How To Play: Surfaces and Noises

Surfaces are a gameplay element in.

Descriptions
There are various types of surfaces that make different levels of sound when walked and run across. A player can tell how much noise they are making on a surface by looking at the eye on their HUD. The more sound waves visible, the more noise the player is making. One sound wave is quiet, two sound waves are noisy, while three sound waves is loud.

Crouching-walking is the quietest, walking can be noisy, and sprinting and jumping is the loudest regardless of surface. Creeping is slightly slower than crouched walking and makes slightly less noise. Carrying a body will generate three sound waves (loudest) on a hard surface per step or one sound wave (quietest) per step on a soft surface. Climbing a ladder, climbing a ledge, or vaulting will cause no sound regardless of the surface; a developer from explains this is because the players have no control of their speed when climbing or vaulting. Throwing a Noisemaker, Drone UFO beeps, placing a TBC Yard sign, planting an Audio Bug, cleaning up blood, and touching the exposed rebar in the Maze are some of the loudest sounds the player can generate in.

If the noise generated is detected by an enemy, it will be reported as a Sin and a small noise will be heard as enemies in the vicinity go on alert. Enemy dialogue will reveal their acknowledgement of the noise and inform when they go back to an idle state. The Hacker major power allows players to prank call enemies that will temporarily deafen the Sleeper or Lucid (if upgraded to War Dial) so they cannot hear most noises around them. If a player makes too much noise while an enemy is distracted by the prank call, the enemy will snap out of the call and go on alert.

Players can foam a patch of ground using the Foam Grenade to make any surface a soft surface that also negates fall damage. Players can negate noise made from falling by crouching-walking off the edge instead of walking, jumping, or running. Players can completely negate the noise generated from falling any height by grabbing a nearby ledge, ladder, reviving a Suppressed teammate, or using Takedown an enemy before hitting the ground.

Stealth
Noises generate are the means of detection by Sleepers and Lucids. Sleepers will use noise to locate a player's position. In most situations, if a player alerts a Sleeper they can stand still and be completely safe as they wait for the Sleeper to return back to the idle state after a few seconds. If the Sleeper is in close proximity, the Sleeper may reach the player's position. Remaining still in this situation is not a natural instinct for most players but is often a better strategy to avoid further detection than walking or running away. Players who walk or run away from the Sleeper that detects them often create more noise heard by the Sleeper, causing the Sleeper to pinpoint the player's precise location and go on attack.

Noise detection is considered a Sin. Despite being one of the smallest sins, each time a player alerts an enemy to their position due to the noise generated from walking/running away, it is another sin reported.

Players can use differences in material, changes in elevation (ladders, boxes, the Grappling Hook, etc.), Foam Grenades, and other means to remain stealthy or evade situations when detected.

Surface Types
Using the general classification of hard surfaces and soft surfaces, the list of surfaces based on type:

Trivia

 * Despite being "soft", beds still make noise when the player moves across. The noise generated is that of a hard surface for most beds, but a few generate very little noise.