Dominus on 23/3/2011 at 06:54
The GDC Vault service has debuted both free and subscriber-only video, audio and slides from this month's 25th Game Developers Conference.
The .PPT slides for Paul Wier's presentation - Stealing Sound: The Application of Generative Music, can be downloaded for free from (
http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014482/Stealing-Sound-The-Application-of)
this link.
The(
http://www.gdcvault.com/free/gdc-11)
audio recording is downloadable only by subscribing members, which is very costly right now.. maybe someone who has an account can share this with us? :erm:
Untill then, here's a list of topics from the powerpoint presentation:
* As with previous Thief titles, use of audio is integral to our game
* Trying to build on the excellent work of Eric Brosius
* Audio treated VERY seriously in the team (refreshing)
* Deeply embedded in the game design, for example each environment has its audio mapped for key moments, dynamic and dramatic range, music cues, before it's developed.jtr7 on 23/3/2011 at 07:40
Other than not knowing if Paul's dipping into an LGS Brosius approach, or more of an ISA/Harmonix Brosius approach, Paul's been providing the best hope for this game, every time. :thumb:
sjb5001 on 29/3/2011 at 02:52
Quote:
As with previous Thief titles, use of audio is integral to our game
Trying to build on the excellent work of Eric Brosius
Audio treated VERY seriously in the team (refreshing)
Deeply embedded in the game design, for example each environment has its audio mapped for key moments, dynamic and dramatic range, music cues, before it's developed.
That's what I like to hear. If I had to name the most important element in the Thief environment, it'd be audio. It's good to see they're taking it "very seriously".
242 on 29/3/2011 at 11:22
I don't like dynamic music at all, it basically tells player when he/she is safe and when not, and pulls out of immersion, it's just feels too gamey.
Don't think this generative music is a good idea either, it's also of dynamyc type. Nothing beats good old atmospheric beautiful precomposed area-based music, like it was in T1/2.
mothra on 30/3/2011 at 19:48
Quote Posted by 242
I don't like dynamic music at all, it basically tells player when he/she is safe and when not, and pulls out of immersion, it's just feels too gamey.
Don't think this generative music is a good idea either, it's also of dynamyc type. Nothing beats good old atmospheric beautiful precomposed area-based music, like it was in T1/2.
when I hear dynamic I think of "battlemusic" in STALKER:Clear Sky. cringe-worthy
Beleg Cúthalion on 30/3/2011 at 21:37
I don't think they'd make such a fuss if it was just about playing nervous music when a guard goes to yellow alert. I rather assume (that is: hope) that it's all about subtle changes, as if the music wasn't composed (in the actual meaning of putting together) randomly but according to tiny changes in the game.
negativeliberty on 31/3/2011 at 10:00
I would hope that it's not entirely generative, and still retain most of the ambient goodness of the previous titles, which went a long way towards pulling you into their surreal world. I assume they're not just tying the game engine into a MIDI generator though, so we could at least expect missions/parts of the game to have a unique sound. (Of course, personally speaking I'm not expecting good things from Eidos, but assuming a non-worst case scenario, at least with regards to the sound part).
I actually wonder if we might expect a return of those subtle-or-not-so-subtle Thief sounds (they're not all easy to put it into words, but I mean stuff like the sound of distant rumbling of machinery, crickets and other creatures, the otherworldly ambient chimes, the vaguely mmmm-ing choir and a few dozen more sounds like that). It almost wouldn't be Thief without these, or something audibly inspired by them.
That said, despite being very sceptical about this game I have to say I'm pleased they've at least been smart enough so far to avoid the Inon Zur-esque EPIC orchestral EPIC soundtrack option which just makes every game sound exactly the same, or more accurately like bad Hollywood blockbusters with EPIC amounts of EPIC slow-motion EPIC colour-(de)graded EPIC psuedo-drama and music so EPIC it actually cheapens the whole barf-inducing spectacle even further. If they're truly building on the previous games' audio that's most welcome news.
Beleg Cúthalion on 9/8/2011 at 10:44
What I heard sounded really nice.
Briareos H on 9/8/2011 at 10:46
Wow you actually said something positive :eek:
