That is a me problem.
I am one sided deaf and it is impossible to locate specials by sound. It is manageable by looking around frantically. But it is a gamble. Most of them are just mildy annoying. But there are two specials that are not fun to deal with. The Hounds and Bursters. Many time you have a very short window to locate them, that makes it for me a complete gamble.
Sure, with time you learn some tricks to minimize surprise attacks, but its not easy.
A graphical indicater would make it propably too easy but it would be really helpful.
Thought the same thing. Most of them are quite easy to spot.
They also make a sound when spawning and then make noise for a while before they get close to you.
While you might not be able to easily hear the direction they come from, you should still be able to hear an increase or decrease in volume on the non deaf ear. So if you spin around for a bit, you should still be able to roughly tell where it is coming from.
Most of the time, you are not out in a huge open space where the specials could come from anywhere, which limits their possible direction of arrival to 2 maybe 3.
There are specific spawns that they come from and specific paths that they usually take, which massively narrows it down even more.
While both of my ears work completely fine, it is quite often that i do not need the directional hearing to deal with specials.
I hear them spawn and then predict where they come from, based on the possible spawn locations around where i am in the mission.
I think if you pay attention to the right things, you should be fine.
I suggest, when ever you hear the spawn sound of the specials that you have the most problems with, just try to reposition yourself in a way that limits the possible directions of approach to 1 or 2.
That way you should be easily able to fend them off.
It would be enough if a small arrow at the edge of your screen would show you the general direction. For example. North, South, East and West directions.