Oolite Bulletins

I'm not sure if this could be considered controversial, but I'll ask the question anyway.

We've been in the process of giving Oolite a complete rebrand (logo, splash screen, icons, new website, new forum, etc). One component that hasn't changed yet is the music (composed by NoSleep) that plays on the main menu when you launch the game. I put a new music track into Xenon UI, but I'm wondering what people think about the original track, and whether it's time for something new. Are people strongly attached to NoSleep's track? Would replacing it offend anyone, or make people feel like the spirit of the game is being lost?

I was considering putting something new together, but didn't want to just make an executive decision without a bit of feedback. I might still put something together (because composing is fun), but if there's strong feelings about the original track I might just use what I make in a future OXP.

Anyway, let me know what you think!

I think that NoSleep's music is the national anthem of Oolite and I'd feel bad seeing it replaced, even though I will admit it does get obnoxiously loud at some point.

I am thinking that replacing and/or enriching the sound effects set might be more in order than music, The default set is in dire need of an update.

Here, my 2c.

Good point. I'll have a pass at the FX and see what I can improve.

I almost never hear No Sleep's because I play with XenonUI loaded.

I'd vote for new Oolite theme music. Been using an alternative (classical music) for quite some time.

A completely different, yet closely related, question. It cannot go on without some screen backgrounds being included in the download. Not a whole collection, but that start-up screen being plain black is cringe-inducing. Here's what I use:

another_commander wrote: ↑Thu Feb 29, 2024 6:56 am

think that NoSleep's music is the national anthem of Oolite and I'd feel bad seeing it replaced, even though I will admit it does get obnoxiously loud at some point.

I edited out some of the ascending volume section at the beginning (end of the beginning) and found it to be much more palatable.

From memory, the xenon ui music was nice enough but No Sleep's production was much more thematic. Xenon music was nice in more of a background sense. IMHO of course.

I too would get No Sleep if I kept hearing those horns in my head however.

I don't even know which OXP it is that has the music that greets me. It's the one at the start of these videos:

https://youtu.be/ZV5XLHPX8sk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKrvCMK306U

As for non-main menu music...well...we all know what I prefer.

That’s Xenon Ui music.

phkb wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:25 am

That’s Xenon Ui music.

Incidentally (...), I had been planning to clip that track and use the first part for the docking music (instead of The Blue Danube).
Heresy for some, I know but the spectrum version never had docking music and so it's not something I personally have strong feelings about.

Just thinking about this one.

I'd be in favour of either retaining the old - or approaching NoSleep to update his original.

Ok, I just listened to the standard main menu music for the first time in a long while. While I think it's worth retaining, I would like to see it "remastered" with better digital instrumentation. In its current form it sounds like a MIDI track. Nothing wrong with that, of course. Would be nice, though.

Redspear wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:22 pm

phkb wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:25 am

That’s Xenon Ui music.

Incidentally (...), I had been planning to clip that track and use the first part for the docking music (instead of The Blue Danube).
Heresy for some, I know but the spectrum version never had docking music and so it's not something I personally have strong feelings about.

Oh that would make great docking music.

arquebus wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2024 7:54 pm

Redspear wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:22 pm

phkb wrote: ↑Sun Mar 03, 2024 3:25 am

That’s Xenon Ui music.

Incidentally (...), I had been planning to clip that track and use the first part for the docking music (instead of The Blue Danube).
Heresy for some, I know but the spectrum version never had docking music and so it's not something I personally have strong feelings about.

Oh that would make great docking music.

Here's a contentious one... Does The Blue Danube date Oolite?

Original reference is the film 2001: ASO, right? Likely to be lost on many new players perhaps?
Also, maybe changing it would just be a matter of 'updating' along a theme. It's going to be very debateable whether one of us could produce a better piece of music but to find/produce one that's more atmospheric, more 'Oolite', that I think we could do (such as my suggestion above).

One more point on docking music however. Beyond the novelty value of trying them out once, if sa player wanted to use them regularly then hearing any piece of mussic again and again could get rather tiresome. Would be nice to have multiple possibilites, or even one relatively long piece, partitioned into different sections. Each time you activate the DCs, it picks one at random (...this has probably already been done).

Redspear wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 4:35 pm

Original reference is the film 2001: ASO, right?

Other music used in that film (Sunrise from Also sprach Zarathustra) makes splendid Oolite theme music.