Which songs need to be updated...

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Tyler Johnson
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Which songs need to be updated...

Post by Tyler Johnson »

I think it's obvious we have a pretty good collection of music for Wesnoth. But some of it is old, outdated or just sounds odd in the game compared to the new stuff that has been added.

What can we consider things to work on for potential composers that want to contribute music but have no starting point?

I know Loyalists has been brought up as needing replacement, but what exactly are you looking for? A completely new song? An update? A re-orchestration with higher quality samples?

I also think Frantic should be either replaced, added upon or removed. The times I hear it in-game, it sounds awkward. I believe it was meant to be a loop, but it doesn't transition back to itself properly (there is a slight delay in the time the track ends to the time it starts again perhaps due to the playlist or .ogg settings I'm not sure). It's also quite repetitive, and sometimes startling when you go from something like The King is Dead to Frantic it kills the mood of the game.

Those are my suggestions, maybe someone could add their 2 cents.
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West
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by West »

Loyalists and Frantic, yes. Those are on my list as well. The other ones are

Elf land
Northerners
Revelation
Sad

These are all tracks that are beginning to stick out like sore thumbs and will need to be replaced, I think. As for exactly what to replace the tracks with, I would personally prefer entirely new tunes that have roughly the same mood and pace as the originals. Makes no sense to replace a slow, peaceful track with a loud and energetic one, ya know. Of course, if the original composers are interested in going back to the tunes and creating updated versions of them, that would be great. But from what I've gathered from Aleksi's comments about his old tracks I don't think he'd be crazy about the idea (and I for one would rather hear some entirely new stuff from him), and IIRC Zhaytee didn't express any immediate desire to redo his tracks when I talked to him long ago. So I'd say if anyone feels like giving one of these tunes a shot, go right ahead. I've been thinking about giving Loyalists a try myself for the longest while, but I never seem to get around to it.
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TheBladeRoden
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by TheBladeRoden »

Elf Land isn't bad or anything. But it's too short, so levels using it will start sounding repetitive really quickly.

Battle Music could use some updating. It sounds a little amatuerish and lacking in depth next to the newer, more symphonic sounding songs. And some of the tunes in the song are of the kind that will annoyingly pop into your head throughout the day lol.
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Tyler Johnson
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by Tyler Johnson »

Battle Music could use some updating. It sounds a little amatuerish and lacking in depth next to the newer, more symphonic sounding songs. And some of the tunes in the song are of the kind that will annoyingly pop into your head throughout the day lol.
I have to completely disagree with you here 100%. Personally, I think battle.ogg is the best track in the game. I think the tune is catchy, not annoying. I've hummed that line over and over again at work, on the train, everywhere and it hasn't gotten old. I've analyzed that song under a microscope and perhaps you're underappreciating it.

I'm not 100% sure but I believe it was made with EWQL samples, which are high end and are the samples that I used to submit my last 2 tracks.

But this is just personal preference.

Elf-land is a bit short but it perfectly conveys the mood for elves. Soft, simple, elegant. Maybe an update would be nice. That's another one of Aleksi's tracks, correct?
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by West »

TheBladeRoden wrote:Elf Land isn't bad or anything. But it's too short, so levels using it will start sounding repetitive really quickly.
No it isn't bad, but it's showing its age. It feels kind of immature compared to a lot of the newer stuff.
TheBladeRoden wrote:Battle Music could use some updating. It sounds a little amatuerish and lacking in depth next to the newer, more symphonic sounding songs. And some of the tunes in the song are of the kind that will annoyingly pop into your head throughout the day lol.
I'm gonna have to side with Tyler here and say: I couldn't disagree more. Battle Music is one of my all-time favorites as well and I wouldn't dream of replacing it.

No offense or anything, but if you think Elf land sounds good and Battle Music sounds bad, I wonder if you're maybe a bit out of your depth trying to judge what needs to be updated and what doesn't.
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by Tyler Johnson »

By the way, it's good to see you back West. I know having a kid must be a busy task, especially the first 3 months. Glad you can share some time with us here. :D
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by West »

Tyler Johnson wrote:By the way, it's good to see you back West. I know having a kid must be a busy task, especially the first 3 months. Glad you can share some time with us here. :D
Thanks Tyler, it's good to be back. And yeah it's a busy task to say the least, but I'm slowly adapting to this new reality. I don't have as much free time as I used to, so I need to prioritize to get anything done. Which is actually a good thing. When you have all the time in the world, you really don't have to finish anything, ever.
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by CheeseLord »

Tyler Johnson wrote:By the way, it's good to see you back West. I know having a kid must be a busy task, especially the first 3 months. Glad you can share some time with us here. :D
Same here ..... it's great that you're back!!

Most of the ones you and Tyler listed I'd agree with. However, I'd personally want to keep Loyalists in..... I think it should at least it should be the last to go. Loyalists, I feel, is a very atmospheric and well made piece which I thought was after Battle, feels the most like a 'traditional' Wesnothy piece.
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by sur.nhm »

About sad: I, too, feel it's a bit short, but I think that it's a great piece, and it should be added upon. I can do it, if anybody's intrested....
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West
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by West »

sur.nhm wrote:About sad: I, too, feel it's a bit short, but I think that it's a great piece, and it should be added upon. I can do it, if anybody's intrested....
By all means, feel free. You're going to have to use some better samples than the ones you used in your Love Theme reorchestration though.
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by sur.nhm »

my Love Theme was written in Finale 2009 - which means I wrote a score (whoopteedoo). I can post a PDF if you want.
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by JustinOperable »

I am by no means a musician. I sling pixels and I just like to lurk to see what other artists are up to. I just wanted to say that I really like the replacement for Elfland West is making and the new Northerners theme is really great. I also wanted to say I hope Loyalists gets updated and not completely redone. You are the musicians, so I trust your tastes, and maybe it's just nostalgia but I really like Loyalists.
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Re: Which songs need to be updated...

Post by sur.nhm »

Well: I did an arrangment for sad, and I'll post it ASAP, again with both a PDF of the notes and a crap-quality sound file, probably MP3.
I hope it would count more than "splitting up the notes between a few instruments", as IoN said my other one was.
And about Loyalists: I really like it! Please don't change it!
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