Forums » Elder Scrolls

Jeremy Soule won't be composing ES6's score

    • 393 posts
    January 9, 2019 3:38 AM EST

    Chris said:

    I mean, 76 aside, the games they've done so far have been good, ESO, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Legends

    Can't say for ESO as I haven't played it, but I've heard it used to be bad in the beginning. Also it's not Bethesda.

    Skyrim, as much as I love it, is full of shitty writing that cannot be fixed by any mods, and bugs that persist through all patches. And mods add a lot.

    Never played Fallout 3 but people say the bugs in it are far worse than in Skyrim.

    Legends used to be very good... but it was not made by Bethesda. And the new client is complete shit and I still can't look at it even though they fixed all the bugs long ago, it's just ugly.

    If TES VI will be like Skyrim, I'll buy it. Bethesda is good at makeing beautiful worlds, and the modders will fix the bugs sooner or later... But most likely they'll make it not only a total piece of shit but also full of ads and microtransactions, and if turns out that way, no chance in hell I'll buy it. Also, I'll never install their shitty launcher. I have installed it once in the past but it was so broken it didn't even let me play Legends. I ended up installing it through Steam. So no, no more chances for Todd the Liar and his fellows.

    • 321 posts
    January 9, 2019 4:01 AM EST
    Be careful what you wish for, Thorien, or, you might get even more abysmal writing in TESVI. :P
    While I don't mind mods, I just don't think Bethesda should be overly reliant on modders to fix problems that should've been fixed before a game is released. I mean, jeez, if you're letting modders fix your half-polished game for you, then at least pay them for their efforts, dammit.
    Truly Bethesda's motto is, "It just works."
    • 393 posts
    January 9, 2019 4:10 AM EST

    A-Pocky-Hah! said: Be careful what you wish for, Thorien, or, you might get even more abysmal writing in TESVI. :P While I don't mind mods, I just don't think Bethesda should be overly reliant on modders to fix problems that should've been fixed before a game is released. I mean, jeez, if you're letting modders fix your half-polished game for you, then at least pay them for their efforts, dammit. Truly Bethesda's motto is, "It just works."

    Well, as long as it's not worse than Skyrim I can live with it. And when Bethesda pays the modders, that's where things might get really awful. Shit like Creation Club replacing actual mods? No thanks, I think it's better if people do it just like before. It would be nice if Bethesda released a game without critical bugs, of course, but I know it's too much to hope for.

    And if anything, Fallout 76 shows that they really have to change their motto.

    • 277 posts
    January 9, 2019 1:48 PM EST

    Ebonslayer said:

    Chris said:

    I mean, 76 aside, the games they've done so far have been good, ESO, Skyrim, Fallout 3, Legends

    ESO isn't Bethesda, it's Zenimax.

    Skyrim is shit. Bethesda went the route of "why do it when your players could do it instead" which pisses me off to no end.

    Never played Fallout 3.

    I've heard Legends is absolutely shit.

    I will give Bethesda no more chances. They have exhausted both I am willing to give them, and I refuse to buy from the second coming of EA.

    ...Why are you even spending your time on this TES & Fallout fan site then?

    • 700 posts
    January 9, 2019 2:13 PM EST

    Mr. Edd said:

    Beth's got Inon Zur too, and he's awesome, he's the dude who also created that timeless and epic score for Dragon Age Origins, probably one of my all-time favorites... but I'm a very stubborn guy. I like my stuff to remain "consistent", i.e I don't like change unless absolutely necessary, lol.

    I hope Jeremy returns, it's part of the Soule of The Elder Scrolls, you know?

    You're welcome.

    Didn't realize they had him. I didn't even know he's the one who's been composing Fallout's scores. Which is a bit unfortunate since I feel as though every soundtrack past Fallout 3 has gotten more and more generic.* The themesongs especially. They're beginning to blend too much with the likes of TES' soaring arrangements. FO4 and 76's main themes just sound way too bright and postive and not at all post apocalyptic. But I'm guessing that has more do with the games they're for than Zur's ability to create good music. 

    *Not every. Just FO4. Can't speak for 76's. But it was disappointing as shit to load up FO4 for the first time and not hear that BUM BUM BUM BUM part. At 1:00. Pretty sure he also tuned way up for FO4. 


    This post was edited by Legion at January 9, 2019 2:17 PM EST
    • 295 posts
    January 9, 2019 2:45 PM EST

    Legion said:

    Mr. Edd said:

    Beth's got Inon Zur too, and he's awesome, he's the dude who also created that timeless and epic score for Dragon Age Origins, probably one of my all-time favorites... but I'm a very stubborn guy. I like my stuff to remain "consistent", i.e I don't like change unless absolutely necessary, lol.

    I hope Jeremy returns, it's part of the Soule of The Elder Scrolls, you know?

    You're welcome.

    Didn't realize they had him. I didn't even know he's the one who's been composing Fallout's scores. Which is a bit unfortunate since I feel as though every soundtrack past Fallout 3 has gotten more and more generic.* The themesongs especially. They're beginning to blend too much with the likes of TES' soaring arrangements. FO4 and 76's main themes just sound way too bright and postive and not at all post apocalyptic. But I'm guessing that has more do with the games they're for than Zur's ability to create good music. 

    *Not every. Just FO4. Can't speak for 76's. But it was disappointing as shit to load up FO4 for the first time and not hear that BUM BUM BUM BUM part. At 1:00. Pretty sure he also tuned way up for FO4. 

    Speaking as a professional musician, the themes are very similar, Legion, just a slight retool and a key change for FO4, subbing orchestral slap that you heard in FO3, the BUM BUM BUM BUM so to speak, with actually the starkness of a piano in the opening. The BUM BUM BUM BUM is actually present, just in piano reduction. Sounds more "pioneer" which actually fits with the Commonwealth setting, especially when there is a touch of solo fiddle before the main theme kicks in. But similar to me can be very different to another set of ears. 

