Adding BEAUTIFUL Music To My Open World Game [Devlog 6]

[@advancenine]

🎮 Play the Night Stones Demo Now 🌙👉 store.steampowered.com/app/2300340/Night_Stones

[@iam1subsciberawayfrom6million.]

Late to the party but ur son is 🔥 on piano

[@Pierrethatsit]

I absolutely love the melody for the game! It nails the atmosphere perfectly! And I love the art for the Steam page too! This project is really coming together, can't wait for the end result!

[@advancenine]

Right? RIGHT!? This makes me so happy to hear. I think so too but it’s so rad to hear someone else say it. THANK YOU!

[@lucasdeconninck1232]

The music is good but it's very dense. I think it would work perfectly for a trailer or for a short period of time in the game. It reminded me a lot of the Sims building editor music, where the music is really catchy and endearing, but that's ok because it only plays during building. Maybe strip it back and make it more subdued, with moments of calm, if you you want to use it while you play.

[@advancenine]

Really helpful and constructive criticism. Thank you so much for this feedback. Very helpful to have a fresh set of ears listening... you rule.

[@rutchjohnson]

I also thought this. It's very nice for this video but can be overwhelming and lose it's charm after playing on repeat for hours on end. I almost expect this kind of music to play after important moments or after entering the world again (like from a building or cave). I think it's more sustainable to have low, simple, music playing mixed with wind and other elements. I really wanted the footsteps, waterfall, and other world sounds effects to take more of the foreground in the audio mixing.

[@MelodiCat753]

I think it would work well if the music was a little softer in volume.

[@lanzak7677]

I thought so too, but it might be just the volume, needs to be a little lower

[@gumbypokey7]

I agree but if the game is primarily exploration and puzzle gameplay I don't see an issue with it other than reducing the volume. You need something to fill the void if there won't be a lot of action.

[@kyleclement9967]

My 8 year old daughter Olivia is excited for this and says that the sound for walking in the caverns footsteps needs to be different than dirt footstep sounds though :)

[@advancenine]

Olivia is completely correct and I'll fix this. You're a good friend, Olivia. Thanks for being so cool and helpful :)

[@renderdhelpless]

Something I've done in my games you might consider is dynamically fading layers of the music in and out depending on what's going on. It's subtle, easy to do, and has a huge impact. A really easy example of where you could do this is to cut the percussion out and then fade it in when the player starts gliding.

[@advancenine]

Yes! One what a great idea. This is going to be AWESOME. thanks for this!

[@ChanceDAFull]

I love the music! I think it should maybe be a little slower and less full at night though. Looking forward to more!

[@beagl_]

Make the footstep sounds change when the player is on wood and other surfaces.

[@advancenine]

That’s a great idea. I have the basic idea there with the water footsteps so this will be easy to expand upon. Thanks for the low hanging fruit. This is going to be awesome!

[@ridi]

@@advancenine Also different footstep sounds for dirt and grass

[@frosty_fink]

If I could go back in time, I would have studied music in school and my dream job would have been composing video game scores for RPGs. Man, I love this video!

[@hamzahgamedev]

Your series has been super inspirational and a key stone in my own open world game's devlog series. I wish you nothing but the best and I am looking so much forward to playing this classic as soon as it gets out on steam. I also shared it with my friends and they all have wishlisted the game separately. Cheers to you man for bringing this amazing piece of art to life. 😍🤗

[@advancenine]

Wow. You are freakin awesome. The wishlist is the best possible way to help me and I truly appreciate the help of you and your friends. Thank you so much. And I can’t wait to see your game! Thanks for being so cool.

[@CuckooKukri]

I started grinning as soon as I heard the music. It's so happy and fits the vibe of the world perfectly! I'm sooo excited for this game ♥

[@advancenine]

I agree and its so nice to get some validation on this. Heck yeah! Thank you so much!

