#32432 - 03/26/07 01:47 AM
What sort of music do gamers want?
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Shy Boomer
Registered: 03/25/07
Posts: 81
Loc: Wales
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Hello All, I'm composing the music for the Arberth Studios project 'Rhiannon: Beyond the Mabinogion'. I'm looking for feedback on the sort of music gamers want. Do players notice the music in a game? Do you find that it enhances the game experience or gets in the way, or something in between? 'Rhiannon' is essentially a horror story. So conventionally it will have scary, atmospheric background music. How do you feel about that? But there's much much more than scariness in 'Rhiannon' - it is an involved story and the plot and puzzles are complex and layered - so I wondered about musical themes to reflect characters and episodes in the story. Is there a place in a horror game for orchestrated pieces with a strong melody? How would you feel about that? If you've played them, what did you think of the music in 'Barrow Hill' or 'Scratches'? And when playing the game, do players tend to use headphones or speakers? We're thinking of offering for download an MP3 sampler of the game soundscape. Have you any comments on that idea? Feel free to reply off-list if you prefer. Thanks for any input you can give me. Noel Bruton Game Engineer Arberth Studios info@arberthstudios.com www.arberthstudios.com
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#32433 - 03/26/07 07:27 AM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Moderator
Sonic Boomer
Registered: 04/05/04
Posts: 47482
Loc: Alabama
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Hi Noel, and Welcome to GameBoomers I like music to set the tone and intensify the ambiance in a game. My favorite type of music is music I would listen to even if it weren't in the game. Do players notice the music in a game? Do you find that it enhances the game experience or gets in the way, or something in between? I always notice the music. Music that loops repeatedly makes me nuts and I mute the computer so I can concentrate on the game. 'Rhiannon' is essentially a horror story. So conventionally it will have scary, atmospheric background music. How do you feel about that? I think that would be perfect. so I wondered about musical themes to reflect characters and episodes in the story. Is there a place in a horror game for orchestrated pieces with a strong melody? How would you feel about that? It sounds like a great plan. I'm looking forward to hearing it.
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"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -Roger Caras
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#32434 - 03/26/07 07:58 AM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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GB Reviewer Glitches Moderator
Sonic Boomer
Registered: 10/24/00
Posts: 38736
Loc: southeast USA
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I pretty much agree with everything Looney said except for My favorite type of music is music I would listen to even if it weren't in the game. There is music that I listen to outside the game that would be too distracting to listen to inside the game. And there is music that is fine inside the game that I don't care to listen to outside the game. For example, I do not want music with a strong beat while I'm trying to solve puzzles. Also, some games work better with background sounds instead of music (though using music in some places and background sounds in others can help set mood for different locations). I use speakers. I've played both Barrow Hill and Scratches, but not recently. I don't remember any problem with the music in Barrow Hill and I remember liking the music for Scratches.
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#32435 - 03/26/07 08:06 AM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Adept Boomer
Registered: 10/01/05
Posts: 13552
Loc: Palouse country
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Must agree with L4L, I like music that I would enjoy listening to outside the game. I know I thoroughly enjoyed the music in Siberia and tried my best to keep it on my computer so I could listen to it at random. I prefer very subtle music when puzzle solving. I know I become more alert if there is a sudden change in the music, say from subtle to haunting.
I also use speakers.
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Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body - Joseph Addison
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#32436 - 03/26/07 10:27 AM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Addicted Boomer
Registered: 01/30/04
Posts: 2962
Loc: rural Oregon, USA
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Hi Noel, Welcome! Me too, on music that I'd ordinarily listen to as background music. There were times that I'd just go stay in one spot in Riven and Myst, just to listen to the music as I looked at the fine graphics. The most important thing for me with music in a game is the ability to turn it down or off if I'm trying to concentrate or spend a long time in an area and get tired of it. If I really like the music and/or have to catch what the players are saying, I use earphones which sometimes I don't like to do because I like to be available for the ambient sounds of my family and animals while I game. Good luck, and thanx for asking! 
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#32438 - 03/26/07 11:38 AM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Grand wizard of high mucky muck
Adept Boomer
Registered: 01/08/02
Posts: 13453
Loc: Texas
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I would much prefer you had Celtic music as your background music, in keeping with the theme of the game (rather than typical scary type music). There is often a haunting quality to it that would make your point, I think.I'd like to see a voiced theme song of such good quality that I'll willingly sit and listen (whether it be the menu or credit screen, whatever). I don't recall the music of the games you mentioned, but I can point to thinking the games Zanzarah, Shivers 1 and Indigo Prophecy used music in an excellent way. Orchestral is good! Music is very important to me in a game. I love to hear it during most of the game - except when there's a puzzle to complete.I do use headphones. I sure do appreciate you asking!
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"How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on." - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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#32440 - 03/26/07 01:30 PM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Shy Boomer
Registered: 03/25/07
Posts: 81
Loc: Wales
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Hello All
A bit more background to help with these excellent responses. True, 'Rhiannon' is set in rural Wales. But as you can see from the Website, there is also the influence of a large engineering company at the turn of the 19th Century, something happened in 1967 and somebody's making use of an MP3 player. That's in addition to the Mabinogion itself, which is 1,000 years old. I'm telling you No More! :-) But it can't be just Celtic... Cheers Noel
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#32444 - 03/26/07 03:35 PM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Sonic Boomer
Registered: 11/21/00
Posts: 27962
Loc: United Kingdom
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Hi Music that fits the mood of the game in that scene at that time and does not repeat every five seconds. Music that is noticeable but unobtrusive. Music that definitely allows me control its volume. I DO like to have music in a game as I think it adds to the experience - but only on the conditions above And how refreshing, noelbruton , to be asked for an opinion. MUCH appreciated Cheers. Mad 
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Time : The Most Precious Commodity
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#32446 - 03/28/07 06:24 PM
Re: What sort of music do gamers want?
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Settled Boomer
Registered: 01/04/07
Posts: 962
Loc: Northern California
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Originally posted by Major Pixel: Like a few other Boomers said I find music that often repeats itself very Irritating. I really love the music in the Myst games. In parts of games where I have to work on a puzzle I sometimes turn the sound down so I can concentrate. Hope that gives you some good ideas. Well said, Major Pixel!  I agree - nothing too repetitive ("The Neverhood" comes to mind - good soundtrack, but it can get on your nerves after a while). I really like the music in Myst - particularly, Myst IV Revelation and URU Ages beyond Myst (in the Kadish Gallery specifically). 
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Everyone has a photographic memory...some just don't have film.
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