Gaming World Forums
Archives => GW Blog => Community Content => Blog: Games => Topic started by: The Magi on April 08, 2008, 04:56:36 am
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Welcome to resource watch, a short and sweet showcase series of a slightly different focus: Resources for games (imagine that!) This first installment of covers a specific medium that desperately needs to be addressed: Music. There is a wealth of sound files hidden on the web or in plain sight for anybody to use for their own purposes, and unfortunately these resources are hardly being utilized to their maximum potential. A strong musical score is always appreciated in any game, but for those who may not be able to compose music or have friends in the know, utilizing public domain music puts you one notch above average Joe and Jane who are still finding different ways to use the Final Fantasy 8 soundtrack. Without further ado I present two excellent sources of original music for use in nearly any kind of project. The websites are both written and formatted in Japanese so you may need additional foreign language font packs installed on your computer to view them correctly. Fortunately, they are also rather easy to navigate.
Profile #01: MIDINGER (http://kana002.hp.infoseek.co.jp/)
Having just recently redesigned their web page and publishing a third midi pack, Kanakana's MIDINGER is an ideal first look at some of the more niche resource websites that are scattered across the internet. To begin with, this page contains a comprehensive selection of original music that fits perfectly within any high fantasy role playing game, however there are several tracks containing more modern sounding tunes as well. The great thing about the music here is it is specifically designed for use in games. Each midi contains a special controller that seamlessly loops each composition so there is never a pause in playback. Some tracks even go as far as to contain an introduction jingle that is only played once while the main chorus is looped over again. If there is one fault that MIDINGER suffers from, it is the tendency for so many of the tracks to be tragically short. Many promising tunes with great potential only tend to last a minute or less, which may explain the sheer quantity that has accumulated over the years. Nevetheless this shouldn't discredit MIDINGER completely, as the compositions are of an absolutely stellar quality as I had noted earlier. This makes many of these songs ideal for use in RPG Maker, but really anybody can take advantage of these features. Periodically all compositions are compressed into .lzh archives for download, these are what you will want to be looking for. The files are not categorized into folders, but instead a single readme file explains the intended use of each. Below are a group of highlight tracks that will give a greater idea of the genre diversity included in the archived files.
Style: Nearly every genre you can imagine, a distinct affinity for RPG fare music is apparent
Additional content: Bulletin board
Highlight tracks:
Battle themes: k_31.mid, k_56.mid, k_94.mid, k_98.mid, k_100.mid
Dungeons: k_20.mid, k_74.mid
Fields: k_53.mid, k_64.mid, k_112.mid
Useful for: RPGs, action, platformer, puzzle games
Profile #02: Cyber Rainforce (http://www.geocities.jp/cyber_rainforce/index.html)
This one comes highly recommended and is worth taking more than just a brief look at. With a library arguably as impressive as MIDINGER, Cyber Rainforce specializes in numerous futuristic tunes laden with heavy sounds of metal and infectious lead pad tracks that really hog the spotlight. Catering to a rather unconventional crowd perhaps, there are also many evident dance tunes including breakbeat tracks for that inevitable attempt at spearheading a rhythm/dance game. Cyber Rainforce also has the decency to give us many tracks that are arranges or remixes of others, something that adds consistency and continuity in games. It's very satisfying to hear a mellow dungeon theme that has a second version that has exploded into a frenzy of orchestral hits and brass instruments, something that shows the composer has taken an extended interest into the already outstanding themes that he has created. Don't be driven away if your game isn't considered futuristic however, there is an entire section dedicated to orchestral tracks and more minimalist sounds that can be placed in anything from an odd rhythm game to action and traditional RPGs. As an added bonus, there are many mp3 versions of the most popular tracks here. Check for the Muzie link on the artist's website instead of downloading mp3s directly from the page, as this is a Geocities website. There's nothing worse than having the bandwidth run out in the middle of your search!
Style: Metal, electronica, breakbeats, symphonic techno, orchestral arrangements
Additional Content: ogg/mp3 versions of popular arranges, sound effects library, composer's blog (in Japanese)
Highlight tracks: Against the Future, Open the Attack (Orchestral remix), Forest in Daybreak, Air Temple (both mixes), and Workout in the Plains.
Useful for: RPGs, rhythm games, shoot em ups
Remember: Use these resources wisely and to their fullest potential to grab the player. Original music is a breath of fresh air for an audience that can easily have their interest dissuaded by repetition and familiarity. Take care to listen to an entire song before choosing its purpose, even if the file is named "Ice_dungeon_4.mid" it's important to make sure the music coincides with your vision! In the next installment we'll rediscover classic websites such as HOT TOKE (aka Wild Pudding) then depending on the weather take a field trip to "MoeMoeDotUnion." If that name doesn't terrify or intrigue you, then I'm not really sure what will!
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Sounds interesting, I'll take a look at it soon! I added the 2 links to the Resources+ forum guide.
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I've been looking for these websites. I completely forgot to bookmark these.
Man, this collection is huge. Seems like there's a lot more content than the last time I checked.
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Just dropping in here to say these sites are pretty helpful. People who are fed up of using aeris.mid should definitely take a gander at these!
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Just checked these link and they are awesome. The midis are fresh and I agree, it can be useful for game making. (I really like the 2nd link). Thanks Magi!
Hope to see some games with these tracks now that they have been mentioned.
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Sorry if this is a bit of a necropost, but these are really cool. I can't wait for your next watch Magi! Both are really fresh. I think another good fast-paced track from the midinger one is k_154, which can be looped for a pretty cool battle theme as well. I'm glad you gave those highlights, because those really show the great sound of these tracks. It broke my concept of the limitations of midids! Keep up the good work!
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Sorry if this is a bit of a necropost, but these are really cool. I can't wait for your next watch Magi! Both are really fresh. I think another good fast-paced track from the midinger one is k_154, which can be looped for a pretty cool battle theme as well. I'm glad you gave those highlights, because those really show the great sound of these tracks. It broke my concept of the limitations of midids! Keep up the good work!
Magi isn't a staffer anymore due to inactivity bud, sorry. :(
We'll hopefully have another one of these soon(TM) tho.