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So I've been putting together thorough lists of impressive OPL2 and OPL3 AdLib music and I'm pretty much done, except I'm suspecting that a bunch of the games in the OPL2 list (YM3812) are in fact OPL3 based. Before I start checking each game myself, I thought I'd try my luck here and ask this community about it. Below is the list, roughly in order of quality, followed by a known OPL3 games list.

YM3812/OPL2 list (some games had Stereo/Dual OPL2 support):
Wacky Wheels - OPL2 confirmed
Fury of the Furries - OPL2 confirmed
Genpei War,
Tyrian - OPL2 confirmed
MegaRace (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
The Legend of Sword and Fairy,
Cobi Comi,
Empire of the Angel II - OPL2 confirmed
Olmang Jolmang Paradise - OPL2 confirmed
Princess Maker 2 (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Dragon Slayer: TLoH 1-2 (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Ys II Special - OPL2 confirmed
Eol's Adventure/Eol-ui Moheom - OPL2 confirmed
Mad Paradox - OPL2 confirmed
Illusion Blaze - OPL2 confirmed
Iron Blood - OPL2 confirmed
Zeliard (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Dig it!,
Metal & Lace: TBotRB,
Rusty - OPL2 confirmed
Fuzzy's World of Miniature Space Golf,
First Samurai,
Universe - OPL2 confirmed
Amberstar (OPL3?),
Pee & Gity - OPL2 confirmed
Shakii the Wolf - OPL2 Confirmed
Stunts - OPL2 confirmed
Marble Cooking - OPL2 confirmed
Totsugeki! Mix - OPL2 confirmed
Pee & Gity Special - OPL2 confirmed
Vanslug: X Mission - OPL2 confirmed
Lychnis - OPL2 confirmed
Descent,
Zone 66 - OPL2 confirmed
TFX: Tactical Fighter Experiment,
Dune 1-2 (PC) - Dune apparently supports both OPL2 and OPL3 (via AdLib Gold), not 100% on Dune 2
KGB - OPL2 confirmed
S.T.U.N. Runner (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Modaozi - OPL2 confirmed
Alpha Waves/Continuum,
Hired Guns - OPL2 confirmed
Reon-ui Moheom/Reon's Adventure - OPL2 confirmed
Stone Age,
Laser Squad (PC),
Lollypop,
HMI Sound Setup Utility,
Dragon Force: The Day 3,
System Shock,
Three Sisters' Story - OPL2 confirmed
Doofus,
MiG-29,
Double Dragon 3 (PC),
Zeppelin: Giants of the Sky (OPL3?),
Der Clou/The Clou,
Enchantasy: QftEG,
Azrael's Tear,
The Light Corridor - OPL2 confirmed
The Incredible Machine 1-2,
Wolf,
Body Blows,
Knights of Xentar/Dragon Knight III - OPL2 confirmed
Gobliins 3,
Times of Lore (PC),
Theme Hospital,
MinerVGA,
Demon Blue - OPL2 confirmed
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (PC),
Ultima VI,
X-COM: UFO Defense & TftD,
Space Crusade,
Bio Menace,
Traffic Department 2192 - OPL2 confirmed
Lemmings 3D - OPL2 confirmed
Space Quest 5,
Major Stryker,
Wing Commander,
Xargon,
Asterix & Obelix (PC),
Rise of the Triad: DW,
Seasons of Sakura - OPL2 confirmed
Ween: The Prophecy,
Gobliins 2,
Quest for Glory IV,
Flourish & Town (WinME/XP/Vista),
Galactix,
Vinyl Goddess From Mars,
Eye of the Beholder 1-2 (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Harrier Jump Jet,
Ski or Die,
Leisure Suit Larry 6,
Duke Nukem II - OPL2 confirmed
Zoop (PC),
Lemmings Series - OPL2 confirmed
Freddy Pharkas: FP,
Ken's Labyrinth,
Daughter of Serpents - OPL2 confirmed
Willy Beamish,
Mortal Kombat,
The Amazing Spider-Man & CAiDDR - OPL2 confirmed
The Cycles: IGPR - OPL2 confirmed
X-Men: MiU - OPL2 confirmed
Clyde's Revenge,
Blackthorne (OPL3?),
Solar Winds 1-2 - OPL2 confirmed
Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Vol. 3,
Air Power,
Heretic & Hexen,
Wrath of Earth (OPL3?),
Beneath a Steel Sky,
Wing Commander 2,
Dragonsphere (OPL3?),
Canyon (Win95 default file),
Island of Dr.Brain,
Hover!,
Sam & Max: HtR,
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus,
The Punisher (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Commander Keen 4-6 & 3.5/KD - OPL2 confirmed
Magic Carpet 1-2 (OPL3?),
Blue Force (drum samples),
Ultima Underworld 1-2,
Seal Team,
Star Wars: Tie Fighter (OPL3?),
Battle Isle 2200,
The Blues Brothers - OPL2 confirmed
Monkey Island 1-2 - OPL2 confirmed
Space 1889 - OPL2 confirmed
Alone in the Dark - OPL2 confirmed
King's Quest V-VI,
Emerald Fantasy 2 - OPL2 confirmed
