[DCME] Dynamic Contextual Music Engine

[DCME] Dynamic Contextual Music Engine

DCME replaces Minecraft's vanilla music system with a fully dynamic, context-aware soundtrack. Music adapts in real time to what you're doing: exploring, fighting, caving, facing a boss, or watching the credits roll.

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Important: Resource Pack Required

DCME is a music engine and does not include music tracks. You need a compatible resource pack to hear music in-game. Search for [DCME] on CurseForge or Modrinth to find community-made soundtracks.

If you create a music pack, add [DCME] to your project title so users can find it.

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Contextual Music

The mod evaluates dozens of conditions every second and plays the right music for the moment:

• Overworld - Day, night, dawn, and dusk each have their own soundtrack
• Weather - Rain triggers a dedicated atmosphere
• Underground - Caves and the Deep Dark get unique music
• Dimensions - Nether and The End have distinct soundscapes
• Combat (PVE) - Dynamic music kicks in when hostile mobs target you
• Combat (PVP) - Music triggers for both attacker and victim, with team protection and configurable timeout
• Bosses - Wither, Ender Dragon, and Elder Guardian each have dedicated boss themes
• Screens - Main menu and credits have their own music

Smooth Transitions

• 3 transition modes - Crossfade (simultaneous fade), Gap (silence between tracks), or Hybrid (crossfade within same group, gap between groups)
• Combat overlay - Base music fades to near-silence while combat plays, then resumes where it left off
• Boss fights - Base music is released during long boss encounters to free resources
• Dimension transitions - Audio state resets cleanly when entering portals
• End-of-track fade - Tracks fade out gracefully near the end instead of stopping abruptly

PVP Combat Detection

DCME tracks player-vs-player combat server-side. When a player hits another player, both receive the PVP combat music signal.

• Bidirectional - both players get combat music
• Team protection - players on the same scoreboard team won't trigger PVP music against each other
• Configurable timeout - music stays active for a configurable duration after the last hit (default: 5s)

Play Once (Smart Groups)

Contexts can finish their current track before transitioning, but only within the same group. Changing dimension or going from surface to underground always crossfades immediately.

Groups: overworld_surface, overworld_underground, nether, end, screen, combat, boss

Configuration

• JSON config at config/dcme.json - master volume, fade durations, gap between tracks, combat radius, PVP timeout, team protection, per-context toggles, and more
• In-game config screen via Mod Menu - toggle every context on/off, adjust PVP settings, and change transition modes without editing files
• Per-context overrides - each context can define its own volume, fade times, and gap duration

100% Customizable via Resource Packs

• Replace tracks - swap any OGG file via a resource pack
• Add new contexts - create JSON files to define new music triggers
• Override existing contexts - replace any default context with your own
• Custom conditions - biome, dimension, time of day, weather, altitude, sky light, combat, boss, structure, season, advancement, and more

See the included example resource pack and datapack for a complete guide.

Config Folder Overrides

Drop context JSONs into config/dcme/contexts/ to override any context without a resource pack. Highest priority - overrides both defaults and resource packs.

Third-Party Music Blocking

DCME blocks other mods from playing their own music to prevent conflicts. Configurable per-namespace in config/dcme.json. Jukebox music is never blocked.

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Context Priority System

Context	Priority	Layer	Group
Ender Dragon	100	Override	boss
Wither	95	Override	boss
Elder Guardian	90	Override	boss
Combat (Warden)	85	Override	combat
Combat (Generic)	80	Override	combat
Credits	70	Base	screen
Menu	60	Base	screen
Deep Dark	50	Base	overworld_underground
Underground	40	Base	overworld_underground
Rain	38	Base	overworld_surface
Dawn	22	Base	overworld_surface
Dusk	22	Base	overworld_surface
Night	20	Base	overworld_surface
Day / Nether / End	10	Base	(varies)

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Compatible with

• Mod Menu - for in-game config screen
• Serene Seasons / Fabric Seasons - season-based music
• Sound Physics Remastered, AmbientSounds
• PartyAddon and any team mod using scoreboard teams

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Used in the Legends Reborn: Medieval modpack.