Hard Light Productions Forums

Community Projects => The FreeSpace Upgrade Project => Topic started by: mjn.mixael on February 17, 2010, 04:07:11 pm

Title: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 17, 2010, 04:07:11 pm
Alright. Here's the scoop.

For those that don't know, I'm recreating all of the FS1 & FS2 cutscenes in 1920x1080 resolution. Since we do not have access to any of the original stuff from  :v: I'm making it all from scratch. Below you can see the progress I have made.

Below you can see FMV previews of cutscenes that are ready. I recommend watching HD fullscreen as the VIMEO compression kills some of the detail. (Don't worry, the detail will be there in the final as long as OGG doesn't kill it either.) When an FMV is available, I will be considering minor changes, but the scene is basically finished. Also, keep in mind that I simply will not be able to cater to everyone's desires for these remakes.

Scenes marked in 'green' are released. Use the download links below. Place them in "\data\movies" without changing their file names for their respective campaigns. You may be prompted to overwrite the older cutscenes. You can either do that or change the name of the OLDER scenes. Make sure you do not have the flag "Disable scale-to-window for movies" selected in the launcher. Also, be sure you are using the lastest SCP build.

These cutscenes are released under the following license...
Quote
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

You are free to copy and redistribute these in any medium or format
You must give appropriate credit when using these
You must obtain permission to distribute derivative works of these
You must obtain permission to use this work for commercial purposes

Also, I'd really rather not have a bunch of random people uploading these to Youtube. They are on my account and that's enough. If you do 'Let's Plays'.. just link to my versions, please.

Not Started - Drawing/Modeling - Animating - Tweaking/Finalizing - Finished

FS1:

FS2:

BONUS:

If you would like to lend a hand to this project, send me a PM (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?action=pm;sa=send;u=7790).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 17, 2010, 04:17:56 pm
You could add some more normal effect to those textures on the planets, to make it look a little more realistic.
What program do you use to render it?

EDIT:
and since you are at it, fix that lighting issue on the bluish moon on the left, you don't need to carry someone else's mistake when upgrading IMO.

EDIT 2:

oh and good on you :yes: , nice to see someone trying to do this.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on February 17, 2010, 04:20:52 pm
Agreed. Why not use some of that added resolution for some more detail? A better Starfield, sharper textures on the planets, that sort of thing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 17, 2010, 04:30:49 pm
If the community is in, so am I. I went back and forth on whether or not I should keep everything sharp and crisp or try to match the old style  :v: used. I also thought about the lighting issue on that moon. But if that is the consensus. I'll fix it all.

It will be easy, because I made the textures at 2500x1250 and just blurred them later. I'm going to use some depth-of-field this time around, should add some realism. I'll remove the blurs. Also, what do you mean by a better starfield. Personally I think this one looks nice.

Oh, and this one was created with a mix of Photoshop/After Effects. I'll encode it with Vegas. For the later cutscenes I'll be using 3DS MAX/Blender as well.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on February 17, 2010, 04:41:02 pm
I agree; use this opportunity to improve on :v:'s work, don't take over their mistakes. After all, the original cutscenes were created over 10 years ago; surely, computers and rendering software have improved a lot since then.

Apart from that, it's great that you're doing this :)

Oh, and when posting large images, please place them between [lvlshot] tags instead of [img] tags.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 17, 2010, 05:31:31 pm
the whole shading is wrong there, its like the sun/light is very close to the planets to create such shadows, I say probably there are 2 suns there, so go for the original shadows as using that sun as the main light will leave the planet completly dark...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 17, 2010, 05:40:34 pm
What about keeping the original shading but adding another sun off to the right? (maybe smaller, just off screen?... Could give a nice flash as the lens flare leaves the camera view)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 17, 2010, 06:39:40 pm
Yay! I'm SO glad someone is doing this! The MVE compression has been killing me.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 17, 2010, 11:56:35 pm
Yeah, the MVE compression is awful. Hopefully I'll finish this project. The Ancients 1-5 are cake. It's the ones after that I'm worried about...

Still tweaking Ancients 1. Should have some shots from Ancients 2 tomorrow.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 18, 2010, 09:30:19 am
Ancients 2 Comparisons.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 1-2] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on February 18, 2010, 11:00:18 am
Wow. Good work, and definitely something I'm looking forward to.

I'll be impressed even more when you finish the intro cut-scene ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 1-2] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 18, 2010, 11:10:14 am
I'm already working on the basic Terran models. It's gonna be a chore for sure. I'll probably have EndGame done before the Intro.

While I'm at it, here are the shots of the new Ancients 1 with second sun that is revealed as the camera rotates to the side. (This would fix the lighting "issue"). The nebula has also been altered.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 1-2] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Angelus on February 18, 2010, 01:59:42 pm
This is looks really cool, good job :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 1-2] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 18, 2010, 02:36:28 pm
Ancients 3 Shots.

This one was significantly more difficult because of the closeness of the planet. The map for it had to be literally 10x larger and thus 10x more detailed. In the end I also decided to make it more about the revealing of the light than the rest of the scene because ultimately the Ancients are the source of the great reveal it took for the GTA and PVE to defeat the Shivans. Also, the dialogue in this video hints at how the Ancients were beginning to understand.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 18, 2010, 03:28:14 pm
Damnit. You rock.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 18, 2010, 03:40:03 pm
I'm glad I'm getting so much approval. We'll see if I can keep it up when I get to the harder 3D animation.

Which by the way, if anyone wanted to help out, there is something that could be done to save me a bit of time. It seems I can't recognize many of the fighters and cap ships by name anymore. Would someone be willing to go through End Game for FS1 and write a list of all the ship classes involved. I'll need more of this later when I get to the FS2 stuff, but not yet. The next job after that is locating those ships in the vps, because they don't go by name, they go by number.

If not, that's cool. I'll just do it myself.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on February 18, 2010, 03:43:05 pm
It's a real mark of how fantastic this community can be that we keep experiencing instances of a new user signing up unheralded and unveiling some absolutely amazing pieces of work. This looks incredible, mjn. :D

Edit: As far as the FS1 Endgame cutscene goes, the ships in order of first appearance are the GTB Ursa, GTF Hercules, PVF Thoth, and GTF Ulysses.  Oh, and the Lucifer, of course. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 18, 2010, 04:21:02 pm
And if you want their file names, it's, in the same order, bomber05, fighter06, fighter09, fighter01, and capital02
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 18, 2010, 04:22:30 pm
And you guys just saved me about 20 minutes of work or so! Thanks. I should have Ancients 4-5 finished today/tomorrow. Then I go head on into Endgame.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 18, 2010, 06:01:31 pm
sorry for speaking about this only now, but if you'r using 3Ds max I have quite a few things you can use, as I'm also making some FS animations... I converted a few models(hence my tutorial) and have them already set up with textures and thruster planes facing the camera, as well as scaled properly, I have these models that you can use:
Manticore
Orion
Gorgon
Fenris
Demon
Cain & Lilith(same model 2 textures)

*about anciants 1, the original moon has more detail then the HD one... and in general I'd like the BG nebulae to be a bit more detailed... I'd like to see you taking these cutscenes to a new level while mentaining the same feel, even if it meant adding nicer flares on the suns, and going for a more realistic look :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on February 18, 2010, 06:03:25 pm
That aura around the starfield stars also seems wrong.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on February 18, 2010, 06:13:44 pm
I'm wondering if someone actually has the model of the Apollo bomber used in the intro scene. I remember seeing a screenshot of it in the Port board, and a new Apollo skin based off of it, so it's likely that such an asset would be crazy useful for you.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Retsof on February 18, 2010, 07:14:38 pm
so when do we get to see the ones you have done in all their moving glory?  It's not like I'm impatient or anything :p.  Or did I misunderstand and they are not as close to done as I thought?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Black Wolf on February 18, 2010, 07:46:18 pm
This might help in future for IDing ships:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Great_War-era_craft
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 18, 2010, 09:35:46 pm
Awesome! I would love to use those models. I'll PM you my email.

Yeah, I'm working on the nebulas for all the Ancients videos. I'm trying to get the basic animation and look finished up and then I'm tweaking stuff to make it look better.

Good call on that moon. I'll fix it up.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 19, 2010, 03:38:44 am
I'm wondering if someone actually has the model of the Apollo bomber used in the intro scene. I remember seeing a screenshot of it in the Port board, and a new Apollo skin based off of it, so it's likely that such an asset would be crazy useful for you.
Yeah, the new Apollo skin is hiding somewhere in the boards, if anyone needs it I can still upload it somewhere. It's still a fighter and not a bomber though, I mean it's 1 seat and not 2 seats like in the cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 08:10:35 am
Well, I figure that it is OK that my version will fix some continuity issues in the cutscenes.

Also... the asteroids are taking a lifetime to render... (30 hours left).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on February 19, 2010, 09:23:16 am
Apollo bomber skin. (http://www.freespacemods.net/download.php?view.522)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 09:25:37 am
Hmmm, so I guess the question is...

Do we want the Apollo to look like the original cutscene OR do we want it to look like what an Apollo should look like?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 3] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 09:38:32 am
I thought about this one a lot because having done Ancients 1-4 consecutively, I noticed how similar they are. I decided I would make this one more about the asteroids than the planets/stars/nebulas, so I added a lot more asteroids.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Qent on February 19, 2010, 09:42:35 am
Please [lvlshot]! NVM, I guess my window is just too small. :P

Looks quite impressive though. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Ancients 1] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 09:48:47 am
Please [lvlshot]!

Looks quite impressive though. :yes:

Thanks, though I have been using [lvlshot] for the 1920x1080 screens. The old ones are 640x320 and not in need of [lvlshot]...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 19, 2010, 09:59:46 am
I vote for Lt. Ash's skin. The retail skin sucks, and I don't want it ingame, even less in a high-res cutscene. Just my two cents.

Keep up the good work :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 19, 2010, 10:14:09 am
Hmmm, so I guess the question is...

Do we want the Apollo to look like the original cutscene OR do we want it to look like what an Apollo should look like?

The original script had the pilot mentioning that his co-pilot was dead.  This was cut out later.  So... hmm.

Also, for the FS2 cutscenes, did anyone ever HTL or otherwise improve the Colossus?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 10:22:30 am
Is there no HTL Apollo?

I'm not sure about the Colossus.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on February 19, 2010, 10:31:27 am
There are two separate HTL efforts going on for the Colly, GalEmps, which has stalled, and TrashMans, on which no progress has been posted in some time.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on February 19, 2010, 11:04:30 am
These look amazing! How long before we can see some FMV versions?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 19, 2010, 11:32:09 am
can you add a little of brown mist to the asteroids shot... to make it look like small debree?


oh and your sun is looking better on this render, you did some tweeks on that right?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 11:48:17 am
Mist of debree... good call! I like it. I'll add that as soon as the main asteroids are finished rendering.

The suns/lens flares/nebulas/stars are each different for each different cutscene. They are all a work in progress. The reason I haven't called any of them finished is because I want to get those all looking great. I gave them a look to start with so I could get you guys some screens. I'm still tweaking them.

FMV Versions.... Probably after I get my new site up and running. I run a video studio with two other guys in KC, MO. We just decided to change names and webhosts so that is all up in the air. Once that is up, I'll upload FMV version so you can see the motion I've got.

I'll release the FS1 pack as a whole when all the scenes are finished. (ETA: "When it's ready").

