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TSL Soundtrack Improvement

superSzym

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Most of you probably remember the KotOR soundtrack. It was truly immersive, wasn't it? I remember almost every single piece of it - it's really remarkable and hard to forget. And what can we say about soundtrack for TSL?

 

Dantooine

 

Dantooine probably got some of the best themes in the first game. It's almost impossible to find a KotOR player who doesn't remember those three themes which appeared on this planet. Many of you probably found TSL Dantooine really disappointing. It was much smaller, completely didn't follow K1 geographic schematics and last but not least, its soundtrack. "Boring" and "unfitting" are the first words that come up to my mind. In first KotOR game we got three themes. Dantooine was a big planet, but it was perfectly enough, as they perfectly matched our visual experience. In TSL, there are only two themes. It would be perfectly enough again, as Dantooine is now smaller than K1, but how they sound is a disappointment, too. Main Dantooine theme is just one of the main themes repeated elsewhere in game at least five times, and Enclave Sublevel is just noise. The only truly remarkable Dantooine theme and probably the one in the whole game is the Rebuilt Enclave, but I didn't count it as it appears only once in game.

 

By modifying Kexikus' music replacement method as TSL music system is quite different than the K1 one, I would personally and for personal use only put a K1 Dantooine plains theme on K2 Dantooine plains, give Crystal Caves an exclusive theme like in K1 using a K1 one and use a K1 Jedi Enclave theme as a Khoonda exclusive theme. I also think about Enclave Sublevel theme... Bastila's theme from K1 seems fitting, but "Tython, the Wellspring" seems fitting, too.

 

Nar Shaddaa

 

As opposed to Dantooine, Nar Shaddaa didn't appear in K1, so we didn't have so many expectations. Yet soundtrack writers still made us disapointed. Nar Shaddaa was the moon of fun, moon of smugglers, moon of contrast. Do we see it with the soundtrack TSL proposed? Not at all, completely and utterly. Again, one of the main themes repeated and a battle one for Jekk'Jekk'Tarr. While I couldn't think about Jekk'Jekk'Tarr, I think I know how would it be possible to show contrast between two worlds. "Nar Shaddaa, the Playground" from SWTOR shows a bit of wealth and could go to the Docks and the Landing Pad, while "Taris, the Plague" sounds like, hmm... a plague and could go well with the Refugee Sector, of course under a different name. And does this posh club called Entertainment Promenade sound like entertainment? What about "Do the Holos Show Up on the Bill"?

 

Korriban

 

Korriban really deserves a better main theme and I think the SWTOR one would go well. I'll leave an old one as a Ravager theme. "Into the Past" doesn't really sound mysterious, kinda just a battle theme. I don't know if I will replace it, but Uthar Wynn's trials from K1 will sound more mysterious.

 

Onderon

 

Onderon... huh. It's got maybe not the worst soundtrack from all the planets, but still boring. Completely no character. City of Iziz will probably become Senya, the Matriarch from KotET. Both Onderon Battle themes could be changed into Siege of Alderaan at the Sky Ramp and Valkorion, the Patriarch at the city. Royal Palace is actually good, but not in royal character. Its first half is a beautiful 9th November morning and in the second part you get an information that Tr... Santa's dead. Will definitely replace it for myself with Alderaan, the Throne.

 

Malachor

 

Malachor was totally boring. In addition to endless enemies, a boring, stamp music. I'll use Remnants, the Sith Empire to Trayus Academy and the Eternal Throne instead of the Final Battle. Maybe Thexan, the Lost Son for Malachor surface. It's quite calm, but really immersive and its title matches its character - quite painful and reminds of a lose - goes well with how the Exile remembers Malachor - a lose of so many beings, the wound in the Force and the ultimate loss of Revan. Yet Malachor soundtrack shouldn't be fulfilled with hate - the Exile treats it like an old friend and this is how this soundtrack feels.

 

Dxun

 

Dxun... I'm sorry, but I can't remind myself of at least a little sound from Dxun soundtrack. Probably "Occupation of Balmorra" would go well with the Mandalorian Camp.

 

Telos

 

Citadel Station would go well with Zakuul, the Eternal Empire theme. Vaylin, the Prodigy for the Restoration Zone. Czerka offices will probably get Czerka theme from K1 and the Ithorian Enclave, let's go with Voss theme from SWTOR or Ahto City theme from K1.

 

Did you ever find TSL soundtrack too repetitive and so dark that themes lose any kind of character apartament from darkness? That's what I felt all the time when I was playing TSL. I'm going to try to make a soundtrack replacement tool, of course with multiple possibilities of creating a soundtrack (actually, to avoid porting, I'm limited to giving you a recipe and a tool, just like Kexikus did), I hope it would work. And you, if you've got more interesting suggestions how to improve the TSL soundtrack, write your ideas in the comments!



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Sound's good to me, I never liked how dark and boring the TSL soundtrack is. EDIT: July 19 2018: I must correct my old statement, I think it fits some planets, but for the most part needs improved.

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I enjoyed the TSL soundtrack for that dark and moody atmosphere on Dantooine because of the theme of how bad things had deteriorated. But after playing through it time and time again, I have to agree with you on several planets about the music just being boring.. TSL really has a strong theme enhanced heavily by its music, but it does get old in some cases. 

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TSL soundtrack is definitely inferior to K1's, but there are some pretty good themes. While it's definitely not great, the Enclave sublevel theme from Dantooine really grew on me in my last playthrough.

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