Dive/Surface audio problem?

[Mister_Spok]

First of all, hello :) I've been lurking this forum for some time, but this particular trouble (?) made me to post :)

I run TMO2.5 + RSRDCv502 + RSRDC Patch + OTC 1.5 for RSRDCv502.

After I installed OTC I noticed some strange thing and I can't find anything that could say is it normal or not.

The problem is: when I start a new mission, or load savegame, when I order to dive (D key) or suface (S key), I hear the "dive/surface" audio tracks only for the first time I dive/surfase after mission been started (loaded). All the other times I dive/surface I hear only standard "yes sir, dive" of "surface the ship" audio, until I save-exit game-load. Before OTC audios such "Dive planes set for normal dive!... Blow main ballast! *BULB* *BULB* *BULB*" played everytime I hit D key. Is it normal or not?

Regarding everything else game works absolutely fine and all mod are great indeed.

Sorry for my english, and thanks to all who will help.

[iowa101]

I'm not all that familiar with the audio files and those particular mods but I sometimes get that when I'm in the middle of something like a battle or doing something else that might stop the audio from playing when you surface or dive.

Not sure if that helps or if I've completely gotten it wrong but that is my opinion on the matter with my experiences.

[DrBeast]

First of all, hello :) I've been lurking this forum for some time, but this particular trouble (?) made me to post :)

I run TMO2.5 + RSRDCv502 + RSRDC Patch + OTC 1.5 for RSRDCv502.

After I installed OTC I noticed some strange thing and I can't find anything that could say is it normal or not.

The problem is: when I start a new mission, or load savegame, when I order to dive (D key) or suface (S key), I hear the "dive/surface" audio tracks only for the first time I dive/surfase after mission been started (loaded). All the other times I dive/surface I hear only standard "yes sir, dive" of "surface the ship" audio, until I save-exit game-load. Before OTC audios such "Dive planes set for normal dive!... Blow main ballast! *BULB* *BULB* *BULB*" played everytime I hit D key. Is it normal or not?

Regarding everything else game works absolutely fine and all mod are great indeed.

Sorry for my english, and thanks to all who will help.

Welcome aboard! :arrgh!:

Given the length of these audio files, I'm sure you'd grow VERY tired of hearing them every time you dived/surfaced. I know I did when I heard the whole thing for the 15th time :88)

If you want to keep it the way it was, deactivate OTC, then go to MODS\1.5_Optical Targeting Correction 031312 for RSRDCv502\Data and delete or move the entire Sound folder. Now you can activate the mod again and keep the TMO soundset.

No need to apologize for your English. I'm pretty sure it's better than our Ukrainian (isn't it Russian really, or are there small differences between the two?) :D

[CapnScurvy]

After I installed OTC I noticed some strange thing and I can't find anything that could say is it normal or not.


Audio sounds fall into the category of either liking them or not. As you described, pressing the "D" for dive key will bring up the same audio tract every time (so, to answer your question....Yes, it's normal). You may find the sound tract doesn't suit the situation your in or you simply become annoyed with hearing the same thing over and over again. Not much we can do with them, they either work or they don't. You either like what you hear or you don't. The game doesn't allow for several variances; one tract for one event.

If you prefer to modify your own set of sounds or prefer to use some but not all, that's up to you. Again, it's really personal preference.

Without losing all sounds that OTC added/changed, why not replace the ones you don't like with something else. As DrBeast stated, you can lose the whole group, but why not pick and choose the ones you want to try.

As DrBeast explained, open the OTC mod after deactivating it from JSGME and find the Data/Sound folder. The Dive sound is entitled "Submarine_DiveAlarm_INT", (the INT stands for interior). If you have Windows Media Player hooked up, double clicking the .wav file will play the sound tract for you. If that's the sound you would like to change, just rename the .wav file to something else like... "OTC_Submarine_DiveAlarm_INT". Reactivating OTC with the other mods will allow the specific OTC "Dive" event sound to be overlooked, and the TMO sound used. If you don't like the TMO sound tract, then make another, or just copy/paste the one you like (using the same name) to the folder. This way you get the sounds you like, making the game more appealing to you.

[DrBeast]

Captain, in this case I don't think it's a matter of liking the sounds or not. As Mister_Spok mentioned, some sounds (such as the dive/surface sequences) will only play once per game session - in order to hear them again, you'll have to exit/enter the game again. If I'm not mistaken, there's a trigger in sh.sdl that defines whether a sound will play once or every time it's called on. I also seem to remember that sound files longer than 15 seconds would only play once, no matter the settings in sh.sdl (unless it's set to Loop), and that's a core game limitation. Then again, odds are I'm talking out of my tail pipe since the last time I was reading about the way sounds work in SH4 was three years ago, so please feel free to correct me :DL

ETA: upon checking the sh.sdl files of TMaru and OTC, and the relevant sound files, it seems I was wrong about the trigger within the file but right about the duration. None of the sound files in TMaru exceeds 15 seconds, whereas the same files in OTC are much longer. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but I remembered that tidbit of info regarding sound duration and how the game handles them. Go figure... :haha:

[CapnScurvy]

Wheaties man, must of been Wheaties!! Breakfast of Champions.


I didn't know there was a "15 second rule" for the sound files!? I'll have to check. From my past observation I didn't think there was a problem of hearing the same sound, for the same event, over and over again. But, maybe I missed that. Whenever I've play tested, I don't recall ever trying to see what happens AFTER a save point. Maybe, that's where the 15 second rule comes in?!

One thing I had noticed was the fact that striking the Dive key produced the same sound tract. When you're on the surface, the OTC sound tract seems acceptable. When you're 100 ft down and strike the dive key, I've questioned myself as to the tract being appropriate for the situation.

[DrBeast]

This is stuff I first heard of back when Dave/Leovampire was still alive and tinkering with the ROW sound sets...we're talking 2007-2008! If you feel like diving into the archives of Subsim, that's the place to look. He had to cut down all non-looped sounds to 15 seconds, or they'd only play once when triggered, and only play again after you had saved, exited and re-entered the game.

As a footnote, I prefer it the way the OTC sounds work - they're really immersive, and the side-effect of playing only once is very welcome, since they'd become quite repetitive otherwise. Plus they're the same tracks used by ROW (only longer), which I've been using forever.

[Mister_Spok]

Captain, in this case I don't think it's a matter of liking the sounds or not. As Mister_Spok mentioned, some sounds (such as the dive/surface sequences) will only play once per game session - in order to hear them again, you'll have to exit/enter the game again.

DrBeast is absolutely right. In TMO I hear the dive/surface sequences every time I hit corresponding key (I like that though). After OTC I hear them only once a game session.

So if you're right, I just need to replace sounds from OTC (which are longer than 15 secs) with sounds from TMO (that are shorter than 15 secs)?

And the last one - How do I speed up that slowpoke sonarboy. He's shouting out contacts very slooowwww.

[DrBeast]

So if you're right, I just need to replace sounds from OTC (which are longer than 15 secs) with sounds from TMO (that are shorter than 15 secs)?

That is correct. After you've deactivated OTC, delete/rename Submarine_DiveAlarm_INT, Submarine_Surface_INT, and (maybe) Submarine_diving and Submarine_surfacing.

And the last one - How do I speed up that spowpoke sonarboy. He's souting out contacts very slooowwww.

I think that's a core game issue and can't be modded.

[Mister_Spok]

Thanks everybody!

I didn't want to start a new topic, but I didn't know to what specific mod this issue corresponds. But now I think this issue may be tagged as *Solved*.

Thanks again.