[@ripvanstinkle]

It's looking and sounding amazing! There's a cricket effect that I noticed still happened when you went from the exterior into the caves. I would probably lose that sound effect when you're in the caves because the crickets are probably outside and it would help to separate the feel of the caves vs. the outdoors. Keep up the great work!

[@Truevined]

Lovely soundtracks! I do have one small gripe with the footsteps sound fx though, they're a bit repetitive and probably need some variation, or maybe use different sounds when the character is on different ground materials. Also, the soundtrack (great btw) needs to sit in the audio mix a bit better - it's a bit too loud and linear all the way through. I think the sound design can really take this game to the next level (just like the other games you mentioned), but it needs a layered approach - for example, layer 1 - music soundtrack, layer 2 - nature sounds like wind, birds waterfalls, etc., layer 3 - the main character's audio effects, then maybe another layer for the npc sound effects. Then just like in movies, you can increase and decrease each layer's volume through various parts of the story to increase tension, evoke emotion, etc. Hopefully that's good feedback! Keep up the great work! Looking forward to playing this game!

[@real_wc-ente4853]

Love the black and white astethic you always use (for example in minute 1:05) would love it if there was a special kind of night stone that changes the game to that and deactivates all the night and day magic as it isnt day or night. Would also give you the opportunity to make more complex puzzles.

[@Legendary_Honey]

4 months ago, I wasn't super interested in Night Stones. I understood that the development was just beginning, but I've seen a lot of devlogs where the first impression ends up very close to the end result, so if it doesn't immediately click it likely never will. But you've changed so many things in this short time, and it's really impressive. I love what I'm seeing. Can't wait to see what other ideas you come up with.

[@advancenine]

Wow what a cool thing to say. Thank you! Really really nice of you.

[@i__am__wolfy]

Man this devlog series is really inspiring! Love everything about the game so far. Currently I'm a web-dev but the quality and polish I'm seeing here is inspiring me to start working on a game myself haha! Keep up the good work, looking forward to the release of the game!

[@TGMaiam]

Wow... Music is awesome!!! and you're commentary is too good. I was searching for solo dev videos to get some information on making games. when I started watching your videos, It's informative + interesting with good humour. Keep it up!

[@MatejLeskovsekCe]

I’m absolutely loving the melody and it feels very natural for the daylight and is modified well for night time. If there is something i would recommend it is to dull it down in the caves as with all the sfx of sparks and trails, it felt a bit like a sensory overflow. Other than that, amazing work! I’m invested in your devlogs more than any other on youtube rn!

[@Cutiebb444]

Wish listed, subscribed and everything in-between, I love this devlog series (as a small dev myself) and I can assure you, I WILL buy this game.

[@advancenine]

Oh wow thank you so much. Seriously. Wishlisting is the best possible way to help and everything else is icing on the cake. Thanks for your amazing support and motivation. You. Are. Awesome!

[@AngelOf1000]

Recently found this little gem of a game, great work on everything so far and the music sounds great, I'm looking forward to seeing more development. On another note, I love your style of Devlog, as not many Indie Devs really pay attention to the entertainment factor of the videos, some do, but you do a great job of it.

[@advancenine]

Glad you enjoy it! That’s some really kind feedback and I truly appreciate your support!

[@benfever2441]

Great song idk if its the final editing but it is much louder than the sound effects making it harder to listen to any other sounds, same sound balancing would really give it just that little bit more. Good luck keep up the great work!

[@blazicky]

You should add diffrent variations of the main theme when doing diffrent actions like the music being muffled when you are swimming or something like that :)

[@HackHeyner]

The best Devlog and work in progress evolution I've ever seen :D :D Amazing work!!

[@GreyTheSpy]

Maybe I will make some fan music after hearing the style you used for this

[@kjellbeats]

me too

[@advancenine]

Do it! The #fan-music channel on discord is lonely!

[@GreyTheSpy]

@@advancenine Ikr, it’s just hard because I don’t know what style works best. Now I will!

[@advancenine]

@@GreyTheSpy hooray! I’m excited!

