hi ya'll ...I was really curious as to what syles of music most developers like to hear in their games? I know the techno/dance thing is pretty common but wanted to know if anyone wants to see it go in any other direction at all....just a lil' food for thought as a composer and curious as to what new directions we can make this thing go.. :) All opinions welcomed!


NANDO ARCE
Damselflymusic.com

Anything that's NOT common. So, NOT doing the techno/dance thing immediately gets my attention.

I'm kind of partial to orchestral stuff. Some examples from my favorites: almost everything from Heroes of Might & Magic III and the menu loop from Nox.

Personally I'd love to see trance, such as the streams you can find at www.digitallyimported.com .

First of all, I love game music. :)

For arcade games where levels change frequently, I think that whatever music it is, it should be catchy and can also be more upbeat. Like when the user stops playing, he should have the song stuck in his head for the rest of the day.

As far as some games go (maybe puzzle), the music should just stay in the background (elevator music, I guess) and can be more relaxing. Especially when the user stays in a certain level for a *long* time (Dweep, level 2 for me). :(

As far as FPS games go, they could have a lot more oomph, or even spooky background music that reacts dynamically to where the player goes.

So, to sum it all up, it depends on the game, I guess.

Would anyone care to philosophise on the tempo of the music being more or less synchronous with the speed of the game?!?!?

tempo and game action seem to flow more if they are somewhat in synch..I dont think is anything you notice unless you look for it but its one of those things that I guess work somewhat in a subconscious level... I think it works.

NANDO ARCE

The tunes that have managed to stick in my head are from really old games:

Tchaikovsky's 1st piano concerto, used in a horribly mangled form in an old arcade game called City Connexion
that piece of Chopin from Alone In The Dark
anything from The Secret of Monkey Island
the theme from Super Hang On
Toccatta & Fugue in D minor, as used in Gyruss
"Sea Shanty", etc, from Ultima VII (wish I could forget these!)
the theme (if it can be called such) from Rygar

I'd like to hear something similar to the stuff that Moloko does in a game - it is a shame that it just doesn't work for my current project.

--- Rod

My favorite game music is that which is 1) appropriate to the game and 2) unique. I want a fun game but I also want a cohesive, unique overall experience. When the music perfectly fits the game, and perfectly fits each situation within the game, it can be a powerful experience.

Originally posted by rodhyde

The tunes that have managed to stick in my head are from really old games:

Toccatta & Fugue in D minor, as used in Gyruss
"Sea Shanty", etc, from Ultima VII (wish I could forget these!)
the theme (if it can be called such) from Rygar
[/list]


Second that on Gyruss, but also...

"Fur Elise" as used in Phoenix.

That horrible four note opening theme from Atari 2600 Pac-Man (for the wrong reason).

The atmospheric music from Doom, particularly the note bending down when the screen "melts" to start the game.

There was some catchy stuff in arcade Vanguard, IIRC.

Originally posted by rodhyde
The tunes that have managed to stick in my head are from really old games:

anything from The Secret of Monkey Island



Yeah! Would you believe that I've still got the CD and just listened to it the other day. :) There is some great stuff on there.

I really enjoyed the orchestral music in games such as Mafia and the Final Fantasy series.

However, I believe that the music has to fit the type of game and the tempo should reflect what is happening at that time in the game.

Having worked on over 50 published games I've had to be flexible, working with many genres - Jazz, Classical, Techno, Metal, Funk, Easy Listening (plus some that I'd rather not think about ever again :eek: )

From talking with other games musicians and games developers I've come to realise that everyone seems to have their favourite style of games music - both those creating and/or using music.

When I used to create small games/demos I always made sure that they didn't sound like anything else I'd ever heard. I think that the most important aspect of the music is that it sounds completely original and fits into the whole 'look and feel' of the game.

Sorry for the ramble :o

Marie/Equinox

Yo Marie, glad to bump into another musician! I see you guys are in Scotland...hows the scene over there? I checked out some of the music on your site....being currently in Nashville I enjoyed "Hillbilly" quite a bit..then again I originally from south america so Im yet to figure where the love for bluegrass comes from....................anyhow...nice meeting you!


NANDO ARCE
Damselflymusic.com

nando arce - I've sent you an email so we don't completely hijack this thread :)

I think the music style should generally be dictated by the game. One of my favorite game scores is the music in Icewind Dale. I'm also a big fan of the jazzy work in early nintendo titles like the theme music in super mario bros by koji kendo (sic).

The music for Zelda 64 Ocarina of Time (also by Koji Kendo (sp?)) is my favourite - I wish it was on CD!
<shameless plug>You know, I have had a lot of good feedback for the music in my games. It's a kind of jazz flute thing.</shameless plug> :)

I love all types of music!

First of all it totally depends on what the game is about. Actually I dont mind what style the music is as long as it's well written and fits in with the game. And of course it must sound good. Styles I dont hear enough in games are Rock and Swing Jazz. I also think that a lot of game composers could take note from modern films with there classical element. Because imo there is not enough classical music in games. But again, it depends on the game itself.

But that's my thoughts as a music composer :). I'm actually writting a few heavy rock tracks for a game i'm currently working on. Which it great btw! It gives me a break from all the other styles I write.

To be honest I think the techno/dance thing is far to common. But that doesn't mean I dont enjoy writting it. It's just I think game developers need to be a little more creative in choosing a style. Developers need to be able to tell a composer they want something totally new. Like what Don Davis did with the film The Matrix or whatever. I'm waiting for a developer to ask me to write something like for example a Classical / Heavy Metal tune. Or a Techno / Swing Jazz tune. I think you get the idea ;). All music should fit in with whatever the game requires! And not be just dropped for the sake of it.

For the above reason I liked the recent game music for Max Payne 2 and Hitman Contracts. It was something a little different yet fitted in perfectly with the game.

I do believe game music these days is really starting to shine. It still has a little way to go. But overall I am really starting to enjoy it much more than I used to.

Thats my thoughts anyway :).

Peter Wayne
Music Composer & Sound Designer
www.BluetoneStudios.com

Yeah, music rules. I'd like to see more aggressive electronic stuffs in games, but not many games lend themselves to it. But I'm for anything that's hard to catagorize into a single genre (other than the more open genre's like game music, soundtracks, and demoscene).
Stupid commercialization. ;)

This is a reply to Jason Colman - the Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time original soundtrack is available on CD! You can buy it from GameMusic.com : http://www.gamemusic.com/dept/101/productdetail.asp?dept=101&cat=1101&itemid=1505

My current favorite game soundtrack is the Front Mission OST. The original Front Mission was done for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo and it was never released outside of Japan. This was a double tragedy, because not only was the game great, it had some absolutely fantastic music. I think "Manifold Irons" is the closest thing to the perfect combat music - pumping, but the tone is kept low so that it doesn't get on the player's nerves. It's also got some nice rhythmic twists to it so it doesn't get boring. Unfortunately, the original soundtrack is long out of print, but you can get it free when you buy the new Front Mission 4 soundtrack: http://www.gamemusic.com/dept/101/productdetail.asp?dept=101&cat=1016&itemid=11043&uid=5995200407268739

Not that I'm obsessed or anything...

Omg! Sweeeeet! :) Cheers Badman!