Game Audio

2007.12.29 - Saturday

I've been playing "Super Mario Galaxy" over the last couple of days and noticed that some of the music sounds really good. Some of it is pretty basic Mario MIDI fare, but there are a few tracks that sound like they might be actual orchestral recordings. It's hard to say. If it's MIDI, it's damn good.

Chris sent me a file a couple of weeks ago of a track from the score to "Final Fantasy XII" or whatever number they're up to now. It was a good composition but definitely MIDI or otherwise computer generated. I was a little surprised because I had been reading on gaming blogs and review sites for years about how Nintendo needed to "stop using MIDI" in their games, especially the Zelda series, and switch to fully orchestrated scores, presumably because that's what high budget games on the Playstation were doing. That's how it came across, at least. So I was amused to hear that the ridiculously high budget, latest and greatest Final Fantasy title was still using MIDI tracks like everyone else. It really makes me wonder if people are able to physically hear what they're listening to, or if their ridiculously rabid fanboy zealotry is simply responsible for distorting the sound after the fact.

In any case, of course I would be in favour of every game always using a recorded orchestra as the basis for their music, or any real instrument, for that matter. It seems silly not to, especially considering that in Japan for example, the publishers often release CD soundtracks of arranged and recorded music after a game has been released. Why not just do that in the first place? Perhaps it's still that much easier for developers to work with procedural, or at least adjustable, MIDI-based sound and music than to be locked in with pre-recorded files? In any case, game music has come a long way since the days of the bleeps and bloops, but it's not quite film-level yet. Still, it won't be long, and it will be another reason for publishers to groan about the increasing cost of games production, and we'll soon be paying $100 for the latest titles. It all makes sense, really. If the games industry wants to go head-to-head with the film business, as it seems intent on doing, then a game is going to have to cost almost as much to produce in order to match the visual and auditory quality levels. There's no shader for "make my character look awesome" or a button for "give me a rousing, bombastic battle scene soundtrack", no matter how many people seem to think that "the computer" can just do the work for them.

Another Christmas Over

2007.12.26 - Wednesday

Over at Atmosphere we had the final episode of "Stargate: Atlantis" for the fourth season due on the 17th. As usual it was busy until the last day, and for a couple of days afterwards addressing a few small notes. I can't remember having a show deliver to close to Christmas before, or at least, not ahead of Christmas. We've had a few final dates in the first few weeks of January, which is worse because then you're stressed and working over the holidays, but at least that way you've got time to get ready for Christmas. I was really pressed to get everything done this year, but I managed to mostly make it in time.

Now comes the relaxation. I've got a good couple of weeks before I'm back at work, so I'm trying to take care of those nagging chores which always seem to go undone. Mostly tedious stuff like computer backups or file organization. I'm trying to get rid of some junk on Craigslist, which has been working reasonably well so far. I don't know, I'm just going to see what comes up.

I've still got three pictures to get framed and a bookcase to buy before I consider my apartment "finished", and I'm hoping that can get taken care of as well. It's definitely nice to have work out of sight, and out of mind, for once for the new year. I'll have to get back to reading a bit more online as well, if I plan on having anything to write about. I'm not feeling any pressure to do so, however, so I'm not sure how likely that is.

I hope everyone else had a good Christmas!

Bailout!

2007.12.06 - Thursday

Homeowner bailout is a lousy idea

I found this to be a pretty interesting read, and something that, to me, seems like common sense. I may not be an economist, but even in a hugely complex system like the American or global economy, one plus one still equals two. There can be no good ending for the US with this prolonged debt habit they've developed over the past few decades. It just seems to get worse and worse as time goes on, and the government's bailouts aren't helping their supposed "free market" economy to correct itself as it otherwise naturally would.

Who knows what this whole thing spells for the economy in general, or housing prices, or anything really. I plan to keep following my gut. Stay out of debt, save some money, and only buy real estate when I know it's worth it and within my means.

Socialized Art? No Thanks!

2007.12.05 - Wednesday

In Search of Lost Time

A very interesting article on France and French culture, and for me, a convincing argument against the tendency of socialist countries to make the government responsible for not just health care, or jobs, or retirement, but for culture as well. As France teeters on the edge of reform or ruin, the knee-jerk reaction of the French will surely be to put more money, more grants, more subsidies into saving the "superior" French culture. Never will they make the connection between a country like America's free market, open source economy, society, and culture, and the fact that it is American arts and culture which has spread its fingers all over the globe.

Hey, at least France is always good for a laugh!

A Glimpse Into Europe's Future?

2007.12.02 - Sunday

France stunned by rioters' savagery

France, and England to a lesser degree, are going to be the places to watch to see the future of Europe. Immigration, social security, national sovereignty and many more issues are all coming to a head in France, seemingly before anywhere else. It's going to be interesting to see which reforms, if any, Sarkozy can implement during his term. People in France and elsewhere have become extremely used to their easy life in the welfare state, and with the economic reality of those choices catching up with them, it's going to be interesting to see how far they'll go, and how much they'll sacrifice, to maintain the status quo. Having propped the system up with immigrants for so long, that brilliant solution has now become an even more dangerous problem.

Will the French stand up for themselves and fix what needs to be fixed, even if it means they don't get to retire at 50, or do they give in and hand their country over to school and library burning, cop killing mobs? Somewhere, someday, something is going to give, but I have no idea which way it's going to go. Will the rest of Europe, or even North America, take notice? We'll see.