Impkin Apprentice

Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 111

How to silence specific game sounds

A note on viewing pigg files.



Request to moderators: Please delete any posts that break the rules, not the entire thread.



Requests to readers: Please report any posts that break the rules.



Rule 1: Do not ask or explain how to view or change *.pigg files or any other CoH files.



Rule 2: Do not ask or explain how to view or change *.pigg files or any other CoH files.



Rule 3: Do not ask or explain how to obtain and use software for viewing or changing *.pigg files or any other CoH files. See the section in the first follow up post on how to respond to requests for sound file names and locations if you want to contribute.



Rule 4: Do not ask how or explain why this works. Questions and information of that nature might be considered "reverse engineering". Better safe than sorry.



Please comply with these rules. Doing so is what will allow this information to remain available in these forums.





OK, OK! I get it. So how do I silence a sound?

These instructions are meant for anyone with minimal Windows knowledge. I want to provide enough information so that every CoH player can improve their personal game play experience. Do not be daunted by the post's length. If you can play CoH you can do this.



The way to kill any game sound is to put another sound file in the correct directory with the name of the sound file used to make that noise. This replacement file must be in the Ogg Vorbis format and it can not be of zero length. In other words, to kill a sound you replace it with one second of silence.





Where do I get one second of silence in the *.ogg format?

However you want to. How I did it was to use a free program called Audacity.

I got it here:



- Run Audacity.

- Click on the "Generate" menu. Choose "Silence". It should have created 30 seconds of silence.

- Use your mouse and highlight about one second. This doesn't have to be exact.

- Click on the "Edit" menu. Choose "Trim". There is also a button following the "Cut", "Copy", "Paste" buttons called "Trim outside selection" that does the same thing.

- Click on the "File" menu. Choose "Export As Ogg Vorbis..."

- Call the file whatever you want and save it anyplace you want. I recommend calling it "silence.ogg" and saving it to the Desktop. You will be copying this file to folders you create and renaming it so keep that in mind when deciding what to call it and where to save it.

- Exit Audacity. You won't need to use Audacity again (for this) unless there is something wrong with that "silence.ogg" you just made.





Why don't you just provide a link so I can download a silence.ogg?

If I could afford the bandwidth and knew how to do it, I would make a "silence.ogg" file available for download. But I can't and I don't so I won't. If someone wants to provide a link to a "silence.ogg" I'm sure it would be appreciated by many players.



Please do not provide links to anything other than a single silent sound. Not even a silent sound pack. In order to do that the sound pack would have to contain the actual folder and file names used by CoH. Such a link or pack, especially if it was a modified CoH sound, could be considered as distribution of copyrighted material and subject to consequences.





OK, now that I have a silent sound what do I do with it?

You need to know where to copy it and what to rename it as so the game will use your silent sound file instead of the default sound file. The base location for all your silenced sound files is:



C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\data\sound\ogg\



This assumes that you installed the game to its default directory. If you installed it someplace else then you should know enough to adapt these instructions to fit your custom installation.



*You are not making any changes to any files owned/installed by CoH*. Simply put: if any of the following folders already exist then you or a 3rd party put them there. You or the 3rd party would need to handle it on your own.



- Open the "City of Heroes" folder and create a new folder called "data".

- Open the "data" folder you just created and add a new folder called "sound".

- Open the "sound" folder you just created and add a new folder called "ogg".



You now have your base file location set. The sounds will be grouped in sub-folders inside the "ogg" folder. Each sound you wish to silence will go in a sub-folder. The name of the sub-folder depends on the sound.



The information provided for a specific sound assumes you have already created the above base folder. The "Folder name:" provided here is located in the "C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\data\sound\ogg\" folder. The name of the folder is where you copy your "silence.ogg" file to. The "File name:" provided here is what you need to rename that copy of your "silence.ogg" file to.



That is all there is to it. The next time you launch CoH that sound will not be made. If CoH is running while you do this (not recommended), exit completely (quit to desktop, not the log-in screen) first.





Example:

Description: Targeting Drone loop

Folder name: weapons

File name: targetdrone_loop.ogg



To silence this sound you copy your "silence.ogg" file to a folder called "weapons". If you have never silenced a sound that goes in the "weapons" folder then you will need to make a "weapons" folder first. Once you copy your "silence.ogg" into the "weapons" folder you then rename it to "targetdrone_loop.ogg".



Specific how-to:

If you hold down the "Ctrl" key you can click on and drag the "silence.ogg" file to the "weapons" folder you created. It will make a copy. You can also right-click on "silence.ogg" and pick "Copy". You then right-click on an empty spot in the open "weapons" folder/window and pick "Paste".



