Has this been confirmed one way or the other, yet?
For me, it’s a total deal-breaker if it doesn’t.
I appreciate that somebody put effort into making a new soundtrack, but the original is iconic, and one of the best PC games soundtracks made. If I play AoE, I want it to have the original soundtrack, which sounds ancient, mystic, alluring, primordial… especially the opening game track, which is probably the most iconic piece of music in the Age of Empires series other than the title track, and which itself sounds like a revelation in a virgin world at the dawn of time:
The new soundtrack is not as poignant, IMO, its themes not as solidly conceptualized, and is also excessively drowning in reverb, which to an extent spoils the soundtrack that’s underneath all that reverb.
So, just like the original graphics and sound effects are an option (thankfully, as the new graphics are tacky, IMO, and feature a noticeably limited colour variety compared to the original), I believe it would only be properly honouring the original game, its legacy, and its fans to also include the original CD soundtrack as an option.
I’m aware that there’s a new soundtrack for the game. However, that doesn’t answer whether the original will be included as well, just like the original graphics and sound are included, despite there being new graphics and sound.
To be a complete package of the old version, and the new version, the original graphics, sound, and music would have to be available. We know that the original graphics and sound are available, so I’m asking regarding the music part, which seems to be the only unconfirmed aspect of the original game.
Also, while I’m asking regarding the inclusion of the original CD music to be played with the original graphics and sound, I also hope that the original CD music can be set to play instead of the new soundtrack, while playing with the new graphics.
I’m aware that there’s a new soundtrack for the game. However, that doesn’t answer whether the original will be included as well, just like the original graphics and sound are included, despite there being new graphics and sound.
To be a complete package of the old version, and the new version, the original graphics, sound, and music would have to be available. We know that the original graphics and sound are available, so I’m asking regarding the music part, which seems to be the only unconfirmed aspect of the original game.
Also, while I’m asking regarding the inclusion of the original CD music to be played with the original graphics and sound, I also hope that the original CD music can be set to play instead of the new soundtrack, while playing with the new graphics.
As beta participants we’ve had very limited exposure to classic mode and it was in an unfinished state at that. The most up-to-date demo of classic mode was streamed by Elliot of Relic Entertainment last Thursday. Redirecting...
@“Beegor Bucleor” On the weekly Age of Empires stream today Elliot from Relic Entertainment played AoE:DE Classic Mode with the original soundtrack which you can hear on the VoD linked below starting at 1:10:30. I hope this answers your question.
@rhrmn said:
@“Beegor Bucleor” On the weekly Age of Empires stream today Elliot from Relic Entertainment played AoE:DE Classic Mode with the original soundtrack which you can hear on the VoD linked below starting at 1:10:30. I hope this answers your question.
I watched that livestream till the end of the CD music soundtrack, and at least in that beta of the game, the MIDI soundtrack then starts playing after the CD music soundtrack plays. That’s not good. They’re two completely different qualities, and they’re two distinct soundtracks.
It would be great to have the CD or MIDI soundtrack toggle-able. But, otherwise, the CD music soundtrack should just loop when it finishes playing, and not start playing the MIDI soundtrack.
Hi. I just want to bump and let the dev team know, I strongly think the original CD and MIDI music soundtracks should not be mixed because they’re not of the same experience and audio quality - which I’m not saying is a bad thing in the case of the MIDI music, but that they don’t work together, and they interfere with the flow of each other. As someone wishing to play the original CD music, as that’s the soundtrack I most like, I don’t want the music switching to MIDI, but upon playing through, to immediately repeat the CD soundtrack again.
Ideally, I think there ought to be a check-box option in the game audio option menu to choose which soundtrack to play:
The original CD music soundtrack
The original MIDI music soundtrack
The new soundtrack
With the check-box next to the soundtrack that the player wishes to listen to. That way, the CD music soundtrack, for example, can be listened to with the new graphics, or the original graphics. And the same then goes with the other soundtracks, as well. I think that a person shouldn’t be restricted to which soundtrack they hear based on which graphics they’re playing with.
@“Beegor Bucleor” said:
Hi. I just want to bump and let the dev team know, I strongly think the original CD and MIDI music soundtracks should not be mixed because they’re not of the same experience and audio quality - which I’m not saying is a bad thing in the case of the MIDI music, but that they don’t work together, and they interfere with the flow of each other. As someone wishing to play the original CD music, as that’s the soundtrack I most like, I don’t want the music switching to MIDI, but upon playing through, to immediately repeat the CD soundtrack again.
Ideally, I think there ought to be a check-box option in the game audio option menu to choose which soundtrack to play:
The original CD music soundtrack
The original MIDI music soundtrack
The new soundtrack
With the check-box next to the soundtrack that the player wishes to listen to. That way, the CD music soundtrack, for example, can be listened to with the new graphics, or the original graphics. And the same then goes with the other soundtracks, as well. I think that a person shouldn’t be restricted to which soundtrack they hear based on which graphics they’re playing with.
So the game indeed hasn’t an option to select which soundtrack to use. I don’t mean just between the DE and classic soundtracks, because there are multiple classic soundtracks for AoE. As things are, the “Classic” skirmish mode in the game mixes both the original CD audio and the original MIDI soundtracks together, which is not how they were in the original game, and they don’t mix together since they are of entirely different instrument quality.
In the audio settings menu, there ought to be 3 options for which soundtrack plays in the game:
The DE soundtrack
The original CD audio soundtrack
The original MIDI soundtrack
By the way, the first game I played in AoE DE, using the “Classic” skirmish mode, had an issue with the music, where after playing the first track the music stopped with no subsequent tracks starting to play.
The next game I played, however, didn’t show that issue. The 2nd game I played was just today. So, maybe there was an issue and it was patched. Otherwise, maybe the issue is still there and it might happen again.
