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Blog Post: Sound-track II: The Wrath of Knee-SoKAHNFollow

#1 Mar 08 2013 at 8:35 AM Rating: Excellent
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/blog/post/242

Quote:
Hey! Hey!

Masayoshi Soken here. Known by innocent passersby as that guy whose eyes are constantly fixed on their be-knickered calves, but known by the world as Solemn Seeker of Knee Socks, Knee-Soken! You may remember me from such roles as “FINAL FANTASY XIV Sound Director,” and “that disembodied arm in the 5th Producer Letter Live.”

Where is Fernehalwes? The last time I saw him, he was staring glassy-eyed into a text-filled monitor mumbling incoherently about a new lore forum and PC naming conventions. Which is why I was so easily able to jack the Developers’ Blog once again! Mwahahahaha!

But why jack the blog unless…I have something to leak to you all? Exactly! I’ve whipped up a mix of several tracks from Gridania and the Black Shroud to go with the last batch of music from Limsa Lominsa. Take a listen!



Now I know what you’re thinking, and before you flood my Twitter account with tweets like...

“Wait a minute! This music sounds suspiciously familiar… Yeah! These are the tracks used in the walkthrough video released more than a month ago! There’s nothing new here! I want my money back!”

...I want you to listen again closely. Tucked between some of the more familiar tracks is a version of the Gridania theme…that will only play during the evening hours!

Now take a look above your head. You see that light bulb there? It’s there because you just realized the magnitude of that statement—if there are separate variations on themes for both day and night…it could mean there are different variations based on other factors as well…for example, even the weather!

That’s GREAT, you say? Of COURSE it’s great…for YOU! But who do you think has to CREATE all those different variations? There are only so many hours in a day! Now, I suppose I could cut back on sleep by getting my assistant to nap for me…and if I got an IV, I could forego all meal plans…and then I reckon I could get a catheter to help cut back on all those pesky trips to the— GAH! What am I doing here on the Developers’ Blog!? I should be composing!

#2 Mar 08 2013 at 8:40 AM Rating: Excellent
That's really cool that the music changes based upon the game environment, I can't wait to experience it myself.
#3 Mar 08 2013 at 8:57 AM Rating: Good
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2,153 posts
Oh god. I can almost smell the hundreds of posts crying out that this is an outrage, because it totally
goes against FF lore, and it was not in 1.0, and because global cooldowns have to go. Because, like,
the music is totally related to NMs and the FATE system. And jumping. Don't forget jumping. Because
even BGM jumps will totally turn this game into WoW. Somehow.

After a while, that stuff really, really gets onto your nerves.

Edited, Mar 8th 2013 10:01am by Rinsui
#4 Mar 08 2013 at 9:11 AM Rating: Excellent
Rinsui wrote:
Oh god. I can almost smell the hundreds of posts crying out that this is an outrage, because it totally
goes against FF lore, and it was not in 1.0, and because global cooldowns have to go. Because, like,
the music is totally related to NMs and the FATE system. And jumping. Don't forget jumping. Because
even BGM jumps will totally turn this game into WoW. Somehow.

After a while, that stuff really, really gets onto your nerves.

Edited, Mar 8th 2013 10:01am by Rinsui


It's like you get me Smiley: inlove
#5 Mar 08 2013 at 9:29 AM Rating: Good
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9,997 posts
Who would complain about this? You mean complaining that they're doing this feature instead of other things? I think most people somehow understand a bit better that the composer is in charge of music and therefor doesn't have better things to be doing than composing music. That said, I could argue that I'd rather have more music than ambient arrangements of existing tracks. But really, who cares.
#6 Mar 08 2013 at 9:31 AM Rating: Excellent
Kachi wrote:
Who would complain about this? You mean complaining that they're doing this feature instead of other things? I think most people somehow understand a bit better that the composer is in charge of music and therefor doesn't have better things to be doing than composing music. That said, I could argue that I'd rather have more music than ambient arrangements of existing tracks. But really, who cares.


