Here at the Relic office, Audio Designer David Renn was the one tasked with the job of putting together this package of MP3s. We very much appreciate the time he put in to this project and I was able to ask him a few questions about this undertaking.
For those who may not know, who are Jeremy Soule, Ian Livingstone, and Inon Zur?
Renn: They are the three composers who have scored the various installments of Company of Heroes. Jeremy Soule wrote for the original, Inon Zur for the Panzer Elite campaign, and Ian Livingstone for the Commonwealth campaign of Opposing Fronts.
Where was this music originally recorded and when?
Renn: The music for Company of Heroes was scored digitally by the composers, who are based in the US and the UK. The exception to this is Ian Livingstone and his score for the Commonwealth campaign. While the gameplay music was created digitally, the cinematic score was performed by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra in the Czech Republic. It was recorded over the course of development for these titles, starting in 2003 and leading up to 2007 for the Opposing Fronts expansion.
What was involved in putting together this large number of music tracks? What’s the total run time for these two albums?
Renn: There were some interesting hurdles in putting together these compilations. The total amount of music in Company of Heroes is quite large to start with, and because gameplay music is separated into high and low intensity versions (one for combat and one for calm), the number of tracks to pick from was nearly doubled. Both albums span music from all of the CoH releases, and the work of three different composers. We needed to carefully treat each track such that they would all blend seamlessly.
Many of the pieces included are from in-game cinematics, and so are quite short relative to gameplay music. Because of this, it made sense to approach the albums as a mix, with tracks flowing in and out of each other. In the end, the total run time for the albums came to 1 hour and 43 minutes.
Some of these songs will be immediately recognizable to Company of Heroes fans, like “Untitled” from the first album. Some of the tracks are shorter and I have not heard before. Were they used in a very specific part of a campaign?
Renn: There are some tracks included that were scored specifically for cinematics, as well as mission-specific pieces that only appear briefly during a campaign. These pieces are some of the best in the game, so having them be part of the album was a must.
What is your favorite track from this collection and why?
Renn: In Memory, All Plans in Motion, Opposing Fronts, there really are a bunch that stand out for me. The music fits the game so well, sometimes being much more moody and contemplative than the on-screen action would suggest. It supports and adds to the stories being told, often focusing on the complexity of single soldiers rather than the collective drive of the entire force.
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Custom SpecialI know I am, I'm sure I am,I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered Userregular
edited January 2010
Darn you, ridiculously good steam sale!!!
I...I couldn't pass it up. I had purchased the cd's a year ago but returned them because updating in-game was worthless. I vowed I wouldn't ever get it except on steam so it would be a good kid.
So when are we starting WWIII? I need mans to play.
I picked up Tales of Valor, so now my CoH collection is complete.
I've only ever played through the single player, and a few private skirmish matches, but I'm really wanting to try out the online play.....Oh God I'm going to do so badly.
I picked up Tales of Valor, so now my CoH collection is complete.
I've only ever played through the single player, and a few private skirmish matches, but I'm really wanting to try out the online play.....Oh God I'm going to do so badly.
You can watch some shoutcasts so that you don't get wtfpwned the first time you hop online, if losing is something you don't enjoy for some reason.
The free soundtracks on steam do not include the ToV soundtrack. This is a real shame as The Commonwealth faction's music is a full live orchestra recording as opposed to tacky sounding midi as heard with the others. I'm not sure who composed it, but it crushes Jeremy Soule's contribution.
Can rifle grenades shoot out of Kangaroos? I can't tell if they've been shooting.
Load your Kangaroos with the following:
1 PIAT sapper squad
1 Bren tommie squad
1 LT
The result is a extremely high HP, fast, 360 degree firing fortress that can button, drive behind, and kill any vehicle in the game.
The result is also an extremely broken mechanic that will get you universally hated, and is the reason so many people are leaving the game (combined with all the broken shit Wehr currently has).
It's a good thing I'm too terrible to do that. But that doesn't exactly answer my question.
They should fire. Whether they do or not depends on what units you have loaded on the Kangaroo and the weapon priority.
If unit X is in front of the Kangaroo, the game will look at the weapons available on the squad inside the Roo. Whichever weapon has the highest priority for unit X will fire. This is why guys with Shreks or PIATS will switch seats to fire at a tank.
The only reason I could see them NOT firing is if the rifles the tommies have equipped actually have a higher priority against enemy infantry than the grenade launchers. Then the guys with rifles would always switch seats to be in the favorable position.
Kangaroos are basically bullshit. No, they're bullshit. Tek's right about the mechanics but the real answer is don't use them because they're worse than anything else on earth.
