In my opinion, depending on how it is used, music doesn't always improve a flash..and I feel many people force music into their flashes even if its not needed.
From what I can see, the reason for this is there are always people who leave stupid reviews saying " well I would have given this a 10 but since no music now it gets a 3"
Basically, I have a game but I just can't find any music that fits it so I'm thinking of leaving it soundless aside from some sound effects for the buttons in the menu and instrucions.
Is this a good idea or will I get voted down enough that I would be better off waiting until I find some music that fits into the game better?
Music In Games
My first few submissions don't have music. In fact, because I sometimes watched stuff at a uni library and had no headphones, I reviewed a few submissions without even hearing them. :-/
I now realise that whilst you can get by from a functional viewpoint without sound, it's just ignoring another channel of engaging viewers/players. The old point - to watch a film without sound and see how much of its impact is lost - may not seem relevant to games, but the basic point - that music can engage us emotionally or set a mood - is still true.
Well chosen music can benefit any game - a fast-paced tempo can reinforce a rapidly dwindling time limit or a slow legato piece can signal to us that it's OK to slow down and think things through. Unless it's entirely abstract, every game has a balance of poignance, joy, rage and myriad other emotions in its themes and execution. Even entirely abstract work has a tempo (and often emotions evoked from the execution). Mirroring that in the music just strengthens the entire experience.
The sound also functions as a source of feedback - telling us when a notable event has occured, whether it be a successfully landed punch, correct guess or whatever - and this should be employed even if you're not striving for any particular mood.
Having sfx for menu buttons seems almost superfluous. Not that there's anything wrong with a subtle little 'celebration' after clicking, but I'd definitely suggest focusing on sfx for in-game feedback as a higher priority.
I think agonistic players (often seeking fiero) will care more about sound as a mode of feedback than for setting the mood - something that appeals to what Chris Bateman calls 'mimicry-based play'. On Newgrounds, I think there may be more agonistic players - maybe reducing the necessity of mood-setting music.
Regardless, even if it's "not needed", I think it almost always helps.
Making other games
I just wondered - how many people have experimented in formally designing non-electronic games, whether it's a board game, card game or whatever?
On that note, are there any big boardgame, RPG, CCG or traditional-playing-card-game players? I vaguely remember Kayn exposing himself as an RPG player.
At 7/28/08 04:42 PM, patu1 wrote:
just hit me
That except Toast and paranoia and mods i was here before all of you guys.
Makes me sad =[ i miss all the old regs...
Bullshit.
Anyways, don't be an arse. Yearning for the old days is cool, but hyping yourself up just seems unnecessary and condescending.
+1 posts
It saddens me to see this thread filled with mainly either spam or complaints of spam. I mean, there's a bunch of talented, intelligent people here. Why can't this be filled with meaningful discussion - talking about what makes
More and more, I feel like the time spent skimming this thread is just wasted. Was I wrong all along - is this just a place to herd off the spam and not a forum for intelligent discussion at all? :-(
Before posting a topic, please ask yourself the following question: "Am I making a post which is either funny, informative, or interesting on some level?" If you can answer "yes" to this, then please post. If you cannot, then refrain.
Before replying, please ask yourself: "Does my reply offer any significant advice or help contribute to the conversation in any fashion?"
