Sounds Sounds Sounds...For the love of god give us sounds...

[Santrix]

I love FG.. but i tried it and it simply cannot compete with the other VT out there that is web based because of the relatively seamless sounds and sound effects/ music integration it has... Until FG adds this massive and very very very useful feature I'm afraid my time wont be spent here... Seriously FG as far as I'm concerned this is the only thing that's stopping FG kill all the competition.... Are there even any plans for it....? And yes I've tried running TS with a separate channel for sounds, sorry, just too fiddly...

Looking forward to some good news..

[gaara6666]

I feel sounds although a great storytelling nuance are not particularly core to a great experience. FG to me where it stands apart is the seamless integration and customization for so much creativity in our ability to run custom games and systems. Roll20 and others had about on par revenue but where FG speaks for itself is the official and ONLY recognized status from WOTC as its sole VTT platform of choice. I do enjoy ambience and flair but to call it a VERY VERY VERY useful feature I feel at least in my opinion is a bit of over exaggeration.

[Andraax]

Why do people think that because FG doesn't handle sounds within the program, that you cannot play with sounds? I use background music and sound effects all the time in my games. I use sound tools that are specialized for that feature, and a virtual table top (FG) that is specialized for that. Why do people think that one program has to do it all? Is there something wrong with using different tools to get the job done?

When I'm doing wood working, I don't complain that my hammer doesn't also do the sanding and drive screws - I have a tool for each. And I don't go around complaining and saying that I won't buy a specific hammer because it doesn't also sand the wood and drive screws...

[LordEntrails]

We all have different desires in a VTT. IMO, Smiteworks does a good job of prioritizing their development efforts to enhancing and supporting FG. But to make sure your voice is heard, make sure to vote on the ideas listed on the FG Wishlist here: https://fg2app.idea.informer.com/

[Santrix]

Why do people think that one program has to do it all?

Because it can? Because others do that don't cost anything perhaps?

[gaara6666]

Santix you CAN have a car with a microwave, a refrigerator, a turntable DJ mixing booth, and an aquarium in it. But it does not mean you need to. I am reminded of a large thread about FG we had about 2 years ago about feature issues and needed aspects. By being developed by 2-3 guys not a huge corporation smiteworks pushes a lot of not only content upgrades but immediate developer feedback. All while staying under a massively affordable 40$ paywall that is ONE TIME. Other VTT if they go down or close you lose all your content but you can continue to use a host/client FG in perpetuity FOREVER. Why don't others that don't cost anything give us that kind of safeguard?


edit: also FG supports clickable links in the chat so you CAN if you like post youtube or soundcloud etc links for people to listen to audio on their browser if you have custom music or audio you want to portray

[Black Hammer]

Though I'm not against new stuff, I would not see myself using this feature much if at all. Hard enough hearing four people over VOIP without background noise.

[Andraax]

Because it can? Because others do that don't cost anything perhaps?

Play in my games and you play for free, and you get to hear my background sounds and sound effects (if you want, each player can control the level or independently mute them). Also, Roll20 is far from free, and I like having my campaigns stored on my computer rather than having to give control over them to another group. If Smiteworks goes out of business tomorrow, I can continue to play my games as if nothing had happened. If Roll20 goes out of business tomorrow, I would lose everything and have to start over from scratch.

[Zacchaeus]

This is the thing. For some people sound is very important and for others it isn't; for some it's dynamic lighting, others wouldn't use it at all. So you can't really please everyone since there will always be something someone wants that's not there. Sound isn't going to happen with the current architecture but it is something that we might see after the next iteration of the software has had a chance to bed in.

And as has been said above there are ways to use sound over VOIP if you really, really, really need it.

[Ken L]

For ease of use overall, I'd stick to roll20. If you want more options, stick to FG.

