Can I assume we're getting some form of a music API in this update? Because that would be awesome if we were.
I would redo the bass if given the chance - it's pretty "cheap" sounding atm.
You could fly near a station with the ambiance music, get pinged,
IIRC the customs inspection process will be much faster and simpler in the next version. Can't find the source right now, though.When I suggested that (granted a while ago) Alex clearly stated it wasn't his intention. Now I don't know if he changed his mind about it, and in any case it's a point in case: that mean the switch between musics will be even shorter and less pertinent.
In stations you should often spend enough time for the music to unfold.Why? The only time I spend time in a station is to refit a new ship. The immense majority of the time I'm only there to sell food (10 seconds) or loot (12 seconds because I also have to click on repair fleet) Even if the missions add a new screen to check, it won't be that longer.
What would be a better alternative, already play the music when flying near a faction market/dominated area? The transitions would be hard to get right.Not necessarily, since (if?) all the variants of the music have the same loop length they could just be synchronized. But I don't know the details, it's just a suggestion that could help a lot in avoiding hearing the same two musics intro repeatedly in a short span of time.
All in all once you start to play a bit faster the music would be all over the place, and this is one of the most common succession of screens you'll get in the game.
IIRC the customs inspection process will be much faster and simpler in the next version. Can't find the source right now, though.
In stations you should often spend enough time for the music to unfold.
something I've noticed though, the last two blog posts haven't been on the "news" headline of the forum, like the rest were. Any chance we could put them up there?
it's this thing, shows up under your profile picture
(http://i.imgur.com/Iog8PrL.png)
Hmm. One thing there is that there are more things to do at a market now - browsing the mission postings and the comm directory, with more things to come later - so there's a good chance you'll be spending more time there.While I agree that after a while I'm not that receptive to the immersion brought by the music, the issue is that the frequent music switches are actively detracting from it. Generally to the point I have to shut the game's music, and use a playlist in the back-ground to avoid constant cuts. In the case of Starsector, part of the problem is that except for the space ambiance the music start from the beginning each time. Maybe an unlikely example of a solution is GTA radios. They are almost different in every car, but each time you grab one, the radio do not start over, it's already mid-broadcast thus avoid only hearing the same few seconds. In addition you can hear it from outside when you are close. If Starsector did the same, the musics would probably sound much less repetitive.
Another point is that, if you're playing that quickly - which, yeah, happens as you get more proficient at the game and play more - I'd say you're likely not in a state of mind that's very receptive to immersion in the first place, but are more focused on mechanics.
Finally, I think if the music gets even a couple of seconds to play, it still "works" for immersion/faction flavor. The various faction tracks all come in strong and have a very distinct feel, even if not all the elements get a chance to play in that time. At least, this is my impression from playtesting.
While I agree that after a while I'm not that receptive to the immersion brought by the music, the issue is that the frequent music switches are actively detracting from it. Generally to the point I have to shut the game's music, and use a playlist in the back-ground to avoid constant cuts. In the case of Starsector, part of the problem is that except for the space ambiance the music start from the beginning each time. Maybe an unlikely example of a solution is GTA radios. They are almost different in every car, but each time you grab one, the radio do not start over, it's already mid-broadcast thus avoid only hearing the same few seconds. In addition you can hear it from outside when you are close. If Starsector did the same, the musics would probably sound much less repetitive.
If there's anyone here who has an ultra-low threshold for getting annoyed by repetetive music, it has to be me. :) For everyone who feels like they are part of this club of sharp-eared neurotics I have this to say: I know you've been listening to the one campaign track a lot, but things will also get a lot better. Trust me.Just to be sure in case it was directed to my concerns: I'm not complaining about the repetition of the music overall, the tracks are pretty good and you need good chunk of game hours to only start to feel bored by the music. I'm complaining that on the contrary you can't listen to them because they get constantly interrupted by screens that plays another music for just a few seconds, then start over from the beginning. It has nothing to do with the quality and barely with the length of the music.
PS: i would like to hear clean metal hitting sound in some faction music ( like pirates )I don't think it's widely known but there already are all three neutral/friendly/hostile versions of the pirate theme in the music.bin archive (that VLC read alright) and... it's not exactly like that. Still pretty good though. But maybe it has been reworked since.
something like hitting empty beer keg (Slipknot -Duality, or Terinator 2 theme ) i dunno :P
I just quickly wanted to chime in about repetition:
If there's anyone here who has an ultra-low threshold for getting annoyed by repetetive music, it has to be me. :) For everyone who feels like they are part of this club of sharp-eared neurotics I have this to say: I know you've been listening to the one campaign track a lot, but things will also get a lot better. Trust me.
Overall, when Starsector is finished I think it will stand out as a game where the developer (Alex, not me) has truly decided to invest and make sure that the audio side of what is still a small-budget independent endeavour is absolutely top of its class. I'm not talking about whether the music is good or bad - that's for you to decide - but about where the bar of standards for audio is set and how far things are driven. I know so many successful independent and even big-budget games where audio is literally an afterthought, and what we have here is the opposite.
If by the end of it you'll be annoyed by repetetive music, I believe you may be one of those people (like me) who go absolutely mad with audio rage with most games out there, and that can't be totally avoided because we are unable to license a hundred hours of music like GTA5. But you'll be hard-pressed to find another indie game that has gone to the lengths we have when it comes to audio.
I hope I don't sound defensive or eager to silence critics, my main point was just to tell you that - and I know you've heard this before - good things come to those who wait. :)
Meanwhile, keep the feedback coming - good and bad!
I don't think it's widely known but there already are all three neutral/friendly/hostile versions of the pirate theme in the music.bin archive (that VLC read alright) and... it's not exactly like that. Still pretty good though. But maybe it has been reworked since.
- in battle, use them to mark mayor changes in enemy situation (battle begin, general retreat, support fleet arrived(if multifleet battles get implemented)).
- in battle, use them to mark mayor changes in enemy situation (battle begin, general retreat, support fleet arrived(if multifleet battles get implemented)).
Wait, WHAT?! Is this a thing? Or at least is it intended to be a thing?
The only major issue I see with this is that this freezes the factions in place; from here on, they're going to get boxed in, in terms of themes, or work will be lost. I am pretty excited that it's finally time to go there, but wow, that's a heavy responsibility; I'd have thought Alex / David would want to have their parts of the structure firmly in place first.
Has the other faction music in addition to the hostile, inhospitable, neutral, friendly, and cooperative been completed yet?
When he played that music.... all I could think of is StarControl 2Oh wow. I just listened to them both side by side, and they really do sound pretty similar.
here is a sample of the music on youtube
youtube.com/watch?v=3VNul2QETPE&index=25&list=PL070C2821EF87B676 (http://youtube.com/watch?v=3VNul2QETPE&index=25&list=PL070C2821EF87B676)
I know this is kind of rezzing an old blog (and now, a REALLY old blog post, and an overshadowed one considering the latest one), but I just re-watched the video...and oddly enough, it's changed (at least, from what I remember). Did Stian append some gameplay of the in-dev patch to the beginning of it while we were all distracted?