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Music to your ears?
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by satchmo on Thu Jan 27th at 12:50am 2005

Valve goes to great length at immersing the player in the first-person experience. There are no cut-scenes and the gaming is never interrupted (except for loading maps). The player never speaks (because you are Gordon Freeman).

However, there is the background music playing through segments of the game. Now, is that Gordon's personal CD collection, playing in his HEV suit? Or could it be that Gordon (or the player) forgot to take his anti-psychotic medications for the day?

Personally, I hate the background music in any first-person shooter games. It destroys the immersive experience. As a rule, I always turn off the music whenever I start with a new game.

Does it annoy anyone else or is it just my own pet peeve?
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Nickelplate on Thu Jan 27th at 12:57am 2005

I think it's good music, but i could do without.

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Yak_Fighter on Thu Jan 27th at 12:59am 2005

Hell no.

The music adds to the immersion, because usually you don't notice it starting as it plays during intense or action-packed sequences, and when you do notice it it seems to pump you up. It's not annoying because there isn't a lot of it, it doesn't ever loop, and it's quality music anyway.

Besides, don't you ever just have songs that fit the situation pop into your mind as you're doing something? Sorta like humming a tune while you're focusing on work.

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Gwil on Thu Jan 27th at 1:08am 2005

Definately with Yak - the music in Half Life, and HL2 was downright spot on for the situations in which it "arose". That was the beauty of the whole game - from dialogue, to believability unrecycled original ideas (thats for the iD software checklist) brought the player into true immersion with the experience.

Having only finished HL2 today I FINISHED HL2 IN 168 hours ( note post ironic mocking at "i cleared it in SIX/SEVEN/EIGHT days - see IRC) - took me much longer, but I felt adrenaline when I was supposed to, I felt part of the resistance - even just for a few seconds. The music that Valve added, or reworked only added to their game which rivals at least 90% of movie plots for feasability. The inclusion of music from the original game only served to enhance it, TBH.

10 thumbs up to Valve for a great game, well made, well played and generally good. iD software and others take note.

A sp FPS is not about guns, it is about immersion.

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Spartan on Thu Jan 27th at 1:13am 2005

I love the music in HL2. Valve did a great job of sticking the right kind of music in the right situations. [addsig]



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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Orpheus on Thu Jan 27th at 1:29am 2005

when i map, i want silence. no ICQ, no MSN, no nada.

music is a definite nono :/

if it is quiet enough, i can get completely inside my map, as if i am playing it as the walls go up. some of you have watched my maps progress, seldom do i have to re-work an area, because i played it countless times in my head, before i even placed all the solids. i know what height, width and what depth i want almost everything i make.

noise would ruin my creativity. and as poor as my creativity is, i need all the quiet i can get :/

[edit] dammit, you guys aren't even talking about mapping

to answer the real question.. no way, most people do not have my taste in music, so i shut it off when i frag.

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by omegaslayer on Thu Jan 27th at 1:42am 2005

Im just glad the music isnt soemthing with lyrics, it would be too distacting when I would be in the middle of a fire fight. The music actually gave me goose bumbs when I jumped into the HEV suit for the first time.
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by 7dk2h4md720ih on Thu Jan 27th at 1:49am 2005

? quote:
noise would ruin my creativity. and as poor as my creativity is, i need all the quiet i can get :/



For most people, music aids creatitivity.




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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Orpheus on Thu Jan 27th at 1:52am 2005

? quoting TwoKnives

For most people, music aids creatitivity.

and, your point is? if you have not noticed, i am an outsider around here dave

when you look me up in the dictionary, you will only see the words "most people" followed by "are annoyed with him"

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by G.Ballblue on Thu Jan 27th at 1:55am 2005

? quoting Orpheus

"most people" followed by "are annoyed with him"

I wouldn't say that

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Rof on Thu Jan 27th at 2:07am 2005

I'm sorry, but the idea that Gordon was listening to his personal CD collection made me realize I had to make this:



Slightly more to the point, I didn't really notice the music in HL2 appart from the odd occasion. It wasn't bad, just in the background, and not intrusive. HL1 was very similar.

