TIE Fighter Custom Audio

From Emperor's Hammer Encyclopaedia Imperia

Audio files in TIE Fighter (for its CD and Remastered editions only) provide audio for briefings, debriefings, and in-flight radio messages. These files can be modified to provide custom audio files, which in turn can allow mission creators to accompany their custom missions with audio that matches their own custom briefings and in-flight radio messages.

This page serves as a guide on how to configure custom audio files for TIE Fighter, as well as an explanation for how audio files work in TIE Fighter.

Limitations

TIE Fighter CD vs. TIE Fighter Remastered

Audio is available in both TIE Fighter CD and TIE Fighter Remastered (95/98); however, only in TIE Fighter Remastered are the audio files stored on the user's hard drive. While it is possible to use custom audio on TIE Fighter CD, it would necessitate creating a new CD image / ISO with the updated files, or using a tool (such as XCDR) that could swap files from being read on the hard drive instead of on the disk. As both scenarios require considerable effort, this page will focus explicitly on the installation of custom audio for TIE Fighter Remastered, even though the steps and information would also apply to TIE Fighter CD in most cases.

Sixteen Radio Messages

By design, TIE Fighter only supports 16 in-flight radio messages (not counting mission complete/failure messages). While there are mixed results with having messages above this limit in TIE Fighter Remastered, this is not supported, and under no circumstances will function with audio messages.

Win / Loss Radio Messages

While a mission editor provides two lines of text for each win (primary or secondary) and loss (primary) message, the audio must be done as a single file. In other words: one audio file for primary mission win, one audio file for secondary objectives complete, and one audio file for primary mission loss (even if two lines of text are being used for any of the above)

Debriefing Audio

Audio for the Briefing Officer and the Priest / Secret Order member in TIE Fighter is hard-coded to run under explicit conditions.

Specifically, what debriefing audio plays for the Priest / Secret Order member is based on whether the secondary mission objectives are successful or not. It does not matter what the mission itself has been coded to display.

For example, a mission that has been configured for the Secret Order member to reply when the primary objectives are complete will play the audio for secondary objectives failed if the secondary objectives were not completed (or did not exist).

Similarly, the same condition applies for the Briefing Officer - what debriefing audio plays for the briefing officer is based on whether the primary mission objectives are successful or not.

There is something of a workaround for this (as seen in the base game, in Battle #1 Mission #1, the only mission in the base game where the briefing officer has text when the secondary mission objectives are completed) - provided the secondary goals cannot be completed without the primary goals being done as well, the mission can be configured to only make a debriefing response visible if secondary goals are completed. Therefore, the audio will only play if the secondary goals are completed (even if the game makes it available because the primary goals were completed). Nevertheless, there is no ability to provide audio for a condition where the secondary goals fail, but the primary mission is successful for the Briefing Officer.

In general, this speaks to a standard principal: TIE Fighter is expecting certain standard behaviors when it comes to what audio is played, and anything outside of the standard game experience is unlikely to function as desired.

Location and File Structure

Folder Structure

All audio voice files are located within the VOICE folder in the TIE Fighter installation path for TIE Fighter Remastered (for TIE Fighter CD, they are stored on the root folder of the CD).

Within the VOICE folder, all folders use the following structure, to identify what mission they are for

Battle # M Mission #

Where Battle # represents which number battle the mission is for, and Mission # represents which mission number within the battle the mission is. For example, to find audio for mission 6 in Battle 1, you would navigate to the **1M6** folder.

(For the Historical missions, "A" is the Battle # for the TIE Advanced, "G" for Assault Gunboat, "D" for TIE Defender, "F" for TIE Fighter, "B" for TIE Bomber", "I" for TIE Interceptor", and "M" for Missile Boat).

Within each folder, there is an LFD with a name that matches the folder (ex: 1M6.LFD). All audio for in-flight radio messages are stored within the LFD. All briefing/debriefing audio are stored as external files within the folder. Both the audio files stored individually (for briefings/debriefings) and the audio files stored within the LFD (in-flight radio messages) all have their own naming convention that must be followed in order for the game engine to load them.

