Audio Guard

Audio Guard

By RebornReaper · Version: 1.0 · IL2CPP

Audio Guard helps restore missing sounds in developed Schedule I saves by increasing the capacity available to the game's audio systems. It is a standalone utility: install it, start the game and play normally.

Missing footsteps or door sounds?

As a save grows, more NPCs, employees, production equipment and properties can create competing audio activity. Audio Guard addresses two potential bottlenecks: the shared footstep/impact sound pool and Unity's simultaneous sound limits.

In comparison testing on the same heavily developed save, missing footsteps and door sounds returned with Audio Guard installed. After removing Audio Guard, the missing audio returned. That save included all customers, all businesses, all properties except the manor, extensive employee production and mixing chains, and a defeated cartel.

This is evidence from one save, not a guarantee for every audio problem. The comparison does not establish which capacity change was responsible for each restored sound.

Features

• Expands the game's shared footstep/impact pool to at least 64 sources, compared with the 20 sources observed in the tested installation.
• Requests at least 128 audible voices and 1024 tracked voices from Unity at menu initialization.
• Preserves higher existing pool and voice limits.
• Provides optional diagnostic summaries to help investigate remaining missing sounds.
• Applies its changes in memory for the current session. No save conversion or game-asset editing is required.

It preserves sound volumes, priorities, distance rules, speaker mode, sample rate and audio buffer size. This is an audio-capacity utility, not an FPS optimization. More audible sounds can increase audio processing work.

Requirements and compatibility

• Schedule I, standard IL2CPP branch. Tested against 0.4.7f12, Unity 2022.3.62f2, on Windows.
• MelonLoader 0.7.3, the version used during testing. MelonLoader downloads
• This download does not support the alternate Mono branch.
• S1API and other gameplay mods are not required.

Compatibility with other game versions, platforms, multiplayer sessions and expansion mods has not been established. Audio Guard changes local audio capacity and has no networking code.

Installation

Manual / Nexus

1. Close the game and install MelonLoader if needed.
2. Extract the archive into your Schedule I game folder, so the file is at Mods/AudioGuard.dll beside your other mods.
3. Start the game normally. No new save is needed.

Configuration

Run the game once, then close it. Settings are stored in the [AudioGuard] section of UserData/MelonPreferences.cfg, inside the game folder or active mod-manager profile.

| Setting | Default | Purpose | | --- | --- | --- | | Enabled | true | Enable Audio Guard | | SoundPoolSize | 64 | Minimum footstep/impact pool; bounded to 20–256 | | RealVoices | 128 | Minimum audible voices; bounded to 32–256 | | VirtualVoices | 1024 | Minimum tracked voices; bounded to 128–4096 | | Diagnostics | true | Enable periodic audio summaries |

When upgrading from a build that used [ScheduleIAudioGuard], close the game and rename that section to [AudioGuard] to retain custom settings. Otherwise, the new section starts with defaults.

Restart the game after changing settings. Start with the defaults. Existing higher capacities are never reduced. Set Diagnostics to false if you do not need the periodic summaries.

Troubleshooting and feedback

If sounds are still missing, report:

• Game version and branch, plus your MelonLoader version.
• Installed mod list.
• Which sounds disappear, the location and what was happening.
• Whether the result changes after a full restart with Audio Guard enabled versus removed.
• Relevant Audio Guard lines from MelonLoader/Latest.log, saved before restarting again.

Removal

Close the game and remove AudioGuard.dll, or uninstall Audio Guard from the active mod-manager profile. Its runtime changes disappear on the next launch. No save migration is required.

For mod authors

Mods using the game's footstep/impact pool or Unity audio can benefit from the increased shared capacity without integration code. Custom playback systems and expansion mods still need their own testing. Audio Guard cannot repair missing clips, disabled sound objects, incorrect volume settings or unrelated playback bugs.

You may recommend Audio Guard as an optional utility for players experiencing audio loss. Any decision to require it should follow testing with your own mod. There is no public integration API in version 1.0 / 1.0.0.

Credits

Created and playtested by RebornReaper.