ambient_generic
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This Entity is also available as Ambient generic (GoldSource Engine) for the GoldSource Engine. |
ambient_generic
is a point entity available in all Source games.
Entity Description
This entity plays a sound, either once or on loop and either from a location in the world or globally. Use it to play and control a soundscript sound, a raw .wav
sample, or a scripted_sentence
.

parentname
keyvalue or SetParent
input is used, even though they aren't listed in the FGD.
ambient_generic
s used to play looping sounds in 
logic_auto
, or they will stop playing once the first round starts.Bug: The
ambient_generic
will not update its position while the sound is playing if it is parented.

Code Fix: Problems with sounds being unstoppable can be avoided by adding this C++ code to your mod.


ambient_generic
s playing at once will cause the sound engine to become corrupted globally and potentially cause extreme lag! This occurs if the internal entity sound limit of 64 (32 in 
ambient_generic
s still "play" when outside the maximum distance, even if not audible to the client.Workaround: Use
env_soundscape
s (which count towards a different static limit of 64) where possible and forcefully disable any sounds that aren't necessary to play yet. The amount of sounds currently playing can be visualized with thesnd_show
command.

StopSound
input.


Example: In

dlc.Generator_start_run_loop
is set to play everywhere but at lower volume even if "Play everywhere" is not set. But using its raw sound Generator_start_run_loop.wav
works as intended.Keyvalues
- Sound Name
(message)
<string>
- The soundscript name of, or direct path to, the sound to play. For
scripted_sentence
s, type "!" followed by the sentence name. (Example: !COMBINE_THROW_GRENADE4)Note: Music should be flagged as music with the '#' character before the sound path (e.g.,
#music/song01.wav
) and placed insound/music/…
directory in order for it to be affected by the "Music Volume" slider in the options menu. - Max Audible Distance
(radius)
<float>
- Maximum distance in units at which the sound plays for a client.
Bug: The sound still actually plays outside the distance.
Bug: Sounds may still be audible far outside the distance due to DSP.
Note: Volume fades to nothing as the player approaches this distance, which can make it seem as if the sound stops playing too early.
- SourceEntityName
(SourceEntityName)
<targetname>
- If specified, the sound will play from this entity instead of the
ambient_generic
. If the target is an NPC capable of lipsynching, and phoneme data is found within the sound, the target will lip-sync to it.Bug: If the
ambient_generic
isKill
ed, the sound will play at the origin of the map (at 0,0,0).Bug: The entity must be spawned at map start, or else the sound will play at the location of the
ambient_generic
.Bug: Using
AddOutput
to assign theSourceEntityName
after the entity spawns does not work.Bug: Multiple
ambient_generic
s won't stack on the same entity. - Volume
(health)
<integer 0-10>
- How loud to play the sound. 0 is silent and 10 is normal. Default is 10.
Tip: This keyvalue doesn't allow decimals, but the
Volume
input does.Bug: The sound does not play at all if the volume is 0.
- Start Volume
(volstart)
<integer 0-10>
- Fade in time in seconds
(fadeinsecs)
<integer 0-100>
- Fade out time in seconds
(fadeoutsecs)
<integer 0-100>
- How long to spend fading in and out, and what volume to start at. Default is no fading.
- Pitch
(pitch)
<integer 0-255>
- Pitch, where 1 is low, 100 is normal, and 255 is high.
Bug: Very high or very low values can cause other sounds to be distorted.
- Start pitch
(pitchstart)
<integer 0-255>
- Spin up time
(spinup)
<integer 0-100>
- Spin down time
(spindown)
<integer 0-100>
- How long to spend spinning pitch up/down at the start/end of playback, and what pitch to start at. Default is no spinning.
- Dynamic Presets
(preset)
<choices>
- Various DSP effects that can be applied.
- LFO type
(lfotype)
<integer>
- Type of Low Frequency Oscillation to employ.
- 0. Off (default)
- 1. Square Wave (alternate between low and high)
- 2. Triangle Wave (crossfade between high and low)
- 3. Random
- LFO rate
(lforate)
<integer 0-1000>
- How frequently the LFO effect repeats itself.
- LFO modulation - pitch
(lfomodpitch)
<integer 0-100>
