UMX Decoder Readme (Jan 23, 2002)            http://www.umx-decoder.de.vu

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Table of Contents

1. About UMX Decoder
    1.1. What is an UMX file?
    1.2. Where to find the UMXs?

2. Installation / Download
    2.1. Requirements
    2.2. Installation Instructions
    2.3. Download Location

3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) / Troubleshooting
    3.1. Questions on UMX and UMX Decoder
        3.1.1. How does it work?
        3.1.2. Can I convert UMX to MP3 / WAV?
        3.1.3. Can I create my own UMX?
    3.2. Troubleshooting
        3.2.1. General solutions
        3.2.2. UMX files don't have the Winamp icon in Explorer etc.
        3.2.3. Certain UMX files don't play correctly!
        3.2.4. I have a problem which is not listed here!

4. ChangeLog

5. Miscellaneous

6. Contact

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1. About UMX Decoder

   Current Version: 0.6.s3m, tested with Winamp versions up to 2.78
                    
   Description:  UMX  Decoder  is a plug-in for winamp that lets you play
   Unreal music packages (*.umx) directly from Winamp.

   Homepage: http://www.umx-decoder.de.vu

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1.1. What is an UMX file?

   Computer  games  using  the  Unreal  3D-engine (most notably, Unreal &
   Unreal  Tournament)  store the game music in UMX files. Currently, UMX
   is just a wrapper around MOD files. Future versions may also use a MP3
   codec,  but  who  knows... So Winamp can play MODs, but not UMX files.
   That's what this plug-in changes.
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1.2. Where to find the UMXs?

   Probably in the [Your Unreal game directory]\Music folder.
   Alternative: Start Windows Explorer, press F3 and search all disks for
   "*.umx".
   Unreal  &  Unreal  Tournament  contain 62 UMX tracks alltogether. Some
   add-on  maps have their own music (very few). Other games based on the
   Unreal engine may also use UMX, e.g. Deus Ex.
   Have fun listening to the most Unreal soundtrack ever!
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2. Installation / Download

2.1. Requirements

   Every computer capable of running Unreal and Winamp should be able to
   run UMX Decoder. You should get a recent release of Winamp Standard or
   Full (NOT Lite) though. Download it at http://www.winamp.com/download/.
   UMX  Decoder  has been tested with Winamp from version 2.64 to version
   2.78.
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2.2. Installation Instructions
     
   1. First step: Download the plug-in!
      The  easiest  way  of  installing  the  plug-in is to download the
      self-installing  executable. If you want to download the zip file,
      be  sure  to  have a zip extracting program and to know how to use
      it!
   2. Second step: Install the file you downloaded.
        + If  you downloaded the self-installing program, then you just
          have to execute it in Windows Explorer or your favorite file
          manager, click "Next" and let the software do the rest :)
        + If  you downloaded the zip file, you must extract it to [Your
          Winamp  directory]\plugins.  This path is usually 
          "C:\Program Files\Winamp\plugins".
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2.3. Download Location
   
   Go to http://www.umx-decoder.de.vu and click "Download" in the left
   frame.
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3. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) / Troubleshooting

3.1. Questions on UMX and UMX Decoder

3.1.1. How does it work?

   UMX  Decoder  extracts the MOD data from the UMX packages and plays it
   through Winamp's MOD plug-in. (That's why Winamp Lite is not supported
   -  it  lacks the MOD plug-in.) This method is more or less a hack, but
   it  works  well. I often get mail asking how to read UMX packages. You
   can find some information about the UMX format here:
   http://unreal.epicgames.com/packages.htm
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3.1.2. Can I convert UMX to MP3 / WAV?

