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AGATE

AGATE. Adaptive, Generative Audio Tonal Environment. Why do we want this?. We want music because it can support the emotional experience of the player. But, repetitious or emotionally inappropriate music can distract the player from their actual emotional experience.

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AGATE

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  1. AGATE Adaptive, Generative Audio Tonal Environment

  2. Why do we want this? • We want music because it can support the emotional experience of the player. • But, repetitious or emotionally inappropriate music can distract the player from their actual emotional experience.

  3. The Nature of audio repetition • Identical audio repetition = bad (usually). • The more traditionally “composed” music is, the less it bears repetition. • Usual solutions? • Buy MUCH music • Hope no one notices until it is too late

  4. Money For Music • Music = $1,500 / minute... • Minimal coverage for 30-hour game: • 30 minutes music = $45,000

  5. MMO Money For Music • MMO gameplay can easily exceed 1000 hours. • Heavy usage: 7000 hours or more! • Full coverage: all new music all the time = 420,000 minutes of music • 420,000 minutes of music =$630,000,000.

  6. Forget Games, Invade A Country!

  7. ANSWER:GENERATIVE MUSIC • Think of it as wind chimes: Never repeating but always familiar. • Not good for highly-structured, intensely-composed music (“cinematic”). • Very good at loosely-structured static mood music (“ambient”). • VERY well-suited to MMO game environments.

  8. Adaptive Generative Audio Tonal Environment Composer Music Sounds provides Audio Output provides Create • Density • Pitch • Tempo • Randomized • Sound selection • etc. Music Data plays AGATE informs • Combat • Time of day • Weather • Location • Anything Game Data High-level script from in-house audio lead controls

  9. What else? • Sequences • Keymapping • Totally awesome lasers • Etc.

  10. AGATE = World Music • Good for the background; the primary voice and spirit of your game world. • Important: Vary the delivery of the music: • Fade your world music in and out. • Bring in bits of more traditionally-composed music to accentuate specific things.

  11. SO EASY AND LIGHT • One programmer • One audio designer • Several weeks of less-than-100% man-hours * two people, mostly research and design-iteration • System = < 10kbytes • CPU usage is so small it is difficult to measure

  12. CHRISTOPHER MAYERContract Programmer

  13. Adaptive Generative Audio Tonal Environment Composer Music Sounds provides Audio Output provides create • Density • Pitch • Tempo • Randomized • Sound selection • etc. Music Data plays AGATE informs • Combat • Time of day • Weather • Location • Anything Game Data High-level script from in-house audio lead controls

  14. WHERE DID THE TIME GO?

  15. 1st - FMOD Events, AGATE 1, Game Hooks, Editor 2 months part time 2nd - XACT, AGATE 2, Editor 2 weeks part time 3rd - FMOD Ex, AGATE 3, Editor 5 hours

  16. SAMPLE MOOD FILE Soundbank: C:\Soundbanks\TestBank.fsb Tempo: 360 Volume: .5 GuitarG3 5 64 1 Seq 1 1 -1 1 -12 12 952 ViolaG3 20 16 2 Seq .5 1 -1 1 -12 12 952 PianoG3 35 4 4 Chord .5 1 -1 1 -12 12 952 Snare 100 1 8 Chord .5 1 -1 1 -12 12 FFF

  17. void main(int argc, char *argv[]) { audioInit(); agateLoadMood(argv[1]); while (!_kbhit()) { agateLoop(); audioLoop(); } agateUnloadMood(); audioExit(); }

  18. void audioInit(void); void audioLoop(void); void audioExit(void); void audioLoadSoundbank(const char *file); void audioPlay(int index, float frequency, float volume, float pan); int audioGetIndex(const char *soundname);

  19. typedef struct { int soundIndex; int probability; // 0 to 100 int nNotes; // 0 to ? int beat; // 1 to ? bool chord; // chord or sequence int nQueued; // 0 to nNotes float volMin, volMax; // 0.0 to +1.0 float panMin, panMax; // -1.0 to +1.0 int pitchMin, pitchMax; // -12 to +12 int pitchScale; // 12 bits int *pitchList; // cents int pitchListSize; } AGATE_SOUND; void agateLoadMood(const char *filename); void agateUnloadMood(void); void agateLoop(void);