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Custom SpecialI know I am, I'm sure I am,I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered Userregular
edited January 2010
Got my games all downloaded and such. Ingame is PAF4ll0ut (wth who took my name...), joined the PACoH steam group. Is it more helpful to add friends in game or is teaming up easy enough just with steam friends?
There is so much to learn...SO MUCH!!
Got my games all downloaded and such. Ingame is PAF4ll0ut (wth who took my name...), joined the PACoH steam group. Is it more helpful to add friends in game or is teaming up easy enough just with steam friends?
There is so much to learn...SO MUCH!!
Check out GR.org and look up some 'Basics' guides, then glance through a few 'Advanced' guides until you pick your favorite faction(s). From there you can either watch some replays of 1v1's, or throw yourself right into the Automatch 1v1.
You'll never learn anything playing against the AI or the Basic Match kids, although an occasional team comp stomp can be a good way to have fun with a few Steam friends.
I have COH on Steam, I actually rebought it when it hit Steam. The thing won't verify my user name and password. I can reset my password but it just rejects it again when I retry logging in. Any clue what to do?
Normally this isn't a problem, Steam updates the game for me and my multiplayer chances are rare. It works when I'm offline, but the EF mod tries to validate it online and forces me to log in. Back to square one.
Sonar on
I'm building a real pirate ship. Really. Wanna help? Click here!
caffron said: "and cat pee is not a laughing matter"
my friend that bought vanilla on sale should just play americans vs wehr with me
Balance is pretty good now with a few major exceptions and a handful of minor ones.
The two big problems right now are the Kangaroo and the Pak bug. The Kangaroo lets a British player go infantry heavy all game, then spend a pittance of manpower and fuel to convert their massive infantry force into one or more speedy, disabling, high HP, high firepower super-tank. The Pak bug allows the Pak to fire 3 times while invisible, each shot getting a large bonus to accuracy and penetration that was supposed to be reserved for the first shot only - resulting in complete and total irrelevancy of US T3 and T4 the moment the Wehr player reaches T2.
Minor problems include MG42s (and HMGs) not being effective enough against blobs, the iHT being over nerfed, the US mortar being sub-par in every possible category, the medic system being horribly implemented, pioneers getting elite armor at vet 2, engineers being suppressed by rain, Wehr on-map artillery costing FAR too little pop cap (3 for Nebel and 4 for stukah) while being the best in the game, FOO artillery being bugged, various misfire bugs on several units (especially M10), Marder 3 doing too much damage to Pershing due to a forgotten damage bonus, and the Hotchkiss being sub-par for its cost.
And the Geschutzwagen is ridiculous. If a Marder is a glass cannon then the Geschutzwagen is a glass cannon that fires glass cannonballs loaded and fired by a crew of glass men blown by a master glassmater.
Yeah the Geschutzwagen is pretty crazy. Was playing with some PA people against some randoms and shep and one of the randoms built one and vetted it up to vet 3 and just charged my two AT emplacements (was playing british) head on and killed them both.
And the Geschutzwagen is ridiculous. If a Marder is a glass cannon then the Geschutzwagen is a solid steel cannon that fires depleted uranium cannonballs loaded and fired by a crew of german soliders with balls of steel who can fire their DU shells while unloading with a roof mounted MG42 at the same time.
Fixed that for you, because the G-wagon I know is an unholy beast with absolutely no glass involved.
How often have you tried? Relic Online is getting hammered because of EF.
Figured it out, I was using the wrong log in name.
And I have to say, that the Russians are... interesting. A normal Russian comp can beat an expert Axis comp. I can't beat a normal myself and I'd hate to think what would happen onliine.
The flavors there but the ability to put 40 guys vs. 4 is just silly. Add in the insta artillery from snipers and forget it.
Sonar on
I'm building a real pirate ship. Really. Wanna help? Click here!
caffron said: "and cat pee is not a laughing matter"
Christ I forgot about the MG-42. That's a really good MG-42 on it too. I mean come on. Tales of Valor added NOTHING THAT MADE THE GAME BETTER.
I have seen some amazingly creative stuff done with the PE Ketten alternative and its 15 munitions mine.
I don't know if I consider it good tactics, or cheap. It can take a rifle down to 33% health on all men instantly. For a player's first rifle squad - that's a substantial hit.
Yes but I'd argue that that didn't make the game better.
Oh, absolutely. I'm just trying to find a glass of lemonade among all these lemons.
TekDragon on
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Custom SpecialI know I am, I'm sure I am,I'm Sounders 'til I die!Registered Userregular
edited January 2010
I have time for a game. I require mans to play.
And do I need to start adding a butt-ton of friends in-game or does coh handle steam friends to get on a game well enough?
I'm not certain about this because I haven't used my Steam version yet, but I think you need to add people as friends in-game in order to be able to do some of the cool Relic Online stuff like inviting people to your game.
