Other factors that influence sound decisions are the gameplay and narrative design: What the player is doing at any given moment, what information is needed, what the target mood of the game world/scene/ability is, and how sound can reinforce it all. Below is a screenshot of the cave area, which acts as the hub of Kobold Tactics and will serve as a case study for this process.
Now let’s address the above questions.
What is the player doing in the cave?
During this preparation phase, your kobold is free to explore with the goal of preparing a squad for combat sequences. In the cave, you can talk to the dragon, recruit monsters, and deck them out in gear and abilities. This is a very pre-frontal cortex heavy set of player actions. Lots of reading, planning, comparing, arranging, and micromanagement with no immediate threats. You’ve got all the time in the universe to decide whether to get a great sword for your troll warrior or hire a mimic and give him the fireball spell. Musically, there’s a danger to over-write, as soundscapes too intense or distracting while trying to plan would get fatiguing very quickly (play Brigandine on PS1 for an example of exhausting overworld music). Just say “no” to heavy drumbeats, fast intricate lines, complex atonal progressions, and aggressive ostinatos. In fact, a simple ambience with no music is a perfectly viable option.
What information does the player need?
In Kobold Tactics, because the player is allowed to freely explore and leave the cave, there is a risk they could throw themselves into combat before they’re ready; and it wouldn’t be possible to be fully ready without visiting each NPC, who are spread out around the area. While the game designers could (and probably will) create a soft textual reminder before our Kobold hero walks straight into death, I thought it would be nice to provide a musical reward for exploration. Typically, a hub area has a one or (maybe) two music tracks, but what if we had different music for different parts of the cave?
What is the mood of the scene?
Our artist, writer, and dev team have created a hilarious and highly individualized cast of NPC characters, from a fire giant lounging in a hot spring to an overworked Lich librarian. Each piece of Dan’s concept art made me think “This dude needs their own theme music.” And that’s just what I did. This is what accompanies the Lich as he’s sardonically grumbling about overtime hours during the afterlife (and in the tone of Jerry Seinfeld, no less):
The final result
When not in the vicinity of any NPC, the player simply hears the cave ambience, which makes the environment more convincing without being overbearing. As the kobold explores the cave, they receive not only the functional reward of better preparing their squad, but also a comical aesthetic experience that (hopefully) encourages further exploration. Yes, you do have to make a ton of decisions to take on those gold-hoarding humans and elves, but the humor (musical, artistic, and literary) and character of the game world should make the task enjoyable.