Ok. Here I will do my best to explain, step by step, how to put any audio file into DoW mods as background music, in a way either you understand or you understand.
Part 1 First, you will need Cagecrawler's Relic Audio Converter.
Relicnews thread link
-Note: To download the Relic Audio Converter, right click the link and select "Save Link As..." (using Firefox, the option will likely be named differently on other browsers).
-Once you got RAC-0.9.0.7z from Cagecrawler's thread, you'll need to unzip it.
You will need an archiver software to do so.
7-zip does the trick and it's freeware (no 40 day trial period).
-Once you got an archiver software installed right-click on RAC-0.9.0.7z and select (if using 7-zip, first select the 7-zip menu) "Extract here".
-Open the folder named RAC-0.9.0 that you just extracted and double click on RAC.exe (the only one with a different icon).
-Then click the "MP3 to FDA (files)" button and on the window that pops up, browse to wherever your mp3 files to be heard as DoW background music are located.
-Then select them and click "Open". As soon as you do this a cmd (the dreaded system console) window will appear and display the status of the conversion process.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I am not sure of this, but I have the hypothesis that pressing keys during the conversion process (that is, while the cmd windows are being displayed) can corrupt the converted files, causing the game to crash upon loading them. But, as I said, that is mere hypothesis based on my experience. This can be easily avoided by not pressing any keys during the conversion process.
-After the conversion is done (it may take a while, depending on the amount of files and your processor) the converted files can be found in the same place as the original mp3 files.
> Now, if any of the audio files you want in DoW isn't mp3, open this spoiler.
Converting any audio (or video) file to mp3
-Get Format Factory from this link
Note: If you aren't using an ad blocker, you'll be looking for the download button that looks like this:
-Then click on the text that says "Softpedia Secure Download".
-A download should start or ask to save/cancel, depending on your browser settings.
-After the download is done, unzip the file (that should be named) FFSetup295.zip.
-Open the executable (or application if you prefer) named FFSetup295.exe extracted from it.
-Install it like any other application (feel free to not install the Ask toolbar, it is not needed for Format Factory to work after all).
Note for people using ffdshow: The "inside codecs" may break some setups and I have not found them mandatory for Format Factory functionality.
But I think it's a fair warning for me to say: The inside codecs may break some ffdshow setups.
-Run Format Factory
(2nd fair warning: Format Factory comes in several languages, but the instructions from now on assume you will be using English)
-Click the "Audio" tab on the left menu
-Click "All to MP3". A window will pop up.
-Click "Output Setting". Another window will pop up.
-On the "Audio Setting" window, go to the "Bitrate" field and select "320".
-Then click "Save As" and type any name you want. Click "OK" afterwards.
-After that, close the "Audio Setting" and "All to MP3" windows.
-A new option (All to Custom) should be available on the Audio menu. Click it and a "All to Custom" window should pop up.
-Drag any audio (or even video!) clips you want to convert to mp3 to the aforementioned "All to Custom" window and then click "OK".
-After that click the "Start" button on the upper menu and wait until conversion is finished.
-When the conversion is done a sound will be heard (at least you changed that setting) and a small popup will show up in the down right corner of the screen.
-Then click the "Output Folder" button and on a folder will open. There you will find a mp3 version of the files you just converted.
That's about it. That was the mythical, feared process of converting multimedia files to mp3 audio. Without any crappy trialware that tries to charge you 20 usd for a full version. Those mp3 files can be used with the Relic Audio Converter too. Have fun
Part 2 To get those fda files as background music for a DoW mod, follow this instructions:
I will take a random mod for Soulstorm as example, but this can be done with nearly any mod on all DoW "Classic", Winter Assault, Dark Crusade and Soulstorm.
-First, go to your Dawn of War - Soulstorm directory. Typically located in (note: I don't have the steam version, the location may be slightly off):
(32 bit OS') C:\Program Files\THQ\Dawn of War - Soulstorm
(64 bit OS') C:\Program Files (x86)\THQ\Dawn of War - Soulstorm
(32 bit OS', Steam version) C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\dawn of war - soulstorm
(64 bit OS', Steam version) C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\dawn of war - soulstorm
-Then, open the folder from the mod you want it's background music modified.
