"Aliens" Soundtrack (warning video intensive)

[SecretStamos (Joshuu)]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary):
Find a way to (subtly) incorporate the amazing soundtrack from the film.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole):
It would help put the overall feel of the server in-line with the source material. The Aliens trilogy has a very distinct soundtrack, and I believe it would be very beneficial if we found a way to incorporate it in one way or another.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc):
I believe we could use elements of the soundtrack to good effect in making the game more enjoyable. I think it's indisputable that the soundtrack of the Aliens trilogy is one of the major reasons why it is so popular and I think adding something like this would go a long way in making the game feel a lot more tense and eerie.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it):
Two ways that we could go about adding this:

(simple)
Replace default ambient tracks with toned down tracks from the movie. This would be the easiest method, but there's no guarantee that the music would match the mood at any given time. (IE ambient spooky music during combat)

(difficult)
Create a system that dynamically plays snippets of the OST under certain conditions. For instance, if there is a large force of aliens in the same area as a large group of humans, the game would play a more intense track (Futile Escape).
Under a different circumstance, if things are relatively calm the game could pick a more ambient track (Candles in the Wind or Hyper Sleep).

Coding a system like this would be a lot more demanding in terms of implementation, but I believe it would go a long way into making the game a lot more exciting.


Calm, ambient music (plays when there is little combat)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9FEAbzd8Fo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGhudvg7gxI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucSKVj86Yw




More intense music (played during combat?)
(SKIP TO 3:20 ON FUTILE ESCAPE)
https://youtu.be/zYKss7_QzYI?t=282
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2lG_69lgFc

[TopHatPenguin]

This Would be SOOO Much better then the current ambient sounds

[Sargeantmuffinman]

Seems like we would make it a bit interesting...just a bit more suspenseful as well.

[Biolock]

Sound is arguably one of the most important factors of any game or any movie, it would improve the immersion immensely. +1 all the way.

[Felkvir]

Heck. YES. ^^ This!

Man, these soundtracks bring me back ..


What happened to the sound revamp thread by the way? We seriously need that too.. We could add this as a part to several updates to improve dynamic/ambient sounds etc

[apophis775]

eh....
No.

EAch of these, would increase the size of the files that need to be downloaded...

[TopHatPenguin]

eh....
No.

Each of these, would increase the size of the files that need to be downloaded...

Could we at least have one of these for ambient sounds ?

[apophis775]

I think, what might be a better idea, is to get these files pushed to the staff who can play global sounds, and have them play them occasionally.

[Evilkyle24]

Use a midi...?

Another idea: If a marine player hasn't seen an alien for a set amount of time, say 60 seconds, the next moment an alien is spotted by him (in visual sight range, in light), play a scare chord. That would make the game MUCH more intense.

its less so when just walking down the corridor and there's an alien, but when you're walking down and suddenly THM! ALIEN! it startles you.

Another idea on top of that: Ambiance on board the Nostromo made more creepy. Play noises like the ship creaking or the vents rattling occasionally, or something skittering. For bonus points, though I'm not sure if this could give marines an advantage, make the ambiance STOP if an alien gets close enough.

Jumpscare/10 with that combo. You're hearing the creaking of the ship, something in the distance sounds like a piece of paper was blown by the breeze, and then suddenly it just STOPS. Nothing but dead silence. The unease builds until the jump-scare alien. It would make the characters more RP friendly too, because the easiest way to play a scared, paranoid character is by being scared and paranoid.

[apophis775]

That would be ballistically difficult to code...

[Evilkyle24]

That would be ballistically difficult to code...

I take it BYOND is a mess then...

Changing the ambient sounds seems like it should be easy though, right? The game already has them.

[speedybst]

Use a midi...?

You clearly have no idea what MIDI file truly is - a MIDI file is raw data output for an audio card, similar to the audio used during the 80's for arcades. It can only produce single-note tones at a fixed speed. To turn the audio files into midis would completely degrade them, making the intended effect null and void by making this sound like an arcade.

Sample, single layer midi file

► Show Spoiler

BPM: 648
E4/0.5,E/0.5,E,D4,B/0.5,D/0.5,D/0.5,D,C4,A/0.5
C/0.5,C/0.5,C,Bb,G/0.5,D/0.5,G4/0.5,D/0.5,E/0.25
E/0.5,E,D,Bn/0.5,D/0.5,D/0.5,D,C,A/0.5,C/0.5,C/0.5
C,Bb,G3/0.5,D/0.5,G4/0.5,D/0.5,E/0.25,E/0.5,E,D
Bn/0.5,D/0.5,D/0.5,D,C,A/0.5,C/0.5,C/0.5,C,Bb
G3/0.5,D/0.5,G4/0.5,D/0.5,E/0.25,E/0.5,E,D,Bn/0.5
D/0.5,D/0.5,D,C,A/0.5,C/0.5,C/0.5,C,Bb,G3/0.5
D/0.5,G4/0.5,D/0.5,E/0.25,Bn4/0.5,A4,B,A,B,D5/0.5
B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5
Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B
B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25
B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5
G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B
D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5
Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A
B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5
Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5
G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A
B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25
Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5
B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,D3-A3/0.5,A,D
D-A/0.5,E3-B3/0.04,A-D/0.5,A,D,D-A/0.5,E-B/0.04
A-D/0.5,A,D,D-A/0.5,G3-C3/0.04,A-D/0.5,A,D,D-A/0.5
E-B/0.04,A-D/0.5,A,D,D-A/0.5,B-E/0.25,E-B,E-B
E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B
E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,D-A/0.5,A,D
D-A/0.5,B-E/0.25,E-B,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5
B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5
B-E,E-B,D-A/0.5,A,D,D-A/0.5,C-G/0.25,C-G,C-G
C-G/0.5,G-C,C-G,C-G/0.5,G-C,C-G,C-G/0.5,G-C,C-G
C-G/0.5,G-C,C-G,C-G/0.5,G-C,C-G,D-A/0.5,A,D
D-A/0.5,B-E/0.25,E-B,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5
B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5
B-E,E-B,B-E/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,A-D-D4/0.05
D-A-D3/0.25,D4-A-D3/0.25,D4-A-D3/0.25
E-B-E4-E2/0.03,D4-D3-A/0.05,D4-A-D3/0.25
D4-A-D3/0.25,D4-A-D3/0.25,E4-E3-B/0.25,B-E/1.06
E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E
E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B,E-B/0.5,B-E,E-B/0.94,D-A/0.5,A
D,D-A/0.5,B-E/0.25,B4/0.5,A4,B,A,B,D5/0.5,B/0.5,A
B,A,B,B/0.5,G4/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5
Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5
G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A
B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25
Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5
B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5
Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B
B/0.5,G/0.5,G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25
B/0.5,A,B,A,B,D/0.5,B/0.5,A,B,A,B,B/0.5,G/0.5
G/0.25,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.5,Gb/0.5,Gn/0.25,B/0.5,A,B,A,B

All a MIDI file is is this converted into an audio track.

[Evilkyle24]

Can we use .ABC files? Those let you play tones at differing speeds. Starbound uses it to great effect.

Example (Layering multiple files, Starbound uses a separate .ABC for different instruments during certain songs meant to be played by a band)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJJskrbGx4E

Example (Single):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o37lXc2urH8

[speedybst]

No, sadly SS13 can only use WAV, MIDI and OGG formats - WAVs can compress the size slightly, for a significant quality loss, OGG is about the smallest you can get without loss, and its still massive, about 75% of the MP3 equivalent.

[apophis775]

Yea. No new big soundtracks, not until byond stocks sucking at handling sounds.