Messages

121

Quest for Infamy / Re: How evil is too evil?

« on: February 25, 2013, 09:48:04 PM »

I wouldn't have pledged for QFI if Roehm was just an evil villain out to pillage the women and rape the land. 

I would! 

I think you're looking on the wrong forums for your kicks. qfi is a comedy nostalgia soaked adventure. you play a hardknock but far from evil.

122

Quest for Infamy / Re: Here's another secret...

« on: February 25, 2013, 06:26:14 PM »

Already done, James.  Watch Backer VLog #3.


Bt

Whoo you guys move FAST!

123

Quest for Infamy / Re: Here's another secret...

« on: February 25, 2013, 01:11:44 PM »

Love it Goatmeal!  Very nice... I'm imagining what the music might sound like, maybe like back when the sound came from your internal PC speaker...

Funny you should say that.. I did a Tandy 3-voice internal speaker version of the QFI theme tune... Maybe we could put all this together???

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/72601548/QFI%20TANDY%201000%20EX%20VERSION.mp3

^ ^ ^ linky ^ ^ ^

124

Quest for Infamy / Re: Rogues in combat

« on: February 22, 2013, 04:03:32 PM »

pulling hair, kicking in the balls, electrocution handshake, general unsporting things.

125

Quest for Infamy / Re: The very first Development Images of this project!

« on: February 20, 2013, 11:45:24 AM »

I have a whole bunch of Steve Sketches on my fridge showing Mummy + Mr Яoәhm

126

Quest for Infamy / Re: Thoughts on "Quest for Infamy" (Demo)

« on: February 18, 2013, 08:11:24 PM »

Ian makes me cringe, I can't stand him. But that's GOOD right? The slippery little whyioughta. And the blacksmith is another bellsniff.

127

IQ Chat / Re: The Long History Of The Adventure Game Revival

« on: February 13, 2013, 01:38:38 PM »

For years I didn't even think that remakes were possible, then in around 2006 I stumbled, like many into Tierra and their remake of KQ2, I immediately started looking for others and eventually found KQ3 by IA which I thought was much more true to the original and the reworking of the art and music were sublime.

I saw that SQ2 was their next big project, which was going to be released 'any day now'

I kept checking back for the next couple of years and it seemed that it had stalled, until one day I noticed a little ad for a sound-editor, and the rest is l'histoire. I'm especially proud to be a part of SQ2 and most recently all the hard work at Infamous Quests. Most proud I've ever been, at anything. The revival makes complete sense after everyone realized that the fans of adventure games never really went away, we grew up but never left. We are making games for a niche market, but hopefully the word will spread, and brand new fans might give up their 3D shooters and Zombie games for something with a little bit of humour, story, HAND DRAWN artwork and a real challenge.

We need to keep this inertia.

Good work everyone!

128

IQ Chat / Re: Quest for Infamy demo 2.0 - NOW AVAILABLE

« on: February 12, 2013, 11:12:54 PM »

I had this glitch before but it turned out my pc was busy in the background doing a windows backup. make sure your computer isn't doing anything big diskwise in the background.  backup or defrag windows updates etc

129

IQ Chat / Re: Quest for Infamy demo 2.0 - NOW AVAILABLE

« on: February 11, 2013, 04:18:10 PM »

Just a quick note that I think needs to be said! We have added a lot more to the game before and since this demo we've put out. Including updates to the battle system and story line. We didn't want to reveal too much in the demo as far as that goes, but just know that there is much left to be seen!

The demo does it's job for what it is, but there is plenty, PLENTY, that we couldn't share! and of course the game is getting upgraded daily.

Cheers to all our backers and supporters!

Yes, it is basically a look around the new artwork, music and characters. There is very little gameplay, that would ruin the final game... Just wait for all the wonderful things you'll be able to do soon!

130

Quest for Infamy / Re: How I write the music for Quest for Infamy - (or quest for a theme)

« on: February 10, 2013, 07:18:08 PM »

Yeah, I've thought of that, but I'm also thinking of ways to make an alternate puzzle for those who are deaf.  Therein lies the rub.


Bt

do it in song so it can be a rhyming thing, remember the Captain Rottingham song in MI3? Roehm can have MC competition lol

131

Quest for Infamy / Re: How I write the music for Quest for Infamy - (or quest for a theme)

« on: February 10, 2013, 05:45:36 PM »

As a fan of movie scores since the late 1970s and computer game scores since the early 1990s, here is something I've always wanted to ask you, Brandon and Isaac:

Is it more difficult to compose a piece of music 4-8 minutes long that doesn't repeat itself so much and can go wherever it takes you (musically), or one that is only 1-1½ minutes long but must tie-in with the intention of repeating?

I would have to say that writing a 1 minute loop that stays interesting is harder than a longer piece that has a definite end but what's hardest is writing to a specific time.  Some of my past clients have asked for things like 'we need 28 seconds that begins slowly, builds around 15s a crescendo at 25s and a tail for a voice over.'

QFI has left me to be fairly free with the timings which has been amazing. Some of the cutscenes are going to be more time related, and I'm hoping for a musical puzzle at some point...

s_d we have no lyrics but if you want to suggest a verse it could make a fun extra or easter egg...

132

Quest for Infamy / Re: How I write the music for Quest for Infamy - (or quest for a theme)

« on: February 10, 2013, 12:01:27 PM »

Thanks guys, it is a challenge to write music that loops continuously and not get boring although I think I've worked out a method which works quite well.

