[SALT]Natchniony – Necromancer, EU.
Streams: http://www.twitch.tv/rym144
(edited by Rym.1469)
Hello, I have a suggestion. I’ve been playing both GW1 for couple years and GW2 since release and I find one thing little dissapoining. I miss all “adult” soundtracks in this game, Guild Wars 2 lacks of them. When I step into Orr, I can’t find any thrilling sounds, there’s no scary music. Also, so many soundtracks in the game are “too-heroish” and “too-happy”. In the end, I have to turn off music in this game and switch to saved soundtracks of The Witcher series, Neverwinter, Gothic. I suggest you to consider getting other artists than Jeremy Soule. This guy makes good piece of music, indeed, but really… Same like with Two Steps From Hell, 90% of music is very similar or even same. I think that if player plays music from other games over original soundtrack, it’s nothing good for the game. We need more adult music! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TqkRRJlhmk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIo5yA50HxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ2noxeZsCk
Examples
(edited by Rym.1469)
I can’t address the entirety of your post, but I do offer the following:
To my knowledge, Jeremy Soule hasn’t composed any of the Guild Wars 2 music after the original soundtrack. Other artists have contributed to the Halloween and Wintersday scores, Southsun Cove, the Super Adventure Box (of course), and probably more that I’m forgetting. Check the ArenaNet SoundCloud page for the full list.
I agree with Rym…some music is just too heroic.
I just can’t stand music in Ascalon at daytime…too heroic, too cheerful, too happy.
Considering what happened here and how much grim history it has, it should be something mysterious and dark. I do understand the Charr live there now, but still…Even the Charr Homelands from GW1 had a more mysterious music than what we have here now.
I know there’s a custom playlist, but that’s not the point…It’s different when you hear the in-game music and when you make your own list…not the same feeling.
I also hope they add more darker songs, since right now, almost every area is too cheerful.
I like the music in Shiverpeaks (the piano track) and I loooove the night music in Ascalon (the one with chorus), I also enjoy the tracks we get once in swamp…it just gives atmosphere to the game and different approach…it gives me goosebumps.
As for Orr…I don’t mind if it doesn’t have music…since there’s a lot of ’’weird’’ sounds there…but adding some rather creepy music there would be great though.
The soundtrack kind of bores me. Jeremy Soule has done great work with the Elder Scrolls series, but here doesn’t quite click for me. It may have more to do with how the music is implemented (as suggested here), but I agree that if I am playing other game’s soundtracks than listening to the one in the game I’m playing, that’s a problem. Not a big one, but one that should be addressed effectively at some point.
Maybe I’m a little biased, since I’m a composer (studying music composition at Temple), but I think the music is brilliant. I see what you’re saying in terms of how select music isn’t necessarily appropriate for certain areas (Heroic – Ascalon, etc.). But you can’t deny that the music itself is brilliant. I listen to this soundtrack – along with Skyrim and Soule’s other works – very often. I think in terms of complexity and musicality, this soundtrack is incredibly powerful, but perhaps the location choices to place certain tracks is a little bit awkward. Just my two cents
I enjoy the music, it is very relaxing to me while I am playing the game. The ambient sounds and environment sounds are well done, it increases immersion. Good job as far as I’m concerned.
Most of the music is good but too repetitive, need a lot longer tracks with more variation both in the songs and zones.
Its a common thing you know, its the same with singers , most of the songs are the same (melody wise) because its in here singing range, and with sound design its in his/her skill range of how to put up an intrument ensemble.
The problem with the soundtrack is that some tracks (far too many, actually) are exclusive to the Personal Storyline. Either that, or it’s just me that don’t get all the good stuff, because I’ve checked the entire soundtrack and to be fair, Soule has made some rather decent tunes to fit different moods.
- It bothers me that such tunes as “Snaff’s Workshop” is not playing in, say, Rata Sum or is set to play in areas with a lot of Asuran influence on the looks.
- I don’t remember the track “The Walls of Ebonhawke” playing in Ebonhawke at all.
There is a lot of soundtracks that are exclusive to the Personal Story, and it is a waste because the PS is not replayable (yet).
- I also find a lot of iconic tunes (such as The Door of Komalie) playing in zones they weren’t intended for. ANet needs to fix that, because believe it or not, it makes a huge difference to the feel of the game and how players experience the world.
Maybe I’m a little biased, since I’m a composer (studying music composition at Temple), but I think the music is brilliant. I see what you’re saying in terms of how select music isn’t necessarily appropriate for certain areas (Heroic – Ascalon, etc.). But you can’t deny that the music itself is brilliant. I listen to this soundtrack – along with Skyrim and Soule’s other works – very often. I think in terms of complexity and musicality, this soundtrack is incredibly powerful, but perhaps the location choices to place certain tracks is a little bit awkward. Just my two cents
I’m studying for Movie and Game scoring, and when it comes to the music composed to GW2 in and on itself, true, it is brilliant, however, when it comes to where it should be played a lot of tracks are out of their intended zone.
- The Door of Komalie is playing in Ascalon but the piece was iconic to the Ring of Fire islands in the first game. Iconic tunes shouldn’t be messed around with like that, because it is how we can “put a face” on certain tracks or zones.
I noticed how a lot of the soundtracks on YouTube gets comments like “Where did this play in the game?” and there lies the problem.
- If I want to hear a certain track from, say, WoW (or GW1 for you WoW-haters out there) the soundtrack is easily recognized and one can put a zone to fit the soundtracks.
- It creates a lot of nostalgia, which gives players the urge to play again (I know that I log into GW1 still, often after I’ve heard certain tracks that I remember well from my times of playing the game). It is manipulative but not in a bad way, because it’s good memories that pops to mind, and music in particular is a very powerful tool for this in the gaming industry.
- I hope they improve on it in the future (even though I’m no fan of the Living Story, or maybe rather where the Living Story is going I’ve got to say that the Bazaar of the Four Winds, as an example, has a soundtrack that people can associate with it. I’d like to see more of that in the game).
If I get to speculate, the game was produced with far too little music to actually fill up the game. One of my biggest disappointments with GW2 at launch was that so much of the music really just came from the last game. And not the best of the tracks either.
I got no real concrete examples, but sometimes in Shivepeaks, you hear a song that in GW1 was in Kryta and vice versa. It makes no sense and takes off much of the feel of the game.
I never played GW1 hardcore, just to sit back, relax and enjoy the world – this has been a lot tougher in Guild Wars 2, mainly because of that the world doesn’t feel as dangerous, it’s pretty easy to get by in it (Snake dance, anyone?). But also because of that the music feels so off. And that it doesn’t really belong to the experience. It’s beautiful, but the composition of the world and the music together. Isn’t right.
Does anyone have a hint or anything that there will be more music launched to the game? I really think it would be in it’s place.
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