   Yes,  it's  possible.  Go  into  your  Winamp  preferences  and select
   "Nullsoft   Disk   Writer  plug-in"  as  your  output  plug-in.  Click
   "Configure"  and  select  an output folder (make sure you have some 50
   megs of free space there). Then play the UMX as you would do normally.
   You  won't  hear  anything,  but Winamp is writing a WAV file into the
   selected  folder.  After the song has played, be sure to reselect your
   normal output plug-in (usually DirectSound or WaveOut) since otherwise
   Winamp  would  write  all music you hear afterwards to a WAV file. You
   can  use  any MP3 encoder to make a MP3 from the WAV file, for example
   LAME (freeware, http://www.mp3dev.org/mp3/)
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3.1.3. Can I create my own UMX?
        
   Why  would  you  want  to?  :)  You  only need files in UMX format for
   playing  them  in your own Unreal levels, right? It's not an easy task
   to  create  UMX  files. The first step is: You need the music in a MOD
   format.  That  is,  for  example,  a .mod, .it, or .s3m file. No .wav,
   .mp3,  .mid, whatever... That's the difficult part - as far as I know,
   there's  no  reasonable way to convert MP3 for example to MOD formats.
   Instead,  you  have  to  compose  the music in a MOD editor program, a
   so-called  tracker.  Then  you  can  import the file into a UMX module
   using UnrealEd.
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3.2. Troubleshooting

3.2.1. General solutions

   Does the plug-in show up in the Preferences window (Plug-ins, Input)?
   If  it  does  not,  go  to  your  Winamp's  plug-in directory (usually
   "C:\Program Files\Winamp\plugins").
     * Is in_umx.dll there?
       If  not,  reinstall  the  plug-in,  this  time  into  the  correct
       folder... :)
     * Is in_mod.dll there?
       If  not,  reinstall  Winamp.  Also  note  that  the MOD plug-in is
       missing in Winamp Lite. You need at least WA Standard. Download it
       from http://www.winamp.com/download/.
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3.2.2. UMX files don't have the Winamp icon in Explorer etc.

   Check  Setup,  File Types in the Preferences window. Is "UMX" selected
   in the listbox? If not, select it by yourself.
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3.2.3. Certain UMX files don't play correctly!

   Please  try  playing  them  with UnrealEd (Unreal Editor) which is the
   normative  reference  concerning  UMX.  You  can  find UnrealEd in the
   "System" subdirectory of your Unreal game directory.
   Also  try  exporting  them  to disk  (as .MOD / .IT file)  to check if
   Winamp's MOD support is the problem.
   If any of those fails, it's not a problem with UMX Decoder itself.
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3.2.4. I have a problem which is not listed here!

   You should post the problem to our Webboard on our Homepage
   (at http://www.umx-decoder.de.vu).
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4. ChangeLog

   Version
   0.3     first public release
   0.4     some tweaks with the error messages
   0.5     Winamp 2.72 support
   0.5a    vast rewrite of the plug-in code, removed some minor glitches
   0.5b    HTML readme file
   0.6.s3m now plays the "hidden tunes" in S3M-based UMX modules

   There  has  not been very much development in the last months. Because
   of  problems  with the ImpulseTracker module format, I have planned to
   bring  out  a  major  rewrite;  directly  based  on the popular MikMod
   library,  it would allow for better playback, more options and greater
   speed;  also,  the  Nullsoft  MOD  Player would no longer be required.
   However, it is far from complete... I don't have too much free time at
   the moment, so it may take some more ages ;)...
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5. Miscellaneous

   Thanks to

   Nullsoft - for free Winamps all over the desktop

   Epic  -  for  two  amazing  games  (nearly as good as the Quake series
   [opinions differ - the webmaster])

   all  my  fans  &  supporters  :)  - especially James J. Lane for first
   discovering the "hidden tunes"
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6. Contact

   If  you have any problems with the plug-in, or if you have suggestions
   or comments on the plug-in please post them to our Webboard at our
   homepage (http://www.umx-decoder.de.vu).

   If you find errors in this text file, please report them by filling in
   the form on our website (click "Contact" to get to it)