It is a combination of making the music long enough (usually over a minute) so that by the time you get to the end of the piece, you have probably moved to a new room, and a new method which I've been implementing lately which shares a resemblance to M.C. Escher's never ending staircase

http://bestthing.flyingpudding.com/images/escher_stair.jpg

The musical equivalent being, I 'sneak' a key-change (modulation) in to the music somewhere in the middle, one that you won't notice so much at the time - it will just sound like a nice progression, but it has really changed down a few keys (or up).

This means that when it goes to loop there is a sudden almighty key-change (I try to pick ones that work, rather than unexpected ones.) This whole business means that at the end of the piece it changes key, which keeps it interesting. But it HASN'T changed key, you just think it has, it's really gone back to the start. So the whole build up can start again. Hopefully you will just imagine it being one long piece that continually modulates.

And thanks to S_D for the breakdown and long analysis of my 'essay'. I'm really glad that you are noticing the music. Although it's one of those things, I'm doing my job right if you don't notice it! All the artforms are meant to compliment each other, the background art, the animation, the story, the music, the voices. Nothing should stand out but they should all be equally immersive as to take you on a journey.

And Angry Birds has the catchiest music - ever.

Also, I may consider a full version of the Metal tune if anyone wants to contribute some growling vocals - I can't perform this I'm afraid...

Just an idea

133

Quest for Infamy / Re: Quest For Gory 4.5 inspired this?

« on: January 31, 2013, 09:56:21 AM »

oh I don't know about that.. That is naughty.

134

Quest for Infamy / Re: Quest For Gory 4.5 inspired this?

« on: January 31, 2013, 12:47:18 AM »

noone likes racist jokes unless they're post-ironic but seriously the music was pretty good!

135

Quest for Infamy / How I write the music for Quest for Infamy - (or quest for a theme)

« on: January 27, 2013, 01:27:35 PM »

Hey guys, James Mulvale, QFI composer here.

When BT first asked me if I'd be interested in scoring Quest for Infamy it was a huge
honour, and almost immediately afterwards made me feel a bit sick. I had written many
many short pieces for different media and TV before but never score an entire game. I was
sure I could do it, but it meant getting a few things straight first.

We talked in depth about styles, and it seemed natural to go down the orchestral route rather than electronic or rock/metal... One thing I really did not want to go down was what
I call 'generic-epic' which is all style and no substance in my opinion. My best example
would be... Ask yourself this question 'Can I hum the tune to Avatar?' go on try... Some
people might be able to, I mean I saw that film twice in the week that it came out.

But a couple of years down the line? Nope I have no idea how that piece of music goes. Same goes with The Dark Knight, or any blockbuster that's been released lately. Can you hum the main theme
even minutes after leaving the theatre? I doubt it. And that's not a criticism of the composers, just more what music has evolved towards in Hollywood in the last handful of years – padding.

Now ask the same question for 'Can I hum the theme for James Bond' or 'Raiders of the
lost Ark' or 'Up.' or 'Jaws' or 'A Fistfull of Dollars' or 'Back to the Future'

You bet.

The composers here have written a memorable theme that not only encaspulates
the atmosphere and drama on screen, but sticks in your head like an ear-worm.

Now I when I think about video games... If you've played any of the Space Quest series, Monkey Island series, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog...  Musical themes like that are burned into your brain like that Gotye tune is right now.

I'm not claiming to be as good or as qualified as the folks who wrote all the above music,
but it was a starting point for QFI. It HAS to be a memorable tune, or hook. Furthermore
all the main characters / places must have their own memorable theme too (or leitmotif)
which will identify who's on screen, or where Roehm is at the time.

The main theme from the opening sequence of QFI I composed from the middle (I did not know it would be the middle at the time). The happy, major, marching theme took a while to score but when I showed it to the team they all said (to paraphrase) 'Yeah it's nice, but we need something that punches you in the face right from the start.'

After a couple of failed attempts BT said the magic words. 'I want it to sound like a cross between Ride of the Valkyries and the Imperial Death March.'

Gotcha.

So without actually stealing anything, I knew exactly the feeling he was going for and
within 3 hours I'd written over a minute of music which is what you hear when you first
load the game. I didn't know how to end it though and was still pining over my original
theme. Again BT said 'Try sticking them together.' and sent me a crudely edited version of the two themes back to back. Luckily enough, they were both in the
same key, and roughly the same tempo, so by speeding the original theme up a little and
slowing down the new one, I joined the two themes together the wrong way around and they fit like a glove!

http://soundcloud.com/jamesmulvale/qfi 'Second' theme at (0:18) 'Original' theme at (1:06)

Once that theme was established, it was like a springboard for everything else. I used little
bits of QFI theme dotted all around the game, sometimes obvious like the Brattle/Fishing scene,
sometimes hidden like the Prospero music - if you listen closely to Prospero's theme, an oboe is playing the main theme's melody over the top of all this dissonant eerie glockenspiel and piano. But
it's there, subliminally.

I'm now writing the rest of the music and have some awesome and challenging themes to
come up with. The Port of Myr, Graveyard themes, Tobacconist themes have already
begun to take shape. I just hope that when you turn your computer off, you will go
outside into the real world and start humming the music to yourself!

Music Cues...
UP

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaLegF2hAxI" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaLegF2hAxI</a>

BTTF

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMX1_AU1slA" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMX1_AU1slA</a>

JAWS

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swMzRlFvKMc" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swMzRlFvKMc</a>

RAIDERS

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pNlMgH2p-Y" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pNlMgH2p-Y</a>

FISTFUL

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjjDOdaFZg0" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjjDOdaFZg0</a>

BOND

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii1tc493bZM</a>

DARK KNIGHT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1B3Mgklfd0# (Embedding disabled, limit reached)
AVATAR http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaZPF2Co-38# (Embedding disabled, limit reached)