Music and sound
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- orudge
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Music and sound
While obviously we'll want the core engine implemented first, it'd be a good idea to think about how we will implement music and sound effects.
First of all, what music format should we use? MIDI, MOD (this includes XM, S3M, IT, etc - all module formats), MP3 or Ogg Vorbis, or something else? I'll list the pros and cons of each, in my opinion:
MIDI
Pros: Very small file size, can be quite good quality depending on MIDI device. Doesn't use much CPU processing.
Cons: Can be awful quality, depending on MIDI device. Limited to what the MIDI device can give you.
MOD
Pros: Relatively small file size, quality can be quite good.
Cons: Uses more CPU time, and is again limited in what you can have.
MP3
Pros: High quality, can have singing, effects and all sorts in MP3.
Cons: Uses a lot of CPU time (on slower systems especially), can have a detrimental effect on game performance, files are large.
Ogg Vorbis
Pros: Very high quality, can have singing, effects, etc, like MP3.
Cons: Uses more CPU time than MP3, can have a detrimental effect on game performance, files are large (although you can have higher quality with lower bitrates compared with MP3).
Each of these formats has its pros and cons. Should we perhaps allow all the formats, and have a playlist feature so the user can pick only MIDIs or MP3s or Oggs or whatever? I'm not going to post a poll just yet, as people may change their mind (I know I did with the 2D/3D poll).
Sound effects: not a lot really to decide on when it comes to format and so on. MP3-encoded WAV files perhaps (we could get better performance, at the cost of memory usage, by preloading and decompressing the sound effects)? Or even just uncompressed WAV files?
First of all, what music format should we use? MIDI, MOD (this includes XM, S3M, IT, etc - all module formats), MP3 or Ogg Vorbis, or something else? I'll list the pros and cons of each, in my opinion:
MIDI
Pros: Very small file size, can be quite good quality depending on MIDI device. Doesn't use much CPU processing.
Cons: Can be awful quality, depending on MIDI device. Limited to what the MIDI device can give you.
MOD
Pros: Relatively small file size, quality can be quite good.
Cons: Uses more CPU time, and is again limited in what you can have.
MP3
Pros: High quality, can have singing, effects and all sorts in MP3.
Cons: Uses a lot of CPU time (on slower systems especially), can have a detrimental effect on game performance, files are large.
Ogg Vorbis
Pros: Very high quality, can have singing, effects, etc, like MP3.
Cons: Uses more CPU time than MP3, can have a detrimental effect on game performance, files are large (although you can have higher quality with lower bitrates compared with MP3).
Each of these formats has its pros and cons. Should we perhaps allow all the formats, and have a playlist feature so the user can pick only MIDIs or MP3s or Oggs or whatever? I'm not going to post a poll just yet, as people may change their mind (I know I did with the 2D/3D poll).
Sound effects: not a lot really to decide on when it comes to format and so on. MP3-encoded WAV files perhaps (we could get better performance, at the cost of memory usage, by preloading and decompressing the sound effects)? Or even just uncompressed WAV files?
- orudge
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Well, I posted four options up there.
For the sound: you can quite easily create an MP3-encoded WAV. It's really just to save space - PCM WAV would be better for game performance.
From a quality point of view, I think Ogg Vorbis would be better for music. It's higher quality than the equivalent MP3. Plus it's patent-free.
I think giving the user might be good. We can quite easily support all the formats.
For the sound: you can quite easily create an MP3-encoded WAV. It's really just to save space - PCM WAV would be better for game performance.
From a quality point of view, I think Ogg Vorbis would be better for music. It's higher quality than the equivalent MP3. Plus it's patent-free.
I think giving the user might be good. We can quite easily support all the formats.
- orudge
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That's why I suggested a custom playlist, like Simutrans has - you can then specify your own MP3/MIDI/MOD/Ogg/whatever files to play, in addition/instead of the TM/TT2 music.Arathorn wrote:I say MP3. But maybe we can just allow Winamp during the game for music, I myself don't like the TTD music after some listening time.
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- Tycoon
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- Tycoon
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AC3 is digital sound. Unless you have a proper sound system it would be pointless. And the work that would have to go into just the sound would be a lot for nothing. Most people only have small speakers on there pcs.SHADOW-XIII wrote:Playing WAV should bepossible to ... and maybe AC3 ?? and I heard that there is another commpression method called mps (or m3s .. don't remember) maybe this to ??
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- orudge
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So is MP3, Ogg Vorbis and even bog-standard old WAV!Omnislash wrote:AC3 is digital sound.
The decoder can, what's-the-word it down to just stereo. I agree though that AC3 is overkill in this situation. I think we should give the user a choice, and support all the formats I originally mentioned - it's certainly possible.Omnislash wrote:Unless you have a proper sound system it would be pointless. And the work that would have to go into just the sound would be a lot for nothing. Most people only have small speakers on there pcs.
I know that. But AC3 is the proper thing. I don't know of any pc games that have that. Must admit more and more PS2 games have it though.orudge wrote:So is MP3, Ogg Vorbis and even bog-standard old WAV!
I agree. We need good sound of course. But it would be a lot of time when in most cases it would be all just out and pumped out 2 speakers instead of 5!orudge wrote:The decoder can, what's-the-word it down to just stereo. I agree though that AC3 is overkill in this situation. I think we should give the user a choice, and support all the formats I originally mentioned - it's certainly possible.
- Raichase
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If we use mp3, we should have an easy way to copy in out own music - i wanna add my sonique plalists...
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