Go against the trend of subtle menu,loading and end screen music. Go bold, put in music that is powerful and distinctive! It can really help set the mood and make people eager to get into the fight. For some people this music will be more memorable then the game in itself.
I noticed that I still love Battlefield 2, 2142 (this one’s a little too similar), AIX soundtracks and I must have listened to them, like, thousands of times, I never felt like switching off the Music, it always helped me remember all the emotions I tied to the game. And I think there are a lot more examples out there.
Tie the Factions to a certain Musical style while Loading/Winning/Losing, this will add additional attachment to a faction.
Why do I only mention out of game music? Well, I think that the freedom of not having to be “too catchy” is given in such a situation where on the Battlefield, being distracted by the music isn’t generally a good thing. That freedom allows the composer to create a catchy, distinctive Sound for a certain Faction or Condition. Also, the player is in a certain state of mind in loading screens that allow those songs to get “burned” in quite easily. He has to be ready for the fight, or just got out of the fight, still paying attention.
And, as I said, all this helps make the game stand out and have personality.
And with Panu Aaltio you don’t have to fear people not liking the music, he’s a top notch composer and I think he can really cater to wide audience by making his music high quality, even if not everyone would say they “like” said genre, they will .
That Civ4 theme was pretty powerful. First gaming track to score a Grammy award too. The subtlety of the rising and setting sun animation on the menu made it both understated but emotionally powerful at the same time, it was incredibly well designed.
I whole-heartedly agree. Who here remembers any of the music from E:D? And yet, I’m willing to be the moment they hear the first few beeps of Super Mario Bros will instantly be able to recall a goodly portion of the song from memory. A good theme that is easy to remember will do wonders.
The track from the Anaconda trailer stands out pretty well. It’s short, but the latter half is pretty punchy, and the first half does a good job of setting up for it.
I think the music in the KS pitch video is the right sort of thing for this game. I wouldn’t use the same music exactly, because that had the right pacing and tone for the trailer, but maybe a mix of atmospheric orchestral tracks to match an animation of some battle scenes in the main menu.
I also think there should be a mixture of long-range engagements, with softer musical tones, and some close up battles like the trailer with the more aggressive, punchier tones.
Civilization 4 had a whole symphony orchestra performing their music with a correspondingly qualified composer, iirc. And if you played the original Elite, the autopilot’s 8bit version of The Blue Danube would be permanently etched into your conscience.
Makes me want to work on my partimenti exercises and get better software. Great transition at 1:25. Set up at the transition from the chord at 1:14 to the one at 1:17, setting up the expectation of another IV, but instead you get v7.
I should write structurally simpler things too… Lol. This isn’t terribly complex structurally and is extremely effective, and Panu is a pro.
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