ReMix:Ultima Online "My Dying Ocllo" 4:25

By Nines

Arranging the music of one song...

"Ocllo"

Primary Game: Ultima Online (Electronic Arts , 1997, WIN), music by Hal Milton, Joe Basquez, Kirk Winterrowd

Posted 2002-10-23, evaluated by djpretzel


Been hankering for some MMORPG ReMix action? The ever-capable Nines, who's given us a wealth of top-rate electronica in the past takes it down a notch for some slower, more pensive tunage that leans towards the melancholy hybrid rock/electronica ballad side of the street. With some excellent rain effects, acoustic guitars mixing with synths in a very delicate stew of varied attacks and sustains, a mid-section break into a guitar solo, and a nice ritard on the ending, the only element I wasn't entirely digging was the drums - they were good, I just felt they could have been louder. But I still get jabs on the ear-crushing percussion towards the end of my SM64 mix, so I may not be the best barometer ^^ More of a midrange to the mix would have made it sound a bit fuller, too. I do love the ending on this piece - it's a perfect denouement that highlights the best portions of the entire track and ends very logically and musically. I'm not an ending freak, but this worked very well and is worth mentioning. A distinct change of pace and style for Nines, who's proven a great deal of mastery with upbeat techno with a more in-your-face style. This is more subtle, and requires different ears to both create and appreciate, but Nines has done his homework and indeed pulls it off admirably. Atmospheric and reticent stuff - check it out.

djpretzel

Discussion

Latest 12 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
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Bahamut
on 2009-11-08 02:25:32

On first listen, I don't really feel like there's much here. It doesn't do a terribly great job of filling out the sound throughout the whole song.

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DragonAvenger
on 2008-12-09 21:47:19

I like the mood tha this sets up. Rain/water was a nice effect, and overall the instruments are pretty decent. I agree with whoever said that the snare vs. bass drum is not balanced, and that is the biggest problem with the mix. Aside from that, this is quite nice to listen to.

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OA
on 2007-05-08 15:23:27

Nice and atmospheric. I'm not personally convinced that the drum sounds were the best. The snare is really nice, but is hitting a little too hard for the rest of the song.

Brings back some cool memories, I only played the game for a little while, but the style of music is very familiar.

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an NPC
on 2006-05-27 10:31:52

As a UO player I am hurt to hear people say uo is dying. Yes OSI is dead, and they pretty much killed UO PvP before they left. But where they left off. Player run Shards such as UO gamers has brought back the much needed life back into the game. Bringing back the rulesets that made the game flourish has made their player run shards a big hit.

Having 2000+ players log on at a time, and having weekly PvP tournaments for trophys and prize money has made the game more interesting than it has ever been.

Adding poker tables, and dueling pits with ranks has also added another element that has never been in any OSI shard. And making it so the players that log in everyday have a say in the rulesets. The game is constantly evolving, becoming more fast paced, and more integrated.

All in all UO is dead. For the people who still play the OSI shards. As far as the player run shards. Its growing.

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Trashbot
on 2005-11-12 22:53:35

UO had some great midi music in it. Most of it was too short to reall listen to. This was probably one of the better tracks in the game, it's too bad you had to visit an empty town or the temple of Wind to enjoy it. I like the rain in this a lot but I think it woulda still sounded better with the original harp/flute instruments. 8O

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dollors
on 2005-09-02 08:07:38

I was a hardcore UO fan during it's prime and this remix of ocllo is perfect representation of the feeling that were invoked when listening to the towns music. I remember I would recall there when I needed a break just so I could hear the song ;)

Great job, love the rain intro!

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Nordamerikanischegestreif
on 2002-11-04 16:45:06

http://support.uo.com/advancedcharacter.html

That document alone is proof that UO is dying. And no, it could not be forged, seeing as it is on UO's servers. A few quotes regarding the subject:

Quote Cygnet:

How to Alienate Your Playerbase Without Really Trying

Quote Sarlyn:

This is both unbelievable and inevitable. UO has to be slowing dying. Anything that brings in revenue at this point is a good thing.

To the execs at EA: Cancelling UO2 doesn't look so smart now, huh? You thought UO would last several years. You are shortsighted and I hope Earth Beyond is a disaster.

Quote Darniaq:

That is the saddest thing I've seen since the rumour that you could buy the "special races" in Shadowbane simply by buying the CD from Electronics Boutique.

I could go on for hours just quoting stuff about that. And that was from a milder forum -- UO Stratics was nearly burnt to the ground by the flame wars it started.

Yes, I do admit that UO has one of the best PvP systems. Either it or DAoC has the best -- I'm not the person to argue about it, seeing as I don't actively PvP. Yes I'm a 'carebear', and I'm proud of it. I don't particularly like dying every 5 minutes because someone 30 levels higher than me decides they want to play God.