You have no idea...
#7 Mar 08 2013 at 9:34 AM Rating: Decent
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This is really cool. This game is going to have such a draw to it, I can already tell that I am going to lose months of my life to it, if not more.

.. I am okay with this.
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#8 Mar 08 2013 at 9:42 AM Rating: Good
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You have no idea...

Well, that pretty much told us Kachi is not visiting the beta forums, isn't it? Smiley: lol
#9 Mar 08 2013 at 9:52 AM Rating: Good
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9,997 posts
He surely is not.

Point being though, most people who complain about these things don't understand or forget that there are different teams with different skills. It's not what "SE" is doing with FFXIV but what "the music team" is doing with the music. You point that out, and they usually shut up.
#10 Mar 08 2013 at 9:53 AM Rating: Excellent
Rinsui wrote:
Quote:
You have no idea...

Well, that pretty much told us Kachi is not visiting the beta forums, isn't it? Smiley: lol


What beta forums? Smiley: smile
#11 Mar 08 2013 at 10:26 AM Rating: Decent
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2,153 posts
Quote:
Point being though, most people who complain about these things don't understand or forget that there are different teams with different skills. It's not what "SE" is doing with FFXIV but what "the music team" is doing with the music. You point that out, and they usually shut up.


That's just what sensible people would do.
Beta forums are far from the natural habitat of sensible people.
I could swear someone just complained about being able to level all classes on one character. Because it totally breaks his immersion.
Call it a hunch. Or a disturbance in the force.

Edited, Mar 8th 2013 11:30am by Rinsui
#12 Mar 08 2013 at 10:42 AM Rating: Decent
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9,997 posts
Eh, people all have their irrational likes and dislikes. I can't get past the graphics of WoW, even though millions of players seem to deal with it just fine. Disliking a design decision for personal reasons and ******** about how a game's development is being managed are altogether different things, though I'll concede that even worse are the people who ***** about something that they personally dislike as if their sole opinion were especially meaningful or important.
#13 Mar 08 2013 at 10:44 AM Rating: Decent
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1,842 posts
Hmm, which to you prefer?

or
#14 Mar 08 2013 at 10:49 AM Rating: Excellent
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534 posts
Damn...this pisses me off.

Composers should be working on fine tuning the new targeting system. WTH SE!!!
#15 Mar 08 2013 at 10:54 AM Rating: Good
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I am so glad to see this direction for the music in FFXIV ARR! Its subtle differences like this that will breath some life into the daily nuances of the game day/night cycle. The music revealed so far has seemed a perfect fit for the art style of the game. Definitely can't wait to hear these musical gems peppered throughout my journeys in ARR!
#16 Mar 08 2013 at 11:26 AM Rating: Decent
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254 posts
Wint wrote:
Rinsui wrote:
Quote:
You have no idea...

Well, that pretty much told us Kachi is not visiting the beta forums, isn't it? Smiley: lol


What beta forums? Smiley: smile


Wint here, I was being facetious. No beta talk allowed, even that there are forums Smiley: smile

Edited, Mar 8th 2013 11:41am by Wint
#17 Mar 08 2013 at 3:05 PM Rating: Excellent
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So happy that they are doing this. I am actually curious to listen for transitions now in the music. Launch can't come soon enough!
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#18 Mar 08 2013 at 3:41 PM Rating: Excellent
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Nothing compliments ambiance more than changing conditions. Adding different music to different weather scenarios and day/night conditions is one way to do that. Great idea IMO.
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#19 Mar 08 2013 at 6:35 PM Rating: Good
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I'm reminded of a cult classic called Okage, one of the first RPG releases for the PS2 I think. The game had great music, and if you were in a town, the timbre of the music would change completely when you entered a building. It would have a sort of muted quality that reflected the difference between being near the source of music vs. going in another room and closing the door. It was a cool effect that I really appreciated.
#20 Mar 08 2013 at 6:44 PM Rating: Excellent
Kachi wrote:
I'm reminded of a cult classic called Okage, one of the first RPG releases for the PS2 I think. The game had great music, and if you were in a town, the timbre of the music would change completely when you entered a building. It would have a sort of muted quality that reflected the difference between being near the source of music vs. going in another room and closing the door. It was a cool effect that I really appreciated.


