Need help with modding SNDDs (Mac, AE 1.1)

AaronPDX · 12/14/12 14:12

Hi all. Now that I have AE working finally, I have been trying some exporting and importing of Oni sound files. But no luck so far. Here's what I've tried:

1) Extracting some AIFFs from the globalized .oni SNDD files using AETools. This works (though I wonder if there's a way to batch extract files instead of clicking repetitively for each individual one?).

2) Using Audacity, recorded some replacement sounds at 22050 khz, mono, of similar length, and exported per the Wiki (using Custom FFmpeg Export). Unfortunately these then sound horribly distorted even when re-opened in Audacity, and the waveforms are maxed out and clipped. Something wrong in this process but I don't know what -- maybe there are some export settings I need to fill in (aside from 22050 khz)?

3) With AETools, converted my new AIFFs back to .oni files, renamed per the originals, and replaced same in Edition/GameDataFolder/level0_Final. My expectation was this would be enough for the new sounds to take effect in the game. (My 'test area' is the dialogue in the level 2 intro cutscene. This scene draws on the level0_Final SNDD files.)

It didn't work. Oddly the same original sounds are triggered. Leading me to ask: where are the true source files that the app is using?

Maybe I need to formally package my modded files using AETools? But that seems excessive for the level of experiment i'm trying.

Any insights would be appreciated.

EdT · 12/14/12 22:12

1) There is the OniSplit line command -extract:aif <directory> this will extract all the SNDD files as aiff from a directory. You will have to enter it manually.

Though with AETools, you can select several files at the same time or once you selected the directory, use the search box in the Choose file dialog box, enter SNDD and then click shift to select all the files, then extract.

2) I use Quicktime 7 to export the sound file to aiff. The settings I use is Format: IMA 4:1, Channels: Mono, Rate 22.050 kHz.

3) You can use an existing package. For example, open the directory, Edition/install/packages/Globalize/oni/level0_Final/level0_Sounds folder and put your replacement SNDD files in there. Then use AE Installer to install.

EDIT: A faster way to test your replacement sounds is to create a new folder inside Edition's GameDataFolder and name it level0_Alpha. Go to the Special tab in AETools, select level0_Alpha in the dropdown menu and then select your replacement sound files. This will create the .oni files inside the level0_Alpha folder. Now choose Level 0: Alpha to rebuild the level. You will be able to hear your replacement sounds in the game. I just tested this process and it worked for me.

AaronPDX · 12/14/12 23:12

Thanks EdT for the clear explanation.

I tried with AETools as you suggested... Created the Alpha folder and then selected both a single file and then multiple from my source folder (Level0_Final inside GameDataFolder of Edition). AETools said 'File(s) are located at level0_Alpha.'. But said folder is empty.
The 'Select Source to Convert' button seems to be linked to just the TXMP and 3D options area. Is this just a user interface flaw or does it really work with audio too?

I have QT 7, will try installing it on my old eMac now.

I tried your other option too: putting the changed SNDD files into the Globalize folder. But Installer doesn't show Globalize as an install option among the packages. I showed the Advanced Options but none seems to fit the bill and I'm afraid of messing up something. I'm guessing 'Separated Level0' might be the one to select, and then I Reglobalize?

Also if you could just clarify for me how Edition works, exactly. Where does it look first for data? (What's its chain of file access...)

Thanks again.

EdT · 12/15/12 00:12

Just to confirm, AETools is located inside the Edition folder?

The Special tab converts more than TXMP and 3D items. But these items have more options, so I included them. I guess you can say it is an interface flaw. I don't know how else to give the user those options. Now this section converts aiff, tga, xml, obj and several more to .oni files. It sounds like you were trying to convert from .oni files.

Globalize is not an install option, so anything put in there will be installed. No need to mess with the advanced options in AE Installer.

Edition uses the files from the AE Installer packages. The levelx_Final folders you see in the GameDataFolder were used to separate out the various items from the levels, but once you run AE Installer those folders are not used, except when we want to extract out the items.

In the Edition/install/VanillaDats folder are the data used for the original levels. This data is then combined with the packages to create the level files. So if you want to modify files that are specific to a level, the modified files need to be placed in a package. For example, you want to modify the textures for level 3 (lab), you would put the modified files converted to .oni files, in the level3_Final folder inside a package.

AaronPDX · 12/15/12 02:12

Yep, AETools inside Edition.

Sorry, I wouldn't have been quite so frank if I'd known you were the developer of the tool! I would have said something like "that button is a potential source of confusion..." Props to you for developing it. How hard is it to add pop-up tool tips? A paragraph of contextual explanation for each piece would help newbies a lot! (And I'm happy to help in any way I can.) A flowchart of the original CD and what becomes of it in Edition (and how AE processes the data) also comes to mind.

