Published on January 8, 2026
They say "in space, no one can hear you scream". But in Duckov Explorer, everyone can hear you quack. Sound design is often overlooked in web games, but it is crucial for immersion.
Browsers have strict autoplay policies. You can't just play a sound when the page loads; the user has to
interact with the page first. That's why our game starts with a "Click to Start" overlay. This click unlocks
the AudioContext.
To keep the game lightweight, we use a mix of sampled sounds (like the Quack) and synthesized sounds. The laser blasts, for example, are generated in real-time using oscillators. This allows us to vary the pitch slightly with every shot, preventing "ear fatigue" from hearing the exact same sound repeatedly.
Three.js has a great PositionalAudio helper. We attach sound sources to the enemies. As they fly
past you, the sound pans from left to right. This isn't just cool; it helps you locate threats that are
off-screen.
We auditioned over 50 different duck sounds before finding "The One". It had to be assertive yet cute. We think we nailed it.