It all depends on the game (and the music, of course). Quake 2 had me reaching for the music-off option within 10 seconds. Deus Ex had excellent themes that really set the mood. Turning off the music in Homeworld 1 or 2 is sacrilege.
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Agent Smith on Thu Jan 27th at 2:08am 2005

For me music usually aids my creativity, particularly when mapping, designing or writing essays. Sometimes it can be annoying, but I've got enough of a selection that I have music for every mood, so usually its okay.
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Myrk- on Thu Jan 27th at 2:16am 2005

It's crap in HL2, it was amazing in Quake 2 though and Quake 3, and I think Doom 3 had some too, that was good. TBH I think HL1 was a lucky shot- everything (including the music) was good, and after 1 game Valve got too big for thier boots. ID are still kings of atmosphere.

Thats one pwnage image of gordon with an ipod lol

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by G.Ballblue on Thu Jan 27th at 2:23am 2005

? quoting Myrk-
It's crap in HL2, it was amazing in Quake 2 though and Quake 3, and I think Doom 3 had one too, that was good. TBH I think HL1 was a lucky shot- everything (including the music) was good, and after 1 game Valve got too big for thier boots. ID are still kings of atmosphere.

Thats one pwnage image of gordon with an ipod lol

/me runs

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Gwil on Thu Jan 27th at 2:24am 2005

You have to understand Myrk riles against HL2 just for the sake of it

/me also runs
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Myrk- on Thu Jan 27th at 2:27am 2005

Nevah plz, just you guys do the exact opposite- you must first accept that ID owns Valve anyday of the week... Quake 2 had active lighting, HL did not (well hardly).

The music in ID games goes too, unlike HL2's techno crap babble.

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Fjorn on Thu Jan 27th at 3:09am 2005

(this represents my opinions >smiley )
Comparing HL2 vs doom3....

Ambience Doom 3 > HL2 (you can see yourself in mirrors/camers *cough*)
Gameplay HL2 > Doom 3
Storyline HL2 > Doom 3
Taking damage HL2 > Doom 3 (I'm sorry, but being slapped across the room and blinded for 5 seconds may be realistic, but it sure ain't fun)

I can go on....

But I think I've proven my point...

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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Gwil on Thu Jan 27th at 3:21am 2005

iD lives in the early 90's, trapped in a world of cliched space combat and linear level design hemmed in with boring, recycled half arsed rock music and the same weapons.

How iD can challenge or dare to question anybody in originality is beyond me when their weapon set and storyline has remained the same for 8 years, in spite of real world technological advancement and the basic story telling ability that it has brought to gaming is beyond me.

Doom is good, Doom fanboyism is not. The more you support iD in producing stale, unoriginal and generally weak titles, the more they will do it. PC gaming is beyond the FPS walk and blast affair - technology cries out to make the experience immersion, not downright frustrating - see, Dooom 3 - boring puzzles/surprises repeated ad infinitum, or Duke Nukem Taking Forever

Don't get me wrong of course, Valve aren't perfect - their attitude towards non broadband enabled gamers and the non US market stinks like ass, and some of the chapters in HL2 were overstretched, weak or unoriginal - see, Route Kanal/Highway 17 and the ending chapter respectively.

Oh and please Myrk - Doom 3, more atmosphere than HL2 ? Dead horse sick of being flogged mate



Valve aren't great, but with the opposition they face being the same boring "strogg" storylines stemming from the poor Quake 2/Doom 3, Quake 3 being quite good, has led to their games being as much of a splash as a pebble in the dead sea. Half Life reigns supreme because compared to it's old, tired and no offence to iD fans, quite poor "primary" competition


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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by ReNo on Thu Jan 27th at 3:40am 2005

I really liked HL2's soundtrack, and think it worked really nicely in helping pump up the adrenaline for certain action sequences. It wasn't used too often, which meant when it was there it felt like something special (the same was done well in HL1). The type of music also felt quite fresh and original.

Myrk, stop it with the D3 > HL2 crap - all it does is stir up the same old argument over and over again, and there was no real place for it here.
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 Re: Music to your ears?
Posted by Yak_Fighter on Thu Jan 27th at 3:43am 2005

? quoting Fjorn
Ambience Doom 3 > HL2 (you can see yourself in mirrors/camers *cough*)

Find me one instance in D3 where a mirror exactly reflected the idle animations of the weapon in your hand. I don't think you can, and I don't think that mirrors for the sake of mirrors help the immersion level at all, especially when they can't (and shouldn't be expected to) be exact. Which, drum roll please, is probably one of the main reasons why Valve doesn't let you see yourself (plus it's unimportant and a waste of resources to load the model for the player)

And to be on topic, did D3 even have any music besides the rockin' theme by Tweaker? It's really good, but it's not the 17 minutes of techno bliss HL1 had

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