where do I go to add new music?

[Joh]

At the moment I'm playing around with new music, without using the custom music folder option.

So far I have been able to put in my own custom music by putting in new mp3's with the same names as the old tracks in the soundtrack folders. For example, in th emodern era, the 'PeopleareHeroes' file is a Command and Conquer track renamed to 'ThePeopleareHeroes' so it will play this instead whenever the game looks to play th epeople are heroes. But the big limitation with this is that I am limited to the number of original tracks - I can only put in 4 custom classical era songs, and can't put in any ancient era music.

So, where would I go to change this - to tell the game to play other files? Would this be a python thing?

 

[Gerikes]

At the moment I'm playing around with new music, without using the custom music folder option.

So far I have been able to put in my own custom music by putting in new mp3's with the same names as the old tracks in the soundtrack folders. For example, in th emodern era, the 'PeopleareHeroes' file is a Command and Conquer track renamed to 'ThePeopleareHeroes' so it will play this instead whenever the game looks to play th epeople are heroes. But the big limitation with this is that I am limited to the number of original tracks - I can only put in 4 custom classical era songs, and can't put in any ancient era music.

So, where would I go to change this - to tell the game to play other files? Would this be a python thing?

No python, it's all XML. There's a tutorial here, but a short wrapup is as follows:

1.) Add the mp3 to the assets/audio/WhateverDirectory

Edit the XML files in Assets/XML/Audio:
2.) Add an entry into the Civ4AudioDefines.xml
3.) Add an entry into the Audio2DScripts.xml

Edit the XML file in assets/xml/gameInfo:
4.) Add an entry for the 2d script into Civ4EraInfos.xml.

You should be able to search these files for THE_PEOPLE_ARE_HEROS to see how that song gets entered, and do the same thing. I would suggest if this is for adding songs to just listen to in order to replace the other songs to use the custom music option in the options menu. Otherwise, I think this is what you want.

 

[Joh]

that's it, thanks.

I don't like using the custom music folder option since it adds to lag in the later stages and it's a pain to have to remember to change it upon a new era.

 

[jb10210]

Isn't it possible to turn of the music switching when zooming or selecting a city? So we could just use the custom music folder without the music stopping all the time!

 

[PotatoSamurai]

Isn't it possible to turn of the music switching when zooming or selecting a city? So we could just use the custom music folder without the music stopping all the time!

Dude, I want that. Make it so!

 

[Agent327]

No python, it's all XML. There's a tutorial here, but a short wrapup is as follows:

1.) Add the mp3 to the assets/audio/WhateverDirectory

Edit the XML files in Assets/XML/Audio:
2.) Add an entry into the Civ4AudioDefines.xml
3.) Add an entry into the Audio2DScripts.xml

Edit the XML file in assets/xml/gameInfo:
4.) Add an entry for the 2d script into Civ4EraInfos.xml.

You should be able to search these files for THE_PEOPLE_ARE_HEROS to see how that song gets entered, and do the same thing. I would suggest if this is for adding songs to just listen to in order to replace the other songs to use the custom music option in the options menu. Otherwise, I think this is what you want.

Nice summary.

 

[Romaq]

Ok... I did all that, and I used lots of files to try and be certain my hack worked. It didn't. Was it a problem with something in the XML? Was it a problem in the MP3 VBR format? Does the game engine flat-out not like my reencoding in 128 bps CBR?

Who knows? Who cares, I'm much better off simply making playlists to suit my mood, shutting off Civ4 music, and letting my player rock on.

Mind you, I find everything but the 'Modern' period just great. I'll be happy to include them in my 'Civ4 Period' soundtrack lists. The entire 'Modern' period soundtrack is just flat revolting, and I explicitly renamed those so it is no longer possible to accidently play them.

So... let the brave beware, there really is no benefit to hacking the XML just to insert music. While you don't get the flexibility that comes with having the soundtracks inserted, if you are not attempting to make a mod including music you can legally include in that mod... there simply is no point to messing with soundtrack XML. I mean, really. I tried it, you won't like it.

