samboy/ObHack

Issues with some MIDIs starting

samboy opened this issue · 5 comments

samboy commented

If I play an entire map, then hit the exit and move on to the next map, sometimes the MIDI (song) for the new map does not start. Every time this happens, I am making a transition from an older FreeDoom song to a newer FreeDoom song. In particular, it happens when:

  • Going from MAP21 (D_COUNT2) to MAP22 (D_DDTBL3)
  • Going from MAP24 (D_THEDA3) to MAP25 (D_ADRIAN)
  • Going from MAP27 (D_ROMER2) to MAP28 (D_TENSE)

I am using Doomsday 1.8.6.

The workaround is to save the game, warp to another level, then load the game; the music will then play for the entire level.

samboy commented

d_count2 is a MIDI file, so the issue is not a MUS → MIDI transition.

Let me see if I can reproduce it.

samboy commented

I can reliably reproduce the issue with the MAP25 music reproducing using the default instant-exit levels and starting around level 19. That in mind, I can start trying things like making all .mid files .mus files.

See also: https://doomwiki.org/wiki/MUS

samboy commented

Converting the newer Freedoom .mid files in to .mus files appears to solve the problem; I can no longer reproduce the issue after making the conversion. In addition, the converted .mus files seamlessly loop (there’s a pause with the .mid form of the same songs) and sound like they play without issue after being converted.

The MAP09 (D_IN_CIT) and MAP21 (D_COUNT2) files need to remain .mid files because the files get corrupted when converted in to .mus files. There appears to be no issue starting these music files, so I will make an updated DOOM2.WAD and close this issue.

I have also added the tool to convert .mid files in to .mus files to the Git tree.

samboy commented

OK, I am in the process of releasing ObHack-FreeDoom-3.3.9 with the mid → mus fix for this issue. Closing this ticket.

samboy commented

I have had to release ObHack-FreeDoom-3.4.0, which reverts MAP11 (D_STLKS2), MAP14 (D_DDTBL2), MAP20 (D_MESSAG), and MAP23 (D_AMPIE) to MIDI format; these are all files which got corrupted when converted from MIDI to MUS, but they play without problem as MIDIs in Doomsday 1.8.6. I believe these MIDIs which can not cleanly become MUS files have been removed from FreeDoom proper because, while good music, they are buggy and there’s, here in 2020, no lack of open licensed MIDI files which we can use in FreeDoom (A paucity of open-licensed MIDIs was an issue back in 2015 when I last revised the music here).

With Doomsday 1.8.6, some files play best as MIDIs. Other play better as MUS instead of MIDI files. So, I have had to convert some but not all music files to get them to be as bug-free as possible in Doomsday 1.8.6.

Annoying, and hopefully this will be the very last time I have to deal with music issues with my personal fork of FreeDoom.