Regarding the Geoscape Music

[XCOMFan419]

In all of my time playing OXC, I can't help but think:
Have I been listening to the same Geoscape theme for the past six months?

Taking a quick look at the files shows less than interesting results as there are two GMGEO files, GMGEO1 and GMGEO2. I assume these are the geoscape themes. Using Windows Media Player, I found out that the themes, while alike in some prospects, are different in others. I can tell that I have been listening to GMGEO1 for most of my OXC experience. So now I have a few questions.

1. Where can I get more Geoscape music for the game? Is it limited to only two GMGEO files? (Yes, I already have the Amiga (CD32 and ECS), DOS, Windows, Adlib (Flac and ogg), MT32-rev2, PSX and Cydonia's Fall music downloaded. Currently using CF music, which is freaking awesome!)

2. Where can I edit whatever I need to edit to randomize the Geoscape music? It's getting tiring listening to the same old GMGEO1 time and time again. It's kinda making me dread playing the game again 

[Warboy1982]

1. fenyo's music site has the best collection i know of. https://users.atw.hu/xcom-sounds/

2. it already randomizes the music, but always starts with GMGEO1.

just pop a bunch of music named gmgeo3 to gmgeo9 in there, and make sure you select the appropriate music type in the options menu, and it'll do a random shuffle. (ogg preferred)

an easy workaround for you to skip the pre-set first song might be to make the gmgeo1 file a half second of silence?

[XCOMFan419]

an easy workaround for you to skip the pre-set first song might be to make the gmgeo1 file a half second of silence?

After messing with the files so much that I needed an uninstall, I finally got my own music to work!

Unfortunately, the half-second of silence doesn't work, as the first track repeats constantly. I've replaced GMGEO1 with other music to confirm this, and all that plays is GMGEO1. While the game will run and recognize the other tracks, it refuses to play them.

Any other suggestions?

[Warboy1982]

guess we messed that up somehow, it should do a random shuffle

[XCOMFan419]

guess we messed that up somehow, it should do a random shuffle

So it isn't my fault? Oh thank god. I was beginning to get worried.

So thinking it might be something else I opened up options.cfg for what it's worth. I see two interesting things at the least: preferredMusic: 2 and musicAlwaysLoop: false

does that have anything to do with it?

[Warboy1982]

nah

[XCOMFan419]

So what's causing the loop of the first track? Do you know? Should I keep experimenting?

[Warboy1982]

no, it's a code error.

[volutar]

Volutar's here.

First of all XCOMFan419, welcome!
Second of all, you are misunderstanding nature of geo1/2 switching in the original xcom.

Fact#1: Geo1 is always the track which NEW game is beginning with.
Fact#2: Current track number is kept in the save file. So if you were listening for geo2 before saving, you'll get it after loading.
Fact#3: Geo1/2 switch happens ONLY after mission debriefing (battlescape end). No other ways to get track switch. And they are going one after another.
Fact#4: Interception music simply makes previous track reinit (play from the start).

In the OpenXcom, tho, we have geo tracks simply picked by random, and possibly switched after interception or memorial window. Last music played isn't kept in the savegame, and geo1 is always the one you hear from the beginning anyways.

All tracks from XCOM1 are looped extept for: Intro (all 3 parts), Win, Story, Lose.
There's no such thing as "geo1 finished, start play geo2" in vanilla. If you're old XCOM fan, you should know that.
It is possible to switch geo music after it ends, but it will sound really ugly, since they are not meant to be transitioned one to another, even through the pause.

[XCOMFan419]

After some testing, Volutar is right. I skipped the first track just by going into the memorial screen. The Interception screen also offers the same track skipping, but it seems to play the same track before it started. The next interception screen afterwards plays new music. Either that or I just have really weird randomizing with the music.

Testing with GMGEO1-GMGEO9 it appears that there is no clear pattern between what track the game chooses. Randomized as Warboy pointed out.

However, the track still repeats until another Interception/Memorial screen pops up.

I would appreciate a real randomization feature for OpenXcom, and encourage people to add their own soundtracks into the game, but I also feel like it would take more away from the original game. Maybe have it as an Advanced Option under General or Geoscape? I feel like the game can feel a little less...repeated (for lack of better terms) with music changing one after the other.

[volutar]

XCOMFan419, actually "randomization" of tracks is not even vanilla. Not for xcom1 nor for tftd. Both games using sequential tracklist play. And personally I don't see WHY we should do differently. It will allow their playback in the order defined by developers.

In the TFTD there are 6 tracks and they are played one after one, and changing to the next after battlescape.

[XCOMFan419]

XCOMFan419, actually "randomization" of tracks is not even vanilla. Not for xcom1 nor for tftd. Both games using sequential tracklist play. And personally I don't see WHY we should do differently. It will allow their playback in the order defined by developers.

In the TFTD there are 6 tracks and they are played one after one, and changing to the next after battlescape.

I should probably clear a few things up: 
I have never played TFTD
And when I last played true vanilla XCOM (non-steam) my dad had to sit there with me so he could play whenever something serious popped up.

But I dunno. I really like the idea of more tracks and randomizing of music. I guess it's because of my tendency to get bored of overplayed music REALLY quickly. It's probably why I haven't started a new game in over a month now. It's just repetitive and boring, the music I mean. Gameplay can be changed up easily. And I like variety.

But I think Warboy should weigh in on this: Should we have "True Geoscape" music randomization, or would that take too much away from the Vanilla game?

[Warboy1982]

well, there is an option for music looping already, we could just tie it to that