Simcity’s Dynamic Music (Concept)

Dynamic music has been a hidden gem in video games, painting the audiovisual landscape with music based on your actions. Simcity (2013) will be the first in its series to add music that changes dynamically depending on the situation. In an interview with Polygon, producer Ocean Quigley and audio director Kent Jolly explained some of the concepts behind the music.

Article Summary

Dynamic Music

• Zooming in adds music instruments to the soundtrack, while zooming out takes them away.
• A simple score plays if you zoom out all the way.
• When viewing data layers, more “intimate” themes play. For example, when you are in the building editor, a tinkering version of the song  is heard.
• Different clips of music come in and out based on the situation.
• The music was influenced by minimalism inspired by composers like Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley.
• Chris Tilton who worked on Fringe, composed the music to tell the story of the city from its humble beginnings to a bustling metropolis.

Resources

• Resources are finite, once they’re at low levels, the player must find different ways to acquire them.
• They can either buy from the global market, trade with other cities, or switch to depending on another commodity.