The reason why r20 is free is that it operates on a freemum model. That and they outsource many of their resources through Web api to other freemium vendors. SoundCloud which powers r20 has capital flow issues and is relying on their VC funding to stay afloat. Overall their structure is reliant on a pool of subscribers to carry their free users. It doesn't help that their highest tier which they are trying to funnel folks into is self-serve donations even though you're already paying for 'support'.


Regarding sound: Yes I agree that in modern VTTs, sound ambience has become a large part of my games. Streaming music however is high bandwidth which most folks don't have. R20 outsources this to SoundCloud which handles the streaming to take the load off the host. It's also why r20 won't ever add custom soundtracks since their servers can't handle that bandwidth, so they'll milk SoundCloud as much as they're able to.

In regards to FG getting in game streaming support. They could work in some Web api to get 3pp vendor support to conceivably get a similar model, minus the use of your own music.

[midas]

I have my players log into Roll20 just for audio with no problem and use FG for everything else.

[Willot]

As I use teamspeak when playing. I use the soundboard add on.

[viresanimi]

Each to his own I guess. I personally will not participate in a game session with sounds running in the background. But then again I am hearing impaired and anything that interferes with hearing other people talk is a total no go for me. So be happy if your hearing is good. It is a luxury you should appreciate and cherish every day!

As for FG running it. I think they're looking into it with the Unity version. Perhaps not initially, but down the line. Why wouldn't they? Improving FG is pretty much what has been on the agenda from the moment Smiteworks got their hands on FG.

I have faith.


Vires Animi

[Mask_of_winter]

I use winamp with a shoutcast server to stream whatever mp3 I have on my HD. It isn't forced onto the players. They can listen to it or not and set the volume to a level they feel works for them. I'd rather SW develop FG than a sound platform that probably wouldn't be as good as other options out there.
Besides, I'm busy when I run a game. No time to mess with clicking on stuff to trigger the sound bit of a screeching door.
Vote for it on the idea informer site. This, along with dynamic lighting will surely get added on to the port over to Unity eventually.

[Full Bleed]

I purchased MorphVox Pro to add some sounds and voice modulation to my games... and ended up deciding that it was just another thing to juggle. I don't even use it.

Not saying it's a horrible feature... just noting that it's not an auto-awesome feature in my book. I'd really rather my GM be focused on running the game rather than trying to find (and manage) sounds and music.

I'm far more interested in vision related features (line of sight with individual views/vision types and dynamic lighting).

[damned]

Everyones *must haves* will differ.
Vote for it on the wishlist. It wont happen under the current game engine but the new engine will support a lot more features and this may become one of them.

[Andraax]

Each to his own I guess. I personally will not participate in a game session with sounds running in the background. But then again I am hearing impaired and anything that interferes with hearing other people talk is a total no go for me. So be happy if your hearing is good. It is a luxury you should appreciate and cherish every day!

Yeah, I have a few players that don't like it either. That's why I set it up so that each player can choose the volume of the background sounds, or mute them entirely. If you like 'em they're there, if you don't you don't have to listen.

[chanceboon]

The Soundboard addon for Teamspeak 3 works great for sound effects and only the GM needs it. It creates a board filled with buttons that you can click to play a sound that you assign to it an everyone in your channel hears it...works great.

[Athlonis]

any thoughts regarding integrating with syrinscape?

[Moon Wizard]

I assume that you can use one of the cool audio apps to redirect syrinscape sounds to an existing voice server, such as Teamspeak or Ventrilo.

We don't have any current plans to add sounds or streaming music, though it is on our list to look at once we are on our new architecture. The move to the new architecture does not currently have a public timeline, but we are working on it. We are just very cautious about announcing public timelines, because business and resources can shift over time.

Regards,
JPG

[Andraax]

any thoughts regarding integrating with syrinscape?

I use VoiceMeeter Banana to route Syrinscape to a second TeamSpeak instance which I have join the channel as "SoundBot". Players can then adjust the volume of the sound bot, or mute it entirely, as they wish, without affecting me as the GM / CK.