I know that one, wasn't that the same makers as the people behind Ico?
#21 Mar 08 2013 at 7:00 PM Rating: Good
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Same publisher I think, but I don't know. Never played Ico. Okage had a lot of charm in its world and story, particularly for those who liked Nightmare Before Christmas, but its gameplay was very lackluster.
#22 Mar 09 2013 at 12:34 AM Rating: Good
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676 posts
Rinsui wrote:
Oh god. I can almost smell the hundreds of posts crying out that this is an outrage, because it totally
goes against FF lore, and it was not in 1.0, and because global cooldowns have to go. Because, like,
the music is totally related to NMs and the FATE system. And jumping. Don't forget jumping. Because
even BGM jumps will totally turn this game into WoW. Somehow.

After a while, that stuff really, really gets onto your nerves.

Edited, Mar 8th 2013 10:01am by Rinsui


ZOMG, like REALLY? NO COWBELL? ;)

On a serious note, I think the music sounds great. Listening to it actually makes me imagine a forest type setting. I can't wait to visit all the other areas to see how well the new music scores will match the setting.
#23 Mar 09 2013 at 3:08 AM Rating: Excellent
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Yeah this is great music. It's very FFXI like, but better.

Even though I loved FFXI's music, ARR's music is a bit more arranged and seems a bit more 'solid.'

Weather music change/day/night is a small but meaningful detail and can't wait to listen to all of the tracks.
#24 Mar 09 2013 at 4:03 AM Rating: Excellent
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I like it when the music doesn't skip a beat, but mid-song, changes instrumentation to match the situation. Not enough games implement this, but there's just something about that style that makes the environment feel that much more interactive than what you experience having a static soundtrack in the background.
#25 Mar 10 2013 at 10:48 AM Rating: Excellent
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swisa wrote:
ZOMG, like REALLY? NO COWBELL? ;)


I kno rite? The fact that the Final Fantasy soundtracks have majorly lacked any substantial cowbell has always broken my immersion. I feel like if they included more cowbell on emotional tracks they could really move this game away from being "just another WoW clone". Nothing screams "OMG THEY KILLED AERIS" like more cowbell.

Xoie wrote:
I like it when the music doesn't skip a beat, but mid-song, changes instrumentation to match the situation. Not enough games implement this, but there's just something about that style that makes the environment feel that much more interactive than what you experience having a static soundtrack in the background.


This comment immediately brought the original .hack series of games to mind. The music on the field maps would change to a more fast paced version of the ambient soundtrack when enemies were nearby. The seamless transition back and forth between the two tracks really brought the already amazing soundtrack together. Yet another reason why that series was amazing in spite of a somewhat repetitive and lackluster battle system (mostly led by the awesome and unique storyline). Sometimes I wonder why "The World" was never made into an MMO... Must be because EA didn't want to throw money at it <.<.


Some people fail to realize what music can do for the immersion of a game. There was a reason I used to leave FFXI on while I took a nap but muted WoW's music a couple weeks after I started playing and it wasn't Ventrilo. While there seems to be a large group of people that strongly dislikes Nobuo Uematsu's tracks, he is largely the reason why I got into music and eventually started playing guitar. Even if a lot of his tracks won't be in ARR, it seems like SE has put a very capable composer on the job.

Hopefully they can produce something with as much emotion and depth as the Gustaberg theme. That track has so many levels of sound that it took years for me to fully appreciate the whole thing... And it still fills my soul with adventurous longing, nearly bringing a tear to my eye.

Edited for a catastrophic misunderstanding of nested quotes.

Edited, Mar 10th 2013 12:49pm by DamienSScott

Edited, Mar 10th 2013 12:51pm by DamienSScott
#26 Mar 10 2013 at 9:28 PM Rating: Good
It's probably also because in the anime of .hack, people got sucked into "The World" and went into a coma....
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