 

[joanne]

...putting in new mp3's with the same names as the old tracks in the soundtrack folders...

i too have been doing the exact same thing with ALL the tracks in the Civ4\Assets\Sounds\Soundtrack\Modern folder, because as with Romaq i found the modern era music to be boring, particularly the minimalistic style which the composer used (that is, although someone who appreciates minimalist music may like it, and he/she may consider the composer to be great, so i have nothing against the composer)

first i backed up the original files, just in case, then picked the 14 mp3 files i liked the most or merged copies of 2 or more tracks using an audio editor into one track and then copied them into the modern era music folder and renamed them one-by-one, and when i eventually get bored with having to listen to some of them repeatedly in game i just change them again. i also tried the same technique with the "diplomacy" sounds(the ones you hear in the background when the diplomacy screen is displayed with leaderheads and those you hear when zooming in cities). i remember playing as napoleon in emperor difficulty and changing his music into an epic version of "la marseillaise" i ripped off youtube, and it worked perfectly as a morale booster when i go to war

 

[joanne]

...I'm much better off simply making playlists to suit my mood, shutting off Civ4 music, and letting my player rock on.

i've been doing that too with other games where i can't easily replace the music, but my brother, our resident tech-geek, has long warned against me doing it all the time, because he thinks it could damage the hard disk or RAM or something... i use winamp btw

 

[Mr.Pooter]

No python, it's all XML. There's a tutorial here, but a short wrapup is as follows:

1.) Add the mp3 to the assets/audio/WhateverDirectory

Edit the XML files in Assets/XML/Audio:
2.) Add an entry into the Civ4AudioDefines.xml
3.) Add an entry into the Audio2DScripts.xml

Edit the XML file in assets/xml/gameInfo:
4.) Add an entry for the 2d script into Civ4EraInfos.xml.

You should be able to search these files for THE_PEOPLE_ARE_HEROS to see how that song gets entered, and do the same thing. I would suggest if this is for adding songs to just listen to in order to replace the other songs to use the custom music option in the options menu. Otherwise, I think this is what you want.

I tried this, but I am not hearing my music in the game... Has anyone actually had any luck with this? Also, is it any different if you have Beyond the Sword? I heard there's a way to create a custom music folder, then assign certain songs to eras. Does anybody know how this is done?

 

[The_J]

In the options screen in BtS you have the option to choose your own music folder.

 

[Mr.Pooter]

In the options screen in BtS you have the option to choose your own music folder.

Right, I'm trying to avoid doing that though, because I'm just trying to add my own music to what's already there.

Anyway, I actually found out what my problem was. I was editing the wrong XML files. I added the music files to the correct folders, but I was editing the original Civ4 XML files, not the BtS ones. That's where my problem was. So, I went back and replaced the XML files I edited with the originals, then edited the BtS XML files to include the music I added. It's worked fine since then. Now I can rock out to some Don Davis and Hans Zimmer while I conquer the world

 

[Rychord]

I just used Gerikes method posted by Mr.Pooter, and it works like a charm. Just be sure to always copy whole blocks of code including the end part with the Brackets (<>) and forward slash (/) or else the game will crash upon loading.

 

[Titule]

1.) Add the mp3 to the assets/audio/WhateverDirectory

Shouldn't that be
assets/sounds/WhateverDirectory
?

while the XML is in assets/XML/audio/...

 

[Voyhkah]

Was it really nessecary to dig up a 5-year-old thread to argue about what a folder should be called? Can't we just let sleeping dogs lie?

 

[Titule]

It was only one year old at that time.
Now it's four years. If you like I wake you up next year again.

 

[need my speed]

...

This is genius.

Did you really intentionally wait with replying so that five years would have passed (one, and these four, makes five)? You're awesome.

 

[TheNoseKnows]

1.) Add the mp3 to the assets/audio/WhateverDirectory

Edit the XML files in Assets/XML/Audio:
2.) Add an entry into the Civ4AudioDefines.xml
3.) Add an entry into the Audio2DScripts.xml

There is no Civ4AudioDefines.xml in Assets/XML/Audio. The one you should be editing is actually AudioDefines.xml.