DBC: Adding Area Name & Backgroundmusic

[Eluo]

Area name & Background Music


The area names are an important thing of the Warcraft Universe. They are there for orientation, and for the ingame feeling.The same goes for the ingame music. Every good game has good ingame music.


The Area name


We open the AreaTable.dbc with taliis or any other dbc editor.

We use the clone row function(rightclick) on any row to create a new one and scroll to the bottom of the table.



The first thing we do is:
We change the ID which means the numer in column #0 to something we want to have. Normally for keeping the dbc nice and clean we look at the upper number and add +1.
Well i thought that 5000 is a good and easy number to remember so i took it.



Now we switch to the Strings mode in the navigation.
In the middle upper side, right to the green plus you can find a white command field where you can enter the name of your new Area Name.



Press the green plus to add it to the sting table.
Now scroll down to you entrie and look at the number beside of the name you typed in and keep it in mind.

Switch back to the first Table mode in the Navigation and go to your entrie.
Now in
#1 you have to enter the map.dbc id of the instance your adts are on.
#2 Is a internal ID refer. Wich means that you can add a new Line in the AreaTable.dbc and use the new ID as a subzone for your area.
#3 Is the explore flag. This is the Id that is used serverside to set how much xp and so on you will get for exploring
#4 Is a very instresting entrie. There you can set the mode of your area. From Arena to Instance to nromal zone. But we will just use the normal zone number: 64
#5 -> #13 Is changed to 0 if it isn't already.
#14 There you should now enter the sting number we wrote down before.
#15 -> rest stays as it is.

If you got that, save and close the dbc.

Now we need to add it to our adt!
Open your Adt in taliis and switch to the AreaIDs mode in the navigation.

As you can see: every chunk has its own area ID. But because we are lazy we use the massive set areaID feature.


Alltogether there are 3 fields where you can enter diffrent things:
Field 1: The start chunk(left upper corner)
Field 2: The end chunk(right down corner)
Field 3: The AreaId

For filling the whole adt with the smae areaid leave the Start and end chunk 0 and 255


Save the adt and build a patch!
Voilá you have finished your own area name.




The Background Music


Okay this is gonna be a DBC desaster xD.
To show how these dbcs are linked among themselves im gonna show you this pic:


Now open all those Dbcs up in taliis.



Ambience

First we make the ambience.
For that we first go into Soundentries.dbc
Now we clone 2 new entries. One for the day one for the night.
The first thing we do again is to change both ids to a high one.
Now we switch to the string mode in the navigation. There we add 2 entries for every entrie in the normal table. And we add one string row for the path. Expample: sound\myzone\
One entrie with fileending and one without (or short description for the sound). And as said the path.Write Every offsetnumber down and switch back to the normal table.



Next to the id in column #1 we set the soundtype to Ambient by changing that number to 50.
in #2 we now enter the string numer of description of our sound
in #3 we add the string number of the sound
#4 - #12 should be changed to 0
#13 - #22 should be changed to 1
in #23 we enter the sing number for the path. This tells wow where the files are located.
#24 is the volume. Mostly for ambience set to 0.69
#25 are the flags for this entrie. Change this to 0
#26 is for the distance. Here : minimum distance. Mostly 8.0
#27 is for the distance. Here : maximum distance. Mostly 45.0
#28 EAX for sound reflection and reality feeling. Leave it 0
#29 Leave it 0


(click for larger image)

Now as we did that both for day and night, save it.

Switch to SoundAbmbience.dbc
#0 Is like always the ID
#1 The Id of soundentries.dbc for the day ambience
#2 The id of soundentries.dbc for the night ambience




Now switch to Areatable.dbc and enter the ID of Soundambience.dbc into cloumn #7.

Music

Now to the music.
For that we first go into Soundentries.dbc
Now we clone again 2 new entries. One for the day one for the night.
The first thing we do again is to change both ids to a high one.
Now we switch to the string mode in the navigation. There we add 2 entries for every entrie in the normal table.And also again just the path. But as we already added him we don't need to do that again.
One entrie with fileending and one without (or short description for the sound). And as said the path if you want to locate them somewhere else.Write Every offsetnumber down and switch back to the normal table.



Next to the id in column #1 we set the soundtype to BackgroundMusic by changing that number to 28.
in #2 we now enter the string numer of description of our music
in #3 we add the string number of the music
#4 - #12 should be changed to 0
#13 - #22 should be changed to 1
in #23 we enter the sing number for the path. This tells wow where the files are located.
#24 is the volume. Mostly for music set to 0.6
#25 are the flags for this entrie. Change this to 0
#26 is for the distance. Here : minimum distance. Mostly 8.0
#27 is for the distance. Here : maximum distance. Mostly 45.0
#28 EAX for sound reflection and reality feeling. Change it to 2.
#29 Leave it 0


(click for larger image)

Switch to ZoneMusic.dbc
Again, copy one row, switch to strings and create a new string row with the description of your zone. Keep the string offset again in mind(the number next to your entrie). Back to the table.

#0 Like always the id
#1 The string entrie for your zone

In the following rows just use the said numbers:
#2 Number: 180000
#3 Number: 180000
#4 Number: 300000
#5 Number: 300000

And now to the Soundentries ids:
#6 the day music ID from Soundentries.dbc
#7 the night music ID from Soundentries.dbc


(click for larger image)
Save the dbc and switch to AreaTable.dbc.
There, enter the ID from ZoneMusic.dbc into column #8.

ZoneIntroMusic

Again we beginn with the Soundentries.dbc
This time ,we only need 1 new row in the normal table.
Create again in the string table one line for description and one for the filename.
You know the game , change string number and so on. Use for the rest the settings as for ZoneMusic.

When you are finished , switch to ZoneIntromusic.dbc . Again clone row, create string ect.
#0 Id
#1 Name(string)
#2 Soundentries.dbc ID
#3 Just use 1
#4 Just use 60

Save and switch to areatable.dbc and change the numer in column #9 to the ID from ZoneIntroMusic.

Build the Dbcs into a patch, don't forget to add the mp3s



More unique Tutorials on Wow-Modding can be found here:
Click!

[Reflection]

Approved. Looks good! +7

[I Hypnotoad I]

Great guide!
I never learned it this way, I had to do it manually *Grumble*

+3!

[Eluo]

Thanks! Hope everyone can understand it
Wrote it as easy as i could.

[Squabert]

-Offtopic-

The Modcraft server is still up? I thought the project died awhile ago?

-Ontopic-

Nice guide, It was really easy to follow, Thanks

[Herbalism]

Awesome guide, will be using it. One q though, I still haven't figured out where the DBC files are located?

[popinman322]

Look in your "Data" then you local folder, ex: enUS, find your patch-localHere-3.MPQ and look in DBFilesClient with your favorite MPQ editor. If you you can't find them and you use enUS I'll happily send them to you. :P

[steff]

Take care that the patch files in the local folder also include changed DBCs.
To have always the right files by hand extract all wow date MPQs in order to your harddisk.
Point 4

Nice guide Eluo.
As always

[Herbalism]

I found the MPQ and everything, but I can't open it and view the DBC files