Music Edits

[Nighthawk419]

Hello there everyone. I am by no means a hardcore modder: my only experience was just to find a way to change the turn order for the "Earth 18 civs" scenario for the purposes of a PBEM... it wasn't perfect, but the fact that I managed to do it was exciting for me!

I'm hoping to have someone much more experienced than me give me an idea how to update the background music of the game that plays throughout the various ages. I've downloaded many many mods and enjoy them all but sometimes the most exciting parts of the mods are the new music that comes with them. I essentially have extensively detailed mods for each era that all have their own music. What I'd like to do is basically steal the music from some of the published mods and add them to my own personal single player version of "A New Dawn". Its only for my own use, but it doesn't seem as easy as copying mp3 files from one folder to another, so its already becoming too complicated for me!

Anyone have any thoughts? Please help! It will make my gameplay experience so much better if I can have more and varied music on top of the amazing original soundtrack!

 

[Michkov]

Just put the music you want into the appropriate subfolders of ...\Sid Meier's Civilization 4\Assets\Sounds\Soundtrack and you should be good to go.

 

[Nighthawk419]

Do you think doing that is going to cause some sort of assets protected error with my PBEM games?

 

[Michkov]

I couldn't say. But it should be easy enough to test, just remove one file or add one. Than try opening an asset protected nonmod pbem game

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

There are a couple ways of editing soundtracks:

1. Placing music in appropriate foldiers, and renaming those files so they are the same as an existing track. This is the replacement method, it is good if you want to replace the existing music, however if you want to add tracks....

there is

2. This requires some XML editing. You will need to add appropriate entries for your new tracks in:

-Audio2DScripts.xml
-AudioDefines.xml
-CIV4EraInfos.xml

This may seem daunting if you have never edited XML before, but it is actually quite easy and simple when you get used to it.

Editing the Audo2DScripts xml file to add new tracks is basically copy and paste. You copy an existing entry, then edit the entry name to whatever you desire.

Editing the AudioDefines Xml file is pretty much the same, only you must specify the file path where your new song is located.

Editing the Civ4EraInfos xml file requires you to plug in the names of your new tracks to the desired era.

I can help walk you threw this if you want.

 

[Nighthawk419]

Thanks for the help Sword! I tried just putting the files in the appropriate folders, but after some tests I noticed that it would still never play the new music in the folder. What you mentioned about XML editing makes sense. I would like to ADD music, not just replace it. I have edited XML before, though very limited. I will take a look and if I need more help I will let you know. Thanks for the response!

 

[Sword_Of_Geddon]

Your quite welcome. Keep me posted!

 

[OllyG]

Thanks for the help Sword! I tried just putting the files in the appropriate folders, but after some tests I noticed that it would still never play the new music in the folder. What you mentioned about XML editing makes sense. I would like to ADD music, not just replace it. I have edited XML before, though very limited. I will take a look and if I need more help I will let you know. Thanks for the response!

Hi

Did this work for you?

I'm trying to add one of the tracks from Civ III to the modern era music of Civ IV, and followed these instructions to the letter.

It hasn't come up yet. I suppose it's possible that I haven't played it for long enough for the 'new' track to come up naturally amidst all the others (although given current levels of Civ addiction, this doesn't feel too likely!).

But thought I'd post in case there was something obvious I've missed.

I think I've correctly modified the three XML files described here, having put the MP3 file in the Modern music folder.

I'm playing vanilla BtS.

Thanks

Olly.

 

[<Nexus>]

Did this work for you?

Yes, it does. I started modding with adding music to AND2 (see my signature).
You can upload your files here you changed, so we can take a look.

 

[OllyG]

Yes, it does. I started modding with adding music to AND2 (see my signature).
You can upload your files here you changed, so we can take a look.

Thank you: that's a helpful suggestion.

But as I was finding the files to upload here, I think I may have realised what I've done wrong.

I may have changed the XML files in the immediate Beyond The Sword, not the subsequent Beyond The Sword folder.

I'll try replicating my changes in these and see if that fixes it before uploading and asking for further help.

Thanks!

 

[OllyG]

Thank you: that's a helpful suggestion.

But as I was finding the files to upload here, I think I may have realised what I've done wrong.

I may have changed the XML files in the immediate Beyond The Sword, not the subsequent Beyond The Sword folder.

I'll try replicating my changes in these and see if that fixes it before uploading and asking for further help.

Thanks!

Right, I must be doing something fundamendally wrong!

After I edited the relevant XML files in the Beyond The Sword sub-folder beneath the main Beyond The Sword folder, after that, the game wouldn't boot up! Removing the entries fixed that.

Two questions.

1. Do I need to edit the 3 XML files in the Beyond The Sword "main" folders, OR the sub Beyond The Sword sub-folders, OR both of these?

2. Attached are the 3 files I edited. Would someone be willing to have a look and see what I may be doing wrong? The song is called "ModernFull" (from Civ 3) and the below screenshot shows where I've saved the file

Thanks

Olly.

