MechScape Post #12 - 23rd May 2009, The Importance of Music to MechScape as a Game Rating Options

[Oscar]

Issue #12 - 23 May 2009

The Importance of Music to MechScape as a Game
Written by Zepherusbane

Hello again. This is Zepherusbane with my third article for your reading pleasure. This time the subject is the music of MechScape.

One aspect of the new game we haven't discussed much on MechScape World is the music that will no doubt be present in the game. I know that many of you are thinking "Music? Who cares about the music?" Well, we might just have a nice surprise in store for us when MechScape comes out. There are already a couple of topics in which you can discuss the music of MechScape (read more here and here). Please be sure to check them out as well reading this; many who have posted have already presented vastly different opinions on the subject.

If you play RuneScape, you no doubt know that there are over 500 music tracks that you can "unlock" by exploring different areas of the game, by completeing certain quests or participating in various activities. If you unlock over 500 tracks you are even rewarded with the ability to perform the "air guitar" emote with your character. It may seem a little silly to some, but there are many people who venture far and wide to unlock music tracks just to use the emote. Jagex even added content to give hints on where to unlock the tracks for those people. I expect that MechScape will have similar functionality built in from the start.

It's quite possible that Jagex will also have improved the music quality in MechScape from what is currently available. Sound quality on RuneScape is less than stellar, but it is to be expected with the small midi files that are used to convey the music and many sound effects available. That was likely a trade off to have quicker downloads via your browser. It is possible that they will have improved the quality of the midi files themselves or may even have moved to a different, more vibrant format. I remember back when I started playing RuneScape it didn't take long before I was quite tired of the repetitiveness of some of the music. What I'm hoping for in MechScape is something much more dynamic and adaptive.

There are games out there that have gone to great strides to keep you from growing tired of the same music played over and over again. A prime example of this is a game called "Spore" which you can read more about here. Some of you have probably already heard of the game or even played it, but did you know that Spore has a built in engine that processes information on your playing style and dynamically creates a music score?

For example, when creating creatures, if you were to add a beak, your score might have the caw of a bird added to it occasionally. Also, Spore keeps track of how long you've been playing the game and changes the tone of the music to one that is less intrusive over time to alleviate the issue of getting bored with the same music.

When playing RuneScape I usually don't even have the music turned on, therefore I would be very pleased if MechScape music was created in such a way that I actually want to listen to it. For that to happen, it would need to change dynamically based on what I'm doing in the game and also adapt over time.

If the music is used in a way that conveys information, it would add much more to the gaming experience. For example, if the music subtly changes when enemies approach you could use that for advanced warning. In this way the music actually becomes part of the game play rather than just an add on.

When going to one of the most commonly used spaceports I don't want to hear the same old song every time. I want to hear different sounds and sound-sets based on the other people or aliens that are visiting the place at the same time. I want the game to change the music to something dramatic when I'm fighting for my life and shoot off my last missile at my enemy and turn into a happy, crashing, thunder when my missile strikes home and I am victorious!

What are your thoughts on what the music of MechScape might be like? Do you think that because space is totally quiet there shouldn't be any music at all? Or do you think the different races of MechScape will bring their tunes with them when they reach for the stars?

Zepherusbane


MechScape and Community News


Community Project
To reiterate, as summer approaches, a MechScape World community project has begun. We are wanting to make a community quilt that all of our members can submit a piece of artwork to. In addition to this, there will be a special surprise if 100k posts are reached by June 1st. (Read more)

Mark Gerhard on F2P and Games Consoles
Jagex's CEO Mark Gerhard answers interview questions about the success of RuneScape's free to play model and the possibilties of integrating RuneScape into video game consoles and the Asian market. (Read more)

More Clan Chat Q&A with MMG
Mod MMG has answered a few MechScape related questions in his clan chat since March, and recently said that MechScape will have a different interface than RuneScape. (Read More)

Jagex Games Studio Logo
Jagex has released an updated logo featuring the "Jagex Games Studio" rebrand. Along with this the thread contains a comprehensive history of old logos for your viewing pleasure!(Read more).