[@montageofchips]

same same same letsgo

[@jaybugo]

I'm an aspiring game developer and it's videos like these that inspire me. I just wishlisted your game and i am SUPER eager!

[@advancenine]

Yo! Thank you for the wishlist. That is the best possible way to help me and I truly appreciate the support. You are like... so amazing!

[@jaybugo]

@@advancenine 😁😁😁

[@dingosmoov]

WOW! Fantastic. The music and sound effects are coming together nicely. Also your game looks perfectly suited for Nintendo Switch!

[@advancenine]

Oh wow. Thank you. I’m hoping to get approval to release on the switch. Omg that would be so awesome!

[@ironbytes]

I love how streamlined your process feels. A man with a plan and dedication! It's amazing how fast this project is coming together.

[@iHelpFul]

lloved it, everything,I love how you doing a little steps but every step is so important and gives more life to the game, ty for sharing and Im waiting for the next episode as always ! ❤

[@crazycowgaming817]

small suggestion: add a dive animation. with a game like yours, there people will be exploring the world a lot. and, talking from experience, people will want to dive into water xD

[@advancenine]

Yes! That’s such a good idea. It’ll make the water features so much more fun. Thank you!

[@crazycowgaming817]

@@advancenine how did you learn to code? i want to learn and i know the basics but i want to get better. i also wann go into 3d. any tips

[@diligencehumility6971]

When I first heard the melody I thought nah... but when all the instruments were added... Wow, sounds really good, it's the exact type of music I would expect from the visual style.

[@diligencehumility6971]

Wow that sound really does something. Only criticism is; it's not a iconic melody you can easily recognize. Besides that, it's really good, both night and day, that music guy has a good idea about what he is doing

[@polygnomial]

The quality of your devlogs is really getting better by the video. Great work.

[@WICEGameDev]

Hey Ryan, it is so fun to watch your devlogs, I really enjoy the look of night stones, it is so freakin beautiful!! First, I want to thank you from my heart, U became one of the developers that pushes me and my brother to work on our game even more dedicated than before. I am so curious where your game is going to be in a few months. Keep it up! Ure doing amazing.

[@advancenine]

Thanks for the amazing compliment. Your comment truly motivates me and I seriously appreciate it SO MUCH!

[@krevetka9744]

Bro added rocks and water to the world, John added magic to it all :D Awesome results!

[@YungStylishTV]

This game is going to be amazing! Keep up the great work. Are there going to be leveling up elememnt in the game? Also When you equip a weapon/armor will the outfit change also? i have so much questions lol

[@Kintaku]

I LOVE the music. It’s very fitting for the style. Really looking forward to the next one!

[@lisamai7469]

This has become my favourite devlog series, I am looking forward to play nightstones one day!❤

[@64jcl]

The soundtrack is excellent for the game. Also +1 for using the metric system! :)

[@Yatharth022]

One suggestion: use this intense music (cause it slightly race your heart) when solving a puzzle & and calmer version of the same or slightly different when you are doing general exploration, the transition between calm music to intense music and after solving the puzzle back to calm music is rewarding and is pacing your heart so that you can focus on solving puzzle. As for wether your game should have puzzles or not, I think it should have some puzzles here and there lile picking up a rock and placing it on a pressure plate to unlock a day/night module, it's so elementary puzzle but it will give some colors to your game. Btw I have just started watching your video, and you gave me a boost to start my old abandoned project (a game of course).

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

The starting area theme reminds me of the vocal tune of "On Broadway" sung by George Benson.

[@stevenjadamo]

fantastic update... with each devlog, my excitement grows exponentially... :D

[@stuart.whiting]

Really love your content. I haven't played video games in years, but I just added Night Stones to my Steam wish list and look forward to exploring this world your creating.

[@anhadkaile]

The game really feels magical with the music!

[@elliewylds7357]

I love all of this! now speaking about sound, I think you should make his footsteps sound change on different surfaces!

[@ouvio]

The music fits perfectly. Reminds me a bit of the Golden Sun games for Gameboy back when.

