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GameCareerGuide Feature: Adaptive Music for Video Games
by Staff [PC, Console/PC]
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July 28, 2009
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In a new article, 'Adaptive Music for Video Games' -- published today on GCG -- Utrecht School of Art and Technology student David Vink tackles the phenomenon of adaptive music in games.
In the full-length piece published on our education-specific website, he asks how the concept of gameplay-adapting music can be used, and what advantages it can offer. Says Vink:
"I have chosen to write about adaptive music because it is something I have often thought about myself while playing games or making music (as it happens, two of my favorite activities). I wondered why, even though it is technically possible (and has been for many years) and can really add a lot to a game, adaptive music is so rarely used in video games."
In Vink's opinion, "Computer graphics have been advancing in huge leaps over the past years, with each new generation of video cards adding new techniques and ways to make games look better or more realistic, and every new generation of consoles increasing the graphical power considerably (although the Nintendo Wii might be said to break this "tradition").
The field that has been left behind is audio. Although music and sound effects for games have gotten better in terms of audio quality (advancing from simple beeps to fully orchestrated scores), new techniques and ways of using music in games have not developed as quickly as they could (and perhaps should) have."
He breaks his paper down into five sections:
- What is Adaptive Music?
- Interactive or Adaptive?
- Why use Adaptive Music?
- How is Adaptive Music Created?
- The Future of Adaptive Music
Each tackles a specific element of the discussion, and includes such topics as different creative avenues to pursue, possibilities for technical methodology, and means of collaboration among different disciplines.
You can read the full article, 'Adaptive Music for Video Games', today at Gamasutra sister education website GameCareerGuide.com.
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jeff
In fact, a lot of people have mentioned that each of the Special Infected have their own themes which intermingle (layering, as you said) with the game's main audio, and it's possible to guess what Special Infected are nearby long before you heard their customary sound effects.
As you said, roleplaying games benefit far more from adaptive music. Morrowind changes tracks depending on whether you're in the wilderness, in a city, or in a battle. Neverwinter Nights takes it a step further, with different tracks for cities, wilderness, buildings, temples, dungeons, and combats in each of these.
However, your argument is a good one. Many games play different tracks based on the level, but that's it. A bit more recognition from the developers (or the game) that I'm up to my armpits in bad guys would be a nice touch.