CRIMES Function - Orientation
One aspect that strikes me about the soundtrack for Fallout: New Vegas, is that the music, sound design and overall ambience in the game all blend seamlessly in between one another to create a unique and fully immersive environment for the player. By working in unison so effectively, the resultant audio helps to express the desolate and post-apocalyptic qualities that the Mojave Wasteland sets out to exhibit whilst reacting to the landscape as accurately as it can.
One aspect that strikes me about the soundtrack for Fallout: New Vegas, is that the music, sound design and overall ambience in the game all blend seamlessly in between one another to create a unique and fully immersive environment for the player. By working in unison so effectively, the resultant audio helps to express the desolate and post-apocalyptic qualities that the Mojave Wasteland sets out to exhibit whilst reacting to the landscape as accurately as it can.
Through further research into the implementation of the audio in the game, it became apparent that the audio team had thought hard about the music before the game was produced. They had devised a music system, which consisted of 5 'types' of music, as a way to aid the interactive outcome of the game. These five types of music are categorised as 'scripted', 'incidental', 'location', 'battle' and 'hostile'. One of the types in which I found of great interest is the 'location music', which operates in relation to where the player is situated on the map and thier distance from an art object within the game. There are usually three layers of music radiating outwards from an art object and these layers help to blend the music into the virtual atmosphere. See below.
This process within a game relates to the idea of 'Orientation', where music is used as a navigational device to direct you towards points of interest (in this case a town).
An example of this system can be heard in 'Goodsprings', the first town you encounter. Arranged music can be heard in its full entity when situated inside the heart of the town, this can be referred to as Layer 1. As you move the character away from the town and into the Wasteland, you hear the music becoming more sparse in its consistency and less audible via seamless transitions through Layers 2 and 3. However, If the player is deep inside the Mojave Wasteland and isolated from civilisation, 'incidental music' can be heard instead, which is basically short segments of the music played randomly. The incidental music integrates with the ambience of the wasteland, blurring the boundaries between the music and sound design, whilst creating an unpredictable and ambiguous atmosphere to suit the game itself. This approach to adaptive/interactive music aids the natural flow of the game and toys with the player's subconscious, subtly informing them of locations and other things nearby. Using music sparsely also keeps the soundtrack fresh and prevents it from becoming too repetitive.
An example of this system can be heard in 'Goodsprings', the first town you encounter. Arranged music can be heard in its full entity when situated inside the heart of the town, this can be referred to as Layer 1. As you move the character away from the town and into the Wasteland, you hear the music becoming more sparse in its consistency and less audible via seamless transitions through Layers 2 and 3. However, If the player is deep inside the Mojave Wasteland and isolated from civilisation, 'incidental music' can be heard instead, which is basically short segments of the music played randomly. The incidental music integrates with the ambience of the wasteland, blurring the boundaries between the music and sound design, whilst creating an unpredictable and ambiguous atmosphere to suit the game itself. This approach to adaptive/interactive music aids the natural flow of the game and toys with the player's subconscious, subtly informing them of locations and other things nearby. Using music sparsely also keeps the soundtrack fresh and prevents it from becoming too repetitive.
The following youtube clip demonstrates the layers idea in detail:
A detailed article by Scott Lawlor (Audio Director for Bethesda) which looks closely into the implementation of the musical systems within the game can be found here.
