Music and Besieged -- yay ToAU! (FFXI)

[thistlechaser]

First off, in one of the latest updates a new song was added. Download it here. People are reporting that it's the final ToAU battle music, which I would totally believe. That may be my new most favorite FFXI music! Every time I think I can't love the ToAU expansion pack more, something new is added. :D I worry about future expansions though, because I can't picture anything that could top what we have now. Besieged (BESIEGED!), Assaults, great new jobs, lockers, an amazing city, a crapload of XP camps, no stupid level cap BS, and did I mention Besieged~?

And on a related note, Midgar had its first level 8 Besieged last night! I'm so happy I was able to catch it! Unfortunately (fortunately?) it was seriously easy. Trolls are always easy, but I expected more of a level 8. We had 600 in the zone which helped a lot (I can't remember the last time I saw more than 400 at a Besieged), but still, it was easier than a level 5 undead attack. We beat it so fast we didn't even get to see the HNM! :/ I was looking forward to taking lots of screenshots of it.

Short post because work is killing me (*cry*) and after being here all day I can't accomplish more on-game than my chocobo digging and any Besiegeds that happen to hit. Blarg.

Comments

[achika-soladia.livejournal.com]

I worry about future expansions though, because I can't picture anything that could top what we have now.

Time travel. 'nuff said.

Nothing can top time travel. =o Except dimensional travel.

Or dimensional time travel. =o

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah. :) I'm very excited about time travel, but still, how could it top Besieged? Unless it was Besieged in Old Sandy, Old Bastok, and Old Windy!

[achika-soladia.livejournal.com]

I doubt, but there could be surprises. =O

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I doubt it as well, but it'd be cool if so!

[reynardstruan.livejournal.com]

Besieged-like activity set during the Crystal War? The big battle at Tav-nazi-a?

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Please! That'd rock. :D

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

Yeah.. it's a good song.. but would it kill them to use real instruments? I mean they're not saved in a MIDI format, they're compressed audio so wether it's hokey synthed music or robust orchestration the files would be the same or similar. Like I said, it's not bad, It could just be so much better...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Maybe they're counting on most people being like me? I read your comment, blinked, and went 'real instruments?'. I've listened to it twice since then and can't tell the difference. Seems beautiful to me. :)

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

You honestly don't hear that every sound in that song is electronicky and synthy? Listen to this, and tell me you don't hear difference when they use a real harp, real vioins and cellos, reall brass and percussion...

FFXI Opening Theme (http://www.buckheadyouthorchestra.com/FFXI/01 - Nobuo Uematsu - FF XI Opening Theme.mp3)

If not, no worries, after all I was a music major, my wife is a violininst, my brother-in-law is a cellist, and my in-laws both play in a major symphony orchestra. I COULD be a bit hypersensitive ^^

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Nope, I really don't hear a difference, other than the song style. But, like on so much else, we're on totally opposite end of things. :) I really don't like music, period, end of story. I never listen to the radio. Now and then (once every few months) I'll stumble on a song and listen to it endlessly (I've listened to this new ToAU one four times already today, and it's only 7:30 AM!), but other than that I could get along fine with no music in my life. I don't have an ear for music at all, which is probably why I'm not picking up what you are. :)

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

'Tis true.. you are the "Anti-Me" in every way I can imagine... let's hope we never meet, we might explode and take out a city. /grin

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

*snerks* Yeah! And while driving in to work, I realized I wasn't totally clear. I listen to the radio (NPR, news, limited talk radio, etc), but I don't listen to music on it.

[kamalloy.livejournal.com]

What would be the cost of hiring an orchestra versus having their sound programmers do a little extra work? I'm guessing it's a cost-cutting method.

[barahir-ffxi.livejournal.com]

It may be... but they do do it... the background music for the opening movie is beautifully orchestrated, great string section, robust brass, chorus... Distant Worlds from CoP has real orchestration in the background (even though having a singer with such a heavy JP accent singing English really ruins it for me, i prefer the real guitar, strings, and percussion.) I'm sad I listened to the WoW soundtrack. Now I will always know how much the FFXI one lacks.

[kamalloy.livejournal.com]

Okay, now that I've had a chance to listen to the song a few times, here are my thoughts.

The first thirty seconds in particular (and the repeats of it later on) are *awesome*. Wonderfully epic. I can definitely believe it's final battle music. I can't wait to be a part of that fight. ^^

An orchestral version of it would totally kick ass. I can only hope that if Squenix does any more live orchestral concerts, it gets included.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

The first thirty seconds in particular (and the repeats of it later on) are *awesome*.

Yeah, the first 30 seconds kill me every time. Love them so much. Around 2:30 there's a 'swirly' part that I don't like so much at all (and it's repeated once later on) but all in all, I love it!