefights.

Problem 1: Third-Person Weapons Disproportionately Quiet

Core Issue:​ Any firearm not fired by the player—teammate, enemy, or ambient combat—is audibly deficient compared to first-person weapon audio. A 20m M4A1 fired by another player sounds like a toy gun next to your own weapon's thunder. This is not a "dry" frequency issue; it is a raw volume deficit​ across all distances and environments.

What you should hear vs. what you hear:

<30m:​ Another player's unsuppressed rifle indoors should rattle your ears. Currently: thin click, easily missed in chaos.

30–100m:​ AK-12 across open terrain should be a rolling mid-boom demanding attention. Currently: faint pop, lost among footsteps.

>100m:​ SCAR-H from ridgeline should carry low-frequency rumble. Currently: effectively silent unless threat-directed.

Root Cause:​ Threat Bus sidechain aggressively ducks non-threatening third-person sources even at close range. The three-tier volume curve (close/mid/far) is flattened—no meaningful loudness gradient exists between 20m, 50m, and 100m third-person fire.

Problem 2: Hit Indicator Overpowers Weapon Audio

Current:​ Hit markers are disproportionately loud and sidechain-duck all surrounding gunfire. You take a grazing shot and suddenly the enemy LMG 50m away vanishes under suppression. You know roughly where you were hit from, but cannot hear the enemy gun to confirm exact position.

Proposed Fixes

1. Third-Person Volume Curve (Minimum Targets)

Distance

Target Loudness

Purpose

<30m​

-12 to -8 dBFS​

Immediate presence. Room reflections intact (concrete = sharp crack + flutter; wood = warm thump).

30–100m​

-18 to -14 dBFS​

Clear distance cue via linear decay. Open = scattered highs + rolling lows; urban = muffled + brick tails.

>100m​

-26 to -20 dBFS​

Low-frequency rumble retained for caliber ID. Heavy weapons keep 80–200Hz hum.

Hard Floor:​ Never push non-threatening third-person firearms below -20 dBFS. Let distance and walls handle natural attenuation—not sidechain crushing.

2. Hit Marker Decoupling

Reduce hit marker loudness by 6–10 dB.

Decouple hit sidechain from weapon channels—independent mixing, no gunfire ducking. If residual coupling unavoidable: max -3 dB​ weapon attenuation.

Directional ping = supplementary only.

3. Threat Bus Scope Limit

Sidechain only for enemies actively firing at you within 80m. Zero suppression beyond 80m.

Multi-factor priority (Threat × Distance × Frequency × Scale). Low-frequency components exempt from aggressive ducking.

Benchmark: CS2

Third-person gunfire in CS2 has clear, linear loudness falloff by distance. No threat-sidechaining. Hit markers present but non-suppressive—you can take a hit and still hear exactly where the enemy is from their gunfire alone.

Expected Result

Third-person weapons audibly present at all ranges. Distance judging via loudness gradients restored. Hit confirmation clear without destroying localization. CS2-level readability + BF4-level environmental scale.