City Research Online City, University of London Institutional Repository Citation: Aristopoulos, M. (2017). A portfolio of recombinant compositions for the videogame Apotheon. (Unpublished Doctoral thesis, City, University of London) This is the accepted version of the paper. This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Permanent repository link: https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/19298/ Link to published version: Copyright: City Research Online aims to make research outputs of City, University of London available to a wider audience. Copyright and Moral Rights remain with the author(s) and/or copyright holders. URLs from City Research Online may be freely distributed and linked to. Reuse: Copies of full items can be used for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge. 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City Research Online: http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/ [email protected] A portfolio of recombinant compositions for the videogame Apotheon By Marios Aristopoulos, student number: 100038079 Ph.D. thesis Word count: 43.621 & 68 minutes of original music Department of Music City, University of London September 2017 Supervisor: Dr. Miguel Mera 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................. 6 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................................ 7 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................. 8 RESEARCH QUESTIONS & METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................... 10 LIST OF PORTFOLIO COMPOSITIONS ...................................................................................................... 13 CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM OF MUSICAL REPETITION IN GAMES ............................................... 16 1.1 REPETITION IN MUSIC ................................................................................................................................... 16 1.2 MUSICAL REPETITION IN OPEN WORLD GAMES & WORLD OF WARCRAFT ................................................. 23 World of Warcraft player survey .................................................................................................................. 26 1.3 TECHNIQUES FOR REDUCING REPETITION IN MMORPGS ............................................................................ 30 Use of Silence ............................................................................................................................................... 30 Writing more original music ........................................................................................................................ 31 Custom Playlists ........................................................................................................................................... 33 CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCING VARIABILITY THROUGH RECOMBINANT TECHNIQUES ............ 36 2.1 NON-STOCHASTIC RECOMBINANT ALGORITHMS .......................................................................................... 36 2.2 EARLY EXAMPLES OF ALEATORIC MUSIC .................................................................................................... 38 Musikalisches Wurfelspiel ............................................................................................................................ 39 2.3 ALEATORIC TECHNIQUES IN THE 20TH CENTURY ........................................................................................... 43 Open form & Mobile form ............................................................................................................................ 44 2.4 ALEATORIC METHODS AND GAME MUSIC ..................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER 2 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 51 CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDIES: GAMES THAT USED STOCHASTIC RECOMBINANT ALGORITHMS IN THEIR MUSIC .................................................................................................................. 52 3.1 BALLBLAZER ............................................................................................................................................... 52 3.2 TIMES OF LORE ............................................................................................................................................ 54 3.3 LEGEND OF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME ........................................................................................................ 55 3.4 TOMB RAIDER: LEGEND ............................................................................................................................... 57 3.5 RED DEAD REDEMPTION .............................................................................................................................. 60 3.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STOCHASTIC RECOMBINANT ALGORITHMS USED IN THE CASE STUDIES. ..................... 62 3.7 WHY HAVE STOCHASTIC RECOMBINANT ALGORITHMS NOT BEEN USED IN OTHER GAMES? ......................... 63 CHAPTER 3 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER 4: DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE STOCHASTIC RECOMBINANT ALGORITHM ....... 66 4.1 RECOMBINANT MODELS BY AXEL BERNDT ET AL. ....................................................................................... 66 4.2 RECOMBINANT MODELS BY RAYBOULD AND STEVENS ................................................................................ 69 CHAPTER 4 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 74 CHAPTER 5: APOTHEON ................................................................................................................................. 75 5.1 WHAT IS APOTHEON? ................................................................................................................................... 75 5.2 ADVANTAGES OF USING APOTHEON AS A RESEARCH PROJECT. .................................................................... 79 5.3 PRAISE FOR THE APOTHEON SOUNDTRACK ................................................................................................... 81 5.4 EXAMINER GUIDELINES ON ACCESSING THE GAME USING A PC ................................................................... 83 5.5 MOTIVATION FOR USING A RECOMBINANT CELLS ENGINE IN APOTHEON ..................................................... 85 5.6 THE MUSICAL LANGUAGE OF APOTHEON ...................................................................................................... 89 5.7 INFLUENCES FROM ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC ................................................................................................. 90 Instrumentation ............................................................................................................................................ 91 Performance and Production ....................................................................................................................... 92 Metre ............................................................................................................................................................ 93 Scales ............................................................................................................................................................ 94 5.8 INFLUENCES FROM VIDEO GAMES AND FILMS WITH ANCIENT GREEK MUSIC ............................................... 95 CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................................... 99 CHAPTER 6: THROUGH-COMPOSED PIECES IN APOTHEON ........................................................... 100 6.1 KING OF THE GODS ..................................................................................................................................... 100 2 6.2 MARCH FROM HADES .................................................................................................................................. 103 6.3 APOLLO’S PALACE ...................................................................................................................................... 103 6.4 ACHILLES HEEL .......................................................................................................................................... 106 6.5 STREET MUSICIANS ...................................................................................................................................... 106 6.6 DEFEAT/STALEMATE/VICTORY ..................................................................................................................... 108 6.7 TEN YEARS OF WAR/ TROJAN SHORES .........................................................................................................