[Hector Trelane]

I love FG.. but i tried it and it simply cannot compete with the other VT out there that is web based because of the relatively seamless sounds and sound effects/ music integration it has...

Hi Santrix, you can vote for this feature to be added here: https://fg2app.idea.informer.com/proj/?ia=79338


Regarding sound: Yes I agree that in modern VTTs, sound ambience has become a large part of my games. Streaming music however is high bandwidth which most folks don't have. R20 outsources this to SoundCloud which handles the streaming to take the load off the host. It's also why r20 won't ever add custom soundtracks since their servers can't handle that bandwidth, so they'll milk SoundCloud as much as they're able to.

In regards to FG getting in game streaming support. They could work in some Web api to get 3pp vendor support to conceivably get a similar model, minus the use of your own music.

I agree and value audio and ambient sound. I just learned how to do this myself in FG; instructions can be found at this link (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?21678-tableopaudio-com-Free-background-music-ambiance-for-your-gaming/page3#30). (I'm not yet satisfied with audio quality, so will update once I've learned how to use two recommended plug-ins for Teamspeak and Winamp.)

Roll20 users can use this workaround: keep a Roll20 client open to run sound in the background behind FG. (I can't find the post right now, but an FG user does exactly this and reports that it works fine.)

Cheers!

[Nylanfs]

It's stickied at the top

https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?24282-How-to-make-an-overlay-and-setup-OBS-for-streaming!

[colonelsavage]

If nothing else, a simple dice rolling sound integrated to the software would be great. Along with the option for chat pings. The beautifully rendered but silent dice freak me out and I frequently miss texts that go by in the chat window.

[dulux-oz]

If nothing else, a simple dice rolling sound integrated to the software would be great. Along with the option for chat pings. The beautifully rendered but silent dice freak me out and I frequently miss texts that go by in the chat window.

Do you mean to tell me that you are not aware of the DOE: Sound Extension!?

Its on the Wiki, there's a entire Thread on the Forums devoted to it, there's at least one YouTube Video by Smite Works devoted to it, and there are various assistance-articles on the Wiki as well!

And for using other sound engines, etc, there's also the DOE: OLE...

I am flabbergasted! I am genuinely amazed that you're not aware of it. And I don't know what else to do to make people aware of it :confused:

[Nickademus]

Not enough shameless plugs..you're slacking. :P

[Hector Trelane]

Do you mean to tell me that you are not aware of the DOE: Sound Extension!?

Its on the Wiki, there's a entire Thread on the Forums devoted to it, there's at least one YouTube Video by Smite Works devoted to it, and there are various assistance-articles on the Wiki as well!

And for using other sound engines, etc, there's also the DOE: OLE...

I am flabbergasted! I am genuinely amazed that you're not aware of it. And I don't know what else to do to make people aware of it :confused:

Dulux-oz, I've yet to play with your nice extension, and at the risk of incurring wrath for a noob question that may be answered somewhere in the extensive thread, can you indeed trigger dice-rolling sounds using DOE: Sound Extension--in other words is there a way to get FG to recognize the event of dice rolling such that a linked audio file could be triggered? I'm aware that a "fire spell" sound can be triggered appropriately, but the dice rolling sound is a different event and would be wanted under different circumstances.

[Ken L]

His sound extension lets you link sound effects to FG events so that the client plays them on the host side. It doesn't stream the sound effects, to do that, you'll need to pipe the sound output of fantasy grounds through teamspeak, vent, or mumble.

I personally use MIXXX to stream my audio through mumble, I used to use Teamspeak but now I own my own server to save Dammned some bandwidth. In doing this I can do cool DJ effects such as rewind, scratch, fast-forward, and add drops with tone modulations live.

[Hector Trelane]

His sound extension lets you link sound effects to FG events so that the client plays them on the host side. It doesn't stream the sound effects, to do that, you'll need to pipe the sound output of fantasy grounds through teamspeak, vent, or mumble.

