[TEC] Adding Sounds to Game, Minor Success, but needs alot of work
 

My second request for technical help from the mod community comes from something that has plagued me since the start of the Silent Hunter series. Adding and manipulating sounds. I have had limited success with sounds. Most of the mods that deal with sounds do the same thing. They simply change sound files that are existing to be more realistic. I have done that same thing to change the game to my personal taste; however, this is not the only source of the problem. Many things once thought to be impossible with this game have been solved. Who thought that we would get someone in the community that could make new rooms in the sub for us in real 3d. So I would assume that adding sounds to SH4 is possible, just the collective minds of the fans has yet to uncover the correct stone.

Thanks to the many program that modders have made, I have been able to see how I think the sound files work.

I edited the Sh.sdl using the S3d program and found several sounds and ways to manipulate them. One problem is that most of the changes have made no changes to the sounds in the game, most sound volumes are adjusted to max, and worse is not all the sounds are listed in this list. This made me search for other places. In the scene files there are mentions of sounds as well.

Lets take for example the annoying seagulls
By manipulating the playlist used for the seagulls I was able to get a seagull to scream. Sounds stupid but it’s a start. I took a sound file from another game and converted it to the correct format and name it
seagulls5 “may have been something different not at home to look now so its all off memory”
In the scene file if you keep opening things you will eventually see that the seagulls sounds are using a playlist loaded up prior to the game and set to shuffle the effects sounds. At the bottom I added my sound to the playlist so it would now be added into the shuffled mix.
@seagulls5

To my surprise the game started no CTD, (had plenty though). The seagulls sounds annoyed me for a few minutes before I finally heard the scream. I almost fell off my seat in excitement and laughter. Take that seagull!

This proves the concept it IS possible to add sounds to the game or atleast a premade playlist. (Much testing still needed though)

Other sounds that use a playlist are the
bullet sound effects,
Thunder (thought I cant find it in the files it has to be a shuffled playlist)
(still looking for more files and will list them as I find them)

The problem is that, I’m not an expert at all and am looking for help in solving the problems with sounds. Not all the sounds in the sound folder are used and it could be because they do not show up in particles or materials files. That’s right some sounds are found in these folders. There are geniuses out there in the forum, maybe you reading this now, I NEED HELP.

Every sound in the game has to be triggered some how by either a keystroke or action. Some sounds are linked to the particle that the effect file uses. We need to find out how these files are controlled. There are several .act files that are of interest but I cant make sense of them, some I cant even open. Some of the effect files on my computer show up as Microsoft access files. I have no clue why or how to open them.

I need your help and hopefully together we can bring some new “LIFE” to SH4.

Calling all “SMART COOKIES”

Even some tips for me would be great!

Thanks

Bill

(I keep digging through the mess of files and will post as I find them)

I'm starting to delve into working with sounds, so I don't know a lot either.

However, check out the DSD files in the library folder. These are linked to the sh3.sdl file.

So from my understanding the sdl file is sort of the "master list" of individual sounds, and the DSD files tell the game when to play a certain sound when a certain condition is met.

Mind you my limited experience is from SH3, but it should be the same.
My interest is in learning to add completely new sounds in the game.

I'll see what I can learn this weekend.

Here's one to research
 

The sound for the rubber 'spy' dinghy bumping into the submarine is the same sound for a ship colliding with the sub (i.e. the little rubber dinghy when hitting the sub causes a horrendously loud crashing metal sound).
If you can figure out how to keep the ship collision sound for ships and still incorporate a subtle 'bumping' sound for the rubber boat then you'd really be onto something.
I've tried simply substituting a canoe-at-the-dock subtle sound for the rubber boat but then when a ship collides you get the canoe-at-the-dock sound which is obviously ridiculous.

Run a drop-off commando/spy mission and you'll see exactly what I mean!!

I don't think it would make any sound at all, it being a rubber boat... maybe that squeaking sound one can make when rubbing a thumb on a small baloon ???

I know my wife hates it :rotfl:

Don't you love it when your sitting there with your headphones on, half asleep and that hideous sound sends you toward the ceiling? Thats on tough rubber boat.:arrgh!:

maybe it would work to give the rubber boat
(i think it's CMD_small_boat?) a .dsd and define a collision sound there.
could work for the lifeboats too because they don't
have .dsd files.