Today features a few dynamic music systems created with specific objectives in mind.
Dynamic Music System Demo
State Based System:
- Prioritize music tracks based on the importance of the active scene elements.
Overrideable Regions > Enemy combat tracks > Region tracks - Set transition styles based on attributes of the next selected music track
- Reduce music system calls through the use of call backs, making sure that we don't have to make checks every frame
- Use states to set the playing track, horizontally sequenced
- Have a priority system algorithm contained inside region music selection AND within Enemy music selection
- Play default music when no other variables are evaluated to be true
Overrideable Regions - When a region theme is deemed more important than the themes of the enemies contained inside it. Could be used in a quest for example to make sure that quest area music plays, even if other enemies are in the area.
Enemy combat tracks - Set to the next beat to give a more jarring feel when entering combat (but can be customized otherwise). Enemies are organized based on difficulty/tier, with higher difficulties being considered when setting enemy music priority tracks.
Region tracks - Location based music depending on the area you are in. Set to fade in and out at the next bar of the currently playing track to naturally ease in and out of regions. Trigger based, with the most recent trigger being given priority. This allows us to create music regions within music regions.
Concurrent Battle & Region Based System:
This system is similar to the state based system, with additional considerations:
- Enemy music tracks are created with the idea that an enemy track can play concurrently with a regional track.
- Current regions are prioritized and current enemy tracks are prioritized, so a maximum of one region and one enemy track will be playing at a time in a vertical sequence.
- The tracks are created with this in mind so they work harmonically and at the same tempo.
- Must be able to handle region changes while maintaining synchronization
Additive Battle & Region Music Based System
This system extends the idea of concurrent tracks further by giving each enemy a music segment that can be layered on top of existing music segments from other enemies in addition to the currently playing region segment.
Modifications:
- One region track is set normally. The system will then examine what monsters are in the area and then layer their tracks on to the active region segment.
- Must be able to handle region changes while maintaining synchronization across all layered tracks
Additional Systems Features
- Overrides: Dynamically tracks events that override the regular music systems, similar to having one bus duck the music bus. Where ducking requires an active decibel level signal, overriding does not. This means that you can override music with silence or any other audio event if you wanted. Useful for cutscenes and other important audio events.
- Overrides are organized by most recent, so a new override will "override" the less recent override.
- Music System Switching: For the purpose of the test environment, I added the feature to switch between these music systems by pressing 1, 2, or 3 on the keyboard.
Dynamic Music System Commentary
