06-09-2017, 10:54 AM
I finally got a relatively solid build of a game for which I was hired to write music a while back, and I've been brainstorming and recording ideas for the different cues.
I'm trying to gather ideas about different ways a soundtrack can affect the player. I know it is possible to:
So, how do you think a soundtrack can come into play? Have you seen a movie or played a game where the music did something you didn't expect?
I'm trying to gather ideas about different ways a soundtrack can affect the player. I know it is possible to:
- stay in the background, simply replacing the silence with something, leaving it up to the game to set the tone.
- amplify what's there, and have the music reflect what you see in the game. Tablas and sitars for tropical areas, chimes and choirs for ancient temples, and so on.
- guide the player. Combat music comes to mind. The difference between major key chugga chugga and a more dissonant cue for combat is huge. While the latter might just fit what's there, the former might guide the player towards feeling confident and awesome.
- misdirect. For example, play super-positive music as you're talking to an NPC who is more than slightly objectionable. That way, the player might feel really uncomfortable and out of place.
So, how do you think a soundtrack can come into play? Have you seen a movie or played a game where the music did something you didn't expect?