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#1 Yloh

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Posted 31 May 2014 - 04:25 PM

Hello, for me, one of the most difficult parts of making a quest is actually selecting good music. Some of the music I've selected is awseome for the some areas, but in other areas the music is debatible. Below are some of the areas in my game that I'm still debating on music. I would like to hear your sugesstions.

 

Music I'm having difficulty slecting.

 

World 1 Cliche World: This world has a lot of cliches in video games.

Level 1 The Water Temple: A Water Temple in a Zelda game ... right ... not that is cliche. Right now, I have the Ocarana of Time Water Temple music for this one. Do you have a better sugesstion?

Level 4 Shifting Ruins: This is the main dungeon for Glitch World. The main theme in this dungeon is you are in a cyber world. The dungeon colors are black with green outlines.

 

That is it for now. As I get further into the development of this game, I might need more help with music sugessstions.

 

 



#2 umbrello

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Posted 31 May 2014 - 04:48 PM

Have you checked out any MIDI versions of regular songs? I was watching a Let's Play for "Valami It Means Something" and the overworld music was "Somewhere Out There" from the movie "An American Tail". It fit really well and was a very nice rendition. Maybe think of some songs that you really like, or that you think would work well in a video game, and try to seek out MIDI versions. I thought about maybe doing a quest where all the music was from one particular artist.


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#3 judasrising

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Posted 31 May 2014 - 05:05 PM

Have you checked out any MIDI versions of regular songs? I was watching a Let's Play for "Valami It Means Something" and the overworld music was "Somewhere Out There" from the movie "An American Tail". It fit really well and was a very nice rendition. Maybe think of some songs that you really like, or that you think would work well in a video game, and try to seek out MIDI versions. I thought about maybe doing a quest where all the music was from one particular artist.

Yes that music is fitting very well in Valami it means something. Mr Castchaos picks the songs very well and it just fits, when as a player plays that area.



#4 MarinaraSauce

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Posted 31 May 2014 - 08:11 PM

If you want to stick with video game music, don't limit yourslef to Zelda.  The Mario & Luigi RPG games and some Mario Kart iterations have a lot of songs in them that fit cliche Zelda areas well.



#5 Lightwulf

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Posted 01 June 2014 - 04:20 AM

Try out the Final Fantasy games.

 

In particular, for level 4, I think one that would be very fitting is the Lunar Subterranean area in Final Fantasy IV (a.k.a. FF2 in the U.S.).  I downloaded a FFVI midi pack from a website a while ago, and the one I'm suggesting is entitled "ff2lsub.mid".  (It was also used in a giant robot that was unleashed on the earth so it might be found under title "Within the Giant.")  It has what sounds like the hum of machinery in the background, so I figure it might be what you'd like to use.

 

For the water level (level 1), I think you can stick with what you've got, unless you want to consider "Into the Darkness" from FFVI.  It's used primarily for an eerie misty cave, but is also used again for other mysterious caves.  I think it portrays a feeling of uncertainty and uneasiness.

 

I'll have to think about the "cliche" one.  That I'm not sure on.  It would help to know what it looks like and what feeling you want to portray.

 

Here's a link to RPGamer.com with FFVI: http://www.rpgamer.c...ff4/ff4mid.html

Here's a link to "Within the Giant" from that page (so you don't have to go searching for it): http://www.rpgamer.c...idi/ff2lsub.mid

Here's a link to "Into the Darkness", also from that page: http://www.rpgamer.c...di/ffivinto.mid



#6 anikom15

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Posted 04 June 2014 - 04:06 PM

I've broken away from the idea of incidental music for games. My quest does have some typical game music, but most of the music I'm using is now 'classical'. This seemed odd at first, being long, unloopable, fitting but not atmospheric or subtle ... at all. That sounded like a bad thing until I realized I could use the music to its full potential, contrasting with the typical 'theme' music and even moments where there is no music at all.

The library of choices is enormous as well, and is far more flexible in terms of 'fitting' with a certain setting.

tl;dr don't be constrained by this idea of perfectly fitting, looping music!

Edited by anikom15, 04 June 2014 - 04:07 PM.


#7 klop422

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Posted 08 June 2014 - 04:58 PM

I've broken away from the idea of incidental music for games. My quest does have some typical game music, but most of the music I'm using is now 'classical'.

 

Shotakovich for the Shifting ruins!

Or Ligeti...

Or someone else like that.

 

Or, if your quest is in 8-bit, you could find some glitched up versions of themes from video games. Or you could get Famitracker, and put in random notes. Use that for a theme.



#8 anikom15

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 01:02 PM

I tried looking for Ligeti MIDIs to no avail. Shame really. I would like to use something like Atmosphères for a cave dungeon.