Anyone know if SCP is sticking with OGG? I WAY prefer H.264, but OGG is no big deal. When the time comes I'll need someone to wrap them up into a new VP file. Maybe fs1cutscenes_hi.vp?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on February 19, 2010, 11:50:44 am
ogg/theora is the chosen codec for the time being. h264 implementation is, at the moment, not planned.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Zacam on February 19, 2010, 01:44:48 pm
If the cutscenes are labled as 2_%filename%.ogg or eves 3_%filename%.ogg we can have them used when high-res interface is used (or nat used when a lower resalution is selected even if they are present)

Would require some changes in the code, but do-able.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Jeff Vader on February 19, 2010, 01:49:35 pm
When the time comes I'll need someone to wrap them up into a new VP file. Maybe fs1cutscenes_hi.vp?
Anything goes, as long as it comes before FS1OGGcutscenepack.vp alphabetically.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on February 19, 2010, 01:54:57 pm
Besides, packing them inside a vp is not necessary. You could just distribute the files.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 02:04:19 pm
Besides, packing them inside a vp is not necessary. You could just distribute the files.

Which may be necessary considering the sheer data size of 1080p.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on February 19, 2010, 02:07:42 pm
vp files do not include any compression algorithms; It is a pure archive format. Besides, if you find an algorithm that can compress h264 or ogg/theora even more, I think there's a price waiting for you somewhere.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 19, 2010, 02:13:24 pm
Some of the nebulae are a bit bland, and they look like you just took a solid noise / "clouds" effect and stretched it. And the stretching stands out too much, IMO.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 02:17:10 pm
Yeah... I'm working on the nebulas. Turns out they are more difficult that I had thought they would be.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 19, 2010, 02:19:29 pm
Yeah... I'm working on the nebulas. Turns out they are more difficult that I had thought they would be.

Good luck, then. Hopefully someone will be able to provide some tips.

Beware the uniformly-squashed look, and the uniformly-smooth look!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 02:21:41 pm
If I can't figure out a good procedural way to do it, I'll just hand draw them like I did the planet textures.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Thaeris on February 19, 2010, 03:42:43 pm
Is there no HTL Apollo?

I'm not sure about the Colossus.

The current FSP Apollo is "HTL," though its level of detail is kind of low, the cockpit is placed too high up, etc. I'd like to see it re-done myself, and I even made a few plans to start working on it. However, I've got enough to do as well as schoolwork. You might be in between a proverbial "rock an a hard place" here...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Pred the Penguin on February 19, 2010, 07:03:34 pm
Hmmm, so I guess the question is...

Do we want the Apollo to look like the original cutscene OR do we want it to look like what an Apollo should look like?

The original script had the pilot mentioning that his co-pilot was dead.  This was cut out later.  So... hmm.

Also, for the FS2 cutscenes, did anyone ever HTL or otherwise improve the Colossus?
Don't you see his co-pilot's body though?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Bobboau on February 19, 2010, 07:07:32 pm
has there been any consideration of making new cutscenes when the existing ones have been upgraded?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 07:39:15 pm
I was planning on offering to make more when I finish these, but these are the priority.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 19, 2010, 08:32:55 pm
 :eek2: :yes: We need these.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 4] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 19, 2010, 09:52:20 pm
Ancients 5 is turning out to be a stinker... Stupid sun w/ fire... On the other hand End Game is coming together.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 02:22:09 am
Here is what I have on Ancients 5 so far. The fire is really giving me a hard time... I figured I would post it and see if anyone has any suggestions.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on February 20, 2010, 02:31:22 am
As a still it looks good, although slightly too uniform; the original fire is more irregular in shape/density.
The big thing about fire, though, is animating it; it's hard to judge that from just a picture. Maybe upload a test video?

Also, your rate of progress is astonishing. Keep it up!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on February 20, 2010, 07:43:46 am
though the new version is probably closer to what you could realistically I think the contrast needs increasing and as FSF says the corona looks a little to uniform

keep up the good work
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 20, 2010, 07:53:42 am
What if you make the sun emit very small incandescent particles?  will that improve the effect?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 08:13:24 am
Good suggestions! I'll give them a go. My rate of progress is about to hit a wall because the other videos require a good chunk of 3D animation. That takes WAY more time.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 20, 2010, 08:49:24 am
This is relevant to my interests.

First, I must applaud the effort and pace of work. :yes:

Then to business: the MediaVP's offer a wide range of very, very good stars to be used. They are basically a result of this thread (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,45736.0.html) and they work very well in-game; I would love to see how they look in cutscenes.

There are also better starfields than what you have been using. The background stars seem oddly uniformly bright and they have thus strange blurred thing around them, while in space they would be crisp and come in multiple brightnesses and the brightest stars would usually also have a discernible hue to them, either reddish or bluish (yellow stars appear white to human eyes, and dim stars are usually too dim to register as colours in our eyes due to the relatively high threshold of colour detecting cells).

Here's my view on a generic starfield; something a lot like this is used by the MediaVP's. However the version in MediaVP's turned out to divide opinions quite strongly, so I'll just say that this or something similar is what I would prefer to see:

(http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/3808/starfield4096.png)


(not using lvlshot for that one because it would basically just show a black square due to massive downscaling...)

This is a 4096^2 resolution starfield and can be mapped cubically on a sphere to effective 16384 pixels of horizontal resolution. That means you can use field of view as low as 22.5 degrees and still take 1024^2 renders that maintain singular stars as pixels rather than upscaled dots.

Cropping a 2048^2 section of this map would work just as well down to 45 degrees of field of view angle. The resolution you would choose should depend on the view angle, because starfields are things that typically don't downscale very well at all, so mip mapping is somewhat problematic.

Nebulas, hmm. Unless you are intentionally emulating the look and feel of FS1 nebulas, I'd say having a bit of additional detail couldn't hurt. However, as I've come to notice, convincing nebulas are damn hard to make. The best results I've had are using GIMP's Plasma render, then recolouring it to certain hues. I really have not devised a method yet to mimic the complex, real nebular gas formations yet, though. :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 09:09:21 am
That is a rock awesome starfield. Let's see how it looks, shall we? Thanks!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 20, 2010, 09:21:53 am
Regarding nebulas, here's what I got with three different plasma layers (blue, red and yellow) each using the same solid noise cloud layer as alpha channel:

(http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/5691/experiment.png)

It's a bit colourful but that's because it is just an experiment. Here's also how it looks with a starfield (which makes a massive difference):

(http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/5614/experimentwstarfield.png)

Main things I have come to notice is that nebulas usually need to be very low intensity to look nice. There are exceptions to the rule, but low intensity, high saturation nebulas tend to produce acceptable looks.

Still, this sort of methods can't really produce the complex, fractal-like formations seen in real clouds or nebulas. A good idea might be to start taking images of clouds with a high resolution camera and use them as source textures, then edit them accordingly into different kinds of nebulas.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 09:25:05 am
And what did you use to make those?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 20, 2010, 09:25:27 am
Don't you see his co-pilot's body though?

In a very brief moment, yes... you have to freeze the video and then you can just barely make out his helmet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 20, 2010, 09:28:43 am
And what did you use to make those?

The GIMP, of course. Can't beat open source in price/performance ratio. :)

Or are you referring to the actual process of making that nebula? I can post a PSD/XCF file of it if you want to.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 09:53:06 am
Nah, that's cool. I'll take a look at my options. Like I said, I'll hand draw them if I have to.

That starmap looks fantastic! I'll get screens up soon.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 20, 2010, 12:17:23 pm
Here is what I have on Ancients 5 so far. The fire is really giving me a hard time... I figured I would post it and see if anyone has any suggestions.

Images Deleted

Yeah, that fire needs a lot of work. I think you need to try entirely different techniques from the one you're currently using.
Perhaps you could animate a 2D bitmap and use that for the corona?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 01:05:20 pm
I just uploaded an update (you can see it in the quote above). It's getting there.

It's taking time because I'm working with about 4 particle systems based on dynamic fractals. At the same time I'm rendering out the Asteroids for Ancients 4. My computer has plenty of power, but not THAT much... Poor thing, it might be crying inside.

Quote
Yeah, that fire needs a lot of work. I think you need to try entirely different techniques from the one you're currently using.
Perhaps you could animate a 2D bitmap and use that for the corona?

There aren't a whole lot of techniques for creating fire. Particle Systems and Fluid Dynamics (really advanced particle systems) are the best ways. And even with those it's difficult to make it look great. Basically I am animating a 2D bitmap using particle systems with the source being the layer containing the sun. I think the shape of the fire is looking nice now, I need to work on it's colors.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 02:24:00 pm
Here is the most recent Ancients 5.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 20, 2010, 02:49:56 pm
I dunno, I still prefer the blobby, cloudy look of the original to the stringyness of yours.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 20, 2010, 03:08:49 pm
If I may make a suggestion, blur the fire quite a bit and make it move very slowly, just so that you can see it being animated.

The thing with animating stuff like that is that it takes hours if not days to discern any real motion with things like this in reality. The scale is huge, we're talking about flames that are the size of Jupiter here...

Though my stance regarding realism is reasonably well documented. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 20, 2010, 04:27:53 pm
you can also use some post processing to make it look even better...
(http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/874/26new00000.jpg)

*no, the lens refraction is fine and thats how its supposed to render...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on February 20, 2010, 04:38:20 pm
i think that rainbow's backwards :/

Shouldn't it be blue side facing towards the star?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 05:09:53 pm
Woah, nice flare Nighteyes! I like to the hoop. I was planning on adding flares when I got the fire right, but I guess I'll get em in now because it will change what the overall product looks like.

More changes on the fire. Compromise of bluriness w/ detail. Flare added also.

[image removed]
[image removed]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 20, 2010, 05:20:58 pm
the sun should be smaller and the flames longer, a bit less bright, the lens flare color wash can be all over the screen, and the rainbow effect should be more transparent... :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 20, 2010, 05:31:01 pm
I don't think those glowing dot particles should be there. Can't remember detail like that in the originals at the very least.

Consider fading the border of the star's photoshphere and the corona flames. At the moment, the transition from full white flames into "darker" area of the photosphere's edges look a bit odd.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Spoon on February 20, 2010, 06:34:55 pm
Late to the party, don't really have anything constructive to add
Just have to say  :yes: nice job! and keep it up!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on February 20, 2010, 06:37:37 pm
I still think the colors of that rainbow are backwards :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Retsof on February 20, 2010, 09:00:08 pm
I think you've about got it, but to match the original it needs more "blobieness"  mabe something like a fair-sized solid noise alpha channel.
EDIT:  here's a quick GIMP of what I mean.
(http://i1023.photobucket.com/albums/af356/Retsof90/Suncutthing.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 20, 2010, 10:25:52 pm
It looks like it could be done as some sort of particle effect... notice that the gas farther from the surface (in the original cutscene) is more diffuse (blurred)... small rising particles which expand and fade from white to yellow to red and disappear...

was the original animated or just a static image?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 20, 2010, 11:43:19 pm
The original is a screenshot from the original cutscene.

I really appreciate all the help, it keeps giving me ideas of how to move this one forward. You guys are picky about your fire-stars. I do NOT look forward to that Bosch monologue with that rotating fire-anomaly-thing.

Oh, and I totally agree on those glowing particles after being away from the project for a few hours.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on February 21, 2010, 02:04:22 am
I like it  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 21, 2010, 02:56:10 am
I think we have a winner! That, or I am getting pretty close.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on February 21, 2010, 03:49:07 am
Yeeees, that's definitely heading the right direction :nod::yes:

Try making it a bit more reddish, to get colours closer to the original?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: castor on February 21, 2010, 06:36:09 am
Looking good. :yes: Maybe reduce surface brightness a bit, to leave the hottest bits to corona.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: m!m on February 21, 2010, 07:13:57 am
I think it's perfect.
I didn't like the old sun because it was just a yellow blob but your version realy seems like a powerfull sun :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 21, 2010, 07:17:25 am
I think you've nailed it with the last one.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 21, 2010, 08:18:11 am
Man... that was an experience... With a final total of 4 particle layers at the resolution of 5333x3000 and 5 animated fractals also at 5333x3000, this beast will take at least two days to render.

