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Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
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I have played some MMORPGs but I have to say that those games have good songs but they are not my favorites what I have heard in video games. My favorite game music comes from Heroes of Might and Magic game series and they are composed by Paul Romero. Especially when I play Heroes of Might and Magic 3 or 4 and hear those games' songs I feel that I'm on an epic adventure.
Here are some of my favorites from those games:
Definitivamente
With the importance of community, player interaction, players being able to create their own social hubs and there being social hubs in the game such as taverns and the like. Not only should each race and culture have their own music theme, I think it would be novel to have roving bands of Bards that criss cross the areas and entertain within these establishments and players could also hire them to appear in their taverns as well, much like how WoW had L70ETC appear and play a song in different locations and times.
These could also be means of conveying additional lore, news of other areas, such as when a node somewhere becomes a metropolis. A song could be sung about that.
This is where you could also have the community submit their works to be included in these play lists via contests or other means. Adding more interaction between the game and players.
This is basically what we did with https://ktamradio.com in Defiance. We were often credited with expanding on the weaker story lines or filling in the blanks of entire story lines in the game or distilling information in a way that was more consumable for listeners who maybe didn't find all the hidden recorders or missed something in a side quest or off hand NPC comment.
Obviously the NPC Bard bands wouldn't show up or be available until at least the town stage and players could tip them and even possibly get a shout out. With A.I. advancing as quickly as it is, by the time AoC is released you could have a A.I. back end that can create original songs on the fly naming Players, clans and events making for a far more immersive feeling game.
Love a good story and lore.
Twitch Streamer
Music carries emotion and can enhance any experience and elevate desired emotions if chosen correctly - see any Jaws movies etc. I feel like an ambient game soundtrack should be easy on the ears yet have a distinct melody so years later it can be recognized by players and envoke all the memories from the game. Also different situations, like combat, should have different music, but the most important one is the idle/ambient node music as we will be listening to it during artisanship and social interactions.Finally, I'm sure you guys will cook some great music but I expect to turn off ingame music after couple hundred hours, when I will have heard everything a billion times, and substitute it with my own music and podcasts.
!! totally agree on that !!
the role of music is best shown in the movie "Once Upon a Time in the West" - soundtrack from Ennio Morricone
- every character has its own piece of music (you can imagine with character enters the scene only by hearing the melody)
AoC Chars: Hammil (Cleric) | Anthara (Ranger)
Server: Lotharia (EU)
Sea Content NEEDS sea shanties! This alone could make some of the most memorable moments in any game. Quality sea shanties that make a player want to sing along will push this game over the edge.
War chants are great alone or to punctuate music in game, they get into the listeners head if they are powerful or menacing enough. This can be to motivate the listener, or to strike a sort of unease
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6EsU_wQlCrJMKGuc2cqfWm2PxuRbYNpH?si=retuhANIvTq_6akD
Grandeur and Epicness where applicable. Massive battles or cinematic scenes, give music that has real weight to the sound equal to the experience. Weighty drums and booming orchestras, horns.
I vividly remember the first time I walked into Stormwind in WoW, and being blown away by this music as I approached the bridge. It definitely encouraged me to march on and explore the city.
Lyrics are important and not very utilized in games in general. Tavern songs and epics telling stories of the lore can be a big boost to a games experience
Also these guys provide a great example of taking lore and music made for fantasy novels or games and bringing them to life.
Just a classic to show how to punctuate maintaining a feel of war. The music isn't even scifi but it provides a perfect ambience for war, struggle, and pushing on.
Ambient music. The Witcher did it the best for fantasy imo
Skyrim did well too
Edit: Almost forgot this legendary track
Combat
For fear inducing music, look no further than the dead space OST and just their sound design in general
Hope this helps. Enjoy the tunes devs!
1.) context / ambience / vibe
2.) thematic / world building
As a hobbyist composer myself - I will ALWAYS prefer thematic music. Motivic works in film/games absolutely have a place, however; They aren't for every project. Thematic material tends to work better when there is a clear story/characters involved - not so much for sandbox.
