I found that interesting. At least we know he's doing something besides eating his Ramen Noodles

I wonder what the music's like. I haven't donloaded Deimos Rising--it is 30 MB, and I have a dialup. A friend with DSL is getting it for me...

hmm, I wonder ben didn't write his own music for ferazel.

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Check out my website: (url="http://"http://www.light.aftran.com")light.aftran.com(/url) for Orthographic Universe, MacBrickout levels, and much more!
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Well, I've watched my brother (who is playing it right now) play it and I've heard the music. It just doesn't have the Ferazel's Wand style. Or maybe Ben learned his music skills AFTER Ferazel's Wand... Or maybe its Ben's evil clone! Or maybe not.

Ben Spees didn't write the music for his own game. Eric whatshisname did.

I'll be frankly honest here. I thought the music was fairly under the quality I'd expect for an Ambrosia game. The music was MIDI-type, with lots of beeps and dings and other unconvincing noises.

Hold on, it gets worse.

My opinion of the entire game? Mars Rising was much better. Much much better. The second I saw the intro screen (with the big words "Deimos Rising" covering the screen, an effect I could have duplicated in 10 minutes with Illustrator), I knew this wasn't exactly going to be an impressive screen. And generally, I was right. While indeed, the graphics are spectacular, nothing is thrillingly new, or at least nothing in the demo that would convince me to buy the full version. I'm just kinda disappointed.

I'll shut up now, I'm beginning to realise the board I'm complaining in.

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WARNING! Any poster attempting to deviate Your Mostly Friendly Neighbourhood Moderator and Plain Nice Guy from his benevloent status quo of absuing powers, holding absurd liberal biases, and using flawed logical systems will have his/her electrons manipulated manually! WARNING! (9/15)

Quote

Originally posted by spamguy:
**Ben Spees didn't write the music for his own game. Eric whatshisname did.

**

Yeah, I thought it was kind of wierd for a programer to make some music for a game.

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**The music was MIDI-type, with lots of beeps and dings and other unconvincing noises.

**

That's like the music that Elder made for OBW. I really don't like it that much.

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room!"

• Dr. Strangelove
  "For as long as I can remember, I've had memories."
• Colin Mochrie, Who's Line is it Anyway?

For the record, Ben has a few more interests than programming. I'm amazed that anyone can't understand that. He's written music for quite a few years. I rather liked the music in Deimos and I wish he HAD written music for Ferazel's Wand. But he has this whole history with Eric Spiers writing for his games, so there you go. Personally, my tastes run more to Ben's style of music. But I've always liked the "different" sounds.I think they're fun in a game.

---Zelda

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I am your Fairy Godmoderator.

Hey, if you're in love with someone, then you have every right to completely screw up their life.--cynical me!

Don't get me wrong, different is good. That's why I like Kurt Weill and annoying music.

But Ben's music seems...low-quality. Like I said, MIDI-type stuff, as if he were stuck with working in QuickTime music synthesis. Eric Spiers was not like that at all...there was depth, texture, quality synthesis. Third best music for a game ever. (First is a game that's not out yet; second is Myst III: Exile)

In short, $20 for 10 levels in a game that's not so hot is not an attractive offer.

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"Mr (spamd00d) stood far back, his hat in his hand, counting the bared heads. Twelve. I'm thirteen. No. The chap (with) the macintosh is thirteen. Death's number...silly superstition that about thirteen." (12/10)

(This message has been edited by spamguy (edited 12-09-2001).)

Deimos Rising's music isn't wonderful but the point of the game isn't really to listen to the music. I can't hear it as I am shot to peices. But I'm afraid I must agree. Mars Rising was more fun. The lack of powerups in Deimos makes it.....well boring.

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Dr. Tall says: Taller is Better
(url="http://"http://drtalll.tripod.com")Dr Tall Land(/url)

Sometimes the point of the game is to listen to the music. Myst III would be utter crap without any sound, no?

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"Mr (spamd00d) stood far back, his hat in his hand, counting the bared heads. Twelve. I'm thirteen. No. The chap (with) the macintosh is thirteen. Death's number...silly superstition that about thirteen." (12/10)

Quote

Originally posted by spamguy:
**Don't get me wrong, different is good. That's why I like Kurt Weill and annoying music.

But Ben's music seems...low-quality. Like I said, MIDI-type stuff, as if he were stuck with working in QuickTime music synthesis. Eric Spiers was not like that at all...there was depth, texture, quality synthesis. Third best music for a game ever. (First is a game that's not out yet; second is Myst III: Exile)**

There's nothing wrong with MIDI music. A lot of good stuff is produced using MIDI (remember Harry? Eric Speier produced that music using MIDI instruments).

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In short, $20 for 10 levels in a game that's not so hot is not an attractive offer.

$20 for 12 levels is a damn good price considering the amount of work that went into it. Just because you might not find this style of game to be fun doesn't mean other people don't enjoy it.

