In the most recent stream titled: ''Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Pre-Alpha 2 Gameplay w/ CohhCarnage'', I noticed the music during combat was different, or a new addition. It's possible I just hadn't been paying enough attention to it in the previous streams though! Anyways, I'm actually not sure if I like the combat music as of yet. Perhaps it will grow on me but it certainly got me thinking about the importance music has in games for providing the player with an immersive experience. I for one would love to see a diversity in the music of Pantheon, depending on things such as the encounter types that groups will see as they journey through Terminus. I would also love to hear changes in the music depending on the inherent danger the group is in, both atmospherically and environmentally (delving deep into a high level dungeon, or fighting a giant menacing raid boss as opposed to just a few pesky skelly men or spiders; and trudging through a thick forest canopy compared to a desert landcape, respectably).
What are some examples of great music that you guys have remembered from your time playing a game? Music that really sticks with you as a part of your memories playing other adventurous games for adding to the immersion of the situation. I for one love most game music as an art form because I am a musician myself and really appreciate the skill of suiting music to film and gaming thematically. But paticuarly the music in games such as Morrowind, the Zelda franchise, World of Warcraft, Red Dead Redemption and oldschool NES games like Chrono Trigger and Metroid have always stood out ot me as iconic soundtracks that really bring the games to a whole new level of epic!
I hope the music in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is up to the same caliber as some of these titles and we can all get lost in the beauty of the soundtrack for years to come.
I really liked the combat music! Very glad it's something I'd like to hear repeatedly. Glad you mentioned Morrowind, that game is one of my all time favorites! I love the Final Fantasy IV and VI music. And I liked a lot of EQ music, but especially Neriak's theme - but also Kelethin, of course, and many others.
Joppa has created some of the best in-game music I've ever heard. I don't think there's anything wrong with the current combat music. It was a little loud in the stream tho - Cohh probably should have turned it down a little bit. But my gf even commented that she liked it and she's not much of a gamer. But the ambient zone music for Pantheon is even better than the combat music. If you haven't already listened to the tracks VR has on their soundcloud, do it. It gives me goosebumps: http://www.pantheonmmo.com/media/audio/
Yeah I have to say the main Terminus theme and Khaga Sands are very very nice indeed. I didn't mean any ill intent regarding the combat music, I think I'm going to have to play the game for myself to get into the experience it's intended to be. Chobo is probably right in saying it's a more seamless experience with the overworld themes playing over combat, as it can be a bit anti climactic when you enter a mediocre pull with epic music for it to just end abruptly back to a solemn ambient soundscape. But I guess in the end it's just down to personal preference. I have no doubt in my mind that the end product will satisfy the majority, as I'd imagine combat music will probably differ depending on the combat situation - at least at some point in the development.
And yes Alexander Morrowind is magical. The best music and environment of all the Elder Scrolls games in my opinion.
I know that if there's only one version of combat music for all Pantheon zones, that I'll be turning it off within the first few days of play. Given the amount of time you're in combat in a crawl like we saw yesterday, that's about all you're going to hear. You'll miss out on a lot of the environmental sounds and the zone music. This is especially true given that the Pantheon UI has that lovely red border when you're in combat, so I don't need the musical cue.
It's a huge job to create music for the many environments of a world the size of Terminus. I have to say that Chris has done an absolutely stellar job thus far.
In a perfect game, you'd hear variations on a theme within a dungeon as Opalrebel suggests, where the mood of the music changes as you go deeper or threat levels change. If there's combat music, then it would be a dark variation on the zone theme. To accomplish this in every zone/region puts a massive load on Chris or his minions. I think it's more than we can expect from an indy game studio. Poor Chris already wears so many hats.
The power of music is awesome and what I've heard so far is very good.
Zone music is a brilliant mood setter, even if it turns off after a couple of repeats.
I hope the combat music is perhaps varied somewhat, though, or it could get dreary. Maybe different combat music per zone or continent or depending on your level or the level of the encounter?
In the 20th march twitch, the few piano accords when they turned around the corner and saw the room where the boss was were awesome. Awesome timing, awesome ambiance, awesome feeling.
I don't especially await for some music, because they either get extremely repetitive (EQ, sorry, I love the game and some soundtracks but I can't bear to hear all the time a music in specific areas. World of warcraft too, spent 10 years with no music and it gave no credit at all to the poor mens who worked to give ambiant music to every zone), or too much work for little benefits (FFXIV, "proudly" the MMO with the most diverse songs, and yet not enough in many many contents).
