Missing character sounds -- any advice?

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I just installed BG2 and some of my sounds are missing. Specifically, the PC and the NPCs don't ever say anything -- you'd be amazed at how dull this can make game play. My character sound settings are not turned off (i.e. set to "never"). In fact, I've tried every setting trying to get them to talk, but to no avail.

I had the game running on my computer a few months ago and everybody was talking up a storm. I did a clean install this time and patched it, but no one talks. Any idea what the problem is?

 

Is your sound card compatiable?

maybe your computer can't run acm files for some reason

unless you've moved anything or changed folder names or anything like that

 

My sound card is compatible -- I'm using exactly the same system the game ran on before. The only difference I can think of is that before I also installed Throne of Bhaal, which I haven't installed this time (I don't have it anymore). I suppose Throne of Bhaal might have altered the pathing, but I would assume that the clean install I did this time would have installed the correct path. Most of the other sound files seem to work fine -- other characters in the game (store keepers, etc.) talk, and I get background sounds. Ribald doesn't say anything audible, though. I know at least the NPCs are trying to talk because I can see their circles flashing. I reinstalled and their voices are still gone. I haven't moved or renamed any files or folders.

Here's something interesting, though. I just extracted all the character sound files (with WinBiff). Both WinBiff and my computer read and list them as WAV files, but Windows Media Player won't play them -- I get an error message saying the file type is not supported. Are they really ACM files that my computer is misreading? If so, how do I fix that? All my other Black Isle games seem to work fine (PST, BG1, IWD).

 

WAV files you get from BIFF files are in fact WAVC files. That is slightly changed ACM format, and that's why Media Player won't recognize those. And you don't fix them otherwise they definetly won't work.

And excuse me for asking, but what is your OS and which sound card you use?

Also check if you possibly used WinBIFF's compressing/decompressing feature which could affect your BIFF file.
Open your "data" folder and check the size of NPCsound.BIF file. It should be 44.589.319 bytes long.

[This message has been edited by Extremist (edited April 23, 2002).]

 

Ah! They are acm files, disguised (on mine with ToB anyway)

I think this is a case for Extremist

Or...
On the taskbar (desktop view, where the start button is, is it called the taskbar?) at the right it has time etc, check the sound icon, make sure all of them are full, that happened to me once.

[This message has been edited by 8people (edited April 23, 2002).]

 

I'm running WindowsME, and I have a riptide sound card (stock HP Pavilion card). This is the same computer and OS I ran the game on before when everything worked.

I didn't do anything to the game with WinBiff prior to extracting the files to see if they were really there (after my sound problem).

My NPCSound.bif is exactly 44,589,319 bytes, and my CHASound.bif (which is the one with all the sounds I really miss) is 73,325,139 bytes.

My sound settings are all on (is "system tray" the phrase you were looking for 8people?).

Any other guesses?

 

This may sound stupid...check your speakers...see if they are turned on..same thing happened to me and they had been turned off...also check to see if they are plugged in all the way

 

Try turning "Hardware Acceleration" off in the settingspanel for your soundcard.

If that don't work try updating your drivers (specially the DirectX drivers. DirectX should be version 8.1).

If that don't work then you can try re-installing your OS and drivers. Do NOT do this unless you have some way of keeping files/games/programs that you don't have on disc (ie. burn them to a disc, or copy them to another harddisc).

Nearly everyone you ask would tell you, that if you play a lot of games then you should re-install OS and drivers at least once every year, as the OS will keep information (from games and the like) and use the settings that runs best (ie. if your soundcard is best supported when running CS, then the OS will try to use the CS-settings for all games)...

I read that in an article about 2 months ago, so if you don't believe it, don't tell me that I'm wrong, as I read it in a game magasin (might just be crap, might be the truth)...

 

Thanks! The hardware acceleration seems to have been the culprit. I was using the same settings that previously worked, but I guess my machine has lost some of its *umph* since the last time I had the game installed. I'm not sure why, since I'm actually running less junk in the background that I was before, and since I have more space on my hard drive (which I keep defragged) than I did before. I would have thought that I'd get better performance now rather than worse. Anyway, thanks again!

 

ive got an ickle problem too.

Whenever i play i get a kinda rushing/brousing noise. really disturbing, it distorts the sound too. any ideas.

 

If your running another program or your system has quit/start program noises that can happen, or if you have a program from panikware it can effect you system sounds

 

yappie, 2 possibilities if you have already installed the newest driver for your soundcard:

1. you have ToB that has some annoying sound linked to your hero after you recieve Slayer ability (IIRC)

2. DISABLE EAX!!!