Music to your ears?

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?

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

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.

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.

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

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 :sad:

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

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. :biggrin:

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.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting TwoKnives</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
For most people, music aids creatitivity.
</DIV></DIV>

and, your point is? if you have not noticed, i am an outsider around here dave :biggrin:
when you look me up in the dictionary, you will only see the words "most people" followed by "are annoyed with him" :rolleyes:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Orpheus</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
"most people" followed by "are annoyed with him" :rolleyes:

</DIV></DIV>
I wouldn't say that :smile:

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.

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.

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

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Myrk-</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>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

</DIV></DIV>
/me runs

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

/me also runs

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 :razz: (well hardly).

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

(this represents my opinions )

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...

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 ? :razz: Dead horse sick of being flogged mate :razz:

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

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.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Fjorn</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Ambience Doom 3 > HL2 (you can see yourself in mirrors/camers cough)
</DIV></DIV>

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 :razz:

Myrk, what's gotten into you? HL2 is ALWAYS > D3......

unless you LIKE walking down millions of dark hallways, with a flashlight INSTEAD OF a gun, with monsters spawning BEHIND you at ever turn: monsters that can kill you with just a few hits (they gang up) while you are switching from your flashlight to your weapon. (ever heard of duct taping the flashlight TO the gun? no?) then it takes all your ammo to kill one because they knock your FOV all over the room with one hit.

If you DO like this type of "exciting gameplay," feel free to keep being a smacktard.

If you can't tell I was really disappointed with D3.....

Just my opinion though

Not starting a flame war.... :biggrin:

Oh and please Myrk - Doom 3, more atmosphere than HL2 ? :razz:

Well, yeah. Doom 3 had atmosphere written all over it. It was it's
saving grace IMO; there was no way I would have completed that game 3
times if it wasn't for it's scary atmosphere. Doesn't take a stretch of
the imagination to understand. :smile: Though I consider both games
incredibly immersive, HL2 never really approaches the heights of, for
example, the Delta Labs or Hell IMO.

Really, both games were aiming to do different things, and if you can't
look at a game and appreciate it for it's positive traits, your loss
really. :smile:

I agree blah blah balh the music is great.

I did really hate this though... Take the first encounter with the
combine, your in the apartment building, then all hell breaks lose, you
run to go down the stairs only to find yourself looking down at two
combine who look right back up at you as they snap on their shock
sticks.

Then the music starts, I turn to run back and there are more police
pointing at me getting ready to take me out. I'm only left with
one way out...

...up.

I rush up the stairs and find safty in an apartment, everyone is
yelling "go run run!" I rush though the home and find myself face to
face with more combine. The music is really pumping now, my heart
is racing, I'm so into the game when BOOM. loading screen...
music just cuts out... no cool down, no loading screem WITH
music. that is my only beef.

I actually found the music to be pretty distracting at points- it seemed WAY too loud with the other action going on around me.

The music was really good though, and the segments with the music were good, but the two just didn't seem to mesh well together.

My biggest problem with the Doom 3 atmoshpere is that a good ambience is
created subtly, so that you experience it and it impacts but does not
jump out at you in the face all the time. In Doom 3 they really forced
the atmosphere on you. The level design was cramped, and there were so
many things to get caught on that it was impossible to run away
unhampered. The lighting was just as bad, with no real fading in
between light and dark, there was really only really bright or pitch
black, with general focus on the latter. This was also enforced with
that s**tty little torch that didn't light up jack s**t. And the fact
that you couldn't use a weapon at the same time was a really
obvious ploy, despite the fact we have weapon mounted lights today. And
finally the buttons, which were tiny and required you place your
crosshair exactly on the little button for it to activate, slowing you
down no end and freaking you out whenever something was coming at you,
because you couldn't open the f**king door.

While these areas did work to create a "oh s**t, this is so f**king
scary" atmosphere and ambience, it lacked subtlety and for me made it
that much more obvious that they were trying really hard to create it.
HL2 had some of those moments, but didn't rely on those "cheap" methods
to create it. They instead created atmosphere more subtlely, which in my
opinion seemed much more effective and involving because it didn't jump out at you all the time.

I think it's great music, in say a suspense scene in a horror film, you
don't turn off the music then when it's building up to the climax, or
in an action movie when the fast paced music is building up with the
action.

I keep it on :smile:

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Rof</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>
</DIV></DIV>

Genius.
I like the music while I play, and a little while I map. I can't do any other creative thing while listening to music, though.

Many other people were less impressed, of course, but the sound in Doom 3 scared the f**king pants off me.

I liked the HL2 music, and felt it was a fair continuation of the HL1
soundtrack. I remember in HL1 hearing a track which started just before
a massive fight, and rushing through guns blazing. Probably a really
bad tactical move, but I sure did enjoy it :smile:

/me loved doom III. is it better than HL2? i am unsure, cause neither really is close enough to compare to each other.

people have been trying to compare unreal to HL for years and still do. none realize yet that you just cannot really compare them. just because each game is a FPS is not reason enough to even try.

my opinion for what its worth. "buy them,play them. if they are good, play them again."

I agree blah blah balh the music is great.

I did really hate this though... Take the first encounter with the
combine, your in the apartment building, then all hell breaks lose, you
run to go down the stairs only to find yourself looking down at two
combine who look right back up at you as they snap on their shock
sticks.

Then the music starts, I turn to run back and there are more police
pointing at me getting ready to take me out. I'm only left with
one way out...

...up.

I rush up the stairs and find safty in an apartment, everyone is
yelling "go run run!" I rush though the home and find myself face to
face with more combine. The music is really pumping now, my heart
is racing, I'm so into the game when BOOM. loading screen...
music just cuts out... no cool down, no loading screem WITH
music. that is my only beef.