By the way, when exploring SNDD files I often get the Applescript Error 'Can't make cufrent application into type «class movW». (-1700)' It seems temporary; the same file loads fine on next restart of AETools. Not sure why.

No luck so far in getting my sounds (in Globalize folder) to come up in gameplay, but maybe I haven't replaced the right ones yet. At the moment I'm trying to make Konoko's death sound come up different, but so far it is normal.

(I put new versions of the following:
SNDDkon2_dth02.aif.oni
SNDDkon2_dth04.aif.oni
SNDDkon2_dth05.aif.oni
SNDDkon2_dth06.aif.oni
SNDDkon2_dth07.aif.oni
SNDDkon2_dth08.aif.oni
SNDDkonoko_hrt_dth3.aif.oni
SNDDkonoko_hrt_dth4.aif.oni
SNDDkonoko_hrt_dthhvy3.aif.oni
SNDDkonoko_hrt_dthvy1.aif.oni

Maybe there are others.)

As a test for the most specific sound, I also tried SNDDc01_01_01griffin.aif.oni which is used in the level 1 cut scene. It played the same as ever, as well. Something's not right here. These should directly substitute, right?

Just to be clear: above you wrote '3) You can use an existing package. For example, open the directory, Edition/install/packages/Globalize/oni/level0_Final/level0_Sounds folder and put your replacement SNDD files in there. Then use AE Installer to install.' But then you said no installation is required. So I'm thinking that copying the files into that folder and then launching Oni are all that is required..... ?

Thanks!

Last edited by AaronPDX (12/15/12 03:12)

Iritscen · 12/15/12 08:12

We could probably do a better job of documenting the AE process, but there's some explanation here: http://wiki.oni2.net/Anniversary_Edition/Framework.

Hitting the Install button in the AEI recreates the Oni level data from whatever is in the Globalize folder and other packages, so you do need to hit that button to get your new .oni files into the game. However, I strongly suggest not using Globalize, as you are going to get messed up sooner or later between what you changed and what is supposed to be in the AE. Keep all your own modded files in their own package with a proper number and Info.cfg file. The documentation is on the wiki and we can offer additional help as you need it.

EdT · 12/15/12 11:12

Adam: Look in Edition/GameDataFolder do you see these files: level0_Alpha.dat, level0_Alpha.raw and level0_Alpha.sep?

Also, I sent you an email to the account you used with this forum.

AaronPDX · 12/15/12 13:12

Hi EdT: I don't see those files in that location. I created the (empty) level0_Alpha folder as advised, so I do see that. Otherwise what I see is:

Add.cfg
Archive
BSLBackup
IGMD
level0_Alpha
level0_Final
level0_Final.dat
level0_Final.raw
level0_Final.sep
level1_Final
level1_Final.dat
level1_Final.raw
level1_Final.sep

(and so on through level 19)

Iritscen: I'll check out that wiki, thanks. If I want to suggest edits/additions where's the best place to do that? (I'm assuming if I choose Edit that's not the right approach.)

Good to know about hitting Install for the global data! It solved it and the intro scene now comes in using the substitute sounds. Wahoo, this'll be fun to mess with. (And your package advice taken into consideration...)

One other question: Are the level intro scenes located anywhere on the web as viewable movies?

Thanks again.

Samer · 12/15/12 14:12

Just wondering why not use OniSplit and demos's gui or script's vago gui .. Isn't that easier to extract sounds and make packages ?

Last edited by Samer (12/15/12 17:12)

Iritscen · 12/15/12 16:12

He's on a Mac, Samer

Aaron: There are playthroughs of Oni on YouTube, so probably all the levels are recorded in one place or another. If you want to suggest wiki edits, use the Talk page for the related article.

AaronPDX · 12/15/12 16:12

Sounds good, thanks Iritscen.

AaronPDX · 12/16/12 00:12

Back to bulk SNDD extracting...

EdT, you said "with AETools, you can select several files at the same time or once you selected the directory, use the search box in the Choose file dialog box, enter SNDD and then click shift to select all the files, then extract."

I couldn't make this work in Snow Leopard. Shift-clicking in the 'Choose a file' window does not select multiple files. Nor does command-clicking.

And couldn't get the command line option working either. These results pasted from Terminal (the only difference is the path):

1)
Macintosh:install Aaron$ cd '/Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/'install; mono onisplit.exe -extract:aif GameDataFolder/level0_Final
Invalid command line.
Macintosh:install Aaron$

2)
Macintosh:install Aaron$ cd '/Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/'install; mono onisplit.exe -extract:aif /Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/GameDataFolder/level0_Final
Invalid command line.

