Unit voices and Unique voice overhauls

[Ngugi]

Hello friends!

Here's a little description on

how to give a unit their own selected-voice on the battle-map and a tutorial for

how to give a single unit from a faction its own full soundtrack on the battle-map

and finally unique strat map voices for unique characters, by Withwnar, for the cherry on the top.

About

Cant remember I've seen a tutorial on this matter so thought I should add it here.
I extend my gratitude to both kaiser1993 and Scout of Imladris who inspired me to learn the more advanced feat. and should get the credit for that kind of soundwork.
- The advanced work is probably most interesting when it comes to heroes so I've chosen one such example I've done, from the TATW submod MOS.
- For normal work selected-voices is far more interesting.


The common and easier, faster while still very effective way is to simply change or add a unit-specific selection-voice.
This mean, when you choose the unit on the battlefield it will cry out something special you want it to.
Therefore I added a section called "Unit Selection Voice" for how to do that basic work


The section "Create uniqe unit battle voice" is not the easy way to do it.
Instead it is a more advanced tutorial for those who want to put a lot of effort into a single unit or a kind of unit to, in all important possible ways, have different voice-sounds than their fellow faction-members. This is a lot of work.


The link to "Unique Strat Map Voices for Unique Characters" will finally allow customization on the world map.
It uses script to play the voice sound whenever any general (named character) is selected on the strat map, and as the lable implies is intended for special characters.


Be sure you have all soundfiles and folders unpacked before you begin. Otherwise when you at the end delete the Voice.idx, Voice.dat, events.idx and events.dat you wont recreate all sounds properly!
A description to how to do this and get the tool for it see http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?t=352289 where you also learn how to create a new accent for a faction. To know that might make it easier for you when doing this, least it was the way I went.
OBS Read and follow the links section named Prerequisites and how to use them as well as whats after the last section recording carefully if you have no or little experience since before!

Unit Selection Voice - standard uniqueness

Rule one: back up any file before editing! Right, let us have some fun. Let us say that you have created a brand new unit named Marines (if you are to alter an existing unit or are familiar with your factions voices you might go directly to step 2 or even 3). Marines then, some real swashbuckler kind of guys. 1.1) Open descr_sounds_accents.txt Here you can see what accent the faction the unit belongs to has. This you need in step 3 so you may put the Marines entry under right accent. Our Marines belong to England, lets say. And when we check the textfile. Example: ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ; accent English factions england, scotland, milan, ireland, normans, saxons (...) And what do you know? The accent for england was English! When you open your own it will naturally presumably look different and/or other accents may be of interest. Good, now we know that! 1.2) Open export_descr_unit.txt - Look for your unit in question. What we intend to check out is what type the unit is = what name does it have? In our case here it is plain Marines - note that type and dictionary names do not have to be the same and that we want to know the type! - Secondly we want to know what voice_type the unit has. This is the same thing as class in export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt (EDSU) and tells us under what accent-class in EDSU we will add the units voices. In this case it is Heavy. - In some cases also the accent is noted. This is mainly in case the unit uses another accent than the rest of the faction. This is not common but should be good to know in case you are editing a submod or merc's for instance. I have added it to show you how it can look just in case. Note: if the faction has "English" as accent but you give a unit "accent Arabic", for example, in the EDU, that unit's voice entry [see step 3] has to be placed under the "Arabic" accent instead of the "English" accent in export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt. Likewise, if you have given a unit its voice entry under the faction's accent but the unit do not say anything, it may be because the unit has an accent-entry in the EDU saying it has another accent than the rest of the faction. Edit that line or remove it if you do not intend for the unit to use anotehr accent than the rest of the faction uses. So knowing these things we may decide what the Marines will say in the next step. type Marines dictionary Marines_1 ; Marines category infantry class heavy voice_type Heavy accent English banner faction main_missile banner holy crusade soldier marines, 60, 0, 1 (...) 1.3) export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt Here is where you decide what soundfiles you want to give to the unit, just as with any unit. First! Find the correct accent. Then make sure that you find the correct class - remember, it was called voice_type in export_descr_unit.txt. Now in the right accent and under the right class we are looking for a section called vocal Unit_Select. accent English class General vocal Group_Created event (...) end class Heavy vocal Group_Created event (...) end vocal Unit_Select (...) Now either edit the existing unit entry - or create a new entry, in my example for the Marines - in this section. I have made up an example to show you how it may look where I add the Marines at the end of the Unit_Select section. I will give the Marines 3 new soundfiles I have recorded (Give_Me_Rum_1 and 2 and Marines). Plus I use one soundfile the Saxon Bodyguard already uses. This as an example that you may use what other units already use. Note that where vocal Unit_Siege_Tower_Attack confirm begin vocal Unit_Select ends, so put it above that. (...) vocal Unit_Select engine town_ladder, medium_ladder event folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map English_Heavy_Generic_Ladder_1.wav English_Heavy_Generic_Ladder_2.wav end unit Saxon Bodyguard event folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map English_Heavy_Generic_Generals_Bodyguard_1.wav English_Heavy_Generic_Generals_Bodyguard_2.wav end unit Marines event folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map Give_Me_Rum_1.wav Give_Me_Rum_2.wav Marines.wav English_Heavy_Generic_Generals_Bodyguard_1.wav end vocal Unit_Siege_Tower_Attack confirm event (...) - Remember to be accurate with both files [.wav, mono, 22.050Hz] and directory, so that you put the files right for the game to find. - You may use same voice sounds as other units just to be clear, as I've done using the Saxon BG's for the Marines. - As I did just copy the last voicesound from the Saxons I do not have to worry about that one IF I put my new sounds in the same directory (folder) as this general-sound is in. Do not put them in different folders. In this example I put my new sounds the same folder as the english BG already is in: data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map 1.4) Almost done Delete the Voice.idx, Voice.dat, events.idx and events.dat and then you should be free enjoy it through start a game. Now our new Marines will shout some things about rum, something about Marines and something general-generic OBS! Make back ups before deleting to make sure that you wont lose data. This would most likely be because you have not unpacked all soundfiles as suggested in the beginning or you lack some required .txt-files. Either way that is a precaution any modder should always take so can't leave it out - If you have Windows Vista or 7 & have installed the game\mod in the default directory (C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War....) then you should disable UAC before doing this because the new .idx and .dat files will go in the virtual folder otherwise. More info on UAC can be found here.

