Music | Monicafmp

Pre-Production

Music Creation

For a few weeks I have been slowly creating random cords on my bass guitar and electric guitar for my game. The "songs" are very short and are instruments only but the bass guitar songs sound like they would wit with the game because of they way it sounds and I fell they could be good as menu music or music cues.

Music Cues is something I noticed when I was playing The Simpsons: Hit and run. Depending on certain areas of the game the player enters, leaves, or if the player idles a sound cue will play which is a small snip of music will play for a few seconds which I feel is nice as each sound cue is different for each character and for each area they may enter, idle within, interact with something etc.

For my own game I feel that I should have a few sound cues that fire when the player access a store or a new area when they transitioning levels. this would give each area a "theme" and also enforce which are they are entering depending on the sound cue.

These songs are short by design but should sound different so that the player can tell them apart when each one is fired in the game. Using just a bass guitar makes it easier for me to come up with the sounds i need as i find it easier to play a bass than a electric guitar (i hate the smaller strings compared to the bass guitar ones.)

Sound Asset List

I created a sound list so I can orginise which sounds/ music my game will need and where in the game they will be played. I created the list based on the areas of my game such as the main menu and menu screens, the game's cutscenes, and the game's levels themselves. I had to think about what sounds my game needed for the levels and screens and if they would fit in those areas of the game respectfully.

For the menus screens i decided to have the intro screen music play until it ends (song lasts about 3:30 minutes) and then not play anything after. the plkayer can change theis song by playing another song from the music screen which plays that song in the background instead until that song ends too.

The other sounds I want to use for the menu screens are when the player hovers the mosue over a button and clicks on it. I wanted to have these sounds too as a form of button feed back, to let the player know they have selected a button so most games i have researched have a sound when a mouse is hoverlapping a button they can click. The buttons already have an animation that loops if the player has a button selected but i feel having an audio cue for each time athe mouse touches a button adds a bit more depth to the menu buttons.

I need to make sure that the sound cues for the buttons are quieter than the background music or it will ruin the song each time the player selects a button.

I can easily do this by changing the DBs of the sounds when i import them into construct 3.

Location Maps

Based on loctaions when i designed this sound list i thought about adding alot of my own music as background songs on repeat. Later i relaised that my songs are not very creative and are the same number on strings being played over and over and i think this will annoy the player by hearng the same tune over and over. Instead I feel abdding real music by artists can be better than using my songs i made on my bass guitar.

My new idea was to have a selection of songs and have them in a type of playlist that cycles though each song until the end and replays the playalist again. With the sngs being different in sound, lyrics and vocals this should be more interesting to listen to but the songs have to sound like the could fit my game's theme = 90's. indie. punk.

Ive already have a playlist of sonbg i listened to while making this game and those same songs are what i want in my game. I need to make sure they tasteful and can statisfy other peoples taste in music. I notice games such a s forza and gta have different readio stations that have a certian muisc genre only avaible to listen to that radio station. some stations have pop, rock, classic, rave, dubstep, ect.

For my game I will have indie rock, pop-rock, and punk rock as my 3 types and they all fit within my games theme i said before.

I will see if the playtesters like music i have selected and see if they could recomend some other songs i could add, that or make sure i have a working muste button for the muisc in my game.

Cutscenes

I only planned for two cutscenes because i wanted a small introduction into the game and a ending cutscene to tie up the story but have alot of the story explained through tlaking to in-game NPCs who give you story missions to complete.

I wanted to play music as the only sounds the player hears and the rest be visual animations until the game starts. Having just the imagry do all the story telling would be easier to follow as long as its done right. I would have to think about vocing characters and who would play them which would take up time and would make me find people to play the voices and if they can act out the lines well enough to record.

i think overall its just a better idea to just to have an animated into with imagry and text that quickly sets up the game story than creating a longer animation with voice acting on a project that i only have a few months to work on.

Level Rooms

I wanted to each room/ level to have uniqe song which only plays in that area giving it a theme. Music will be played quietly in the background as the player explores that area until they leave.

I have a few songs that I have mentioned before i have listened to when designing the game and i feel the songs above blend in will wih each room. The Love and Rocket bar has a very grungy rock song as the location is a rough, run down bar location.

The cafe is more of a brighter, well maintained building and the music is less heavy and more up-beat but it still has that 90's rock fell to it. The same is the same as the apartment as well with the song being positive and the apartment looks like that in contrast.

I want to create my own msuic for some of the rooms as i found it hard to find an exsisting song to have the impact of those rooms. Rooms like the arcade i feel would benifit from a electric keyboard soundtrack and the gym could have a bass song i can put together or i could find another song which makes the player want to "work out" or "fight".

Im still unsure if i wanted the music done how i planned above, I noticed some games have sound cues for entering new rooms or buildings such as simpsons hit and run. This would be great for my short bass guitar songs i have created as they are short.

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For my own game I feel that I should have a few sound cues that fire when the player access a store or a new area when they transitioning levels. this would give each area a "theme" and also enforce which are they are entering depending on the sound cue.

Sound Asset List

I need to make sure that the sound cues for the buttons are quieter than the background music or it will ruin the song each time the player selects a button.

I can easily do this by changing the DBs of the sounds when i import them into construct 3.

Location Maps

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For my game I will have indie rock, pop-rock, and punk rock as my 3 types and they all fit within my games theme i said before.

​

I will see if the playtesters like music i have selected and see if they could recomend some other songs i could add, that or make sure i have a working muste button for the muisc in my game.

Cutscenes

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I only planned for two cutscenes because i wanted a small introduction into the game and a ending cutscene to tie up the story but have alot of the story explained through tlaking to in-game NPCs who give you story missions to complete.

​

​

i think overall its just a better idea to just to have an animated into with imagry and text that quickly sets up the game story than creating a longer animation with voice acting on a project that i only have a few months to work on.

Level Rooms

​

I wanted to each room/ level to have uniqe song which only plays in that area giving it a theme. Music will be played quietly in the background as the player explores that area until they leave.

​

I have a few songs that I have mentioned before i have listened to when designing the game and i feel the songs above blend in will wih each room. The Love and Rocket bar has a very grungy rock song as the location is a rough, run down bar location.

​

The cafe is more of a brighter, well maintained building and the music is less heavy and more up-beat but it still has that 90's rock fell to it. The same is the same as the apartment as well with the song being positive and the apartment looks like that in contrast.

​

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Im still unsure if i wanted the music done how i planned above, I noticed some games have sound cues for entering new rooms or buildings such as simpsons hit and run. This would be great for my short bass guitar songs i have created as they are short.

I was also thinking of a radio system for my game that plays a list of songs and repeats that play list over and over or until stopped by the player.