I'm going to leave it at that. I don't want to create an off-topic EQ vs UO war, but I do want to let it be known that, yes, UO is dying.

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AnotherOneBitesTheDust
on 2002-10-27 15:28:53

I really like the piano at the beginning. It sounds like the Icewind Dale mix on here, has the same key or something (though at 0:17 it sounds a lot happier, and that's when I know it won't have that same Icewind Dale mix feel throughout the song). I kinda wish it would stay on that focus of key, even though it kinda still does when the guitar part comes in. But this is all personal preferences, and I'm probably talking about music terms all wrong, so stop laughing at me!

I don't know, I really like to listen to it, but I feel it could definitely expand towards my liking through more variation from the original (haven't played the game, but looked up a midi to see the similarities), but that's just me.

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DoomFox
on 2002-10-25 03:46:22

I've been waiting for a UO remix to come out on this site. It's not bad too. although I do have a personal fixation with the original scores. Not just of the Ocllo theme, but with all the songs. I guess that would make me biased. Nice mix though.

Anyway, UO does not suck Khift. The fact that you've never been to Ocllo is just one hint that you've never really explored the full aspects of the game. That and the fact that you seem to be a 'Care Bear' (mmorpg terminology) because you're another EQUO person. Anyway, this is meant for a whole other forum/site, but I'm going to end off that if you like pvp, UO was the undisputed champ for best and most intense pvp system. If you like killing mindless and boring monsters for hours on end, go play EQ.

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Ramaniscence
on 2002-10-24 23:51:51

A) Ultima Online kicks the crap out of EQ

B) It's alive and kickin', just as big as ever

C) Remix wise, I'm glad to see a UO ReMix seeing the music is like, super hella phat 'n stuff. Ocollo the town is like, uber dumb because no one goes there, but the music is cool as hell. This song...is kinda....a small improvement? Not much different from the original. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like it and all, I just would've like to have seen more done with it or something. Finaly verdict is, if you've ever played UO, definately get this, if you haven't ever played UO, get this, and get UO, if even for the first free month. If you play EQ, burn, go outsdie and get a life, and quit playing a repetitive level up game.

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Nordamerikanischegestreif
on 2002-10-24 15:57:14

MMORPG stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. It's a relatively large industry, which is just going into it's second generation of games. Ultima Online, specifically, is the largest example of a 'dying' MMORPG, which is probably why it is named as such, and the fact that Occlo is easily the most underpopulated city there.

As for the original, since I've never been to Occlo, I can't really comment on this. I guess I can go grab my CD, download the program again and check out the Occlo music to see the original, but since I gave up UO a year ago, that's unlikely.

As for the actual mix.... I like it. It's nice and just about perfect BGM stuff, exactly the stuff that I look for (Most of my music is almost exclusively used as background). The guitar does create a very nostalgic effect, because a similar guitar is featured in several other UO themes. The drums aren't as nice as they could be, but I've never cared much about the percussion of mixes.

Good. 8/10. The game sucks, but oh well.

Btw, if you want to check out an MMORPG, check out Everquest, the largest, most addictive and second oldest MMORPG on the market. It's well worth the $13 a month if you have the time to play it, and since just recently it's final expansion pack was launched, you can buy Everquest Gold for only $40 and get all 4 expansion packs with it.

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Disco Dan
on 2002-10-24 11:53:53

Ultima Online 'My Dying Ocllo'

What if I were to say I don't know what "MMORPG" stands for?

Anyway, terminology aside, one thing I DO know, is that that rain sample sounds more like fire than rain. But anyway, since I haven't heard the original I can't really say how this compares. It's a nice little piece on its own. I see what djp is talking about with the drums there. There is no bass on that kick drum, and the snare seems exceptionally loud in comparison. Not really a thing of the drums being too quiet, but unbalanced in relationship to themselves. The synth guitar isn't so bad as a sample. Well... ok, so this isn't really my bag, but I'm sure fans of the game will enjoy it. So do so.

DC

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Ultima Online (Electronic Arts , 1997, WIN)
Music by Hal Milton,Joe Basquez,Kirk Winterrowd
Songs:
"Ocllo"

Tags (6)


Genre:
Mood:
Sad,Solemn
Instrumentation:
Acoustic Guitar,Sound FX,Synth
Additional:
Time > 4/4 Time Signature

File Information


Name:
Ultima_Online_My_Dying_Ocllo_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
4,331,556 bytes
MD5:
fc81d04dc613324942fdfdaf96073be1
Bitrate:
128Kbps
Duration:
4:25

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