While Diablo II has a few prevalent themes, the build is more texture / mood building.
And due to the amount of grinding involved, being careful about how abrasive the music is when you know a player is going to be spending a lot of time doing the same thing. it's like working retail and the same song that's energy level made sense when you were in the mood for it doesn't quite work 7 hours into the shift.
Minecraft was quite sparse and plenty of space left - something you can handle for hours of mindlessly digging away.
Skyrim' also isn't my favorite game, or favorite soundtrack - but this more blurry ambience heavy approach is probably something much better suited for a game like AoC.
Most of the music I think would be good for this game is largely forgettable.... and that's a good thing. it's there to be in the background and support the task or environment - not to grab you and make you emotionally invested in something specific.
as for soundtracks I actually listen to the most? Mostly the opposite - very defined themes that build with characters.
Wildstar; Jeff Kurteknacker absolutely got let down by the publishers here. Good game, poorly managed - but his music had no business being that good. It's criminal how much amazing music is entombed forever with a game that will never exist again.
Diablo II Lord of Destruction ; Czech radio symphony, this is like listening to a more modern Dvorak/Bruckner/Tchaikovskey/Wagner/Holst pastiche on a cold, dark, gritty world besieged.
World of Warcraft : Shadowlands ; not my favorite expansion, but the soundtrack was absolutely killer, and they did an excellent job of really creating completely different sonic signatures for each faction involved.
Vintage Story; an odd one, but since it's somewhat retro(not quite chiptunes though) it's focus is on arrangement with limited parts -very much along the lines of classic console games(due to similiar limitations?) to a lesser degree minecraft.
PvE focused: WoW / FFXIV / Lineage II
Sandbox: Ultima Online / Darkfall / Mortal Online
Big Influence: SNES Fighting games / Starcraft / Diablo II / Smite
The GOAT
Lots of great answers in this thread but this one will always be the GOAT for me đ
We're still in the *very* early stages of music development, but we have some awesome work being done by some remarkable composers
My favourite mmorpg in that regard is ff14 , almost the entire soundtrack is great with only some exceptions. the application of leitmotif and a unique mix of genres is what elevates that game by so so much, it has everything it has the bombastic, the epic, the feels the ambient theyre songs that stand on their own and make me want to listen to it. The composer needs to have liberty to express themselves and bring their passion out.
biomes,areas,places and events should all be seen as characters as of themselves, and music is how they talk so a rich mix of styles and instruments is important
Very exciting! Will be the icing on the cake. Ashes already looks stunning, but now it'll sound stunning too!
1.) To Arms:
2.) EQ Grandeur:
3.) Soundtrack Variants (i.e. WoW tavern music variations for both alliance and horde and Booty Bay/Dalaran special factional locations (Geolocation Significance):
4.) Low-Poly Oldschool Runescape Homage To Be Placed At Communal Fishing Hole in Nodes:
-Other Mood-Altering Non-MMORPG OST's worth recognition-
1.) The quintessential upper (out of pure respect):
2.) The quintessential downer. The player needs a skybox and soundtrack that constantly fluxes mood vibage:
3.) Myst (1993) bootup- even from .exe you feel a sense of danger, mystery, and excitement. The player should feel compelled to quest and thereby fight for what they believe in:
Conclusion:
I suggest implementing an original game soundtrack or at least some steady themes ASAP, in alpha if possible. For example, the original Harry Potter theme was written by John Williams in at least 6 different styles. These variations adapted the melody to fit the desired mood and context of different scenes. The celesta (a keyboard instrument that produces a bell-like sound) is prominently featured in many versions, as it captures the magical and ethereal quality of the theme.
As such with "Hediwg's Theme" by John Williams and its corresponding variants, AoC's musical theme(s)/OST's can adapt and evolve (be improved in quality and even remastered) as the game and community evolves with it.
This would be interesting as a Sea of Thieves musical aggregation mechanic would be extremely immersive in an MMORPG.
