Preload Sounds

Version History

Build Version	Change Date	Change Type	Description
676042	2025-06-21	stable	Current version

Overview

The preloadsounds.lua module manages the preloading of sound files for Don't Starve Together. It defines comprehensive sound file lists and provides functions to efficiently preload audio assets, reducing loading times during gameplay and ensuring smooth audio playback.

Sound Lists

DLCSounds

Type: table

Status: stable

Description: Array of DLC-specific sound files that are loaded when Reign of Giants DLC is installed.

Contents:

{
    "amb_stream.fsb",
    "bearger.fsb",
    "buzzard.fsb",
    "catcoon.fsb",
    "deciduous.fsb",
    "DLC_music.fsb",
    "dontstarve_DLC001.fev",
    "dragonfly.fsb",
    "glommer.fsb",
    "goosemoose.fsb",
    "lightninggoat.fsb",
    "mole.fsb",
    "stuff.fsb",
    "vargr.fsb",
    "wathgrithr.fsb",
    "webber.fsb"
}

MainSounds

Type: table

Status: stable

Description: Array of core sound files that are always loaded in the base game, including character sounds, creature sounds, ambient audio, and event-specific music.

Key Categories:

• Character Sounds: Individual character voice files (wilson.fsb, willow.fsb, etc.)
• Creature Sounds: Animal and monster audio (beefalo.fsb, spider.fsb, etc.)
• Ambient Audio: Environmental sounds (forest.fsb, cave_AMB.fsb, etc.)
• Event Music: Seasonal and special event audio files
• Core Systems: Basic game audio (common.fsb, sfx.fsb, music.fsb)

Functions

PreloadSoundList(list)

Status: stable

Description: Preloads all sound files specified in the provided list by calling TheSim:PreloadFile() for each file with the "sound/" path prefix.

Parameters:

• list (table): Array of sound file names to preload

Returns:

• (void): No return value

Example:

local custom_sounds = {"custom_music.fsb", "custom_sfx.fsb"}
PreloadSoundList(custom_sounds)

PreloadSounds()

Status: stable

Description: Main function that orchestrates the preloading of all sound files. Conditionally loads DLC sounds if Reign of Giants is installed, loads all main sounds, and handles special event music selection based on current world settings.

Parameters:

• None

Returns:

• (void): No return value

Logic Flow:

1. Checks if Reign of Giants DLC is installed via IsDLCInstalled(REIGN_OF_GIANTS)
2. If DLC is present, preloads DLC sound list
3. Always preloads main sound list
4. Dynamically selects and preloads special event music based on:
   • WORLD_FESTIVAL_EVENT setting
   • WORLD_SPECIAL_EVENT setting
   • Falls back to "music_frontend.fsb" if no special events

Example:

-- Called during game initialization
PreloadSounds()

Sound File Organization

File Types

Extension	Purpose	Description
.fsb	FMOD Sound Bank	Compressed audio container with multiple sounds
.fev	FMOD Event File	Audio event definitions and parameters

Naming Conventions

• Character Files: [character_name].fsb (e.g., wilson.fsb, willow.fsb)
• Creature Files: [creature_name].fsb (e.g., spider.fsb, beefalo.fsb)
• Event Files: [event_name].fev and [event_name].fsb pairs
• System Files: Descriptive names (common.fsb, sfx.fsb, music.fsb)

Special Event Music Handling

The system dynamically loads event-specific music based on world configuration:

PreloadSoundList({
    (FESTIVAL_EVENT_MUSIC[WORLD_FESTIVAL_EVENT] ~= nil and 
     FESTIVAL_EVENT_MUSIC[WORLD_FESTIVAL_EVENT].bank) or
    (SPECIAL_EVENT_MUSIC[WORLD_SPECIAL_EVENT] ~= nil and 
     SPECIAL_EVENT_MUSIC[WORLD_SPECIAL_EVENT].bank) or
    "music_frontend.fsb",
})

Priority Order:

1. Festival event music (if active festival)
2. Special event music (if active special event)
3. Default frontend music (fallback)

Dependencies

Required Modules

• dlcsupport: DLC detection and compatibility functions

External References

• TheSim:PreloadFile(): Engine function for file preloading
• IsDLCInstalled(): DLC detection function
• FESTIVAL_EVENT_MUSIC: Festival music configuration constant
• SPECIAL_EVENT_MUSIC: Special event music configuration constant
• WORLD_FESTIVAL_EVENT: Current world festival setting
• WORLD_SPECIAL_EVENT: Current world special event setting

Performance Considerations

Preloading Benefits

• Reduced Loading Times: Files are cached in memory before needed
• Smooth Audio Transitions: No delays when switching between sounds
• Improved User Experience: Eliminates audio stuttering during gameplay

Memory Usage

• Sound files are loaded into memory during initialization
• DLC sounds only loaded when relevant DLC is installed
• Event-specific music loaded dynamically based on world settings

Usage Patterns

Game Initialization

-- Called during game startup
PreloadSounds()

Mod Integration

-- Mods can extend preloading for custom sounds
local mod_sounds = {"mod_character.fsb", "mod_creatures.fsb"}
PreloadSoundList(mod_sounds)

Conditional Loading

-- Example of conditional sound loading
if some_condition then
    PreloadSoundList({"conditional_sounds.fsb"})
end

Related Modules

• constants: Contains event music configuration tables
• dlcsupport: DLC detection and compatibility functions
• main: Game initialization system that calls PreloadSounds()

Notes

• The module is loaded before constants.lua, so event music constants are only accessed within function calls
• Special event music configuration is defined in constants.lua but accessed dynamically
• All sound files are loaded from the "sound/" directory path
• The system gracefully handles missing DLC by conditional loading