THE IMPORTANCE OF MUSIC IN A GAME

Posts

post=101099
I'm with Drakonais - I'm not able to listen to other stuff when playing a game, even if it's slightly repetitive noise like in an RPG or WoW. It just doesn't work for me. As such, his points ring true in my case.

As for RM* games specifically, never use village people tracks -


You say that as if you know from experience.
GRS - I'll second you that Ace Combat has great music. I remember the dogfight at the end of Ace Combat 4 was sort of romantic in a way. The enemy ace and I were both in strategic stalls, facing straight up into the sky, plummeting towards the earth in a tight corkscrew, struggling to get a lock on the other . . . and the music was so understated. It was a really magical game experience.
post=101754
GRS - I'll second you that Ace Combat has great music. I remember the dogfight at the end of Ace Combat 4 was sort of romantic in a way. The enemy ace and I were both in strategic stalls, facing straight up into the sky, plummeting towards the earth in a tight corkscrew, struggling to get a lock on the other . . . and the music was so understated. It was a really magical game experience.


That's awesome.
post=101754
GRS - I'll second you that Ace Combat has great music. I remember the dogfight at the end of Ace Combat 4 was sort of romantic in a way. The enemy ace and I were both in strategic stalls, facing straight up into the sky, plummeting towards the earth in a tight corkscrew, struggling to get a lock on the other . . . and the music was so understated. It was a really magical game experience.

What other games has noteworthy music in your opinion? I ask this so that I can steal from it make up a good playlist for myself.
post=101760
What other games has noteworthy music in your opinion? I ask this so that I can steal from it make up a good playlist for myself.

There are a couple of tracks that have made my gaming playlists. Apart from the regular "themes" and regular music (like music games or otherwise having real tracks in games... Listening to the country station in GTA:SA while roaming the countryside with a motorbike was pretty fun for example).

Deionarra's Theme in Planescape Torment. It's pretty early on and suddenly the music changes and (spoiler) the ghost of Deionarra appears and it's all musicy and I'm all wtf and stuff like that.

Moldy Old World in Vampire Bloodlines. A nice piece that plays in the Giovanni Mansion. I actually roamed around the area a bit extra just for the music.

Going underwater in Commandos 2. There was just something special about swimming around trying to get away from nazis and diving underwater and suddenly this weird and wonderful music came over me while all the sound effects were muffled. I was in a different world. And then I had to surface before I suffocated and back into the WW2 action.

The overworld theme in Final Fantasy VI. Alright so everyone knows about this one but I still remember when I first stepped onto the overworld in FFVI after doing some Narshe(?) fighting I was "WTF IS THIS!" I stood still for a while just listening to the music.

That's a couple that have stuck in my mind. Themes are of course also great (bubble bobble, monkey island etc.) but they aren't in the actual gameplay any.
If someone is looking for good music in a RPG, check out Arcanum music. Not only is it really good and fits perfectly the mood, but it's done with the same instrument (cello) all the game. The music then, after some hour of hearing the same good music and instruments, takes the place of background atmosphere. Masterpiece imo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftvpi-6Z6qw
Arcanum's music did get on my nerves eventually. However it was very silent and subdued so it never actually bothered me and it did add to the atmosphere. However I think it was the battle music that got really tiresome after a while.

And if I don't remember incorrectly the rest of the soundscape wasn't that great. (especially in the battles)... Man that game had a problem with battles obviously! :D
I never quite liked the battle in Arcanum too, but I did like some of the aspect of figthing they tryied to implement. I prefer my game in a more strategy/choice pause-like game, like Baldur's Gate, Planescape, etc.
by the way

every good rpg has two boss battle musics (omitting final bosses and such)

one is just regular boss battle music

the other is boss battle music that tells the player "but seriously i'm not fuckin around here this aint a fuckin game"
Spirit Stone has 9 battle songs. O_o Took me forever.
post=101760
post=101754
GRS - I'll second you that Ace Combat has great music. I remember the dogfight at the end of Ace Combat 4 was sort of romantic in a way. The enemy ace and I were both in strategic stalls, facing straight up into the sky, plummeting towards the earth in a tight corkscrew, struggling to get a lock on the other . . . and the music was so understated. It was a really magical game experience.
What other games has noteworthy music in your opinion? I ask this so that I can steal from it make up a good playlist for myself.