Now imagine making tweaks and trying to see them as you go... It became a process of tweak, wait........................., tweak, wait............... (etc.)

I'm liking the animation and look of all the main objects in each Ancients. I'm going to spend some time on the Nebulas.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Retsof on February 21, 2010, 09:59:51 am
There is no way I would have had the patience for that.  Awesome job.   :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 21, 2010, 01:45:56 pm
Will you be releasing the source files for these cutscenes, in addition to the final rendered versions you make?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 21, 2010, 02:02:53 pm
I sent you the models I converted to max, only thing I think is left for this sun to do is make it a bit more orange/red like the original
about all those layers and tweaking, I really hope you render in passes, this way tweaking is quite a bit more simple and fast in post production :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 21, 2010, 02:45:53 pm
Hmmm, I don't really see a reason to release the source files... I'll consider it, but there is a lot of work going into these and I'm not sure I would want everyone to have the ability to just change it.

In the case for the sun, I can't really render in passes because the layers are dependent on each other for animation. But now that I have the look I want, animation will be easy since it is about motion and not position. I can animate at quarter resolution or less to make my job easier.

I'm going to work a little on the colors for the sun, but I don't think it will change too drastically. I like that the new one looks like it has life. It looks hot and full of energy, where as the old one looks like a marble with effects. (IMO)

Also, screens of EndGame coming probably, tomorrow or Tuesday.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: hundeswehr on February 21, 2010, 04:10:28 pm
coronas aren't fire. in some of the previous renderings it looks like fire flickering from the sun producing ember. they're actually plasma which follow the curve of the sun's magnetic field. visually, it should be continuous, extending out from the sun in arcs or loops with the appearance of water or thick mist, not necessarily burry and out of focus.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: castor on February 21, 2010, 05:03:19 pm
I'm going to work a little on the colors for the sun, but I don't think it will change too drastically. I like that the new one looks like it has life. It looks hot and full of energy, where as the old one looks like a marble with effects. (IMO)
Yea, the original over does the effect, and your version is very good. Still, a slightest of color/intensity adjustment might make it look even better, imho.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 21, 2010, 05:09:18 pm
coronas aren't fire. in some of the previous renderings it looks like fire flickering from the sun producing ember. they're actually plasma which follow the curve of the sun's magnetic field. visually, it should be continuous, extending out from the sun in arcs or loops with the appearance of water or thick mist, not necessarily burry and out of focus.

Also if you rendered the video in real time, all detail in the corona would appear suspended in time simply because the scale of these phenomena is so huge it takes several hours, if not days, for large mass ejections and arcs to progress enough that human eye would notice a difference.

However in this case I think the intention and purpose is to imitate the look, feel and impression of the original, just in higher quality. Quite a bit like FS Upgrade as a whole.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 21, 2010, 05:45:21 pm
Quote
However in this case I think the intention and purpose is to imitate the look, feel and impression of the original, just in higher quality. Quite a bit like FS Upgrade as a whole.


That is what I'm going for, though upgrades are allowed. This shot is interesting though. I mean, if I were to go with the fullest of realism, I would have to do things like set the exposure so high that you wouldn't be able to see the stars or nebula in the background. And that doesn't make for a very interesting cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on February 22, 2010, 12:54:59 am
WHAT THE

This is some amazing **** right thar. I say stick with the current sun, too. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 22, 2010, 01:29:50 am
I would tone down the lens flare and put a little more red in it...

Any finished products yet, for the first batch of cutscenes?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2010, 09:40:30 am
Ancients 1-3 are basically finished. I'm fixing up the asteroids for Ancients 4 and animating Ancients 5. I have to draw the nebulas and they will all be finished. I'm also starting to animate EndGame.

I'm going to get FMVs up on my studio site as soon as I get it uploaded. (We went through a name change and whatnot).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 22, 2010, 10:38:25 am
Hm... it looks like the sun you made has smoke or dust, whereas in the original those dark areas are just non-glowy parts (where the backdrop is showing through)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on February 22, 2010, 12:34:10 pm
These are seriously high-quality. :yes: The most recent sun looks awesome, I say keep it. :)

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2010, 07:17:57 pm
Don't worry... I'm still working!

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 22, 2010, 07:23:07 pm
hehe, you are diligent, and relentless... I LIKE IT :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on February 22, 2010, 08:16:46 pm
These are seriously high-quality. :yes: The most recent sun looks awesome, I say keep it. :)
I agree.  I think the ideal goal here should be faithful re-creations of the cutscenes as a whole, not pixel-perfect exact matching of every single color and effect.  There's no need to break out the eyedropper tool. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2010, 08:33:19 pm
Quote
There's no need to break out the eyedropper tool.

Ha! I hope not. That would be way more tedious than what I'm already doing...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on February 22, 2010, 08:36:24 pm
Tedious but cranked out at an amazing pace :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Retsof on February 22, 2010, 09:10:58 pm
Hm... You think you can get your hands on some high-res textures?  That close-up of the Lucy is a bit jarring.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2010, 10:24:42 pm
if anyone has them, i'll use them. though these are the htl textures
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 22, 2010, 11:41:21 pm
(http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l77/Aardwolf001/ogr_capital.jpg)

From some preview screenshots from back when people were waiting for FS1 to come out, found on the Descent Network D2 site.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 12:38:06 am
That is definitely not higher res than what I grabbed out of the VPs. Unless you are expecting me to remake the textures at a higher res...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on February 23, 2010, 02:12:17 am
/me glances at Vasudan Admiral
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 23, 2010, 02:21:26 am
Ah, but it's got the original colors!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 23, 2010, 09:05:05 am
Ya, just to be sure, I guess the consensus is that the Lucy is Greenish colored when in subspace, and fades into red after exiting.  That's what IceyJones did in his Vasuda-Toasting Cutscene.  (BTW, is that going to be re-done in higher-res, too?  AFAIK it's 480p now, correct?)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 09:20:51 am
There is a lot of red in the original EndGame. Really, the only green is behind the antenna things on the front. But the more I get this thing lit properly, he more it looks like it needs a higher-res texture... I guess I could redo it... but that is gonna add a significant chunk of time to the project.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 23, 2010, 09:24:15 am
There is a lot of red in the original EndGame. Really, the only green is behind the antenna things on the front. But the more I get this thing lit properly, he more it looks like it needs a higher-res texture... I guess I could redo it... but that is gonna add a significant chunk of time to the project.

Yeah... I think Icey did it pretty much that way.. it was kinda cool.  Have you seen his cutscene? I linked to it on YouTube a bit back, I'm not sure if you got a chance to take a look.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 09:26:46 am
Yeah, I checked out a while back. It's pretty darned good, if you ask me.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 23, 2010, 09:28:14 am
:nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 09:34:01 am
By the way... did I mention that I hate texturing? If anyone feels up to putting together a green/red Luci texture in super high res, you will be my greatest hero. Otherwise, I'll just have to do it myself...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Thaeris on February 23, 2010, 09:39:41 am
GIVE THIS MAN AN FSU BADGE!!!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 23, 2010, 09:43:04 am
By the way... did I mention that I hate texturing? If anyone feels up to putting together a green/red Luci texture in super high res, you will be my greatest hero. Otherwise, I'll just have to do it myself...

I have no idea whether he's able or willing, but did you ever get ahold of Icey?  I'll give him a shout and see what he thinks.

EDIT: PM dispatched.  :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: Ancients 5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 10:08:41 am
I didn't ask him about the textures, but he is helping me to get my engine exhausts right.

Also, your wish is my command. (Obviously a work still in progress... but green.  ;7 )

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: tlc337 on February 23, 2010, 11:15:28 am
I can't believe that this is happening.  Wow, this is just awesome work.  I can't even imagine what it's going to be like to see "SEND FIGHTERS!" all pretty like this.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lucika on February 23, 2010, 11:19:48 am
Sir, you are way too awesome for my comprehension.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 23, 2010, 11:26:59 am
I don't know about that... I'm so fond with the red theme on the Lucy... I would rather have it all red.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 11:28:17 am
So uh... anyone have any idea why a volume light though ON would NOT be showing up in the render in MAX? This is the most frustrating thing...

EDIT: Breath... breath.. breath... ok. So Volumectric lighting works in a new scene in MAX, but no matter what I do in the Endgame scene, I cannot get volumetric lighting to work. My brain is about to explode...

EDIT AGAIN: I think I figured it out.. my scale may be too small. I'll have to upscale everything and remake all the animations... Oh well. Lesson learned.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 01:28:43 pm
I don't know about that... I'm so fond with the red theme on the Lucy... I would rather have it all red.

Here is what I'm thinking... If we stick with what is generally agreed (that the Lucy is green in Subspace) then we should have that continuity throughout the FS universe. Meaning, it should be changed in the FS1 Port mission. Otherwise, it really doesn't matter. I prefer the red also. I also think that the green is the result of a lazy  :v: team.

I realize I don't pull much weight around here, but that is my two cents.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on February 23, 2010, 01:49:58 pm
In the cutscene it's red, in-game it's red. I say stick to the original colour scheme. Yes, alright, it was green in an early developer-only version, but the Lucifer (and the Shivans in general) are commonly known to be mainly red.
The engine exhausts look good, although they could be a bit more glowy IMHO; also, that white light bar looks a tad bit overdone. I like it, but it's too much as is.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on February 23, 2010, 02:00:23 pm
In the cutscene it's red, in-game it's red. I say stick to the original colour scheme. Yes, alright, it was green in an early developer-only version, but the Lucifer (and the Shivans in general) are commonly known to be mainly red.
The engine exhausts look good, although they could be a bit more glowy IMHO; also, that white light bar looks a tad bit overdone. I like it, but it's too much as is.

In the cutscene it's green.  Watch it again.  ;)

EDIT: not to be picky, but the above seen levels of green... can it be toned down a bit?  I don't know, when I saw the green color in the FS1 cutscene it sort of repulsed me, which I found fit my feelings for the Lucifer quite well.  The green above.. seems sort of too bright.  I don't know.  Just a thought.  :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 02:16:33 pm
I'm probably gonna go back to red. I like red better. I have to resize and reainmate everything again so that I can use volumetric lights for the engine exhaust...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 23, 2010, 05:03:43 pm
Ugh!

Why don't you use the MediaVPs base map, and the texture Aardwolf posted for the self-illumination? You desperately need to color-match the glows there.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on February 23, 2010, 05:10:40 pm
Also, those little ridges/indents need to be exaggerated, like they were in the retail cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Desertfox287 on February 23, 2010, 05:12:43 pm
lookin pretty good :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on February 23, 2010, 06:40:10 pm
@mjn.mixael
Little Question:
Are you going to use the original sound/music-files from the VPs, - from the old Videos -  or from this Thread: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=43106.0       ?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2010, 06:55:10 pm
Addendum: I'll be compositing in the engine exhaust instead, as I just can't get it good enough in MAX. What this means is that I have now animated all the stuff IN subspace for EndGame.

Quote
@mjn.mixael
Little Question:
Are you going to use the original sound/music-files from the VPs, - from the old Videos -  or from this Thread: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=43106.0       ?

