Newsletter Discussion: Music in MMOs?

In many ways, music can be the most memorable part of a game - how many of you can hum tunes from Super Mario Bros. at the drop of a hat? With an MMO, though, music often takes a back seat, and many gamers just listen to their own tunes. This week, we'd like to know:

What music do you listen to while you play an MMO? Which MMOs do you think have a memorable in-game soundtrack?

Share your thoughts with us and post in the comment thread!

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I try to enjoy any game/MMO's soundtrack as much as possible and soak up what the developer's worked hard on delivering. In most cases, this fades aways after days and months of repetition and ends up being muted and/or substituted with an external media player.

In very rare cases, some soundtracks just refuse to fade away, and demand to be heard every single time. One of those rare moments was the Auto Assault (RIP) soundtrack, which was composed by Richard Dekkard]. Even after the game's shutdown, I still fire up my media player and listen to this masterpiece!

You can download the full album for free here.

I enjoy the ambience tracks of Eve, to most people's surprise. It's relaxing :)

World of Warcraft, of course. There are so many memoriable tunes from each of the classic zones that people would instantly recognize if you would whistle or hum them. Each one has a special feeling that brings me a melancholical memorabilia with them. Even the music for Thunderbluff breaks my heart a little when i hear it - it just has a sad touch to it for me.

But regarding the Burning Crusade, i wasnt as impressed with that soundtrack. I hope WotLK has better.

I almost never listen to in game music. Overwrought and cheesy usually, and when it's not that it's too subtle and repetitive.

I'm with Vatovato; WoW's music is amazing. Blizzard does an awesome job in the sound department.

Its good question.

I think, its everything about game. If game is good - music is game. Like World of Warcraft,Lotro or others "big games". Atm i dont listen music, why ? Its easy when i play im always with guild on Ventrilo so i need to hear cleary.

I generally have the game's music going. It never really gets old for me. There are some cases, where there's not enough music playing, so I end up playing my own.

I usually have something of my own on. I haven't found any in-game music I actually prefer, and I can generally find something that fits the situation anyway, so...

It's hard to get really good music for an MMO, I think this is simply because it has to be looped, and can't be too distracting. In FPSs things can be more linear and there can be triggers to get the timing of the music just right. On top of that they can make a rough estimate as to the length it will be needed to be played for.

On topic of MMO music, Gamasutra had an interesting article about a cheaper, cost-wise, adaptive and generative music system for MMOs:

nstead of generating completed music, Larson proposes using "supplied composer sounds to generate music, completely unique. Think of it as wind chimes. Recognizable, familiar, non-repeating."

While he admits that the system is unsuitable for generating a "highly-structured intensely-composed warfare game opening" he believes it to be an extremely effective solution for ambient background music. "Like the wind chimes, it creates a mood, and supports the emotional experience you want the player to have. This is the best way to go about music in a massively multiplayer game. This is my message."

Eh, i just mute it and play Guns and Roses in the background.

Except now every time i play guns and roses i crave WoW.

So, in retrospect, don't do it.

When playing LotRO I tend to listen to the LoTR sound track.

Most MMO soundtracks I've encountered either tend to be so subtle and ambient as to be easily overlooked, or good, but after a few (hundred) repeats, a tad stale. If I don't turn it off and replace it with my own background music immediately, it usually happens a little while after.

Sometimes, when nobody is watching, I spice up my LotRO Champion experience with some Manowar.