Redo videos

Ideas and suggestions for how to improve the Warzone 2100 base game only. Ideas for mods go in Mapping/Modding instead. Read sticky posts first!
thinkcustom
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Re: Redo videos

Post by thinkcustom »

I recently started playing again(use to play before it went open-source) and your site. very excited to see others keeping it going. I would like to contribute where I can and thought this would be a great place to start.

My first goal would be to clean up the "transmissions" videos into HD versions.
I don't know if anyone else is working on this or not, but I was going to start and maybe we can work together.

It would really helpful if i could get any 3D models currently available. I will need them for the cut scene animations.
Thanks.
:geek:
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Ezio
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Re: Redo videos

Post by Ezio »

thinkcustom wrote:I recently started playing again(use to play before it went open-source) and your site. very excited to see others keeping it going. I would like to contribute where I can and thought this would be a great place to start.

My first goal would be to clean up the "transmissions" videos into HD versions.
I don't know if anyone else is working on this or not, but I was going to start and maybe we can work together.

It would really helpful if i could get any 3D models currently available. I will need them for the cut scene animations.
Thanks.
:geek:
i do :) i'm using blender, for 3D models you can find them in WZ2100 artrev website, or other post around here (still in beta) then convert .PIE to .OBJ with WMIT (the older version can convert it to 3Dmax)
and i think it's better to create a new post about this rather than continuing from a random post
Jorzi
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Re: Redo videos

Post by Jorzi »

http://vimeo.com/47894047 a test anim I did a while ago. Also made the spinning green project symbol.

Do you use blender? I have my video stuff, as well as quite a few models, as blend files and I can send you stuff if you want ;)
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aubergine
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Re: Redo videos

Post by aubergine »

Would it be possible to add some spatial expansion to that?
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Ezio
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Re: Redo videos

Post by Ezio »

Jorzi wrote:http://vimeo.com/47894047 a test anim I did a while ago. Also made the spinning green project symbol.

Do you use blender? I have my video stuff, as well as quite a few models, as blend files and I can send you stuff if you want ;)
please :), i have my email attached as msn near PM button, currently making inflight scene and when transport flying near sunset after alpha base got nuked. although i had trouble mapping transport with UV map

i made this green project thing months ago and not complete :(
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thinkcustom
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Re: Redo videos

Post by thinkcustom »

Anyone know how to convert the old videos from OGG to something else(AVI, mp4, etc...)?
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dak180
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Re: Redo videos

Post by dak180 »

thinkcustom wrote:Anyone know how to convert the old videos from OGG to something else(AVI, mp4, etc...)?
ffmpeg is what I would use; .ogg is the format that the game expects the videos to be in though.

I would also suggest checking out https://github.com/Warzone2100/wz-sequences for the original copies of all the videos.
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aubergine
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Re: Redo videos

Post by aubergine »

I've also made a directory that has links to and transcripts of all the seuqences, etc., here: https://warzone.atlassian.net/wiki/disp ... /sequences

And a list of some of the most important sequences here (which generally could not be achieved with in-game camera work): https://warzone.atlassian.net/wiki/disp ... +sequences

Most of the other videos could be replaced by in-game camera work, if we could get some better control over the camera via JS API (in addition to the awesome functions Per has already added):

* https://warzone.atlassian.net/wiki/disp ... Camera+API
* https://warzone.atlassian.net/wiki/disp ... era+ponder

As such, I'd focus on the vids that couldn't possibly be achieved with in-game camera work.
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cybersphinx
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Re: Redo videos

Post by cybersphinx »

thinkcustom wrote:Anyone know how to convert the old videos from OGG to something else(AVI, mp4, etc...)?
Have a look at http://download.gna.org/warzone/videos/ ... xed.tar.xz, those are the original rpl files converted to uncompressed avi (from which the theora files were generated).
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thinkcustom
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Re: Redo videos

Post by thinkcustom »

Here's what i'm thinking for a possible style/feel of the videos. This is just a Photoshop image- animated version to come.
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thinkcustom
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Re: Redo videos

Post by thinkcustom »

Just created a animation test in HD, let me know what you think.
http://youtu.be/2D-HJgTJFSI
IgorBrehm
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Re: Redo videos

Post by IgorBrehm »

That was nice!
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Merowingg
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Re: Redo videos

Post by Merowingg »

I always thought that dropping the current videos and redo them with in-game footage would be better.
Of course, using only trunk's graphics!
However, lots of the videos can't be done with in-game footage. :hmm:
Mind your roots Sir. If we change the game intro, to completely different one I strongly suggest to consider naming the game Warzone 2101 at least.