File Structure - External Files (non-LFD)

TIE Fighter load certain audio files to play during briefing and de-briefing based on the name of the audio file within the appropriate mission folder. If it cannot load an audio file (either because it does not exist or because it is not in the correct audio format), it will not play any audio.

The format of these briefing/debriefing audio files is as follows:

Battle # M Mission # Type (I, OB, OD, OH, PB, PD, PH) Message # .VOC

Battle # and Mission # refer to the battle number and battle mission number respectively for the mission, and should match the folder they are contained within.

Types determine where and under what circumstance the audio will play. Each type option is explained in more detail below:

  • I (or Initial Map Briefing): Audio that plays during each map message on the initial map briefing
  • OB (or Officer Briefing): Audio that plays from the Briefing Officer during the briefing (pre-flight)
  • OB or Officer Debriefing: Audio that plays from the Briefing Officer during the debriefing (post-flight) when the primary objectives are complete.
  • OH or Officer Hints: Audio that plays from the Briefing Officer during the debriefing (post-flight) when the primary objectives failed or were incomplete.
  • PB (or Priest/Secret Order Briefing): Audio that plays from the Priest / Secret Order representative during the briefing (pre-flight)
  • PB or Priest/Secret Order Debriefing: Audio that plays from the Priest / Secret Order representative during the debriefing (post-flight) when the secondary objectives are complete.
  • PH or Priest/Secret Order Hints: Audio that plays from the Priest / Secret Order representative during the debriefing (post-flight) when the secondary objectives failed or were incomplete.

Message # refers to which numbered item the audio pertains to. For a map, this means "2" would play for the second map message. For a briefing officer, "4" would pertain to whatever is set for "Question 4".

To gain a better understanding of the above, consider the following examples:

  • 1M1OB1.VOC - This audio will play for Battle #1 Mission #1 ("1M1") during the briefing ("B") when the player selects the Briefing Officer's ("O") first ("1") question.
  • 1M1I3.VOC - This audio will play for Battle #1 Mission #1 ("1M1") on the briefing map ("I") when the third ("3") message appears.
  • 1M2PD1.VOC - This audio will play for Battle #1 Mission #2 ("1M2") during the debriefing (after the mission) when the secondary objectives have been complete ("D") and the player selects the Priest / Secret Order representative's ("P") first ("1") question.
  • 1M2OH1.VOC - This audio will play for Battle #1 Mission #2 ("1M2") during the debriefing (after the mission) when the primary objectives failed/were incomplete ("H") and the player selects the Briefing Officer's ("B") first ("1") question.

If unsure, consider reviewing existing VOC files and noticing which audio corresponds to the specific message in the mission file.

File Structure - Internal Files (within LFD)

By All audio for in-flight messages are stored within an LFD file named after the battle number and mission number it represents (ex: 1M1.lfd for Battle #1 Mission #1). It should always have the same name as the folder in which it resides.

This specific LFD file simply stores all audio for in-flight messages as a collection. By standard, the files within the LFD have their own naming convention. However, names are not what determines which audio TIE Fighter identifies as the audio file to play within the LFD - that is determined by position order.

If TIE Fighter cannot load an audio file within the LFD (either because it does not exist within the LFD or because it is not in the correct audio format), it will not play any audio.

The conventional format of the audio for in-flight messages stored within the LFD is as follows:

Battle # M Mission # Type (R, W, L) Message #

Battle # and Mission # refer to the battle number and battle mission number respectively for the mission, and should match the name of the LFD file and the folder they are contained within.

Types determine where and under what circumstance the audio will play. Each type option is explained in more detail below:

  • R (or Radio Message) - This audio will play when a radio message is triggered.
  • W (or Win Condition) - This audio will play when a win condition is triggered.
  • L (or Lose Condition) - This audio will play when a lose condition is triggered.

