Why no music in Multiplayer?

[Soviet Heavy]

This is one thing I've noticed. Plenty of games today have got really big, sweeping soundtracks, which work to enhance the atmosphere and make awesome things awesomer.

Why is it removed in most multiplayer portions of games? Very few games have any music at all during the gameplay, but I don't see why. Sure, you can argue that the music would block out the voices of the players, but most games have separate dials for music volume and speaker volume.

Some games still use music, like the Battlefront series, but on the whole, music rarely shows up in multiplayer.

Can anyone offer any suggestions why?

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

So you can listen in on the action?

I don't know.

So you can speak to people?

An option would be nice, I admit, but it's not that important.

 

[blankedboy]

Because then you can just load up VLC in the background and rock out the Doom OST to ANY GAME YOU WANT DDD

 

[Best of the 3]

Because, music is usually timed well to be used to great affect (in the single player: Eg, person dies, dramatic music, explosions = exciting / loud music). In multiplayer this can't be done as much. ALthough I get that having some sort of music in the background would be better, from my view anyway, but that's the reason you don't see it I think.

 

[Legion]

I'd be annoyed if any shooters had it because I pay attention to whether or not I can hear footsteps and whatnot to know when people are moving around near me.

I think it works when they have the specific music in Left 4 Dead 1 and 2, but it never interferes.

 

[teknoarcanist]

Because the nature of multiplayer is designed, from the ground up, to make you play the same thing over and over.

So yeah. Music. That shit would get old fast.

Maybe one of those dynamic "stuff's happening, make music as a result" type-deals, but Chime is about the only game I've seen do that very well, to the point where it didn't just feel like I was being bombarded by orchestral hits every time I did something.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

So you can listen in on the action?

I don't know.

So you can speak to people?

An option would be nice, I admit, but it's not that important.

Thats what I'm sort of going for. Just an option. Since sound effects, voice chat, and music are all on separate dials, it would be nice to have the option of music, instead of it being omitted completely, or shoved on everyone.

 

[Calcium]

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 does it well. Music changes from quiet almsot ambient-like to war drives during the action. Very satisfying to have your anthem playing while you punish the opposition.

Would be nice to have more games using music similarly, but I can see why developers don't use it in most multiplayers.

 

[Catalyst6]

I can see how it would have a place in games like WoW and some of the ORPGs, but shooters shouldn't have it, if only so that you can hear the *tap tap tap* of a knifer running up behind you...

 

[Traun]

It's distracting, if a game has music in multiplayer, I usually turn it off so that I can concentrate on the action.

 

[Baby Eater]

Metal Gear Solid Online let's you pick music every time you respawn and it has quite a lot of music from a bunch of different Konami games.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Ahhh yes, I ask that so myself, mainly because my all-time favourite multiplayer game had terrific music:
Yeah, those were the days... I'd like to have that back, of course music fitting with the atmosphere the game in question wants to set.

Thing is, so many multiplayer games nowadays are all about the results, are all about your k/d ratio or whatever. Music like that reminds that they can, just like singleplayer games, be about the experience itself too. In the case of UT one big adrenaline rush, but it can be anything. So yeah I'd like the option back very much indeed.

It's distracting, if a game has music in multiplayer, I usually turn it off so that I can concentrate on the action.

It can also give one an adrenaline boost, an additional "Yeeeeehaaaaaawwww!!!" to really get kicking. At least, that always happened to me with the examples above.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

Why have I never noticed it? I guess Black Ops had some filler during the intro and final minute, but it's nothing compared to proper scores.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

Because audio cues are important. =p Especially in games like TF2 where hearing a spy decloak can mean the difference between you turning around and greeting him with your gun, or him planting his knife in your back.

You don't want music drowning out bits of sound that can mean the difference between life and death.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

I use a surround sound system when playing the call of duty games, and I sound whore foot steps like crazy. It always irks me when the music comes in during multiplayer because all of a sudden I can't hear anything going on around me for a few seconds. I would hate for music like that to be going all game.

 

[IBlackKiteI]

Most RTS games do have music, if I remember correctly some of the later Call of Duty games have it sometimes.

Music in multiplayer could be a pretty cool addition if done well, but it really doesn't seem that important.

 

[s0m3th1ng]

BC2 had it right, period music on the vehicle radios.

 

[ForensicYOYO]

If there was music I couldn't be as aware. It drowns out sounds that alert you to enemy positions.

 

[MisterGobbles]

A lot of the more arcady games have music, like the Unreal series and TimeSplitters and stuff, but the more "realistic" ones opt for a different atmosphere with no music. It is easier to hear things, gunshots, tell where people are, and what not. This doesn't really matter as much in games like TimeSplitters, but in games like Halo and CoD it can make all the difference.

I personally really don't notice it.

 

[MrGalactus]

Because single player has scripted events that music fits to to enhance the experience. In multiplayer it would just confuse and distract.