Aces of the Pacific - WWII: 1946,
Castle of Dr. Brain,
Space Quest 3-4,
Spear of Destiny,
Flashback - OPL2 confirmed
Formula One Grand Prix,
SkyRoads - OPL2 confirmed
Jill of the Jungle series,
Transport Tycoon & TT Deluxe - OPL2 confirmed
Operation Body Count - OPL2 confirmed
Dyna Blaster/Bomberman (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Day of the Tentacle,
Weird Dreams - OPL2 confirmed
Corridor 7: AI - OPL2 confirmed
Special Forces,
Duke Nukem 3D,
Gabriel Knight: SotF,
Mortal Kombat 2,
Syndicate,
International Moto X,
Space Chase 1 & 2 - OPL2 confirmed
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,
Doom 1-2 (PC) - Doom 1 OPL2 confirmed
Strike Commander,
Wolfenstein 3D - OPL2 confirmed
Highway Hunter,
Ultima V: WoD,
Worminator,
Loom,
Curse of Enchantia - OPL2 confirmed
A-Train,
Dark Ages,
Chex Quest 1-2,
Pirates! Gold,
Blake Stone: AoG & Planet Strike,
Leisure Suit Larry 5 & Larry 1 VGA,
Eye of the Beholder III (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Stellar 7,
The Simpsons: BvtSM (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
Elite 2,
X-Men II: FotM - OPL2 confirmed
Legend of Kyrandia 1-2,
Prehistorik, The NeverEnding Story II: TAG,
Tunnels of Armageddon,
Bubble Bobble,
Monster Bash,
Desert Strike,
Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure,
Pea Shootin' Pete - OPL2 confirmed
Police Quest 3,
Lotus I & III (PC),
Leisure Suit Larry 2-3,
Death Gate,
Jones in the Fast Lane,
The Treehouse - OPL2 confirmed
Fantastic Dizzy (PC),
Quest for Glory 1-3,
The Seven Cities of Gold,
Cannon Fodder (PC),
Alien Legacy, Blood,
Sango Fighter,
The Orion Conspiracy,
Deathbringer,
Centurion: Defender of Rome
Return of the Phantom,
Call of Cthulhu: SotC,
Simon the Sorcerer II,
King's Quest IV,
Flight of the Amazon Queen,
Dungeon Hack - OPL2 confirmed
Whiplash/Fatal Racing,
Aces Over Europe,
Cool Spot (PC),
B-17 Flying Fortress,
Space Quest VGA,
Sid Meier's Civilization,
Champions of Krynn - OPL2 confirmed
Word Rescue & Math Rescue,
Jagged Alliance,
ShadowCaster,
Mixed-up Fairy Tales,
Lord of the Rings Vol. 1 & 2,
Death Knights of Krynn (PC) - OPL2 confirmed
The Simpsons - OPL2 confirmed
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? Deluxe,
Castlevania (PC),
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon Deluxe,
Gunship 2000,
F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0,
Ravenloft: SP,
Superhero League of Hoboken,
Simon the Sorcerer,
Shadow Sorcerer - OPL2 confirmed
Kentris,
Stormovik: SAF SU-25,
Treasures of the Savage Frontier - OPL2 confirmed
Locomotion,
Conquests of the Longbow: LoRH,
Prince of Persia,
Silpheed,
Return to Zork,
James Pond 2,
Inherit the Earth: QftO,
God of Thunder - OPL2 confirmed
Jungle Book,
Faces ...tris III - OPL2 confirmed
SimFarm,
Pipi & Bibi's,
1990 Christmas Card,
Silverload,
Fade to Black,
Kiloblaster - OPL2 confirmed
Tube,
Dragon Strike,
Test Drive III,
Gateway to the Savage Frontier - OPL2 confirmed
Home Alone,
Touche: AotFM,
The Dark Queen of Krynn - OPL2 confirmed
Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh,
Populous - OPL2 confirmed
Realms of Chaos,
Betrayal at Krondor,
MechWarrior,
LHX: Attack Chopper,
BC Racers (PC),
Super Fighter,
Super Tetris - OPL2 confirmed
Mixed-Up Mother Goose,
Catacomb 3-D - OPL2 confirmed
Boppin',
Treasure Mountain!,
Titus the Fox - OPL2 confirmed
Secret of the Silver Blades - OPL2 confirmed
Micro Machines,
Street Fighter II & SSFII (PC),
Super 3D Noah's Ark,
Alien Breed,
Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker,
Mega Man X,
Wordtris - OPL2 confirmed
Battle Chess 4000,
Theme Park,
Police Quest 2,
All New World of Lemmings - OPL2 confirmed
Wayne's World,
Isle of the Dead,
Life & Death II - OPL2 confirmed
Party Time (Win98),
Miami Vice - OPL2 confirmed
Paperboy 2 - OPL2 confirmed
Check: KULT: The Temple of Flying Saucers - find ost, Dragon Lore - no adlib version?, Lost Eden - no adlib ver?, Atlantis: The Lost Tales - no adlib ver?, Bug Bomber - no music?, M1911/Honda W3DE - find?, Strife - find adlib ost?, Ultima VII: The Black Gate - no adlib?, David Leadbetter's Greens - find