I do understand this rusch to beautiful graphics, and new things. The game already went numerous changes due to hard work of many many people. But if we change the second hart of the game, which is movies here. It shall no longer have name of Warzone 2100. A new date, or subtitle, like "Reborn" or anything like that shall be made.

Prince of Persia after years was called Prince of Persia after years, the same happened with Devil May Cry. But those had many between titles meanwhile. I think changing the game entirely with the same title my hurt those who remember, and believe or not, are still alive.

I came back to the game after ten years. In ten years time if a player types Warzone 2100 and sees this new thing, may have strongly mixed feelings.

I support the idea to renew the wideos, but the same form shall be kept.

We know we want to suit a lot of new, but lets not lose the frame or we will collapse.
Last edited by Merowingg on 21 Feb 2013, 16:31, edited 1 time in total.
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aubergine
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Re: Redo videos

Post by aubergine »

Mero, I would suggest that not all the videos need to stick to the same style as the originals. It depends on the video. Remember that when Pumpkin were doing originals, they had limited time and resources and 3D software was far less advanced than it is now.

The review of submitted videos should be critical, however, there is a need to make them compelling and visually breathtaking.

As I see it, there are 3 categories of video:

1. Background story of the campaign (full motion videos "FMVs")

These videos often have "fmv" in their filename somewhere.

IMHO, this category of story telling video should be afforded as much freedom as possible to get the best possible results. It should retain the same voice files, but the visual element should be brought right up to date.

Image

Wouldn't that look so much better with decent terrain, Jorzi's amazing B-43 transport model, etc? And the greek symbols on the landing zones are just lame, so lots of room for improvement.

These videos also often contain "map related" (category 2, below) or "computer displays" (category 3, below) segments. Pumpkin probably inserted such elements to save time and money, but they detract from the overall FMV in most cases. An example of where they don't detract is the cam 1 intro where you actually zoom in on a computer screen in the transport, but everywhere else they ruin the FMV IMHO. So in FMVs I think there should be freedom to replace category 2 & 3 style segments with whatever looks best.

2. Map related videos (example)

Pretty obvious what these are:

Image

IMHO these should be replaced with in-game camera work, something that can be dealt with as the JS API evolves.

3. Computer displays (examples)

There are two sub-categories here:

a) The full computer screen display:

Image

The general layout and top/bottom borders, as well as colours should be retained IMHO. Just as the computer screens in Star Trek have a very distinctive and instantly recognisable "ah, that's from Star Trek" style, this is the distinctive style that we associate with WZ 2100. You can make some changes, but the end result needs to "feel the same" otherwise emotions will run high.

It's function over form: The focus is on the information, not the stuff around the information. So no textures or random buttons/lights, etc.

The content of the sidebar needs to be yellow text, but it doesn't need to be flashing and scrolling like crazy, this isn't The Matrix. Things like the big randomly changing number at the bottom left doesn't really add anything (even in the originals) and should be removed IMHO.

The sidebar content should ideally relate to what's in the main panel. So in the example above, why is a cyborg being shown when the main panel has a sat uplink? It would be better if the side panel had stuff relating to satellites and radars.

b) Artifact "diagnostics / blueprint" type thing used on intel screen:

Image

There are several of these and they might make a good starting point for renovation work.
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aubergine
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Re: Redo videos

Post by aubergine »

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Regarding note on readable text, maybe instead of words (eg. "Decoding Data") have some sort of ID or code, maybe even based on filename (eg. "CAM-1B"). So the viewer just sees it as an ID rather than trying to make sense of it as a title.

One of the things I really liked about the community-developed Ultimate Scavenger Mod is that all it's vehicles were given IDs (based on the person who designed the model). For example, the ice cream van is a B-150. So maybe everything could get an ID?
"Dedicated to discovering Warzone artefacts, and sharing them freely for the benefit of the community."
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