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[Dan_Mac]

Hi Ladies and Gents,

I was wondering if any of you good game developer people could give me some feedback regarding communication between contributors to your game-in particular, music / sfx folk (like myself). 

I've had a request to do some work on a game but the information i'm getting is pretty limited.  I like to know what the story is about, what the character is like, the vibe etc so that I can get the music to fit the individual situation-with possible glimpses of the game if possible.

Would you say this was reasonable to expect? 

I get the impression that the music isn't that important to the developer.  I was referred to Mario and other such titles for inspiration but this really doesn't help me.  I could be wasting time on a soundtrack for a game I haven't got a clue about.

What goes on in those developer skulls please:-)

Your comments are most welcome:-)

[ryansumo]

You're probably right and they probably don't care.  You probably shouldn't either.  I know it's not cool to say it's okay to put out work that you don't care about, but as a 7 year freelancer I can count the number of times I was really invested in a game I was working on with one hand.  That doesn't mean you should put out crap work, just that you need to work with whatever they're giving you, because that's what a professional does. 

Good luck!

[starsrift]

Ryansumo pretty much has it down right. You're probably right, and they don't care.

Music is an invisibly integral part of a game. Nobody really stops and takes notice of it unless it's really good, or really bad, but you can bet folks miss it if it isn't there! Sadly underappreciated.

[Uykered]

Do musicians ever ask for more info from other developers in the team if they need it, or do they just talk about it with forums/friends like this?

Has me worried that maybe I don't give them enough info or the right info they need.

[SundownKid]

I would ask for detailed information about the game as a stipulation. I mean, you have no idea if you are making music for a stolen game, or one you don't like or wouldn't want your name attached to. I think that at the very least you should ask for some description or pictures of the game otherwise you should refuse.

If you are the developer you should give the musician a design document and screenshots, or the game itself to play, otherwise you are just being annoying and making their life harder.