How important is music to you when playing?

tort0429

To me it just makes imersion better.

 

Not an mmo but one of the best songs in gaming from Halo 4.

http://youtu.be/BQ-mmSh9yMw

gordiflu

I turn it off, in any game. It actually breaks inmersion in my opinion.

stringboi

As far as I'm concerned, a quality soundtrack is what makes a good portion of a game.   Maybe its because I'm a musician and really appreciate music and a good score, but I cant imagine feeling nostalgic about any of the games I love if it werent for the music.  

A great soundtrack should always be there, regardless if you turn the music off or not....it adds immersion and if done right, it can make a good game great!

Foomerang

As a musician, its very important to me. Unfortunately, most mmo music is crap. So i usually have the music off. I really enjoy good ambiant sounds in mmos.

muffins89

very important for pve.  it helps set the mood and pace of the game.  when i pvp i put on my own music for the same reasons. 

Phaserlight

Highly.  Music affects mood, state of mind, etc. and can actually enhance combat from my perspective.  Meditative state = fewer emotional reactions, heightened reflexes, and an expanded awareness.

I usually only listen to the OST in my game of choice for half an hour at a time.  More frequently I listen to internet radio or a setlist.  Spacemind2012 has some good ones on YT.

gordiflu

Well I happen to be a musician too...

I still turn it off.

It breaks inmersion to me. I don't see why my character should be listening to music when there's nobody playing music around.

stringboi

Originally posted by gordiflu

Well I happen to be a musician too...

I still turn it off.

It breaks inmersion to me. I don't see why my character should be listening to music when there's nobody playing music around.

Different strokes, and thats okay.....to me, a game is like playing in a movie.  I wouldnt enjoy movies without a soundtrack, games are no different

I know lots of people that play with the music off.   I was never one that could play with no sounds, or just sound effects, or just sit on vent and talk...to me thats boring...but like I said, different strokes!

bishbosh

one of the reasons diablo 2 > diablo 3 was because d2 had sick music 

d2 music

<-- creepy as fk, unique- not cookie cutter high budget orchestra crap

d3 music

<-- lame high budget  cookie cutter orchestra  crap, no soul, not creepy, unoriginal

 

ya music is important but like others have mentioned most games to a shit job

Smikis

only 5-10% of aaa games have soundtrack thats worth keeping on, but all off them spend huge money on it , personally i like when i can leave music on and turn off my own, but thats usually not the case , so far there wasnt single mmo where i would keep music on, or even if i keep i turn my own ontop because most mmos music is very low by default

AvsRock21

I'm always listening to music while playing games. I do love a game with a good original soudtrack, but those games are few and far between, so I usually have Pandora One playing a channel that fits with the game. 

 

Since when does music kill immersion? Rofl. When I play EVE, music adds to the immersion. Maybe it's because if I was really out in space in a ship, I could be playing music like I do in my car? Lol I dk. The in-game sound track in EVE is pretty epic, and absolutely perfect for the game. If I want to listen to different music while playing EVE, but keep the immersion, then I create a Pandora station out of "Solar Fields".  

bishbosh

Originally posted by Smikis
only 5-10% of aaa games have soundtrack thats worth keeping on, but all off them spend huge money on it , personally i like when i can leave music on and turn off my own, but thats usually not the case , so far there wasnt single mmo where i would keep music on, or even if i keep i turn my own ontop because most mmos music is very low by default

sc1(esp terran) and d2 have some of the best sountracks imo and they sound like/ most likely were low budget affairs

 

game industry was way different back then though. i dont think the suits were too interested.

Onomas

I turn down in game music and ambient sounds. Normaly to a low rate or just off. Sound effects i leave on.

Wizardry

Originally posted by tort0429

To me it just makes imersion better.

 

Not an mmo but one of the best songs in gaming from Halo 4.

http://youtu.be/BQ-mmSh9yMw

It is funny you mention Halo because in fps's i don't like any music,you need to be listening closely for game sounds.