To rename the "silence.ogg" file you copied into the "weapons" folder right-click on the file and choose "Rename" (or highlight it and press the "F2" key). Type "targetdrone_loop.ogg".





I did what you said, but now CoH doesn't work right!

How do I undo this?

If you followed instructions then it will work. If something isn't working as you expect then something was not done right. Try again. Go slower. Follow the instructions more carefully. If the sound you expected to be silenced is still making noise then either the description was misunderstood or the wrong folder/file name has been posted.



The quickest and easiest way to undo this customization is to rename the "data" folder you made. I use "_data". Or just delete it. If you suspect that your customizations are causing problems playing CoH then undo them.





What happens the next time there is an update or a patch?

One of the great things about CoH is it keeps improving. Should the name of a folder or file change in a future patch the game would default back to playing the intended sound.



If just the sound was changed (the folder and file name remain the same) a customized client would still play the silenced sound. If one wished to hear the changed sound they could either disable the "data" folder or the specific sound file by renaming it.





DO NOT ASK TECH SUPPORT TO MAKE THIS WORK FOR YOU.

This customization is totally and completely unsupported. If you are having any technical issues of any kind you will need to rename or delete the "data" folder *before* you contact Tech Support. I have been doing this for over a year. This customization has not caused any issues for me or any of the people I have done it for.



Also, *because this is totally and completely unsupported*: should the program feature that allows it to work change there are no grounds for demanding that the hypothetical change be undone. You can ask. You can plead. But there is no basis for calling it a bug and demanding a fix or reversal.





A comment about courtesy.

If you found the sound bothersome then most likely so do other people. This customization *only* affects your client. Other players will still hear the sound(s) unless they also customized their clients.



Be courteous to your fellow players. Just because you aren't bothered by keeping a power running all the time now because you silenced it doesn't mean you should keep it running when you don't need it. You obviously didn't like hearing that noise. Why inflict it on others when there is no reason to? Turn off your powers when you are just standing around chatting, training, buying, etc.





Giving credit where credit is due.

This isn't my brain-child. Someone explained the concept to me over a year ago. I am sorry that I do not remember who they are. All I've done is come up with the format to present this information and the how-to steps for enabling all players to benefit from it should they wish to.



A huge thanks to CuppaJo and the rest of this Forum's Moderator team for allowing this thread. Because of its content I asked before posting. This is just one of the uncountable ways they continually show that providing a fun, enjoyable game for as many people as possible is what motivates them.





A special THANK YOU! to the sound designers.

