![marathon [MTongue]](./images/smilies/4.png)
RULES:
1) For all participants, you will have to compose 3 songs, one to complement each of the first 3 levels of Marathon
Durandal. To refresh your memory, these levels are Waterloo Waterpark, The Slings & Arrows of Outrageous Fortune, and Charon Doesn't Make Change. Together, these 3 levels make up the first chapter of Marathon 2, called Lh'owon.
2) Each song must fall within a reasonable length range. I'm looking for songs from 1 minute to 4 minutes. I will be flexible with the length, but please don't make a song as short as 10 seconds or as long as 10 minutes.
3) There must be no singing in any of the songs. The only exceptions will be for a few words, such as "Marathon!" or "The Power of Seven," and one of those background choruses. This is a contest on music composition and interpretation, not on singing talent. Note: Any profanity will disqualify all your songs from the contest.
4) Deadline: All entries must be emailed to me at [email protected] no later than March 25th April 1st at midnight EST. That's a little more than 3 weeks to make 3 songs.
Anyone interested in judging also email me.
Your entries will be judged on the following material:
1) Interpretation of the Level: Does your song complement the level provided? Does it help set the atmosphere of the level and contribute to the gameplay? A bad example would be to play "Happy Birthday" during a war scene, while a good example might be to play "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" during a scene where a little kid is pondering the universe. 20 points
2) Musicality: How well the tempo, rhythm, notes, etc fit together. It shouldn't sound like a 6th grader randomly hitting stuff or pressing down keys on his first instrument. 20 points
3) Creativity: This is your music so make it unique. I understand that many background parts repeat over and over, but don't create a whole song where the majority of the melody is the same eight notes played repeatedly. Jazz it up and make it enjoyable and fun to listen to, while still staying within the other requirements. 10 points
4) Sound Quality: If it sounds like trash or is poor quality, you will obviously lose points here. I'm looking for clean, high quality music with no white noise, unless the white noise is intended. 10 points
5) Originality: Remixes sound great and all, but the point of this contest is too create something NEW that complements the given level. Remixing M1A1 music or any other music will cause you lose points here and probably in a few other sections of the judging scale. 5 points
6) Length: If the song length is too long or short, points will be lost. The song should be long enough to show effort, but short enough to be precise. 5 points
TOTAL: 70 points/song.
Each song will be judged individually, and then the 3 song scores for each participant will be added together for the total score out of 210 points. Depending on how many people enter this contest, only a certain number of songs will make it to the final release. This release will be called Lh'owon, seeing as it encompasses the Lh'owon chapter of Marathon 2. I'm planning on holding a music composing contest for each M2 chapter, until we have finally created a Marathon 2 soundtrack.
So that's the how this contest will go. Have fun making music!
Additional Notes:
- Please make sure your songs loop well. I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I'm not going to beat each level within 1-4 minutes every time I play them.
- Just because you email your songs to me doesn't mean you can't edit them. You can email me edited songs as much as you like, but the last email I receive will be the one that gets judged.
EDIT: Additional Notes added