I did take a glance at that thread. Right now I'm just planning on using the original soundtracks. Unless we can get the overdubs and music separately, I'll keep it that way. I'm keyframing everything that has sound effects to the frame of which it takes place, so it should match up pretty good.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: EndGame] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on February 24, 2010, 02:48:29 am
That sounds very good !
By the way: Your work is Awsome! You are like a god :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on February 24, 2010, 11:52:37 am
Looking very, very, very good.

 :cool:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on February 24, 2010, 02:34:25 pm
Oh man, this is amazing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 24, 2010, 02:39:40 pm
I'm rendering Ancients 5 now. Get this... 10.5 hours till completion. (that estimate is probably without the computer considering the sun particle system (since it isn't on screen yet).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 24, 2010, 03:46:22 pm
I've had longer render times :P ask the ED team about the nebula render I did :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 24, 2010, 03:55:17 pm
I've had longer render times :P ask the ED team about the nebula render I did :D

Oh, I bet. I had some long ones too, but usually out of MAX. The Asteroids in Ancients 4 took 24 hours.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 24, 2010, 08:10:56 pm
I've had the ST:R intro movie rendering for weeks now. :blah:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 24, 2010, 09:56:39 pm
Ha! I love it. Sometimes I'm convinced that the rendering time is the mark a good video! Sometimes not...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on February 25, 2010, 04:51:27 am
well, I'm still waiting to see actual animation, as from screens we can't tell if its actually good :P
although, ancients monologues are simple camera movement :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 25, 2010, 06:07:50 am
I'm modelling the Terran while I'm waiting on Ancents 5 to render. EndGame's animation is almost complete, there is just a lot of effects to add.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on February 25, 2010, 11:50:00 am
<3
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Angelus on February 25, 2010, 12:12:33 pm
Just watched the cutscenes on vimeo, and they are awesome! Four thumbs up :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:


EDIT: Tried to DL, but it seems either vimeo don't like that, or my somethings wrong with my Browser downloader.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Droid803 on February 25, 2010, 12:46:48 pm
The videos are seeeexy.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on February 25, 2010, 01:00:48 pm
Again, this is utterly amazing stuff.  Remaking the cutscenes has always sat in the category of things that most of us would love to see yet never thought anyone would be able to undertake...and yet here you sit, with five essentially in the can and even more on the way.  I feel like you're going to wind up becoming something of a legend around here. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on February 25, 2010, 01:03:15 pm
Awesome work. The quality improvement is remarkable. It's a shame the Ancients cutscenes themselves are awful - but you've done great work with them visually.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on February 25, 2010, 02:06:03 pm
I rather like the Ancients cutscenes. That funky synthetic music is pretty sweet. Makes me wanna play through FS1 again.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 25, 2010, 02:39:36 pm
Just to reiterate, the scenes on Vimeo are dark because of the Vimeo codec. They aren't that dark originally and shouldn't be in the final format. 20 hours left for Ancients 5!

I've been working on modelling the terran pilot. It's quite a chore, but well worth it.

If anyone wants to help out, here are a few things I'll need in the future/near future. Similar to what Mongoose and MatthTheGeek did regarding EndGame, it would be helpful if anyone wanted to do some Ship IDing and grabbing their corresponding numbers in the VPs.

I'm going to be working on FS1 Intro (obviously I know Arcadia and Apollo, but there are a lot of ships in the background shot of the Arcadia) next. I'll need the same thing for the opening of HallFight, but that's a while coming.

Also, once I finish the Terran, I'll start up on the Vasudan... and the Shivan after that. Anyone know of (or want to draw?) some side/front/top reference images? Just ways to help. Not necessary though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CKid on February 25, 2010, 02:49:44 pm

(http://ahtw.org/carl/IMG_0339.JPG)

You can find many more pics like this in this thread. Check pages 5 and 6 for close ups.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=56146.0

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lucika on February 25, 2010, 02:57:26 pm
And don't forget the tech entries.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on February 25, 2010, 04:24:19 pm
Just to reiterate, the scenes on Vimeo are dark because of the Vimeo codec. They aren't that dark originally and shouldn't be in the final format. 20 hours left for Ancients 5!
That's very good to know. That's about the only concern I had and I'm glad it's a moot point.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 25, 2010, 05:00:13 pm
I still have some concerns about how static and thick the "beams" of light appear to be around the suns. Maybe I'm just used to how MediaVP suns look like, but it just looks somewhat strange. :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 25, 2010, 05:16:27 pm
They rotate with the camera like real lens flares do... when they get near the edge of the screen the flare up, again like real lens flares... Personally, I think they look great.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on February 25, 2010, 05:53:28 pm
It's not that... well, here's what I mean:

(http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9939/supernova128.png)
(http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/7261/supernova1024.png)

Disregard the horrible colour banding. Basically, I mean the amount of diffraction spokes associated with very bright light sources. Ideally, the diffraction spokes would change dynamically as the location of the light source changes, as different parts of the lens and optics would produce subtly different effect. But I do not know how that could be conceivably done... :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 25, 2010, 06:25:57 pm
Ah I get what you are saying. Fear not! That will take me all of about a minute to set up (Per video, that is). Good call!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on February 25, 2010, 06:38:56 pm
Wow, didn't realise the videos were being put in the first post as they were completed. Very very nice work! :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on February 25, 2010, 10:30:48 pm
I think I see reflected light off the asteroids in Ancients 4.

Very nice effects :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 26, 2010, 09:21:48 am
Someone wanted to see some animation so I rendered out a quick low-res preview of the first 20 seconds of EndGame. Note that I HAVE NOT worked on Lighting, Engines, Explosions, and haven't yet tweaked the little details of the animation.

It's link is on the first page.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 26, 2010, 12:20:29 pm
The subspace tunnel looks like it rotates quarter a turn, stop, repeat. This should be smoother I think.

Aside from that that's really awesome. I hope the lighting will make so the Thoth and the Ulysses just before the last part are a bit more visible, cause for now they only are barely.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 26, 2010, 12:26:54 pm
Yeah, I noticed that on the subspace tunnel after the render. I'm pretty I accidently set my repeating keyframs to bezeir and they need to be linear. The lighting and engine glows will make them much more noticeable.

I also tried to give the Ursa a bit more of a jolt when the explosions happen near it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 26, 2010, 01:36:35 pm
I also tried to give the Ursa a bit more of a jolt when the explosions happen near it.

Noticed that, good call it makes it look more dramatic.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on February 27, 2010, 08:23:59 am
I just got finished watching several of these, and might I say DO WANT.  :eek2:

I can't wait to see you do Hall Fight. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 27, 2010, 12:02:45 pm
Yeah... there are some terrible animations of the Shivans in that one... I intend to fix that.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Shivan Hunter on February 27, 2010, 08:05:03 pm
O hai.

You've got some truly awesome stuff here. I am seriously impressed by the quality of the Ancient cutscenes.

Anyway, I have two concerns about the animations you have in the first post:

Again, this is astounding work. The cutscenes are one of the few aspects of FSO showing their age, and these are certainly welcome improvements. I know I'll enjoy seeing these once they're finished.

To quote the Vishnans (dunno if you've played Blue Planet) - "You fly unbound beneath eternity." :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 28, 2010, 07:25:49 pm
Yeah, I'm still tweaking the animation. On the bright side, Ancients 5 is almost finished rendering!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on February 28, 2010, 09:42:47 pm
Don't forget normal maps! Even the original cutscenes had those.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Oddgrim on March 01, 2010, 06:15:10 am
simply amazing stuff  :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Titan on March 01, 2010, 12:30:02 pm
The word FMV kept me back at first. I need to watch less spoony expirement.


Good work dude.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lucika on March 01, 2010, 02:44:16 pm
I need to watch less spoony expirement.

Have you seen his 90-min vlog? :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 01, 2010, 03:23:00 pm
Sorry guys, it is just taking some time to get the Terran model right. At the same time I'm tweaking Ancients here and there, as well as fixing up and preparing to animate the next section of End Game. I'm still going strong though. I am also back to work this week which means a little less free time... :(
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on March 01, 2010, 04:12:59 pm
Don't give up.
It is okay - Everybody has to work.
We stand behind (/with ?)  you :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 01, 2010, 06:47:33 pm
Erm, before you set to serious work on the really tough stuff like Hall Fight and Endgame, can we have the finalized versions of Ancients? Just in case you vanish, as people have on occasion.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 01, 2010, 11:25:33 pm
I guarantee you that I won't vanish. I say this not because of some unproven love of FreeSpace or whatever else, but because video and film are my absolute passion. Between studio projects, I'm always looking for something new to challenge me and it has been a while since a new tutorial on sites like VideoCopilot.net (while a fantastic site) have been truly challenging. This project has already taken me to new levels of video production. Ancients 5 for example forced me to think up new ways to solve the 'corona' issue. End Game is cake, it just takes a bit longer because of the need for a 3D program.

Hall Fight is the last one I'm doing. Right now I'm working on the FS1 Intro and it's just the Terran models that are taking some time. I've modelled interiors before, so I'm not worried at all about the Arcadia Comm Room.

All this to say that I'm here until this project is finished. Also, in all the time I've been doing video work (since about 2002), I have only left 1 project unfinished. Don't worry friends, I'll finish.

Besides, I'm not quite happy with the Ancients videos yet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kszyhu on March 02, 2010, 10:34:56 am
I don't know if you heard about that, but there are some renders made by Volition, available here (http://cp.nukelol.com/renders.zip). Perhaps they could be used as a reference.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 02, 2010, 11:43:48 am
I don't know if you heard about that, but there are some renders made by Volition, available here (http://cp.nukelol.com/renders.zip). Perhaps they could be used as a reference.

Thanks! That will help GREATLY when I begin on the Vasudan and Shivan. Not to mention the room in the Arcadia station!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Titan on March 02, 2010, 12:28:07 pm
When you're done, are you considering doing those unmade cutscenes, such as the fight in the bar between the terran and vasudan?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 02, 2010, 01:37:11 pm
I've never even heard of that one... I guess it's possible though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on March 02, 2010, 01:58:09 pm
Or perhaps even the Silent Threat easter egg cutscenes? Who wouldn't want Headz in HD? <_<
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on March 02, 2010, 01:59:50 pm
What are those ST easter egg cutscenes ? Never heard about that before.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on March 02, 2010, 02:02:40 pm
http://www.freespacemods.net/download.php?view.68

Watch 'em here.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Titan on March 02, 2010, 08:24:38 pm
The one of the terran and vasudan fighting was originally a part of the aforementioned bar cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 03, 2010, 02:06:31 pm
I'm betting some of you will recognize this shot.  ;7

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Retsof on March 03, 2010, 03:13:16 pm
Looks nice, but a little nitpick:  The entirety of the ship should emerge from the white part of the portal.  Otherwise you get weirdness with the transparent part.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 03, 2010, 03:53:35 pm
I thought about that. I then looked at the original. There is so much light that you can't really tell one way or the other. I plan on adding that much light as well, so it shouldn't make much of a difference.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on March 03, 2010, 04:10:49 pm
yeah the original had lots of white smoke and glow, so it shouldn't be a problem  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: redsniper on March 03, 2010, 05:17:41 pm
Fantastic work, mixael! I don't think we've seen this much talent come out of nowhere since Blaise Russel showed up.

