Bad Music Choices

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It's almost like the music true to the genre, that is recognisable as that genre's part, is thrown into the game as a token. A tick-box just to say "hey, we do indeed have that type of music in the game!".

And they didn't even do that well.

I'm not sure how else I can put this: as someone who likes the genre, I wanted CDPR to pander to me.
And they decided to basically re-imagine cyberpunk, changing the vibe, and I don't like it. Music is a huge part of that.
 
I didn't want to stir the drama but I agree with above. If overwhelming portion of the in-game music (I mean songs that play in your car radio and in radios everywhere else in-game) is screams and rap then where is the variety? It's almost like the music true to the genre, that is recognisable as that genre's part, is thrown into the game as a token. A tick-box just to say "hey, we do indeed have that type of music in the game!".

the genre doesn't have a music
 
What variety? It all sounds the same to me.

I think providing variety would be amazing.
And I think they didn't do it.



And I think that mentality is part of the problem. I think that gamer-bubble echo chamber is part of why communicating about this game is extra difficult: having to break past a lot of peoples' assumptions, here.

I never played The Witcher...but I grew up with cyberpunk.
I'm sure a lot of people never played The Witcher but love cyberpunk.
And I'm sure a lot of them wanted to play this game regardless of anything CDPR had ever done before, maybe didn't even know CDPR had done anything before.

I think if you rather brazenly name your game after an entire genre, your primary audience isn't going to be the people who liked your game about a monster-fighting guy with white hair.



Oh. You think I'm talking about the score.

I'm talking about the soundtrack. I'm talking about radios. I'm talking about the music listened to by characters in the game, not the incidental music.


Oh, sheesh. Don't be that guy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum

[Sard Edit] The game is named after a TTRPG created in 1988. at which point only two movies were made that were classified as cyberpunk. the musical styling was not fixed.
 
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cyberpunk as a genre originated with books and comic books, the choices made by a couple of people are just their choices.

And yet, there is still a history of cyberpunk music:




...just as examples. And you'll notice some common themes that are not present in CDPR's game.

Is the genre horror tied to one music?

No. But that's an irrelevant question; horror rarely takes place in a setting that isn't essentially the present, or a time in history that has already gone past.

Better to ask whether, say, High Fantasy has a musical genre attached to it.
ANSWER: Yeah. Mostly stuff like this:
 
Well, I guess the problem is that it seems like some people think I shouldn't have wanted that.

I see people disagreeing with your opinion that the music choices are bad, not that you are most welcome to your opinions and wishes. Rare indeed is the game / film / album / art / whatever that hits the right buttons for every person who experiences it. I say rare, of course I mean non-existent. I see that you explain why you think the choices are bad, and I see people saying 'this is why I hold a different opinion'. Lively open debate, in other words. :)
 
I see people disagreeing with your opinion that the music choices are bad, not that you are most welcome to your opinions and wishes. Rare indeed is the game / film / album / art / whatever that hits the right buttons for every person who experiences it.

Thing is, when a genre has a very well-established catalog of associations--which cyberpunk does--then I think there is a very easy-to-follow roadmap for pleasing the most people, and CDPR has basically said that they actively ignored it in favor of...well, what they did.

I say rare, of course I mean non-existent.

I must cite "Ready Player One" as a movie that hit pretty much everything I wanted out of it.

I see that you explain why you think the choices are bad, and I see people saying 'this is why I hold a different opinion'. Lively open debate, in other words. :)

True, true.
But I think that the people who hold different opinions are in the same position CDPR is in, which is to say, having to explain how flouting the well-established cyberpunk legacy was a good idea.
 
And yet, there is still a history of cyberpunk music:




...just as examples. And you'll notice some common themes that are not present in CDPR's game.



No. But that's an irrelevant question; horror rarely takes place in a setting that isn't essentially the present, or a time in history that has already gone past.