[@LeDoeh]

Also a little hint for more realistic sound: lower frequencies travel further than higher frequencies Also it would be awesome to have different reverb areas (town, Open field, cave and so on)

[@advancenine]

Oh man this is some really solid and helpful feedback. Thank you so much for this!

[@brokensword4153]

The soundtrack is great, it fits the game so well. I noticed the character’s footsteps don’t change according to the surface he’s walking on though (stone,grass,stairs…). Might be a good idea to add these sounds as well.

[@s4bishii]

I love Jon, he is such an amazing composer. Great devlog as always 😁

[@advancenine]

He is and thank you! you found his amazing talent first so all the credit goes to you 💖

[@atko92]

I'm guessing you'll make volume options? I'm keen on hearing little environmental things like the footsteps etc more with the music in the background? Either way, I really like the music choice! John is a cracking choice and has nailed the atmosphere for this game 👏🏻👏🏻

[@GReimerGaming]

Legend of Zelda has some fantastic music! Excellent choice to listen to while working!

[@friedrichsart]

Love the music and the sound effects! They add so much to the experience. I just feel like the footsteps are a bit repetitive, especially in the cave they don't have that echoey feeling that you would expect when walking on a stone floor. Anyways keep it up I love these devlogs ❤

[@advancenine]

You are right. Totally right. I'll fix this. Thank you!

[@DuxSahee]

Oh my god. It sounds like Maple Story theme songs. Brilliant! Good job John. Love it!

[@Nounsi_Dev]

Awesome video man, as an solo developer i always admire your dedication. Would be great to watch a video about how you mange your time😊

[@badradish2116]

i don't know if you've got this set up yet, but since both tracks are the same theme, if you play both tracks at the same time but mute the inactive one, when you switch from day to night, you can have the track smoothly transition instead of starting over.

[@IndieScapeGames]

Great video on the music and sound effects. Funny enough, those were the topics of my next dev log :D It's truly coming together for you man, congratulations!

[@Leito4Gaming]

Oh I loved it! Really cool game! I'm adding it to wish list. Can you explain how you make that camera movement so smooth all around the player path? It looks great

[@advancenine]

Thanks for the wishlist. It’s the best possible way to help me and I truly appreciate it. Thank you. Yes I will definitely show off the camera mechanics soon. Im glad you asked about it because it’s a small detail most people don’t notice. Thank you!

[@alexmazvi]

We perceive and measure sound "logaritmically". I feel some rune factory vives from this game. Really nice work.👌

[@advancenine]

You are completely correct. My bad. Thanks for the help and kind feedback!

[@TheMeticulousMoo]

Honestly, this is the most entertaining devlog I've seen yet. You've got yourself a new wishlist!

[@advancenine]

Yusssssssss! Thank you so much for the wishlist. Its the best way to help me and I truly appreciate it. Thanks for the amazing support!

[@Skookum_Chuck]

I can’t help but feel that the paths lack some sort of depth, maybe you could add some little stepping stones, fallen trees, more fences? I think something like that would help but of course, no pressure loving the vids, keep it up!

[@LittleCoconut420]

I love this devlog! You have the sweetest heart and a good mood. Keep up the good work!

[@BasKr1996]

The day/night soundtracks are awesome. They fit the game perfectly. But don't forget to also make that one soundtrack (maybe main theme, starting screen theme) that gets just stuck in your head. Think back to your favorite games. There is always that one soundtrack that's just engraved into your brain. People underestimate the power of this. OOT and Skyrim for example are great games, but with the help of their music, they got elevated to cult classics

[@indianastilts]

Wow great you found each other as the music is sounding awesome and perfect for the game

[@elitheeli]

Yesterday I was thinking “I wonder if he’s made another night stones devlog” and today I get recommended this. Glorious 🤩 keep up the good work!

[@mrglick5050]

Awesome as always. The music really helps bring it all together! John did an amazing job!!

[@Swoz69]

the music sounds awesome! My only advice is making the volume of the soundtrack much lower during the actual gameplay so it doesnt take over as much.

