First, is Crash Tag Team Racing the only game to do this? I've provided samples below: Spoiler: Tire & Ice (Normal) Spoiler: Tire & Ice (Higher Rank) Spoiler: Tire & Ice (Lower Rank or Challenge) Spoiler: Tire & Ice (Under 6th Place) Rank = Place in a race Second, I do have a question: I just discovered that each level in Rocket Power: Beach Bandits (of course some levels share music) have three different tracks that are pretty much the same, but just have different instruments. In the game, from what I've seen, they each play through twice, with the exception of the third, which just keeps going on and on unless you restart the level. Would that also be classified as variable mixing? And if not, what would it be called and is this the only game that does this? Here's an example -- watch the whole video and pay close attention: from the beginning until 3:00, it's the first track; from there until 6:00, it's the second track; from there until the end, it's the third and final track: Edit: I might have been wrong. Some levels appear to just use one track, such as the four levels you race Eric Golem in at the end of the game.
If you're talking about changes in instrumentation to suit the mood of an area or circumstance then no, those are not the only examples. Metal Gear Rising also does this, as do a handful of other kart-racing games. If I knew the official term for it I'd tell you, but I don't. (Unless you looked it up and it's actually called variable mixing, in which case hey, I learned something new today :L) I love it when games do that though, and I wish more would. Especially RPGs, where acute changes in mood would greatly benefit from a sudden muting of the drum track, or the addition of vocals, or whatever else.
Well, I know the first one is called variable mixing (the Crash examples) since that's what my friend told me, but I think you're referring to my Rocket Power: Beach Bandits example. For your Metal Gear example, are you saying it does the same as CTTR or Rocket Power: Beach Bandits?
Variable mixing doesn't even make sense as a term for this... Usually it's just "dynamic music," or "dynamic visuals," or whatever- you get the idea. It's basically using a song as an audio cue. I don't even understand why you'd call it variable mixing. The type of coding for this is similar to when something in the environment, like an enemy, is dynamic based on what the player is doing. But no, tons of games do this. From the recent Mario Kart 8 to the original Super Mario Bros. It's a very, very good design trick to make a player feel something as noticeable sound changes cause a direct reaction. The level music in Super Mario Bros speeding up causing the player to feel rushed. It turns the catchy, simple music into a fast beat after an alert cue. As Nova said, Metal Gear Rising does this to serve as multiple player cues. It means you're winning, it means you're at the final part of the boss fight, etc. Pandora's Tower doesn't change the music mid boss fight, but the final boss gets a different song pending on how you played and what changes about it is the character singing. The classic Shadow of the Colossus also changes music when you've indicated to the game you've figured out how to beat the boss.[DOUBLEPOST=1404935653][/DOUBLEPOST] Lissen, I'mma level with ya dude- CTTR and Rocket Power aren't exactly going to be the pinnacle of new ideas.
