With the rampant earrape themes nowadays, it's time to add a global toggle.

[Hexerin 1140]

You've done well with the friend/ignore list, /who changes, etc. It's time to extend that to themes as well. Add a toggle (ideally in audio options) that disables themes from anyone not on your friend list, in your clan, etc. These abusive themes cause actual physical damage to players who use headphones or earbuds, and are exceptionally grating even for those who use normal speakers. Take action and give us players the tools to deal with it proactively.

@MattScott

Edited August 17, 2018 by Hexerin

[CookiePuss 5377]

5 minutes ago, Hexerin said:

You've done well with the friend/ignore list, /who changes, etc. It's time to extend that to themes as well. Add a toggle (ideally in audio options) that disables themes from anyone not on your friend list, in your clan, etc. These abusive themes cause actual physical damage to players who use headphones or earbuds, and are exceptionally grating even for those who use normal speakers. Take action and give us players the tools to deal with it proactively.

@MattScott

I do hate encountering one of these, and having to rip my headphones off of my head.
I recently sustained an injury to one of my ear drums, so it doesnt take much to cause me physical pain.

Very tempted to just delete the corresponding files... but I know nothing about how BE works and if that might be a problem.

[swft 356]

2 minutes ago, CookiePuss said:

I do hate encountering one of these, and having to rip my headphones off of my head.
I recently sustained an injury to one of my ear drums, so it doesnt take much to cause me physical pain.

Very tempted to just delete the corresponding files... but I know nothing about how BE works and if that might be a problem.

If BE were to do anything, it would just not let you launch the game and tell you to fix it. The same goes for disallowed programs afaik.

[CookiePuss 5377]

Just now, swft said:

If BE were to do anything, it would just not let you launch the game and tell you to fix it. The same goes for disallowed programs afaik.

Oh thanks swft... Might try it on one of my lesser used accounts tonight.

[BlatMan 708]

15 minutes ago, CookiePuss said:

I do hate encountering one of these, and having to rip my headphones off of my head.
I recently sustained an injury to one of my ear drums, so it doesnt take much to cause me physical pain.

Very tempted to just delete the corresponding files... but I know nothing about how BE works and if that might be a problem.

Battleye doesn't care. You can also edit the XML files so the game doesn't even search for the instrument files. This will throw less errors in the log files. Edited August 17, 2018 by MrsHappyPenguin

[CookiePuss 5377]

8 minutes ago, MrsHappyPenguin said:

Battleye doesn't care. You can also edit the XML files so the game doesn't even search for the instrument files. This will throw less errors in the log files.

This makes me happy.
Thanks!

[NotZombieBiscuit 3146]

36 minutes ago, MrsHappyPenguin said:

Battleye doesn't care. You can also edit the XML files so the game doesn't even search for the instrument files. This will throw less errors in the log files.

Or change the sounds to other stupid stuff.

[Hexerin 1140]

Deleting the folder (or the XML files, which is not a method I personally was aware of), is also not an actual solution to this issue. It's only a temporary fix, being reverted any time you use the launcher to start the game (such as after patch day). We need an actual option that is an inbuilt part of the game, that can be set once and forgotten.

[vsb 6171]

sounds like a suggestion

if only we had a sub forum for that

[Lato 188]

I'd love this

[TheFOKENPriest 1]

I myself was trying to find a slider or some sort of mute button yesterday, there was this really annoying bloke in the fight club driving a Pioneer with an annoyingly loud sound coming out of the speakers.

[vsb 6171]

3 minutes ago, TheFOKENPriest said:

I myself was trying to find a slider or some sort of mute button yesterday, there was this really annoying bloke in the fight club driving a Pioneer with an annoyingly loud sound coming out of the speakers.

classic phamster 

[Darkzero3802 611]

Death themes nowadays are def not what they used to be and the kiddies are abusing it. Back in 2011 there was very little if any of it and nowadays u hear it just about all the time. Personally its something that should be reportable and could be actioned with suspensions for repeat offenders. Ive been using the same themes since 2012 cause there good and others like em too, thats the way it should be.

Edited August 18, 2018 by Darkzero3802

[Mightyena 28]

I agree with Darkzero above me, I don't care about a mute button but I think it should 100% be reportable and any themes found on the marketplace like that should be deleted.

I also think that /ignore should block someone's theme too, so it functions as a mute button for players being obnoxious in this fashion (but not players who actually have nice or cool themes)

[vsb 6171]

3 minutes ago, Mightyena said:

I also think that /ignore should block someone's theme too, so it functions as a mute button for players being obnoxious in this fashion (but not players who actually have nice or cool themes)

i think this is already a function 

[Puffdragon 131]

5 hours ago, Hexerin said:

You've done well with the friend/ignore list, /who changes, etc. It's time to extend that to themes as well. Add a toggle (ideally in audio options) that disables themes from anyone not on your friend list, in your clan, etc. These abusive themes cause actual physical damage to players who use headphones or earbuds, and are exceptionally grating even for those who use normal speakers. Take action and give us players the tools to deal with it proactively.

