Making Siege Equipment & TPR Troops Talk

[Lewin]

Hello Everyone,
It has always bothered my that:
A) The siege equipment doesn't talk (make sounds)
B) The new TPR units use non-original sounds from other units (e.g. rouges are lance carriers)

So I thought I'd do something about it. This doesn't have to be included in SR3, I can just release it as a mod for people who are interested.

Basically, fixing B is easy, because you can just change the folder name in the EXE. One of my friends has a nice microphone, and so together we set about making a set of voices for the warrior to use. This is my friends voice, not mine. We discovered after a bit of fiddling that the .SND files in data\sfx\speech are NOT normal SND files, but actually MP2 files renamed!! AFAIK MP2 was just the format before MP3 came along. This makes sense because back in 1998 when TSK was made MP3 wouldn't have existed so MP2 was the most efficient, easy format to use. When they released TPR they never bothered changing it. So after a bit of searching I found a demo MP2 converter (Audio Converter and Ripper) and it worked.
Note that this is ONLY a draft, to prove the theory. If people like it then we'll redo all of these voices, because the quality is quite low and I'm not 100% happy with the accent. I also want to have more sounds per action. (e.g. more than just one for turn left)
We will also do the other TPR units.

Fixing A is harder, because siege equipment refuses to talk. (even once you change the folder) I didn't realise this until I had made some sound effects though, so I put them here for people to give feedback on. These sounds are NOT copyright, because they are just me banging some sticks/pool cues/screwdrivers on a concrete slab. (I don't think that's what the professionals do...) I didn't copy them, I made them. These are also only a draft, and I can make them sounds better. I also forgot a death sound. My plan was a kind of crushing, crumpling, smashing sound but because that was somewhat more complex to do that a few banging noises I didn't do it. If people like this then I will.
Now to make them accept their new sound effects... I had a look at the assembly, and found the values saying that units above 27 can't talk. I edited these values and they now talk.
For curious people the values are at:
$51D2D (first test)
$51D3B (second test)
To make them talk, simply change both values to 1E. (30)
There seem to be two tests. The first one checks if the unit ID is above a certain amount and if it is then it won't talk. The second test does exactly the same, but with a different value. I don't know why it's done like this, C code looks odd when converted to assembly.

Updated, siege and rouge deleted, (they are in SR3) pitch of vagabond dropped using software (2th October 2009)

Voice mod 0.3.1:
http://lewin.namsys.com.au/kam/Temp/VoiceMod-0.3.2.rar (1.4 MB)

This download includes:
- The voices for vagabonds and warriors. (both are incomplete and will change soon)
- A mission to test them in (stored as tutorial)

To install simply extract into your KaM directory, then execute the file called INSTALL.BAT. Then start up the game and play the tutorial.

TO INSTALL THIS YOU MUST HAVE 1.60 SR3 BETA 7 INSTALLED CORRECTLY!
If you don't then the mod will not function properly.

Status:
- Catapult - Finished and in SR3
- Ballista - Finished and in SR3
- Rogue - Finished and in SR3
- Warrior - 20% First draft only. Theme: The barbarian's cousin. Big and brawny.
- Vagabond - 10% Being redone, this sample was too high pitched and by changing the pitch quality was lost. Theme: Maybe a bit middle eastern.
- Rebel - 0% Planned. Theme: Slightly stupid, angry farmer with a bit of a lisp.

I will be updating the download (and version number) as I add new voices.
Lewin.

[The Dark Lord]

Only Siege equipment noises should be added to SR3

Noises is a better word, because I've never seen a machine talking. I guess when you send them somewhere, you should hear a sound of wheels?

Thankfully they will not get any hungrier and if you have them built in-mission they are on full health. So if you just enable "!SET_GROUP_FOOD" then people will never know. (because ones you train will have full health)

Remember that you will have to edit each mission with siege units in it.

[Michieru]

A) The siege equipment doesn't talk (make sounds)
B) The new TPR units use non-original sounds from other units (e.g. rouges are lance carriers)

I think both should be added to the English version of KaM, but for the other versions there should only the siege equipment be added, because the English voice from the warrior doesn't fit to the other sounds.

[Litude]

Great seems like you finally made some progress on this!
In my opinion both the siege equipment and the new soldiers should get new voices in SR3. As for the foreign languages, maybe we can get some foreign fans to do the voice acting?

For some weird reason, changing these values has a bad consequence. (but not really an issue, because it is avoidable) Now that the siege equipment talk, they think they deserve food! When you first start the mission all balistae and catapults are on about half health, and if you click "chow time" then the serfs will deliver food.

Huh, this has always been the case? If you look at any missions using catapults or ballistae they always have the !SET_GROUP_FOOD afterwards because this is how it has always been.

[The Knight]

HA! Great job done!

I will post for german version a news for searching people who can speak german warriors and/or making nice soundeffects for machines.

So, as an alternative we can also make voices but not "Go to the right" but rather commands by a general "catapults to the right" "ballista go forward" "machines STOP".

I ask my sers onw ebiste for making:

- sound effects for machines (different between catapults and ballista) OR
- general voice for machines
- voices for warriors

= 4.

[Litude]

@The Knight: The idea is to give the new TPR soldiers (The rebel, the vagabond, the warrior and the rogue) unique sounds, not only to the warrior. Right now all these TPR units use old TSK sound effects.

[The Knight]

Could be... but finding some useful voices under the players is very difficulty. 95% of KaM players are between 14 and 25 years

[Danjb]

I agree that new voices should come as a mod, rather than a patch (with the possible exception of the siege units) - after all, normal (civilian) units already share voices with troops, and I've always quite liked that.

[Litude]

I agree that new voices should come as a mod, rather than a patch (with the possible exception of the siege units) - after all, normal (civilian) units already share voices with troops, and I've always quite liked that.

Wait, what? There are no plans to replace the original sounds, just to give the new TPR troops unique sound effects.

[Thunderwolf]

yeah, but he's saying there already sounds shared so why not let the tpr units share them as well.

Siege engines should definetely get sounds, all other games do so as well. I'm kind of doubting whether the units should...

[The Knight]

This is right.
But there must be voices for EVERY language! Or every exe file must be changed for every language version of SR3.

[Litude]

It isn't necessary to provide unique exes for each language as you could just copy over the already existing scout folder and name it vagabond, but hopefully we can find some talented voice actors .

[Michieru]

Or only siege equipment get sounds added and the TPR units don't get any change...

[The Knight]

Or only siege equipment get sounds added and if we have for all versions enough voice actors we can offer it in SR4

[Litude]

Well we are missing German, Polish and Russian voice actors. Hopefully Lewin will be able to pull of the English sounds (the warrior was quite good, but a few of the sounds were a bit off).
For whatever reason, the Hungarian version of the game has different sound effects in TSK and TPR so it gives plenty of sound effects to play with .