Sing us a song, you’re the piano man. Except, you can’t — not in The Secret World. That’s because there is no player music system in this conspiracy-rich horror game. How can that be? A world that is top-notch for ambiance and using sound doesn’t have a robust system in place to celebrate the awesomeness that is music? I’m here to say, it really does need one. We know it is possible to some degree: We already have some missions that utilize flute and organ playing in the game. So let’s expand it a la Lord of the Rings Online, or even ArcheAge.
Now, I can fully appreciate the argument that listening to the players pounding out out-of-tune pieces could very well ruin the ambiance the game has carefully cultivated. That’s true. But I believe there are ways that instrumental abuse can be mitigated.
Making music
I want a player music system in every game I play, and I want it even more in games I love. Those who know me know that music is on my brain 24/7; I love to hear it/play it/sing it/revel in it all the time. LOTRO spoiled me forever. That music system is what all systems should aspire to, with a huge assortment of instruments and the ability to play either free-style or to compose masterful pieces that others can then play along with you. Some of my best memories in that game are jamming along with others as well as random street concerts. Yes, memory lane there has a soundtrack.
There is the darker side of player music. I’ll be the first to admit that walking along and hearing AC/DC might be a bit jarring to immersion, but I counter that it is more than made up for when you can also stumble across familiar strains from the movies or other fitting compositions as you adventure. Plus, you get the chance to rock out in your own home no matter what the music. And it didn’t matter how musically inclined you really were; with this system, anyone can be as musical as she wants to be. Thanks to the files others composed and shared, you could sound amazing and play in sync with the rest of the band. I myself am not very masterful when it comes to using the keyboard for playing (my skills are better at a violin and a little piano), but I have a whole file full of various pieces transcribed by others to play either solo or as a group.
Seriously, if you haven’t experienced this system, go do so now. I’ll wait.
Now can you see why I want this in The Secret World? I have tasted of the possibility, and it is a glorious nectar that I must partake more of. And the precedent has already been set in TSW. I was given a tiny tease of it when I had to plunk out organ notes to complete one step of the investigation mission Digging Deeper in Kingsmouth. From that moment I have wanted more ways to keep playing melodies.
Then along came The Christmas Conspiracy, which gave me a flute and made me pipe out various classical refrains in order to move through the catacombs and prevent the defiling of St. Nick’s remains. Sadly, the flute itself was not a reward for completing the mission. I was crushed! I know of plenty of folks who refused to complete that mission just to keep the instrument and continue making music the rest of the year. I only wish I was strong enough to resist the lure of the loot and do the same (but I did get the rare pet with that final loot bag!).
There is one instrument players get to keep: a different flute from the Orochi tower that plays different notes. Unfortunately, you need to be far enough in the story line to even set foot in Tokyo, have Issue #11 to be able to do the missions inside the tower, and you have to actually complete that specific floor to win this vaunted prize. I certainly don’t mind there being work to get it, but it does prevent a good share of players from enjoying making music, and that makes me sad.
We need more permanent instruments that we can play our jaunty tunes on — and not just more but a wide variety. Just look at LOTRO’s selection, which includes harps, drums, lutes, flutes, clarinets, oboes, and more. Just think of the concerts that could happen at the Albion Theater or the street performances near Eldwick Park.
Save the ears!
OK, so we know not everyone is going to be a Bach or a Geddy Lee when it comes to spreading notes throughout the land. Some will simply not be musicians in any sense of the word, and others may just want to be bothersome by playing poorly. I think there are ways to work around that so folks aren’t assaulted with a jarring cacophony ringing in their ears. Part of that is already in game: Playable notes are restricted to one hotbar, and only one note can be played at a time. So you can hardly get someone banging everything on the keyboard just to be annoying. For the more intricate pieces, you have to use pre-programmed music to play.
Just like in LOTRO, ArcheAge has handheld instruments that players can walk around and play. However, the delivery of music is a bit different; players utilize sheet music (which is player-created) in order to play. True, players can waste time and resources making horrible sounding collections of notes, but in all the time I have played both games I have heard very, very little of that. Why not make the creation of sheet music something that players have to spend resources for in game? That will curtail some random rubbish.
ArcheAge also lets you play larger instruments, such as a piano and a set of drums. These are actually stationary objects placed inside a performance hall in one of the larger cities. If you don’t like what is playing, just leave the building. (As an aside, since it is a PvP-zone, if the area isn’t at peace, you can actually just kill anyone who is playing so badly you’d prefer to listen to fingernails being raked down a chalkboard.) It would be pretty great to have a band setup sitting upstairs in the Horned God in London; folks could provide the music for others to dance and RP to. If the music is that bad, do like you do at any bad performance — walk out. Or, you could actually add in LOTRO’s rotten fruit-throwing feature that exists in the theater during the Yule Festival.
On top of these suggestions, you can go one step father and just add a setting that allows players to simply turn down/turn off player music. That way, those who don’t want to listen, don’t have to.
So what do you say, devs? Can we pretty please have some player music? I’ve asked to ride motorcycles in game and that has come to pass, so I am hoping that we can see a repeat with this request. It certainly couldn’t hurt to ask.
Is it real? In The Secret World, rarely is it not. Conspiracies, ancient legends, paranoia, secret societies, chaos — they all swirl together in a cacophony of reality. In Chaos Theory, MJ Guthrie infiltrates this secret world, exposing the truths that lurk beneath the surface. The big question is, can you handle the truth?