I personally use MIXXX to stream my audio through mumble, I used to use Teamspeak but now I own my own server to save Dammned some bandwidth. In doing this I can do cool DJ effects such as rewind, scratch, fast-forward, and add drops with tone modulations live.

I have streamed via Teamspeak and need to reset that up after a reinstall scrambled what I had.

My question is, what qualifies as an FG event? I know doubleclicking/dragging an attack from a character sheet is, but what about dragging dice from desktop and throwing them for fun in the chat window--or anywhere?

[colonelsavage]

Do you mean to tell me that you are not aware of the DOE: Sound Extension!?

Its on the Wiki, there's a entire Thread on the Forums devoted to it, there's at least one YouTube Video by Smite Works devoted to it, and there are various assistance-articles on the Wiki as well!

And for using other sound engines, etc, there's also the DOE: OLE...

I am flabbergasted! I am genuinely amazed that you're not aware of it. And I don't know what else to do to make people aware of it :confused:

At the risk of incurring further sarcasm and/or incredulity, I would like to state for the record that, well, I am new. Fantasy Grounds is a wonderful program but it is not particularly intuitive. Especially when you consider just how feature rich it is. And the extension system is even less user-friendly (speaking from a new user's perspective). I investigated what it would take to create a custom theme, for instance, and quickly got lost. Perhaps months from now after some experimentation it will seem like second nature - but at the moment there are facets of the program that are very dense.

I have since gone to the wiki to look at said sound extension and I must say, it's an awfully convoluted workaround for what should be a simple inclusion in the main program. Using 3rd party sound engines and triggered links and the need to stream things over VOIP is just clumsy. I can respect the amount of effort that went into it, just as I can respect the fact that the Fantasy Grounds team likely doesn't want to get into a full-blown music streaming system with hooks into youtube or something. I'm not referring to anything that complex. All I would like to see (or rather hear) is some basic system sounds as mentioned in my original post.

Ultimately this is a great product, one that I will continue to use for a long time to come. But I think it's a valid criticism when I say it is 2016 and the bar is raised a little higher than it was a half decade (or more) ago. Programs can (and should be expected to) do more.

[Nickademus]

Something to note. I doubt Smite Works will worry about getting audio to work in the current version of Fantasy Ground when I believe Unity, the engine of the next build, has built-in audio functionality.

[LordEntrails]

@colonelsavage, yep, for a program written today sound would be a given. But, the current FG was written on a platform more than a decade ago. That platform doesn't have native sound, so we have to do these convoluted workarounds until SmiteWorks finishes re-writing the application in an entirely new platform (which they are doing).

Something to note, even more recently developed programs like Roll20 have to use convoluted workarounds for sounds, especially now that they had their API with Syrinscape/Soundcloud (can't remember which) pulled.

We (FG) will get there. And until recently I would have said sound wasn't such a big deal. But the more I talk to ahodges and pay attention to sound, the more I realise it can bring a great deal to our games. I kind of think of it like D&D in the '70s. Battle maps and mini's weren't essential (and they still aren't), but now days I wouldn't play without a virtual or real battlemap as they are so simple to include now (unlike in the '70s).

[Myrdin Potter]

It really is not that hard to add it in and if you wanted to use a third party sound stream you would be doing something similar anyways to output to Teamspeak or other voice systems.

[damned]

Basic Sound Effect options will very likely be included in the new engine - probably not on day 1 but sometime soon after... pure conjecture I admit, but the new engine supports many more things like this so it is likely to happen. Dulux-ozs extension may still have a role to provide additional features but we will have to see...

[dulux-oz]

...I would like to state for the record that, well, I am new....

Sorry colonel, I wasn't being sarcastic and I should have noted your relative-"newbie" status. Its no excuse, but I've been that tied up with helping people get the sounds up and running and getting rid of the last of the bugs that I probably got caught up in the trees and forgot just how big the FG-forest is.