In single player gaming i did enjoy music/sound a ton.Nine inch nails was synomonous with Quake/xpacs.

Elikal

Originally posted by gordiflu
I turn it off, in any game. It actually breaks inmersion in my opinion.

Yeah me too. Both ingame music and other music. I can't stand it. But then, I have HSP, so I can't have stuff that distracts me and overly stimulates me. I had the combat music on in a SWTOR warzone once, and boy, after those 10 minutes fighting with exciting music I was worn out and need half an hour break!

tank017

I would really have to like the music to keep it on..

 

otherwise I turn it off,just hearing the ambient sounds and your foot steps is much more immersive

Psy410

Originally posted by gordiflu
I turn it off, in any game. It actually breaks inmersion in my opinion.

In-game this can happen, this is why the best themes are always on the menus or the credits or in cutscenes.

However the music that is part of the ambient like in: a tavern / club, a festivity, a lament, the drums of battle, elevator / mall tunes, music boxes and such, really give more life to the game, than some, out-of-place theme that starts playing when you engage in an activity or enter a different area.

I admit that there have been some rare exceptions for me, in the early silent hill games the music was really 50% of the experience... instead of disrupting the game it felt like it was part of it, it had a lot of extrange and scary noises to make every occasion even more disturbing, it was all about building an atmosphere and then making you jump out of your chair or making you worry with a siren, some heart-beats and some clashing noises. But appart from that the more conventional music would be used in conversations or to make you feel an ephemeral peace of mind that would then be disrupted in a shocking manner (sometimes the happy / innocent music was the scarier), that music could make you feel disoriented, vulnerable or impotent... it was awesome.

IF done right the music can make everything more intense and meaningful.

Edit: For example, I wouldn't mind to hear this brief piece, when coming out of a dungeon (for the first time only) and into the high mountains of the open world.

It just has to be carefully placed.

Maybe its just me LOL I think I would actually turn down the voice comments of my friends to hear the music....... I never liked voice chat very much anyways.

 

 

 

 

Kyleran

I turn in game music almost immediately after first sign in.  Besides conflicting with voice chat if I am playing any music it's from my own selection, not what the game provides.

 

Sevenstar61

Always have music on. in SWTOR which I play right now, it's more than awesome experience. But I also had game music in all games I played. I will turn volume low if I am in voice chat, but I have it always in background.

eldaris

I keep the game music on always and the quality of music influences a lot if I will play the mmo long term or not.I am not using voice chat and no plans to ever use it,voice chat is one of the things which can destroy immersion in a mmo or a multiplayer game very easy.
Too bad lately mmorpgs didn't try to get decent soundtracks, I think the last one I enjoyed a lot was AOC.

KenFisher

I usually turn it off.  A few games I don't if it's well done and fits the mood.

Crazy_Stick

It depends on the game and the music. I like ambient sounds and music that blends with it seamlessly without clashing with the gameplay requirements is an awesome thing.  I hate jarring crescendo junk that distracts me from focusing on what I need to do. Champions Online character creation is a good example of where I always turn tunes off. I do wish more games had an MP3 player utility that let me play music from my own library when wanted.

DSWBeef

Depends on where I am in game. If im alone in a forest i dont intend on hearing music as it breaks immersion. If im in a tavern sure. Wish a game would do that lol.

Illius

I leave the sounds and ambient stuff on but usually turn the music off or leave it at a very low level.  If I'm doing something fairly repetitive I'll play my own music.

Beatnik59

Believe it or not, I can usually tell if I'd like a game by the music it plays me when I start up.

Everquest II had a beautiful soundtrack.  City of Villains did too.  Same with EVE and SWG.  I stuck with all of those.

WoW, WAR and Champions were just---blah---and as a result, I never really got excited about them.

Theocritus

    I've only played a handful of MMOs that had decent music.......Unfortunately though if you play for any length of time there are only a few tracks and they get old pretty fast...Like most of you I find myself turning off the music in most MMOs