[TEC] Correctly Scripting Radio Events?

[vindex]

I'm hoping someone can provide a little insight on how to correctly script radio events (like news stories). I am using the multi-station mod (directly into my data folder) with a bunch of other stuff thrown in. On December 10, 1941, I hear the CBS news report for that day ... and then it gets repeated SEVERAL times for the next few days, and the news reports scheduled for those days are never heard. I don't even know whether it ends, and have no idea why this is happening.

Any thoughts?

[CaptainCox]

Hmmm i think "tedhealy" is the right guy for this, but it could have something to do with "Time Compression" also you should add this to the "radio.ini"

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showpost.php?p=506432&postcount=69

[vindex]

I've read tedhealey's comments on that and other threads, and I've configured my "radio.ini" file accordingly. Here's what I'm getting:

1) .ogg files (the vanilla game radio news "interruptions") seem to work just fine. Since they appear as log entries, presumably there is some record, even in a saved game, that they have taken place and they are not repeated. However, if you set up multiple radio stations, if they both have the same .ogg file/entry in the events folder, you will hear the report once for each station and there will be multiple identical log entries.

2) .mp3 and other files leave no log entry and seem to be repeated multiple times on a single station. I'm not sure if that's just happening, or whether when loading a saved game there is no record of having played it, so it plays it again. When I load games, I'm hearing news reports from when I first sailed, and have to listen to them all the way through before I get to new reports. Multiple radio stations only compound this problem if they have the same content (which you need to give them if they have only limited range, so you can hear the content wherever you might be).

My temporary fix is:

a) restrict all news reports to a single station (Armed Forces Radio) that can be heard worldwide. Other, more limited range stations only play random music and non-date-specific content.

b) before I reload a saved game, I go into that "events" file and put ";" in front of everything with a date prior to the save. That way I only hear new news. This is a pain.

The way the radio events "should" work, in my opinion, is that the "events" files should play only at the specific start time indicated, and should override any other random content playing. That's how I thought it worked, but I'm beginning to believe I'm mistaken.

[CaptainCox]

I think you are absolutely correct in your assumption that it should work. I thought it was fixed in patch 1.2...maybe in 1.3 then.

[tedhealy]

I've read tedhealey's comments on that and other threads, and I've configured my "radio.ini" file accordingly. Here's what I'm getting:

1) .ogg files (the vanilla game radio news "interruptions") seem to work just fine. Since they appear as log entries, presumably there is some record, even in a saved game, that they have taken place and they are not repeated. However, if you set up multiple radio stations, if they both have the same .ogg file/entry in the events folder, you will hear the report once for each station and there will be multiple identical log entries.

2) .mp3 and other files leave no log entry and seem to be repeated multiple times on a single station. I'm not sure if that's just happening, or whether when loading a saved game there is no record of having played it, so it plays it again. When I load games, I'm hearing news reports from when I first sailed, and have to listen to them all the way through before I get to new reports. Multiple radio stations only compound this problem if they have the same content (which you need to give them if they have only limited range, so you can hear the content wherever you might be).

My temporary fix is:

a) restrict all news reports to a single station (Armed Forces Radio) that can be heard worldwide. Other, more limited range stations only play random music and non-date-specific content.

b) before I reload a saved game, I go into that "events" file and put ";" in front of everything with a date prior to the save. That way I only hear new news. This is a pain.

The way the radio events "should" work, in my opinion, is that the "events" files should play only at the specific start time indicated, and should override any other random content playing. That's how I thought it worked, but I'm beginning to believe I'm mistaken.
I am aware of multiple stations feeding you multiple log entries of the same event, but somehow I've never noticed the saved game issue with old events playing. I suppose I don't save my games a lot, specially late in a patrol.

I'll have to do some testing. If it is indeed the log files that keep this from happening, this will be an easy but lengthy fix of adding the txt files that go along with audio events. As you noted though, your log will get multiple copies of the same message.

Another fix for this would be to create a folder for each of the stations and copy the audio events into those folders, rather than have them draw off the same folder. This would vastly increase the size of the mod, but would solve the repeated text log messages.

I'll look into it.

[tedhealy]

In my quick testing I've found that I can't fix this issue.