Quote

Originally posted by spamguy:
My opinion of the entire game? Mars Rising was much better. Much much better. The second I saw the intro screen (with the big words "Deimos Rising" covering the screen, an effect I could have duplicated in 10 minutes with Illustrator), I knew this wasn't exactly going to be an impressive screen. And generally, I was right. While indeed, the graphics are spectacular, nothing is thrillingly new, or at least nothing in the demo that would convince me to buy the full version. I'm just kinda disappointed.

Sometimes a work of art isn't about the amount of time it takes to produce... although I hope you realize the amount of work that went into the entire game. I dare you to top it.

Most of the music was written about a year and a half to two years ago, and it's only now that the game has actually been released (at last!) Unfortunately it didn't all make it to the actual game, because of file size constraints (the game was originally intended to ship on CD, like Ferazel.) Eric Speier wasn't available to do the music for Deimos, so just for fun I sent David some demo pieces I'd done. As it turned out, it was the style he was looking for, and he and the beta testers liked it a lot, so there you go. Actually, most of the music I write is a lot less electronic-sounding than the Deimos stuff, but that's what he was looking for on the project. Thanks for your feedback.

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Originally posted by Ben S. on a different IP:
Most of the music was written about a year and a half to two years ago, and it's only now that the game has actually been released (at last!) Unfortunately it didn't all make it to the actual game, because of file size constraints (the game was originally intended to ship on CD, like Ferazel.) Eric Speier wasn't available to do the music for Deimos, so just for fun I sent David some demo pieces I'd done. As it turned out, it was the style he was looking for, and he and the beta testers liked it a lot, so there you go. Actually, most of the music I write is a lot less electronic-sounding than the Deimos stuff, but that's what he was looking for on the project. Thanks for your feedback.

If you're Ben Spees, may I ask why you're not using your registered username?

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Originally posted by Brian Christensen:
If you're Ben Spees, may I ask why you're not using your registered username?

That likely is Ben. There was a...falling out, you could say between Ben and Andrew of some sort which ended up having Ben's account removed and his IP(s) banned from the boards.

He still occasionally posts here under names like the one here

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-- Jeff

(quote)Originally posted by Merciless:
**That likely is Ben. There was a...falling out, you could say between Ben and Andrew of some sort which ended up having Ben's account removed and his IP(s) banned from the boards.

He still occasionally posts here under names like the one here
**

Quote

Originally posted by Brian Christensen:
**There's nothing wrong with MIDI music. A lot of good stuff is produced using MIDI (remember Harry? Eric Speier produced that music using MIDI instruments).

**

MIDI music was good for Harry, but not Ferazel's Wand, I think.

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"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room!"

• Dr. Strangelove
  "For as long as I can remember, I've had memories."
• Colin Mochrie, Who's Line is it Anyway?

Quote

Originally posted by Ice:
MIDI music was good for Harry, but not Ferazel's Wand, I think.

Then how was the music for Ferazel's Wand produced? It is obviously electronic.

Quote

Originally posted by spamguy:
**Third best music for a game ever. (First is a game that's not out yet; second is Myst III: Exile)

**

Yes, I love Myst III's music. I own the soundtrakc and I listen to it all the time. I love Riven's music too. What is the game that isn't out yet?

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Check out my website: (url="http://"http://www.light.aftran.com")light.aftran.com(/url) for Orthographic Universe, MacBrickout levels, and much more!
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Ask me in private; Big Brother is watching.

PS...you could just take the .mp3s from the invisible Data folder in the Exile game and put them into iTunes. No soundtrack necessary.

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"Mr (spamd00d) stood far back, his hat in his hand, counting the bared heads. Twelve. I'm thirteen. No. The chap (with) the macintosh is thirteen. Death's number...silly superstition that about thirteen." (12/10)

That's Ben.

---Zelda

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I am your Fairy Godmoderator.

Hey, if you're in love with someone, then you have every right to completely screw up their life.--cynical me!

Quote

Originally posted by Brian Christensen:
Then how was the music for Ferazel's Wand produced? It is obviously electronic.

There is (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/cgi-bin/vftp/dl-redirect.pl/FerazelFireCaverns.mp3?path=ferazel/addons&file;=FerazelFireCaverns.mp3")good(/url) electronic, and there is (url="http://"http://www.classicalarchives.com/cgi-bin/n.cgi/prep/4/lvbsym74.mid")bad(/url) electronic. FW was very well-produced, because Spier had a lot of good equipment, because it's his job to have that stuff. Spees, however, probably does not keep a multithousand dollar synthesiser in his office, hence the lesser quality. I do like the theme Spees went for, yet the equipment simply didn't realise the music he was aiming for.

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"Mr (spamd00d) stood far back, his hat in his hand, counting the bared heads. Twelve. I'm thirteen. No. The chap (with) the macintosh is thirteen. Death's number...silly superstition that about thirteen." (12/10)