Skip to content

Point Entities Ambients and Sound Effects

Josiah Jack edited this page Jul 10, 2021 · 1 revision

There are numerous looped sound effects, called ambients. Most of them are the same and simply change the default sound file that is played. Alternatively, ambient_custom_looping can be used in place of any of these so long as you know what sound file to specify.

Some sounds are looping, others are non-looped sounds played via trigger. Some ambients play non-looped sounds that get played at randomized intervals. Certain specialized ambients will play multiple different randomly picked non-looped sounds at randomized intervals; these are typically named ambient_custom_ at the beginning of their name, such as ambient_custom_wind or ambient_custom_wood. These features are extremely popular and have many different various implementations in almost all mods.

Standard Ambient Noises

These are simply static location, looping sound effects that play the same sound file over and over indefinitely. These can have their volume and falloff adjusted at map start but cannot be changed once the level has finished starting.

All of the following entities in this table have these common attributes:

spawnflags - Set 8 Global to play this ambient sound everywhere all the time. Not recommended unless for small maps in between larger levels. volume - Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume. 0.5 is default for the ambients in the table below. speed - Set to one of the following to specify the falloff attenuation. This affects the distance the sound will be heard.

  • 0: Plays everywhere (same as setting spawnflags 8 above)
  • 1: Default
  • 2: Idle (not as noticeable)
  • 3: Static (bit shorter)
  • 4: Quiet (small radius, still barely audible at longer distances but fades out quicker)

.

Entity Name Sound File Used Description
ambient_bublfals ambience/bublfals.wav Bubbly waterfall
ambient_comp_hum ambience/comp1.wav Computer beeping and fan noises, subtle
ambient_drain ambience/drain.wav Drain gargling
ambient_drip ambience/drip1.wav Ultra-classic echoey drip noise in a cave or on pipes or wherever
ambient_drone ambience/drone6.wav Engine/machinery sound, typically used on slipgates
ambient_eerie ambience/rych1.wav Eerie humming
ambient_factory ambience/factory.wav Factory type machinery noises
ambient_fan_blowing ambience/fanblow.wav Fan blowing
ambient_flies ambience/bugs.wav Nehahra flies buzzing
ambient_flouro_buzz ambience/buzz1.wav Fluorescent Light Buzzing Noise with pauses, yes flouro is a typo [sic]
ambient_flys misc/flys.wav Hipnotic flies buzzing
ambient_grinder ambience/grinder.wav Grinding churning noise
ambient_hevifals ambience/hevifals.wav Heavy waterfall
ambient_highwind ambience/highwind.wav Wind noise
ambient_hum1or ambient_teleport ambience/hum1.wav Teleporter noise, the breathy noise used by trigger_teleport
ambient_humming ambience/humming.wav spawnflags 4 changes to Nehahra's sound effect (ambience/maydn.wav) that it used on its ambient_humming entities. Provided for completeness.
ambient_lapping ambience/wat_amb.wav Gentle water noise, useful for edges of pools or by dock posts.
ambient_lapping2 ambience/wat_cave.wav Similar to lapping but more echoey as if in a cave.
ambient_lavagurg ambience/lavagurg.wav Lava Gurgling Noise, deeper pitched than water gurgling, sounds viscous
ambient_light_buzz ambience/fl_hum1.wav Steady fluorescent Light Buzzing Noise
ambient_machines ambience/begths.wav Loud Machines
ambient_nehum ambience/filt.wav Humming
ambient_rain ambience/rain.wav Change count to 0 for Rain Runoff (default), 1 for Steady Rain (ambience/rain3.wav), or 2 for Heavy Rain (ambience/rain2.wav). Uses ambience/rain3.wav if count is higher than 2 or lower than 0.
ambient_riftpower ambience/riftpowr.wav Riftpower
ambient_running_lava ambience/runlava.wav Lava river
ambient_running_water ambience/runwater.wav Water river
ambient_rushing ambience/rushing.wav Whirring
ambient_sizzle ambience/amsizl.wav Cooking sizzle
ambient_stargate_hum ambience/sgatehum.wav Stargate humming
ambient_suck_wind ambience/suck1.wav Classic sky wind noise used outdoors
ambient_swamp1 ambience/swamp1.wav Frogs croaking
ambient_swamp2 ambience/swamp2.wav Frogs croaking B
ambient_swamp3 ambience/swamp3.wav Frogs croaking C
ambient_teeth ambience/teeth.wav Teeth chomp chomp chomp
ambient_thrum ambience/thrum.wav Thrum
ambient_thunder ambience/thunder1.wav Constant Thundering
ambient_waterfall ambience/waterfal.wav Waterfall
ambient_water_fall ambience/wat_fall.wav Waterfall B
ambient_whnoise ambience/whn.wav Weird Humming
ambient_zzxzz ambience/flash.wav Strange Machinery

Specialty Ambient Noises

ambient_custom_chime

Randomly plays chime sounds at randomized intervals. Can be enabled or disabled using the entity state system.

Key Type Default Description
noise string ad171/ambience/chimes.wav Set to the sound file to play. Do not include quotation marks.
wait integer 10 Maximum interval time.
delay integer 10 Minimum interval time.
waitmin integer 10-20 Initial minimum interval time before first playing sound after enabling.
waitmin2 boolean (0 or 1) -1 Set to 1 to prevent from turning off on subsequent targeting.
spawnflags 2 0 Play only once when targeted
64 0 Starts off. Must have targetname set!