WIND ROSE:
Unleash the Archers:
Gloryhammer:
And well, then there's also entire genre of folk/nordic metal, made with only flutes and such, if shredding guitars a little too much...
https://youtu.be/mpyInx0ldfo?si=RXC8ONfc630N2ObF&t=12
https://youtube.com/watch?v=85JLNFc4eT4
Music-wise I'd say classic and modern cinematic RPG music generally works to set the mood and tone, keep the player interested and engaged, and not get annoying really fast since you'll be hearing this stuff for hundreds of hours.
And have multiple tunes for each area, not just one. That really helps to break up the monotony.
I'm kinda asking for a lot here, huh? Well you asked what I wanna hear...
Great scored narration
https://youtu.be/uOlCCK34exo?list=PL3BSDFYxFS-AKL2twfOTg3Hqvn2b6HMnk, https://youtu.be/OUV0AOiIwi8?list=PL3BSDFYxFS-AKL2twfOTg3Hqvn2b6HMnk, https://youtu.be/0mb_mtzT1uM?list=PL3BSDFYxFS-AKL2twfOTg3Hqvn2b6HMnk, https://youtu.be/R1mOewt7UFg?list=PL3BSDFYxFS-AKL2twfOTg3Hqvn2b6HMnk
For this reason it should not play continuously, should not be monotonous. In open world while I explore should not feel like tavern music. It should "tell" the story of the area and should not change to combat music when I am in combat.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/468550/Kenshi_Original_Soundtrack/
("is this ambient approach and "non-player interactivity" of the music
that reinforces Kenshi's indifferent tone." <-- by "indifferent" they mean not linked to the player state. The world doesn't care about the player and his story but about the region/world lore)
The current scores for AOC are OK, I would not say they let the game down, but they are not memorable, lacking the instant recognition of the Stormwind and Elwynn classics..
The current AOC themes are all orchestral, piano or violin, with an absence of vocals or variety in instrumentation, particularly period instruments such as lute, woodwind, hurdy-gurdy and drums that would better reflect the medieval feel of AOC.
While I am not religious, the people of that period were, and so elements of Gregorian, Eastern Orthodox or Muslim choir music would fit well, and sound great, even given a contemporary spin; Bulgarian folk song Bre Petrunko recently featured in modern rap music, though I'm a Kaval Sviri man myself. Listen to Psalm 50 sung by Trio Mandili...then try and forget it.
I live in the UK, and the current AOC themes just feel contemporary western, they don't align with an experience based in mysterious realms in far off lands in a distant age. For example, I can't help thinking that some Mongolian throat singing be great for a plains biome, a desert biome should sound akin to a Zikr chant.
The great thing about being involved in AOC at this stage is seeing elements of the game that are good now, knowing that they are only going to get better. Keep up the great work.
i never really know to say when it comes to make comments in here but i have to say that one of the raison i fell in love with aoc was the music in some of the first video i saw a few years back like this one
i hope this kind of music will find it s way into the game somewhere as would love to sit at the top of some montain, sit there for 5mn and just take in the views
so far the game looks and feel absolutly great
lots of kuddos for the team
I've been playing MMOs since about 2006, and for me, this genre is all about the blend of immersive exploration and (usually) faster-paced, social interactions. The music must complement everything you do in-game without being too intrusive or feeling "out of place." This is no easy task to implement, as great music alone wonât suffice if itâs used "incorrectly."
To their credit, NC usually gets it rightâas others have mentioned, Lineage 2 and AION had incredible soundtracks (though Iâm not sure about their more recent games). I can't say I loved every piece individually, but when I heard them in specific locations or certain circumstances, they felt so right and natural.
Things to Consider:
Just my opinionated 2 cents. Merry Christmas & happy New Year to everyone out there! đ§âđ And thanks Intrepid for everything you're doing for us MMO fans!
When entering Elwynn Forest in WoW.
Every song in Skyrim.
Skyrim used appropriate instruments and style for the setting, and I especially loved the use of voices.
When I hear voices woven through the music as an instrument it automatically envokes thoughts of times past.