Message # will vary depending upon the type. Specifically:

  • When the type is set to R for radio message, "Message #" corresponds to number message in the mission file. For example, 1M1R3 will play the third listed radio message in Battle #1 Mission #1 when the configured conditions for that message are met. refers to which numbered item the audio pertains to. For a map, this means "2" would play for the second map message. For a briefing officer, "4" would pertain to whatever is set for "Question 4".
  • When the type is set to W (for win condition) or L (for lose condition), the number refers to whether to play a message for the primary or secondary goals. "1" corresponds to the message played when the primary goals are complete/failed; "2" for the secondary goals.

To gain a better understanding of the above, consider the following examples:

  • 1M1R2 - The audio that plays in Battle #1 Mission #1 when the second radio message is triggered in the mission
  • 1M1L1 - The audio that plays in Battle #1 Mission #1 when the primary goals fail
  • 1M1W2 - The audio that plays in Battle #1 Mission #1 when the secondary goals succeed
  • 1M3R16 - The audio that plays in Battle #1 Mission #3 when the sixteenth radio message is triggered in the mission

Unlike the mission briefing/debriefing audio, this is a convention, not a requirement. TIE Fighter will look for audio based on position order of the audio within the LFD.

Specifically, it will assume that the first 1-16 entries are for radio messages #1 - #16 (based on however many radio messages the mission has been configured with). Regardless of whether the number is 0, 16, or something in-between, it will assume that the next audio is the primary win condition audio, followed by the secondary win condition audio, followed by the primary loss audio.

Unlike briefing/debriefing, how the mission file is built matters here for what is loaded. If a mission file only has 11 radio messages, a primary win audio, and a primary lose audio, then it will expect the first 11 audio files to be for those radio messages, #12 to be for the primary win, and #13 to be for the primary lose.

If unsure, consider reviewing the contents of existing LFD files and noticing which audio files are stored within. For information on viewing the contents of audio LFDs, please review the following sections on creating custom audio files.

Audio Format

TIE Fighter uses 8-bit Creative Voice (Soundblaster) VOC files for briefing, debriefing, and radio audio. All briefing, debriefing, and map audio (i.e. external, individual audio files) are mono audio files set with a sample rate of 22222 Hz. All in-flight message audio are mono audio files set with a sample rate of 11111 Hz.

When creating files with a modern audio program (such as Audacity), the following settings must be in place in order for the audio to be playable by TIE Fighter:

  • Encoded as Creative Voice (Soundblaster) VOC file
  • Encoded at 8-bit
  • Recorded as mono audio
  • Sample rate set to either:
    • 22222 Hz (for briefing, map, and debriefing audio)
    • 11111 Hz (for in-flight audio)

Alternatively, for ease, Audacity (or another modern file) can also be used to open an existing TIE Fighter audio file, which can be re-recorded and then exported with the same configuration settings as the original file.

Creating custom audio files

The following is a walkthrough explanation on how to create custom audio files for TIE Fighter, with a specific use case example to help provide instruction. In this short tutorial, the following tools are used:

Use Case

In the tutorial below, the following use case is assumed:

  • This audio is for a EH free mission (i.e. a single mission for Battle #1 Mission #1 in TIE Fighter)
  • Both the Briefing Officer ("BO") and the Priest / Secret Order representative ("P") are available
  • The map has three different messages
  • The BO has three briefing questions
  • The Priest has one briefing question
  • The BO has two debriefing questions - one for mission success, and one for mission failure
  • The Priest has two debriefing questions - one for mission success, and one for mission failure
  • There are 10 radio messages in the mission (not counting win/loss messages)
  • There is a message for completing primary objectives
  • There is a message for completing secondary objectives
  • There is a message for failing the primary objectives

This is intended to provide an example, not a demonstration of the maximum possible audio messages.

Briefing / Debriefing

In-flight Radio Messages

Retrieved from "https://wiki.emperorshammer.org/wiki/index.php?title=TIE_Fighter_Custom_Audio&oldid=100952"