Music for Strategy Card Game

[Fernando]

Hey! I'm a game developer and I'm looking to collaborate with a few musicians.

I'm inspired by systems like Steam's Workshop. Systems that allow game developers, like me, to make a game and then invite anyone on the internet to create a specific asset to be incorporated in game.

I've created a strategy card game called Grid Legion, GL. I want to expand on GL's sound track in a big way. I'm looking to have 12 new tracks added to it. Mostly battle themes suitable for a strategy card game.

I was thinking, I could create a small series of competitions. Winners will get their music added into this edition of GL and will be awarded a small, but fair, cut of the edition's marketplace earnings. Alternatively I would be open to some other form of more direct collaboration as well.

Right now I just want to put this idea out there. I'd like to gather some perspective, hear some thoughts. Is this something that sounds exciting? Would you be interested in entering your existing music tracks or creating something original? Is a demo of GL something you'd like to take a look at and potentially get excited about co-creation?

Let me know

-Fernando

Edited January 21, 2014 by Fernando

[Fernando]

This is a really early in dev trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3x4Y5yFelU

[Chucklehofft]

I would be interested in doing some sound design, if that's an option. I can send some mockups if you'd like.

Though that's not to say that I wouldn't love to compose music for it either.

(I apologize for the lack of demo material on my Soundcloud, I've been meaning to write some short tunes and sound effects now that I've become more active in this community, but I haven't had the time)

Edited December 30, 2013 by Chucklehofft

[Nutritious]

To answer your questions, yes, there generally is a decent amount of interest generated here whenever developers offer paid music & audio work. I'm not sure competitions would the right approach for an indie project, however. In the past, developers have tended to either posted to solicit artists' portfolios or have posted examples of gameplay and asked artists to create audio content based on it.

Whatever you choose to pursue, I'd would advise that you post as much information as possible regarding the game, where you are in the development cycle, specific details on compensation (if you're not sure, it may help to do some research on going rates), links to songs or styles similar to what you're looking for (if applicable), etc.

[Jamphibious]

First off, the game looks quite interesting based on your trailer. Looks like its shaping up pretty nicely.

Personally I don't think a competition would be the best way to go about it, but this is a good place to find people who would be interested in helping you out. Depending on the kind of time frame you're looking at I would be willing to get on board with some music myself, I think it looks really cool, but as Nutritious said the more details you can post about this project the better.

[Omni-Psyence]

check your PMs!

[HoboKa]

check your PMs!

^

Bump yeah really

[Chernabogue]

Are you looking for a musical genre in particular?

[ShrackAttack]

I'll send you some music examples when I get back in town in a few days.

[Fernando]

Alright

So after a few PMs and the below forum posts I see it might be best to assemble a team and work as a team rather than do the whole contest idea I still like the idea of doing a little contest, but perhaps for an additional 2 tracks once things are already solid. But we'll see as we move forward.

Okay so moving forward. I need to communicate creative direction and the business deal that I can offer.

I have some ideas on the direction of music which I assume to be best. However before I share my assumptions I'd like to share the GL Voyage setting.

In GL you play the role of a conjurer voyaging mythos. You have a fantastic airship and as you move forward into the mythos phantasmal islands appear. A storm takes place and then you are in a card battle. As a conjurer you use a bauble to weave light and shadows into the various things that cards create/do in game.

I'm working on a small comic book that will really flesh out this setting nicely. The comic is very much inspired by first part of the allegory of the cave (plato) and the first matrix movie. The cards played in GL are a fairly traditional knights, sylvans, dragons, light, dark and the 4 elements kind of thing.

Anyways. Moving forward.

Here is a .rar containing the 4 tracks made for GL thus far and some visuals.

gridlegion.com/GL_OCR.rar

Creative direction thus far has been fairly epic battle theme centred.

We have a training theme, a standard battle theme, an intense battle theme and a deck building theme. Take a listen. What I really need now is more battle themes.

Inspiration thus far has come from tracks like:

Intense battle -

Training -

For completion I will need a variety of battle themes. Some battles will be shorter and more intense than others, some battles will go the distance. Eventually I will need at least two more intense battle themes (think FF battle themes). But for now I really need a some slower, calmly strategic tracks.