Create uniqe unit battle voice - advanced overhaul

The basic concept is that you create a brand new accent dedicated fully to the hero unit, or at most 3 units with uniqe voices per accent from each accent class; General, Heavy and Light. Remember that if you want a uniqe voice for a uniqe hero that hero needs also a uniqe unit (see step number 4). 2.1) Begin opening descr_sounds_accents.txt There you add the new accent for the unit. In my case in TATW I wanted to make one for the general unit Borormir from Gondor, so I called it Boromir. Note that I do not choose a faction for the accent! ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ; accent English factions turks, scotland, milan, ireland, normans, saxons, byzantium, teutonic_order, timurids, dunland, slave accent Scottish factions moors accent French factions accent Mediterranean factions accent German factions england, hre, france, portugal, norway, papal_states accent East_European factions russia, poland, hungary, denmark accent Arabic factions spain, venice accent Mongolian factions aztecs accent Boromir factions 2.2) If you want to you may add pre-battle speeches in export_descr_sounds_prebattle.txt Just copy the section from the factions normal section and rename the entry. In my case I was lazy and did not do it at all but then again I rarely listen to any other speech than the laconic "They deserve to die. Just kill them, lads!". Perhaps he speaks anyway because he's a part of the Gondor faction? Honestly can't tell. Though, if you want to be sure do this. Original Gondor accent is English: accent English element VNV_OPENING VnV trait BadCommander event (...) Copied to the end and edited: accent Boromir element VNV_OPENING VnV trait BadCommander event (...) 2.3) export_descr_sounds_soldier_voice.txt Copy and paste the factions section and rename the new one after your new accent. Once again I seem to been either lazy or just forgot this step, so while it works without it should enhance the sound experience altogether. Example: accent English class General vocal Individual_Attack_Grunt event mindist 0.75 priority 120 volume -20 probability .4 folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map (...) Aletered: accent Boromir class General vocal Individual_Attack_Grunt event mindist 0.75 priority 120 volume -20 probability .4 folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map (...) 2.4) Open export_descr_unit.txt Look for your hero in question. He have to have a uniqe bodyguard - or be a uniqe unit in case of a special soundtheme for a special unittype. In the example the gondor foot bodyguards is unit that only exists as Boromirs bodyguard. Now the important thing is to change his accent to the new one - in my case accent Boromir and make sure that his vocie_type is General. This way the general-unit Boromir will speak what we decide in the next step. type gondor foot bodyguards dictionary gondor_foot_bodyguards ; Boromirs Bodyguard category infantry ; Quality class heavy voice_type General accent Boromir banner faction main_infantry If you change the factions normal general units accent ALL generals will suddenly sound like the expected uniqe general, so do not do like this unless you want all to have the new sounds (though, then a new accent is not needed at all); type Gondor Bodyguard dictionary Gondor_Bodyguard ; General's Bodyguard category cavalry class heavy voice_type General accent Boromir banner faction main_cavalry Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  OBS! It can be good to remember that a units class in export_descr_unit.txt is not the same thing as class in export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt. The sound class is in export_descr_unit.txt called voice_type. Thus you do not have to have the same class as voice_type even if export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt may seem as it should be so - except when it comes to generals. See spoilerbox under step 5. 