    Just like Oblivion's theme borrows from Morrowind, and Skyrim's main theme borrows from both Oblivion and Morrowind. I guess it's like not having the heartbeat rhythmic figure that proceeds every ES game. Rather ingenious actually, Heart of Lorkhan, heartbeat rhythm. And yes, it's present in Oblivion's theme too, just heavily disguised under the brass fanfare and sped up. 

    As for ESO, Brad Derrick and Rik Schaffer borrowed material from Jeremy Soule to keep ES thematic consistency. I do not doubt that the person who is selected to composer for ES6 will do the same. It is expected, I think. 

    It's certainly the possible end of an era, but I personally enjoy the ESO score and I like the scores for Fallout 4 and 76, just like I enjoy the scores for the prior games. If Inon Zur is selected, I'm actually rather curious to see what he does, as his work is interesting to me. 

    To be honest, considering the current state of modern classical art music, video game scoring represent a growing niche in some quality, accessible, yet thematically rich material being composed. I already feature the more prominent composers of game scores in my Music Appreciation classes. Film composers too. 

    Just my two cents on the matter. 

    • 275 posts
    January 9, 2019 3:28 PM EST

    Noodles said:

    ...Why are you even spending your time on this TES & Fallout fan site then?

    I love the people, fanfiction, builds, and ESO content. I don't need to like Bethesda for that.


    This post was edited by Ebonslayer at January 9, 2019 3:29 PM EST
    • 277 posts
    January 9, 2019 4:13 PM EST

    All of all that would not exist without Bethesda.

    • 275 posts
    January 9, 2019 5:00 PM EST

    Noodles said:

    All of all that would not exist without Bethesda.

    Without old Bethesda. They have changed for the worse and I will no longer let them profit off me.

    • 122 posts
    January 9, 2019 8:35 PM EST

    Well that's too bad. Mr. Soule does a great job, and I'm sure he'll be missed.

    I'll be honest, though, I've been working 50+ hours a week for months. I can't be assed to care about one creator maybe not being a part of a game when we don't even know the direction the game is going to take or when it's going to be out. Frankly I understand his desire to clear the air so people can stop drilling him about ES6 so he can take back his social media platforms and advertise for the work he's doing today.

    • 700 posts
    January 10, 2019 1:06 AM EST

    The Long-Chapper said:

    Speaking as a professional musician, the themes are very similar, Legion, just a slight retool and a key change for FO4, subbing orchestral slap that you heard in FO3, the BUM BUM BUM BUM so to speak, with actually the starkness of a piano in the opening. The BUM BUM BUM BUM is actually present, just in piano reduction. Sounds more "pioneer" which actually fits with the Commonwealth setting, especially when there is a touch of solo fiddle before the main theme kicks in. But similar to me can be very different to another set of ears. 

    Just like Oblivion's theme borrows from Morrowind, and Skyrim's main theme borrows from both Oblivion and Morrowind. I guess it's like not having the heartbeat rhythmic figure that proceeds every ES game. Rather ingenious actually, Heart of Lorkhan, heartbeat rhythm. And yes, it's present in Oblivion's theme too, just heavily disguised under the brass fanfare and sped up. 

    As for ESO, Brad Derrick and Rik Schaffer borrowed material from Jeremy Soule to keep ES thematic consistency. I do not doubt that the person who is selected to composer for ES6 will do the same. It is expected, I think. 

    It's certainly the possible end of an era, but I personally enjoy the ESO score and I like the scores for Fallout 4 and 76, just like I enjoy the scores for the prior games. If Inon Zur is selected, I'm actually rather curious to see what he does, as his work is interesting to me. 

    To be honest, considering the current state of modern classical art music, video game scoring represent a growing niche in some quality, accessible, yet thematically rich material being composed. I already feature the more prominent composers of game scores in my Music Appreciation classes. Film composers too. 

    Just my two cents on the matter. 

    Well I'm glad someone was able to interpret by bumpkin talk. I had a think about it while at work, and I believe I know more specifically what issue I take with FO4's themesong. FO3's is full of apprehension that's created with noise. Sometimes it sounds like bending steel, sometimes it's just a nondescript dark tone. It feels like something is always lurking in the background. And after it gets through the main Fallouty motif, it makes room for the BUM BUM BUM BUM. It's reduction in FO4 is exactly the problem to my ears. FO4's theme, to me, just straight up removes any sense of apprehension for the world to come. FO3's is way more dynamic and energizing. There's drastic shifts between volumes and (I think) time signatures. The last half of FO3's themesong sounds like combat music -- a stark contrast to the slow and spacey beginning. FO4's themesong just feels too one-note. It plays the same thing a few times, climaxes, then fades out. FO3 plays to the end, and ends on a definite note. The notes aren't just held until there's silence. 

    It feels to me like FO4's theme is saying "everything will be okay," whereas FO3's themesong is saying, "nothing is okay, be prepared for anything." But I suppose I'm just addressing another symptom of the direction Fallout has taken. 

    • 700 posts
    January 10, 2019 1:09 AM EST

    Mercurias said:

    Well that's too bad. Mr. Soule does a great job, and I'm sure he'll be missed.

    I'll be honest, though, I've been working 50+ hours a week for months. I can't be assed to care about one creator maybe not being a part of a game when we don't even know the direction the game is going to take or when it's going to be out. Frankly I understand his desire to clear the air so people can stop drilling him about ES6 so he can take back his social media platforms and advertise for the work he's doing today.

    Fair enough! There's tons of things I can't be assed to care about either. And you make a good point. Above and below his ES6 comments, he's pretty much just been promoting all his new work and talking about how excited he is.