Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Designer? - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Designer? - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Oct 03, 2022 429 likes •783 views

Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Designer? Designer? (yes, heres why) (yes, heres why) Daniel Sussman Daniel Sussman Eric Brosius Eric Brosius Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. GDC

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SLIDE 1

Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Designer? (yes, here’s why) Is Jimi Hendrix a Good Level Designer? (yes, here’s why)

Daniel Sussman Eric Brosius

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

GDC 2007

Daniel Sussman Eric Brosius

Harmonix Music Systems, Inc.

GDC 2007

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SLIDE 2

Who we are. Who we are.

Daniel Sussman

Producer Harmonix Music Systems

Eric Brosius

Audio Lead Harmonix Music Systems

Daniel Sussman

Producer Harmonix Music Systems

Eric Brosius

Audio Lead Harmonix Music Systems

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SLIDE 3

Key Aspects of a Beat-Matching Game Key Aspects of a Beat-Matching Game

  • Each song is a game level
  • Player follows visual cues that follow

musical content

  • Completely linear experience
  • Each song is a game level
  • Player follows visual cues that follow

musical content

  • Completely linear experience
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SLIDE 4

Who Cares? Who Cares?

  • If the song is your game level, your audio

team is your level design team. Why?

  • Sound designers have the skill set to

understand and manipulate the musical content

  • If the song is your game level, your audio

team is your level design team. Why?

  • Sound designers have the skill set to

understand and manipulate the musical content

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SLIDE 5

Modern Level Design Rules Apply Modern Level Design Rules Apply

  • Variation vs. Repetition
  • Tension vs. Release
  • Pacing & Progression
  • Variation vs. Repetition
  • Tension vs. Release
  • Pacing & Progression
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SLIDE 6

Variation VS Repetition Variation VS Repetition

  • Repetition builds skills
  • Variation teaches new

skills

  • Variation keeps you

from being bored stiff

  • Repetition builds skills
  • Variation teaches new

skills

  • Variation keeps you

from being bored stiff

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SLIDE 7

Tension VS Release Tension VS Release

  • Tension and Release

are inherent aspects

  • f music that lend

themselves to very compelling game play

  • Guitar Solos are

generally followed by a chorus or verse – classic tension and release

  • Tension and Release

are inherent aspects

  • f music that lend

themselves to very compelling game play

  • Guitar Solos are

generally followed by a chorus or verse – classic tension and release

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SLIDE 8

Pacing and Progression Pacing and Progression

  • Moment to moment:

Pacing in song

  • Song to song: Pacing

in campaign

  • Moment to moment:

Pacing in song

  • Song to song: Pacing

in campaign

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SLIDE 9

Song Content is Important Song Content is Important

  • Duh.
  • Song structure

has huge role in experience

  • Duh.
  • Song structure

has huge role in experience

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SLIDE 10

Choosing songs is important, here are some things to look for: Choosing songs is important, here are some things to look for:

  • Inherent difficulty
  • Pacing
  • Playability
  • Musicality
  • Inherent difficulty
  • Pacing
  • Playability
  • Musicality
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SLIDE 11

The Importance of Tools The Importance of Tools

  • Note Authoring
  • Chords
  • Sustains
  • Star Power
  • Note Authoring
  • Chords
  • Sustains
  • Star Power
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SLIDE 12

A note about difficulty tuning A note about difficulty tuning

  • Inherent tie to song data – in expert

modes, you often have one to one correlation of notes to cues

  • You need to maintain musical integrity,

even on easy modes

  • Structure is good. You want rules that

clearly differentiate easy from expert

  • Inherent tie to song data – in expert

modes, you often have one to one correlation of notes to cues

  • You need to maintain musical integrity,

even on easy modes

  • Structure is good. You want rules that

clearly differentiate easy from expert

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SLIDE 13

Easy is easier than Expert Easy is easier than Expert

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SLIDE 14

Why Star Power is important Why Star Power is important

  • GDC word from 2003: Orthogonal

– Gives you health OR – Gives you points

  • Allows for level balancing without taking

away notes

  • GDC word from 2003: Orthogonal

– Gives you health OR – Gives you points

  • Allows for level balancing without taking

away notes

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SLIDE 15

Different songs yield different types

  • f experience

Different songs yield different types

  • f experience
  • Unrelenting Assault
  • Mixed Encounters
  • Death Match
  • Boss
  • Set Piece
  • Unrelenting Assault
  • Mixed Encounters
  • Death Match
  • Boss
  • Set Piece
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SLIDE 16

Unrelenting Assault Unrelenting Assault

  • Helmet: Unsung
  • Butthole Surfers: Who Was In My Room

Last Night?