I just hope they end up beeing an addition to immersion, a bard in a tavern, a few notes in a dramatic instant, instead of an overwhelming unbearable scheme you hear constantly.
I know that's a thin edge, like most things, too much ends up beeing worse than good.
opalrebel said:In the most recent stream titled: ''Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen Pre-Alpha 2 Gameplay w/ CohhCarnage'', I noticed the music during combat was different, or a new addition. It's possible I just hadn't been paying enough attention to it in the previous streams though! Anyways, I'm actually not sure if I like the combat music as of yet. Perhaps it will grow on me but it certainly got me thinking about the importance music has in games for providing the player with an immersive experience. I for one would love to see a diversity in the music of Pantheon, depending on things such as the encounter types that groups will see as they journey through Terminus. I would also love to hear changes in the music depending on the inherent danger the group is in, both atmospherically and environmentally (delving deep into a high level dungeon, or fighting a giant menacing raid boss as opposed to just a few pesky skelly men or spiders; and trudging through a thick forest canopy compared to a desert landcape, respectably).
What are some examples of great music that you guys have remembered from your time playing a game? Music that really sticks with you as a part of your memories playing other adventurous games for adding to the immersion of the situation. I for one love most game music as an art form because I am a musician myself and really appreciate the skill of suiting music to film and gaming thematically. But paticuarly the music in games such as Morrowind, the Zelda franchise, World of Warcraft, Red Dead Redemption and oldschool NES games like Chrono Trigger and Metroid have always stood out ot me as iconic soundtracks that really bring the games to a whole new level of epic!
I hope the music in Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is up to the same caliber as some of these titles and we can all get lost in the beauty of the soundtrack for years to come.
Music and sound are a huge part of my experience as a gamer. I can name most video game songs after a second or two of listening, same goes with certain sound effects. I'm not sure if I am the odd one out, I know there are many who don't even play games with the sound on but I am the opposite of that! When I am gaming I only want to listen to what the game is offering me whether it's good or bad! In MMORPGs it is important not to overdo it on the music, I think EQ did it best but WoW did a great job with it was well (though WoW went a little too heavy on the music imo). I think MMORPGs the sound is more important than the music score, for example the sound of the crowd when you are in a city tavern, or the sound of the wind blowing on a mountain...the roar of a dragon overhead where you look at the giant shadow on the ground then look up in the air in awe. The sound of flowing water as you stand next to a river or the sound of creaking wood on a ship in the ocean. I really do think it is sound that should take center stage in MMORPGs.
To go into more detail about using music sparingly, in EQ short music themes would play when you entered a city, dungeon, etc. The only constant for music was combat and honestly looking at how the music was done it was a bit too dramatic when you were clubbing a rat to death. Some of that combat music should have been reserved for battling powerful foes, or start playing when you are at half health etc.
As an aside you have great taste in music OP. Chrono Trigger and Zelda are masterpieces.
MauvaisOeil said:In the 20th march twitch, the few piano accords when they turned around the corner and saw the room where the boss was were awesome. Awesome timing, awesome ambiance, awesome feeling.
I don't especially await for some music, because they either get extremely repetitive (EQ, sorry, I love the game and some soundtracks but I can't bear to hear all the time a music in specific areas. World of warcraft too, spent 10 years with no music and it gave no credit at all to the poor mens who worked to give ambiant music to every zone), or too much work for little benefits (FFXIV, "proudly" the MMO with the most diverse songs, and yet not enough in many many contents).
I just hope they end up beeing an addition to immersion, a bard in a tavern, a few notes in a dramatic instant, instead of an overwhelming unbearable scheme you hear constantly.
I know that's a thin edge, like most things, too much ends up beeing worse than good.
Absolutely agree here, I am hoping for lots of basic, non complicated ambiant music to enhance the feel the area is portraying, like good ambient music it should just pass through you not redirect you. At the end of stream for the lead up to the boss in a deep, dark & damp dungeon hallway it was absolutely perfect... it gave me shivers when Jim turned the corner and just stopped in his tracks.. the mood changed for just long enough to stop, swallow your fear and start moving forward again :)
And what happened afterwards was absolutely priceless!