I was wondering, will you be making any of your source materials publically available? I believe there is already a high-poly (but unrigged) model of a Shivan floating around HLP, and I think making Terran and Vasudan models available would be a great boon to the community.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on March 03, 2010, 05:32:37 pm
can't wait... can't wait

*goes chewing a brick wall*
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 03, 2010, 05:37:07 pm
Oh yeah, I'll definitely be making all the Terran, Shivan, and Vasudan models available. They could be well used by the community. (Hi-res ANIs anyone?)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on March 03, 2010, 06:45:42 pm
Mmmm, yes please. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: redsniper on March 03, 2010, 10:04:26 pm
Oh yeah, I'll definitely be making all the Terran, Shivan, and Vasudan models available. They could be well used by the community. (Hi-res ANIs anyone?)

That's awesome! Looking forward to it, man.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 04, 2010, 05:32:12 pm
I've updated the EndGame preview on the first post. I fixed up some lighting issues (though Vimeo still converted it dark), some animation issues and added the basic engine glows. Explosions are not there yet, though you should be able to see flashes of light where the explosions will occur.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Titan on March 04, 2010, 06:12:15 pm
Hmmm... It seems you're using the original sound half of the animations. Am I correct?

I'm not complaining. Honestly I think it's a good idea.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 04, 2010, 06:22:22 pm
I'm not updating the sound right now. If someone wants to upgrade the sound I would gladly include it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 04, 2010, 06:38:33 pm
No need to redo the sound, dubbing in the original soundtrack is perfectly fine.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on March 05, 2010, 11:08:00 pm
SPECTACULAR WORK, SIR.

We want moar.  :eek2:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 06, 2010, 12:09:14 am
The updated End Game is looking gorgeous. The special effects are really making a difference!

A nitpick: can you tone down the color saturation on the engine glows? And make the Vasudans' orange instead of green? There's a good lad.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 06, 2010, 05:41:56 am
hi,
wow, really impressive and cool work  :yes:.
i had often think thats so bad that we can today play FS2 with high resoultion like 1920x1200 but the cutsence are stiff in the old resoultion and look ugly or are really small.
cant wait to see the other scences :)!

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 06, 2010, 06:29:10 pm
Quote
A nitpick: can you tone down the color saturation on the engine glows? And make the Vasudans' orange instead of green? There's a good lad.

Consider it done!

Modeling a character just takes a long time... I've finished the basic mesh (except the hands). I'll use this mesh as my basis for creating the different Terran types which should speed up the process.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on March 06, 2010, 08:09:23 pm
I just noticed another thing, the lens flare at the end of the tunnel ins't ontop of the ships...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 07, 2010, 07:23:40 pm
Yes, PLEASE redo the Command Briefing cutscene. It looks REALLY dated, from the set to the character models to the animation to the total lack of cloth dynamics. And you could probably fix the inconsistencies in the screen behind him, too, such as the Taranis being a cruiser and not a destroyer.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on March 07, 2010, 07:48:14 pm
Maybe change his nametag to Admiral Wolf, too. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2010, 09:23:38 am
Just had a though about EndGame. Would you guys be interested in seeing the "damaged ship" lightning?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on March 08, 2010, 10:10:12 am
Humm. That requires reflexion. The multiple explosions already convey quite clearly that the Lucifer is blowing up, but a few damage lightning could add a nice touch here too. I'd like to know what people think about it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on March 08, 2010, 11:00:08 am
Just had a though about EndGame. Would you guys be interested in seeing the "damaged ship" lightning?

Considering I wrote a patch just to make it possible to get rid of that lightning in-game, what do you think? :p I vote "no thanks."
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2010, 11:33:53 am
This brings up a good question I think. How 'canon' is damage lightning in the FS universe?

Because when it comes to these cutscenes I'm only making changes for two reasons.

1. The change, when compared to FS canon, either fixes something wrong in the original cutscene or adds to graphically but is still correct by terms of FS canon.

2. The original cutscene's geometry and/or visual setup is not correct for the scene. (An example is the second sun I added in Ancients 1 because the original lighting doesn't work.)

So, is damage lighting a part of the FS universe or is it some graphical thing V added to cutscenes originally to make them look cool? Keep in mind this could also effect the way I redo the FS2 EndGame cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on March 08, 2010, 11:38:21 am
Just had a though about EndGame. Would you guys be interested in seeing the "damaged ship" lightning?

Considering I wrote a patch just to make it possible to get rid of that lightning in-game, what do you think? :p I vote "no thanks."


Lightning IMO is cool but it's very dated and needs to be updated... maybe just scrapped and replaced by a new effect.  My two cents.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 08, 2010, 11:41:54 am
Well, there is a new damage lightning effect in .12RC1.....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: -Norbert- on March 08, 2010, 11:45:16 am
As far as canon goes, retail FS2 had the damage lighting both in the ending cutscene and ingame.
Since it's so long that I actually played FS1 (who want's that if you can have FSPort?) I'm not absolutely sure about this, but I think even FS1 had that already.

But I wouldn't miss it, if it isn't in the cutscene, especially since it wouldn't be very noticable with all the blue/while from subspace and the explosions going on.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on March 08, 2010, 04:23:20 pm
Niggling annoying frustrating little problem I have with it....I realise that the originals suffered from it slightly too, but does it really have to jerk so much? camera panning can be supersmooth and in some of these more majestic shots surely it should be as smooth as possible..?

If you look at the edges of the rotational movement on pretty much any of the videoclips you'll see what I mean (assuming it's not my video codec acting up), but it seems to lurch across the screen instead of roll across it.. fixable? am I being overly fussy? =<

Great work overall though, I perhaps agree with the guy who commented on some of the non-focal points being a bit too dark/quite/understated but yea awesome work in my opinion, just needs a little polish.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on March 08, 2010, 04:50:54 pm
Damage lightning should stay. Add more to the broken edges of the Lucys neck once the head is removed perhaps, But you should pimp it as appropriate. I have faith in your abilitiz after viewing everything available so far. I am smitten with your Ancients 4 by the way.
 
 
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2010, 04:54:48 pm
Quote
Niggling annoying frustrating little problem I have with it....I realise that the originals suffered from it slightly too, but does it really have to jerk so much? camera panning can be supersmooth and in some of these more majestic shots surely it should be as smooth as possible..?

If you look at the edges of the rotational movement on pretty much any of the videoclips you'll see what I mean (assuming it's not my video codec acting up), but it seems to lurch across the screen instead of roll across it.. fixable? am I being overly fussy? =<

Great work overall though, I perhaps agree with the guy who commented on some of the non-focal points being a bit too dark/quite/understated but yea awesome work in my opinion, just needs a little polish.

Are you talking about the Ancients videos or the EndGame preview? I can't imagine you are talking about Ancients.

EndGame should be pretty smooth on the wide shots as there is little movement. The closeups (especially with the Ursa) have some wiggle that corresponds to the explosions. Maybe that's what you are talking about?

But I do agree on the polish. That's why I don't want to release them so quickly even though they seem complete. I want to have time to look them over, let them sit, and see if I still like them when I come back to them. It's a process that helps me get things really polished.

Quote
I am smitten with your Ancients 4 by the way.

Wait till you see the version with DOF and not so jagged asteroids... ;7
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on March 08, 2010, 04:58:40 pm
Noooooooooo.
 
I Like-a-da pointy asteroids!
 
Still, I reserve judgement.
I'm going to like dof no doubt. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2010, 05:06:28 pm
Don't worry, they are still quite jagged, I just meant that I got rid of some of the overly jagged parts created by the noise modifier in MAX. They look a lot more natural.

While I'm at it, other changes include:

The second sun in Ancients 1 is now blue instead of red.

The nebula in Ancients 1 is a little more full.

The planet in Ancients 3 should look a little more hi-res, though I'm still considering making a super hi-res map to use on it. (because the planet takes up half the screen the map would have to be something ridiculous with around 5000 pixels in it's width.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Herra Tohtori on March 08, 2010, 06:41:28 pm
The planet in Ancients 3 should look a little more hi-res, though I'm still considering making a super hi-res map to use on it. (because the planet takes up half the screen the map would have to be something ridiculous with around 5000 pixels in it's width.

I consider 8192x4096 to be an absolute minimum for planet textures in most cases. :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on March 08, 2010, 08:48:13 pm
I figure rendering a cutscene is not the same as rendering a still image, but I know shi* about that so .... I'll just nod along :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Darklord42 on March 09, 2010, 06:53:36 pm
Damage lighting should be in the intro cut-scene considering that there is this electric crackling sound and sparks in the original audio that is suppose to go with it, unless your going to nix that. Would certainly be odd without it.  Just do your best with it.  You might have to draw it in yourself.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kopachris on March 09, 2010, 07:41:44 pm
All I can say (since I didn't read the whole thread) is WOW.  :jaw: I really hope these make it into the mediavps if you ever finish them.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 09, 2010, 08:31:03 pm
My two cents: damage lightning was in the FS2 ending cutscene, but it looked awful. If you can replicate the in-game effect, and make it look appropriate, I say go for it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on March 09, 2010, 09:30:39 pm
...and make it look better...

Fixed.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on March 09, 2010, 09:31:43 pm
...and make it look better...

Fixed.

It's already been upgraded in recent builds.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on March 10, 2010, 04:41:22 am
Quote
Niggling annoying frustrating little problem I have with it....I realise that the originals suffered from it slightly too, but does it really have to jerk so much? camera panning can be supersmooth and in some of these more majestic shots surely it should be as smooth as possible..?

If you look at the edges of the rotational movement on pretty much any of the videoclips you'll see what I mean (assuming it's not my video codec acting up), but it seems to lurch across the screen instead of roll across it.. fixable? am I being overly fussy? =<

Great work overall though, I perhaps agree with the guy who commented on some of the non-focal points being a bit too dark/quite/understated but yea awesome work in my opinion, just needs a little polish.

Are you talking about the Ancients videos or the EndGame preview? I can't imagine you are talking about Ancients.

EndGame should be pretty smooth on the wide shots as there is little movement. The closeups (especially with the Ursa) have some wiggle that corresponds to the explosions. Maybe that's what you are talking about?

But I do agree on the polish. That's why I don't want to release them so quickly even though they seem complete. I want to have time to look them over, let them sit, and see if I still like them when I come back to them. It's a process that helps me get things really polished.
Talking about Ancients 2 more than any of the others, though, it's the most obvious of them and the problem is there with all of them, the problem with that IS, it might be my computer (as I hinted), but, if you fullscreen Ancients 2, on my screen the stars jump about half their width across the screen every half second or so (I wish I knew how to explain it better, instinctively I wanna blame my PC but since my PC can handle high-res playback on iPlayer which uses the same tech...), watching it in non-full screen, just as an embed in vimeo it looks smooth, so it might be the upscaling or it might be my PC ;P

Either way, when it comes to playing it in game, these are gonna be viewed at 1080p, and if it's that jerky it'll be very distracting :<

When I view it without fullscreening it it looks exactly as I would hope it to <3
Anyway great work overall, just a few touches here and there (most of which have already been brought up by people) and you should ask for them to be added to port ;D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 10, 2010, 06:02:18 am
hi,
i take today a look on anciet 4.
first is really nice.
but i noticed there something.
if the asteriod fly into the sound, you really see that the lightsource of the sun is smaller as the image of the sun.
good to see on beging with 4 seconds.
yeah i think if the lightsource is greater the asteriod will not block the light, but imho maybe if theres a second lightsoure with lesser brightness and its possible to add god-rays, then maybe it will look more natural?
dont really know if it possible, only a idea that i would post :).

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 10, 2010, 08:38:23 am
QuantumDelta, I don't experience that issue when watching these fullscreen. It might be vimeo (as I'm watching the files on my comp and not Vimeo's version). Vimeo's video servers have been slow lately, especially for HD videos.

