song for game/feedback

[azrael1322]

Hi there,

My friend H-Hour introduced me to your game and mentioned you took music contributions.  I wrote this song and would love feedback on it, any comments/criticisms are welcome (my skin is thick so go for it)  It is inspired by Van's UFO AI Main Theme.  If the song is liked I'd love for it to be used for something, just let me know if you want to use it. Thanks!

The file is too big so here is a link to it at box.net
http://www.box.net/shared/s0t66nhh36

[Mattn]

a very nice song - here is some feedback on it:

the part at 3:00 reminds me a little bit to starwars - i thought that the theme would start now. the change comes out a little bit too loud imo
1:37-1:51 a little bit too little action.
it would be nice if you could make the song a little bit more "loopable"

oh - please also keep in mind that we need ogg vorbis to include a song in the game - not mp3 please.

here http://ufoai.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/ufoai?view=rev&revision=29493 are some information about the sampling rates.

[azrael1322]

Hi there!
Thanks so much for the reply.  I just had it as an mp3 just for demo purposes, I'd be happy to provide as an .ogg, just figured I wouldn't bother if no one was interested in using it.  I'll be sure to check out that thread before I submit another version.  Yeah, I hadn't really thought about the "loopability" of it either, if you would like to use it I can work on that a bit.  Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I can't get at it at the moment but I will see what I can do tomorrow with it.  Thanks also for listening and considering it!

[Gren]

Hi azrael1322 

I just listened to your track a few times and I like it very much. At first, I wasn't too keen on the Digi piano at the very start, but it does grow on you after a few plays.

It will be nice to hear your next version with the 'loopability' applied. 

[H-Hour]

1:37-1:51 a little bit too little action.

Hehe, poor azrael and his empty bridges. He keeps writing them but no one's digging them.

One thing that occurred to me listening to this track is that it starts in a sombre mood. Once the battle scoring is all worked out in the future, it could be cool if the campaign scripting would allow us to specify specific tracks to play after a mission with a low score, or with excessive casualties, etc. This would make a nice I-just-got-trampled track.

[azrael1322]

Hi there! 
Ufo song now with improved loopability!! (tm)  Ok, so it's not the most creative loop but I think it works pretty well. I put a little swell thing in the quiet section, I think it helped. I also turned the drums down a little bit. Also now in .ogg, and I believe within the specs but let me know if I need to convert it at all.   

Hey Gren, thanks for the comment, glad you liked it!  Yeah the digi piano is a bit odd,  at first I thought it was too much of a celeste wannabe.  But then I started really liking it, glad it grew on you as well.
Yeah, this was written to seem mostly somber.  Thanks H, I'd love to see it used for that, but whatever you guys feel it's best for would be great with me.  And yes, it has finally sunk in that people don't like empty bridges, so next thing I write will have WAY too much happening in the bridge

http://www.box.net/shared/ulyxbmab00

[Mattn]

btw. what is the license you release this under? is "Creative Commons Attribution 3.0" ok?

[Prinegon]

This music piece is quite nice and fitting. However, I see 2 problems with this music (apart from some of the instruments don't sound real)
I don't like the song to fell nearly silent after 1:15. This silence is even more quiet, than the very beginning. Imho it doesn't fit after there was a crescendo from the start on. This piece seems much more harmonic if the part between 1:15 and 1:50 just is cut out.
The second thing is, that this piece is too short. In loop it will get anoying quite early, I fear.

[azrael1322]

Hi there!
Yes, "Creative Commons Attribution 3.0" is fine!  
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Thanks Prinegon for the comments.  Is there a particular instrument you felt was too unrealistic?  I have a somewhat limited sample library, and am fairly new to the whole thing, so if you can be more specific on that I'd appreciate it.  Yeah, the song was not originally written with the realization that it would be looped and I think I would've written something a little different had I been thinking that from the start.  Thanks again!

[VaeliusNoctu]

I like this Game, but the Music in this Game was a disaster. I deactivate the music as it causes physical pain.
I think this Game needs a more discreetly music, like in the UFO Enemy Unknown Game. A more ambience music.

[Gren]

I like this Game, but the Music in this Game was a disaster. I deactivate the music as it causes physical pain.
I think this Game needs a more discreetly music, like in the UFO Enemy Unknown Game. A more ambience music.

Everyone has a preference and an opinion, but I disagree.    The music in this game is very good..    I think you may have the right idea by suggesting a few more quieter, ambient pieces, but many game players like to listen to a wide variety of music genre as they play a game - and if it's your preference to turn it off all together - well, there is always that option anyway. 

[azrael1322]

I agree with Gren, there is some cool music in this game.  Though as he mentions there might be some room for improvement (when isn't there?) I wouldn't call it a disaster by any means, but to each their own.  I noticed this has been added to the trunk and just wanted to say thanks for including it!  I'll be writing a bunch over the summer and should have some others to contribute down the road, thanks for all the feedback on this one, it's so helpful not just for the current piece but for future consideration as well! 

[Hertzila]

Where would this track go? It has too relaxed feel compared to the average battlescape track IMO (and aerial interceptions are out of the question), so geoscape seemed like the target but now I feel that it's too relaxed and "slow" for it too. So now we're kinda out of options .

Part of this feel might have something to do with the general emptyness of the track. Compared to the van_geoscape, it just feels so silent and in need of something. For example, at 0:36-1:06 it has enough (in the sense that the track feels like geoscape music IMO) instruments playing and 2:36-2:56 feels like the "highlight" of the track but between those it feels just empty... Too silent when the world is still in huge risk of getting conquered. Even if it's supposed to be ambient.


PS. It seems I yet again disagree with someboddy else, this time with VaeliusNoctu.
PPS. Though after playing it for nonstop during the time it took me to write this all I admit it starts to sound better and better for geoscape. Still feeling empty IMO.

[H-Hour]

Well, azrael's a friend of mine so of course I'll defend his work. But I have to say that I think the piece's more laid back feel is a good thing, especially when playing for extended periods of time. Some of van's work is really nice, especially the theme piece. But all the metal in the game really does my head in over time. And I think when playing the game, the quiet sections really won't be as noticeable, and will even be a welcome respite for all but the most dedicated metalheads.

Hertzilla's right, this isn't a battlescape track. But does everything have to be metal? I have to turn the music off every time I install a new version, which is a shame because the theme as the game is loading is really nice.

[Hertzila]

Well, azrael's a friend of mine so of course I'll defend his work. But I have to say that I think the piece's more laid back feel is a good thing, especially when playing for extended periods of time. Some of van's work is really nice, especially the theme piece. But all the metal in the game really does my head in over time. And I think when playing the game, the quiet sections really won't be as noticeable, and will even be a welcome respite for all but the most dedicated metalheads.

Hertzilla's right, this isn't a battlescape track. But does everything have to be metal? I have to turn the music off every time I install a new version, which is a shame because the theme as the game is loading is really nice.

I'm not saying it should be metal, nor that it should fit into the battlescape. I'm just saying that, for most of the track, it feels like there is an instrument missing. That there should be something playing in the background, silently but still hearably to give this track more life.