New blog/new tasks!

This week, I had a meeting with my dissertation tutor to discuss where the project is heading. It was recommended to me that I start up a new blog and transfer over all of my work on the project thus far. This is just to make it clearer for everyone to read.

Also, I've set myself 3 essay tasks to write on the module. Again, this was recommended to me by my tutor to complete. They will be theory into the work i have completed on the module so far and will form part of my final submission.

A draft copy of some essay research is a few posts below and over the coming weeks I will be working on the other essays, uploading updates as I go. For now, I'll be transferring everything over and I will post a link to the new blog on here when it's complete.

Written by Phil

Research into game music/next weeks task

My reading for this dissertation has mostly been on A.I. behaviours, and how important it is to get right within a game. Because of this, I thought I would research another subject that I have completed, Music and effects in games.

This has been a topic that I have recently completed on both my dissertation and group game. It was clear in both games that there was a lack of atmosphere, part of which was caused my a lack of music and sounds.

'Music not only gives you something good to listen to while playing, but when done right creates an emotional connection to the game that can’t be replicated any other way.' (1)

Like the purpose of all great music, it's supposed to change your heart rate — to move you and make you feel.  (2)

The quote above emphasises what I feel is important with music in games. While it is something, which isn't necessarily appreciated by a majority of players, without it a gaming experience would be empty of any character and substance. Music, when done correctly, engages players without them even realising.

Firstly, I looked into a range of games. Some where similar to this dissertation project and others were completely different. I wanted to get a feel of what sort of music fitted in with what style of game.

Below is a video showing a users top 10 best songs from the video game, 'Zelda: Ocarina of Time'. This music is some of the best I have ever heard when playing through a game. It fits in perfectly with the surroundings the players find themselves in. 

The first song is taken from a carnival section of the game. The player automatically gets drawn into the atmosphere of the fun bonus area within the game by the up tempo, chirpy music.

The second song comes from an area of the game that is mysterious and quite challenging. Puzzles need to be solved and enemies defeated in the temple, set in the middle of a large desert. The music gives the feel of an Arabian desert with plenty of intrigue. Fantastic!

The third song is from the beginning stage of the game. At this point, the game world is a happy place and everyone around you is friendly. You can tell this by the quick, lively, lighthearted tune.

The fourth song is taken from where the player first learns to ride a horse. It's a ranch where everything happens at a slow moving pace. It's a friendly place with farmers going about their business in their own time. Again, this is perfectly reflected in the music. It's a lot slower than the previous tunes and captures the atmosphere to perfection. The melody also has significance within the game, with the player having to play it on their ocarina it in order for their horse to return to them.

The forest temple is one of the most mysterious places within the game. It's home to ghosts and phantoms. The music follows the pattern of some of the other levels but has a tone of mystery and intrigue about it that immerses the player into the environment.

The sixth song is taken from a happy time in the game. It's where the player gets reunited with Zelda. The tone is similar to when the player first sees Zelda but this time, it has a sense of sadness about it, reflecting what has gone on but overall the tone is a happy one.

The seventh song in this video is taken from a level within the game that is full of witchcraft. It's quite a fast paced environment and this is reflected in the quick tempo music. It also has a sense of wizardry and madness, which is cemented by the speedy, high ocarina main notes.

The eighth song, taken from the Lost Woods, is another happy area within the game, at least initially. Fairies populate it and I think the lighthearted tone identifies this very well.

The market is another area filled with friends and not foes. It has many palace guards patrolling it, however, and I think the uniform sounds within the music represent this. It just has the perfect feel of a lighthearted area within the music

Number one on this list is also my personal favourite. It fits the area of the game to perfection. It has a sense of the Arabic desert about it with the notes on the harp. Also, the area has a palace and I think this, along with the guards and trained swordsmen are represented when the harp stops playing. A fantastic background tune for a terrific section of the game.

Below is another good example of platform game music. This time, from the game Spyro: A Hero's Tail

Spyro was what originally got us into making, 'Rusty and the Cogbots'. The game plays in a similar style to ours by having very cartoon oriented graphics and many tasks to undertake along with various enemies. While this music wouldn't necessarily fit our game, the idea of high tempo, lively music would definitely work.

Below is another example of game music. This time, taken from Goldeneye 007 on the Nintendo 64.

This music is absolutely tremendous when playing the game. Taken directly from the film of the same name, this music plays when you are at the last section of the game, getting ready to try and kill the final boss. Being a realistic environment where killing everything around you is the general objective, the music does a fantastic job of getting the player pumped up and ready for the action to come. It's an example that wouldn't work within our game. The two are completely different and this style of music would have a negative effect on the user experience.

So, it's clear to me that while music can sound fantastic and engage players into a gaming environment it can also, if used incorrectly, ruin the feel of a game entirely. Below is a link to various videos, which show some the worst game music ever.... enjoy!

http://www.vgchartz.com/article/7610/vgc-top-ten-worst-instances-of-videogame-music/

This link is also a very good listen. It explores popular game music and how it's evolved with technology. It also tells how much recognition is now being given to video game scores.

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yj887

(1) Mulkin, Shane; May 19 2012; http://www.thextremepulse.com/the-importance-of-music-in-gaming/

(2) April 13 2008; http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89565567

Next week, I plan to have a main menu screen ready for the game. Doing the artwork for this should be really enjoyable.

Written by Phil

Weekly update

Just to let everyone know, my update for this week will be posted this afternoon/evening. I'm at work all day and therefore will update this post once I'm home.

Written by Phil

Sounds

Just a quick update from me this week, although I've done quite a lot on making the sounds for the game.

Using the site 'beatlab' that I mentioned last week, I have been able to create lots of sounds for the game. We can now start taking out the placeholder sounds and adding these in. I've also done a vast amount of research on the subject.

I will do a full update on my progress including links to articles and games i've used for research and i'll also post some of the sounds (if possible) on this blog. This update will come before next weekends update.

Written by Phil

Sounds and Textures

Over the course of the last week, I have been looking into how to make sounds for our game. Sounds and music are something I haven't worked with in any detail before so this will be another steep learning curve for me. We worked on creating music in our first year on the course but this wasn't particularly involved. I will, however, be able to draw on this experience to help me complete this task.

I have been looking at various sites but have been pointed in the direction of 'beatlab', an online sound mixing program. This site allows the user to mix their own sounds and music and I have already made a number of short sounds and tunes that can be used in game.

I have also been looking into using Abode Illustrator. It's a program that hasn't been used on the course but it's something I would very much like to learn. I have already got to grips with it quite quickly although there is a lot still to be looked at. I plan on using my new skills on this program to make textures for the levels over the coming weeks.

Here is the link to beatlab,
http://www.beatlab.com/

Written by Phil

Weekly update

I've been away this past week so have been unable to work on the project. Next week, however, will return to normal.

Written by Phil

Project Update

After having a formal, marked presentation on this project just over a week ago, I thought it best to evaluate the current state of the project and see where it needs to be heading. During my presentation feedback, it was concluded by the tutors that the game is still at a 'development stage' and that polishing the current elements and mechanics was going to be the important focus point for the rest of the project.

That being said, we want to create a further two routes in the coming weeks before we start to polish all of the game elements. This will bring the game to a playable point, leaving us with a few months to refine all of the mechanics.

As an individual, the tasks I have completed up to this point have met with my initial timeline and have been as challenging and time consuming as first expected. It has, however, been a good learning curve and I can now look to bring the game up to a polished standard.

There won't be an update from me for next week as I am away for family reasons. I will, however, blog upon my return.

Written by Phil