Duet of Sonance Dev Log #2 - Transformation

Hello everyone!

I hope you are doing well and staying healthy!

Over the last month there has been a lot of change, growth, and reflection for my passion project: Duet of Sonance.

While I have always had a love for pixel art and design, I have heavily shifted the art direction to a 2.5D style. From the pictures that I posted from before on social media or even from my previous blog, everything was completely 2D. While I adore this style, one issue that I ran into was getting dynamic lighting properly implemented, especially for outdoor scenes. The lighting to me felt very dull, but I am feeling much happier with the visual aesthetic of the project.

Going forward, I think a month doing sprints for this project and then revealing the progress in features feels about right for what I want to share, as I don’t want to spoil too much of the story, characters, or plot elements. It’s really hard to say, but the game will probably have a playtime of around 30-45 hours, which is fairly standard for many RPG games.

At the end of this Dev Log, I wanted to talk about some goals that I want to have with this project, as I have a huge passion for helping the music and art community through this work. While I am composing music for my project, I also believe that using this project can help amplify more composers and my fellow friends and colleagues as I continue to grow this game.

#1) Rhythm-Based Action RPG

Yes, I am an RPG fan. I grew up on them and will probably never stop playing them. That being said, I always felt that many of the RPGs in games did music dirty (or at least music classes or characters that had music as their main strength - yes, I’m looking at you FF3 bard… ). The cool thing about this game is it'‘s completely tempo driven, meaning that attacks happen on beat rhythmically. However, it’s not completely rhythm locked, as the characters can run around and avoid attacks from enemies and initiate techniques on the dime without needing that rhythm locked in. Only normal attacks will have that lock. As time goes on, this system will further expand with potential sub-division capabilities. All of the weapons will have notes associated with the scale the battle pieces are in so the sound design and music feel dynamic and interesting to listen to while in combat.

#2) Cutscenes

What is a narrative driven game without cutscenes. I had such a tough time wrapping my head around Unity’s timeline system, but after wrestling with it actually started to click and it feels pretty intuitive. I have successfully began the process of implementing pretty simple cutscenes (mainly dialogue boxes, basically movement, music, etc). As the game continues to expand I want to add more features to the cutscenes so that they feel much for active and alive!

#3) DYnamic lighting and Visual Effects

This is fairly self-explanatory, but Unity hosts a lot of cool features that allow for dynamic light, fog, aerosol density, and many more features. The really great benefit to this is that they can also be scripted so hopefully things can feel more natural in the world moving forward. I also began playing around with the Shader Graphs and Unity’s particle system to create more impactful attacks, blending both 2D sprites and 3D systems together.

#4) Music Implementation

Of course the world felt a little too quiet for me after awhile so I ended up testing an Audio system within the game having written music for certain sections so I don’t go insane working on this!! I actually started writing a boss theme (sneak peak). While the artwork in 2.5D can feel a bit more on the adorable side, the story has a LOT more depth to it so hopefully you can feel that sentiment.

#4) Dynamic dialogue

Some quests and dialogue will have branching which can lead to different results depending on how you answer or progress through the story. While I didn’t want to have a ton of branching (since most of the story is linear) I wanted to introduce this concept as this could create unique situations that can add flare to the game.

Future goals…

With all of that to say, in the future I will be planning a kickstarter (hopefully by the end of the year but can’t necessarily promise it will be ready by then) so that more collaboration can happen. I really do believe in helping through my work and to support people in their journeys as creatives and professionals. While so far everything has been done on my own as a solo dev, life isn’t supposed to be lonely, even through endeavors such as this.

Some things that I want to bring to fruition through this project:

• Support composers and musicians by having them featured in certain dungeons, bosses, etc. (as this is a music ARPG after all!)

• Support music education through the funds raised through this project (a portion of the money will go to music education, school districts, and/or specific students who have a drive and passion for music)

• Feature a few of my private piano/composition students by having them as guest selections on the OST.

Essentially, I want to get the community involved and to support music and to bring to light it’s many intricate beauties and challenges. That is something that I will forever stand for with this work.

Anyways, if you made it to the end, I really appreciate it and I hope you’re looking forward to more! I’m excited to continue sharing my progress and I hope you are too!

Duet of Sonance Dev Log #1 - Why does this exist?

Hello! This is D’Anthoni.

To be very honest, I rarely blog or post about things due to the necessary need of extreme secrecy within the composing world. This of course causes me to be a lot more quiet. However, there is a little bit more of an incentive to showcasing progress for my upcoming game, Duet of Sonance, that has had a little bit more visibility over the last month or so.

Perhaps you could describe this as a marathon with various checkpoints or a long winded journey that you get to take with me. I also don’t want to make the ‘Dev Logging’ become the focus of my game development either, as the actual development part needs to take full center.

