Improvements To Music Generation

[StallordD]

The new method of generating music based on what is happening is a great way to keep the music fresh and interesting, but also familiar and recognizable. Unfortunately, there are still a few things that make the generation a bit rough in some cases. Here are just a few suggestions to how the switching between music types could be improved.

 

Ambient:

 

Music should never completely stop: Sometimes in missions, if there are no enemies to ramp the music, then the sound drops out completely. It definitely affects the mood, and makes things a bit dull when traversing between battles. Even if it's just the simple base tone that most stealth tracks have, it would be better than nothing.

 

Music should have a base "score" that slowly ramps over time: I don't know for certain how the music is generated, and I wont pretend to. However, I think it has something to do with a sort of score that adds "points" based on factors to determine music intensity. Getting close to enemies increases the score, more enemies increases score, etc. etc. So with that in mind, I believe that while undetected, the base score should slowly increase over time. Normal cues would still increase and decrease intensity like normal, but as long as the track stays in stealth mode, the low point of intensity will increase, meaning that a super stealthy player will be rewarded with the highest intensity after remaining stealthy for long enough. Of course, once the track switches to battle, this score is reset again.

 

Combat:

 

Ramp down should be slower: What I mean by this, is that after all enemies are dead, the music drops off rather quickly. If the intensity level was kept at it's current state for a period of about 15-20 seconds and THEN decreases, it would allow players to move from battle to battle without the music fading too far.

 

Combat should remain "combat" until all enemies in range are dead: Sometimes, the music will switch from combat to stealth in the middle of a battle. Now again, I don't know the reason, but I think that while there are living enemies in range who are actively aggro-ed on you, the combat should not fall past its lowest point.

 

Both:

 

"Score" should slowly ramp up or down, not switch immediately:  So for example, you're stealthing fine, but an enemy detects you and you don't stop them in time to keep the music in stealth. Or you're in a battle with the music at it's highest point, but you move too far away from an enemy and the music instantly drops off. Rather than immediately cutting to audio in a pretty jarring burst, the Stealth should ramp down to its lowest point, go silent for a BRIEF period, then ramp quickly up from the lowest point of the combat track to where the game thinks it should be. In combat, just making the "score" tick down a bit slower instead of just checking and changing would help (ramping up would be like it is now, but down slower). When going from stealth to combat, this could be a rather fast ramp, but from combat to stealth it should be slower. Even better would be if some sort of tone or musical snippet could be used to bridge this cut, so as to make it seem more natural. It would be even better if the song then started from a set position once it switched, but it's not as necessary.

 

TYPES SHOULD NEVER OVERLAP: When the music switches from one to the other, the previous type can still be heard for several seconds in the background. This sounds very odd and can last for a pretty long period if the proper situations arise. If each track had to go the lowest point then ramp up to the current point of the other, that would be much better.

 

I love the generation methods a lot, and they work well for the most part. Only these transition issues really hold it back.

[Nevzuavyer]

I've always been in love with Warframe soundtrack, It fits perfect every aspect of game, and yes - music needs those changes, It would be even more awesome. (And btw. StallordD, thanks for your hard work you've put into your YT channel. At last I can listen to soundtrack outside the game). Cheers.
 

Edited December 24, 2014 by Nevzuavyer

[[DE]George]

Some good points, StallordD, and most of them we are working on improving.  Because a player's actions cannot be 100% predicted some of the things you are talking about (like transitions) are hard to nail down exactly right for every situation and play-style.  But improvements can always be made and we are always looking at ways to improve the system.  

 

I think we are probably 90% of the way there currently and each % increment we make to improve the music system takes considerable effort at this point.  For example, how can we predict when to turn off the combat music after killing the last enemy, when another enemy can materialize at any time?  And how long do we wait in between these combat points to turn the combat music back on without it sounding too "on/off/on/off"?  These are problems we are still working on.

 

Thanks once again for the input.  

[Azure_Kytia]

I understand you guys use lua to run most systems within the game. It should be possible to loop through every enemy that is currently present. Poll the aggro state of each enemy every time an enemy aggro'd to the player is killed. As soon as there are no enemies aggro'd to the player, start a 5-20 second timer. Poll each enemy every second or two to ensure no new enemies are aggro'd.

If an enemy spawns and targets the player, the timer is reset and the above procedure reapplies.

If no enemy spawns and the timer reaches 0, reduce the intensity of the music until stealth.

Or, instead of using it based on a timer switch, when no enemies are aggro'd, reduce the intensity of the music linearly over a period of 5-20 seconds, however remember the previous intensity at the point the enemy was killed. If another enemy targets the player, revert to that intensity, or perhaps a middle-ground between the current intensity and the previous intensity.

 

[StallordD]

Some good points, StallordD, and most of them we are working on improving.  Because a player's actions cannot be 100% predicted some of the things you are talking about (like transitions) are hard to nail down exactly right for every situation and play-style.  But improvements can always be made and we are always looking at ways to improve the system.  

 

I think we are probably 90% of the way there currently and each % increment we make to improve the music system takes considerable effort at this point.  For example, how can we predict when to turn off the combat music after killing the last enemy, when another enemy can materialize at any time?  And how long do we wait in between these combat points to turn the combat music back on without it sounding too "on/off/on/off"?  These are problems we are still working on.

 

Thanks once again for the input.  

Of course! Like I said, I don't know the inner workings of your systems, and I certainly don't make these suggestions thinking they are simple changes to be made. You guys have been making HUGE progress with not only music, but sound in general, and I eagerly await what you guys have in store for us.

[Lanadra]

The music has definitely become something I keep on nowadays, far nicer and fresh then hearing the Tenno drums pretty much everywhere and in every encounter.

 

As for how it triggers, I've personally noticed, and like this also, that the combat music doesn't really trigger unless you're shot at, or so it seems to me.

Edited December 29, 2014 by CenturyNitro

[Zirion_Bk]

One thing I would add to the list: After encountering a boss, the music will be locked into the heavy track until the boss is dead.

Is that something which would work?

[StallordD]

One thing I would add to the list: After encountering a boss, the music will be locked into the heavy track until the boss is dead.

Is that something which would work?

I think they could just up the "score" of the boss, provided that is actually how it works.

 

I have a few guesses on how the score is calculated:

 

- Conclave of player compared to enemies (with some enemies having higher conclave than others such as heavies)

- Relative stats compared to planet/node "normal" (ie a unit buffed with a shield drone will up the score)

- Amount of enemies (though I'm unsure about this one)

- Actions being performed by player (movement, attacking, damage? If I stop doing anything for too long the music will fade)

- Line of sight / range compared to enemies. (sometimes an enemy attacking me from far away will add more intensity than an enemy behind cover 5 feet away and cloaking will quickly drop the intensity since I lose their LoS. Though stealth seems to rely on proximity only for obvious reasons)

- And in some cases, the particular tile you are in. Archwing missions actually have "speaker asteroids" I think, where the asteroids act as origin points for music as you move through the level.

Edited December 31, 2014 by StallordD