SSR System Shock Remake's Music

[665b23ad18202microspam]

In all honesty, I want a soundtrack akin to the original.

By the looks of the trailer, I am disappointed by the cinematic, low-pitch bwangs, and notes that are copied and pasted from all horror movies from 2000 and beyond.

I never felt that the soundtrack from the original Shock was about being scary in the first place. It was catchy, and genuinely could be danced to. The atmosphere being conveyed in a way where you were being empowered, but being told to be careful at the same time. At the moment though, the music is probably place holder, and is just there for  the trailer's sake.

Here's a good question: Should the soundtrack be remade, or reimagined with the same context and theme of the original Shock game?

(I suppose that the choice will be obvious. )

[665b23ad18798XKILLJOY98]

In all honesty, I want a soundtrack akin to the original.

By the looks of the trailer, I am disappointed by the cinematic, low-pitch bwangs, and notes that are copied and pasted from all horror movies from 2000 and beyond.

I never felt that the soundtrack from the original Shock was about being scary in the first place. It was catchy, and genuinely could be danced to. The atmosphere being conveyed in a way where you were being empowered, but being told to be careful at the same time. At the moment though, the music is probably place holder, and is just there for  the trailer's sake.

Here's a good question: Should the soundtrack be remade, or reimagined with the same context and theme of the original Shock game?

(I suppose that the choice will be obvious. )

I agree with you, also, I already asked them this question, and yes I think that the soundtrack should simply be reimagined/remastered but with the same context, sounds, themes, etc. of the original. I love the original soundtrack, and feel that it's music made the game very atmospheric, and I'm worried that different music might take away from that. I never saw either system shock as full horror games like dead space, but rather as sci-fi games with horror elements, though I suppose this could be due to their dated horror elements idk.

Me: "Night Dive Studios, I don't know how often you all answer questions, but I have one if you don't mind.

System Shock: Remastered Edition looks amazing, but I have one question. On Systemshock.org you mentioned that you would be composing a completely new soundtrack, and in the pre alpha footage, the music seems to be more ambient. So my question is how exactly will the music be different, will it be:

-A remastered/remixed version of the original soundtrack? (If not, will it incorporate the original soundtrack in some way?)

-A completely new and/or more ambient soundtrack?
(If so will the original music trigger/play at certain areas like in ss2 and be ambient in other areas?, will there be a soundtrack option?, or will it simply be a brand/completely new soundtrack?)

-Something else?

The reason I ask is because parts of ss1 (I felt) were very atmospheric due to the music, and part of me worries that if this new remake makes a completely new soundtrack it might take away from that, so anyway, in what way will the soundtrack be different?

If you do answer, thanks in advance."


N.D.S.: "We are working to make something very similar in spirit, but up to modern standards. You'll have to wait until we can release something to decide for yourself."

[665b23ad189d9ZylonBane]

Here's the issue-- Looking Glass was always VERY good at working within the limits of current technology. At the time SS1 was made, they had 320x240, 256-color graphics to work with. You can't make a realistically scary game with that in a real-time non-monochrome 3D engine. So they went with a stylized cartoonish aesthetic, and composed music to match.

But it's now the future, and if you render the exact same scenes from SS1 using modern graphics, they're pretty goddamn horrifying. Blood stains, wrecked walls, body parts and dismembered corpses everywhere. If you put those scenes up against the original bouncy soundtrack, the tonal dissonance would be laughable. So at the very least the music needs to be remixed.

[665b23ad18ddcXKILLJOY98]

Here's the issue-- Looking Glass was always VERY good at working within the limits of current technology. At the time SS1 was made, they had 320x240, 256-color graphics to work with. You can't make a realistically scary game with that in a real-time non-monochrome 3D engine. So they went with a stylized cartoonish aesthetic, and composed music to match.

But it's now the future, and if you render the exact same scenes from SS1 using modern graphics, they're pretty goddamn horrifying. Blood stains, wrecked walls, body parts and dismembered corpses everywhere. If you put those scenes up against the original bouncy soundtrack, the tonal dissonance would be laughable. So at the very least the music needs to be remixed.

Gore =/= horror, you can have gore without horror, plus if ss1 wasn't intended to be scary, wouldn't that in a way, change its tone, mood, feel, etc.? There is some gore, blood, dead bodies, broken parts of the station, etc. so what?, gore doesn't make a game scary, fear does; if you stuck with the same color pallet and went with the same music, the tone wouldn't change/it would match just as well as the original one did.

