Music Player

[KarlKFI]

Many people have asked for a music player in WoW and in Cosmos. There have been numerous attempts such as myMusic and wTunes. They came in two general formats. One read music files from the addon folder or wow directory and gave you that limited selection to play with in game. The others ran a script in the background to let you control external music players in-game. This second method has been disabled in WoW 1.6. So that leaves us with only a possibility for either moving all your music to the WoW addons folder and using some slow in-game loader/player or just having a few tracks.

No one has come up with a simple, clean and efficient way to do this that meets our demanding quality standards. Thus there is no such addon in Cosmos and none of the current developers are anxious to start working on one any time soon.

However, If you find one you really like, feel free to suggest it for people to try out. We're always looking for the newest and greatest.

[greedyfly2874]

I have found this player to work the best. It works with Winamp, Itunes and Foobar. You just have to have a small outside application open to run it, but minimizing it to taskbar makes it out of the way. But it currently works just fine with 1.7 ... check it out

http://www.wowguru.com/ui/wowplayer--winampitunespcmacfoobar-in-wow/

[screw579]

I have found this player to work the best. It works with Winamp, Itunes and Foobar. You just have to have a small outside application open to run it, but minimizing it to taskbar makes it out of the way. But it currently works just fine with 1.7 ... check it out

Could someone explain this bit too me...

[Imperceptus]

Seeing lua has some pretty big restrictions with Multi Threading, a secondary program is run in this instance that handles commands passed between WoW and the Music Player. If WoW Lua is allowed to use shell commands then you could make a very simple music player that would pump out tunes from winamp (just an example). Easiest way to do this and not knowing anything would be to get yourself Visual Basic then check out search on vL website. Learn how to read arguments passed on command, and you should be set. Not overly hard, just time consuming with testing.

[apoc]

I find the best thing to use is simply the latest winamp with hotkeys set up. I would like a frame ingame that displays some info about the track tho...

[wingman2]

you could use the mind twist plugin for winamp it alows controll of winamp by a joystick

[sibbor]

I'm the author of "myMusic" and just wanted to tell you guys that I'll try to fix "myMusic" so it fits into Cosmos quality standards.

I've been making some updates latley and will make more in the near future.

[voidwalker]

in case you have a keyboard with music control on the side, you can uce any normal music player, and just uce the music control on the side, of the keyboard and if you want to change the music list, then you just minimize the game you play

thats what i do....

[docnasty]

Hey Guys,

Funny Enough, I've written a music player, that doesn't have any major dependencies...It doesn't suck up any memory...much less than itunes/winamp/etc. runs in the system tray.

My big question coming here, is how do i connect to it using the WowUI and LUA. I need like a cheesy hello world to send info back and forth to a 3rd party application. Once I figure that out, I'll be able to go back and forth with it. BTW, the kewl thing about my audio, is that it's got an independent sound/volume system. It doesn't interfere with the anything else.

If anyone has a quick tutorial on how to remote control a 3rd party app, and recieve data back and forth, i'll have you a music player ready by the first of the year...Just need to make sure the code is commented out, and if you're available to answer questions...that would outstanding.

~Doc

[PleegWat]

That's the whole point. The libraries needed to do that are not available in the version of LUA included in WoW.

EDIT: Just thought of something else. Probably you can set WoW as a maximized window, and set the music player as stay on top. A music player that can be controlled with a minimized window, like winamp, would be best for this.

[morbid_o]

Hey Guys,

Funny Enough, I've written a music player, that doesn't have any major dependencies...It doesn't suck up any memory...much less than itunes/winamp/etc. runs in the system tray.

My big question coming here, is how do i connect to it using the WowUI and LUA. I need like a cheesy hello world to send info back and forth to a 3rd party application. Once I figure that out, I'll be able to go back and forth with it. BTW, the kewl thing about my audio, is that it's got an independent sound/volume system. It doesn't interfere with the anything else.

If anyone has a quick tutorial on how to remote control a 3rd party app, and recieve data back and forth, i'll have you a music player ready by the first of the year...Just need to make sure the code is commented out, and if you're available to answer questions...that would outstanding.

~Doc

I don't know if you've checked out the TOS/EULA bit about third party applications...

[docnasty]

I don't know if you've checked out the TOS/EULA bit about third party applications...

Well, if you can remote Itunes and Winamp, and warden doesn't pick it up, I don't see what the big deal is.

[PleegWat]

Well, there's the legal deal.

And there's Blizzard kicking out UI modding if it they can't fix the abuse possibilities.

[morbid_o]

I don't know if you've checked out the TOS/EULA bit about third party applications...

Well, if you can remote Itunes and Winamp, and warden doesn't pick it up, I don't see what the big deal is.

sure, your choice.

