Soundtrack Replacement Ideas

[Kontra Kommando]

Since the Summer Steam Sale, I picked up Fallout 3, and have already modded it extensively (I’ve mentioned this bunch of times already in other threads). I’ve also replaced a number of tracks, because the OST for FO3 got old pretty fast. For me, music is an important aspect of the gameplay experience. So far I've replaced tracks with more memorable OSTs from movies and video games. For battles, I have some tracks from Chrono Trigger, Doom, and Final Fight. For “Dungeons” (basically subways, and abandoned buildings; this is how it’s classified in FO3), I have tracks from Friday the 13th (NES), Hexen, and Metroid. For the open world, I have tracks from 80s movies like Escape from New York, The Thing, Terminator, Aliens, and Mad Max. Right now, I’m still trying to figure out what works best, some of the tracks sound a bit obnoxious, and overpowering. For example, Kraid's Lair from Metroid doesn't work so well in a modern FPS. But other songs fit quite nicely, such as Future Warfare from Terminator, in gun battles.

Discuss games that you have done this for, and share particular songs you have added. Perhaps we can help one another find tracks that best fit various types of levels and environments.

Here is an example of one song that I love to have playing, as I roam the wasteland. Especially since my character is evil.

[Mr. Freeze]

lustmord
sunn O))))

[Lüt]

Kontra Kommando said:

Discuss games that you have done this for, and share particular songs you have added.

I haven't really done it with full games, but I've done it for certain WADs with a particularly unique atmosphere.

Two examples: listening to Jerry Goldsmith's Leviathan album whenever I play Espi's Suspended In Dusk maps (skipping track 6 & 11), and listening to Hans Zimmer's Da Vinci Code album whenever I play his ED-IV Map27 (starting on track 2 and skipping 7).

But then again, I used to swap out the Quake CD for the Stellar Fire CD back in the day. Nothing against Quake's soundtrack, but for me, the switch made a huge difference in boosting the density of the atmosphere. Some selections:

Xarz Voor Boss: Cybernetic Dinosaur - Came on while playing Ziggurat Vertigo (E1 low-gravity secret level). Perfect match.
Nibor Fren Boss: Yeti - Lots of pitch bend works for levels with lots of deep pits. Best part starts at 1:00.
Arctura Boss: Draxon Leader - Fast industrial action track for heavily populated maps.
Mok Zoh - Good ambient track for atmospheric levels like Wind Tunnels.
Nibor Fren - Similarly atmospheric track, but a slightly more present action element with a percussion break-down in the middle.
Zoreq Boss: Death Tornado - The futuristic sci-fi element was too pervasive in some tracks to fully suit Quake, but I think the fast action pace of this one at least fits the base levels.

The original Quake soundtrack had the right atmosphere, but these brought the full musical elements as well as keeping (if not improving) that level of atmosphere.

Kontra Kommando said:

The Thing

One of Ennio's best.

Too bad almost none of the music made it into the film.

And actually, speaking of Espi again, I found a number of tracks from that album to fit his B2B mapset fairly well. Humanity (Part II) goes great with the final level - the first half with the exploration and the second half with the cyberdemon fight.

[darknation]

omg lüt. unrelated subject, but got something the other day that a) I had no idea existed and b) you'd probably find worth investigating.



actually quite enjoyable. takes the weird, 'everyone is crazy apart from me' vibe of catch 22 and winds it into the dark star plot. get it for a quid from ebay.

and, uh, soundtracks... yeah. only game I could say that really annoyed me, soundtrack wise, was morrowind. Not because the tracks were shit, but because there were far too few of them for a game as lengthy as morrowind.

[durian]

I'm really just posting here to comment on Dark Star - great movie! Very funny, and bleak. That beach ball has haunted me since childhood.

OT: I actually quite like listening to classical music - symphonic works mostly - while DOOMing. The rousing first movement of Beethoven's 6th, for instance, goes very nicely with hi-octane sections of maps. And the combination of the gunshot sounds with the music gives things a nice Scorsese feel.

[wildweasel]

I used to love playing Morrowind with the soundtrack swapped out. Most of the time, I just filled out the various music folders with recorded music from the PS1/PS2 Final Fantasy games and a bunch of stuff by Hitoshi Sakimoto, but one time I'd forgotten exactly what I put into the "combat" folder...until a Cliff Racer ambushed me, and the chosen track ended up being...this.

I was over at a friend's place when that happened. We couldn't stop laughing for a whole minute.

[Kontra Kommando]

Mr. Freeze said:

lustmord
sunn O))))

I was thinking about adding some songs from Amebix, and Judas Iscariot.

such as this:

But I only seeing this working for the main title screen in FO3. Currently, I have Thermonuclear Warrior from Carnivore. Problem is, Carnivore tracks sound really low, due to poor recording.

Lüt said:

One of Ennio's best.

I have this for an open world song. It fits well in FO3, especially at night, with the Fellout mod that makes the nights super dark and creepy.