The Generation of Procedural Generation

Video game music is taking a beautiful turn for the best as we witness the implementation of procedural generation in the new game "Spore" which was released on September 4, 2008.

From the creators of the "Sims" comes a new evolutionary based single-player online game. I haven't gotten my hands on it yet (although I plan to) in order to write a review. The game, according to wiki, "allows a player to control the evolution of a species from its beginnings as a unicellular organism, through development as an intelligent and social creature, to interstellar exploration as a spacefaring culture."
Here's a great interview with Spore's producer Thomas Vu.



Now, we have a unique circumstance here within the game that allows users to have millions of game play options at their disposal. How do you adapt audio to that kind of unpredictable spontaneity? Well, there is actually a very good answer to that question. Procedural generation.

Procedural generation essentially includes any form of media which is composed algorithmically or pragmatically. We see games employing this method through sound, image, character, surroundings, etc. outputing random compositions appropriate to the situation as they're randomly predetermined by the programmer. Whatever has chosen to include procedural generation as its means of construction, of course must have the ability to create thousands and thousands of possibilities, so that no two experiences create the same outcome. Headed by the infamous creator of "generative music," Brian Eno, we see Spore using this technique in their sound design. Here's an excerpt from a GameSetWatch article, "He [Brian Eno] was asked to do it, because the designers wanted sound that is just as procedural as the game itself, instead of the loops which are tied to certain stages or areas which we are used to experience in games."

Pure Data, a graphical programming environment, was used for these compositions. Script was written for different phases of the game complementing each players action in every situation, finally linking to Pd as external events. A great article on how Pd was used in Spore. It would be very interesting to see the patches the team wrote in order to create this generative technique and how they linked them to the game play. I haven't used Pure Data as a generative environment, but only for simple synchronous tasks like designing sounds, drum machines, samplers, etc. I'm now inspired to delve deeper into this technique of using procedural generation within music and implementing Pd as a means of doing so.

Web Environments

Websites. Those digital fountains of wealth and entertainment that we frequently find ourselves subjected to hours at a time. The pure fact that this concept (World Wide Web) exists is absolutely unbelievable. I can easily pop online, smack down a line of text and instantly search the vast universe of its music, reviews, opinions, news, tv shows, biographies, books, stores, blah blah, etc. With the Web's popularity being so massively outstanding, what is preventing most of its content from being displayed attractivly and professionally? Of course there are the amatuer exceptions, posting their sites for reasons "unknown," at least other than to provide valuable information... but I'm talking here about the professional web sites we intentionally search for, that cater, in our opinion, priceless information... and even more specifically, websites that provide content dedicated to the entertainment of sorts. Believe it or not, we encounter various web pages with the anticipation that we'll become self inspired or self motivated. Is it any wonder why it's such a let down when our experiences with certain sites are dull and/or dysfunctional?

Personally, I feel like websites have a very large amount of potential for artistic expression, not only visually but acoustically as well. Let's ignore that fact that businesses, clubs, schools, etc. have to throw up blunt facts about each one's particular organization and focus on the pure opportunity that's available for Web Art. Not only could this bring your creative work to the doorstep of every computer user in the world, but it allows for interactive art that once could only be implemented through an installation.

Sound Design. This idea of designing sound for the web could complement an aesthetically pleasing interactive canvas in very special ways. Mouse overs and clicks initiating mysterious short tones. Waves of ambiance could float through the background. Loops activating manipulated field recordings or processed speech. As we create what seems to be the most basic of ideas for implementing sound design into interactive web applications, our creative minds can explore the further possibilities of human-computer interaction in sound. A perfect example of great sound design within a web environment is GameZombie.tv's "Bloodmap." A great visual, yet even better sound design created by Chris Bates. Also, the famous sound designer, Richard Devine has an extraordinary website which really focuses on the sound you hear as you interact with his site. Visit his page and listen as you mouse over certain buttons and over various subtle things in the background. He has truly created a wonderful experience for the visiter, using sound as his driving force.
We know audio deserves a larger role, let's give it the opportunity to flourish.

Games vs. Film vs. Web Video

What part does music play in the world of emotion? When does music and sound capture us, reel us in without permission? Besides solely concentrating on music alone, film (when using music and/or sound) is something we encounter which creates for us an atmosphere in which the experiences on the screen result in an emotional tornado. Our response to the screen is augmented when music and sound effects are applied. They are there to direct us, lead us to particular reactions, it's all preplanned.

Why don't video games come to mind as mediums evoking such special experiences? Of course one large reason is that current consoles are now able to support sampling rates equivalent to those that are being producing in film. We can thank the now wide and cheap accessibility of RAM for this. These nastily low sample rates were giving game music that old school 4-bit theme we all know and love, kind of. Of course this was the worst case scenario and samples rates have been getting increasingly better up to this point. You can now power up Halo 3 and listen to a beautifully orchestrated score that is as high of quality as the music in film.

So we have music and sound in our video games with quality that is equally as crisp and stunning as our standard film production. It's certainly not that the composers or sound designers for these games are less talented is it? No, it's just different. It's much harder. The art of applying music/sound to video games requires a completely different approach than that of designing audio for film. The key lies in the essence of the experience. I believe the point of disaster for sound designers and composers hides in realizing this challenge.

The approach...

Film is presented in a narrative linear fashion, while games, also being very narrative, are interactive and provide opportunities for the player to create sort of his own unique experience as he/she picks and chooses from some of the many options that are available to him/her during game play. Sound designers have to complement this quick and spontaneous change. How do we adapt the user's sonic environment appropriately to suit these nonlinear experiences? Music and sound is not something to be taken lightly. Elaboration: later posts.

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Back to sampling rates.
Additionally...conceptually, this allows our sound in Web Video to be, without excuse, at least 16 bit, 44.1 kHz, minimum. Sound artists need to be just as involved in Web 2.0 as they are in any other field of entertainment. It's a young field, yet profitable and flourishing. When creating a primarily visual piece of entertainment on the internet, such as "webisodes," news shows, games, etc., a sound designer should be involved from the very beginning. Give that person time to create beautiful sound and/or music that complements the user's experience perfectly. Even with web video we need to evoke pleasant emotions and make our productions "sticky." Who says audio doesn't play a humongous factor, whether consciously or subconsciously, in creating that mysterious formula for getting an audience to come back and watch your productions? I for one strongly agree with the opinion that it does play a large role... and this is primarily what we will be discussing further and elaborating on throughout this blog.