[@advancenine]

Really good feedback and I’ll totally do that. Thank you

[@setluce]

Great episode, so interesting hearing about all the technical audio stuff and the music design process :)

[@lewz_r]

Amazing (as always) can’t wait for this game to release!

[@peileed]

I so so want you to succeed! I'm an indie dev myself, I really recommend you opening the game for 100 or maybe 200 people before the release date, trust me, players find bugs that you wouldn't believe, also consider 32:9 aspect ratio, I was so surprised of how many people use those (and I was not ready)

[@advancenine]

Dude this is some solid feedback I will certainly adhere to. Thanks for watching out for me. I honestly appreciate it!

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

The "humming instrument" sounds like a midi Pan Flute. Like, when you hear a Pan flute from an OLD school japanese RPG...like 8 or 16 bit cartridge stuff. But, since it's modern, it sounds just as synthetic, but a LOT cleaner. It's nice. Get that old-school sense, but with modern quality.

[@whilefree]

Amazing! I don't know if you've ever played the game Knytt, but I think it will give you some ideas about the game sounds. It has special atmosphere and goes like this: Sometimes the game is silent, and you only hear the sound of the wind, etc. But suddenly you enter a new zone, and the volume of some music goes up and you fade into the music. And then it drops some time later, faded into the nature sound again. I guess that kind of atmosphere would fit very well on your game. I don't think it's a good idea to let the music keep playing over and over again. But it's just me. You know better what fits your game. Amazing work there. Keep up the good work man! :D

[@satana8157]

I just binged this series. It's pretty fast and to the point and enjoyable to watch. I have two recommendation: 1) I think the underground music should be a bit more mysterious. Underground itself feels a bit small compared to ground world, so maybe add a bit of width to it? maybe putting the other sections next to current ones, or even some fog or waterfall or something in the distance around the bits you're walking on. 2) Somebody suggested weather change and I think it's a really good idea. It could also effect all the sounds and music. Also, you forgot to add [Devlog 6] at the title.

[@advancenine]

Yo! This is some solid feedback and I am going to implement all of this (fixed the headline already). I truly appreciate you taking the time to help me. Thank you! And thanks for binging!

[@messihbetter]

Your game looks awesome! Definitely buying it once it comes out.

[@MacatMovie]

Favorite dev vlog series so far on the web. Really cool and insightful videos 🙌 I don't know if someone already said this, but It would be really cool if walking trough bushes or tall grass had some additional rustling sounds. Or maybe just replacing stepping sounds with them. Also another wish; adding some critters or bunnies across the world that would interact with players, like being surprised and running away from the player. Love the Nintendo's way of adding birds on paths that fly away when you're walking by. I think that would go a long way in making the world feel more full and alive. Also on the sounds note a lil nitpick; Since during the daytime you can see wind and leaves moving my brain wants to hear a bit of that ambiance. 4:43 don't mean to complain, just sharing my opinion if it ends up being useful - I feel like the last part of that sound effect sequence (the final stereo swoosh sound) kind of ruins the whole transformation sound. A bit too loud, "sharp" and "stock" sounding in my opinion. Can't wait to see how the game ends up and play it😁

[@Dardasha_Studios]

Wow!! A father, Indie Game Dev. and business man. Great stuff.

[@advancenine]

Aww. Thank you so much!

[@sheikh_protobar]

I really loved your game style, can you please make a tutorial on how you did everything, not everything, just a breakdown of you you handled stuff, how you learned programming and unity Love your videos

[@jonathansmith114]

This music is great. I'm looking forward to just standing around and listening to the BG music, in-game. (That's how I enjoy games now that I'm a parent. But I'm sure you can relate.)

[@maaz4354]

Wow this makes me want to work on my own game (just like all your other devlogs), great work!

[@Bussinness_Mann]

I can’t wait I’ve been watching this game dev and I love it so much

[@mateigiurgiu2586]

Amazing devlog series, and amazing project. Would you be able to shed some light on the toon shading and the outline post-processing in the future episodes?