2.5) export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt Here is where you decide what soundfiles you want to give to the unit, just as with any unit. I suggest you to begin with copy pate the whole entry of the factions original accent, rename it and then begin to make changes: Orginal: accent English class General vocal Group_Created event folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map English_General_Group_Created_1.wav English_General_Group_Created_2.wav end Copy pasted and edited: accent Boromir class General vocal Group_Created event folder data/sounds/Voice/Human/Localized/Battle_Map English_General_Group_Created_1.wav English_General_Group_Created_2.wav end Remember to be accurate with both files [.wav, mono, 22.050Hz] and directory, so that you put the files right for the game to find. Because Boromir is a general I did edit class General, as above. Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  It should be noted that you can not give another general, let us say Faramir, the voice_type Heavy space in accent Boromir in export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt and then editing export_descr_unit.txt and make it work. Because when playing the game will ignore that Faramir is a unit with voice-type heavy but give the unit the accents voice_type general as Faramir ingame works like a general. Least this was my experience, I could done somthing wrong in the progress so feel free to test out and report back if you got a success The most interesting sounds to alter is the vocal Group and the vocal Unit-ones, as some of these entries are both most obvious and affecting. The main objective for changes I propse are selections, attacks and movements. Then its good to have the original sounds left due to the copy paste, as to change all [other] sounds is often both a very big job and not really interesting. Each entry often contains between 2 to 6 sounds, so its quite a work if you want to change all sounds. Such soundentries as concerns selection, attacks, movements and so is often the ones that is of real interest and should be given real effort. 2.6) Almost done Delete the Voice.idx, Voice.dat, events.idx and events.dat and then you should be free enjoy it through start a game. OBS! Make back ups before deleting to make sure that you wont lose data. This would most likely be because you have not unpacked all soundfiles as suggested in the beginning or you lack some required .txt-files. Either way that is a precaution any modder should always take so can't let it out - If you have Windows Vista or 7 & have installed the game\mod in the default directory (C:\Program Files\SEGA\Medieval II Total War....) then you should disable UAC before doing this because the new .idx and .dat files will go in the virtual folder otherwise. More info on UAC can be found here. 2.7) Optional use of the accent; Spoiler Alert, click show to read:  When you have made the general unit you may have noted that the accent still havent made anything with its Class Heavy and Class Light. If you have a odinary unit that you want to give a custom soundtheme you may use these two classes to cover that! Gondor has an elite unit called Fountain Guard. Let us play with the idea that I want to give them some uniqe voices. Then go back to step 4 and alter export_descr_unit.txt for this particular unit. Change it to Boromir as well. As it should not sound like Boromir himself it cant have voice_type General, but Heavy and Light is still unoccupied. As the unit already have Heavy listed (se below) I leave it to that. type Fountain Guard dictionary Fountain_Guard ; Fountain Guard category infantry class spearmen voice_type Heavy accent Boromir banner faction main_spear Do as in step 5: change the sounds in export_descr_sounds_units_voice.txt to whatever sounds you want the unit to have - though this time under class Heavy. Note: If any other unit is given accent Boromir and voice_type Heavy afterwards they will souns like the Fountain Guard. We may still make another unit uniqe using the class Light in case we want to though.

Unique Strat Map Voices

Topic was investigated by and is now here instructed by Withwnar, on page 2, post 2: Link: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showt...1#post15671216

//Hope I have not missed anything in these little tutorials and hope it will help you create more interesting units and campaigns.
Thanks to Ishan for input and contribution. Also thanks to Aneirin for input resulting in the Note on custom unit accents under 1.2.
And to our international treasure Withwnar for his full tutorial addition on strategy map voices.

Best regards Ngugi