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Cutscene and cue file naming

A consistent filename tells you which project, which scene, which cue, where you are in the pipeline, and which revision you are looking at—without opening the file. The convention below is tuned for Night of the Meteor cutscene and scene music work (MuseScore grids/sketches, MIDI where used, and WAV exports). If the music or engine lead publishes a different schema for a specific delivery, follow that for finals; this page remains the day-to-day working standard.

Created: 2026-03-22. Last updated: 2026-03-23.

Filename template

[GAME]_[SCENE]_[CUE]_[STAGE]_B[##]_v[##](_EXP[##])(_TAG).ext

Use ASCII only in names: letters, digits, _, and (if needed) -. Avoid spaces. Optional parts are in parentheses: omit them when they do not apply.

Unknown parameters

If you do not yet have a value for a segment—common early on when there is no final scene list, no cue numbering, or no agreed scene/cue IDs—leave that segment out of the filename. Do not invent placeholders such as TBD, UNKNOWN, XX, or temporary numbers you may have to rename later.

Keep one underscore between each segment you actually use (no doubled __ from “empty” fields). When official IDs exist, add them and rename files in one pass so the folder stays consistent.

Example (game and pipeline position known; scene/cue list not locked yet):

NOTM_02_GRID_B01_v01.mscz

Example (working title for the cue, still no SC## / CUE##):

NOTM_SandyLetMeOut_02_GRID_B01_v01.mscz

Required segments for a given handoff may still be defined by the music lead (for example finals might always need SCENE and CUE). Until then, omit what is unknown.

What each part means

Part Role Examples
GAME Short project code NOTM
SCENE Scene identifier SC06
CUE Cue within the scene (name or id) SandyLetMeOut, CUE01
STAGE Fixed pipeline step (see below) 02_GRID, 07_MIX
B## Branch / base timeline B01, B02
v## Iteration on the same branch v01, v02
_EXP## Export take (optional, usually audio) _EXP01, _EXP02
_TAG Short human-readable label (optional) _syncFix, _altEnding, _IMPL
ext File type .mscz, .mscx, .mid, .wav, …

Pipeline stages (fixed set)

Use these numeric prefixes so folders sort in process order:

Stage token Typical use
01_TIMING Timing / structure pass
02_GRID Grid / framework in MuseScore
03_SKETCH Sketch / draft arrangement
04_DEMO Demo-quality render for review
05_COMPOSE Composition-focused revision
06_SOUND Sound design / production elements
07_MIX Mix
08_MASTER Master / final-ready export

Branch B## vs version v##

  • New B## when the foundation changes: timing, structure, or layout shifts enough that older files are no longer the “same timeline.” Example: after a rebuilt grid, go from B01 to B02 and reset iteration at v01.
  • New v## when you refine on the same foundation: edits, fixes, polish—same structural intent, better execution.

Optional _EXP##

Use when you export multiple renders from the same logical version (different bounces, quick A/B exports, stem variants). Not required for a single obvious export per v##.

Optional _TAG

Short, ASCII suffix for intent: _IMPL for implementation-ready, _syncFix after picture sync, _altEnding for alternates. Keep tags short and consistent within a scene so filenames stay scannable.

Extensions

Extension Typical stage
.mscz 02_GRID, 03_SKETCH (MuseScore compressed; common default save)
.mscx 02_GRID, 03_SKETCH (MuseScore uncompressed)
.mid 05_COMPOSE (if MIDI is in scope)
.mp3 Quick listens / WIP shares (prefer WAV for agreed pipeline finals—see formats)
.wav 04_DEMO through 08_MASTER (and any staged audio)

Examples

These names follow cutscene 6 (lab / Sandy — let me out of here). A messy real folder might use spaces, Cutscene_6, v1 instead of v01, or mixed extensions; below is the same work, normalized to this convention (SC06, SandyLetMeOut, two-digit B/v, underscores only).

Timing notes (plain text or spreadsheet exports—still use B/v when you iterate):

NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_01_TIMING_B02_v01.txt

Grid in MuseScore, plus a quick MP3 listen (same logical version for score and bounce):

NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_02_GRID_B01_v01.mscz
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_02_GRID_B01_v01.mp3

Rebuilt grid (new foundation after timing/structure change—B steps up, v resets):

NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_02_GRID_B02_v01.mscz

Sketch stage (MP3 iterations, score caught up to one of them):

NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_03_SKETCH_B01_v01.mp3
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_03_SKETCH_B01_v02.mp3
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_03_SKETCH_B01_v02.mscz
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_03_SKETCH_B01_v03.mp3

Multiple WAV renders of the same version (optional _EXP##):

NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_03_SKETCH_B01_v02_EXP01.wav
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_03_SKETCH_B01_v02_EXP02.wav

Later pipeline (illustrative—branch B02 carried forward):

NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_04_DEMO_B02_v03_IMPL.wav
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_06_SOUND_B02_v02.wav
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_07_MIX_B02_v01.wav
NOTM_SC06_SandyLetMeOut_08_MASTER_B02_v01.wav

(If you use a tag, keep the underscore: the template uses _IMPL as _TAG, e.g. ..._v03_IMPL.wav.)

Rules in short

  1. Stages are fixed — always one of 01_TIMING … 08_MASTER; do not invent new stage tokens without team agreement.
  2. B## = new foundation — bump when timing or structure changes make the old branch obsolete for comparison.
  3. v## = iteration — bump for refinements on the same branch.
  4. Unknown segment → omit — if scene, cue, or any other piece is not defined yet, drop it from the name (see Unknown parameters above); no fake IDs or placeholders.

Mental model: Stage = where you are in the pipeline; B = which timeline; v = how far along that timeline; EXP = which export from that version.