Community
SCI Programming => Mega Tokyo SCI Archive => Topic started by: juncmodule on September 04, 2002, 08:40:30 AM
-
I'm really curious about how everyone feels about this.
My vote is to have the option to add one/both/or neither, but, to make sure that there was still the classic support with MIDI.
BYE!
-
The possibility to change the sounds from midi to something else is quite good. Still need to be able to stay to the classic feel, though. Maybe a choise of the player too? He can then choose wether he wants the original feel or the enhanced one (although it'll demand tons of work to give that possibility.)
-Kon-Tiki-
-
i would love to have mp3 support in the upcoming sci-studio vga. if it's not too difficult for the ppl programming it would be nice to have as a choice. i can understand if ppl would ignore it just 'cause it's not sierra-style. but i for one - want to make my game the way i'd like to play it, not necessarily the way sierra made them ;)
and i can say that good music and sfx are very important for me when playing games, hehe
-
MP3s play slow on 486 systems. Don't use mp3s with sci0 or sci1
I have 486 sx computer.
Robin Gravel
-
SCI can't read MP3s, so the point about 486s is moot. On the other hand,
SCI1 does support CD audio. An approach I suggested earlier is to make the mp3s available
on a web page and ask users to burn an audio CD with them.
-
I think including MP3 playback is a very cool idea. In my opinion I think it would be great to use for sound effects rather than music. Although using MP3 support for music would greatly dramatize the experience of the game, I just think it isn't in the spirit of SCI. Although sometimes you just can't create the right sound effect through synthesis.
-
I just think it isn't in the spirit of SCI.
Somebody told me the same thing with agimouse,
but many of them have played Serguei's destiny 2 demo
want to see finished.
Making new sci games with mp3s could be amusing.
(I used google translator for this line).
Robin Gravel
-
I guess I shouldn't have used "MP3's". I was just thinking of that for the file size. Basically I think it would be nice to be able to convert audio files directly to an SCI audio format. Perhaps an extremely low sample rate. I don't like the idea of using MUSIC in SCI games unless if it's via MIDI. I have this terrible vision of SCI fans putting the latest Brittney Spears track in their game and some evil record company sueing us all. Maybe I should play around with some SoundFonts and see how well that works. Distribute the SoundFonts along with the game.... I don't know much about those but, I know a guy that does... Has anyone ever experimented with this?
-
juncmodule: Heh, that's a good one. Britney Spears isn't exactly the kind of music I had in mind...
Re sound effects: Yes, a converter would be nice - there are so many good sound tools available that we don't need yet another one just for SCI.
We would need a built-in tool for handling sync resources, however.
-
It would be pretty crazy to hack up SCI to support MP3. They're not just mouse support, or new pictures, they are complicated compressed files which take a lot of CPU to not only decode and play, but it would take an outrageous amount of code (as far a hacking is concerned) to implement them in an original interpreter. Writing an MP3 decoder in assembly language is one thing (it would be sooooo much code, and take ages to do), but actually combining the asm of the mp3 decoder and the original executable, and making them work together would be nuts.
Lars' audio cd suggestion is an excellent idea! Remember guys, that SCI games do run without the audio (just without music), so people could still play the games if they didn't chose to burn anything. And if they did choose to burn them, it would be no trouble with good ISOs or BIN-CUEs along with the MP3s. That's exactly how SegaCD ISOs are distributed.
It may sound like a lot of work to create a game with all these ISOs/MP3s/get users to burn them and all, but if you think about it, Sierra's games with CD audio were mostly mega$$$ productions, so the effort of burning special CDs wasn't a big deal.
I personally think though, that most people woundn't be composing their own tunes, but rather, just be using existing copyrighted music, which could cause issues. And... if they're just using tunes from their favorite band's CD, it's probably not going to perfectly fit the atmosphere of the game, even if they both have the same message. A perfect example of music in a game is DOOM, where youv'e got all the ticking, and sound effects, and such, they really give a good feel to match the rest of the game. Besides, where's the classic 2D adventure game feeling if we match all the low-res graphics, simple sfx and simple interface with Britney Spears, hehe :)
-
Ouch. Assembly. I guess that proves just how LITTLE I do know about programming. I thought you could add those things by hacking the SCI Studio Source code. Assembly language is such a nasty looking thing. I think I will toy around with MIDI stuff. The reason I have such an interest in music with SCI0 games is that I make electronic music. I use really low sample rates for almost everything and almost every piece of gear I own (except three pieces) are from the mid-late 80's. I actually got into music because of Sierra games. They offered support for the Casio CZ101 with KQ1 and my dad had both, so, being surrounded by CheeZy synths and Sierra makes me feel all warm, fuzzy, and kid-like. I will just mess around with the soundFont thing. If I can find something free I will include it with my game so others can snatch it and distribute it. Microsoft did it with their Age Of Empires series. The lack of a better pallete is still a bummer, but, I think we'll all live... ;D
-
if one could place the music on cd's that would rock.
and if it was like that in the sierra games i imagine it would be much easier to implement too :)
-
I'm just pushing a pet theorem to the limit here, so please bear with me:
Actually, you would not need Assembly code to write an MP3 decoder. SCI is a Turing-complete language,
which means that it is, in theory, possible to realize any computation with it, provided that its
result is known to exist and takes finite time to come up with. Now, getting the decoded data to the
sound card is another matter, and would require some hacking to do. You would probably also run into
a memory shortage. Oh well, so much for theory.
Lars
(who is a CS student, and proud of it)
-
Huh?
-
Lars - I got a B.A. in CS so I understand you ... not that i'm happy about it 8)
-
I don't think that the MP3 support is neccesary. The MIDI files will do the job. That't of course my opinion.
-
How 'bout MOD?
-
I don't think mp3 support is necessary, but I would like to be able to convert an mp3 to SCI sounds, that would be nice, just like converting a midi to SCI sound.
-
The reason I have such an interest in music with SCI0 games is that I make electronic music.
Ah, so you have experience with MIDI... you may find it of interest that SCI1 allows you to inject
MIDI events into the sound driver. LSL5 uses this (synth-playing sequence).
-
Hmmm...SCI controlled synths...perhaps I could make a alblum using just SCI Studio...that would be kewl. Have it be visual...make the ego dance around the screen to produce tracks. Wicked.
later,
-junc
-
i think MODs would be kool. would be interesting to have a whole new code written for it so the interpreter gives options to play a certain pattern from a MOD whnever you want it to be played....but like was said earlier, probly would take excessive amount of hacking.
-
If you know where to look, you can get a small MOD player pre-built in ASM, used by the Intro scene. They are good enough and relatively easy to assimilate.