47 réponses à ce sujet

[Grieving Natashina]

This is why I put it as a request for a music toggle.  This way it leaves the player with a choice.  I wouldn't want someone to be forced to listen to the music if they didn't want to.  

[Monster20862]

This is why I put it as a request for a music toggle. This way it leaves the player with a choice. I wouldn't want someone to be forced to listen to the music if they didn't want to.

The music is the best part of any game.

[Rawgrim]

Outside of cutscenes and dragon fights, I have never heard any music in the game. Seems there is a bug.

[Grieving Natashina]

Outside of cutscenes and dragon fights, I have never heard any music in the game. Seems there is a bug.

I avoid putting rumors into my OP, but I do believe that there is an article floating around that there is a reason for the lack of music.  It is intended, and the excuse given was, "It helps the player become more immersed in the environment."  I haven't found the link for that yet, which is why I call it a rumor.  If anyone does, I'll happily put it into the OP.

[Rawgrim]

I avoid putting rumors into my OP, but I do believe that there is an article floating around that there is a reason for the lack of music.  It is intended, and the excuse given was, "It helps the player become more immersed in the environment."  I haven't found the link for that yet, which is why I call it a rumor.  If anyone does, I'll happily put it into the OP.

 

Kind of weird, though. they move away from the silent protagonist - which most people found to be more immersive, and they remove music for immersion reasons, even though everyone loved the soundtrack in previous games.

[Gileadan]

The last patch affected my music in an odd way. The "Empress of Fire" tune used to play in Val Royeaux (which apparently was considered a bug), and now Val Royeaux doesn't have any music at all. However, "Empress of Fire" will now randomly play in wilderness areas. Dunno... I thought it was more appropriate for the Orlesian capital.

[Rawgrim]

The last patch affected my music in an odd way. The "Empress of Fire" tune used to play in Val Royeaux (which apparently was considered a bug), and now Val Royeaux doesn't have any music at all. However, "Empress of Fire" will now randomly play in wilderness areas. Dunno... I thought it was more appropriate for the Orlesian capital.

 

I have never had any during any of the 6(?) patches now? I hear people mention a track now and again, but it is turning into some urban myth.

[Gileadan]

I have never had any during any of the 6(?) patches now? I hear people mention a track now and again, but it is turning into some urban myth.

Maybe my game installation thinks it's banter... because I seem to get either one or the other.

[Rawgrim]

I have had the banter since day one. No issues at all with that bit. I think it just feels like the banter is missing, because there isn't enough of it. I think I saw somewhere that there is around 5 hours of banter, all in all. If you use the same three companions for most of the game, its like 1 hour or something at the most? Given the 200 hours of trotting around picking shards and fetching rings etc in the game, 1 hour will be over rather quickly.

[Gileadan]

I had banter from day one until patch 5 or so. Then I got the bug that killed my banter whenever I walked out of the war room. The fast travel workaround did it most of the time, but Crestwood and Western Approach remained totally silent. Any zone remained silent if I didn't do the fast travel from the war room thing. I'm no game dev, but I do programming for a living, and this game feels like it has quite... rickety coding.

[Rawgrim]

I know absolutely nothing about programming, so I have no idea. Come to think of it, I think I mostly fast traveled via the war table, so that might be why I never had any banter issues.

[Monster20862]

Kind of weird, though. they move away from the silent protagonist - which most people found to be more immersive, and they remove music for immersion reasons, even though everyone loved the soundtrack in previous games.

I find it hard to immerse myself in a game with a poor voice over for the protagonist, which is why I mostly prefer silent ones. As for dragon age inquisition, I find the British female voice over as a welcome sound, and all others as annoying and bland, almost lifeless. And as for the music, playing the same thing over and over and over would get very annoying, but having music in general does make immersion easier and preferable. I believe skyrim did it best. There were several combat songs, as well as several exploration songs and more.

[Monster20862]

I have had the banter since day one. No issues at all with that bit. I think it just feels like the banter is missing, because there isn't enough of it. I think I saw somewhere that there is around 5 hours of banter, all in all. If you use the same three companions for most of the game, its like 1 hour or something at the most? Given the 200 hours of trotting around picking shards and fetching rings etc in the game, 1 hour will be over rather quickly.

There is almost 6 hours of banter between all party members and the protagonist. Most people have probably only heard a fraction of that.

[Rawgrim]

I immerse myself better when its a silent protagonist. The character gets his own voice in my head.

[Rawgrim]

There is almost 6 hours of banter between all party members and the protagonist. Most people have probably only heard a fraction of that.

 

Yeah its spread out over all the various combinations.

[Kantr]

I've noticed more background music in Hakkon. So hopefully that meant they listened to feedback about the lack of it

[Bathead]

As long as there is some kind of volume control, I'm happy.

[blademage1234]

Myself, I like it this way. I find music in games like this can be too intrusive and distracting, and I often will turn the volume way down if not off altogether.

YMMV.

