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Included in Build New Steam Engine Sound

Robert Nutter

Robert Nutter

Serving Victoria
3D Artist
QA Tester
Provisional
Storm Modder
I promise I'm not trying to steal people's roles and get into sound design...I just thought I could be helpful with this in the meantime.

So I've picked it up from the internet and am going to get working on it, to get as close to 'real' as possible. It is a very handsome sound... I can quite easily make this the exact second long it need to be whilst retaining the feel, and I've tracked it back to likely having been recorded from a replica screw steamer's engine. Though copyright seems to be completely unknown (I have it from a third party source, royalty free), I plan on modifying it to the extent that that shouldn't matter anyway...if I track the owner down (which I'll continue trying to do), I'll ask for a license.

I noticed from our current steamers we seem to have the safety valve on continuously (is the white smoke a coding option, @Pieter Boelen ?), so I'll need to emulate that on top as well if need be.

This *is* temporary, for the 6th age steamers only and I intend on getting a far better one recorded and made up for a later Build 15 release if more steamers appear; this is just so we have a slightly improved sound in the meantime before I (or someone else) can get the chance to record an older beam engine sound.

I've already tried it in-game and it'll need some tweaking, but I believe it'll sound great. If incorporation of this isn't feasible for whatever reason though, I'll just use it as a personal 'mod'.:keith
 
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I'm sure nobody will object to you coming up with a better sound.
You know where the current one came from, after all. ;)

That white smoke is just for fun. Could just as easily be removed.
 
That's good...I'm also trying to find a whistle if we have the coding for that? As whistles were surprisingly advanced even back then and could be a fun thing to add if it's doable without too much code...

I love the white smoke too, but it is a little unrealistic; if you're losing that much pressure continuously real life you'll eat coal up like no-one's business. Not to mention that the old weighted safety valves were manually operated so were probably barely used. I'd say either we remove it, or have a mechanism where it comes on, say, an hour into the battle. That'd be far more realistic. Coding-wise though I'm guessing the first one is easier?

EDIT: I have however modelled a safety valve onto the boiler of the gunboat, so it does have a place if need be on that model...
 
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There is no code for whistles and I won't be adding that any time soon either; SO many other things to be done first.

The easiest to do with the white smoke is to just remove it.
I think if you get rid of these lines in ships_init.c and press F11, it will already be gone for all new steamships you encounter:
Code: 
 // Smokestack 2 = boiler steam release
  refShip.stack2X = 5.58; // Width
  refShip.stack2Y = 3.1; // Height
  refShip.stack2Z = 3.2; // Length
 
Thanks, Pieter...I'll give that a go!

I understand, it was just a side-thought possibly for when we do have a bit more time to spend on the trivial bits...I'm dang impressed with how much you've already accomplished with the steam engine mechanism!
 
It's ready...had a few in-game tests and it'll do for now. I'll go and record a real one once I get some more time :)

I didn't know where or to whom to send this, so I'll just put it here. If the bit rate's too much I can bring that down, though it's working perfectly for me.

DROPBOX LINK

Dropbox - engine.wav
 
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Thanks! Will check it in the morning. Should be good to have a more custom sound to use. :woot
 
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