Music is an integral part of a level, adding to its atmosphere.
Unreal Engine 1
First engine generation games use Module files encapsulated in special Music(RTNP, U1, UT) objects, which are usually stored in their own packages with the extension UMX.
Supported formats:
- Amiga modules (.mod)
- Scream Tracker 3 (.s3m)
- Scream Tracker 2 (.stm)
- Impulse Tracker (.it)
- Fast Tracker (.xm)
- Farandole (.far)
- ComposD (.669)
Unreal, including the mission pack Return to NaPali, mainly uses S3M format for level music, with some IT tracks mixed in. UT almost exclusively uses the IT format for stock maps. Exceptions are Mech8, which is S3M format, and Firebr, which is in XM format.
See also:
- Legacy:Music
- Legacy:MusicEvent
- Legacy:Importing_Music
Unreal Engine 2
Second generation games like UT2004 use external Ogg Vorbis files as level music. While the Vorbis format providing much better quality than module files, OGG files are no Unreal packages and thus can't be downloaded by clients. The music player in UT2004 can also play MP3 files, but those cannot be used as level music.
Unreal Engine 3
Third generation games no longer have a dedicated music format. Instead, looping stereo sounds can be used as level music. UT3 crossfades between various music tracks, depending on the gameplay situation.