I found that the default .ogg files get repeated in addition to the mp3's I added. I tested this by starting a career (with RFB) on december 1st, 1941. I TC'd to december 7th and heard several of my scripted files play, then a default .ogg play. I saved on the 8th, then exited to the menu. I loaded this save for december 8 and turned on the radio. The december 7th sound files played again including the default .ogg files. The radio text messages also were inserted into the log a 2nd time.

I tried this both with and without added text messages to go along with the audio event, both produced the same results - repeated messages.

It seems to me this can only get resolved with a patch.

EDIT: More testing....The problem is with my mod.

Multiple stations drawing content off the same folder somehow get the content repeated when you load saved games. This means the multi station washington radio mod will have to be rethought and reworked. You can still use it, but when you load a saved game, all the radio content for that station will get played all the way back to the first date of your patrol.

[vindex]

I have to say this problem is somewhat predictable, is it not? If they can't get the battlemap to work past 180 degrees, and the stopwatch won't record speed, how could I expect to actually have a radio that knows what day it is?

Well, I'm disappointed but happy that I'm apparently not going insane and hearing things. Sometimes when you find a bug, you wonder, is it ME?

EDIT: reply to tedhealey's last post
Are you saying that if each radio station draws on its own folder, then the content WON'T get repeated when you reload? Can you confirm that?

The issue I encountered, even without a saved game, is that if multiple stations share an .ogg file, you will hear and record in your log the same message each time you hear it, one time for each station. This makes your log look a little silly. I had set up three stations east of the date line, CBS Honolulu, NBC Honolulu, and AFN Pearl Harbor. They each had the .ogg files, because I didn't know which one I'd be listening to at any given moment. I heard about the German declaration of war three times, with three identical log entries. That was without saving game and reloading.

[EAF274 Johan]

The bug/feature of radio messages repeating after loading a seved game was already present in SHIII. It also happens with the default radio setup in SH4: when I load a savegame I will always get the news reports from previous days.

I think the best workaround to limit the problem is indeed as Vindex suggests:
use only one station for news reports (or have entirely different reports for different stations) and use the other stations only for random audio files.

In my game I have set it up like this:
- default Radio Washington
- Radio Tokyo (audio only), repeated in smaller stations across the Pacific
- BBC World Service (audio only), based in Australia
- CBS mod (audio only, with events), based in Hawaii
- coastwatchers mod (morse code messages), repeated across the Pacific

This gives me a good selection of stations wherever I am in the Pacific, and the message log doesn't get clogged up with repeating reports too much. I suppose I could even add a few written news reports that specifically relate to Britain in the BBC folder, as these wouldn't interfere with the Radio Washington reports.

[hmatthias]

Where did you get some of these radio mods? I like your setup, and would like to set my radio up similarly.

[tedhealy]

EDIT: reply to tedhealey's last post
Are you saying that if each radio station draws on its own folder, then the content WON'T get repeated when you reload? Can you confirm that?



I'll have to test again, but yes those were my initial results. I deleted every station but washington out of my radio.ini then tested. I started a patrol and TC'd until at least 4 audio events played. I saved, exited, loaded the save, and TC'd. I did not hear the earlier audio files get repeated, the first one I heard was new.

It was late, perhaps I missed something. I'll test it again.

[tedhealy]

Where did you get some of these radio mods? I like your setup, and would like to set my radio up similarly.
See the mod forum list stickied at the top. Plenty of radio mods out there.

CBS radio mod
Radio Saigon
Coastwatcher radio
Command Performances
I know I missed some others
and the ones I made.

[EAF274 Johan]

Where did you get some of these radio mods? I like your setup, and would like to set my radio up similarly.
See what tedhealy wrote :)

The BBC radio station that I use is not a mod, it's just a bunch of old mp3's that I put into a folder. Just look around on the internet, there's loads of stuff like Churchill's speeches and BBC news broadcasts. And of course Vera Lynn :)

[tedhealy]

EDIT: reply to tedhealey's last post
Are you saying that if each radio station draws on its own folder, then the content WON'T get repeated when you reload? Can you confirm that?


I'll have to test again, but yes those were my initial results. I deleted every station but washington out of my radio.ini then tested. I started a patrol and TC'd until at least 4 audio events played. I saved, exited, loaded the save, and TC'd. I did not hear the earlier audio files get repeated, the first one I heard was new.

It was late, perhaps I missed something. I'll test it again.

Tested again and I couldn't reproduce the fix. So I don't know why I thought the issue was resolved. Oh well. I'll keep trying to figure it out.