Um...there's no music at that point. There's music once you reach the
loft and roof, but not when the combine are actually chasing you
through the apartment. :smile: But I agree, I wish the music didn't cut out
like that, especially in HL:Source.

Please, name one part in HL2 which is better than the scene in Doom 3 where you in the toilets, and you look in the mirror, then you see the reflection of a pinky running at you- scares the s**t outta everyone, even lep got scared (he told me after playing that part).

As for the Doom 3 > HL2 argument, I think we should just end it now though, no one is ever gunna win. HL2 has better modding, but the story was poop (just too random, I didn't have a sense of place- its good not to have some, but HL2 story seems random) and the HL2 engine is really quite poor looking. I know most will disagree on that last comment, but seriously- look closely and it's not that great- its bump mapping and lighting engine aren't that great apart from the natural light, but shadows are poor, especially online. Though Doom 3 is very limited in its gameplay, and I'm sure it won't live as long as Half-life 2 (simply because its easier to mod and map).

It's just frustrating that you don't understand what I'm trying to say, and if you took the time to look then you'd probably agree.

.

Anyways nuff ranting on, more about music-

I just thought the HL2 music was a bit out of place, could have done with more subtle music like the 1st, remember the sewer section in HL1? That had good atmospheric music.

Please, name one part in HL2 which is better than the scene in
Doom 3 where you in the toilets, and you look in the mirror, then you
see the reflection of a pinky running at you- scares the s**t outta
everyone, even lep got scared (he told me after playing that
part).

That's not atmosphere, that's a cheap shot. :razz:

Liked the music that came with HL2. It was pretty good.

That being said...

I cant play with anything but my metal playing at a fair volume. (But these go to 11)

I have the game playing in my headset and the metal on the other PC with the bose speakers. :smile: (I just need a way to mute the other pc when i hit the talk button on the one im playing CS on and everyone will be happy)(ah, BEEP!!! them! As long as im happy when im playing!)

I agree blah blah balh the music is great.

I did really hate this though... Take the first encounter with the
combine, your in the apartment building, then all hell breaks lose, you
run to go down the stairs only to find yourself looking down at two
combine who look right back up at you as they snap on their shock
sticks.

Then the music starts, I turn to run back and there are more police
pointing at me getting ready to take me out. I'm only left with
one way out...

...up.

I rush up the stairs and find safty in an apartment, everyone is
yelling "go run run!" I rush though the home and find myself face to
face with more combine. The music is really pumping now, my heart
is racing, I'm so into the game when BOOM. loading screen...
music just cuts out... no cool down, no loading screem WITH
music. that is my only beef.

Um...there's no music at that point. There's music once you reach the
loft and roof, but not when the combine are actually chasing you
through the apartment. :smile: But I agree, I wish the music didn't cut out
like that, especially in HL:Source.

oh... errr... well you get the point, that was an intence moment for me
and when I hit a loading point it really killed the moment. I
think that there were some loading zones that really broke up the
action.

HL2 > DOOM3 because one of them runs on my computer the other walks, slow.

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quoting Kage_Prototype</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>

<DIV class=quote>
<DIV class=quotetitle>? quote:</DIV>
<DIV class=quotetext>Please, name one part in HL2 which is better than the scene in Doom 3 where you in the toilets, and you look in the mirror, then you see the reflection of a pinky running at you- scares the s**t outta everyone, even lep got scared (he told me after playing that part).</DIV></DIV>

That's not atmosphere, that's a cheap shot. :razz:
</DIV></DIV>

I don't remember that at all... All I know is that every single cutscene took me right out of the game and eliminated all the suspense and terror. I mean it ruins the tension when you can expect a new bad guy or big battle to appear once the camera pulls back showing yourself. Nothing like ruining the surprise.
And for all your talk about HL2's story being scattershot, I can honestly say I understood the HL2 story much better than the D3 story. I didn't even realize that Sarge wasn't the guy with the BFG protecting that gov't official until much later when it no longer mattered, didn't understand what happened with Sarge, and still don't know what happened with Betruger at the end. Maybe I'm just slow, but with such a simple story you'd think I could have figured it out if it were so clear... :/

the forest, for the trees master Joesph.

i have yet to play more than 1 hour of HL2, so i am waiting judgment yet, but i dearly loved D3. if people would rate doom, against doom, and stop comparing it to other FPS games, they would sleep better at night. :rolleyes:

Heck, I might as well jump into the fray about the Doom3 vs. HL2
debate. I tried to stay out of it for so long, since it's really
not related to the topic.

Personally, the gameplay is what makes or breaks a game. The
environment and the visuals do add significantly to the gaming
experience, but without interesting and immersive gameplay, a game is
nothing but a pretty face. It'll just be a waste of talent for
the graphic and rendering artists for the development team.

Half-Life 2 (and the original HL) has the best gameplay among any game
I've ever played. It never felt repetitive, as any second-rated
FPS game might quickly get. There are so much variations and I
love solving some puzzles to break up the fast-paced action.

I love the HL2 soundtrack. I love the Halo soundtrack. I love game music in general. And, would MOVIES be the same without music? no. If you read the book of HL, Raising the Bar, you realise that the goal of any game designer is to make an interactive movie where the main character doesn't have the script. so, music is an essential part of any game. I almost cried when the Combine shot that one guy and the sad music started to play...

I really liked the music when you first got your crowbar and you dropped down to the train rails. Pumpin' beats, baby.

I agree too with some other post about the music that played when you put on the suit.

The antlion boss... hmm, I was standing on pile of crates, and just as I slipped off and hit the sand, that "scary" music string came in... best co-incidence ever :biggrin:

and boy, you guys have no idea how hard it is to type with a slice of pizza in your hand...