Music

ChaosKnight626

First off, I am NOT dissing the music we currently have for Subnautica. I love the soundtrack, and I know the devs are probably planning more tracks as well. My only issue with it is that the music sometimes doesn't fit the mood. If I'm exploring the Aurora with the rumbles of the ship and roars of the Leviathan, I don't think dubstep-zen music fits the atmosphere. I know this is a minor thing that will get changed before version 1.0, just getting it out there. What kind of music would you guys like to hear? For me I'd like the zen-dubstep in the safe shallows, something mystical for the Koosh Zone, and a dark frightening theme for the blood kelp zone. What do you guys think?

lxh

Fitting the mood is a delicate theme. While Subnautica provides many different approaches for many types of players, the music stays the same. Triggered by exactly the same situation, player moods can differ completely. One has trouble while another relaxes. So even if the soundtrack fits a scene, the music might impose the 'wrong' emotion and appears as annoying and distracting.

Pulling down the volume slider and starting alternative music in the back is the first step of avoidance but doesn't solve the issue. The circumstance of non fitting scenes stays the same. Personally I did my own sound designs inspired by Subnautica's ambiance and arrange them during the game by triggering via ableton push. But that's definitely not to be called a solution. I think this 'problem' will lead to Subnautica's very first justified mods.

JaggSauce

there shouldn't be ANY dubstep in this game... i will delete it if that happens.

ChaosKnight626

It's already a bit of a dubstep feel to the current theme of Subnautica

rhys_elcins

I always find my mood to be more dependent on what I'm doing:
When I'm exploring in my wetsuit, with no noted predators, stopping here and there to pick stuff up, that fits quite nicely with the current sound-track

When I'm well aware there's a predator coming right at me, I want drum-'n'-bass kinda stuff.

When I'm building the first parts of my base, I want different music from when I'm taking it to bits and reconstructing it to fit stuff better.....

lxh

Hmmm, what if Subnautica could remote popular audio player, triggering predefined playlist numbers for all kinds of situations?

Insane

You should already be hearing unique music for quite a few of those zones. For example here's the Blood Kelp music, which I think fits your description rather well.

If you haven't heard it when you visit that particular biome, it could have been a bug. Our sound engine, FMOD, is pretty complex and can be quite sensitive to changes made to other parts in the game. The other possibility is that Simon is a great sound designer, particularly when it comes to blending music and ambient sound, so it's possible you didn't realise you were listening to it!

ChaosKnight626

Funny thing is that I haven't actually gone over to the Blood Kelp zone yet. When I heard Markiplier's latest Subnautica episode though I thought I heard new music in the Jellyshroom caves

lxh

Insane wrote: »

For example here's the Blood Kelp music, which I think fits your description rather well.

Thanks a lot for your explanation, Insane! And indeed, this soundscape is a real good example how different we perceive certain situations. To me, the Blood Kelp Zone exudes a magically transfiguring ambiance but Simon's interpretation appears opposed so that I get the impression that I should feel frightened there. See the issue?

Do you use FMOD for interactive arrangement or do you simply crossfade finished tracks? That's important for further soundscape mods.