[Logdan]

Running a ***** along side of WoW that interacts with WoW directly (such as reading a real time output file) is against the TOS, regardless of what it actually does.

Also, in 1.9, the last method of transfer in real time (keybindings saving in real time) will be closed.

[docnasty]

So, change 1, change 2

Keybindings are out, and so is anything that reads the realfile output table.....

okay, that leaves me with something that hooks the window, and displays a form ontop of the wow window in a certain spot....without flicker...(flicker is the big key here)

Without pouring thru all the TOS, does anyone know if thats considered illegal?

[PleegWat]

Since it hooks WoW output, it probably is.

I'd recommend using WoW as a maximized window and setting the player to be always on top.

[morbid_o]

I'm pretty sure it's possible to force something to be on top when WoW is in fullscreen as well. actually, I'm almost positive that NView or whatever crap my video card came with can do it, but that isn't an option that everyone has.

[docnasty]

Well, I've got 3 monitors on my system, so i should be able to test it in both window'd and fullscreen mode....i just need to do some majic..

I'll post demos here eventually, and then will start taking features requests on a separate website, because if it is found to be an abomination from the bliz kids, i don't want cosmos takien down..

Thanks.

[doc_brown]

For people using XP/2K, you can use the myMusic with out having to move all your tracks under the WoW folder.

To do this you use the junction command in XP/2k (Only on NTFS drives). This functions similar to a unix symlink.

You can download a handy utility to make junctions at http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Junction.html. Microsoft also has a tool in the resource kit called linkd that does the same thing. Finally (for the brave or crazy) you can edit the HD data directly via some other utility.

This is what I've done. I have my \wow\data\MyMusic directory linked to where I store all my MP3's (on a different partation on the same drive). I don't know if junctions will function across physical drives but it's worth a try.

[glytcher]

what about something that works with winamp? like in game you type /next to go to the next song, or /back to go to the last song. and /mp3 will tell you whats playing... thats what stealthbot for b.net is like...
i use winamp, and since theres nothing like this yet, i just use the external commands, you should be able to find them in the options, its commands such as crtl+alt+insert to play, crtl+alt+end to stop, crtl+alt+page down/up to go next or back in your song list and crtl+alt+home to pause...

[morbid_o]

what about something that works with winamp? like in game you type /next to go to the next song, or /back to go to the last song. and /mp3 will tell you whats playing... thats what stealthbot for b.net is like...
i use winamp, and since theres nothing like this yet, i just use the external commands, you should be able to find them in the options, its commands such as crtl+alt+insert to play, crtl+alt+end to stop, crtl+alt+page down/up to go next or back in your song list and crtl+alt+home to pause...

the problem is that having WoW send those commands to any external program is a violation of the TOS/EULA

[NilAdmirari]

Using Winamp is exceptionally easy from WoW. Just use WA global hot keys.
I forget what they all are, as I only really use
CTRL-ALT-PageDown to skip to the next track.

[edit: doh! i didn't read the rest of your post where you identify the key shortcuts. ]

The thing that I would want though, is something that can read the track title that's currently playing in WA and displays it on the Titan Panel. How difficult would it be to do something like that?

[Samsheed]

Instead of spending all this time and effort into adding something onto WoW and draining a piece of your machine's resources (even if it is a small one), why not save up some cash and either:

A) Get an MP3 player with decent capacity to play your music-- if you're really worried about cash, don't burn extra money for an iPod just to have the name, get one of the other brands which are just as good, and much cheaper for the same capacity-- ex: I got my wife a 2gb Sansa for barely $140 for her birthday coupla months back, the same size iPod was nearly $300 :wink:

-or-

B) Get an MP3-capable CD player and burn your MP3's to disc in data format- this can be cheaper than the higher-capacity MP3 players, though you only get a couple hundred or so songs per disc

Then just use your new toy to play your music while in WoW, AND while you're on the road.

The thing that I would want though, is something that can read the track title that's currently playing in WA and displays it on the Titan Panel. How difficult would it be to do something like that?

Well, any MP3 player worth a hoot shows you the track it's playing, and many of the MP3-capable CD players do as well. And if you're in such a high-demand situation in the game that you can't afford the half-second's difference in glancing at Titan versus glancing down (or up, or sideways) to your external player, then you probably shouldn't be worrying about which track is playing right now anyhow. :P

Worried about replacing batteries? Most portable CD players have AC power adaptors, often included with the player itself, and I believe most MP3 players can be powered by connection to a computer's USB port (at least the ones I've played with did).

If those options don't work, get a small recharger station and a few rechargable batteries for your player of choice. Have one battery (or set of) to run on, and one set in the charger to swap when necessary.