Current YMF262/OPL3 list:
Puyo Puyo Tsu (PC, 1996),
CyberSphere,
Sorcerian Forever (PC),
Dune (AdLib Gold) - Actually pretty different from the OPL2 version!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUfGyfbzl9k
Ant Man,
Kamui,
Doukyusei 1-2 (PC),
Sonic 3 & Knuckles (PC),
Voyetra AudioStation Sample,
Burntime,
Tokimeki Memorial: FWY (PC),
Giten Megami Tensei: TM,
RuneScape (Dagannoth Dawn),
Theme Hospital,
Nectaris (PC),
Rayman? - fan conversion?
WarCraft 1 & 2,
Princess Maker: YY,
ES II: Daggerfall,
The Settlers (OPL2?),
BlupiMania,
The Lost Vikings,
Hocus Pocus (OPL2?),
Puyo Puyo Tsu (PC/PC-98, 1994),
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo (PC),
Bach's Brendenburg & Debussy's Clair De Lune (Win95/98),
The Settlers II? - fan conversion?
Raptor: CotS,
Tetris Classic,
SimCity 2000,
Gizmos & Gadgets,
Vegas Games 2000,
Post edited September 03, 2016 by ResidentLeever
That's a very nice long list, but could you start by sorting out what the thread title means?
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nightcraw1er.488: That's a very nice long list, but could you start by sorting out what the thread title means?
Alternatively, you could Google the terms in the title and 'sort it out' yourself
Curious... Almost all of these will be DOS games.

Still I'd sort by date first, then drop any that couldn't have been OPL3 based on when the cards were released, or maybe give a year's leeway.

Still I agree with nightcraw1er, I don't have a clue really what you're trying to do. Are the scores intended for OPL3 and just labeled OPL2? Are they confused? Required a different chip set? Something?

My personal experience has been with Soundblaster, and Adlib cards. Personally everything from 90-97 I never had any issues getting working, but that doesn't mean much based on what you're trying to do.
Edit: I've added notes for confirmed OPL2 games based on the list at Edit 2: a certain site that lets you listen to chip music in the browser, not sure if it's ok to post a link.

I can understand the confusion since most people probably just know these chips as "adlib sound", soundblaster sound, or fm synth and they do tend to sound very similar.

OPL2 is a somewhat simpler chip that came with Sound Blaster up until Sound Blaster Pro 2, where OPL3 replaced it. I think there are other sound cards with either of these chips in them as well. My understanding is that OPL3 is backwards compatible with OPL2, but does sound a bit different for some games.

Another difference, I think, is that OPL3 always has support for stereo sound while only some OPL2 games do.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster
Post edited September 03, 2016 by ResidentLeever
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nightcraw1er.488: That's a very nice long list, but could you start by sorting out what the thread title means?
avatar
Asbeau: Alternatively, you could Google the terms in the title and 'sort it out' yourself
Alternative, the thread could be self describing, but not even an indication of what tech they are talking about. Or would you ever all posts to be:
Xnay on fna, divx ftw lol.
Could just google what all that means, not the most intuitive title though.
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ResidentLeever: Edit: I've added notes for confirmed OPL2 games based on the list at Edit 2: a certain site that lets you listen to chip music in the browser, not sure if it's ok to post a link.