Now it's the time to see if this mod is between the few that can't have its background music changed (easily). If there are rather large .sga files, like those in CornCobMan's Fun Mod, or Inquisition Daemonhunters, then you're out of luck. Those manage their files differently, and editing them is not something I can explain in less than a ubergigantic ridiculously big post.
-If there are no .sga files, then you got yourself an easy to edit mod!Go open the folder named "Data" (inside the mod folder).
-Now, open the folder named "Sound". If it's not there, make a new folder and name it "Sound".
-Repeat the previous step but instead of "Sound" use "Music".
-Inside the "Music" folder you just got to, put all the .fda files you converted with the Relic Audio Converter
-Now go back to "Data".
-Open Notepad (or a code editor like Notepad++ in case you have one).
-Open the file named "soundplaylistmusic.lua" located in the "Data" folder with Notepad/your code editor. If it's not there, follow the steps in the spoiler below. If it's there, open the 2nd spoiler.
creating your own soundplaylistmusic.lua
Let's say the tracks you want to add to the DoW mod are named (as seen in Data\Sound\Music):
metal mayhem.fda
grimdarkness.fda
Theme of the Imperium.fda
trolololol.fda
Then your soundplaylistmusic.lua should look like this:
Note how capital letters don't matter and the ".fda" must not be included.Code:playlist = { tracks = { "metal mayhem", "grimdarkness", "theme of the imperium", "trolololol", }, silence_min = 20.0, silence_max = 60.0, order = false, }
-Grab EVERYTHING inside the "Code" field, replace the song names with yours' (add more lines if needed, always keeping the quotes and comma at the end) and save it as soundplaylistmusic.lua in the Data folder.
Editing a soundplaylistmusic.lua file
-In some mods, like Ultimate Apocalypse for example, you will find that there's already a soundplaylistmusic.lua file waiting for you there.
-Simply open it with notepad/a code editor (you will see something like this)
In order to add your own music, add another line following the same pattern, so if your audio file is named "March of the Spess Mehreens.fda", it will look like this when added:Code:playlist = { tracks = { "music_evil_armies", "music_main_title", "music_dawnofwartheme", "music_warhammer40ktheme", "music_necron_theme", "music_chant", "music_coming_of_chaos", "music_urban_wasteland", }, silence_min = 20.0, silence_max = 60.0, order = false, }
Note how capital letters don't matter and the ".fda" must not be included.Code:playlist = { tracks = { "music_evil_armies", "music_main_title", "music_dawnofwartheme", "music_warhammer40ktheme", "music_necron_theme", "music_chant", "music_coming_of_chaos", "music_urban_wasteland", "march of the spess mehreens" }, silence_min = 20.0, silence_max = 60.0, order = false, }
If you want only your music to be heard, simply erase all the lines referring to the original files and leave only yours. Ok, ok, an example:
Code:playlist = { tracks = { "hymn to dakka" "methul bawxses by firaeveus carron" "march of the spess mehreens" }, silence_min = 20.0, silence_max = 60.0, order = false, }
-Save the file.
That should do it. I've spent quite some of my time on this out of charity, now go listen some metal/dubstep/whatever you music like while you obliterate your enemies in Dawn of War.
Some final notes:
-If you change the music in Ultimate Apocalypse it will also change it on New Races.
-This DOES NOT BREAK MULTIPLAYER COMPATIBILITY!
-If I wasn't clear enough before (I probably wasn't. English isn't my native language after all): You won't be able to change the background music in CornCobMan's Fun Mod, or Inquisition Daemonhunters using this. It IS possible to change the background music but as far as I understand that other method breaks multiplayer sync and most importantly it is even longer to explain.
-Constructive criticism and feedback will be highly appreciated.
Edit/P.S.: Re-reading this, it's quite of a bummer to go through. I may reformat this to a quicker reading/less tiring format... if at least someone shows interest that is xP
Originally Posted by Kasrkin84
so the way to go is understand how it was done in winter Assault and reproduce it or find a way around what is blocking us. it is not the first time we do this. this is coded somehow and somewhere.
. Try retracing your steps and making sure nothing is off-place but as far as my knowledge gets that should be working.
but I solved it, I had to extract the sound folder including all its files from the .sga and it worked.
