Hytale Audio & Sound Design

Add custom sounds and music to your Hytale mods.

Audio Types in Hytale

Type	Use For	Examples
Sound Effects	Actions, feedback	Block break, item pickup, attack
Ambient	Environment	Wind, water, cave echoes
Music	Background	Biome themes, boss battles
Voice/Dialogue	NPCs	Greetings, quests
UI Sounds	Interface	Button clicks, notifications

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File Formats

Format	Use For	Notes
.ogg	All sounds	Preferred, smaller files
.wav	High quality SFX	Larger files
.mp3	Music	Good compression

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Folder Structure

MyPack/
└── Common/
    └── Sounds/
        ├── blocks/
        │   ├── my_block_break.ogg
        │   └── my_block_place.ogg
        ├── mobs/
        │   ├── my_mob_idle.ogg
        │   └── my_mob_hurt.ogg
        ├── ambient/
        │   └── my_biome_wind.ogg
        └── music/
            └── my_theme.ogg

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Defining Sounds (JSON)

Sound Definition

{
  "soundId": "mymod:block_break",
  "file": "sounds/blocks/my_block_break.ogg",
  "volume": 1.0,
  "pitch": {
    "min": 0.9,
    "max": 1.1
  },
  "distance": {
    "min": 1,
    "max": 16
  },
  "loop": false
}

Sound Properties

Property	Description	Default
volume	Loudness (0.0 - 2.0)	1.0
pitch.min/max	Random pitch range	1.0
distance.min	Full volume range	1
distance.max	Fade to silence	16
loop	Repeat continuously	false
category	Sound category	"effects"

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Attaching Sounds to Content

Block Sounds

{
  "blockId": "mymod:crystal_block",
  "sounds": {
    "break": "mymod:crystal_break",
    "place": "mymod:crystal_place",
    "step": "mymod:crystal_step",
    "hit": "mymod:crystal_hit"
  }
}

Item Sounds

{
  "itemId": "mymod:magic_wand",
  "sounds": {
    "use": "mymod:wand_cast",
    "equip": "mymod:wand_equip"
  }
}

Mob Sounds

{
  "entityId": "mymod:dragon",
  "sounds": {
    "idle": {
      "sound": "mymod:dragon_idle",
      "interval": { "min": 5, "max": 15 }
    },
    "hurt": "mymod:dragon_hurt",
    "death": "mymod:dragon_death",
    "attack": "mymod:dragon_roar",
    "step": "mymod:dragon_step"
  }
}

---

Ambient Sounds

Biome Ambient

{
  "biomeId": "mymod:enchanted_forest",
  "ambient": {
    "sound": "mymod:forest_ambience",
    "volume": 0.5,
    "loop": true
  },
  "randomSounds": [
    {
      "sound": "mymod:bird_chirp",
      "interval": { "min": 10, "max": 30 },
      "chance": 0.3
    }
  ]
}

Location-Based Sounds

{
  "type": "sound_emitter",
  "position": { "x": 100, "y": 64, "z": 200 },
  "sound": "mymod:waterfall",
  "radius": 20,
  "loop": true
}

---

Music System

Music Tracks

{
  "musicId": "mymod:boss_theme",
  "file": "sounds/music/boss_theme.ogg",
  "fadeIn": 2.0,
  "fadeOut": 3.0,
  "volume": 0.8
}

Music Triggers

{
  "trigger": "enter_biome",
  "biome": "mymod:dark_forest",
  "music": "mymod:dark_forest_theme"
}

In Plugin

// Play music for a player
player.playMusic("mymod:boss_theme");

// Stop music
player.stopMusic();

// Fade to new music
player.crossfadeMusic("mymod:victory_theme", 2.0f);

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Playing Sounds in Plugins

Basic Playback

// Play at entity location
entity.playSound("mymod:dragon_roar");

// Play at position
world.playSound("mymod:explosion", position);

// Play with options
world.playSound("mymod:thunder", position, SoundOptions.builder()
    .volume(2.0f)
    .pitch(0.8f)
    .build());

Player-Specific Sounds

// Only this player hears it
player.playSound("mymod:level_up");

// UI sound (no 3D positioning)
player.playUISound("mymod:button_click");

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Sound Categories

Category	Description	Player Control
master	All sounds	Yes
music	Background music	Yes
effects	Sound effects	Yes
ambient	Environmental	Yes
voice	NPC dialogue	Yes
ui	Interface sounds	Yes

{
  "soundId": "mymod:npc_greeting",
  "category": "voice",
  "file": "sounds/voice/greeting.ogg"
}

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Audio Tips

Do

Practice	Why
Use .ogg format	Smaller files, good quality
Add pitch variation	Sounds less repetitive
Set appropriate distance	Immersive falloff
Test in-game	Volumes differ
Loop ambient smoothly	No jarring restart

Don't

Mistake	Why Bad
Too loud sounds	Annoys players
No variation	Repetitive
Huge files	Slow loading
Clipping audio	Distortion

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Creating Sound Effects

Tools

• Audacity - Free, cross-platform editor
• BFXR/SFXR - Retro game sound generator
• Freesound.org - Free sound library (check licenses!)

Workflow

1. Record or generate sound
2. Edit in Audacity (trim, normalize)
3. Export as .ogg (Quality 5-7)
4. Place in Sounds folder
5. Define in JSON
6. Test in-game

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Quick Reference

Task	How
Add block sound	Define in block JSON sounds
Add mob sound	Define in entity JSON sounds
Play from plugin	entity.playSound("id")
Loop ambient	Set loop: true in definition
Add biome music	Define music trigger

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Resources

• Pack Creation: See hytale-pack-creator skill
• Plugin Development: See hytale-plugin-dev skill
• NPC Dialogue: See hytale-npc-ai skill