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Uncy's CoD review

 
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Setu_Firestorm
Music Composer




Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 2566
Location: Holiday. FL

PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 11:52 am    Post subject: Uncy's CoD review Reply with quote

In Uncy's review, under the Music department, he wrote:
Setu Firestorm's Clan-A works always tend to be better than the rest of his stuff. It improved the atmosphere greatly. He was also lucky enough that it was placed well this time, which is great fun for all involved.


I wasn't originally going to make a thread, but I thought it'd be beneficial to in the long run.

Now, I've discussed this already with Uncy, but I think everyone should know, especially when they are considering commissioning composers.
There is a reason why the music I've done in Orchy's games stands out among most other games.

When Orchard asks me to score a game, he gives me all the info I need in order to realize his vision for the game. This is an important thing to remember when you ask someone to compose for your game. The composer NEEDS to know what your inspiration for your project is, so he/she can look at it the same way the game's author looks at it and will know just what kind of music the game needs. This can be accomplished several ways:

- Firstly, let the composer know what kind of atmosphere you're trying to create with your game. This means more than just what style of music, but also, for example, if the game maker wants his game to feel abstract, or feel romantic, or so on.

- Secondly, if there are any special scenes where certain songs will be needed, the composer needs to know what's going on so he can move along with it. Orchard, in this case, would tell me "I need a piece for the Crystal Graveyard and the Train Station. This will lead me to my third point.

- Thirdly, screenshots and demos help A LOT! In Purgatory, with the MIDI file "purg13.mid" for the very last dungeon in the game, I got the inspiration for that piece from viewing a screenshot he sent me of that dungeon. In the case of City of Dreams, he's given me screenshots up the ying yang to give me an idea for the setting so I will know what the area will look like. Also, giving the composer a demo is the best help you can give him, so he can get an idea of how the game will flow and how the presentation will be.

Keep these things in mind if you want the best results from a composer. Don't just tell him/her, "Make it sound like this game", or "Make it sound like this movie", `cause I'll be the first to say that it doesn't help and it'll cripple the quality of music you get in the end (Prime example: Project C OST).

Just thought I'd share some helpful tips on the subject, and hearing Uncy say that brought the idea back up to me.
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Uncommon
His legend will never die




Joined: 10 Mar 2003
Posts: 2503

PostPosted: Sat Dec 04, 2004 10:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another thing to think about, instead of having a composer just make pieces off of your descriptions, it might help if you have him/her score your game instead. Like Setu said, sending demos helps a lot, but what if you showed the composer the finished scene first with your notes on what you want the music like and had him/her take it from there? That is, after all, how music is usually written for movies.

If I ever commissioned a composer, it's how I'd do it.
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Flamer
The last guy on earth...




Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 725
Location: New Zealand (newly discovered)

PostPosted: Sun Dec 05, 2004 3:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

it's not just music.
Maptile, Walkabouts, character development...EVERYTHING, requires that you explain FULLY to the person that's helping what is required and experiences that may help that person develop it better.

It's hard to draw a person, when all you're told is that he's a bald guy Neutral
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If we were a pack of dogs, IM would be a grand Hound, CN would be a very ficious little pitball, and Giz...well, it doesn't matter breed he is, he'd still be a bitch Raspberry!
(no offense to anyone that was mentioned)
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