Staredit Network > Forums > SC1 UMS Mapmaking Assistance > Topic: How exactly to extract .wav files from .scx file?
How exactly to extract .wav files from .scx file?
Mar 9 2019, 7:27 pm
By: sethmachine  

Mar 9 2019, 7:27 pm sethmachine Post #1



Hi,

I have an MPQ library that lets me pull the .chk file out with no problem:

Code
def extract_chk(infile, outfile=None):
   """Extracts the .chk file from a .scx/.scm.  File paths must be absolute.

   :param infile: absolute path to a .scx/.scm Starcraft scenario map file
   :param outfile: output .chk file; if None, uses the basename of the infile plus the .chk extension
   :return:
   """
   if not outfile:
       outdir = os.path.dirname(infile)
       bn = os.path.basename(infile)
       name, ext = os.path.splitext(bn)
       outfile = os.path.join(outdir, name + '.chk')
   with pyw3x.archive.open_archive(infile, 'r') as a:
       a.extract_file('staredit\\scenario.chk', outfile)


But where are the .wav files stored? I need to know the path to extract them. For example, .chk file is stored under "staredit\\scenario.chk".

Thanks!



None.

Mar 11 2019, 7:45 pm poiuy_qwert Post #2

PyMS and ProTRG developer

The wav files are stored with any path, they are not static. When you import a wav, the path is stored in the maps string section, and the trigger references that string by ID. If you want to extract all wav's, you can generally just extract all files from the MPQ (for most standard maps, there is only the .chk and .wav files) and ignore the .chk. If you want to get the .wav files that are actually used by the triggers, you must loop over all the triggers, then loop over all their actions to find actions which use sounds, lookup the string they are referencing in the string section by the ID in the action, then extract the file with that path.




Mar 11 2019, 10:10 pm jjf28 Post #3

Cartography Artisan

Note that there are two kinds of WAVs, a regular WAV which gets added in your map file similar to scenario.chk, and a virtual WAV which resides in the StarCraft MPQ files (patch_rt.mpq, broodat.mpq, stardat.mpq).

Both as poiuy said are just map strings, all of the data in the WAV section is not technically required (but it can help keep track of WAVs not used in triggers yet) - just take the wavStringId from triggers, get the string at that index in the STR section, and extract the file from your map using that string as the path (or check it against the list of virtual WAVs).

Here's my copy of the virtual WAV list: https://github.com/jjf28/Chkdraft/blob/feature/fundamental-refactoring/MappingCoreLib/Basics.cpp#L482



TheNitesWhoSay - Clan Aura - github

Reached the top of StarCraft theory crafting 2:12 AM CST, August 2nd, 2014.

Mar 11 2019, 11:24 pm Suicidal Insanity Post #4

I see you !

Out of curiosity: Is that list different than just parsing the sound table file directly?




Mar 11 2019, 11:39 pm jjf28 Post #5

Cartography Artisan

Out of curiosity: Is that list different than just parsing the sound table file directly?

It shouldn't be any different, I don't remember exactly how I generated it tbh; the reason it was hardcoded was because of older architecture decisions that would have made it a hindrance to developing code in MappingCore (e.g. can't validate against the virtual wav list in the Scenario or MapFile class's add wav methods) which at this point I now have the tools (abstracted/extensible platform-independent file browsers and default parameters for instance) to get around - so I'll eventually have the code load it from the SC data files or use the hardcoded version as a backup.



TheNitesWhoSay - Clan Aura - github

Reached the top of StarCraft theory crafting 2:12 AM CST, August 2nd, 2014.

Mar 11 2019, 11:44 pm Suicidal Insanity Post #6

I see you !

Ok, just was wondering whether I was missing any files.

I don't validate in the mapping level - the UI validates the text / allows explicit override, and the UI has access to the game data.

On the flip side, my list of AI scripts is hardcoded, instead of parsing the tables. That was just laziness + adding user friendly names xD




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[11:38 pm]
Symmetry -- :wob:
[04:56 am]
Ultraviolet -- I suppose we'll likely never know, but my guess would be that they already saw it operating successfully and there was no monetary incentive to finish the original work. And the dev cycle in old school Blizzard was so hectic, it's possible it just got forgotten about after the original game got released. Plus there's an element of existing MPQ files that were packaged with the original discs becoming outdated if they updated it. And it's not like they remade the original MPQs, they just made new ones for BW specifically
[04:26 am]
Oh_Man -- so that makes me think maybe the theory they are unfinished is not true and its a deliberate design decision, coz why not finish them wen ur making brood war?
[04:25 am]
Oh_Man -- the thing is thos buildings are from classic. that means they went ahead and made brood war without ever finishing the 'unfinished' buildings
[2026-6-20. : 6:15 pm]
Ultraviolet -- Yeah he's talked about a lot of that stuff in his casts before. It seems plausible. Especially knowing how Blizzard of yesteryear operated.
[2026-6-20. : 3:47 pm]
NudeRaider -- to clarify: couldn't recall the behavior for every single Protoss building but I was aware the disparity exists.
[2026-6-20. : 3:43 pm]
NudeRaider -- Contained nothing new for me. Didn't know all building's behavior, but very much all unit's. Also Terran balance whine - also nothing new :lol:
[2026-6-19. : 9:57 am]
Oh_Man -- makes me wonder if SEN knows anything about the topic
[2026-6-19. : 9:57 am]
Oh_Man -- artosis dropped pretty interesting vid: https://youtu.be/EqZHB8Blra4
[2026-6-18. : 5:01 pm]
Ultraviolet -- :wob:
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