Add native function to mute vehicle sounds per player

[inaawaf]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Currently, there is no native way to mute or control vehicle engine sounds on a per-player basis.
This limitation forces developers to rely on workarounds or external scripts, which are inefficient and not reliable.

Describe the solution you'd like

I propose adding a new native function:

setVehicleSoundMuted(player, vehicle, state)

• player → The target player whose vehicle sounds will be affected.
• vehicle → The vehicle instance the player is currently in.
• state → Boolean (true to mute, false to unmute).

Describe alternatives you've considered

Currently, the only alternatives are :

• Using workarounds such as forcing vehicles to be destroyed/respawned.
• Using external scripts to try and override audio, which is cumbersome and inefficient.

None of these alternatives provide the same flexibility as a direct native function.

Additional context

Example usage :

local player = getLocalPlayer()       
local vehicle = getPedOccupiedVehicle(player)  

if vehicle then
    setVehicleSoundMuted(player, vehicle, true)  -- Mute the vehicle sound
end

-- To unmute
if vehicle then
    setVehicleSoundMuted(player, vehicle, false) -- Unmute the vehicle sound
end

-- Optional: Mute all vehicles for a player
for _, veh in ipairs(getElementsByType("vehicle")) do
    setVehicleSoundMuted(player, veh, true)
end

---

Please note that this native function does not currently exist in MTA:SA.
At the moment, developers cannot directly mute vehicle sounds per player.
I sincerely hope that this feature could be added in the upcoming 1.7 release, as it would greatly improve audio control for developers and enhance gameplay experience.

Security Policy

• I have read and understood the Security Policy and this issue is not about a cheat or security vulnerability.

[ArranTuna]

What is wrong with using this, simple and working event?

function setElementMuted(element, bool)
    removeEventHandler("onClientWorldSound", element, cancelEvent)
    if bool then
        addEventHandler("onClientWorldSound", element, cancelEvent)
    end
end

[inaawaf]

The issue with using onClientWorldSound + cancelEvent is that it’s a global workaround.
It cancels all sounds triggered by that element, not just the engine.
This means you lose granularity (e.g., horn, collisions, explosions also get muted).
A native like setVehicleSoundMuted would give precise per-player, per-vehicle control without interfering with other scripts or audio events

[ArranTuna]

onClientWorldSound gives you the sound group and index so you can cancel only the sounds you want cancelling from that element.

[inaawaf]

I understand your point about onClientWorldSound providing sound groups and indexes, which allows more control compared to a fully global cancel.

However, the main limitation remains:

Developers would still need to manually filter and map all sound groups and indexes related to engine audio.

This approach is error-prone and incomplete, since MTA doesn’t provide official documentation for every vehicle sound variation (engine idle, acceleration, turbo, damaged engine, etc.).

Other vehicle-related sounds might share similar groups, which makes it harder to isolate only the engine.

A dedicated native such as:

setVehicleSoundMuted(player, vehicle, state)

would provide:

Granularity and clarity: mute only the engine sound without affecting horn, collisions, or explosions.

Reliability: developers wouldn’t need to rely on reverse-engineering sound groups.

Consistency: scripts wouldn’t break if sound indexes change in future updates.

So while onClientWorldSound can be used as a workaround, it doesn’t offer the same level of precision or developer-friendliness as a direct native. That’s why I believe having this feature as part of the API would be a significant improvement for both gameplay and scripting.

[botder]

However, the main limitation remains:

Developers would still need to manually filter and map all sound groups and indexes related to engine audio.

This approach is error-prone and incomplete, since MTA doesn’t provide official documentation for every vehicle sound variation (engine idle, acceleration, turbo, damaged engine, etc.).

And there is nothing stopping a person, for example you, from adding this information to the documentation (read: wiki).

[inaawaf]

Adding the wiki documentation would help, but it’s still a workaround
Developers would have to manually filter sounds for every vehicle, which is error-prone and inconsistent
A dedicated native like setVehicleSoundMuted(player, vehicle, state) solves this cleanly and reliably.

[ArranTuna]

But a dedicated native would still require someone to make a list of these specific groups and indexes for that function to mute.