  20. void agatePlay(int i) { float frequency = (float)_mood[i].pitchList[rand() % _mood[i].pitchListSize]; float volume = randFloat(_mood[i].volMin, _mood[i].volMax); float pan = randFloat(_mood[i].panMin, _mood[i].panMax); audioPlay(_mood[i].soundIndex, frequency, volume, pan); }

  21. void agateLoop(void) { for (unsigned int i=0; i<_mood.size(); i++) { if (_beat % _mood[i].beat) continue; if (rand()%100 < _mood[i].probability) if (_mood[i].chord) for (int j=0; j<(rand()%_mood[i].nNotes)+1; j++) agatePlay(i); else if (_mood[i].nQueued == 0) for (int j=0; j<(rand()%_mood[i].nNotes)+1; j++) _mood[i].nQueued++; if (_mood[i].nQueued) { _mood[i].nQueued--; agatePlay(i); } } _beat++; Sleep(60000/_tempo); }

  22. Who would compose music with this? • Composer should be: • Comfortable with non-linear, non-traditional music and methods • Technically savvy (?) • Games-oriented • Familiar with ambient music • Familiar with generative music • Enjoys helping to design new technology

  23. JIM HEDGESIndependent Composerand sound-designerSan Francisco, CA

  24. How is this different from other forms of adaptive music? • “Vertical” approach: Layering and cross fading tracks • “Horizontal” approach: Starting and stopping cues • Often the two are combined • Both approaches tend to rely on through composed, long “stems”

  25. How is this different from other forms of adaptive music? • AGATE uses smaller elements, from short clips to individual notes • It combines these elements both horizontally and vertically i.e it starts/stops and layers elements • It combines pre-determined elements with probability and randomization

  26. Why use middleware intended for sound design? • This kind of music has much in common with sound design approaches and practices • Avoiding repetition and producing variety while retaining a recognizable identity • Collections of small elements, recombined at run time using randomization and probability • AGATE leverages these strengths of sound design middleware for creating music

  27. Musical examples: Interlocking rhythm

  28. Musical examples: Interlocking rhythm

  29. Musical examples: Interlocking rhythm

  30. Musical examples: Interlocking rhythm

  31. Musical examples: Interlocking rhythm

  32. Musical Examples: Timbre

  33. Musical Examples: Melody Prime

  34. Musical Examples: Melody

  35. Musical Examples: Melody Prime

  36. Musical Examples: Melody Up 4 Prime

  37. Musical Examples: Melody Up 4 Prime Down 4

  38. Musical Examples: Melody Up 4 Prime Down 4

  39. Musical Examples: Stingers

  40. Conclusion: Impressions • Forces composer to think primarily in terms of timbre, density and orchestration • A more “sound design” approach to composition • Learn how to work with semi-randomness • Be comfortable adapting one's approach during the compositional process

  41. Conclusion: Impressions • “Each thing you add modifies the whole set of things that went before and you suddenly find yourself at a place that you couldn't possibly have conceived of, a place that's strange and curious to you. That sense of mystery, learning to live with it and make use of it, is extremely important.” - Brian Eno

  42. HOW TO GET APPROVAL: EXPLAIN WHAT PROBLEMS YOUR AUDIO TECH WILL SOLVE

  43. What this can do for the player and for your company: • It will make your players much less likely to turn off the music or even all the sound. • Informal poll: Everquest guild of 100+ people: 92% said they had music turned off, 74% said they had ALL sound off!

  44. What this can do for the player and for your company: • It will make the game directly, viscerally pleasurable to play • Better reviews • Better word-of-mouth • Infinite minutes of music in finite storage and RAM • Large coverage with very reasonable amount of work from composer

  45. What this can do for the player and for your company: • Increased sales for games with in-game purchase model. See Julian Treasure’s “Sound Business” for extensive research references.

  46. AGATE: YOU LIKE IT HERE Or perhaps, “You like it hear”

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