Battle Theme Preferences?

[ashikai]

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on having dedicated (non-boss) battle themes. I'm thinking about making my game have no battle themes so the area music keeps playing throughout the whole battle but I'm not sure if that would help or hurt overall immersion in the game.

What are your thoughts?

 

[JtheDuelist]

There is a time and place for carried over music between overworld and battle. But, unless you edit the sound effects, the encounter sound effect would probably ruin the immersion factor of doing so, as it temporarily pauses the music. So you are better off having a separate battle theme in 99% of cases.

 

[gstv87]

I can't think of any one game that didn't have a change of music from standard to battle.

I mean, right from the design base, the battle is another scene altogether.

 

[Ms Littlefish]

I think there is a lot that would go into the decision on whether it's a good creative choice to carry map music into battles. Depending on the battle system and overall themes of the game, it could work. It's easier to see how it can work for a game that keeps its battles on the same screen but I think if you have fadeaways and transition to a new screen, that's where it gets trickier and may feel more jarring to not have the music change. You could possibly experiment with increasing the tempo of the map music as battle music, but that's going to depend on the actual music choices is that is a pleasing choice.

 

[LaFlibuste]

It really depends. I know at least one game that has done it for a few areas off the top of my head: the undersea palace in Chrono Trigger. I think the things to consider are:

- Your battles should happen on the dungeon map, without a screen change. Else it might feel weird and unintuitive.

- Doing this might be more immersive dungeon wide but will create a more drawn-out feeling for your dungeons. Sometimes, in particularly intense locations, you might want this, but sometimes you also like your dungeons to have a little breathing room, give your players a bit of a break.

- Battles are intense, they're mini climaxes. If you are going to do this, your dungeon theme is going to have to reflect that at least partly. It will have to be at least somewhat energetic and driving. Sometimes you might want a dungeon to feel empty, desolate, sad, whatever. Such a music would likely not create much hype during a battle scene. I mean, having a battle scene with a sadder song can totally be an option to create an effect if the context and story supports it, but would you want this for just any regular battle throughout a whole dungeon? Battles are already a bit of an hindrance, a necessarily evil, imagine if it was not somewhat driving on top of that!...

So bottom line I think it's definitely a tool you can use in places to create an effect. It works for the Undersea Palace in CT because the theme is driving and it happens near the end of the plotline when you are about to confront (what you think is) the main bad guy. But game wide it would have to be a very intense and driving game for it to be appropriate. I dunno, I guess it could work, but I'm not convinced.

 

[D.L. Yomegami]

There is a time and place for carried over music between overworld and battle. But, unless you edit the sound effects, the encounter sound effect would probably ruin the immersion factor of doing so, as it temporarily pauses the music. So you are better off having a separate battle theme in 99% of cases.

Small correction here: In MV at least, if the battle music and map music are the same the music keeps playing during the battle transition. The encounter sound effect still plays, though.

As for my own thoughts on this topic: I think it really depends on what you're doing with your overworld themes. If you're planning on using the same dreary dungeon theme for most of your game's dungeons, then you're probably better off giving battles their own theme. If, on the other hand, you're planning on giving each individual area its own theme, then it might be worth playing around with the idea of not having random battle music, at least for a couple areas.

At the very least, I personally let the map BGM carry over into battles for the final dungeon. As what's likely to be at around the climax of the story, the mood of the final dungeon could be better preserved that way if you're also not giving each area it's own battle theme.

I can think of at least one dungeon in an RPG where I wish the battle music didn't play: Somnom Woods in Mario and Luigi Dream Team. The music and atmosphere of that area is just incredible; it perfectly drives home what you're doing there and why you're doing it, and for me at least did an excellent job at keeping me want to keep marching ahead. Then you get into a battle and the mood's completely ruined by the same cheery battle music you've been hearing all game.

 

[ashikai]

Thanks for the input, guys!

I'm definitely planning on having different themes for (at least) every dungeon. My whole game takes place in one city (modern) so there will likely be a couple themes for that, but not many, allowing for additional songs to be put elsewhere.
My main concern is battle theme fatigue (which I get ALLLL the time). I suppose that could be solved by having multiple battle themes that change every dungeon or so. I haven't played M&L Dream Team but I'm gonna see if I can't find a video of that area to see how it pans out.

It's a really good point about the swapping of scenes... I don't know how well I could hide that transition since I have an isometric game and the battles are sideview. That'd be rough.

 

[OnslaughtSupply]

I did this on a personal learning the engine project but I had the music change on the map to something really fast paced as the player had set off an alarm and battles where nearly consecutive. In that instance it flowed really well. Other than some unique situations, I just think it would make battles feel bland.

 

[Kes]

Over the course of a game which is more than a couple of hours long, I think you need variety in your battle music, otherwise most players are going to get bored with what you have.

What I have is a general battle theme which I use for the first few hours of the game, say roughly 30-40% with a different non-battle BGM for each dungeon. After that I have battle themes which are commissioned specifically to go with the dungeon BGM so that musically they are clearly linked (or at least don't clash in terms of key etc.) but distinctive enough to allow for the extra drive that a battle theme normally needs. Bosses have their own tracks.

 

[Milennin]

If battles are on a separate screen like most RPG Maker games, I want a battle theme. If the game has on-map battles, I don't see it as a necessity, outside of boss battles.

I don't mind having the same battle theme throughout the entire game. If the music is fun and catchy, I'll love it no matter how many times I hear. Most of Pokémon games, Fire Emblem 7 to name some games that didn't update their battle themes throughout their games that I never got bored of listening to.