I've had my ear on:

This one is kinda spacey but really drives home the strategic element,

So in regards to compensation. I'm a broke basement developer. I have thus far courted other people's productive efforts via a sharing of the profit on this edition of GL + marketing activities. I am not asking for ownership of your music which thus requires me to re-license it for a next edition. There are a ton of details to cover, thing like, a cut of the "profit" being the money made after third parties like Steam or Desura take there cut of sales and not being thing which I include every expense I've had since the start of production. I've done a ton of communicating on these kind of deals before and we'll go through the process of getting things lined up right for us all. But! Basically this isnt a cash gig. This is a shared sales gig.

Alright. Let me know whatcha think

Edited January 5, 2014 by Fernando
forgot me link.

[Fernando]

I really like the idea of being linked portfolio tracks!

[HoboKa]

the .rar link for your tracks is broken** - but, it's good to see some references to what you're looking for. Also, totally understandable about the compensation thing. I'm still down for making some music for your project.

Edited January 6, 2014 by HoboKa

[Chernabogue]

Expect something soon.

[Fernando]

This should be working now:

gridlegion.com/GL_OCR.rar

the .rar link for your tracks is broken** - but, it's good to see some references to what you're looking for. Also, totally understandable about the compensation thing. I'm still down for making some music for your project.

[Fernando]

Jason Covenant asked me in a PM two very important questions.

"I'm curious, who else is on your team? What platform(s) are you pursuing?"

I thought I would answer here.

I started this game over 10 years ago. War rules of a D&D campaign at one point in time. I started programming it over 5 years ago. I shipped a very early copy of GL on XBLA IG 2 years ago. http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Grid-Legion-Deviant-Remix/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d802585508b0

I've been busting my chops like crazy since then. Since then the team has grown by a few artists, a level designer, a music guy, a sounds effects guy, some marketing help. Oh and all of the card art is remixed from artists that I talked to on the Deviant Art community (portfolio pieces).

The plan is to do a big PC release. Desura and hopefully Steam. But, honestly, the thing I love most about creativity, lol, is just seeing what happens next. So we'll see in regards to other consoles. I love this game project. It's my forever luv!

Anything else ya'll wanna know?

Edited January 6, 2014 by Fernando
being specific

[Chucklehofft]

Oh, and I would just like to say that I think that the game looks really good so far, you guys are doing an exceptional job.

[HoboKa]

This should be working now:

gridlegion.com/GL_OCR.rar

oh, it req. a copy/paste into the browser. My bad, guess it wasn't broken after all. Well, I'm DLing it now and will give it a thorough listen. Thanks Fernando!

[ShrackAttack]

I PMed you Fernando.

[Chucklehofft]

So, has this project gone anywhere yet or has Fernando just been gone for a few weeks?

[Fernando]

Hey all,

First of all I should thank everyone who posted/had a conversation with me. I feel really confident about doing this now.

I need to communicate a few things. The music development vision and process. The business deal. And GL Voyage project timelines.

Music in GL needs to express tactics. There are different types of battles in GL. The scenery from level to level is not all that different but the strategy of each level is very much so. So the questions then are, what music do we put to an aggressive fast paced level? What music do we put to a defensive slow paced level? How should the music reflect if a level casts nuke spells? Level strategies will have many details to convey whenever possible.

I dont want a music track to be used more than 3 times, using each track twice I think would be ideal. I aim to create and release 16 new levels over the next 4 to 5 months (I will be doing an early access style of game release). I will be looking for 8 tracks, that's what I believe presently. The current GL sound track is 5 tracks long which is enough to support the GL Voyage demo release, which will happen in about month. Once I have the demo out on Desura and a post on Steam Greenlight, then I will turn my attention towards the creation of more levels. Once a level has been finalized I will post/send out emails containing an outline of the level's key strategies. I believe this level outline to be necessary to craft music for the level.

Regarding business deals. I plan to be able to offer some cash in just a bit. If I could get some PMs on a price tag for the composition of an original track, that would be most helpful.

So here's the task list on what I need from you all now. Please PM me the following.

Your email address.

An original composition, one that is comparable to something you'd make for GL Voyage.

An estimate on how much $$ you'd like for an original composition of said caliber.

Thanks everybody

I really appreciate the interest. Let me know if you have any questions.