Custom Sounds

Created October 2004

This tutorial will hopefully show you how to properly import your own custom sounds into the RVS editor.

Importing Custom Sounds

First of all find the sound you want to import. Then you have to see if the sound is in the right format (or else it wont work). In this example I will be using a file called sample.wav which is already in the proper format for importing. If using Windows XP, open up the folder where your sound file is and right click on the file. Click on Properties and verify that the file is a .WAV file and also 16bit mono. See picture below

If the sound file does not have these properties it will not import correctly and most likely it will not show up/import into the Sound Browser. To change any of these properties you will have to use another sound editing program , which I will not be getting into with this tutorial. But I have been using SOUNDFORGE which www.rvsmaps.com recommends. Quick tip: make all your sounds/get them all ready to import in one shot.....

Next open up the RVS Editor and click on the sound browser icon.

You will see a package already open but this doesn't concern you. Click on the FILE tab at the top of the window and select Import sample... See picture below

Find and open your WAV file. This file must be in a Directory or folder that doesn't use spaces. So I used my C: drive .

A window will pop up asking for a variety of important information that will be needed in setting up your sound file.

Where it says File: This is your original file name ie..sample.wav

Where it says Package: you type in the name of your desired package name, I used the name Sample_Package. (remember you cannot use spaces) .

For Name: I used sample as the name of the sound

then you have the option of choosing a few options while importing them to your package......

STREAM supposedly streams sounds off your own hard drive but is not available to anyone else if playing a Multiplayer game. So just forget about that option and just Concentrate on LOOP and SPACE.

SPACE

This option gives the sound a 3d fading effect. I.e. As your walking away from something it will get quieter and as you get closer it will get louder.

When selected, the SPACE option will create a PLAY file, and it will only play once.

LOOP

Just as the word means, the sound keeps on looping/playing/repeating from start to finish and back to start again etc.. etc.. till you tell it to stop. That's why this option creates two sound files for your package....PLAY and STOP sounds. Simple right?

Now you can also select both options (SPACE and LOOP) then you will get a fading in and out repeating sound.

That's it! Your done! You just imported your first custom sound into your own package. You will have to plan ahead, while importing, whether or not the sound is going to keep looping or not. The space option is almost always used in every sound. Now you do the same sequence for each and every custom sound that you import. DON'T FORGET TO SAVE THE PACKAGE!!!!!!!!

Extra Information

Here's probably the big thing that people are having problems with....Make sure you import all the sounds you need for your package at one sitting. Because the problem I was having, I would import the sounds, save my package to the sound folder. Then use them in my map. Well if i wanted to import other sounds it would let me import, but then everything else (previously saved sounds in package) were screwed up and no sounds were heard. So the bottom line is: get all your sounds ready and import them once , save, and never touch the package again, other than using/placing them into your map.

If you can't hear your custom sounds that had the Space option checked while importing, the volume of the source wav might be too low. Try making the wav louder in a sound editor and import them again.

I haven't tried this but while typing up this tutorial , I thought that maybe you could import more sounds to your already made sound package, if you didn't have the map using the sound package open in the editor while importing. I will have to try that out on the next map I do. Good luck and happy modding.

If you have any questions please feel free to send me an e-mail

Written by V.E.T.T.SMURFKILLER (sgt_smurfkiller @ hotmail.com)