- Affects the sound pitch or vibrato. Higher numbers change the pitch more; warbling singers use little, police sirens use a lot.
- LFO modulation - volume
(lfomodvol)
<integer 0-100>
- Affects the volume of the sound, causing it to "pulse." Similar to tremolo. At a really high rate, this can make the same effect as talking through fan blades.
- Incremental Spinup Count
(cspinup)
<integer>
- Appears to be a intended to increase pitch in time with
ToggleSound
inputs.Bug: Non-functional.
Base:
- Name
(targetname)
<string>
- The name that other entities use to refer to this entity.
- Parent
(parentname)
<targetname>
- Maintain the same initial offset to this entity. An attachment point can also be used if separated by a comma at the end. (
parentname [targetname],[attachment]
)Tip: Entities transition to the next map with their parents
Tip:
phys_constraint
can be used as a workaround if parenting fails. - Origin (X Y Z)
(origin)
<coordinates>
- The position of this entity's center in the world. Rotating entities typically rotate around their origin.
Note: Hammer does not move the entities accordingly only in the editor.
- Pitch Yaw Roll (X Y Z)
(angles)
<angle>
- This entity's orientation in the world. Pitch is rotation around the Y axis, yaw is the rotation around the Z axis, roll is the rotation around the X axis.
Note: This works on brush entities, although Hammer doesn't show the new angles.
- Classname
(classname)
<string>
!FGD - Determines the characteristics of the entity before it spawns.
Tip: Changing this on runtime still has use, like making matching an entry in S_PreserveEnts will persist the entity on new rounds!
- Flags
(spawnflags)
<integer>
!FGD - Toggles exclusive features of an entity, its specific number is determined by the combination of flags added.
- Effects
(effects)
<integer>
!FGD - Combination of effect flags to use.
- Entity Scripts
(vscripts)
<scriptlist>
(in all games since)
- Space delimited list of VScript files (without file extension) that are executed after all entities have spawned. The scripts are all executed in the same script scope, later ones overwriting any identical variables and functions.
- Thinker function
(thinkfunction)
<string>
(in all games since)
- Name of the function within this entity's script that'll be called automatically every 100 milliseconds, or a user-defined interval if the function returns a number. Avoid expensive operations in this function, as it may cause performance problems.
- Lag Compensation
(LagCompensate)
<boolean>
(in all games since) !FGD
- Set to Yes to lag compensate this entity. Should be used very sparingly!
- Is Automatic-Aim Target
(is_autoaim_target)
<boolean>
(in all games since) !FGD
- If set to 1, this entity will slow down aiming movement for consoles and joystick controllers when the entity is under the crosshairs.
Flags
- [
1
] : Play everywhere
Sound plays at a constant volume, no matter how far away the listener is from the sound source.To do: How does this interact withenv_microphone
sound detection?}Bug: This flag is broken at engine level for sounds played from Soundscripts. It will only work when a sound is played with its raw filename.
- [
16
] : Start Silent
The map will start without this sound playing. Enabled by default.Bug: Looping sounds that do not start silent cannot be controlled!
- [
32
] : Is NOT Looped
Changes how theambient_generic
handles stopping and starting playback. It won't stop a sound that loops from looping, but it is still very important to set it to the right value. You might not be able to stop and/or start the sound if it isn't!Bug: Having this option ticked while using a looped sound WILL prevent you from controlling it!
Inputs
Pitch
<integer>
- Sets the sound pitch, expressed as a range from 1 to 255, where 100 is the sound's original pitch.
Bug: Pitch will play the sound without informing the rest of the entity. This makes looping sounds unstoppable!.
PlaySound
- Starts the sound.
StopSound
- Stops a looping sound. Does not stop a non-looping sound; however, a non-looping sound can be stopped by using the Volume input with a value of 0.
Code Fix: If necessary, you can allow this input to stop a non-looping sound via C++.
ToggleSound
- Toggles a looping sound between playing and stopped. Behaves like
PlaySound
if the sound doesn't loop.
Volume
<float>
- Plays the sound at a volume from 0 to 10, where 10 is the loudest.