 As you or some people might already know, I’ve been in the works in developing a video game as a (currently but not forever) solo developer. It’s been a lot of work… and I mean a lot. BUT I also want to stress that this isn’t a priority over my composing career. I will always be writing music and in fact I have been in the works of writing for some things.

( above is a screenshot of me literally drawing pixels in Aseprite. Fun but a long tedious process at times. )

The reason why I wanted to start doing some small Dev Logs (short for Developer Logs) for this project is because I don’t want to go insane staring at a screen for days and hours upon end in a dark room. Joking. But kind of not really. It’s a really nice feeling to document progress and to give somewhat of subtle soft updates while also replenishing a bit of my mental state. I also wanted to tell a bit about the origin story on how I’ve gotten to this point and how this project was born.

It can feel overwhelming just as much as it does exciting. And funny enough, It’s been in the process of development for the last five years. Well sort of…

Long story short I started writing the dialogue script in 2020 during the pandemic. Of course, many of us were finding outselves, myself included. In fact, the script actually took the entirety of 4 years before I felt that it felt correct and whole.

(1097 pages…it’s a lot. Quite the read though…)

It was a very difficult year for many people that year, myself included. While the whole world was shut down and dealing with the pandemic, my grandmother passed which meant funeral planning and seeing her for the very last time amidst Covid-19 running rampant for the first time. Afterward, I realized that I never got to tell her that I was gay, which eventually resulted in me caming out around the same time. I made a public post about that which caused an even bigger scene. Fortunately I recieved a LOT of support from family and friends.

But at the same time, as some people got rid of me on social media, gave me a hard time about it, or distanced themselves. It was a pretty emotional rollercoaster, but hey, life goes on. After my grandmother’s funeral, I came to terms with the fact that I couldn’t hold in myself, as that would hinder my ability to authentically create my music or develop ideas such as this game. It was a reminder that she never was told the entirety of my own personal story.

Afterwards, I knew I couldn’t hold my ambitions inside of my heart anymore. And so, my game project was born!

Developing Duet of Sonance holds a very similar weight of importance like it does with my compositions. Music has always been a way for me to express my voice, my emotions, and deep thoughts. It’s really a stronger way of expressing things when I’m having difficulty finding words to express those feelings through.

Some things are better left speaking through a creative outlet such as music, as it has always been there for me… an outlet to say the least. That being said, developing this game has become just as much as a strong outlet to express my deep thoughts and emotions through storytelling, game design, and choice intractability. These are the methods in which I wish to use as a speaking device to portray these feelings, thoughts, and moments.

I know that creating a game takes a lot of time and effort and there’s a lot of fear regarding failure, but it’s not the first time that one may feel this way in a creative industry, or rather any field. Anything with a creative vision will always hold risk and potentially falling face flat on the ground. But this time around, I’m not worried about reception or what people think when it’s all complete. All I truly care about is getting the story told in the best way possible that hits home the most.

It’s extremely important for me with the gameplay holds an authentic and personal experience. A story where the characters can feel relatable, regardless of their background or where they come from. In the end, I wish to allow for people to grow closer and to create dynamic conversations about real life situations or topics that might be difficult to express.

I know some people have been keeping up to date with some of my small updates, via the various pages on (Instagram, Bsky, etc) with early works being presented in a way that seems very rough or unfinished. I’m actually ok with that for the time being. Currently, the graphics have been described as ‘cute’ or ‘adorable’ (which isn’t a bad thing at all!). But there’s something charming about creating stories with rich narrative developments that I find very dear in games that can offer a unique way of storytelling and experiences that can be different per person. An adventure that YOU can control.

A lowkey shameless shoutout to the instagram page

Lastly, I just wanted to reiterate that this isn’t a post expressing that I’m going into full time game development. My music composing will always come first and foremost.

Anyways, sorry for the long winded first ‘dev log’ (not so much a dev log) post. I actually feel grateful enough if you’ve read this whole thing. I am forever grateful for my family, friends, and for the people that believe in my journey. I really want the best and to support as many people as I virtually can through this endeavor.

Once I feel comfortable enough with my progress and a trailer is officially created, I want to bring some folks on within the development process! But until then, I will be working tirelessly getting as much as I can done. It may take 2 years…. or maybe 10 years.

Who knows…

Regardless, I promise to see this journey to the end of it’s completion.

Thank you so much for your support over the years and please look forward to what’s to come.

Yours truly,
D

Game Sound Con 2017 Thoughts! 💭

Hey everyone!! ☕️

I haven't written a blog post on the site in awhile and wanted to share some details about my experience at Game Sound Con with you.

