Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

Game Title Warcraft III https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5WWEi8XF6M

Provide detailed descriptions from chosen examples that establish… Clearly state what production technique(s) you think have been used to create specific soundtrack elements

Setting From what we hear at the very beginning (until 0:45), is choir singing and bells. It signifies a very fancy/prestigious/rich place. At 1:09 the big gate or heavy doors open to some hall, where the king is.

What we hear from their dialogue and Arthas’ monologue at the end, it is their kingdom, but it won’t look the same afterwards.

Bells ringing could have been recorded from the church, or some Foley artistry and then highly modified.

Choir singing could been recorded in a studio, with a group of singers.

Mood At the very beginning, the overall mood is heroic and glorious. We almost feel that there are some heroes approaching to be rewarded. However, at 0:30, the atmosphere starts to be aggressive and full of hatred. That was just achieved with increasing the volume of sound.

At 0:58 the tube sounds make the surroundings doom. It all slightly quietens and we hear heavy footsteps, forcing their way to the chamber/hall. The king has a glad voice, but his son is full of evil plans. We know that because sounds accompanying his voice have that kind of feel.

The mood highly tenses and changes to dramatic, readying the audience for a real drama. The moment after Arthas says the last words, before killing (at 2:03) the king, doesn’t have any other non-diegetic music, it’s completely quiet.

The last part of the cutscene is grave and dramatic, sounds like a funeral, but not only of the previous king, also for the whole kingdom.

The melody or single sounds (which weren’t the voice) were probably done with use of VST instruments, or other plugins.

Game genre Real Time Strategy

It’s hard to indicate this genre in a cutscene. But I assume since is a strategy, just the very fact of a son killing his father king, in order to obtain the kingdom and rule it, indicates the strategy factor of it.

Sword slash as well as the noises of heavy armour were probably done with Foley artistry or with use of VST plugins.

Salford City CollegeEccles Sixth Form CentreBTEC Extended Diploma in GAMES DESIGNUnit 73: Sound For Computer Games

Narrative The action becomes clear at 1:25 (after the footsteps quieten). We hear king greeting his son. But the son, Arthas, has a completely different sound to him, very demonic. He says the king no longer ‘needs to sacrifice and bear the crown’ (1:28-1:38). Arthas approaches the king, who asks what is he doing. He replies ‘succeding you, father’ (which means it’s his time for a crown, or something similar) and kills him.

From 2:15, Arthas states that the kingdom should fall and rise as new, and this should ‘shake the very foundations of the world’.

The dialogue was studio recorded. The Arthas’ voice was modified within the software to have this different feeling to it.