Mehrpack, I'm not entirely sure I understand you, but I matched the star's size in the original. When it is covered by an asteroid it just lessens the lensflare because the asteroid isn't quite big enough to block out the whole light source. If you are talking about the point of light that seems obvious, I'm working on that. The plugin I'm using can only seem to work with points of light...

EDIT: Quantum, that is definitely a Vimeo issue as it did it on my computer as well. Worry not, the actual files are quite smooth.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on March 10, 2010, 12:24:25 pm
Worry abated muchos <3
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on March 10, 2010, 03:40:32 pm
Juuuuust out of curiousity :nervous: what are the file sizes of the ones so far?
 
 
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 10, 2010, 04:14:04 pm
The .ogv of Ancients 2 (the largest so far) is 128 MB.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 11, 2010, 03:35:02 pm
I keep going back and tweaking the Ancients videos... at this rate I'll never move on to the others... :nervous:

But I am very happy with Ancients 1,2,4, & 5. I need to do a little bit more tweaking on 3.

So if I wanted to test these out in-game, how might I do so? I have them in .ogg format, I'm just not sure I understand the file hierarchy for FSSCP. Would a seperate file in /data take priority over one in the .vps?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on March 11, 2010, 04:10:02 pm
Since you're doing the FS1 cutscenes right now, you might want to talk to the FSU guys.  The way FSO prioritizes datafiles, you might need to put them in a VP using a utility like VPView.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on March 11, 2010, 05:16:35 pm
No, you won't need to mess about with .vp files when you're in the testing stage.  For the FS1 cutscenes, if you have FSPort installed, just stick them in your fsport/data/movies folder (which you may have to create yourself).  Make sure they're named the same as their retail counterparts, and they should theoretically play just fine.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: -Norbert- on March 11, 2010, 05:19:20 pm
Quote
Would a seperate file in /data take priority over one in the .vps?
I'm not sure how the hierarchy among the VP files is, but a file in the data folder (or rather subfolder of data) always takes priority over those inside the VPs, if they are named correctly that is.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 11, 2010, 06:00:34 pm
Don't worry about packaging them in VPs. We can handle that, All you need to do is make sure they're OGG encoded and strike a nice balance between quality and filesize.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on March 12, 2010, 03:43:09 am
Don't worry about packaging them in VPs. We can handle that, All you need to do is make sure they're OGG encoded and strike a nice balance between quality and filesize.

Yes, as big as you need for maximum qualities. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: -Norbert- on March 12, 2010, 06:26:19 am
Would two packages, one optimised for filesize and one with high-res videos, be a good balance?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 12, 2010, 09:25:22 am
[...]
Mehrpack, I'm not entirely sure I understand you, but I matched the star's size in the original. When it is covered by an asteroid it just lessens the lensflare because the asteroid isn't quite big enough to block out the whole light source. If you are talking about the point of light that seems obvious, I'm working on that. The plugin I'm using can only seem to work with points of light...
[...]

hi,
ok i try to descripte it better.
as the video start, the camera begin go move and the asteriod fly before the sun.
first you see the light is around the asteriod, as the asteriod move more to the middle of the sun, the light is blocked but the most of the sun is still visible.
you see now that the image of the sun and the light of the sun have two different sizes.
on 32 second is the next good example to see it.
the peak of asteriod came into the sun, the asteriod only cover maybe 30%/40% of the sun, but the light fade out. on 33 second the asteriod now cover 40%/50% but the now the light is completly blocked.
and that looks odd, because the sun should still outshine the asteriod.

here some screens:
1. the sun outshine the asteriod and its shinny *g*
(http://www.the-nighthawks.com/store/sun-1.jpg)

2. here you see now, that the asteriod begin to block the light to the camera out and how big the source really is, compared to the image of the sun
(http://www.the-nighthawks.com/store/sun-2.jpg)

3. now the asteriod block it completly and the light to the camera is blocked
(http://www.the-nighthawks.com/store/sun-3.jpg)

i hope that help you :)

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 12, 2010, 09:54:28 am
Ah, I get what you were saying. I have been trying to fix that, but the short explanation is that when the *direct* light is blocked, the flare goes out. I have tried keyframing the light's position as it gets covered but that looks weird. I have also tried using multiple flares which looks worse. Short of manually drawing the flare for each frame, there just doesn't seem to be a good way to pull this off.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: castor on March 12, 2010, 01:07:07 pm
Just make the asteroid larger?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on March 12, 2010, 04:33:09 pm
easy, in after effects you can use the plugin called Knoll Light Factory, there you can adjust the light the light source size, and the flare dosn't turn off completly
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 12, 2010, 05:54:19 pm
Hmm, we don't have Knoll at the studio... I would find it hard to believe it has more features than Kramer's Optical Flares... I guess I'll have to check it out.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 13, 2010, 12:23:00 am
Could you just hack it in? Like, manually adjust the flare size based on the asteroid's position, just scrub through the scene from the camera's POV and manipulate the curve.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 13, 2010, 01:37:00 am
Ah, I get what you were saying. I have been trying to fix that, but the short explanation is that when the *direct* light is blocked, the flare goes out. I have tried keyframing the light's position as it gets covered but that looks weird. I have also tried using multiple flares which looks worse. Short of manually drawing the flare for each frame, there just doesn't seem to be a good way to pull this off.

hi,
:)
im glad that i can it show to you.
yeah that was what i think too, but without the right words in english is hard the hit it :).
aye, i think then its look as the lightsource is moving, but maybe can you edit the intensive and the diameter of it, per keyframe?
so that if the asteriod begin to block it get brighter and greater?
only a idea, dont know if it work, havnt any experience with rendering :(.

@castor: the problem is, thats there are more asteriods they are fly "through" the sun. you you have to make all asteriods bigger, they cause the problem, i think its then a bit wired too, if all asteriods are so big *scratch*

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: castor on March 13, 2010, 03:59:47 am
@castor: the problem is, thats there are more asteriods they are fly "through" the sun. you you have to make all asteriods bigger, they cause the problem, i think its then a bit wired too, if all asteriods are so big *scratch*
Yea, I guess you have a point, there wouldn't be much else than rocks left to see.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 13, 2010, 10:31:33 am
hi,
yeah, but if the asteriods have some pictures on it, ähm moment nevermind, thats not free for kids :wakka:
:D

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 13, 2010, 06:04:58 pm
Sad to say that I'm not impressed with Knoll. It has the same features as Optical Flares but is way more expensive.
Also, it's source size works the exact same way as OF. A larger source size gives these results.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on March 13, 2010, 07:09:02 pm
hmm I thought it would be different... but I guess OF is built around the same things as Knoll, as Knoll been around for a while now while OF is pretty new...
you can try rendering a pass of the sun, and add a very intence glow with a low radius to make the glow "engulf" most of the asteroid as it passes by...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 14, 2010, 03:36:08 am
hi,
it didnt look so bad, only maybe a little bit to bright.
the only real thing that disturibing is that the lensflare is render over the asteriod.

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kopachris on March 14, 2010, 12:14:20 pm
Just a request: if/when you do cutscenes that take place in a known system (e.g. FS1 Intro in Ross 128), could you use proper sizing/coloring for the star(s)?  Ross 128, for example, is a brown dwarf, which should have cast a nice, eerie red light had [V] done their research.  I've noticed the mediavps trying to get star coloring corrected when redoing mission backgrounds.  It'd be nice to have cutscenes to match.  :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 14, 2010, 02:30:16 pm
I'll do it if the info is given to me and it looks good. If you want to go through the cutscenes and just bullet point that stuff out, I'll give it a shot.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on March 14, 2010, 11:14:35 pm
Ok, HOLY CRAP! Those remade Ancients cut scenes look GORGEOUS. Well done. And the Endgame cut scene preview looks like a good start. I'm thinking that, from FS1, the hardest one to redo is going to be the hallfight. The articulation of humanoid models, and the Shivans as well...not easily done. But don't let that stop you.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on March 15, 2010, 02:18:15 am
I'll do it if the info is given to me and it looks good. If you want to go through the cutscenes and just bullet point that stuff out, I'll give it a shot.

I think there's been enough of that in the Media VPs. I think you should just try and emulate the original look and feel of the cutscenes; dramatically altering the lighting scheme there would not be a great improvement, even if it's more astronomically accurate.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on March 15, 2010, 03:07:36 am
Give the man a hand. I think he's earned it.
 
 
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 15, 2010, 09:13:57 am
Ok, I'm pretty sure I have updated all the previews on Vimeo to my most recent work. Have a look at Ancients 4. I had to do a complex workaround a Multi Iris and whatnot. But I think it helped to fix the issue quite a bit.

On all of them I worked on the nebulas by adding areas of brightness and areas of darkness.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on March 15, 2010, 10:06:12 am
Ok, I'm pretty sure I have updated all the previews on Vimeo to my most recent work. Have a look at Ancients 4. I had to do a complex workaround a Multi Iris and whatnot. But I think it helped to fix the issue quite a bit.

On all of them I worked on the nebulas by adding areas of brightness and areas of darkness.

New Ancients 4 looks awesome, much improved IMO.   :pimp:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mehrpack on March 15, 2010, 12:28:41 pm
Ok, I'm pretty sure I have updated all the previews on Vimeo to my most recent work. Have a look at Ancients 4. I had to do a complex workaround a Multi Iris and whatnot. But I think it helped to fix the issue quite a bit.

On all of them I worked on the nebulas by adding areas of brightness and areas of darkness.

hi,
yeah impressive work dude with 4 :) look stunning (and i need sunglasses :D ) and if i see correctly you add motion blur to the asteriods?

Mehrpack
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: quadrophoeniX on March 15, 2010, 08:20:56 pm
Yes 4 is way better now .. still I think the effect of obstructing the sunlight is a liitle too pronounced and also still looks a little  jerky animated especially on the first asteroid passing by, but this can be regarded hairsplitting... I'll take them as they come!  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on March 15, 2010, 09:41:32 pm
Yes, good job fixing the lighting issue.

I can't wait for Endgame. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 12:46:15 am
Yeah, I kept going back to fix little issues here and there, but I'm currently happy with the state of Ancients 1-5. I'm working only on EndGame right now. I have even put my Terran modeling aside. Gotta have priorities you know? (Though I'm quite anxious to work on FS1 Intro...  ;7 )

Also, I'm not sure why, but the game will not play my cutscenes. (to test I just named ancients4 to intro). I took the original ancients4 and changed the name to intro and it played as the intro, but it won't play my versions.

They are in .ogg, however they were originally converted to .ogv and I simply changed the file extension. Could that be the issue? I'll be honest, I couldn't find software that straight made an .ogg file that contained audio and video.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on March 16, 2010, 10:42:18 am
Yeah, I kept going back to fix little issues here and there, but I'm currently happy with the state of Ancients 1-5. I'm working only on EndGame right now. I have even put my Terran modeling aside. Gotta have priorities you know? (Though I'm quite anxious to work on FS1 Intro...  ;7 )

Also, I'm not sure why, but the game will not play my cutscenes. (to test I just named ancients4 to intro). I took the original ancients4 and changed the name to intro and it played as the intro, but it won't play my versions.

They are in .ogg, however they were originally converted to .ogv and I simply changed the file extension. Could that be the issue? I'll be honest, I couldn't find software that straight made an .ogg file that contained audio and video.

Do you get an error, or do the old cutscenes play instead?

Do you get anything different when you try it when running a debug build?

Where in the FS2 directory hierarchy are you placing your files?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 10:47:00 am
I guess that info would be helpful... I have them in fsport/data/movies.

