Music and sound

Ben Williams · November 18, 2002, 21:23

I rarely play civ with the sound on anymore, I find the music repedative (there was much more variety in civ2), and most of the sounds irritating after a while. So I take the time to listen to internet radio, catch up on news etc. But every single time I start the game, even though the sound box is unchecked, it leaves the sound on. So I go to turn it off, only to find that there is nothing to turn off. So I turn it on and off and then the music starts up when I end the turn I'm on. So I turn it on and off AGAIN and most of the time that shuts it up. Still, however, I'll hear a bird chirp now and again, and there's nothing I can do to stop that. (I've tried turning the sound all the way down, that doesn't work either.)

So I have two questions: first, has anybody else encountered this problem and is there a way around it. And two, why is it so hard for them to program the sound to obay the sound settings?

Oh, and it's good to be back, I havn't posted in a while. It's unlikely that anybody would remember me anyway though.

vmxa1 · November 19, 2002, 01:44

Never use music in any games.

Argos65987 · November 19, 2002, 12:19

Do you turn it off while in the game or before starting the game? If I recall correctly, if I changed something while in the game, it didn't work until I exited the game and the restarted.

Ben Williams · November 19, 2002, 17:25

It's off before I start the game, and most games I start begin with it off.

Argos65987 · November 19, 2002, 18:10

You got me. However, even with the music and sound off I do remember hearing that bird chirping every once in a while.

Switch · November 19, 2002, 18:21

I wouldn't know, as I play with the music and sound on.

But, I would like to wonder how Civ2 had less repetitive music?

Well, there may have been a bit more variety, but the general quality of the music in Civ3 moire than makes up for it. Not that I'm bashing the Civ2 music, but those in Civ3 are much better.

vmxa1 · November 19, 2002, 19:01

Is the birds music or effects? I never noticed as I often do not even turn on my speakers. I recall in Heroes games that if I left my cusor on a location that have nosies I heard them. I remember in Homm2 the sawing and running water in Homm3. All with music off. Mostly I only have speakers on with rts or rpg as I need the warnings or a new game till I am familar with the sounds.

Unconquered · November 19, 2002, 22:11

The modern era music sounds like a track from a second rate porno movie

Catt · November 19, 2002, 22:28

What's the music from a first-rate porno movie sound like?

Ben Williams · November 19, 2002, 22:46

I believe the bird is part of the sound effects, though the game odviously doesn't treat it the same way.

Music in Civ2 was at least more diverse (I loved listening to that somber piece that came on when a civ got wiped out). As far as I can tell we only get two soundtracks per age, and neither one lasts very long. That means we're stuck listening to the same two pieces of substandard music for several dozen repatitions (depending on game size). The music IS substandard, by the way. The only piece that grabs me is that eastern sounding one, and I can only listen to that once without getting annoyed. And the modern one is like the worst rock song ever recorded.

What would be great is if they added and updated the music periodically, or with patches. They could get the rights to other pieces of music and use them instead of making their own. At the VERY least they could make the sound settings work; doing otherwise is just sloppy.

Until then, we're stuck listening to porno music. (Good porno music, by the way, would be slower. You just can't get your thing on with some guy humping an electric guitar in the backround.)

vmxa1 · November 19, 2002, 22:48

To me it is not even about the music as I listen music from 40's-to rap. I do not care for country or classical. I just to do not want to hear even my favorite music over and over day after day.

Zero · November 19, 2002, 23:37

manually replace the mp3 in the sound folder once a week or so.. thats what i do. I repeat over and over again. It's a shame that the civ BGM couldnt work as SIMs did...

make sure to rename it. PTW crashes if it can't find the files and music is on.

Ben Williams · November 20, 2002, 00:58

Thanks Calc!

Boris Godunov · November 20, 2002, 13:42

The bird chirping is one of the ambient noises, and I have no idea why they would continue when you turn off the sound in the game. I never encountered this problem before.

I have also replaced most of the mp3s that came with the game with my own. My only problem is that some would inexplicably crash the game (too large?), such as the diplomacy screens, and others are sometimes played back at DOUBLE speed.

While is amusing to hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic in double time when I speak with the Americans, I'd rather it not be so...