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Jukebox Heroes: RuneScape 3's new sound
Amid all of the hoopla surrounding the third major iteration of RuneScape was a notice that many readers may have skipped right over: Jagex authorized the audio team to go ahead and build a new sound engine for RuneScape 3 and record high-fidelity music with a full orchestra. As a result, RuneScape now has over eight hours of ear-blowing awesomeness thanks to composer James Hannigan and the Slovak Symphony Orchestra. I'll be giving RuneScape the traditional Jukebox Heroes treatment in an upcoming column, but today we're going to talk with Jagex Audio Lead Stephen Lord about the enormous effort it took to overhaul the music for RuneScape 3. We've got the inside perspective on making RuneScape's new sound as well as several pieces from the new soundtrack, all after the break!
BBC talks to composer about the challenges of writing game music
James Hannigan, music composer for the Harry Potter games and Red Alert 3, spoke with the BBC about the challenges of writing game music. He explains that games often require him to write music for scenes he hasn't seen -- the complete opposite of what happens in film and television. An interesting observation involves the differences between composing for third- and first-person games. Hannigan points out that more prominent music could "conflict" with the player's sense of immersion in a first-person game, often prompting more understated approaches compared to third-person adventures. He also appreciates gaming's influence on getting younger fans hooked on classical music, which becomes "acceptable and reasonably fashionable to people because it comes from their favorite games." With shows like Video Games Live getting more attention, it's always interesting to gain some insight into an aspect of games that too often goes uncelebrated.
