It's my pleasure to post this diary from Michiel van den Bos, the musician responsible for the soundtracks of nearly all Triumph's games. The Planetfall tracks, that range from understated, enchanting and melancholic pieces to ripping industrial action bring to life the worlds of the Star Union, both on the world map and in combat. I think its among Michiel's best work. Included is a 5 minute preview of an 2 hours+ original sound track. - Lennart
Here we are again. This time, I had to wrap my head around leaving the regular fantasy setting I've been working in for all these years and expanding the soundscape to futuristic proportions. This provided a lot of room for experimentation, which I was too careful with in the early stages of development. As time went on it all settled in nicely. In this clip you'll hear nine outtakes that cover part of the spectrum, but there's a whole lot more to be discovered in the game as you play through it.
In order of appearance:
So, there you have about 6 minutes worth of soundtrack that spans more than two hours in the game itself and will be expanded upon over time. I hope you enjoy listening to it, because I certainly had a blast making it. Plenty of surprises and experimental detours are to be discovered. There aren't any remakes from older AoW installments but there are subtle hints here and there that some may pick up on.
Enjoy and thank you for all the nice feedback I've gotten in the meantime!
Michiel van den Bos
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Here we are again. This time, I had to wrap my head around leaving the regular fantasy setting I've been working in for all these years and expanding the soundscape to futuristic proportions. This provided a lot of room for experimentation, which I was too careful with in the early stages of development. As time went on it all settled in nicely. In this clip you'll hear nine outtakes that cover part of the spectrum, but there's a whole lot more to be discovered in the game as you play through it.
In order of appearance:
- Promethean (00:00 - 00:29) A fairly easy going one in the grand scheme of things. The drums are fairly pronounced but the underlying melody is subdued. I wanted to create a dark atmosphere without going overboard. I particularly like the bass instrument that permeates throughout.
- Lunar Labour (00:29 - 01:08) This is one of those songs that if you exchanged all the modern synth aspects and drums with orchestral instruments, it would be right at home in a baseline Age of Wonders game. Easy on the ears as you traverse the world map
- Ruins of a Galactic Empire (01:08 - 01:47) Both the feeling of a world destroyed and the hope of rebuilding are present in this song. People familiar with my older work know that I have an affection for using arpeggiated phrases as a base to build upon and this is one of those songs that developed from there.
- Terraformer (01:47 - 02:28) A song centered around ethnic percussion to create a nice, earthy atmosphere. It ebbs and flows between more grandiose passages as you manipulate the landscape to your liking.
- Elsewhere (02:28 - 03:09) The part I chose to include in this teaser is the climax, but the song kind of tells a story about waking up in a place you've never been and to gradually discover the possibilities of your current surroundings as you explore further. Definitely one of the my personal favorites.
- March of the Machines (03:09 - 03:41) A structured, yet chaotic song with a lot of manipulated metallic percussion and brass as the mechanical behemoths establish their dominance over the other factions.
- Tranquility (03:41 - 04:21) An easy going world map song to accompany your endeavors to establish and expand your base. This track alternates between grand orchestral sweeps and subdued synth dominated sections.
- Mass Infestation (04:21 - 04:51) The only combat song in the teaser as there are so many surprises in the action pieces that I don't want to give away right now. This one centers on a black metal inspired riff and veers off in different directions as it goes along. Frantic!
- Celestium (04:51 - End) Another piece that originated from a simple arpeggiated sequence that turns into a grand, sprawling orchestral hybrid composition toward the end. It bridges the gap between the original AoW and this spinoff rather well and another one of my personal favorites.
So, there you have about 6 minutes worth of soundtrack that spans more than two hours in the game itself and will be expanded upon over time. I hope you enjoy listening to it, because I certainly had a blast making it. Plenty of surprises and experimental detours are to be discovered. There aren't any remakes from older AoW installments but there are subtle hints here and there that some may pick up on.
Enjoy and thank you for all the nice feedback I've gotten in the meantime!
Michiel van den Bos