 

[<Nexus>]

This is the problem:

        <fMaxDryLevel>1.0</fMaxDryLevel>
        <fMinWetLevel>0.0</fMinWetLevel>
        <fMaxWetLevel>0.0</fMaxWetLevel>
    </Script2DSound>
    <Script2DSound>

<ScriptID>AS2D_MODERN_FULL</ScriptID>
        <SoundID>SONG_MODERN_FULL</SoundID>
        <SoundType>GAME_MUSIC</SoundType>
        <iMinVolume>70</iMinVolume>
        <iMaxVolume>70</iMaxVolume>
        <iPitchChangeDown>0</iPitchChangeDown>

How it should look like:

        <fMaxDryLevel>1.0</fMaxDryLevel>
        <fMinWetLevel>0.0</fMinWetLevel>
        <fMaxWetLevel>0.0</fMaxWetLevel>
    </Script2DSound>
    <Script2DSound>
        <ScriptID>AS2D_MODERN_FULL</ScriptID>
        <SoundID>SONG_MODERN_FULL</SoundID>
        <SoundType>GAME_MUSIC</SoundType>
        <iMinVolume>70</iMinVolume>
        <iMaxVolume>70</iMaxVolume>
        <iPitchChangeDown>0</iPitchChangeDown>

Same goes for AudioDefines. Most XML files are not sensitive text format but the ones Audio folder are. However, it is always advised to keep your code clean&tidy

 

[OllyG]

This is the problem:

        <fMaxDryLevel>1.0</fMaxDryLevel>
        <fMinWetLevel>0.0</fMinWetLevel>
        <fMaxWetLevel>0.0</fMaxWetLevel>
    </Script2DSound>
    <Script2DSound>

<ScriptID>AS2D_MODERN_FULL</ScriptID>
        <SoundID>SONG_MODERN_FULL</SoundID>
        <SoundType>GAME_MUSIC</SoundType>
        <iMinVolume>70</iMinVolume>
        <iMaxVolume>70</iMaxVolume>
        <iPitchChangeDown>0</iPitchChangeDown>

How it should look like:

        <fMaxDryLevel>1.0</fMaxDryLevel>
        <fMinWetLevel>0.0</fMinWetLevel>
        <fMaxWetLevel>0.0</fMaxWetLevel>
    </Script2DSound>
    <Script2DSound>
        <ScriptID>AS2D_MODERN_FULL</ScriptID>
        <SoundID>SONG_MODERN_FULL</SoundID>
        <SoundType>GAME_MUSIC</SoundType>
        <iMinVolume>70</iMinVolume>
        <iMaxVolume>70</iMaxVolume>
        <iPitchChangeDown>0</iPitchChangeDown>

Same goes for AudioDefines. Most XML files are not sensitive text format but the ones Audio folder are. However, it is always advised to keep your code clean&tidy

Thanks for this, but I'm a bit confused, as I kept all the spacing/formats as they appeared in the file when I opened it, and sought to replicate all the spacing/formatting of the existing entries.

I'll see if I can work out how to do the change you suggest and see if it works.

 

[OllyG]

I now see the problem: the text appeared differently in the default small window compared to how it does full screen. I can see what you mean now.

Hopefully it'll now fix it...

 

[OllyG]

I now see the problem: the text appeared differently in the default small window compared to how it does full screen. I can see what you mean now.

Hopefully it'll now fix it...

Hello

After making the corrections you suggested, and triple-checking all the entries, unfortunately I have found that this still does not make my track appear.

I also tried this method for other tracks in a mod, and also found no change (although I was able to STOP certain tracks from playing by deleting their entries in the XML files).

Do you have any other thoughts on what may not be working?

I see lots of other people in the forums who have not been able to successfully add additional tracks.

A "bodge" I am using is simply to create custom music folders and manually change to them at different points in the game, but it would be much more elegant if I could make the changes permanent.

Thanks

Olly.

 

[<Nexus>]

Upload the files, please, so I can take a look at them.

 

[OllyG]

Upload the files, please, so I can take a look at them.

Thanks.

Files attached. The 'new' MP3 is called ModernFull and I put it in the same folder as all the existing Modern tracks.

With the changes reinstated as per these files, Beyond The Sword doesn't start up at all: after the introductory video etc., it just crashes to desktop, without an error message.

These files are stored in the following directories:

* The audio XMLs: C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\Audio

* The era info XML: C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\GameInfo


One thing I'm not clear is are those the right files to edit, or do I also/instead need to edit the same files here?

* C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\Audio

* C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Assets\XML\GameInfo

 

[<Nexus>]

Well, your files seem to be right. But I see you are modding the games own files which is strongly recommended not to do. Try putting your files in a mod folder and run the mod.


* C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Mods\YourMod\Assets\XML\Audio

* C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Mods\YourMod\Assets\XML\GameInfo

With the changes reinstated as per these files, Beyond The Sword doesn't start up at all: after the introductory video etc., it just crashes to desktop, without an error message.

Do you mean starting BtS.exe or starting the game by loading a save file from Windows? If the later, than that is the reason: Save games are no longer compatible if some/any game files are altered. (Some mods have solution for this too, but that is high level arcane magic )

 

[OllyG]

Well, your files seem to be right. But I see you are modding the games own files which is strongly recommended not to do. Try putting your files in a mod folder and run the mod.


* C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Mods\YourMod\Assets\XML\Audio

* C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\Sid Meier's Civilization IV Beyond the Sword\Mods\YourMod\Assets\XML\GameInfo


Do you mean starting BtS.exe or starting the game by loading a save file from Windows? If the later, than that is the reason: Save games are no longer compatible if some/any game files are altered. (Some mods have solution for this too, but that is high level arcane magic )

Thanks, that's helpful. I hadn't appreciated I'd be best off creating copies of the file and creating a micro-mod.

Maybe I need to try a mod of a mod for the music I want to change on the mod I'm playing (the Star Trek one).

The start-up failure was with BtS.exe, and maybe that's because of what you say about it being best not to mod the original game files.

Will play further and see what happens!