I can respect that, but I think having the choice of BGmusic or not is superior to the game as it stands now. 
I get bored quite easily when there's no music to get me going, I'm very musically inclined, and when you expect awesome BGmusic in a game and find hardly any it can be rather depressing.

[Grieving Natashina]

I can respect that, but I think having the choice of BGmusic or not is superior to the game as it stands now. 
I get bored quite easily when there's no music to get me going, I'm very musically inclined, and when you expect awesome BGmusic in a game and find hardly any it can be rather depressing.

Besides, the game already has a volume slider for music, so those that prefer a quieter setting can already mute the music.  I can safely say that several other posters would want a chance to hear this music.

 

Shoot, I can close my eyes and hear the soundtrack for Orzammar in my head.  The battle music as well, as well as bigger tracks like In Uthenera and the Battle of Denerium.  I can hear Hawke's family theme whenever I picture his/her home, and the music from both day and night time versions of the Hanged Man.  The stark drums and light chanting in the Qunari theme.  That's just keeping it within the DA series; the Mass Effect series has just as many tracks. 

 

I am still a fan of this game, always will be.  I respect the hell out of others that don't, since all of us had different experiences.  It does make me very sad that there is so few tracks I can picture.  The Storm Coast is one of my favorite zones in the game, but I close my eyes and picture...the rain and crashing seas?  Why should that be the case?  In most other modern RPG I've played, if I wanted to shut off the music and listen to the environment, I can choose to do so.  And I have too, but usually not for long treks across big zones.  

 

It makes me sad that, from a company known for such great game music, I might as well just fire up my MP3s and play the soundtrack over that.   That's a shame, and for what?  Forcing immersion on the players that never asked for it, and would have only liked the choice?

[Elista]

I like it the way it is. There is music, but not all the time, and when you are just exploring it is just a soft touch in the background. You can here natural sounds, it is pleasant. If there was music all the time in each area, I would quickly get tired of it (after all we spend hours exploring each area !).

[Grieving Natashina]

Which is why I requested the toggle.  Shut off the toggle and you get the current rate of music.  Click the toggle on to hear looping music.  I firmly believe in giving players as much choice as reasonable to customize their experiences.  Forcing players to hear music all the time isn't any better than the lack of music we have now.  I'm not saying this is the right way to play, nor the only way.  I would just love the option.  

[Vader20]

The lack of music was one of the major problems I had with the game after I started playing... The silence was so dull and even now some scenes are just meh... because they are silent.

[BansheeOwnage]

I completely agree with you, Natashina. I have always thought soundtracks were paramount in games and other media. I think you know just how and why it's important, so I won't go into detail there, but I will say that setting the tone of events is key. Music is an extremely effective and subtle way to do this. Sad music makes you sad. Lonely or soft ambient music is great for exploring. Epic, heroic music for victories and fights. Ominous themes for the villains. I love The Elder One theme!

 

I would actually argue that while the lack of ambient music while exploring is fundamentally more realistic, it is not more immersive. In my experience, subtle ambient music is in fact, more immersive, because I don't notice it at a conscious level. But when I play Inquisition, and it's completely silent, I think: "Hey, it's too quiet, why is there no music?" And then I remember I'm playing a game and my immersion is broken. This is further compounded by the system they do use, which plays music for 20-30 seconds at few-minute intervals. So, every time music starts to play, I think: "Hey, music, cool. Oh, wait, there wasn't music before." And I realize I'm playing a game. That happens again as soon as it fades out less than a minute later.

 

This concept applies similarly to combat as well. Even a just drumbeat playing during combat only happens during more important combat while exploring. Combat music, like ambient music, enhances the experience for me. I loved the music that played during the attack on Haven. It really pumped me up, and made me feel heroic. Unfortunately, even thought DA:O/2 had combat music every fight, Inquisition is seriously lacking. Part of the reason dragon fights felt cool was because you have awesome music backing you up. And, you know, dragons The rest of the time, I'm not pumped up and the fights are much more boring.

 

I want to point out that Inquisition has a strong soundtrack, and it plays effectively during main story missions. But they did not write more than a couple tracks for exploring zones, which takes up a lot of the game. My brother was watching me play the other day, and he heard the main theme in the main menu, and commented on how awesome it was. Then when I was exploring, he commented on the fact that there is almost no music, even during combat. These are my thoughts exactly, and even someone who hasn't played noticed it immediately and was baffled by it.

 

A deeper problem arises when the lack of soundtrack combines with huge areas and the lack of party banter. The result is a much more lifeless experience than intended. It's a shame.

 

Bioware has managed to thoroughly confuse me here. There is no way a such a prominent developer (or anyone, really) would underestimate the power that music provides. It seems as though they did no research. Like you mentioned, people listen to soundtracks all the time, and make looping versions of songs. An even stranger thing is they were apparently taking ideas from Skyrim, and one of the things people praised it for was its beautiful ambient exploration music. Add all of the above to the option in every game to turn music off, and I have no idea why it turned out the way it did. Some people prefer exploring without music. That's fine. That option is in the game, and would be even with looping ambiance. Unfortunately, the opposite is not true.