#9 nicklegends

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 07:06 PM

I've broken away from the idea of incidental music for games. My quest does have some typical game music, but most of the music I'm using is now 'classical'. This seemed odd at first, being long, unloopable, fitting but not atmospheric or subtle ... at all. That sounded like a bad thing until I realized I could use the music to its full potential, contrasting with the typical 'theme' music and even moments where there is no music at all.

The library of choices is enormous as well, and is far more flexible in terms of 'fitting' with a certain setting.

I guess it depends on what feel you want your quest to have. Classical music can certainly work well (heck, the theme for the original Legend of Zelda was supposed to be Ravel's Boléro), but such music has to be used conscientiously, lest it sound out of place. I think part of the problem is that video games are inherently unrefined to an extent... the graphics in Zelda Classic are forced to be somewhat cartoony due to graphical restrictions and this often clashes with traditional music. Can you imagine hearing live orchestral music while playing Super Mario Bros.? It wouldn't work at all. I'd be interested in hearng what selections you have in mind for your quest. They've got the potential to be really refreshing.

#10 anikom15

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Posted 09 June 2014 - 09:20 PM

That's exactly what I'm trying to do. I want to not be immersive, that is, I don't care if it sounds out of place. It doesn't matter if it sounds out of place. What's more important is the expression that it conveys. This ties in with my quest being an art piece rather than a quest for entertainment. The goal is that by focusing on the expressionism of the game, entertainment will come out naturally (but that's another topic). Also, video game music isn't really unrefined. Some of the polyphony is quite complex. Hip Tanaka used brilliant counterpoint in his NES music with only three channels (or just two, like in Mach Rider). I think you'll see that classical MIDIs sound just as game-ish as other MIDIs. It's coming from a MIDI synthesizer after all.

 

Most of my MIDIs are incomplete. Here's one that is actually finished, for the Shadow Temple:

http://www.mediafire...22/BWV1052A.mid

 

This happens to be the only one that loops. (The last bars, which are identical to the first, were removed.)

 

Some other confirmed pieces (the MIDIs are essentially done, but need to be 'cleaned'):

Hyrule Castle - K. 550, 1st mov.

Temple of Light - BWV 1047, 1st mov.

Water Temple - Saint-Saëns, Op. 22, 3rd mov.

 

I've got ideas for other places but not confirmed yet, and anything is still subject to change until release date!


Edited by anikom15, 09 June 2014 - 09:30 PM.


#11 Yloh

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Posted 10 June 2014 - 06:20 PM

Sorry for the late reply everybody. Thank you for all of your suggestions. They are helping me greatly. Also, my quest uses the classic tile set with some custom graphics made by myself and other 8-bit graphics. My game is my love letter to video games. I don't know if that would help you guys with any suggestions or not, but there it is anyways. 



#12 klop422

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Posted 13 June 2014 - 06:09 PM

Well, me and my brother aren't bad at 8-bit tracking (Well, I'm not bad, he's pretty good) so if you want anything, we could do it for you on Famitracker).

 

With that said, let me think.

Cliché World... I'm thinking generic overworld theme. It's world 1, and, because of cliché, it needs a generic one. Which one, though...

Water Temple: I'd say, if the Water Temple theme works, then great. For my water dungeon, I used a theme from Tetris 2. Maybe you could use something similar

Shifting Ruins: I still think some sort of glitched-out kind of theme. Even if you download Famitracker and make a half-hearted attempt to make something kind of good, (yes, I'm adding half-hearted to kind of good, meaning your theme would be really kind of bad generally), it might sound pretty good in context. And, if a theme (musical I mean) is in your theme, then it could be pretty catchy.



#13 Yloh

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Posted 25 July 2014 - 12:30 AM

Hello everybody, here I am again asking for more music suggestions. I would like suggestions for the music for world 5. World 5 is Color Change World. Level 5 is Prismatic Labyrinth.

 

In video games, enemies who are a different color are always stronger. This world is made to make fun of that aspect of gaming.

 

Anybody have any ideas for music that would fit this theme?



#14 thepsynergist

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Posted 25 July 2014 - 01:45 AM

If I can't find a good piece of music for games I work on, I just make my own.

 

Also, Rainbow Road from Mario Kart.  attachment.php?attachmentid=186966&d=139



#15 LikeLike on fire

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Posted 12 August 2014 - 10:24 AM

Have you checked out any MIDI versions of regular songs? I was watching a Let's Play for "Valami It Means Something" and the overworld music was "Somewhere Out There" from the movie "An American Tail". It fit really well and was a very nice rendition. Maybe think of some songs that you really like, or that you think would work well in a video game, and try to seek out MIDI versions. I thought about maybe doing a quest where all the music was from one particular artist.

 

 

few people think of these. It dosen't need to be from another game. as long as you know that nobody is going to get you for the copyrights, like "hey I sequenced my own "part of your world" and the Disney company came after me and all my let's players for it"




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