Iritscen · 12/16/12 09:12

I can't speak on the AETools at the moment, but at the Terminal line, you have to use OniSplit with the syntax "mono onisplit.exe [option] [folder] [file]", so in this case you would want to put an output folder of your creation as the [folder] and "SNDD*.oni" as the [file]. Does that make sense?

AaronPDX · 12/16/12 14:12

Iritscen, don't I also need to point it to the full path of the file(s)?

I thought the following would work (note that 'test output command line' is the empty folder I put in Edition to store the extracted file(s), and 'level0 dialog SNDD files for research and mod' is the folder it should draw from):

Macintosh:install Aaron$ cd '/Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/'install; mono onisplit.exe -extract:aif /Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/test output command line /Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/level0 dialog SNDD files for research and mod/SNDDc09_31_16kerr.aif.oni
System.ArgumentException: No input files found
at Oni.Program.GetFileList (System.String[] args, Int32 startIndex) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
at Oni.Program.ExtractSounds (System.String[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
at Oni.Program.Main (System.String[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

Last edited by AaronPDX (12/16/12 14:12)

Iritscen · 12/16/12 14:12

Heh. You can't put spaces in the path name. You're right about everything else. But spaces need to be escaped by a backslash, e.g. "SNDD\ files\ for\ research". You will probably prefer to just remove spaces from the names than type all those backspaces, but you can also hit Tab in the Terminal to autocomplete a path, which will also auto-escape the path for you if there are spaces.

AaronPDX · 12/16/12 15:12

Aha! I guess it's obvious I'm a Terminal newbie (if not a terminal newbie). Thanks!
One last (for now) thing then: how to specify you want to convert a whole directory rather than single file?

Last edited by AaronPDX (12/16/12 15:12)

Iritscen · 12/16/12 15:12

No problem, we all have to learn this Unix stuff some time! You use the wildcard (*). So, instead of "oni_files/SNDDc09_31_16kerr.aif.oni", you'd say "oni_files/SNDD*.oni" to get all SNDD files extracted.

EdT · 12/16/12 15:12

Edit:

Aaron: there are 2 ways you can extract all the sound files.

1) AETools Special Tab, near the button is a text field where you can manually enter Onisplit commands.
Enter this command:

-extract:aif out ../GameDataFolder/level0_Final/SNDD*.oni

This will extract all the sndd files from level0_Final and put them in the directory Edition/install/out.

2) AETools Create Tab, the button says Extract .oni files(s) that shows you can extract more than one file at a time.

Enter sndd in the search box to only select those files, click on the first file, scroll to the end of the list, hold Shift, then click on the last file, now all the sndd files are selected, then click on the Choose button. Now it will take some time to convert all the them to .aif files.

The files will be placed in Edition/AETools_Data/SNDDfiles

Iritscen · 12/16/12 15:12

Well, I've used the '*' lots of times with OniSplit, including the time that I converted all of the SNDD files to AIFF at once so I had a folder of playable Oni sounds.

EdT · 12/16/12 15:12

Iritscen: Command line works, I had an error in my command line. Edited my previous post

AaronPDX · 12/16/12 16:12

Not working at all now even for a single file. Odd.

In AETools I've entered:
-extract:aif /Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/testfolder /Applications/Games/Oni/Edition/level0\ dialog\ SNDDs SNDDc18_79_12blackops.aif.oni

Result in Terminal:
System.ArgumentException: No input files found
at Oni.Program.GetFileList (System.String[] args, Int32 startIndex) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
at Oni.Program.ExtractSounds (System.String[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0
at Oni.Program.Main (System.String[] args) [0x00000] in <filename unknown>:0

AaronPDX · 12/16/12 16:12

(Sorry, missed your new posts before posting my last one.)

EdT, I got it working through the button option. Finally! Works a charm, thanks very much.

(How to post a screenshot here? Very handy. Searched the site but didn't see docs on that.)

Iritscen · 12/16/12 16:12

EdT's taking advantage of his FTP account on oni2.net (perhaps a little too much... ). You'll have to use a photo-sharing site; I use Photobucket for stuff I'm keeping up long-term, but Cloud is nice too, and imgur.com is a good place to throw something up quickly. Then enclose the image's URL in

[img][/img]

tags in your post.

AaronPDX · 12/16/12 17:12

Cool! Just created an account. Cheers.

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Need help with modding SNDDs (Mac, AE 1.1)

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