I can understand the confusion since most people probably just know these chips as "adlib sound", soundblaster sound, or fm synth and they do tend to sound very similar.

OPL2 is a somewhat simpler chip that came with Sound Blaster up until Sound Blaster Pro 2, where OPL3 replaced it. I think there are other sound cards with either of these chips in them as well. My understanding is that OPL3 is backwards compatible with OPL2, but does sound a bit different for some games.

Another difference, I think, is that OPL3 always has support for stereo sound while only some OPL2 games do.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_Blaster
Thanks for the clarification, it does indeed make it far clearer to my, and indeed I do know the mentioned sound cards.
Post edited September 03, 2016 by nightcraw1er.488
Thing is, if you didn't know from the title, then you probably wouldn't be able to contribute, but If you have a better suggestion for it then tell me.
Post edited September 03, 2016 by ResidentLeever
Interesting research. My main interest was Roland MT-32 and General MIDI music in PC games so I never really seeked for e.g. games with OPL3 FM support. I figured that newer Soundblaster cards (like my Soundblaster 16) and Adlib Gold had OPL3, but I had no idea which games had actual OPL3 music.

Sorry if I can't help with your list, but some clarifying questions to you:

1. How can you tell if some game supports OPL3? Can you easily hear the difference when playing the game, or are you going by whether the game sound options have a separate option for e.g. Adlib Gold support? Or do you use some other method?

2. Is there e.g. some Youtube comparison video comparing how OPL3 music differed from OPL2 music in PC games?

3. Does DOSbox have full emulation support for OPL3 FM synthesis too, so you can hear the difference with it too (without an actual OPL3 sound card)?

Thanks.
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timppu: Interesting research. My main interest was Roland MT-32 and General MIDI music in PC games so I never really seeked for e.g. games with OPL3 FM support. I figured that newer Soundblaster cards (like my Soundblaster 16) and Adlib Gold had OPL3, but I had no idea which games had actual OPL3 music.

Sorry if I can't help with your list, but some clarifying questions to you:

1. How can you tell if some game supports OPL3? Can you easily hear the difference when playing the game, or are you going by whether the game sound options have a separate option for e.g. Adlib Gold support? Or do you use some other method?

2. Is there e.g. some Youtube comparison video comparing how OPL3 music differed from OPL2 music in PC games?

3. Does DOSbox have full emulation support for OPL3 FM synthesis too, so you can hear the difference with it too (without an actual OPL3 sound card)?

Thanks.
1. Currently I can't quite tell by listening, no. It wasn't long ago that I thought there was only one chip, but I now know that there are two, and that they were also used in a couple of japanese home computers as well as some arcade machines back in the late 80s to early 90s. I've also learned that the old sound cards tend to sound noticeably better than the emulation in dosbox for example. That and finding cool homebrew/fanmade Adlib music on par with for example Mega Drive/Genesis music made me interested in checking out more adlib music, which is usually seen as vastly inferior to MT-32 and other midi music.

Is that view warranted? Well, on the whole the games sound worse, but there is still plenty of great sounding music (relatively speaking) to be found as well. I would say the quality depended on the composer/sound designer's skill and dedication with FM synthesis if the games would sound good or not, more than on the limitations of the sound chip.

OPL3 music generally sounds a bit fuller and more varied, and seems to use stereo effects more often. To answer your question I would have to check the sound options for each game, yeah. I was hoping some enthusiasts might know about the settings for some of the more well known games.

2. Edit: This upload of the OPL3 (AdLib Gold) version of Dune 1's soundtrack actually demonstrates some pretty big differences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUfGyfbzl9k&list=PLrSM_Upb2412sjqFUxyDTnIwupA86X1jc&index=3
OPL2 (morning=chani's eyes, wormsuit=space opera): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjHon6yg-r8

Well, there's this video but it's not really representative of either chip's full capacity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IArNxHj0Ro

After looking around a bit I found this description by microsoft:
The OPL3's new features are:
More complex waveforms creating more complex timbres - This seems correct, but there are several OPL2 games that sound much more expressive than what you'd usually expect from either chip, such as Tyrian or Fury of the Furries. Those obscure japanese and korean games at the top of the list also sound amazing compared to the average soundtrack.

More voices (up from 9 to 18) - Only a few games seem to really make use of all the extra channels; it often doesn't sound like more than 3-4 extra channels were used.