Plus I'm almost 100% certain that that wasn't the reason for them doing that, go watch these when you have the time:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LDiTZ89j-Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMXguHtfEs4

Plus level 3/the maintenance level is proof that they can make a scary game with that engine. 

Also, ss2 had just as much techno music, and it was said to be scary by a lot of people.

[665b23ad1926dZylonBane]

Plus I'm almost 100% certain that that wasn't the reason for them doing that, go watch these:

"Go watch these!" (links to 12 hours of video)

Ah, the mind of a crazy person.

[665b23ad195d5XKILLJOY98]

"Go watch these!" (links to 12 hours of video)

Ah, the mind of a crazy person.

You're very quick to judge/make assumptions.

I was simply implying that those videos provide very informative information about the development of ss1.

I didn't expect you to watch all of it, just when you have the time watch parts of them here and there and skip through it from time to time.

[665b23ad19dfdX-Tech]

Yes. Trailer music is garbage. This is generic horror random notes which destroys overall cyberpunk atmo of original.
SS should have full dynamically sounding soundtrack based on elements of catchy synthesized electronic music with
very 80's feel. System Shock 2 is another pair of boots where are lot of melodic synthesized sounds and melodies against melodic drumnbass stylish unique sections. SS2 has a lot of horror ambients too and still electronic. Both games should have soundtracks which in SS1 and SS2 brings live to game and give it refreshing and cyberpunk/hack feel 100% electronic sounds 0 cinematic sections which destroy cyberpunk of both...I know someone who is able to make music for both perfectly and even remake it...and not go into this sick paranoja of overlooped boring dnb tunes or generic horror bullshit but 100% electronic soundtrack with memorable melodies and scary ambients when needed...

This is how remaked ORIGINAL soundtrack could sound. System Shock 1 MUSIC Intro Remake
https://soundcloud.com/variax-operations/variax-operations-ss1-remake-intro

N.D.S.: "We are working to make something very similar in spirit, but up to modern standards. You'll have to wait until we can release something to decide for yourself."

System Shock 2 is modern. Most tracks there are in SS2 like technological synths and industrial music with ambient and drumn n bass melodic concepts with specific sound not to found elswhere. There is none (in ss2) garbage of random pseudo amnesia violin notes but technological futuristic soundtrack besed on electronic like game itself. They ruin it cause (NIGHTDIVE STUDIO) they not understand how System Shock 1,2 music works in game...Their proposition for replace first level music is to put  some kind of pseudo amnesia instrumental violin concert - which not match into game in sound and melody. This is abomination. If someone remake games, level and textures should remake music too but not change into something else. This is total missunderstanding. System Shock 1 have memorable melodies and structures of music same as SS2 this is abomination to not remake music but place into game very bad matching instrumental concerts instead of remake original music !!!!

System Shock 1 using midi which is based on technological limitation of 1994.
System Shock 2 using fully processed technological audio synths and processing.

System Shock 1 Remake - want ruin both exceleent styles of music which just need to be remastered and recreated for actuall time sound synthesis. They want ruin music of both games, replace it even into something which was before even computer was created. Music for first level which they propose to use is abomination. Not match to anything in game, into environment, not mach into gameplay and story. This is f*n sin want to destroy legend by destroy music. It's same sin like to destroy original levels in remake and replace with something else like some kind of amnesia castle and call it system shock. Very strong and not pleasurable retardation, sin, abomination  is what i can about music which they used in demo of remake. They just spitted on original music. They should give original music of System Shock 1 for remake this music...

Really. Are they bunch of kids who jumped from creating amnesia or slender unity mods and want to make same from System Shock 1 ? Isnt that retarded cause original creators concepts of both System Shock 1,2 was to make game totally independent based totally in each aspect at core of game which was technological environment and AI. If someone can ruin legend of System Shock 1 it can be done by NIGHTDIVE STUDIO. Wake up !

[665b23ad19ffcvoodoo47]

dude, they KNOW - pretty sure the final release will have proper music.

[665b23ad1a1ecX-Tech]

Proper = remaked = 100% electronic original SS1 soundtrack not replaced with something other. If thei proposition at start for first level is abomination and word - this is in their opinion standard - this is really mentally retardation which expose thinkin of people who think standard is to abomination of System Shock into some kind of pseudo art amnesia generic horror. Music should kick ass ans be 100% electronic and remaked - this is about system shock 1 not some kind of retarded unity amatour project which want to be like amnesia or slender. WTF

[665b23ad1a2fevoodoo47]

again, NDS know about this, so no need to spew out bile here (translation - keep it up, and you'll be chilling with an ip ban for a day or two).