.

ambient_custom_loop or ambient_generalpurpose or ambient_custom_water

Useful to set a custom looping ambient noise.

Key Type Default Description
noise string Set to the sound file to play, for example ambient/demonwind.wav. Do not include quotation marks.
volume integer 1 Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume.

.

ambient_custom_rain

Plays one of 3 different rain types looping. Must be targeted to start.

Key Type Default Description
count integer 0 Default Rain
1 Fast Dripping
2 Downpour
volume integer 1 Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume.
impulse integer 0 The sound channel to use; must be in the range 0 - 7.
speed integer 1 Set normal falloff attenuation. This affects the distance the sound will be heard.
0 Plays everwhere
2 Idle (not as noticeable)
3 Static (bit shorter)
4 Quiet (small radius, still barely audible at longer distances but fades out quicker)
delay integer 2 Minimum interval time.
spawnflags integer 64 Always starts off. Cannot be changed.

Sounds to play:

  • ad171/ambience/rain1_nl.wav
  • ad171/ambience/rain2_nl.wav

.

ambient_custom_rumble

Randomly plays low rumbling sounds at randomized intervals. Can be enabled or disabled using the entity state system.

Key Type Default Description
count integer 0 Pick different sound to start random seed from, 0 through 2
volume integer 0.5 Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume.
speed integer 1 Set normal falloff attenuation. This affects the distance the sound will be heard.
0 Plays everwhere
2 Idle (not as noticeable)
3 Static (bit shorter)
4 Quiet (small radius, still barely audible at longer distances but fades out quicker)
wait integer 20 Maximum interval time.
delay integer 20 Minimum interval time.
waitmin integer 6-12 Initial start time.
spawnflags 2 0 Play only once when targeted
64 0 Starts off. Must have targetname set!

Sounds to play:

  • ad171/ambience/rumble1.wav
  • ad171/ambience/rumble2.wav
  • ad171/ambience/rumble3.wav

.

ambient_custom_sound

Plays one of 3 different sounds at randomized interval. Can be enabled or disabled using the entity state system.

Key Type Default Description
target string 2 If set, will run targets when making noise, useful for lights, sparks, etc.
noise string Set to the 1st sound file to play, for example ambient/demonwind.wav. Do not include quotation marks.
noise1 string Set to the 1st sound file to play, for example ambient/demonwind.wav. Do not include quotation marks.
noise2 string Set to the 1st sound file to play, for example ambient/demonwind.wav. Do not include quotation marks.
volume integer 1 Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume.
impulse integer 0 The sound channel to use; must be in the range 0 - 7.
speed integer 1 Set normal falloff attenuation. This affects the distance the sound will be heard.
0 Plays everwhere
2 Idle (not as noticeable)
3 Static (bit shorter)
4 Quiet (small radius, still barely audible at longer distances but fades out quicker)
wait integer 20 Maximum interval time.
delay integer 2 Minimum interval time.
waitmin integer 2 Initial minimum interval time before first playing sound after enabling.
waitmin2 boolean (0 or 1) 2 Set to 1 to prevent from turning off on subsequent targeting.
spawnflags 2 0 Play only once when targeted
64 0 Starts off. Must have targetname set!

.

ambient_custom_wind

Randomly plays wind gust sounds at randomized intervals. Can be enabled or disabled using the entity state system.

Key Type Default Description
count integer 0 Pick different sound to start random seed from, 0 through 5
volume integer 1 Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume.
speed integer 1 Set normal falloff attenuation. This affects the distance the sound will be heard.
0 Plays everwhere
2 Idle (not as noticeable)
3 Static (bit shorter)
4 Quiet (small radius, still barely audible at longer distances but fades out quicker)
wait integer 10 Maximum interval time.
delay integer 10 Minimum interval time.
waitmin integer 4-8 Initial start time.
spawnflags 2 0 Play only once when targeted
64 0 Starts off. Must have targetname set!

Sounds to play:

  • ad171/ambience/windgust1.wav
  • ad171/ambience/windgust2.wav
  • ad171/ambience/windgust3.wav
  • ad171/ambience/windgust4.wav
  • ad171/ambience/windgust5.wav
  • ad171/ambience/windgust6.wav

.

ambient_custom_wood

Randomly plays wood creaking sounds at randomized intervals. Can be enabled or disabled using the entity state system.

Key Type Default Description
count integer 0 Pick different sound to start random seed from, 0 through 3
volume integer 1 Set to a value from 0 to 1, 0 is silent, 1 is full volume.
speed integer 2 Set normal falloff attenuation. This affects the distance the sound will be heard.
0 Plays everwhere
2 Idle (not as noticeable)
3 Static (bit shorter)
4 Quiet (small radius, still barely audible at longer distances but fades out quicker)
wait integer 30 Maximum interval time.
delay integer 15 Minimum interval time.
waitmin integer 8-16 Initial start time.
spawnflags 2 0 Play only once when targeted
64 0 Starts off. Must have targetname set!

Sounds to play:

  • ad171/ambience/woodcreak2a.wav
  • ad171/ambience/woodcreak2b.wav
  • ad171/ambience/woodcreak2c.wav
  • ad171/ambience/woodcreak2d.wav