“How can I deepen immersion and realism in games beyond mere reliance on background music?”
As a music supervisor and lead music composer for this project, this initial self-inquiry drove my exploration at the outset.
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"Design Philosophy and Implementation of the Interactive Music System in Condor Heroes (射雕)": https://blog.audiokinetic.com/en/condor-heroes/?utm_campaign=Blogging&utm_content=301629101&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin&hss_channel=lcp-33289
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Condor Heros(射雕) is an RPG game set in the Song Dynasty era(960－1279), with the story background based on Jin Yong(Louis Cha)’s martial arts novel ‘The Legend of the Condor Heroes’’.
According to Chinese history, Song Dynasty was a prosperous era characterized by a thriving commercial economy and culture, also witnessed the development of music diversity, with the most popular being the traditional folk band performances held in folk art venues known as Goulan Washe(勾栏瓦舍).
Furthermore, according to the research, compared to ancient Chinese poetry, Chinese poetic meters(词牌: the verses adhere to a fixed structure and prosody, dictating the rhythm and phonology) are more capable and conducive to musicalization. It was commonly employed as a method of cultural promotion at that time, with lyrics often portraying the current political situation, cultural ethos, and societal sentiments.
Chinese folk band in the game
So, what if I “revive” these traditional folk bands, arrange the particular stages for them in the game, and give new compositions based on poetic meters(词牌) that relate to the era of the game or its stories? It would recreate the daily life of the civilians from the old times, so both game players and in-game characters(I also care about them for some reasons) can experience this immersive feeling of reliving the past.
Finalized Chinese Instruments arrangement：
筚篥 Bili
箫 Xiao
小镲 Small cymbals
古琴 Guqin
琵琶 Pipa
缶 Fou
大鼓 Large drum
碗琴 Wanqin
拨浪鼓/小笛(双胞胎) Rattle-drum/Little flute(Twins play)
碰铃/古筝(双胞胎) Hand-held bells/Guzheng(Twins play)
尺八 Shakuhachi
方响 Fangxiang
笙 Sheng
檀板 Tanban
(occasionally accompanied by 箜篌 Konghou and 三弦 Sanxian)
Research and design of poetic song(词牌曲) composition
《青玉案·元夕》
The content of this piece ostensibly depicts the Lantern Festival but actually resonates with the author's internal solitude amidst a politically bleak atmosphere. It also portrays the earnest pursuit of ideals but does not want to assimilate with others. However, in alignment with the game's overall positive ethos, the music compositional approach contrasting with the lyrics is employed to convey a sense of graceful composure.
Enhancing the entire auditory experience to a greater elegance
Reach the level of "Using delight to depict sorrow, and using sorrow to depict delight, thus amplifying its emotional resonance.(以乐景写哀，以哀景写乐，倍增其哀乐)”
《鹊桥仙》
“The Cowherd and the Weaving Maid” is a classic Chinese folklore story that symbolizes the love between the Cowherd(Niulang) and the Weaver Girl(Zhinv). Forbidden from being together, they are separated by the emperor of heaven and can only meet once a year on the Magpie Bridge on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This is the background of this poetic song.
Even if it’s a melancholic poetic meter, it doesn't manifest in the game in such a melancholic manner. On the contrary, I planned to create a beautiful, melodious, and hopeful atmosphere in the music — just like the anticipation the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl hold for their annual reunion day. So here are my core design ideas:
Using Chinese Instruments but without being limited to Chinese Mode
Blending traditional genre with contemporary Folk Pop
To reach the level of “The nightlife in the town begins with the performance of this song,” (Since this song starts playing inside the tavern as the night begins, make a comparison with the quietness outside)
Duet
*Song hasn't been implemented in the game yet, only in-game screenshot of tavern with poetic song
Poetic song served as clues
As the narrative unfolds, players will encounter more and more poetic songs at diverse locations, at this point, attentive listening to these poetic songs’ contents may reveal some classical poetry allusions related to the game storyline, or provide inspiration for experiencing and unlocking the following plot.
《望江南·江南柳》
It uses willow as a metaphor for people, exquisite and charming. The lyrics further intertwine with the in-game narratives, drawing sensitive anecdotes from the legends of Mei Chaofeng and Huang Yaoshi to tell the "hidden emotions" of this middle-aged man (Huang) toward a young girl(Mei).
Due to its uniqueness, I've made some core designs:
The overall musical structure needs to be less conventional and orderly yet filled with attractive peculiar “hues”
Added little Chinese opera monologues on vocals
As Pipa is mentioned in the poetic lyric, I determined that it serves as the lead instrument, and its performance also complements and corresponds to the lyric, for imitating “short dialogue” between instruments and the original author
《一剪梅》
This poetic lyric utilizes scenic descriptions to evoke emotions. It portrays scenes infused with a deep longing, effusive and rustic. In the game, players will use this song as a clue to unlock the protagonist’s subplot.
Considering the players' journey from the North to the South(Hangzhou) in the game, I determined to start the concept of “The Inheritance of Culture” from this song.
It must be simple to sing and catchy (for the civilians)
Suitable for child NPCs to sing along
To avoid the exquisite texture in Chinese instruments, simplicity is necessary
Additional version with Hangzhou dialect (representing southern region)
*game capture of song can be found at below. I have also designed and made some interesting interactive features based on this song with audio programmer, I will share it in the next section.
After conceptualizing the folk band, the paramount concern shifts to how these poetic meter songs will be presented and the overall design of the playback logic framework in the game. Below, I will outline some of my design ideas that have been utilized in games and sounds interesting.
Plus, they’re all played in 3D with natural simulated attenuation curves from Wwise, so for players who may have the misfortune of getting lost, this could start to serve as a 'sound-based navigation' gameplay or just function as an easter egg for those who inadvertently discover it.
*Player feedback thus far indicates that these 'unforeseen discoveries' have delivered numerous delightful surprises to them.
Interesting system between poetic song and NPC’s humming
*The design contents of this part will be elaborated upon in the next article, including the technical aspects from audio programmer.
《望海潮》: Little brother NPC's random humming with the song in sync
In most cases, the NPC following the player will only interact during the combat moments, however, in my design philosophy, the NPC accompanying the player remains a child throughout, he will occasionally hum tunes and also being naughty, so I decided to imbue him with some “spirituality”.
In the game capture at below, you can hear that the brother NPC will occasionally and randomly hum snippets of poetic song, but still perfectly synchronized with the accurate beats.
《一剪梅》: Random and synchronized choir of poetic song’s singer and child NPC
The design of this music has been outlined in the previous section. Here I will show you how I divided this song and gave it more touches of rustic charm.
In the game capture at below, you can hear that I placed instruments and vocal in various locations to simulate "Every household in this garden area often gather to play the instruments and sing together," even their children(NPCs) hum along while flying kites. To represent the cultural content in music passed down from generation to generation.
Upon reaching this point
You might have some questions. For example, "won’t these 3D poetic songs conflict with the BGM playback logic?" "What happens to the BGM when players approach these bands?"
In the following article, I will share how I create and design the core interaction features between 3D poetic songs and background music, which involves technical content from our audio programmer. These features relate to elements such as player behavior and timeline in the game.
All content, illustrations, and videos in this article are strictly prohibited from being redistributed or used without permission. All rights are reserved by SQM Music Studio. Unauthorized use will be subject to legal consequences.
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