A big concern of mine is that this thread might be taken wrong. What I hope y'all take from this is that setting the volume low or muting the sound entirely simply isn't an option. Different people are sensitive to different things. That's all there is to this thread. Half of the game experience is auditory. You have the most wonderful toy box. Thank you for sharing your toys with us! The first and most important thing to do is read this thread by CuppaJo:Request to moderators: Please delete any posts that break the rules, not the entire thread.Requests to readers: Please report any posts that break the rules.Rule 1: Do not ask or explain how to view or change *.pigg files or any other CoH files.Rule 2: Do not ask or explain how to view or change *.pigg files or any other CoH files.Rule 3: Do not ask or explain how to obtain and use software for viewing or changing *.pigg files or any other CoH files. See the section in the first follow up post on how to respond to requests for sound file names and locations if you want to contribute.Rule 4: Do not ask how or explain why this works. Questions and information of that nature might be considered "reverse engineering". Better safe than sorry.These instructions are meant for anyone with minimal Windows knowledge. I want to provide enough information so that every CoH player can improve their personal game play experience. Do not be daunted by the post's length. If you can play CoH you can do this.The way to kill any game sound is to put another sound file in the correct directory with the name of the sound file used to make that noise. This replacement file must be in the Ogg Vorbis format and it can not be of zero length. In other words, to kill a sound you replace it with one second of silence.However you want to. How I did it was to use a free program called Audacity.I got it here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - Run Audacity.- Click on the "Generate" menu. Choose "Silence". It should have created 30 seconds of silence.- Use your mouse and highlight about one second. This doesn't have to be exact.- Click on the "Edit" menu. Choose "Trim". There is also a button following the "Cut", "Copy", "Paste" buttons called "Trim outside selection" that does the same thing.- Click on the "File" menu. Choose "Export As Ogg Vorbis..."- Call the file whatever you want and save it anyplace you want. I recommend calling it "silence.ogg" and saving it to the Desktop. You will be copying this file to folders you create and renaming it so keep that in mind when deciding what to call it and where to save it.- Exit Audacity. You won't need to use Audacity again (for this) unless there is something wrong with that "silence.ogg" you just made.If I could afford the bandwidth and knew how to do it, I would make a "silence.ogg" file available for download. But I can't and I don't so I won't. If someone wants to provide a link to a "silence.ogg" I'm sure it would be appreciated by many players.Please do not provide links to anything other than a single silent sound. Not even a silent sound pack. In order to do that the sound pack would have to contain the actual folder and file names used by CoH. Such a link or pack, especially if it was a modified CoH sound, could be considered as distribution of copyrighted material and subject to consequences.You need to know where to copy it and what to rename it as so the game will use your silent sound file instead of the default sound file. The base location for all your silenced sound files is:C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\data\sound\ogg\This assumes that you installed the game to its default directory. If you installed it someplace else then you should know enough to adapt these instructions to fit your custom installation.*You are not making any changes to any files owned/installed by CoH*. Simply put: if any of the following folders already exist then you or a 3rd party put them there. You or the 3rd party would need to handle it on your own.- Open the "City of Heroes" folder and create a new folder called "data".- Open the "data" folder you just created and add a new folder called "sound".- Open the "sound" folder you just created and add a new folder called "ogg".You now have your base file location set. The sounds will be grouped in sub-folders inside the "ogg" folder. Each sound you wish to silence will go in a sub-folder. The name of the sub-folder depends on the sound.The information provided for a specific sound assumes you have already created the above base folder. The "Folder name:" provided here is located in the "C:\Program Files\City of Heroes\data\sound\ogg\" folder. The name of the folder is where you copy your "silence.ogg" file to. The "File name:" provided here is what you need to rename that copy of your "silence.ogg" file to.That is all there is to it. The next time you launch CoH that sound will not be made. If CoH is running while you do this (not recommended), exit completely (quit to desktop, not the log-in screen) first.Description: Targeting Drone loopFolder name: weaponsFile name: targetdrone_loop.oggTo silence this sound you copy your "silence.ogg" file to a folder called "weapons". If you have never silenced a sound that goes in the "weapons" folder then you will need to make a "weapons" folder first. Once you copy your "silence.ogg" into the "weapons" folder you then rename it to "targetdrone_loop.ogg".Specific how-to:If you hold down the "Ctrl" key you can click on and drag the "silence.ogg" file to the "weapons" folder you created. It will make a copy. You can also right-click on "silence.ogg" and pick "Copy". You then right-click on an empty spot in the open "weapons" folder/window and pick "Paste".To rename the "silence.ogg" file you copied into the "weapons" folder right-click on the file and choose "Rename" (or highlight it and press the "F2" key). Type "targetdrone_loop.ogg".If you followed instructions then it will work. If something isn't working as you expect then something was not done right. Try again. Go slower. Follow the instructions more carefully. If the sound you expected to be silenced is still making noise then either the description was misunderstood or the wrong folder/file name has been posted.The quickest and easiest way to undo this customization is to rename the "data" folder you made. I use "_data". Or just delete it. If you suspect that your customizations are causing problems playing CoH then undo them.One of the great things about CoH is it keeps improving. Should the name of a folder or file change in a future patch the game would default back to playing the intended sound.If just the sound was changed (the folder and file name remain the same) a customized client would still play the silenced sound. If one wished to hear the changed sound they could either disable the "data" folder or the specific sound file by renaming it.This customization is totally and completely unsupported. If you are having any technical issues of any kind you will need to rename or delete the "data" folder *before* you contact Tech Support. I have been doing this for over a year. This customization has not caused any issues for me or any of the people I have done it for.Also, *because this is totally and completely unsupported*: should the program feature that allows it to work change there are no grounds for demanding that the hypothetical change be undone. You can ask. You can plead. But there is no basis for calling it a bug and demanding a fix or reversal.If you found the sound bothersome then most likely so do other people. This customization *only* affects your client. Other players will still hear the sound(s) unless they also customized their clients.Be courteous to your fellow players. Just because you aren't bothered by keeping a power running all the time now because you silenced it doesn't mean you should keep it running when you don't need it. You obviously didn't like hearing that noise. Why inflict it on others when there is no reason to? Turn off your powers when you are just standing around chatting, training, buying, etc.This isn't my brain-child. Someone explained the concept to me over a year ago. I am sorry that I do not remember who they are. All I've done is come up with the format to present this information and the how-to steps for enabling all players to benefit from it should they wish to.A huge thanks to CuppaJo and the rest of this Forum's Moderator team for allowing this thread. Because of its content I asked before posting. This is just one of the uncountable ways they continually show that providing a fun, enjoyable game for as many people as possible is what motivates them.A big concern of mine is that this thread might be taken wrong. What I hope y'all take from this is that setting the volume low or muting the sound entirely simply isn't an option. Different people are sensitive to different things. That's all there is to this thread. Half of the game experience is auditory. You have the most wonderful toy box. Thank you for sharing your toys with us!