FF6 has freakin' sweet music. Nobuo Uematsu is a master.
Oh, I had almost forgot to mention; I suggest to anyone Panzer Dragoon's musical score.Panzer Dragoon Saga's musical score in particular was fantastic in my opinion.
I really like FF12's music for some reason.
LouisCyphre
can't make a bad game if you don't finish any games
4523
Because it's composed very competently and very subtly - it's contributes to the feel of the game without drawing attention to itself.
Music is as important as graphics which is as important as story, which is as important as music.

These art forms collaborate to make a giant part of these games. If one art form is lacking, the game suffers.
post=102071
Music is as important as graphics which is as important as story, which is as important as music.

These art forms collaborate to make a giant part of these games. If one art form is lacking, the game suffers.
Hmm, I don't agree that they're all as important as each other, but i agree that if one is lacking the game will suffer.
If i had a game that had an EPIC storyline but shoddy music, I would still play it. But if i had a game with EPIC music and a shoddy storyline i'd drop it like its hot.
Anyway, in this day and age you can just put on a CD if it's really that rubbish.
But if i had a game with EPIC music and a shoddy storyline i'd drop it like its hot.


I'd actually play it if the gameplay is good. I'd play a game that had graphics that make the Commodore look good, a story that makes Elementary School prose seem like Shakespeare, and horrible music if the gameplay was fun. I'd just turn the volume off. But, the thing is I've never played a game that has good gameplay with all of these things horrible. It's common for a game that has horrible everything to also have horrible gameplay because the maker put little effort into anything.

Someone who wants to make a fun game will also put effort into things like character design, look and feel, and sounds. They might not deliver on any of those things, but it will at least be passable and not an abomination of art. If you find a game that's really fun, yet has horrible everything else let me know. I would like to play it.

The quality of all this side not-so-important stuff usually reflects how much effort and spirit went into the game itself. Lots of people say "i can't draw" or "i can't compose music" just don't put the strong effort or have that spirit for it. When they say "no, that's not it, I really can't draw (or insert thing here)" it's the sound of them just giving up. Or the sound of them not looking for someone who can. Willpower is everything. I don't care if you don't agree with me on that, would I really listen to you? That in itself is integrity (or stubbornness). All in all, I'll commend anyone for at least trying- "effort" is the key word here.

Personally, I really try my best not to violate anyone's ears or eyes (unless they just don't like the general style, and in that case to hell with them ^^ )
post=102073
post=102071
Music is as important as graphics which is as important as story, which is as important as music.

These art forms collaborate to make a giant part of these games. If one art form is lacking, the game suffers.
Hmm, I don't agree that they're all as important as each other, but i agree that if one is lacking the game will suffer.
If i had a game that had an EPIC storyline but shoddy music, I would still play it. But if i had a game with EPIC music and a shoddy storyline i'd drop it like its hot.
Anyway, in this day and age you can just put on a CD if it's really that rubbish.

That's your personal preference toward game music. It's not representative of the unit as a whole.

and playing outside music?! That does not complete the intended atmosphere of the game.
post=102003
Because it's composed very competently and very subtly - it's contributes to the feel of the game without drawing attention to itself.

That's very true. Nubuo's music was very memorable and attention grabbing, wheras FF12's music (the composer's name escapes me, but I'm gonna look up more by him) seems to be more atmosphere focused. Just my 2 cents.
I love Uematsu (as I cannot spell his first name), he is a master of game music. The fact that you refer to the music composer of FF12 as 'that composer with the name that escapes me' means much in itself. He's also always had a thing for that Latin stuff.

I want to look up the composer for Thunder Force IV. I need to study how to give fury to someone with music like that- perfect for any action game that's intense and has stuff happening all over the place.