Previous Issues:
MechScape Post #11: How MechScape Will Appeal to an Older Demographic
MechScape Post #10: "Dynamic" Combat in MechScape
MechScape Post #9: Freeplay in MechScape
MechScape Post #8: The Future of MechScape World
MechScape Post #7: Situational Awareness: How the Concept Applies to MechScape
MechScape Post #6: Removing the Need To RWT
MechScape Post #5: The Hype Surrounding the Release Date of MechScape
MechScape Post #4: Gerhard's Influence on MechScape and Jagex
MechScape Post #3: A Great MechScape Flood?
MechScape Post #2: The MechScape Environment and Concepts
MechScape Post #1: MechScape Clan Leadership

Footnotes
Contributors: Ed5, Psioptics, Ren, Dirk389 (Content Research Team); Max, Oscar, Xela, Zepherusbane (Writing & Editing Team).
Disclaimer: The views expressed by members of staff do not necessarily represent the view of MechScape World.

[urantis]

A prime example of this is a game called "Spore" which you can read more about here. Some of you have probably alreaady heard of the game or even played it, but did you know that Spore has a built in engine that processes information on your playing style and dynamically creates a music score?

wow, i never knew that. Thats freaking awesome!

i never would have thought of music in game but now the way you put it, i think i might.
maybe now i'll listen to the music while i'm playing now in runescape and possibly listen to mechscapes
i just never liked the whole low quality of it...so hopefully that will be improved

thanks Oscar, nicely written :)

[ProMetaAnaTelo]

I really hope Mechscape ventures into different sounding instruments as well. Like in runescape the same medieval-sounding instruments are used over and over again.


Things like metallic-engines Csshhing or futuristic robotic sounds if you're in an appropriate area. Alien instruments for Pliigi worlds would be neat to hear as well, assuming they appreciate music like we Humans do.

This post has been edited by ProMetaAnaTelo: May 23 2009, 12:04 PM

[epiclight]

This is very interesting, yet i got affended when ya said " who cares about music" becuase that's almost priority number one in my category. could you plau any game without music and yet have a stuff cling it it?? I've never tried that. mario kart and super smash bros brawl are on of the games i can't live without music.

animal crossing by far has the most repetitive music, but the beats have a special cling to it and a style of sound that still keeps us entertained.

runescape. wow. don't get me started haha. that music has been like super computorized it's not even funny. it gets so annoying to the tier 1 trumpet used on the computer. music in other games these days actually sound like orchestras, or even are orchestras.

I beleive Jagex are working on this right now ^-^

[maddog1000]

Yea I don't listen to music in RS much either

[Ed5]

Funny how I really don't care if I listen to music/effects in computer games including RuneScape. I have just learn not to really care about listening to it, so I don't. But when playing like a PS3 game it MUST have music/effects or I go nuts.

[Half]

It depends on the person i guess, there are musics i love listening to in runescape and others i hate, but most of the time it is off. But when i start Mechscape, ill keep it on to get into the game

[MadMech13]

Good read, but I have the feeling that the music will sound just as bad

[System Freak]

interesting, i never was fond of rs music..

[Pliigi]

Great article, I hadn't really thought about this.

I even specifically asked for one of the songs to be really bad, which Mod Bond did really well!

Apparently Jagex thinks their music is so good they have to intentionally make it bad

Anyway, I'd love if the music was fantastic, because then I might actually have my speakers on.

Another slightly different question is sound effects; they're another reason I play with the sound off... the clack-clack-clack sound when Woodcutting is enough to make anyone go insane

Hopefully Jagex changes the sound effects to be more varied, as well as the music.

[Sp3ctre18]

Whether or not its true, you don't show any sort of good, personal experience or good knowledge with music for things like this, composition, etc., especially in one thing you said about midi, which I will address. However, I had to hand it to you, you made some good points in the role music plays or can play in a game, and your mentioning Spore was great example and a big plus. In fact, I only played through Spore once; it's not really a great game, so I didn't play again (i bought it for the creators), and I never noticed that the music was really *that* dynamic. I easily noticed its behavior in the creators. Simply click a piece, a texture, a color, and you'll here a chime, a few piano notes, etc. Apply the color/texture whatever, and you get a much nicer, longer flourish of various sounds. Very very cool, and it explains why the *actual,* set background music for the creators in Spore are actually quite bland and repetitive; it's because the music gets more interesting as you use the creators. however, I never noticed that tones or key would change depending on the kind of parts i put on a creature, for example. I've been designing complex spaceships in spore, so I'll make note when I go back to the creature creator.

