---
title: "Packet 26: PlayMusic"
description: "Starts a named music track at an encoded playback offset."
canonical: "https://aosplay.net/protocol-168/packets/26"
markdown: "https://aosplay.net/docs/protocol-168/packets/26.md"
last_updated: "2026-07-16"
protocol: "Ace of Spades Battle Builder 168"
packet_id_decimal: "26"
packet_id_hex: "0x1A"
direction: "S→C"
family: "Audio"
implementation_status: "Sent"
evidence: "Implementation-backed"
wire_size: "Variable: name + 4 bytes"
---

# Packet 26: PlayMusic

> Starts a named music track at an encoded playback offset.

- **Decimal ID:** 26
- **Hex ID:** 0x1A
- **Direction:** S→C
- **Family:** Audio
- **Status:** Sent
- **Evidence:** Implementation-backed
- **Wire size:** Variable: name + 4 bytes

## Exact wire layout

The application packet ID is the first byte. The remaining rows are in decode order. Byte sizes exclude ENet headers, wrapper prefixes, LZF chunk framing, and compression effects.

| # | Field | Encoding | Bytes | Purpose | Condition |
| ---: | --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| 0 | `packet_id` | u8 | 1 | Always 26 (0x1A). | — |
| 1 | `name` | NUL-terminated UTF-8 string | N + 1 | Null-terminated UTF-8/ASCII-compatible string. | — |
| 2 | `seconds_played` | sign-magnitude fixed16 LE (1/64) | 2 | seconds played value. | — |

## Encoding conventions

- `LE` means least-significant byte first.
- `fixed16` is two-byte sign-magnitude at 1/64 precision.
- `orientation16` uses the measured 1/8192 orientation mapping.
- NUL strings consume their encoded byte length plus one `00` terminator.
- Counted arrays repeat immediately in the documented order.

## Related resources

- [HTML packet page](https://aosplay.net/protocol-168/packets/26)
- [Complete packet catalog](https://aosplay.net/protocol-168/packets)
- [Packet catalog in Markdown](https://aosplay.net/docs/protocol-168/packets.md)
- [Protocol 168 guide](https://aosplay.net/protocol-168)