@MattScott

I find your use of the term "earrape" offensive, please use the term "forced ear intercourse" in the future. Edited August 18, 2018 by Puffdragon

[Mightyena 28]

1 hour ago, BXNNXD said:

1 hour ago, Mightyena said:

I also think that /ignore should block someone's theme too, so it functions as a mute button for players being obnoxious in this fashion (but not players who actually have nice or cool themes)

i think this is already a function 

Really? I haven't come across one since I came back to APB, so I'll have to test it next time I found some cancer. I do recall it not working the last time I tried it, but I could also be mistaken on that lol

[ShadesofGrey 10]

I swear to god...

Says I don't know how Reflex works, claims his/her account much older when opinion opposed, calls for server sided movement (FUCKING LOL) and now claims Themes are ear (explicitwordcensored) NOW? There's no way in shit you played pre-14. Because if you were here back before GamersFirst deleted all copies, and banned certain players for some of the themes we USE to have...

Edited August 18, 2018 by ShadesofGrey

[Triksterism 137]

cd /d "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\MusicStudio\Instruments"
for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ('dir /b /ad /s') do rename "%%a\*.wav" "*.back"

[Genobee 143]

15 minutes ago, Triksterism said:

cd /d "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\MusicStudio\Instruments"
for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ('dir /b /ad /s') do rename "%%a\*.wav" "*.back"

He's kinda got a point. Can set something like that up to make it a quick and easy process. Works really freaking well.

[Alani 475]

i like that most people know who the specific people are with their shitty themes and purposely annoying music.


just tells u its the same people

[V2050 31]

6 hours ago, Darkzero3802 said:

Death themes nowadays are def not what they used to be and the kiddies are abusing it. Back in 2011 there was very little if any of it and nowadays u hear it just about all the time. Personally its something that should be reportable and could be actioned with suspensions for repeat offenders. Ive been using the same themes since 2012 cause there good and others like em too, thats the way it should be.

There was little of it because people were just starting to make themes. It took them nothing to realise that they could create a theme consisting of just a long and irritating BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP.

And it's not something that happens just now. It used to happen even when APB was a much more popular game. Maybe not in 2011, but (relatively) soon thereafter.

Personally, as a musically-inclined person, using such a cool instrument to cause grievance to others should be enough to have the offender's face mauled by a chair. Bonus points if it's the same chair from wrestling matches.

Also, yeah, as others have said, /ignore a person and their theme (whichever they choose) will stay muted as well.
  Edited August 18, 2018 by Solista2050

[Triksterism 137]

2 hours ago, Genobee said:

He's kinda got a point. Can set something like that up to make it a quick and easy process. Works really freaking well.

Disable Music (themes optional)

ren "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\DefaultMusicLibrary\*.mp3" *.back
ren "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\DefaultMusicLibrary\*.wav" *.back
ren "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\FilePackages\Music.pck" *.back
REM cd /d "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\MusicStudio\Instruments"
REM for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ('dir /b /ad /s') do rename "%%a\*.wav" "*.back"

Remove "REM" in front of the last two lines to disable themes as well. Save as a .bat file INSIDE YOUR APB DIRECTORY.

Restore Music/Themes

@echo off
ren "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\DefaultMusicLibrary\*.back" *.mp3
ren "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\FilePackages\*.back" *.pck
cd /d "%~dp0APBGame\Content\Audio\MusicStudio\Instruments"
for /f "tokens=* delims= " %%a in ('dir /b /ad /s') do rename "%%a\*.back" "*.wav"

Save as a .bat file INSIDE YOUR APB DIRECTORY. Edited August 18, 2018 by Triksterism

[KnifuWaifu 499]

11 hours ago, Hexerin said:

You've done well with the friend/ignore list, /who changes, etc. It's time to extend that to themes as well. Add a toggle (ideally in audio options) that disables themes from anyone not on your friend list, in your clan, etc. These abusive themes cause actual physical damage to players who use headphones or earbuds, and are exceptionally grating even for those who use normal speakers. Take action and give us players the tools to deal with it proactively.

@MattScott

I would rather see a volume slider than a toggle, forced ear intercourse is a big no-no and I hate it with a passion but it seems a shame to outright ban everyone's theme on the case of a few pleasant fellow players. 

Another option would be to remove the volume slider from the Music Creator itself so no one can make their themes louder than others then have them all standardized to a non-forced ear intercourse volume level, and while I'm wishing, let's add some sort of detection system in the Creator that somehow detects repetitive tones and doesn't let the user save them at all. 

Or just a toggle, yeah a toggle works.

24 minutes ago, Solista2050 said:

Personally, as a musically-inclined person, using such a cool instrument to cause grievance to others should be enough to have the offender's face mauled by a chair. 

I would pay money for this.

[Sayori 311]

When you say earrape, you mean those cookie-cutter "lofi hip hop" themes? But yes, we need an option to disable them.