Music and Katawa Shoujo

[Smitten-Tastic]

I was just wondering... do players usually play your own music while playing Katawa Shoujo or play the original soundtrack?
I personally played it while listening to my iTunes library as I played through the only arc I've completed, Lilly's. I regret this intensely. I only realised after that Lilly's path was one of the best and it would ruin half the atmosphere doing so.
Also I kinda screwed up in the fact that the most meaningful path, Hanako's, was ruined by watching a Let's Play that ultimately got me hooked on KS.
I cant be the only one who wishes they got a small case of amnesia and forgot all about Katawa Shoujo, only to be reintroduced to it and reexperience the glory of it and read every panel of it 30 times before continuing like a sane person. This is why I demand more of 4LS.

[Xanatos]

A few months away is enough to start forgetting details. And no, nobody sane listened to their own music.

[ojamamask]

Also I kinda screwed up in the fact that the most meaningful path, Hanako's, was ruined by watching a Let's Play that ultimately got me hooked on KS.

I'm guessing that was ChilledChaos
You fucked up big time mate. I recommend to people to not look up any KS content until they've finished the whole VN.

Also, listening to thrash metal while playing KS :

[Helbereth]

My only gripe about the KS music is many of the tracks don't loop well.

They were never designed to, though (I don't think so, anyway), so I don't hold that against them.

Otherwise, the music in KS is a large part of setting the mood, and you're missing a lot if you listen to something else over the soundtrack.

[Magnenntae]

My only gripe about the KS music is many of the tracks don't loop well.

They were never designed to, though (I don't think so, anyway), so I don't hold that against them.

Otherwise, the music in KS is a large part of setting the mood, and you're missing a lot if you listen to something else over the soundtrack.

Agreed, listening to Drum and Bass during an emotional bit of KS isn't the best idea.

Oh, and another thing, I've tried to listen to music whilst reading before, and I always tend to focus more on the music I'm hearing than the writing itself, especially if the song has lyrics. I don't know if that's a common thing or what, but Katawa Shoujo's music didn't grab my attention like that, I'm not sure if that was intentional, but it was nice for me, anyway.

[Helbereth]

[snip]I've tried to listen to music whilst reading before, and I always tend to focus more on the music I'm hearing than the writing itself, especially if the song has lyrics. I don't know if that's a common thing or what, but Katawa Shoujo's music didn't grab my attention like that, I'm not sure if that was intentional, but it was nice for me, anyway.

It can be difficult to concentrate with lyrical music playing -or any music playing- depending on how much you compartmentalize your thoughts. I think it's one of those right brain/left brain things. If you focus on the music (or whatever) with the intellectual side, the side doing the reading, you're more likely to get distracted. It depends on how the information gets filtered on its way across your neurons.

My elder brother, for instance, can sit there and read or write while listening to talk radio or pod-casts. If there is music playing, though, he can't focus.

My younger brother prefers silence if he's reading or writing, but he can ignore a blaring television if it becomes necessary.

Personally, I can sit there and completely ignore most any sounds while I'm writing. My playlist while writing includes plenty of lyrical tracks, some heavy drum'n'base and metal, numerous head-bopping songs, and I've been known to watch television while writing - and pay attention to both.

[Loonie]

Might be derailing the OP a bit with this, but it's an interesting train of thought for me too so...

When it comes to music and me I find it better to not listen to any whenever I'm doing logical things, like checking for spelling errors or translating technical texts. It also is best that I don't listen to any during my 15-min workouts, because if I did I might get distracted from paying attention to how my body's reacting to the routine on that day. So yeah...if I need to concentrate on something in a moreso analytical fashion - no music whatsoever please.

However, if I'm writing/drawing something if I should pick the RIGHT sort of music I find it really helps a lot during the earliest phase of creation (before I shift into self-editing mode). Not just because you need the motivation during those first few moments when you sit down to create something from your brain, but also because as you create new things the music helps...build connections in my brain. If I pick the music right it helps me find out what I want to create - it's the best way I can describe it. Of course, once I stop creating stuff and I try to self-edit myself that's when I need to turn off the music - doesn't help then because I need to focus carefully on the details. But whenever dealing with broad strokes and things requiring far more energy than any attention to detail - that's when music does indeed help me.

On topic...no I never do that during KS - I find no need to do so at all, even right now during my replay I find the (admittively sometimes a bit awkward) loops to have a wonderful charm to them.

[Snow_Storm]

Lil B's "Violate that Bitch" does not go well with any of the sex scenes. Believe me on this one.