  • Foo Fighters: Monkey Wrench
  • Helmet: Unsung
  • Butthole Surfers: Who Was In My Room

Last Night?

  • Foo Fighters: Monkey Wrench
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SLIDE 17

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SLIDE 18

Unrelenting Assault Unrelenting Assault

  • Lots of persistent rhythms
  • Very physical gameplay
  • Endurance is a factor
  • Lots of persistent rhythms
  • Very physical gameplay
  • Endurance is a factor
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SLIDE 19

Mixed Encounters Mixed Encounters

  • Blue Öyster Cult: Godzilla
  • Matthew Sweet: Girlfriend
  • Cream: Crossroads
  • Blue Öyster Cult: Godzilla
  • Matthew Sweet: Girlfriend
  • Cream: Crossroads
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SLIDE 20

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SLIDE 21

Mixed Encounters Mixed Encounters

  • Noodley bits between verse and chorus

bits

  • Short cycles of repetition and variation
  • Noodley bits between verse and chorus

bits

  • Short cycles of repetition and variation
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SLIDE 22

Death Match Death Match

  • Suicidal Tendencies: Institutionalized
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Flood
  • Suicidal Tendencies: Institutionalized
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan: Texas Flood
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SLIDE 23

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SLIDE 24

Death Match Death Match

  • Tons of wankery
  • Few repetitive themes
  • Lots of sight reading / “instinctive” play
  • Tons of wankery
  • Few repetitive themes
  • Lots of sight reading / “instinctive” play
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SLIDE 25

Boss Song Boss Song

  • Megadeth: Hangar 18
  • Ozzy: Bark at the Moon
  • Megadeth: Hangar 18
  • Ozzy: Bark at the Moon
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SLIDE 26

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SLIDE 27

Boss Song Boss Song

  • Song has inherent ramp to difficulty (starts

less hard, ends wicked hard)

  • Ass-kicking solo at end of song
  • Song has inherent ramp to difficulty (starts

less hard, ends wicked hard)

  • Ass-kicking solo at end of song
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SLIDE 28

Set Piece Set Piece

  • Hendrix: Spanish Castle Magic
  • Boston: More than a Feeling
  • The Police: Message in a Bottle
  • Hendrix: Spanish Castle Magic
  • Boston: More than a Feeling
  • The Police: Message in a Bottle
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SLIDE 29

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SLIDE 30

Set Piece Set Piece

  • Lots of variety and different parts
  • Musically visceral – translates well to little

plastic guitar

  • Include lots of different types of gameplay
  • Lots of variety and different parts
  • Musically visceral – translates well to little

plastic guitar

  • Include lots of different types of gameplay
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SLIDE 31

Us being jerks (i.e. how to mess with your fans) Us being jerks (i.e. how to mess with your fans)

  • The Sword: Freya
  • The Sword: Freya
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SLIDE 32

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SLIDE 33

Why Freya is a pain in the butt Why Freya is a pain in the butt

  • Very physical, repetitive gameplay coupled

with patterns that are physically difficult to complete

  • Subtle differences in note authoring and

rhythm of song

  • Very physical, repetitive gameplay coupled

with patterns that are physically difficult to complete

  • Subtle differences in note authoring and

rhythm of song

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SLIDE 34

What else does our audio team do? What else does our audio team do?

  • Set animation cues
  • Set lighting cues
  • Set animation cues
  • Set lighting cues
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SLIDE 35

Questions Questions

  • Eric likes Deep Purple, a lot . . . still
  • Daniel was a metalhead in high school
  • We can’t tell you what Harmonix is

working on (hint: it’s not Accordion Hero)

Contact: Daniel: daniel@harmonixmusic.com Eric: eric@harmonixmusic.com

  • Eric likes Deep Purple, a lot . . . still
  • Daniel was a metalhead in high school
  • We can’t tell you what Harmonix is

working on (hint: it’s not Accordion Hero)

Contact: Daniel: daniel@harmonixmusic.com Eric: eric@harmonixmusic.com