All that could have been...

Jim Power · Post by **Jim Power** » 11/11/2006 - 17:32

I just discovered an interesting thread on a deserted message board... however, don't get your hopes up too high, as this was posted by good old Chris Abbott almost 4 years ago (on 10/12/2002) and it appears that plans have changed in the meantime!

First off, BIT 4 will be in three volumes, but with a continuous story across the volumes.

BIT 4 = First fantasy storyline, big hitting tracks, Kentilla, Spellbound, Master of Magic

BIT 5 (BIT 4 Volume 2) = The female Ninja storyline, cue most of the Last Ninja 1 subtunes

BIT 6 (BIT 4 Volume 3) = Both storylines collide and build to a climax, through a spooky forest, across a desert to an Arabian town ruled by... oooo, someone evil! Big set pieces include Nemesis the Warlock, Wizardry, Dragon's Lair 2 and other stuff.

http://members5.boardhost.com/bit3/msg/1540.html

Analog-X64 · Post by **Analog-X64** » 11/11/2006 - 17:49

Who knows maybe the idea can be resurrected.

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 11/11/2006 - 18:11

I went into a fair more detail than that, but the problem was:

a) CD sales were declining, and I lost my IT contracting income for a long while
b) The kids took away any free time I might have had
c) Remix64 Volume 2 did the whole "Orchestral CD" thing, as did Merregnon. And they weren't my cup of tea overall (though of course each CD had highlights). In the meantime, subsequent CDs have done some of what I planned for those CDs.

The idea is still in my head, and if I ever get to a point of "oooh, I've got free time for my music now", I might well start it again: I don't know who it would appeal to though: it was envisaged as a weird mixture of orchestra, synth and SID, a la BIT 3 but more subtle. Someone way back thought I'd lost the plot when I started talking about Chinese scoring for the Martial Arts CD.

Later on, the Martial Arts CD was promoted to BIT 4, but it didn't make that much difference.

It's also a question of whether I can recapture the energy and detail that went into BIT 3 without Boz and Kenz to bounce off.

The idea would only work if it came out of a burst of passion, since I've absolutely no idea who it would appeal to: if finished, it might make a good digital album.

I keep meaning to release the "Back in Time 3" novalla that was finished for the CD... *guilt*

Chris

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 11/11/2006 - 18:13

Here's what BIT 4 was going to be:

BIT 4

BIT 4

TRACK 1
Village Life the snatch - Grouting
Scenes of village life intercut with the impending winged creatures
approaching from over the mountains.

TRACK 2
The journey - Kentilla
Charts the setting out of the heroes in the morning, and the course of the
first day into the unknown. Ends with the heroes falling asleep exhausted
after the fight.

Waking up in the morning, they survey their surroundings
and see a castle on the horizon

TRACK 3
The castle - Black Lamp #1

The castle is curiously deserted. As they explore it, they see the opulant rooms,
and the remains of food and drink. They see people lying about, drunk.

Then they come across a corpse nailed to the wall of the courtyard, with a jester's
grin pulled across his face, and realise that everyone has been murdered!
It was the same creatures who he's chasing after, wouldn't you know.

Shock, horror, realisation, finding a survivor. (BTFF: #11)

Cowering somewhere, we meet "Steve", a jester who managed to survive
(his character is like Shaggy from Scooby Doo). Motif: Times of Lore #6
(the character of "Steve" was going to be played by Steve Barrett (steveb).

They set out on their long journey: Times of Lore #1

Come across cave, and explore, find something or other: Master of Magic

Big fight: Barbarian theme

More journey: Ark Pandora #2

Stray into landscape with magic coruscating through it: Wiz

Chased by magical thing, Shoe

Wizard's Monastry: Spellbound

Across the plains: Zone Trooper #1

New land: Firelord

End Credits: Super Huey

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 11/11/2006 - 18:14

Back in Time 5

Female ninja fighting in New York alley, vortex forms forms and whisks her
into another world...

Last Ninja - That Tonka track
Dumped into rice field: in the distance are rows and rows of training martial artists
(Exploding Fist #1 plays. Tune calms down and she's led into the monastery

Last Ninja Symphony

(LN #8, tranquil. There she meets the Buddah-creature, who tells her about
her quest, and destiny (the other Fist tune). But first she must train...

Training =
Last Ninja tune 5
LN Wilderness: orchestra and breakbeat

Oriental version of Tonka's tune

Sets off

Tension as enter village- LN #9
Modified version of "The Palace" - battle
Wastelands - sets off again with renewed vigour
Marsh and Bog to meet mentor -
Fist 2 medley - Fist 2 #3 for entry into bog
Fist 2#2 for initial meeting with Yoda-type creature
Fist 2#1 for the story told by Yoda about her destiny
Samuarai Warrior for the tour of the village

LN #3 - journey across the plains to the tavern

Love scene on meeting... don't know what!

