This article originally appeared on ign.com on 21 Oct 2006 5:10 am. By Richard Aihoshi.
Released free of charge to Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle's North American subscribers last month, Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood is the most recent expansion for NCsoft's popular PvP-oriented persistent state world. Incorporating a number of enhancements inspired by player feedback, it implements playable content and modifications to game systems that are aimed at characters of all levels. One particularly notable benefit is more rapid advancement in the early stages of play, thanks in part to an Academy that allows clan members to train and gain power faster. Among the various things they can build up to see are new castles and contestable clan halls. Of course, monsters have been added too, one highly intriguing example being Prince Frintezza, a maniacal being who directs a formidable foe known as Scarlet von Halisha by playing an organ within his deadly lair.
In a related vein, another major feature is the soundtrack, which is the work of accomplished composer Inon Zur, whose name may be familiar to readers of this site since he has contributed to a number of titles we've covered here over the past several years. The first was BioWare's Baldur's Gate II: Throne Of Bhaal, although he had previously scored three games in other genres. Since then, a few of his ensuing credits are Black Isle Studios' Icewind Dale II, Sony Online Entertainment's Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest and Champions: Return to Arms, and Midway's Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows. Oath of Blood, which is available as a CD, also afforded him the rather unusual opportunity to showcase his music in a live symphony concert. Recently, we managed to secure the chance to ask him about the entire interesting assignment.
Jonric: For the benefit of readers who aren't familiar with Inon Zur, how would you summarize who you are and the highlights of your career, both in general and related to games?
Inon Zur: I was born in Israel and came to America in 1990, where I studied music at the Grove School of Music and UCLA Music for Film program. In 1993, I got my first break in the industry, scoring episodes of the late night TV show Valley of the Dolls. Later on, I started working as a staff composer at the Fox Family Channel. There, I composed over 300 episodes of youth entertainment programming like Power Rangers, Beetle Borgs, Escaflowne, Digimon and many other shows.
In Oath of Blood, the directions were to follow the emotions and the feelings rather than the locations or the actions. This concept is very unique, and virtually gave me full freedom to make my own artistic choices.
In 1997, I composed my first score for a video game, Star Trek: Klingon Academy. Since then I have composed the scores for close to 40 games, including Lineage II: Chronicle 5 - Oath of Blood, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, SOCOM II, Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest, Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, Icewind Dale II and many more. I really enjoy the creative freedom of scoring games. In them, the music is allowed to breathe and develop much more than in linear forms of entertainment such as film and television.
Jonric: What was the process that culminated in your being chosen to create the score for Oath of Blood, and then doing so? How long did it take, and what was involved?
Inon Zur: I had a previous relationship with NCsoft, composing the score for its sci-fi MMORPG, Exteel. They heard some examples of my music and decided that I would be the appropriate guy to take on this mission. The composing, recording and mixing took approximately four months, although there was more work scoring the trailers and videos for the game and the promotions surrounding it.
First, I composed the music with my sampler / midi studio setup. Then, after approval, I recorded it with the Northwest Sinfonia in Seattle.
Jonric: How did the fact you were working with the NCsoft office in Korea impact this process or the actual tracks?
Inon Zur: Working with NCsoft Korea was a great experience. I want to mention Mr. An Yong Jin, the Director of the Audio Department, with whom I liaised on this project. He is a very passionate and talented person, and has all the right experience to know what the game needs in terms of sound and music. It was a great pleasure, and it made the whole communication and work very rewarding.
Jonric: What do you regard as your strengths as a composer, particularly of game music, and how did they fit with Oath of Blood?
Inon Zur: I think one thing that I have proven to do quite well is to be able to adapt my music to the game environment, to make the music a very cohesive part of it, and also to contribute to the dramatic effect within it.
In Oath of Blood, the directions were to follow the emotions and the feelings rather than the locations or the actions. This concept is very unique, and virtually gave me full freedom to make my own artistic choices. The developers rarely got involved with regard to changing or altering my music. The process was also harder, because describing a human emotion through music can be so subjective, and I needed to come up with music that would influence the player's frame of mind - this is love, this is hate, this is lust, along with the other emotions in the storyline.
Jonric: Why did Oath of Blood have a different composer from Lineage II and the previous expansions? Did already having music in the game affect your work by, for example, limiting your range of creative freedom?
Inon Zur: There can be numerous reasons why developers choose to hire a new composer for their game. I think to get a full answer, you would have to ask the audio team in Korea. However, I will say I feel very fortunate to be involved on this project.
NCsoft decided to introduce me as the new composer for Lineage II by featuring my music for this game in a special live symphony concert performed by the very respected Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra.
I did not have to follow the previous music for Lineage II, although I did listen to it and found it to be very good. I definitely followed the general spirit of the game, so even though the themes are different, the player can easily find the connection in both style and atmosphere.
