I sent you a pm darkpheonixz4x

{GITS}TheCleaner writes...

On this board, users POST their solutions to problems - NOT use the personal messaging system to do it. That way, the answer is there for everyone to see. Other people with similar or identical problems can then learn from the publicly posted solution.

I don't know the answer, or I would have posted it, I just sent him a pm giving him the address of another site that might help him, I didnt want to post the address on this site, would be wrong.

I like to help people, I dont rant and rave at them, like some people

darkpheonixz4x writes...

In that case, you are forced to create an IWD file for your map:

1. Create a new IWD file. If you are unsure how to do this, the easiest way to get one is to download any custom map and rename the IWD file that comes with it. Simply right click on the IWD file, and left click on "rename".

2. If you are using the method described in 1 where you rename someone else's IWD file, open the IWD file with a compressed file handler like WinRar (free to download and use). Delete everything inside the IWD file except the "sound" folder if it has one.

3. Make sure the IWD file is named EXACTLY the same as your map name.

4. Your ambient sound file must go into a folder inside the IWD file named "sound". If your IWD file doesn't already have one (see 2 above), create a new folder on your Windows desktop and name it "sound". Then, open your IWD file, and drag and drop the "sound" folder into it. Now, open the "sound" folder and drag and drop your ambient sound file into it.

5. Now, if your COD4 install doesn't already have one, create a new folder named "usermaps". This should be in the root install, next to the "mods" folder and the "main" folder.

6. Open the "usermaps" folder and create another new folder and name it EXACTLY the same as your map's name.

7. Drag and drop your new IWD file (complete with sound file in it) into this new folder named after your map.

8. Drag and drop your map's .FF file into this new folder named after your map.

9. Your folder inside the "usermaps" folder should now have 2 files in it:



10. Now, fire up COD4 from the multiplayer executable. On the main menu there is a button for "mods". Click it and choose a mod. By default there should be at least two if you don't have any others installed. The default ones are: 1) modwarfare; 2) userMaps. Choose any one of these and click "ok". The game will now switch to the mod's "main menu".

11. Once on the mod's "main menu", drop down console and type:



NB: don't forget the forward slash. It wont boot into your map unless you have the forward slash there.

12. The game should boot into your map successfully. If it doesn't, post back with any error messages and we can help you from there.

Thank you for the detailed step-by-step process. I have done all of this and i found the error in the console log.

It stated: Couldn't play stream "sound/mymapname\myfile.wav" from alias "amb_dub" - Unable to open file.

Any solutions to this error?

darkpheonixz4x writes...

I will need to see details of your soundalias file. Please post it in full. Do not edit it by removing the actual names of files and alias.

Also, what is the exact name of the .WAV file you are using? Post it's full name please.

What i realise about the .wav was it's bitrate was way too high (1411kbps) so i deleted that. I used my original mp3 and using bitrate conversion software, i have an mp3 with a bitrate of 128kbps.

The file name is amb_dub_ext.mp3

I have attached a winrar archive that consists of: my csv, my.map, mp.iwd and my script.

But i did not attach my music file with the .iwd as the upload limit
is 2mb

Hopefully you could derive the solution with all of this.

I downloaded your assets and I can only say that without the actual sound file itself, there is no way I can see what or where the problem lies. Having checked your attached soundalias file, I don't see any major problems with it, other than you didn't set anything in the loadspecs channel. For multiplayer purposes, all you need in there is the all_mp value. But this is minor; not having it there would not have produced the error you have been reporting.

One thing I can say about your code is that you are using the ambient music channel, which forces you to stream your music from an IWD file, when in fact it isn't really necessary. Ambient music is for a map's sound effects, like weather effects, or waves crashing. It isn't really required to play a sound from a trigger like you are doing. You can use several sound functions to do that. Here is one such:

sound()
{
	trig = getent( "sound_activate", "targetname" );

	while( true )
	{
		trig waittill( "trigger", player );  
			
		if( isPlayer( player ) )
			player playLocalSound( "amb_dub" );
	}
}

If you do it this way, you will be able to compile the sound file into your fastfile as I explained earlier. You wont then have the recurring error of not being able to open the file. The only problem you will have with this method is if your .WAV file (you cannot compile MP3 files - the compiler doesn't accept that format) is incompatible with the game engine.

Whenever I am first testing a piece of code that need to play a sound, I always use an existing soundalias. If the sound doesn't play, then I know that it is my code and not the sound file. The one I always use is "mp_level_up". This is in multiplayer.csv.

Once I get the sound to play as I want it to do (i.e. when a trigger is triggered for example), then I move on to adding a soundalias. I always use the auto2d channel, and I rarely stream my sound files.

Why run it from usermaps and not the mod folder of the mod that is currently running? Servers/Clients use the Usermap folder while mappers use the mod folders. Not sure why anyone is telling him to use the usermaps folder at all.

Possible Solutions:

- The IWD could be corrupt.
- The audio file may not have the proper specs. *Most likely*
- Run the IWD from one of the mod folders.

DeekCiti writes...

Please take time to read a thread before you come marching in shouting the odds. The guy wasn't using an IWD file AT ALL. So, the issue isn't that I am telling him to use the usermaps folder, the issue is that the guy was getting an error because he was streaming a sound file and there was no IWD file to stream it from.

BTW - when testing a map, using the mod folder or the usermaps folder work equally as well. Check that word: "equally". In other words, I could have told him to use either, and it would solve the problem of having an IWD file. So, please leave your crusade against people telling others to use the usermaps folder, because interesting enough, it works just as well as using the mod folder, if not better.

Just because you personally don't use it, or advise people to use it, makes no difference: it works as the developers intended it to work.