End credits (to be continued)

Parallax #2

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 11/11/2006 - 18:15

BIT 6:

General story: set off from tavern, find Wizard. Then across desert to main Arabian town.
Brought before ruling warlock in chains. Escape, then run around castle fighting until
find goal.

Start credits: Mission AD #2
(fade in Ramparts tune 5)
Discuss plans in tavern (Ghouls and Ghosts #2)
Start off optimistic Ghouls and Ghosts #6
Tension sets in (Ghouls and Ghosts #1)
Into magic Forest Ghouls and Ghosts #4
Meet Wizard's imp (Mez), Ghouls and Ghosts #7
Wizard's Imp leads them into self-replicating trap, Zone Trooper #2
Now they're all alone... (Forbidden Forest/Beyond, medley, most tunes? Otherwise use tunes
as stingers throughout the album).
Finally they meet Wizard, tells story (Wiazardy Medley)
Wizard's place surrounded: battle! (Biscuit barrel)
victory (Barbarian 2)
Journey across the plains to the magic city (Return of the Mutant Camels from Karma)
Disguised in the marketplace, haggling with merchants. Comic relief between Mez (now their servant, a gift from the Wizard) and the trader. Bungling! (Caverns of Khafka #2)
Captured! - BTFF #8
Taken before the Warlock - Nemesis the Warlock (well, duh!)
Escape and running around! - Dragon's Lair medley
Victory - Forbidden Forest victory theme built up into Barbarian 2...
End credits: Hunter Patrol

... and then we all QUIT!

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 11/11/2006 - 18:21

You know, you could just create that album from the SIDs

Chris

Analog-X64 · Post by **Analog-X64** » 11/11/2006 - 19:55

WOW!! Such great amount of detail!!! Still would be a fun project for 2008-2009.

Max Levin · Post by **Max Levin** » 11/11/2006 - 20:42

Don't forget about fitting in Trojan Warrior there(Jesus Christ, it's only the best fantasy-theme ever created on the C64!)

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 11/11/2006 - 21:41

Max Levin wrote:Don't forget about fitting in Trojan Warrior there(Jesus Christ, it's only the best fantasy-theme ever created on the C64!)

Er............ never heard it! Who composed it?

Chris

Monty · Post by **Monty** » 11/11/2006 - 23:35

Max Levin wrote:Don't forget about fitting in Trojan Warrior there(Jesus Christ, it's only the best fantasy-theme ever created on the C64!)

Absolutely! One of my all time favourite sids...
Barrett_Steve/Trojan_Warrior.sid

Steve B · Post by **Steve B** » 12/11/2006 - 0:32

(the other Barrett_Steve)

Steve B · Post by **Steve B** » 12/11/2006 - 0:58

Chris Abbott wrote:Cowering somewhere, we meet "Steve", a jester who managed to survive
(his character is like Shaggy from Scooby Doo). Motif: Times of Lore #6
(the character of "Steve" was going to be played by Steve Barrett (steveb).

can i have Sarah Michelle Gellar as my Daphne Blake ?

Jim Power · Post by **Jim Power** » 12/11/2006 - 19:39

Someone way back thought I'd lost the plot when I started talking about Chinese scoring for the Martial Arts CD

Ah yes, I can remember we had a short discussion about that!

Yet I think this was even before the whole trilogy concept surfaced (wasn't BIT4 planned to be a Martial Arts sampler and BIT5 fantasy / medieval in the first place?). However, that Chinese / Japanese orchestration thingy seemed somewhat over the top to me back then; nowadays, it seems to be almost normal that C64 music is getting performed by acapella bands and full orchestras (e.g. Leipzig, Apeldoorn) on a regular basis.

BTW: for the sake of completeness, here's some conceptual artwork for the Martial Arts album by Arvid Weber (http://www.arvirus.net/projects/bit5/index.htm).

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 12/11/2006 - 19:43

Jan Zottmann wrote:
Someone way back thought I'd lost the plot when I started talking about Chinese scoring for the Martial Arts CD
Ah yes, I can remember we had a short discussion about that!

Yet I think this was even before the whole trilogy concept surfaced (wasn't BIT4 planned to be a Martial Arts sampler and BIT5 fantasy / medieval in the first place?). However, that Chinese / Japanese orchestration thingy seemed somewhat over the top to me back then; nowadays, it seems to be almost normal that C64 music is getting performed by acapella bands and full orchestras (e.g. Leipzig, Apeldoorn) on a regular basis.

BTW: for the sake of completeness, here's some conceptual artwork for the Martial Arts album by Arvid Weber (http://www.arvirus.net/projects/bit5/index.htm).

Heh, I was ahead of my time back then

And that image was always very beautiful... would have made a marvellous cover. Arvid's a genius.

Chris