What I'd really like: backing vocals and duets

[Tufty McTavish]

At our band practise days I quite often find several of us singing along, myself included, even when I'm widdling away on lead guitar. This is really great as it creates an impressive background to our main vocalist wailing away. This set me thinking of something I'd really like to see in a future game: backing vocals for bonus points.

While we'd have our main vocalist scoring the big points, I'd love to see support for additional singers to score a few bonus points by singing along at key points in the song. Obviously we all need microphone stands and some means of plugging in multiple microphones - or maybe just use wireless Lips sets - but it'd add to the immersion I thought. Probably wouldn't work when comparing scoring bands for comparison as those without the complete band setup would lose out.

Of course this lead me to wonder about duets. We've tried plugging in a second microphone and also having two singers share the same mic but it doesn't work since it confuses the game as I recall. This would be slightly different to vocalist tug of war, but would be great for songs with dual vocalists, such as Lacuna Coil. Singing really isn't my main thing, but I enjoy singing along while I'm doing the real work in the band...

Not overly important by any means, but it'd tickle me I think.

[stubbs99]

Would be great to have backing vocals. If you play face-off mode it is possible to have a duet of sorts. As this video from Sentimental Geek off my friends list shows.



Just a shame you cannot do it in full band situation.

Also some songs you actually sing another singers part in addition to the lead. eg singing Kim Gordan's part at the beginning of Teenage Riot.

[gazlang]

Backing vocals would be great.. using the headsets to sing backing over live ect would be a nice touch. Not sure where it would all fit on screen, maybe scrolling across the strum area? might be a bit difficult.

[Chrispyphillips]

Originally Posted by gazlang

Backing vocals would be great.. using the headsets to sing backing over live ect would be a nice touch. Not sure where it would all fit on screen, maybe scrolling across the strum area? might be a bit difficult.

I dont think it would need to 'fit' anywhere TBH. If its singing over the vocals anyway, then the words are already on screen. If its offset slightly, have the backing words in another colour. Most people know the songs, or at least will by the time they play so it wouldnt be a big issue, but it is a nice idea Tufty.

However, the only thing HMX have shot themselves in the foot with regarding this whole 'cross-compatability' of games, is that they arent able to update anything seriously. If they implement any chances to gameplay in RB3, they'll have to change almost every song that has already been released, on all discs and DLC. So I dont personally think we can expect any big updates from them in the next few years, until they abandon the formula altogether and change things around (See the Beatles game for evidence of how things may go)

[Tufty McTavish]

Originally Posted by Chrispyphillips

However, the only thing HMX have shot themselves in the foot with regarding this whole 'cross-compatability' of games, is that they arent able to update anything seriously. If they implement any chances to gameplay in RB3, they'll have to change almost every song that has already been released, on all discs and DLC.

Perhaps they're forward thinking enough to make things future compatible - as the Guitar Hero guys seem to have been wholly unable to achieve. Alternatively perhaps they'll just support new features on the DLC data that supports it. I don't think this is a big issue and it wouldn't require them going back and updating old data.

[stubbs99]

Originally Posted by Tufty McTavish

Perhaps they're forward thinking enough to make things future compatible - as the Guitar Hero guys seem to have been wholly unable to achieve. Alternatively perhaps they'll just support new features on the DLC data that supports it. I don't think this is a big issue and it wouldn't require them going back and updating old data.

The hammer-on chords are an example. Older songs will not have them (and they won't appear in RB1) but Harmonix can add the new feature to new songs.