Jonric: What were your overall, high-level goals for this assignment, and how did they differ from those for other games you've worked on?
Inon Zur: I have one general goal when taking on a game - to contribute to this project in the best way I can, and to make the music as good as possible for the game without it being too noticeable.
With Oath of Blood, there was the specific challenge to find the right music that would convey certain feelings and emotions. I had to spend some extra time trying to FEEL more than to listen; I had to set myself free and let the music flow directly from the sheer emotion, rather than planning the musical cue. It definitely took a different skill set and mentality, and it made the whole process very unique and personal.
Jonric: How much music is there in Oath of Blood, and how varied are the tracks? And given the decision to use emotion-based themes, were any of these especially challenging to create?
Inon Zur: There is close to 60 minutes of music, with around 44 tracks. Each one is a totally different theme within the Lineage environments. Yes, the tracks are extremely varied. I felt that the more intimate emotions like love, lust and jealousy were harder to tackle versus the more heroic and action-oriented ones. It was like I was trying to get into the human soul, and to listen to the music of his or her heart. It is a very difficult approach, but at the same time, very satisfying. The decision to go for an emotion-based score was the right one for this game, and so I gladly followed this mindset.
Jonric: Which tracks are most important musically and in relation to the game experience? What inspired each of them, including the instrumentation? Were you limited by budget or anything else?
Inon Zur: The three main themes, Love, A Song for Peace, and Sorrow and Revenge, can be regarded as the more significant, although not necessarily better or more meaningful than the others. They each have a voice and lyrics, and they are song-like in their structure. I wanted to give them a special treatment, so I enhanced them with different languages - English, old German and Hebrew. I think it gave them the mystical touch I was looking for, and complemented the other instrumental cues. Again, NCsoft helped me out and did not limit me, artistically or budget-wise.
Jonric: To play the devil's advocate, don't many gamers turn the music off or stop noticing it soon after they begin to play?
Inon Zur: I'm a firm believer that our mission as composers is to utilize the music in the game in a creative way that won't bore or tire the gamer. I don't like games with wall to wall music, and I think it needs to kick in only when necessary from a dramatic point of view. With the current technology and advanced AI, I don't think that music has to loop all the time in MMOs and RPGs. We're always trying to find ways to vary the composition so it won't repeat mechanically.
Implementation is equally important. If the composer and audio team are doing a good job with the music, there is usually no reason to turn it down or off at all. Music is a mechanism that can help with immersing the player in that particular world. If it's not done well - and this applies to both the music and the way it is implemented - it can take you out of the game experience.
Jonric: How did Lineage II: The Concert come about? When and where was it, how many people attended, and what was your involvement?
Inon Zur: NCsoft decided to introduce me as the new composer for Lineage II by featuring my music for this game in a special live symphony concert performed by the very respected Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra. I was really honored that they wanted to promote the music in this manner. The event took place at the AX-Hall in Seoul, Korea on May 30. Footage from the game was also featured, and the venue had an intimate setting selling out to a crowd in the 500 attendance range.
Before the concert took place, representatives from NCSoft Korea came to my studio to record a video interview that would be shown during the concert, since I could not attend in person due to the fact I was still working on other music for the game. If you're interested, footage from the concert is available at this location. The music is also featured as part of a remix contest on Lineage Radio.
Jonric: What type of gamer are you? Do you play many, and what kinds do you tend to prefer? How much have you played Lineage II?
Inon Zur: I can sometimes get really fanatic with certain ones, usually shooters and driving games. I can also drive a mean tank. I like to try different kinds of games to learn about different techniques and styles, and I especially like to play a game I'm working on so I can fully immerse myself in that world.
I will try to do my very best to keep you immersed in the games and the musical scores, and help make your experience something you can take with you and enjoy for a long time.
On Men of Valor, for example, I spent numerous hours trying to find every angle and see how the music would work the best. The same approach applied for Shadow Ops: Red Mercury. I did not progress further into Lineage in the way I usually can, but I intend to get deeper into it soon.
Jonric: To finish up the interview, do you have any concluding comments that you'd like to leave with our readers?
Inon Zur: I think that you, the avid gamers are a big part of the reason why I like to write music for games so much. Your enthusiasm and mindfulness for the games gives me lot of ambition to give you what you crave so much, a good result and a good product. I just know that you will understand and appreciate it, and I thank you.
I will try to do my very best to keep you immersed in the games and the musical scores, and help make your experience something you can take with you and enjoy for a long time. Thank you for listening!
Having listened to the soundtrack for Chronicle 5: Oath of Blood, we're thankful that Inon Zur was chosen to provide the music for Lineage II's most recent expansion. Readers who would like to hear examples can visit the music page on his site, where five tracks are available, including one of the main themes, Love. And of course, we'd like to express our appreciation to the talented composer for telling us about his latest project in the game development industry.