Exile Tunes

Updated for Mirage 3.28

Usage and customization guide here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyfBy1K1Y1s

You pick the soundtrack for every area in game!

This app watches the Path of Exile log file to detect area changes and then plays a predefined track from youtube.

The default soundtrack shipping with the app is my attempt at zone by zone swap of PoE's music Diablo II's.

I did not build this because I think the Path of Exile soundtrack is bad, in fact I enjoy it quite a lot. I built it because the Diablo II soundtrack drips so heavily with nostalgia that it makes me feel like I'm back in highschool. Combining this with the game play of Path of Exile made me excited enough to start coding.

To Use

Load up the program, use the crappy amazing interface to choose the folder where you installed Path of Exile. Don't worry, it doesn't write any files, it just reads the Path of Exile/Logs/Client.txt file to detect when your in game area changes.

Turn your in game music volume down to 0 and enable gameplay event choices.

Switch areas in game, you should be hearing Diablo II music.

Keep the d2 soundtrack or make your own with the new soundtrack editor. Add tracks from youtube and assign them to tilesets or specific zones.

What's with the interface?

I learned to program back in the AOL days where as a teen when 'proggies' were companion programs to get up to digital mischief, like distributing warez and kicking your nemeses offline. This was also the era where you used Winamp to listen to mp3s. If you were like me, you probably spent an inordinate amount of time finding the perfect winamp skin and then changing it again the next day.

The new Exile Tunes interface is my homage to a nostalgic era of apps brought forward to join with my love of Path of Exile.

AI?

The original version of this program was written well before anyone knew what an LLM or diffusion model was. That said, I made heavy use of a coding agent in the most recent updates where I modernized the stack and added new features like the soundtrack editor.

I also used AI for the art work.

Download

Grab the latest release

Will I get banned for using this?

This program merely monitors the path of exile client log file on your computer. It does not modify or interact with the executable or running program in anyway. There are many, many other PoE addon tools in regular use that also monitor the log file. Given these facts, I highly doubt you will get banned for using this program.

Development

If anyone wants to contribute by adding features, making improvements or fixing bugs, I'd be delighted. Just make a pull request and I'll check out what you've done. The code is a sloppy mess so don't worry about coding style.

Development Environment

Prerequisites

• Node.js: Version 20.x LTS or higher (required)
• npm: Comes with Node.js
• Git: For cloning the repository

Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/jareddr/PoECustomSoundtrack.git
   cd PoECustomSoundtrack

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Run the app in development mode:

   npm run electron:dev

   This will launch the app with DevTools open and hot-reload enabled.

Building and Deployment

Building Locally

To build the application for your current platform without publishing:

npm run dist

This will create the distributable files in the dist/ directory.

Building for Release (GitHub)

The app uses electron-builder to create installers and publish to GitHub Releases. The auto-update system checks GitHub Releases for updates.

Prerequisites for Release

1. GitHub Token: You need a GitHub personal access token with the repo scope

   • Go to GitHub Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Tokens (classic)
   • Generate a new token with repo scope
   • Save this token securely

2. Platform-Specific Builds:

   • Windows builds must be done on a Windows machine
   • Linux builds (AppImage, snap) must be done on a Linux machine
   • macOS builds must be done on a macOS machine

Release Process

Option A: GitHub Actions (recommended) — Windows (zip + NSIS) and Linux (AppImage) are built in CI and attached to the release:

1. Update the version in package.json (e.g. 1.9.9 → 1.10.0).
2. Commit, push, then create and push a tag matching the version:

   git add package.json
   git commit -m "Release v1.10.0"
   git push origin main
   git tag v1.10.0
   git push origin v1.10.0

3. The Release workflow runs, builds both platforms, and creates a GitHub Release for that tag with all artifacts attached. No GH_TOKEN or draft release needed.

Option B: Manual release (single platform, or when CI is not used):

1. Update Version:

   • Edit package.json and increment the version number (e.g., 1.6.1 → 1.6.2)

2. Create Draft Release on GitHub:

   • Go to your GitHub repository
   • Navigate to Releases → Draft a new release
   • Create a tag: vX.Y.Z (e.g., v1.6.2) matching the version in package.json
   • Add release notes
   • Save as draft (do not publish yet)

3. Set GitHub Token:

   • Windows (PowerShell):

     $env:GH_TOKEN="your_github_token_here"

   • Windows (Command Prompt):

     set GH_TOKEN=your_github_token_here

   • Linux/macOS:

     export GH_TOKEN="your_github_token_here"

4. Commit and Push Changes:

   git add .
   git commit -m "Release v1.6.2"
   git push origin main

5. Build and Publish:

   npm run release

   This command will:

   • Build the application for the current platform
   • Upload the built artifacts to the draft GitHub release
   • Create the necessary update metadata files

6. Publish the Release:

   • Go back to GitHub and refresh the draft release page
   • Verify that all artifacts are attached (installer, zip, blockmap, etc.)
   • If everything looks good, click "Publish release"
   • The auto-update system will now detect this release for users

Auto-Update System

The app uses electron-updater to automatically check for and download updates from GitHub Releases. The system:

• Checks for updates when the app starts
• Prompts users when an update is available
• Downloads updates in the background
• Installs updates on user confirmation

The auto-update system requires:

• GitHub Releases to be properly configured (handled by electron-builder)
• The app to be built with electron-builder (not just npm run dist)
• GitHub token to be set when running npm run release

Troubleshooting

Development Issues

App won't start:

• Ensure you're using Node.js 20.x LTS or higher
• Delete node_modules and run npm install again
• Check that all dependencies installed correctly

Port already in use:

• Close other applications using these ports
• Or modify the port range in main.js if needed

Build Issues

Build fails with "GH_TOKEN not set":

• Make sure you've set the GH_TOKEN environment variable
• Verify the token has the repo scope
• On Windows, ensure you're using the correct syntax for your shell (PowerShell vs CMD)

Build artifacts not appearing on GitHub:

• Verify the draft release exists with the correct tag
• Check that the GitHub token has proper permissions
• Ensure you're running npm run release (not npm run dist)
• Check the build output for error messages

Auto-update not working:

• Verify the release is published (not just a draft)
• Check that latest.yml and installer files are in the GitHub release
• Ensure the app was built with electron-builder (not manually)
• Check the app logs (stored in user data directory) for update errors