When I replace 'intro' with one of mine, it simply doesn't play anything. Just skips straight to pilot select.

Haven't tried a debug build, I'll do that now.

EDIT: Same thing with a debug build. It just skips over. No errors. I'm on 3.6.12 also.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 16, 2010, 11:28:24 am
Can you post the fs2_open.log from the data folder?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 12:10:31 pm
There isn't a log anywhere that I can find.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on March 16, 2010, 12:14:16 pm
Go to /FreeSpace2/data.

It's there.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 12:21:20 pm
I figured out the issue with the log...

I'm on windows 7, so no program without administrative capabilities can write to the "program files" directory. I ran FS and the launcher as admin, but it simply told me to get a launcher to fix my problem which I though was wierd... it did however write a log file. Though I'm not sure it will give you what you need to know.



[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 16, 2010, 12:36:22 pm
That log just sort of cuts off.......Can you run the debug build until the pilot select screen, then quit and post the log from that?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 01:00:28 pm
I can't. In order to get the log to be created, I have to run it as an Admin. This causes it to barely even start up. It quits and tells me that "to fix my problem I need the latest launcher".

While I'm thinking about it, the log really should be written to the AppData folder in Windows, because of the admin restrictions issues.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on March 16, 2010, 01:01:05 pm
Try moving your whole FS2 directory to C:/Games/.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 16, 2010, 01:10:27 pm
Errm, no, you don't have to run the game as admin. Just delete the fs2_open.log in your data folder, and run the debug build as normal. Then go back to the data folder, and you should see a "Compatibility Files" button under the navigation bar. That one should take you to "%APPDATA%\local\virtualstore\Program Files (x86)\FreeSpace2\data". There, you will find your log.

Incidentally, we are trying to get the engine to not do stuff like this (which was legal under 98 and XP, but is seriously frowned upon under Vista and 7), but it'll take some time.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 01:14:32 pm
I have been outsmarted by E....

Here is the file.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on March 16, 2010, 03:58:34 pm
Highlight: Not sure what this means, but I bet it's causing the issue.

Code: [Select]
Theora ERROR:  Player does not support frame offsets!
MOVIE ERROR: Found invalid movie! (intro.mve)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 16, 2010, 04:16:29 pm
It could be (but I am not 100% sure about this; taylor or others are better equipped to handle this question) that the theora code isn't actually set up to scale movies that are done in higher resolution than the screen res correctly.

That said, what encoder did you use?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 05:47:23 pm
I rendered everything out as an uncompressed AVI. I then used fireogg to encode in to theora.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on March 16, 2010, 11:18:51 pm
Highlight: Not sure what this means, but I bet it's causing the issue.
Yes, most likely. :nod:  The FSO movie player can scale videos just fine, but it's not set up to handle frame offsets.  I think that frame offsets happen when the upper-left corner of the image frame does not correspond to the upper-left corner of the video.  For example if you've got video data in 4:3 but you want to crop it to 16:9.

In other news, this thread is epic. :D  I hereby bestow on mjn.mixael a new custom title. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 16, 2010, 11:41:13 pm
Thanks!

I'll look into the frame offsets issue. It's weird because I have done everything in 16:9 the whole way.

And where in the world is my FS_Open finding intro.mve!?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on March 17, 2010, 10:44:26 am
When it looks for "intro.mve", it is really looking for "intro" with any extension.  So it found, and attempted to load, your intro.ogg.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 17, 2010, 11:33:55 am
Ah, I understand. The frame offset issue is a wierd and I can't seem to figure out anything concrete. I've PMed IcyJones to see how he went about encoding .ogg.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on March 17, 2010, 05:16:19 pm
I've used SUPER (http://www.erightsoft.com/SUPER.html) before, with success. Although the interface is rather poor, it offers many options, and I never had any issues with its videos in-game. Just keep in mind that FS wants the horizontal and vertical sizes to be multiples of 16, so no funny resolutions.

As for how to download: scroll down the page linked to above, click "Start Downloading SUPER ©", there click "download and use" in the middle of the red text, then scroll down again and click "Download SUPER © setup file".
Indeed, their website is horrid.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 17, 2010, 05:59:56 pm
SUPER worked, but the file quality (though set as high as SUPER would allow) was really bad. The gamma in general was WAY off. And apparently FS doesn't like FLAC for audio. Shame.

Anyway, I'm trying right now encoding my video at 1088 (which would be the problem) straight out of my video program. I WAS trying to just have fireogg stretch it from 1080 to 1088. Maybe doing it this way will fix the issue.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 17, 2010, 06:04:44 pm
SUPER worked, but the file quality (though set as high as SUPER would allow) was really bad. The gamma in general was WAY off. And apparently FS doesn't like FLAC for audio. Shame.

Yeah, wav or ogg vorbis only. Seriously, unless you somehow got a hold of the original masters, using FLAC is just a waste of bandwidth.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 17, 2010, 06:11:20 pm
Well... the file played... sorta... I checked the file and it plays fine in my video player. FS however, doesn't like it. It plays the audio, but the screen is just green. Then it crashes.

Why is FS so flipping picky about video?! :confused:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 17, 2010, 06:12:48 pm
We can has debug log? Seriously, if the game crashes on you, the very first thing you should do is try it on a debug build, and if it crashes (which it will), give us the fs2_open.log.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 17, 2010, 06:17:20 pm
Here is the log.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on March 17, 2010, 06:19:34 pm
...

Believe me, unless something has gone seriously wrong (in the sense that your PC would have to be horribly, irreparably broken), the fs2_open.log will be written. If you are using debug, that is.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lucika on March 17, 2010, 06:40:53 pm
I'd recommend that you send the cutscenes over to someone here and see what his debug log turns up.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on March 17, 2010, 06:44:15 pm
As for how to download: scroll down the page linked to above, click "Start Downloading SUPER ©", there click "download and use" in the middle of the red text, then scroll down again and click "Download SUPER © setup file".
Indeed, their website is horrid.
Yeah, I'd stay away from SUPER.  Even if the program itself is fine (I didn't detect any malware) their site is ridiculous.  In addition to the crazy navigation and hard-sell writing, the tech support page advises you to disable your firewall and antivirus software while running it. :wtf:

I've tried several encoders, and so far I'm happiest with ffmpeg2theora (http://v2v.cc/~j/ffmpeg2theora/).


Well... the file played... sorta... I checked the file and it plays fine in my video player. FS however, doesn't like it. It plays the audio, but the screen is just green. Then it crashes.
This is a known bug that was only discovered about four weeks ago.  Taylor and I emailed back and forth for a while testing things; it seems to be a problem with the ogg library, but only on Windows.  Try 3.6.12 RC1 and see if it still crashes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 18, 2010, 12:27:22 am
I'm on 3.6.12 RC1. Encoding isn't a big worry though. That can happen at a later date regardless. I just wanted to see if I could get them working easily enough.

ffmpeg2theora crashes every time i try to encode the file, that's why i started using fireogg (which I think uses ffmpeg2theora for the actual encode)...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on March 18, 2010, 10:47:53 am
Try the attached build then.  Perhaps the fix went in after RC1.

[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 18, 2010, 10:51:45 am
That did it. Rock on.  :yes:

(That fix should probably make 3.6.12)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on March 18, 2010, 03:56:55 pm
It will. :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 19, 2010, 11:32:34 am
Awesome!

Slight update. I'm working on two things right now.

1. I'm adding explosions to the first part of EndGame. (I want to finish this before I move on to the second part with the Lucifer exploding.)

2. I have finished the basic Terran model. I'm rigging it and preparing to add clothing in order to make the pilot.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on March 19, 2010, 12:47:24 pm
I will fangasm when I see Hall Fight in HD.  :shaking:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 22, 2010, 02:30:01 pm
Another set of screenshots!

I was originally going to composite in the explosions along the Lucifer hull. Actually more acurately, Nighteyes was going to offer his awesome talents to composite in the explosions. However, I started playing around with fluid dynamics to see if it would be worth the effort. Using FumeFX, I am working on custom building each explosion. The major advantage to this method is that the explosion can actually interact with the scene geometry. In this case, the Ursa flies through the fireball pluming out of the Lucifer. The effects here are still in a highly 'work-in-progress' stage.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on March 22, 2010, 04:02:56 pm
I'm afraid you owe me several more sets of underwear.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Dark RevenantX on March 22, 2010, 04:24:04 pm
Using FumeFX
Hope you like the multi-hour calculation times.  It sure is pretty, though.  Good thing you didn't mention the cost of that particular program, since if you actually bought it for a free mod, I'd question your sanity.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 22, 2010, 04:37:31 pm
We have a copy for the studio, as far as software goes it's actually not too bad considering what whole software packages cost. But I guess if you look at it as only a piece of a program then... the price seems a lot higher...

Also, my video rig is rendering the explosions at about 500 voxel res in about 30 minutes, which is pretty good.

For those of you wondering, my studio consists of myself and two other guys. We do a good chuck of freelance work around Kansas City, MO. What we do is simply a hobby. We have other jobs that actually support our video work. Because of this, we have the freedom to use our hardware and software for just about whatever we want, paid or not.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on March 22, 2010, 06:09:11 pm
Maybe try playing around with the lighting/colours some; the blue/red combination in that latest shot is kinda painful on the eyes.
I'd say, try desaturating the tunnel walls a bit, turning down the glow from the Lucifer and increase the light from the "ends" of the tunnel; maybe increase ambient a bit as well.
Just my opinion though; other than that, awesome work again :D :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Flaser on March 23, 2010, 10:23:15 am
Even with all the assets you crammed into the video and the painstaking effort it must have taken to choreograph it all I can't help but still notice how low-res the Lucy is up-close. Some sort of detail texturing tricks could do wonders there. (Even a basic noise texture, if the post on Infinity (http://www.infinity-universe.com/Infinity/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=104&Itemid=47) is anything to go by).

I'm really impressed by all you've accomplished, so I hope I didn't come across as an overt nitpicker.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 30, 2010, 11:30:14 pm
Maybe try playing around with the lighting/colours some; the blue/red combination in that latest shot is kinda painful on the eyes.
I'd say, try desaturating the tunnel walls a bit, turning down the glow from the Lucifer and increase the light from the "ends" of the tunnel; maybe increase ambient a bit as well.
Just my opinion though; other than that, awesome work again :D :yes:

Good suggestions. I haven't worked with the lighting yet. Still adding in the explosions.

Quote
Even with all the assets you crammed into the video and the painstaking effort it must have taken to choreograph it all I can't help but still notice how low-res the Lucy is up-close. Some sort of detail texturing tricks could do wonders there. (Even a basic noise texture, if the post on Infinity is anything to go by).

I'm really impressed by all you've accomplished, so I hope I didn't come across as an overt nitpicker.

I'm planning on at least upgrading the texture.

I figured I would post a quick update as it has been a while. I'm still finishing up EndGame, but I have decided to have an interim release when it is finished. It will include Ancients 1-5 and EndGame. That should tide you all over until I finish the character work on the other few cutscenes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on March 31, 2010, 08:00:27 pm
lol I didn't notice the thread was moved over here... abouut Fume FX, when I was playing about with it, apart from the horrible calculation times, it looked like it wasn't possible to make 0 gravity explosions, they all shoot up, and when I set bouncy(or whatever its called) to zero you don't get all the nice animation of the fire, it just hovers there...
IMO the best way to do this is use fume for burning debris trails(like in the second part of end game), and the main explosion composited in, or a combination of fume+stock footage... not quite sure TBH :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on March 31, 2010, 10:38:26 pm
Can you not set the mass of the projectiles that FumeFX generates to prevent them from falling back?  (Note, I'm just guessing that FumeFX uses some kind of Newtonian physics model or something, I don't really know)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 01, 2010, 08:23:34 am
You have to play with vorticity and velocity dampening to dive the explosion the zero gravity effect. But in this case, some explosions moving outward is a good thing because we want the explosions to have the appearance of bursting through the Lucifer hull. I'm creating some explosions that move outwards and some that stay put.