[@advancenine]

Great suggestion! I would love to touch on these subjects. Thanks for letting me know.

[@Gatitasecsii]

Man this is beautiful. It's so inspiring. I wanna make my own game!!!!

[@brettmcguinness191]

Great as always. Just one observation I had - the first song also gave me very strong menu music vibes. I'm not sure how helpful that information is, but it was the first impression I had. One other thought. A "flight" theme might be cool, like a theme that plays only when the character is using the glider.

[@rob-rendell]

Switching to an entirely different theme might be hard to make work nicely, given that you can transition between running and gliding fairly freely. Perhaps you could instead have the same theme played at the same tempo but with different instrumentation, and fade between them as you switch movement modes? How much extra work is John willing to do? 😆

[@DiSyllar25]

Jon did a great job with the music, fits the theme of the game very well! Also, I really enjoyed your nerd topic segment, it's always fun to learn new stuff.

[@MelodiCat753]

Love the two of you working together!! Flute at night works great. I love the cave aesthetic, and I wonder if it would look even better with some rock formations or giant crystals in the background to fill out the space slightly? Just a thought!

[@learningstudent8213]

Love the music and a good conversation with our boii musicmagician BTW the cool guy was a good Idea can we see him again -Love from India

[@nathan77777]

Music is great. You both are very talented.

[@advancenine]

Wow that’s a really cool and really nice thing to say. Thanks for your amazingly supportive words.

[@robwillemse5027]

The night town music is really getting there, but maybe the tempo could be dropped down a bit in comparison to the day time music, to give it an even more relaxing vibe.

[@jessicaryan9820]

a doink sound when he jumps would be cool

[@Diuler]

I can hear a lot of influences from the early pokèmon titles for Game Boy, which in my opinion absolutely nails the mood and the aesthetics of wanderlust and discovery

[@Warpgatez]

This first theme song has huge Pokémon and happy day vibes! I dont know if it would help but look into New Worlds sound design. Compared to other MMOs New World's sound is just amazing. But this game isn't an MMO, though if you are going to have NPCs doing stuff like cutting trees down or fishing then look into it because it adds immersion.

[@olivierbossel]

Congrats men! I think you really have something with the black white visual style. Also love the actual colourful style but the drawing black white one has real potential. You can even mix the two by having the black white one as main schéma and some colourful touches like organic painting effect…. It can even be part of the gameplay…. Just a though 👍

[@grounder91]

Fantastic progress and update, great work you two!

[@spacechimp5141]

your game is gonna be awesome!

[@takaw.d8486]

Honestly man i can only dream to be as good as you to make my on game atm, one day ill get there

[@giannisozo7928]

The music sounds great. Good luck!

[@andresguastavino4817]

Wow the music really fits the game, congrats!

[@anispinner]

Awesome duo, awesome progress!

[@datapepple8024]

just keeps getting better and better

[@LuMotion]

I have a cool idea for the foodsteps sound, It sounds better if its more hard steps sound when walking on the stairs and bridges. its sounds a bit weird. also in the cave the foodsteps can be echo and reverb for a cool effect. I love this videos...

[@mysterious_monolith_]

This is brilliant!

[@emperoralani]

The game looks cool, especially being someone that loves role playing games with awesome art. What really caught my interest was when you said you were an engineer, it gave me an opportunity to connect with someone in the same field as I am and similar passion. I will drop a follow to learn more from you and enjoy your content. //TunningInFromNigeria.

[@gaashmusic]

This is such a cozy vibe with the new soundtrack! Reminds me a lot of MapleStory and JRPGs in general :) Music might be slightly loud tho, kind of drowns out the footsteps, but i bet you'll already get the balance figured out

[@Hippoman19]

Love the music! And the water sounds amazing! With all the water… maybe some water puzzles…

[@advancenine]

THIS! Wow this is a great idea. Why on earth didn't I think of this!?