Posts
Is their first unit a squad of twenty conscripts that fight like a squad of ten (because only half have rifles?)
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Are there shoutcasts and replays out yet? I'd like to try this without actually having to play online. I suppose I could do some skirmish...
http://store.steampowered.com/sub/1529/
I...I couldn't pass it up. I had purchased the cd's a year ago but returned them because updating in-game was worthless. I vowed I wouldn't ever get it except on steam so it would be a good kid.
So when are we starting WWIII? I need mans to play.
I've only ever played through the single player, and a few private skirmish matches, but I'm really wanting to try out the online play.....Oh God I'm going to do so badly.
You can watch some shoutcasts so that you don't get wtfpwned the first time you hop online, if losing is something you don't enjoy for some reason.
Opinions on the gameplay balance of Relic games may differ, but sound wise they're extraordinary.
And graphics! Relic games always have amazing graphics. Basically everything they do except balance is perfect.
oh god I am not good at battlefield
oh god I am not good at battlefield
Load your Kangaroos with the following:
1 PIAT sapper squad
1 Bren tommie squad
1 LT
The result is a extremely high HP, fast, 360 degree firing fortress that can button, drive behind, and kill any vehicle in the game.
The result is also an extremely broken mechanic that will get you universally hated, and is the reason so many people are leaving the game (combined with all the broken shit Wehr currently has).
oh god I am not good at battlefield
They should fire. Whether they do or not depends on what units you have loaded on the Kangaroo and the weapon priority.
If unit X is in front of the Kangaroo, the game will look at the weapons available on the squad inside the Roo. Whichever weapon has the highest priority for unit X will fire. This is why guys with Shreks or PIATS will switch seats to fire at a tank.
The only reason I could see them NOT firing is if the rifles the tommies have equipped actually have a higher priority against enemy infantry than the grenade launchers. Then the guys with rifles would always switch seats to be in the favorable position.
There is so much to learn...SO MUCH!!
Check out GR.org and look up some 'Basics' guides, then glance through a few 'Advanced' guides until you pick your favorite faction(s). From there you can either watch some replays of 1v1's, or throw yourself right into the Automatch 1v1.
You'll never learn anything playing against the AI or the Basic Match kids, although an occasional team comp stomp can be a good way to have fun with a few Steam friends.
my friend that bought vanilla on sale should just play americans vs wehr with me
I have COH on Steam, I actually rebought it when it hit Steam. The thing won't verify my user name and password. I can reset my password but it just rejects it again when I retry logging in. Any clue what to do?
Normally this isn't a problem, Steam updates the game for me and my multiplayer chances are rare. It works when I'm offline, but the EF mod tries to validate it online and forces me to log in. Back to square one.
caffron said: "and cat pee is not a laughing matter"
Balance is pretty good now with a few major exceptions and a handful of minor ones.
The two big problems right now are the Kangaroo and the Pak bug. The Kangaroo lets a British player go infantry heavy all game, then spend a pittance of manpower and fuel to convert their massive infantry force into one or more speedy, disabling, high HP, high firepower super-tank. The Pak bug allows the Pak to fire 3 times while invisible, each shot getting a large bonus to accuracy and penetration that was supposed to be reserved for the first shot only - resulting in complete and total irrelevancy of US T3 and T4 the moment the Wehr player reaches T2.
Minor problems include MG42s (and HMGs) not being effective enough against blobs, the iHT being over nerfed, the US mortar being sub-par in every possible category, the medic system being horribly implemented, pioneers getting elite armor at vet 2, engineers being suppressed by rain, Wehr on-map artillery costing FAR too little pop cap (3 for Nebel and 4 for stukah) while being the best in the game, FOO artillery being bugged, various misfire bugs on several units (especially M10), Marder 3 doing too much damage to Pershing due to a forgotten damage bonus, and the Hotchkiss being sub-par for its cost.
Fixed that for you, because the G-wagon I know is an unholy beast with absolutely no glass involved.
Figured it out, I was using the wrong log in name.
And I have to say, that the Russians are... interesting. A normal Russian comp can beat an expert Axis comp. I can't beat a normal myself and I'd hate to think what would happen onliine.
The flavors there but the ability to put 40 guys vs. 4 is just silly. Add in the insta artillery from snipers and forget it.
caffron said: "and cat pee is not a laughing matter"
I have seen some amazingly creative stuff done with the PE Ketten alternative and its 15 munitions mine.
I don't know if I consider it good tactics, or cheap. It can take a rifle down to 33% health on all men instantly. For a player's first rifle squad - that's a substantial hit.
Oh, absolutely. I'm just trying to find a glass of lemonade among all these lemons.
And do I need to start adding a butt-ton of friends in-game or does coh handle steam friends to get on a game well enough?