Stereo voices (although a voice must be entirely on the left channel, right channel, or both) - Some OPL2 games had dual opl2/stereo support. I found this list (at nerdypleasures.blogspot.se), which might not be complete:

1990 Christmas Card - The Seasoned Professional
B-17 Flying Fortress
Castle of Dr. Brain
Conquests of the Longbow
David Leadbetter's Greens
DragonsSphere
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus (patch)
F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0
Formula One Grand Prix
Gunship 2000
Harrier Jump Jet
Hoyle's Official Book of Games Volume 3
Jones in the Fast Lane
King's Quest V (patch)
Leisure Suit Larry 5
Leisure Suit Larry 1 VGA
Lord of the Rings Volume 1
Lord of the Rings Volume 2
Mixed-up Fairy Tales
Mixed-Up Mother Goose (patch)
Pirates! Gold
Police Quest III
Quest for Glory II (patch)
Return of the Phantom
Sid Meier's Civilization
Sid Meier's Railroad Tycoon Deluxe
Space Quest I VGA
Space Quest IV (patch)
Special Forces
Strike Commander

3. That I don't know, would have to look into it.
Post edited September 03, 2016 by ResidentLeever
Just found this Adlib Gold demonstration pack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATb8zhdINpg

Now imagine if the average OPL3 game sounded that good :O
Nice project. It's not clear how one can help though.

I seem to have configured my Ultima Underworld 1 with sbtype=sbpro1 with a comment that it can play its music in stereo on a dual-OPL2. That I have changed it from sb16 suggests it doesn't on an OPL3, but it's been a while and I may have just been inconsistent.

Ultima Underworld 2 I've left at sb16 with a comment saying the musics have no panning information so they won't play in stereo no matter what, but on the sbpros and sb16 it pans the digital effects left and right. Can only guess whether a dual-OPL2 or an OPL3 were targeted, I suppose.
Anything before SB Pro 2.0 should be OPL2 so setting the config to that and seeing if the sound doesn't work or goes mono (some might still work? I haven't tested this at all yet) would be the method to use I guess. I'll check a couple of games today.
Post edited September 04, 2016 by ResidentLeever
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ResidentLeever: Just found this Adlib Gold demonstration pack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATb8zhdINpg

Now imagine if the average OPL3 game sounded that good :O
Sounds great... but if I understood right, some of the instruments (esp. drums) are not generated with OPL3 FM there, it is using sampled drums through the DAC. I think that is a bit of cheating. :) It is a similar tactic that 4D Sports: Boxing title music used, the drums were samples played through the DAC of Soundblaster:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAtoj_EUF6g (the first music in the beginning of the video)

That was what personally irked me a bit for Adlib/Soundblaster music, that drums sounded so weak, mainly just like white noise "psssh". I came to PC gaming from Amiga where all instruments, including drums, were digitized.

Not sure how the professional Yamaha FM synthesizers do it, is it so that they have separate samples for e.g. drums, pianos etc., on top of which you can also generate FM synthesized stuff?

Now I don't recall which game it was, but I saw a Youtube video of some old, I think Japanese, PC game which did have quite great Adlib FM music. i am unsure if it was OPL2 or OPL3. The link was actually in some old GOG discussion I think, years ago. Maybe it was some Japanese RPG or strategy game.


EDIT: If these are made purely with OPL2 FM synthesis (Adlib)... damn it can sound quite good too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zl7lvQixIc
Post edited September 04, 2016 by timppu
Nice find! I only know of two other games that used FM+PCM for the music (Gods and Blue Force). I guess it is, kinda, but like you said most composers/sound designers didn't know how to make good FM drums so it can be quite a boost for the music. It also sounds like a lot of Genesis/Mega Drive and arcade music that way, which I like. One exception is Wacky Wheels, which has pretty nice FM drums.

I also don't know how they did that, just that it's very rare. There was a tracker from 1994 or something that I saw on YT which allowed for combining the two, but it might've been hard to use or too expensive for most devs, idk. It's likely most didn't bother since they didn't know how to and perhaps didn't care to know how to make great sounding FM anyway.

Indeed, that's one of the first vids I found when starting this list. :) I am focusing on game soundtracks for now though, not later, fanmade/homebrew tracks.
Post edited September 04, 2016 by ResidentLeever
To follow up on this, I eventually made a tribute site to retro sound chips where pages for impressive OPL2 & 3 music with links to all the best stuff are included, which you can find here:
http://minirevver.weebly.com/ym3812opl2adlib-pc-arc-music.html
http://minirevver.weebly.com/ymf262opl3-music.html

Main page: http://minirevver.weebly.com/impressive-vgm-by-sound-chip.html

Haven't gotten around to sorting out much of the Dual OPL2 (possible OPL3) stuff though. Let me know if I missed anything cool.