Since the original thread in which this topic was discussed was lost during the Great Server Crash of 2009, I will once again share this HD space-saving tip.
Someplace outside of your sim installs, create a folder called MOTOR or SOUND PACKS or BILLY BOB...the name doesn't matter..just as long as you know that the folder is going to be used to hold all of your individual motor sound packs.
Once you have this master folder created, begin placing your sound packs inside of it...in their own individual folders. Name the folders to reflect the plane or engine that the sound pack represents. F4F, B-17, B-25, F4 Phantom, DB601, Pratt and Whitney R-985, Wright Cyclone, etc. This is very important...as each sound pack must be maintained in its own separate folder...complete with the sound config file that goes with that sound pack.
Once you have all your sould folders moved/copied into this master (MOTOR, SOUND PACKS, BILLY BOB, what ever you named it folder), not begins the work of aliasing all your planes to pull the required sounds from one of the sound packs inside that master folder.
Open a plane, say the A6M2 Zero for instance. Make sure the plane has a SOUND folder (for those who moved their sound folders to the Master folder instead of doing a copy and paste). Inside the SOUND folder, you will need only 1 file...a Sound.CFG file. This file will tell the sim where to look for engine sounds for the plane. The Sound.CFG file will contain 2 lines:
[FLTSIM]
Alias=XXXXXXX
The XXXXXX represents the directory address for the needed sound pack. Here is how the sound config file in my A6M2 Zero looks:
[FLTSIM]
Alias=C:\MOTOR\Zero
On C drive, I have a folder called MOTOR into which I place all of my sound packs (263 of them at this time). And inside the MOTOR folder, there is a folder called Zero, and inside that folder are the files from Lawdog's amazing Zero sound package.
I use this method for storing and sharing all of my sound packs. All of the planes in my collection, which is pretty close to 3000 between CFS2 and FS2004, use a sound pack contained within the MOTOR folder. There are a few helicopters that have their sound files in their own SOUND folder...but other than that, all of my planes are aliased to a sound pack found within the MOTOR folder.
And yes, your sound packs can be shared between multiple installs of CFS2, between different sims (CFS2, FS2002, FS2004......CFS3 has a different structure in the way sound config files are set up and can not share sound packs with CFS2 or the Flight Sim line..or at least I don't think so...I have taken CFS3 sound packs and modified them to work with CFS2/FS2004).
The amount of hard drive space I saved by setting up a central Sound Pack system is insane. I have sound packs that are as small as 2.5 megs, and I have a few that are over 15 megs in size. By sharing one sound pack between all the instances of a plane that use that sound pack, you can see some rather large HD space savings. And it makes it easier to back up your sound packs as well.
I hope this was clear enough and that I have not left anyone stratching their heads in confusion. If so, just ask for clarification.
OBIO
Someplace outside of your sim installs, create a folder called MOTOR or SOUND PACKS or BILLY BOB...the name doesn't matter..just as long as you know that the folder is going to be used to hold all of your individual motor sound packs.
Once you have this master folder created, begin placing your sound packs inside of it...in their own individual folders. Name the folders to reflect the plane or engine that the sound pack represents. F4F, B-17, B-25, F4 Phantom, DB601, Pratt and Whitney R-985, Wright Cyclone, etc. This is very important...as each sound pack must be maintained in its own separate folder...complete with the sound config file that goes with that sound pack.
Once you have all your sould folders moved/copied into this master (MOTOR, SOUND PACKS, BILLY BOB, what ever you named it folder), not begins the work of aliasing all your planes to pull the required sounds from one of the sound packs inside that master folder.
Open a plane, say the A6M2 Zero for instance. Make sure the plane has a SOUND folder (for those who moved their sound folders to the Master folder instead of doing a copy and paste). Inside the SOUND folder, you will need only 1 file...a Sound.CFG file. This file will tell the sim where to look for engine sounds for the plane. The Sound.CFG file will contain 2 lines:
[FLTSIM]
Alias=XXXXXXX
The XXXXXX represents the directory address for the needed sound pack. Here is how the sound config file in my A6M2 Zero looks:
[FLTSIM]
Alias=C:\MOTOR\Zero
On C drive, I have a folder called MOTOR into which I place all of my sound packs (263 of them at this time). And inside the MOTOR folder, there is a folder called Zero, and inside that folder are the files from Lawdog's amazing Zero sound package.
I use this method for storing and sharing all of my sound packs. All of the planes in my collection, which is pretty close to 3000 between CFS2 and FS2004, use a sound pack contained within the MOTOR folder. There are a few helicopters that have their sound files in their own SOUND folder...but other than that, all of my planes are aliased to a sound pack found within the MOTOR folder.
And yes, your sound packs can be shared between multiple installs of CFS2, between different sims (CFS2, FS2002, FS2004......CFS3 has a different structure in the way sound config files are set up and can not share sound packs with CFS2 or the Flight Sim line..or at least I don't think so...I have taken CFS3 sound packs and modified them to work with CFS2/FS2004).
The amount of hard drive space I saved by setting up a central Sound Pack system is insane. I have sound packs that are as small as 2.5 megs, and I have a few that are over 15 megs in size. By sharing one sound pack between all the instances of a plane that use that sound pack, you can see some rather large HD space savings. And it makes it easier to back up your sound packs as well.
I hope this was clear enough and that I have not left anyone stratching their heads in confusion. If so, just ask for clarification.
OBIO
The guy asks a question, and I mention both of your previous guidances along with Jaxon and the whole instruction gets reprinted. We should maybe update the FAQ's with these instructions as well as some other culminative knowledge. I know it was at Simviation but that hasn't been updated in years.
:ernae: