[Project proposal] Optional music and podcast integration

[victor_18993]

I am considering adding optional external audio support to Simutrans, but I would only implement it if there is real interest from the community.

The idea is to integrate it into the existing Music options, so players could keep the normal Simutrans soundtrack, use local music, or connect a supported streaming provider. From inside Simutrans they could browse their own playlists and control playback without leaving the game.

For podcasts, the same interface could allow players to search subscriptions/episodes and listen while playing, using open podcast feeds where possible.

Simutrans would not download, copy or redistribute music or podcast files. Playback would come directly from the provider or podcast feed.
Possible music providers include:

• Apple Music
• Audius
• Jamendo
• Deezer — subject to final API/usage confirmation
• Qobuz — likely requires API/partner approval

Spotify cannot currently be integrated, because Spotify's Developer Policy explicitly prohibits using the Spotify Platform inside games.
For podcasts, possible sources include:

• Podcast Index
• RSS feeds directly
• Listen Notes / similar podcast directories

The goal is simply to make long Simutrans sessions more comfortable and immersive: players could stay inside their Simutrans world while listening to their own music or podcasts.

This is only a proposal for now. I would implement it only if the community considers it useful.

[Isaac Eiland-Hall]

If it gets implemented, I can see hosting a site for music. A worry would be allowing others to upload, but I might open it to Devotees contributing. Might be worth figuring out how to make it so that when simutrans send the request to the site, it has to provide some sort of key - imho, it'd be fine to be a single key for all of Simutrans - the idea being make it just difficult enough to discourage random passersby while keeping it simple for Simutrans.

It would be really awesome to be able to create music for Simutrans. We had some really great compositions a few years ago, and MIDI isn't.... well, okay, it is terrible. heh. But being able to create stuff to share as like mp3 or whatever actual audio format would be nice.

[prissi]

Support for sample playback is absolutely easy. Actually, the windows version can play mp3 inside wav files since forever.
Turning the midi to mp3 would also allow to get rid of the huge and hard to include midi lab with its huge soundfonts. MIDI indeed is a fossil from DOS.
But Simutrans is not excluding normal player running beside it. Also, the midi player interface is rather rudimentary. Hence, player use the favourite software parallel to Simutrans seems like a better option.
Finally, I am uncomfortable to bind commercial links to Simutrans, feeling like an endorsement of streaming services with their questionable impact on niche music. (Even though that ship has long sailed.) For me, streaming music is a personal choice but nothing Simutrans should endorse.
Maybe I am too old though.
So I am all for turning music support to mp3, but that's about it.

[makie]

I fully agree with Prissi.

Another point is the Android Play Store. We currently state that we do not pass on any data to third-party services. That would then have to be changed to a complex privacy policy requiring user consent, etc.

Support for MP3 audio in the simutrans/music folder or the pak???/sound would be nice.
Maybe there are free music oder sounds that we could provide.