Wanting an in-game player b/c you want the audio pumped through your computer's speaker system instead of having on an MP# player's headphones? You can pipe your portable player into the computer instead! Shop a little at Radio Shack, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, etc. and you can find a cord to connect your portable's headphone jack (or Line Out on good models) to your sound card's Line In, then just open your Line In channel in your audio mixer and shove the volume all the way up. Use your player's volume control to manipulate your music volume and you're good to go!

Granted, you could spend a couple of hundred dollars to do this, especially if you get a really high-capacity MP3 player, but in the long run it can be worth it. Look at it this way- you're not only getting music on-the-go when you want it, you're also essentially "upgrading" your computer's capability by taking a load off the hardware and putting it to a separate device.

And this method's biggest advantage versus spending who know how many hours trying to find/write/debug/install/learn-to-use an in-game MP3 plugin? You don't have to do it all over again if you start playing a new game, and you don't have to interrupt your song if you log out of one game and into another one! You just keep on movin' & groovin' :D

[digt]

I just started playing WoW last week and this is the first time I've been to this site but I wanted to note that for me playing MP3s is built in.

I don't know if this is a new feature or what but in the game there are buttons to control iTunes. You can also configure the keys to do it. It works well for me, plays my MP3s that I made, music that I downloaded from the site, and even plays video though you just hear the sound. I haven't installed any mods... yet, so I know this is built into WoW. Right now I have version 1.12.1 (5875) with the date of Sept 19 2006.

Also it's possible to run WoW in windowed mode but take up the entire screen (giving the appearance of full screen) and run iTunes in another monitor and listen to music or watch videos that way. But now that I've read what PleegWat said I think I'll do that instead.

What I'd really like though is for them to add video support too. Than I could have a little video window right about the chat box and watch The Simpsons or Law & Order while fishing! Haha.

[thenecron]

I have found this player to work the best. It works with Winamp, Itunes and Foobar. You just have to have a small outside application open to run it, but minimizing it to taskbar makes it out of the way. But it currently works just fine with 1.7 ... check it out

http://www.wowguru.com/ui/wowplayer--winampitunespcmacfoobar-in-wow/

wowplay= not avaliable anymore for version 2.0.6 : (

[Balthizarr]

Soudtrack is awsome when it come to replaceing WoW's reptitive music with your own playlist.
You guys should really add it to cosmos !
See it Here
http://www.atelierdebercy.com/soundtrack/?page_id=2

[gabo03]

Soudtrack is awsome when it come to replaceing WoW's reptitive music with your own playlist.
You guys should really add it to cosmos !
See it Here
http://www.atelierdebercy.com/soundtrack/?page_id=2

Looks cool, im gonna test it

[Kamisama]

Thou i often play wow in window+fullscreen mode.
It leaves me open to use any player that can use the "always on top" mode.
I'm not sure if shortcut keys works in this mode, since I often use playlists a la foobar (winamp works to, if you minimize the skin.
Making it to just some small looking bar(s)).

I noticed that some ppl brought this up, and it still works.

edit:
It might be still possible to send data via wow, to some 3rd party "addon"
I'm still checking it out but, the com2server app for foobar might be possible with wow's lua.

[KarlKFI]

It is not. WoW has purposefully disabled all lua writing and reading to/from the disks except through a ReloadUI, which is slow. WoW's new mac itunes overlay is also not accessible by the lua api from within wow.

[BattleMage]

The easiest way would be to use a music player together with a keyboard with multimedia keys. That plus a toaster plugin so you can see what song is played when the next song starts. There's no list control in that solution but it's the easiest.
The harder solution would be using the "soundtrack" addon. The music you want to hear is copied to the soundtrack addon folder and from within WoW you can create playlists as well as assign playlists and songs to special events.

[Kamisama]

I have my own way of playing music while playing games (literally all PC/PSP games)
That is for example with mmorpgs, running in window with an yet fullscreen mode.
While playing Fps games i often have playlists that changes track with every pause that comes (i.e when changing maps with Q4 for example)
It's a little tweak but if you know how to write plugins it's easy.
As for the PSP, i use this little app that some guy wrote run with my own complied mp3 player.

Most keyboards shortcuts only work while your on the desktop (i think, cuz i only tried it once) so it's a no go while playing PC games.
As for inbound keyboard commands (not those that appear on your keyboard!) in a specific app "program" your using, they often work while having another window/layer on the desktop for example, Teamspeak is an example on that.

Yet, there are other media players that have that ability, If not, then you can always write a plugin yourself... it's not that HARD believe me.

edit: I forgot to add that if you use winamp. I think it has this function by default, to being able to map your own key shortcuts for a specific term and by only showing the preview frame (if you minimize it) you can have a tiny little bar that shows the the "Now playing" info if you select the "Always on top" option.