About midi, you didn't like fail in explaining that, because maybe you did get the basic point of what midi is, but not exactly, but your reason for using midi is right on. Basically, midi is NOT a music file. Midi is like sheet music - in fact, people with notation software and even some sequencers, can open them and see them as sheet music. Midi are INSTRUCTIONS that tell a computer how to use its synthesizer to make sounds, and thus, music. It's actually pretty capable; in runescape music you can hear pirch bends and vibrato and crescendo' sand stuff. Thus, they're tiny files, and because of that, even for someone with dialup, it downloads quickly onto their computer. But it's still a computer synthesizer. So, you cannot "improve" the quality of midi, any more than you can improve some sheet music top make the musician play better or a better-sounding instrument. Those sounds are on your computer, built in.

If MechScape is to have better sounding music, they need to move onto REAL audio files, like Mp3s, and stream them, which should be fine for anyone who don't have dialup.

So, good job on the article. Despite the midi thing, you made some good points that counters that, so nice job.

PS: I think Runescape has a good amount of good music in there. It's just hard to listen to because of the sounds. I personally already took the "Fanfare" piece (just called fanfare I think, not like fanfare 2) and put it to real instruments. Actually, I'm going to open that now, see if I can finish balancing the volumes so I can show you guys.

This post has been edited by Sp3ctre18: May 23 2009, 05:56 PM

[Ren]

Sp3ctre18: I think Zepherusbane got to the point of MIDI as he talked about moving to a more vibrant format. It isn't a choice between MIDI and something like MP3, as there are formats such as XM which allows for more variation and effects, and as stated music can be procedurally generated from an algorithm.

[Sp3ctre18]

The methods can vary quite a bit, but in the end it's still going to be the difference between using your computer's synth codec thingies, or using samples, which could be anywhere from synths to real life orchestra sounds like I use, from the composer's computer, which maybe be put in directly as an audio file, through a complex algorithm / sort of like an automatic sequencers within in the game like maybe Spore is, or mini-audio files activated at certain times as defined by the game's code - or in other creative ways!

This post has been edited by Sp3ctre18: May 23 2009, 06:08 PM

[Ren]

The methods can vary quite a bit, but in the end it's still going to be the difference between using your computer's synth codec thingies, or using samples, which could be anywhere from synths to real life orchestra sounds like I use, from the composer's computer, which maybe be put in directly as an audio file, through a complex algorithm / sort of like an automatic sequencers within in the game like maybe Spore is, or mini-audio files activated at certain times as defined by the game's code - or in other creative ways!

There are formats out there which aren't dependent on the computer and allow for samples and effects, tho (e.g. module files).

[Sp3ctre18]

hm, please explain?

This post has been edited by Sp3ctre18: May 23 2009, 06:28 PM

[Oscar]

A prime example of this is a game called "Spore" which you can read more about here. Some of you have probably alreaady heard of the game or even played it, but did you know that Spore has a built in engine that processes information on your playing style and dynamically creates a music score?

thanks Oscar, nicely written :)

Don't thank me, I didn't write it, just helped edit/collected together all of the contributions towards it. Thank Zepherusbane, he wrote it, apart for a bit of input from us other annoying writing folk, it was all him!

[Ren]

hm, please explain?

Read this article on Wikipedia for more information on tracker modules.

[Alex]

Great article, I hadn't really thought about this.

I even specifically asked for one of the songs to be really bad, which Mod Bond did really well!

Apparently Jagex thinks their music is so good they have to intentionally make it bad

Anyway, I'd love if the music was fantastic, because then I might actually have my speakers on.

Another slightly different question is sound effects; they're another reason I play with the sound off... the clack-clack-clack sound when Woodcutting is enough to make anyone go insane

Hopefully Jagex changes the sound effects to be more varied, as well as the music.

I disagree entirely about the sound effects - they're my metronome while playing. Without the sounds I would not be able to play, as I use the clack clack clack to tell if I am indeed still WCing, it's a lot less intrusive so I'm free to let my mind wander somewhat and not go insane.

[Sp3ctre18]

hm, please explain?

Read this article on Wikipedia for more information on tracker modules.

Interesting; the samples are in the file itself, and then works sort of like midi to play it back. I can see how that can make files of smaller size.

This post has been edited by Sp3ctre18: May 23 2009, 08:02 PM

[killrrhubarb]

Great article, Zepherusbane, I definitely hope the music in MechScape is significantly better than the music currently in RuneScape.