Bug: Volume will play the sound without informing the rest of the entity. This makes looping sounds unstoppable! It is speculated that the input is supposed to change the volume at which the
ambient_generic
plays its sound when prompted by other inputs, not play it by itself.Note: Setting the volume to 0 will cause the sound to pause, rather than play silently.
FadeIn
<integer>
- Fades the sound up to full volume over a specified number of seconds, with a range from 0 to 100 seconds.
Bug: Non-functional outside of
Portal 2.
FadeOut
<integer>
- Fades the sound to silence over a specified number of seconds, with a range from 0 to 100 seconds.
Bug: Will bring the sound up to full volume (i.e., 10) before beginning to fade it.
Base:
AddContext
<string>
- Adds to the entity's list of response contexts. Format is
<key>:<value>
.
AddOutput
<string>
- Assigns a new keyvalue/output on this entity. For keyvalues, some rely on extra necessary code to be ran and won't work if its simply just changed through this input. There is a strict format that must be followed:
Syntax:
// Format of changing KeyValues: "AddOutput [key] [value]"
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self,AddOutput,targetname new_name"
// Format of adding an Output: "AddOutput {targetname}:{inputname}:{parameter}:{delay}:{max times to fire, -1 means infinite}"
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self:SetParent:!activator:0.0:-1"
// Arguments can be left blank, but the empty blank should still be contained.
//// Raw text:
"OnUser1" "!self:ClearParent::0.0:-1"
ClearContext
- Removes all contexts from this entity's list.
ClearParent
- Removes this entity from the the movement hierarchy, leaving it free to move independently.
FireUser1
toFireUser4
- Fires the respective
OnUser
outputs; see User Inputs and Outputs.
Kill
- Removes this entity and any entities parented to it from the world.
KillHierarchy
- Functions the same as
Kill
, although this entity and any entities parented to it are killed on the same frame, being marginally faster thanKill
input.
RemoveContext
<string>
- Remove a context from this entity's list. The name should match the key of an existing context.
SetParent
<string>
- Move with this entity. See Entity Hierarchy (parenting).
SetParentAttachment
<string>
- Change this entity to attach to a specific attachment point on its parent. The entity will teleport so that the position of its root bone matches that of the attachment. Entities must be parented before being sent this input.
SetParentAttachmentMaintainOffset
<string>
- As above, but without teleporting. The entity retains its position relative to the attachment at the time of the input being received.
DispatchEffect
<string>
(removed since) !FGD
- Dispatches a special effect from the entity's origin; see also List of Client Effects. Replaced by the particle system since
.
RunScriptFile
<script>
(in all games since)
- Execute a VScript file from disk, without file extension. The script contents are merged with the script scope of the receiving entity.
RunScriptCode
<string>
(in all games since)
- Execute a string of VScript source code in the scope of the entity receiving the input. String quotation may be needed when fired via console.
Bug: In Hammer, using string arguments will corrupt the VMF file's structure, making the file unviewable for the next Hammer session.
Fix: Remove the string argument manually with a text editor.
CallScriptFunction
<string>
(in all games since) !FGD
- Calls a VScript function defined in the scope of the receiving entity.
SetLocalOrigin
<coordinates>
(in all games since) !FGD
- Send this entity to a spot in the map. If the entity is parented to something, it will be offset from the parent by this amount.
Outputs
Base:
OnUser1
toOnUser4
- These outputs each fire in response to the firing of the like-numbered
FireUser1
toFireUser4
Input; see User Inputs and Outputs. OnKilled
(only in)
- This output fires when the entity is killed and removed from the game.
See Also
- Adjust ambient_generic volume higher than 10 (Advanced Mapping Tutorial)
env_soundscape
- used to play many ambient/background sounds from a single entity via a script- Looping a Sound - which requires modifying the actual
.wav
file - Setting up
ambient_generic
s in Counter-Strike: Source usinglogic_auto
- a substitute for creating a properenv_soundscape
.