Please give the DOE: Sound a try - you will like it I'm sure. I know =it can seem a bit complex at first to set up but it really is pretty easy once you get into it, and there are plenty of people around how are alreay using it and can help you out if you get into trouble. :)


His sound extension lets you link sound effects to FG events so that the client plays them on the host side. It doesn't stream the sound effects...

Actually Ken, it does... sort of. What it does is stream out the control codes to all the computers so that they will play the Sounds locally, provided that they have the Syrinscape and Sound-file installed (or whatever player/sound-file combination the GM has set up to be used). This is why there is a Sound Option in the FG Options List - if people don't have Syrinscape installed or don't want to play sound locally then they turn Sound off in the Options. The GM (or whoever is acting as "Sound Master" can then stream the actual Sound across Teamspeak (or whatever) if they like. The DOE: Sound was designed to be as flexible as possible, and you can mix and match how you use it as your group likes.


My question is, what qualifies as an FG event?

A ChatSound event is any text that appears in the Chatbox which is sent over the net (which is practically all of them). The GM sets up a ChatSound Entry with the desired text as the Trigger and whatever Sound he likes.

An AutoSound even is any control code that is sent over the net. The DOE: Sound learns these as games are being played. Then the GM simply needs to assign a desired Sound to each one he wants to use. Devs can code in extra control codes in Rulesets and Extensions if they like.

I've spoken to Ben from Syrinscape about getting some appropriate "dice rolling" sound included (I must chase him up on that), so at the moment there are no appropriate dice sounds... yet.

I hope that cleared a few things up. If anyone has any questions please ask. :)

Cheers

[LordEntrails]

...

I've spoken to Ben from Syrinscape about getting some appropriate "dice rolling" sound included (I must chase him up on that), so at the moment there are no appropriate dice sounds... yet....

Cheers
If you needs sounds for the die rolls, I'll volunteer Aubrey *G*

Ok, maybe not volunteer him, but I'd recommend him. Heck, I wouldn't be suprised is he already has some he would be willing to share.

Anyway, thanks for all this.

[Bidmaron]

You won't be happy with the dice sounds. They won't be synchronized with the tumbling of the dice, and, unless it is really sophisticated random sound, it will rapidly get to be repetitive and you will turn it off. Dice are rolled all the time. If the sound is identical, you will turn it off less than an hour into your first game.

[dulux-oz]

You won't be happy with the dice sounds. They won't be synchronized with the tumbling of the dice, and, unless it is really sophisticated random sound, it will rapidly get to be repetitive and you will turn it off. Dice are rolled all the time. If the sound is identical, you will turn it off less than an hour into your first game.

That's a fair point, actually. I never though about it in great detail. Still, Syrinscape can play a variety of related sounds (at random) from a single One-Shot Entry, so there might be enough variety to keep people interested - we'll have to see, I suppose. :)

Cheers

[Xydonus]

Yeah, Dulox's DOE sound plugin is really awesome. Before, it was a pain to try and search for certain soundsets on the fly. Party just stepped through a forest? Bring up the window, scroll and play. But it can get tedious and I often felt like I was becoming too much like DJ :P

Plugin is handy to simply just click on a link within the FG window and have it play out whatever sound you want, without having to scroll through Syrinscape looking for that sound set.

[Nickademus]

You won't be happy with the dice sounds. They won't be synchronized with the tumbling of the dice, and, unless it is really sophisticated random sound, it will rapidly get to be repetitive and you will turn it off. Dice are rolled all the time. If the sound is identical, you will turn it off less than an hour into your first game.

I'll second this. Good intentions, but I'd never run a game with dice sounds (if I had the option of turning it off).

[Hector Trelane]

I'll second this. Good intentions, but I'd never run a game with dice sounds (if I had the option of turning it off).

True but it'd still be cool. Let's all admit it: what did you do the very first time you booted up FG? Rolled dice in various combinations for five minutes, hurling them across the screen! Just for fun (and as a nice sales pitch), FG should include this (marketing never debates the customer. They say they want dice rolling sounds? Okay they do... and then they turn it off in an hour).