Does the D_RUNNIN effect exist in other games?

It seems to me like it's commonly accepted that D_RUNNIN isn't actually a bad song at all, it's just the overexposure that makes it annoying for us. I wonder if this is really true? Because I've thought about it a little and I can't really name any other videogame songs that would annoy me in the same way. I've probably heard the classic Super Mario theme just as much but I still totally enjoy listening to it. Does this effect exist in other games or could it be that D_RUNNIN just sucks?

dethtoll.mid in duke3d

it just as bad holy damn

In fact, it may be worse because duke3d maps are indiviual files, you have to replace the midi with a midi of the same name, or have an edited user.con file to define the new name. This means you can't have multiple custom midis for single maps in the same folder since there can be only one of either of these files.

I think it's just you.

Admins are pulling out all the stops for fancy new effects on threads. From skeleton fonts to MIDIs, Doomworld Forum has it all!

Bookmarked the thread, considering homepaging it.

About D_RUNNIN with its overexposure I would add that it is/was used in maps in which it doesn't fit well. Also probably for the author's laziness to not put a more fitting song.

Listened to the whole thing, doesn't repeat...very disappointing.

D_RUNNIN is pretty sweet. Downside is I think I hear it every time I open a new webpage...

Fucking tabs.

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm addicted to D_RUNNIN. Even though I've quite mapping, I need to start up Doom every day and run around in MAP01 for a few minutes to get my fix.

What about in WOOO (Or was it 2?) where the first map just had the first three notes of D_RUNNIN on loop

Altazimuth said:

Admins are pulling out all the stops for fancy new effects on threads.

Ah, so that's why I've been getting a "too many connections on SQL blah blah" db error for the past hour: everybody and their granma are coming to experience the titular effect first-hand.

Memfis, I think you meant "the D_RUNNIN Syndrome".

If they can't be bothered to include custom music, they can always set it up to play music from a different level. Doom 2 has a decent selection of tunes, my personal favorite being:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44lhqrsUTlo

DuckReconMajor said:

[/b]ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bip-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bop!
ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum ba-bum-bum-bip-bop-bop-bop!
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
bump-bump
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
bump-bump[b]

D_RUNNIN is the theme song that plays when Doomguy is rushing through traffic on his way to Taco Bell to try out their newest cheesy gordita , and it's almost lunch hour. The Healer Stalks is when he finally gets to Taco Bell and has to stand in line impatiently, he gets bored and breaks into salsa dance.

D_RUNNIN compared to E1M1 does sound way annoying. To me it's the song equivalent of the Startan textures. But out of all the other FPS games I've played, nothing really compares.

Marcaek said:

dethtoll.mid in duke3d

Dethtoll.mid isn't terrible. It's more sort of ambient and eventually becomes white noise to me. I guess it's because people who don't at least try and complete the level vaguely quickly spend too much time listening to it. It's not really as "in your ears" as D_RUNNIN is, for lack of a better description.

Memfis said:

Does this effect exist in other games

Show me other games which have extreme amounts of custom mapsets AND a music track accompanying every map.

Duke 3D
Though Stalker is an absolutely fantastic song and doesn't get annoying.

I don't think anything close to this exists in other games, at least not to this scale. It's a fun thing to think about though, some part of my brain is convinced it'll manage to find an example if i give it enough time. So for now i have granted it my permission.

Also, screw all the haters, i manually type idmus01 in most wads without custom music since 1994, AND one of my main guitar warm up exercises is d_runnin, so i pretty much play it every other day (along with e3m3 solos). And it still sounds badass and atmospheric \m/

The other day I listened to the entire Duke 3D soundtrack several times and there were basically only three songs that I didn't find annoying on repeat, Stalker being one of them. I think it's possibly the best song in the whole soundtrack, and that's why they put it in the first map slot.

Piper Maru said:

D_RUNNIN is the theme song that plays when Doomguy is rushing through traffic on his way to Taco Bell to try out their newest cheesy gordita , and it's almost lunch hour. The Healer Stalks is when he finally gets to Taco Bell and has to stand in line impatiently, he gets bored and breaks into salsa dance.

Doomguy never goes to Taco Bell, he only ever gets to go to the knock-off brands "Taco Hell" and "Caco Bell".

Sometimes he goes to McDamned instead.

FLUIDSYNTH makes everything better.

Gez said:

The other day I listened to the entire Duke 3D soundtrack several times and there were basically only three songs that I didn't find annoying on repeat, Stalker being one of them. I think it's possibly the best song in the whole soundtrack, and that's why they put it in the first map slot.

Aliens say your prayers is the grooviest track in the whole game.

Piper Maru said:

D_RUNNIN is the theme song that plays when Doomguy is rushing through traffic on his way to Taco Bell to try out their newest cheesy gordita , and it's almost lunch hour. The Healer Stalks is when he finally gets to Taco Bell and has to stand in line impatiently, he gets bored and breaks into salsa dance.

D_BETWEE is the song that plays while he rushes to the toilet having eaten one of the spiciest god damn tacos ever.

Marcaek said:

dethtoll.mid in duke3d

This. If you're stuck trying to complete a map with a load of stupid cryptic/unintuitive shit (pick a map from a shovelware set and you'll find one soon enough), then the music stands out for being a dull, monotonous piece of work that makes a tedious map even more boring to grind through.

The problem with D_RUNNIN is that it's an elevator music track in a supposedly macabre game. There's nothing really bad about elevator music tracks in macabre games, but it's also an opening track that sets the mood.

Only then we have the fact that not every custom map replaces it, even though it doesn't fit most of the time.

To be honest, almost all of the vanilla SMW tracks have this effect on me. After watching so many playthroughs of rom hacks it actually gets annoying to listen to the overworld level theme from it.

Memfis said:

could it be that D_RUNNIN just sucks?

This. I don't buy the "just overexposure" explanation, if I play a map for some other game that just uses the first track, I may think "oh, you didn't bother to remap the music" but it doesn't become grating the way D_RUNNIN does. D_RUNNIN is bad because it is bad. Most of the Doom 2 OST isn't that great, really.

Memfis said:

It seems to me like it's commonly accepted that D_RUNNIN isn't actually a bad song at all, it's just the overexposure that makes it annoying for us.

I've had this happen in before, especially if the default music doesn't fit the theme of the map. Even when I do replace the music with something better, sometimes after enough playtesting, the replacement music might start to get annoying after hearing it countless times, and I end up replacing the replacement music. This can happen quickly in a large map when the music can repeat itself many times before the map is over.

It's a shitty track. I never get tired of hearing nearly any song from the original Doom but a lot of Doom II's soundtrack sounds cheesy and out of place. There are some pretty good Doom II songs as well mind you, just far less than the first game.

Maybe this depends on your demands on music quality. Mine are not high, I don't call a music track bad unless the tones damage my ears or are too quiet to be audible. D_RUNNIN is not specially catchy by itself, that's why it can be overlistened and unpleasant to hear if it doesn't fit the map.

Ichor said:

I've had this happen in before, especially if the default music doesn't fit the theme of the map. Even when I do replace the music with something better, sometimes after enough playtesting, the replacement music might start to get annoying after hearing it countless times, and I end up replacing the replacement music. This can happen quickly in a large map when the music can repeat itself many times before the map is over.

Apparently, the creator of Zelda listened to the same tracks over and over again just to make sure it didn't grate on his ears after a while.