IMUSE
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| iMUSE | |
| Developer: | Michael Land |
|---|---|
| Use: | Game Engine |
| License: | U.S. Patent |
| Website: | U.S. Patent 5,315,057 |
- The correct title of this article is iMUSE. The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions.
iMUSE (stands for Interactive MUsic Streaming Engine) is a game engine developed in the early 1990s by composers Michael Land and Peter McConnell while working at LucasArts. The idea behind iMUSE is to synchronize music with the visual action in a video game so that the audio continuously matches the on-screen events and transitions from a musical theme to another are done seamlessly. The iMUSE system is patented under U.S. Patent 5,315,057 by LucasArts, and was added to the fifth version of the SCUMM game engine in 1991.
iMUSE was developed out of Michael Land's frustration for the audio system used by LucasArts while composing The Secret of Monkey Island. His goal was to create a system which would enable the composer to set the mood via music according to the events of the game. Peter McConnell, also a composer at LucasArts at the time, collaborated with Michael Land on creating the system which they later patented together. The first game to use the iMUSE system was Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge and it was used in all LucasArts adventure games since. It has also been used for some non-adventure LucasArts titles, including the entire X-Wing computer game series.
[edit] Occurrences
A typical example of iMUSE at work is heard in the cemetery scene in Monkey Island 2: creepy music is heard while the protagonist is standing outside the cemetery gates. When he enters, the music subtly cross-fades to a variation of the same theme, picking up from the point in the melody where the previous one left. The same kind of transition is heard again once the character zooms in on a coffin. A slightly different use of iMUSE is present in the swamp scene, where the music starts out with a simple flute melody but as the protagonist proceeds deeper into the swamp, new instruments are gradually introduced to join the flute.
In the space combat title Star Wars: X-wing, the iMUSE engine mixes the soundtrack based on the mission events in real-time from themes loosely based on John Williams' scores for the Star Wars movies. When a mission starts, for instance, a tranquil stand-by theme is often heard. If a Rebellion craft enters the area, this theme is interrupted for a brief Rebellion theme. Likewise, when Imperial crafts enter, the first cue of The Imperial March is heard and at this point, with imminent combat, more fast-paced themes are introduced.
In Sam & Max Hit the Road, entering Sam's DeSoto parked at the outside the pair's office triggers a transition to a faster melody as the car speeds off. This is an example of iMUSE's ability to form a smooth bridge between two dissimilar pieces at an arbitrary point in time.
