I will try to explain with as few details as possible because it is a rather convoluted solution to an otherwise simple problem
Example:
Consider I have playlist called "DEF_Stop_3rd_Down" and I want to play any one of 4 different sounds
If you would like to play 4 different sounds for one event you will need to create 4 different M3Us (playlists) with
the exact same name BUT linked to a different mp3
I create 4 folders called 1,2,3 and 4 in and I place the M3Us with the same name in each folder
I will create 4 folders NOT in your MUSIC folder for the source files
(Windows Media Player defaults to that folder and includes all playlists and things can get messy - Your source M3Us should NOT be in your music folder)
C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\1
C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\2
C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\3
C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\4
Now I want to create a folder in MUSIC where I store my playlists and MP3s
C:\Users\USER\Music\NCAA Custom Stadium Sounds\MyTeam
This is the location that we link to the playlists in game
I will now create my script that overwrites the M3Us linked to the stadium sounds in game with the variables in my example
(Open notepad, cut and paste this code and edit as needed and save as "Randomizer.bat" or whatever you prefer)
This batch file will perform the following tasks:
Set a timer for next function
(In this example it is 10 seconds)
Copy the M3Us from your source folders to the folder that is linked for streaming
Loop until it is closed
Code:
@ECHO
cls
:start
timeout /t 10
xcopy "C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\1\*.m3u" "C:\Users\USER\Music\NCAA Custom Stadium Sounds\MyTeam" /y
timeout /t 10
xcopy "C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\2\*.m3u" "C:\Users\USER\Music\NCAA Custom Stadium Sounds\MyTeam" /y
timeout /t 10
xcopy "C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\3\*.m3u" "C:\Users\USER\Music\NCAA Custom Stadium Sounds\MyTeam" /y
timeout /t 10
xcopy "C:\NCAA Stadium Sounds\4\*.m3u" "C:\Users\USER\Music\NCAA Custom Stadium Sounds\MyTeam" /y
goto start
Again, a somewhat convoluted approach to a simple problem but it does work
If you have some experience with batch scripts and understand where your computer stores it's files you should be able to customize this script and "randomize" your playlists that are triggered by an in-game event
Good Luck and feel free to ask any questions
DISCLAIMER:
Use at your own risk
thumstyx accepts no liability for an incorrectly written and executed script that goes awry
(That being said the worst that can happen is overwriting an M3U / playlists by accident)