If you don't know what Game Sound Con. is, it's basically a get together with a bunch of video game audio folks who want to geek out together about our experiences within game audio industry. There is plenty to do within the two day period with a focus on networking, presentations, and studies within our work. This happens every year in Los Angeles and if you're interested in going to it next year, just click the link below! 😁 :

https://www.gamesoundcon.com

This was actually my first time going to the event and it was an incredible time (I highly recommend it to you or to anyone who wishes to make video game scoring or sound design apart of their career). Some of my very good friends and professors attended this event and it was amazing to see some of them on panels: Michael Bierylo, Jeanine Cowen and Laryssa Chan to name a few. You'll also get a sense at how small yet vast the game audio industry really is. I met so many individuals with a huge passion for their craft from all different levels of experience and backgrounds (some even flew in from out of the country just to attend!). 

There are four tracks of presentations that were available this year:

1. Game Audio Essentials (Essential and fundamental tips for emerging game audio professionals)
2. Game Audio Pro (Professional tips for game audio specialists)
3. VR Audio (Case studies and information regarding Virtual Reality)
4. Wwise (Tips and Audio Implementation fundamentals via the software Wwise)

Here are some of my overall thoughts after attending the event this year as well as some "oh yeah...that's pretty important" moments:

1. You'll never stop learning

I started my time in the Virtual Reality sessions at the convention, and a lot of the talks ended up talking not only about their success but also their failures regarding their studies to the new and emerging Virtual Reality industry. Because it's a new field of study, even professionals are still scratching their heads on how to create a convincing and immersive soundscape within video games. Many have expressed recording and mic placement challenges as well as implementation issues to create believable spaces via High Order Ambisonics. Many composers within other panels have also expressed how they are still learning about the orchestra, compositional techniques, and technological barriers. But this is what makes growing as audio specialists so much fun in my opinion, because there is so much room for growth and learning together within the industry.

2. Networking is key

While 95% of us video game industry folks are introverted (no statistics involved with that one, purely based on my own experience 😅), one aspect of the event that was great practice for everyone was giving folks the opportunity to mingle and network with one another. Breaking out of your comfort zone can be a challenge, however I ended up getting into some interesting conversations because other people did their best to talk with me and spark a conversation, or vise versa. Sometimes it just takes a simple "Hello, how are you enjoying the event so far" or simply pouring someone some lemonade or coffee and starting from there (there was a looooot of coffee so, if you didn't talk with someone that's on you...) And overall, everyone was very friendly and willing to exchange their business cards or some form of contact information. It's a great way to get to know other people, and you never know what can come out of it. And don't be afraid to ask to get coffee or lunch with folks after the event is over... Don't burn your bridges folks!

3. Improve your skills daily with balance!

The speakers for each event all expressed their daily practice and honing of their skills, even if it's just for a little bit each day. Sharpening skills shouldn't feel like a task, but rather a necessity like breathing or eating every single day. The art of composing and sound design can be taxing at times on the ears and mind, so it's also important to balance your time. If you are stuck, take a walk or have some time to relax in between your work if you need to recharge. Balance your time in a meaningful way. And don't push away your friends and family during the process, because they will keep your sanity through it all! 😉

4. It's not easy getting started, but never give up!

For all of the newcomers in the field, and sometimes even for the people higher up in the industry, we all run into clients that do not treat music professionally. They may not even want to pay us like all of the other sectors of a game project, but at the end of the day we still need to be honest and let people know that we work hard like any other branch of a game project. In-House composers and sound designers on average may work for 10 hours a day (or longer!) and freelancers usually get hired near the end of the project because the game company "forgot" to think about the music or sound which leaves them with 2 months to finish all of the sound. But even with these struggles one thing to remember is to never give up and to know where you stand. Everyone goes through this so don't think you're alone! 

5. Stay healthy mentally and physically

While many of us aren't in the best of shape, it's important to provide balance in your life. Sleep well, eat well, stay healthy. You become less productive if you aren't taking care of your body, so make sure to take care of yourself. This is often overlooked as a crucial necessessity for an audio professional, as many of us are used to hearing "Sleep is for the weak" (please... 🙄). Don't kill yourselves people... work smarter not harder.
 

Like I said, definitely go if you are serious about game audio...it is 100% worth the money and the time if you have some to invest. Keep making the music folks and I hope you got something out of this! 💪

Welcome To Our Official Site!

Welcome to Melodic Vision Music! On September 25, 2015 we are happy to announce that we are officially up and running. We are so excited and ready to assist the world with our creativity and professionalism. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you're curious about the business.

Also we want to thank our contributors:

Photography Work
DJ Johnson

DJ Johnson is a photographer based in Kansas City who does freelance work around the area and has worked on many projects.

Translation Assistance
Yoshie Nakayama

Yoshie is a Contemporary Writing and Production Major and a Trombonist at Berklee College of Music. While honing her arranging, production/mixing, and performance she is also a writer for the Berklee Blog. She graduated from Kunitachi College of Music in Tokyo with a bachelor's degree in Music Education.

We want to thank them for your contributions to the site and for your hard work. Definitely check them out if you get the chance!