Better to ask whether, say, High Fantasy has a musical genre attached to it.
ANSWER: Yeah. Mostly stuff like this:
I have no problem with that music, but its not etched into the DNA of the fictional genre. Different creators have always made different choices with the music.

akira, ghost in the shell, Johnny mnemonic, blade runner, judge dred, Robocop, hackers. They all made different musical choices to express the genre.

As to fantasy having a set music, I disagree. The music you pick has a lot to do with the story and characters and tone. The field of high fantasy is pretty wide open in what type of stories it can tell, so the music is as well imo.
 
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I have no problem with that music, but its not etched into the DNA of the fictional genre.

Justify that statement, please.

Because...yes, it is.

As to fantasy having a set music, I disagree.

At this point, I think you're disagreeing just to disagree.

The music you pick has a lot to do with the story and characters and tone.

It has to do with setting.

Just like the examples of cyberpunk music I posted.

The field of high fantasy is pretty wide open in what type of stories it can tell, so the music is as well imo.

High Fantasy is limited by technological level; you're primarily going to find woodwinds, percussion, and strings.
Cyberpunk is a technological genre with a fairly well-established visual style...as well as a fairly established musical style.

You say a lot of things like, "its not etched into the DNA of the fictional genre," which sure does sound egalitarian and open-minded...but it's still incorrect. It's great on paper, but if you go looking into the genre you will find a common theme to the music. That's just plain a given.
 
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Thing is, when a genre has a very well-established catalog of associations--which cyberpunk does--then I think there is a very easy-to-follow roadmap for pleasing the most people, and CDPR has basically said that they actively ignored it in favor of...well, what they did.



I must cite "Ready Player One" as a movie that hit pretty much everything I wanted out of it.



True, true.
But I think that the people who hold different opinions are in the same position CDPR is in, which is to say, having to explain how flouting the well-established cyberpunk legacy was a good idea.

Nah I disagree, I think the creators can do whatever they want with their project and explain none of it, if they so desire. Nothing more pathetic than an artist having to explain their choices or references or reasons, you either get them or you don't, agree or not. It's entertainment innit. I hope you get over your disappointment.
 
Nah I disagree, I think the creators can do whatever they want with their project and explain none of it, if they so desire.

Well, I don't.

Not if they're going to sell it to people.
At that point, they're kinna obligated to keep the audience happy.

Nothing more pathetic than an artist having to explain their choices or references or reasons, you either get them or you don't, agree or not.

"Pathetic"?

Dude, I'm an artist, and I like explaining my choices and references. It's fun.

It's entertainment innit.

And I find I'm less entertained as a result of choices made by CDPR.

It's made me want to not give them money in the future. Which means it wasn't the best creative decision they ever made.

I hope you get over your disappointment.

I hope you get over your desire to be snide.
 
Maybe. But they didn't exactly include it in CP2077.
Their lackluster attempt with "Pacific Dreams" radio station tried, but missed the mark.



I'm sure I could cherry-pick examples, too.
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Justify that statement, please.

Because...yes, it is.



At this point, I think you're disagreeing just to disagree.



It has to do with setting.

Just like the examples of cyberpunk music I posted.



High Fantasy is limited by technological level; you're primarily going to find woodwinds, percussion, and strings.
Cyberpunk is a technological genre with a fairly well-established visual style...as well as a fairly established musical style.

You say a lot of things like, "its not etched into the DNA of the fictional genre," which sure does sound egalitarian and open-minded...but it's still incorrect. It's great on paper, but if you go looking into the genre you will find a common theme to the music. That's just plain a given.

I just showed a whole bunch movies that all had extremely different soundtracks and musical styles.

As for the setting of cyberpunk, its different in every fiction. Pondsmith cyberpunk isn't the same exact setting as Akira, or the matrix, or blade runner, or Johnny mnemonic, or judge dred, and 2077 isn't even the same setting as it was when pondsmith made it in the 80's.
 
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