Matrix Games Forums

Jadey's Jams Distant Worlds 2 Music Pack

Mediafire download: https://www.mediafire.com/file/36o9orsb ... 0.zip/file

Google Drive download:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14nNaOb ... sp=sharing

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of these songs. This is a fan project to enhance
the playing experience of one of my favorite series. This is purely for artistic purposes, not
commercial and any artists that disagree with the use of their music can message me on these forums or
email me at thedayisstein@gmail.com and I will be delighted to oblige their request for removal.

What's changed?
I removed a number of ear splitting and redundant music tracks. Multiple new tracks for every
aspect of the game besides the title screen music track. The games 80 music tracks are now numbered
at 310. I have added multiple songs to every level of discovery, combat, industry, peaceful, shipdesign,
research, exploration and even tossed in a track in the Extra folder despite not knowing where it's used.

The tracks have been taken from the following games:
Distant Worlds: Universe (2010-2014)
Master of Orion 2 and Space Empires 5 (shamelessly plucked from RetreatUE)
M.A.X. Mechanized Assault & Xploration (1996)
Mechwarrior 2 (1995)
Mechwarrior 2: Ghost Bear's Legacy (1995)
Mechwarrior 2: Mercenaries (1996)
Tribes 2 (2001)
Satellite Reign (2015)
Quake 2 (1997)
Unreal Tournament (1999)
Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001)

How to install:
To remove the ear splitting tracks, simply

1) Delete (or back up) your music folder located at:

D:\Steam\steamapps\common\Distant Worlds 2\data

Or wherever you have steam and distant worlds install. Often it's in the Program Files (x86) folder.

2) Then copy over the music folder provided in the archive to your Distant World's 2 Data folder.

That's it.

How to install with keeping the ear splitting tracks:
1) Drag and drop the music folder into your Distant Worlds 2 Data folder without first deleting it.
2) Decline to overwrite files
3) ????
4) Profit

How to uninstall: Verifying the integrity of the files through steam should get things back to vanilla.

Or just swap the new music folder out with your backed up one. Enjoy, grognerds. Due to the varied natures of tracks, it can be slightly awkward as you switch aspects and the tracks blend with fading... but so far I've really been enjoying the stylistic change of pace.
<3 Jadey

For those curious about what music folders do what:
Subfolders in music:
Discovery: music that plays when you search ruins or whatnot, three levels of intensity.
Action: combat, three levels of intensity.
Industry: System View
Peaceful: Galaxy View
Research: Research Window
Ship Design: Ship designer
Exploration: ? not sure where that's used just yet and will edit the post when I find out. Spent all my gameplay hours tonight making this mod.
Extra: Not sure yet.

The audio file sitting plainly in the music folder that's not in a subfolder is the title screen track.

Jadey wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 5:24 am For those curious about what music folders do what:
(...)
Peaceful: Galaxy View
(...)
Exploration: ? not sure where that's used just yet and will edit the post when I find out. Spent all my gameplay hours tonight making this mod.
(...)

The files in the "Exploration"-folder and also in the "Peaceful"-folder (sadly) are used randomly for the System-/Location-views, too, but not for all races you can play (or at least I didn't hear some of them for some races, yet). You can easily check this in putting only 1 file in each of the folders and make new games with the several races/factions.

I encountered this so far:

Exploration -> Human, Zenox, Haakonish
Peaceful -> Ackdarian, Teekan, Zenox, Human, and even Mortalen and Boskara (wtf ?)
Industry -> Haakonish, Human, Boskara

But you're also right that in the Galaxy-/Region- view only those files out of the "Peaceful"-folder are played - but sadly not exclusively. :/

Hey - that's a really nice music-compilation - thank you very much.

frankycl wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:16 pm

Jadey wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 5:24 am For those curious about what music folders do what:
(...)
Peaceful: Galaxy View
(...)
Exploration: ? not sure where that's used just yet and will edit the post when I find out. Spent all my gameplay hours tonight making this mod.
(...)

The files in the "Exploration"-folder and also in the "Peaceful"-folder (sadly) are used randomly for the System-/Location-views, too, but not for all races you can play (or at least I didn't hear some of them for some races, yet). You can easily check this in putting only 1 file in each of the folders and make new games with the several races/factions.

I encountered this so far:

Exploration -> Human, Zenox, Haakonish
Peaceful -> Ackdarian, Teekan, Zenox, Human, and even Mortalen and Boskara (wtf ?)
Industry -> Haakonish, Human, Boskara

But you're also right that in the Galaxy-/Region- view only those files out of the "Peaceful"-folder are played - but sadly not exclusively. :/

I'll have to do some testing but if that's how the music is pulled I'll readjust it accordingly for more enhanced flavor. Perhaps user similar composers for similar factions. Apparently there's a way to modify track transition times and whatnot, I'll see what I can do to polish this up. Glad you enjoy it

As far as I'm aware though the Industry tracks play with Teekans zoomed in. Fun note, I'm not sure how well it'd be heard with the current music transitions, but I also included "Bitchin' Betty" with her "Reactor Online, Weapons Online, All Systems Nominal" line from MW2:Mercenaries.

But right now just panning around the galaxy and not playing I'm definitely feeling it so much more than vanilla.

Jadey wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:37 pm (...)
Apparently there's a way to modify track transition times and whatnot, (...)

Oh, I didn't know this, so far; - how do you do this ?

Jadey wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:37 pm Fun note, I'm not sure how well it'd be heard with the current music transitions, but I also included "Bitchin' Betty" with her "Reactor Online, Weapons Online, All Systems Nominal" line from MW2:Mercenaries.

Haha - I can remember this, too - Yes, that's a great Idea - especially for the "low" Action-folder.

frankycl wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 2:52 pm

Jadey wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 12:37 pm (...)
Apparently there's a way to modify track transition times and whatnot, (...)

Oh, I didn't know this, so far; - how do you do this ?

The guy who made it created a thread here. He's much more clever with investigating the source files than I am.
I'm going to play around with it when I get a chance and when I find decent settings add it to version 1.1 of the music mod.
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 9&t=380943

In the music folder there are also FullExports of music. What are they actually there for?

Jadey wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 4:22 pm The guy who made it created a thread here. He's much more clever with investigating the source files than I am.
(...)
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 9&t=380943

Hey, thats very nice, too - thanks for the link.
(didn't know that they are already busy with DW2 on github)

Nilserich7 wrote: Mon Mar 14, 2022 5:09 pm In the music folder there are also FullExports of music. What are they actually there for?

That's the title screen song.