Like I posted earlier though, this way may not look 100% realistic but not much of the scene does anyway. The biggest advantage here is that the scene geometry can truly interact with the explosions.

Quote
Can you not set the mass of the projectiles that FumeFX generates to prevent them from falling back?  (Note, I'm just guessing that FumeFX uses some kind of Newtonian physics model or something, I don't really know)

Yes, except it isn't fume that generates them. For the projectiles, Fume works in conjunction with any particle system. This works well because you have much greater control over where the projectiles go.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 04, 2010, 10:58:44 pm
Here you go, another progress screenshot. This is explosion 4. Obviously vamped up a bit... I'm still adding detail including debris and sparks.

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: tomsons26 on April 05, 2010, 04:14:33 am
Can i suggest using Bink for the videos
Supports high compression an quality and all new games like NFS:Shift use it
http://www.radgametools.com/
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: karajorma on April 05, 2010, 06:50:23 am
Are you going to pay the $6000 US (http://www.radgametools.com/sales.htm) that would cost us? :p

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: dragonsniper on April 05, 2010, 07:46:17 am
I didn't think Bink cost that much. :wtf: As for the screenshot, do the vapor trails at the end of the pic look odd just to me, or to others as well? Most particularly in the top left corner.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 05, 2010, 10:40:43 am
Yeah, I'm having issues with the trails. I may take them out...

Query. I'm beginning the preliminary work on Intro. What are your thoughts to adding the SCP logo to the opening logos?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Sushi on April 05, 2010, 11:54:01 am
Yeah, I'm having issues with the trails. I may take them out...

Query. I'm beginning the preliminary work on Intro. What are your thoughts to adding the SCP logo to the opening logos?

I wouldn't add the SCP logo, but I would definitely say to add some credit to yourself. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on April 06, 2010, 05:14:48 am
Do both!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on April 06, 2010, 03:23:04 pm
Do both!

^
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Dark RevenantX on April 06, 2010, 05:34:32 pm
Are you going to pay the $6000 US (http://www.radgametools.com/sales.htm) that would cost us? :p

I doubt anyone's going to nail you for using Bink in a free mod...  It's not like people are nailing the modders who didn't pay for Photoshop or 3ds Max.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on April 06, 2010, 05:38:03 pm
Are you going to pay the $6000 US (http://www.radgametools.com/sales.htm) that would cost us? :p

I doubt anyone's going to nail you for using Bink in a free mod...  It's not like people are nailing the modders who didn't pay for Photoshop or 3ds Max.

Bink is actually rather horrible in terms of quality, to the point where its usage is immediately obvious when you know what to look for.

If we could, I'd suggest using h264, but that's not on the cards.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 06, 2010, 11:36:00 pm
You know... after comparing h264 to ogg during this project, I'm actually more of a fan of ogg. This is mostly because ogg doesn't have the awful gamma issues that h264 does.

Anyway...

EndGame is turning out to be quite complex... I have at least 2-3 more weeks worth of work to do. Keep on the lookout. I've decided to hold you all over with a release of the Ancients videos.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2010, 08:02:38 am
Ancients 1 - 5 have been released. Get them here. (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68161.msg1345929#msg1345929)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on April 07, 2010, 08:43:24 am
Huh. Can't get these to work. I keep getting those frame offset errors.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2010, 08:44:22 am
Hmmm, I'll look into it. I just tested them on 3.6.12 this morning... What's the frame size on the files you have? Please tell me its 1920x1088...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on April 07, 2010, 08:51:44 am
Resolution is 1920x1088.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2010, 08:54:06 am
It should work then. I assume you are already on RC2.

EDIT: Crap. I figured it out. I'll have to upload newer versions.

EDIT 2: Ancients 1-5 are back up... sorry for the delay...  :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [Updated: FMV Previews] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: wolf on April 07, 2010, 03:16:44 pm
You know... after comparing h264 to ogg during this project, I'm actually more of a fan of ogg. This is mostly because ogg doesn't have the awful gamma issues that h264 does.
You do realize that h264 is a video codec, and ogg is a media container? (You did mean Theora, right?)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2010, 03:25:17 pm
I was talking about theora, I just figured that was understood.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 07, 2010, 04:09:22 pm
These things are probably going to lag the hell out of my system, but awesome work anyway. :D

Edit: Okay, maybe I'm doing something wrong here, but I'm getting nothing but a solid-colored screen when I try to play these in-game (although the audio plays correctly); this is using the Inferno version of 3.6.12 RC2.  They also display only garbled video in an external player that plays the retail .ogg conversions just fine.  Any ideas?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Dark RevenantX on April 07, 2010, 07:21:00 pm
Works for me with VLC...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on April 07, 2010, 07:26:21 pm
Huh. These latest ones play OK for me (well, apart from my system lacking the power to decode them in FSO; VLC or other real media players have less trouble).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 07, 2010, 07:42:58 pm
It could be that my system just isn't powerful enough to play them in FSO, but I'd expect them to play all right in an external player.  As I said, I'm able to play the converted retail cutscenes in a slightly-older version of The KMPlayer just fine, but these give me nothing but garbled output, and they flat-out crash Media Player Classic (via the Combined Community Codec Pack).  I'm able to (somewhat sluggishly) play other HD video files, so I'm not really sure what's going on.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on April 07, 2010, 08:00:51 pm
Try updating your video drivers / and media players?  And maybe get the latest ffdshow codecs?  ( www.free-codecs.com )
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 07, 2010, 09:05:26 pm
I shouldn't have to mess around with the individual ffdshow codecs, as CCCP is pretty much the definitive way to play just about anything you throw at it.  And the reason I'm not using the most recent version of KMPlayer is because I don't like some of the mechanical changes that the new owner/developer has made.  I could attempt updating my video drivers at some point, but I'm still finding it strange that all of these players would play other .ogg files just fine, yet choke on these.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on April 07, 2010, 10:44:46 pm
Mongoose, do you have a Mac?  The OGG fix isn't on OSX builds yet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2010, 11:24:34 pm
As for the playback difficulty in FSO, I'm probably going to render out some 720p more highly compressed versions of these. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 07, 2010, 11:24:58 pm
Mongoose, do you have a Mac?  The OGG fix isn't on OSX builds yet.
Heh, nope, just an XP box.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lukeskywalkie on April 08, 2010, 05:42:44 pm
I know you don't want to digging into codecs, but I had a similar problem (audio fine, video showing only first frame) in-game and vlc, and grabbing new codecs from the official site, specifically the newer direct show filters, fixed it for me, right as rain.
http://xiph.org/dshow/ (http://xiph.org/dshow/)
 Odds are you've been using the same filters you picked up the last time you tried to use a vorbis or flac file. I know mine was wayyy out of date, and it is an unusual format that most players aren't going to tolerate native, particularly the direct show family ( WMP, VLC)
Just try it. they're easy to remove if it doesn't work for you.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 08, 2010, 06:47:21 pm
I guess I could at least try seeing if there's a newer version of CCCP available, and then maybe go from there.  I think part of the problem may be that .ogg is an uncommon video format (I don't think I've ever seen it used besides the SCP), so some of these codec packs may not be particularly adept at handling them.

(I'll have to start a "Stop using VLC!" campaign at some point, unless it's markedly better than it was some time ago.  It was freaking terrible when I tried using it a few years back. :p)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on April 08, 2010, 06:48:26 pm
Huh? VLC is excellent.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 08, 2010, 07:06:28 pm
It could be now, but back when I was using it a few years ago, it exhibited such wonderful properties as taking a good five or six seconds to respond to a skip attempt while playing a video, topped off by another few seconds of massive video distortion.  Once I stumbled across KMPlayer, I never looked back at VLC.  I don't want to drag this thread even further off-topic, so I'll save that discussion for another venue.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on April 08, 2010, 08:02:32 pm
Huh? VLC is excellent.
Not really. Its only advantage is that you can throw anything at it and it'll play without you having to install or configure anything. But once you start getting above SD resolutions playback really starts to suffer. Install CCCP along with Media Player Classic and you'll see a very noticeable improvement.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 09, 2010, 01:36:29 pm
720s are up. Download those if you have lag issues.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on April 09, 2010, 02:49:16 pm
...okay, you guys are going to love the solution to this one.  I downloaded one of the 720p versions to test it out, and the results looked a little bit more like they were supposed to, but the playback was still mostly solid-colored.  So I thought about it for a second...and then I remembered a certain Launcher flag.  I've always had "Disable scale-to-window for movies" selected, since the retail .ogg conversions are grainy to begin with; I didn't want them to look even worse than they had to by default.  So, as it turns out, instead of the 1080p versions playing back completely "solid-colored"...

...I'd simply been seeing an extremely-zoomed in view of the center of each video.

...yeah. :lol:

So if anyone else out there forgot they had that flag selected, flip it off, and everything should work out fine.  Even when they're playing right, the 1080p versions still lag the hell out of my system, and they're much bigger than my monitor requires anyway, so 720p is definitely the way to go for me.  Thanks a ton, mjn.mixael. :)

(I still can't play even the 720p versions outside of the game, so I'll have to figure out what's going on there. At least they work where they need to, though.)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lukeskywalkie on April 10, 2010, 10:57:43 am
VLC's gotten a bit better, but it's still DirectShow and a lot of poorly optimized filters. For anything above 480, I usually MPC. I still keep vlc around for music or for greater file compatibility.  In this case, I gave it a try, because it has some rudimentary ogg implementation, and media player classic does not.  I've got that all fixed up.
Agreed, VLC isn't always going to produce the best image quality, but it is simple, and makes a good starting point and/or 'what the hell is this file' tool.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Col. Fishguts on April 11, 2010, 05:00:35 am
Those are beautiful! Thanks for all your efforts that went into making these :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on April 12, 2010, 09:19:11 am
...okay, you guys are going to love the solution to this one. 

...Maybe put this as a warning in the first post by the download links to prevent future headaches, mjn?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 12, 2010, 10:46:28 am
Done.

So... anyone want to take a shot at creating a hi-res Lucifer texture with damage?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Admiral_Petrarch on April 16, 2010, 08:32:43 pm
Done.

So... anyone want to take a shot at creating a hi-res Lucifer texture with damage?

Why don't you use Lucifer_HTL_Debris and Lucifer_HTL_Debris-glow???
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 16, 2010, 09:10:48 pm
Well, the problem isn't so much I need damage textures as it is that I'm making these at such hi-res and the Lucifer is so close to the camera that the current HTL texture isn't hi-res enough. The custom damage would just be an added bonus.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on April 24, 2010, 10:15:17 am
I have to say, the new Ancients scenes so far look just gorgeous. I hope all the rest turn out just as well.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on April 25, 2010, 07:30:45 pm
What kind of artifacts are left behind by the lack of an even higher res texture?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 26, 2010, 01:28:36 am
The texture is just blurred out. It could look a lot better.

Again, some help with texturing would be fantastic. I want these remakes to be downright fantastic and so if there is someone out there with texturing talent, it makes more sense for you to do an awesome job than myself making a desperate attempt.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on April 27, 2010, 06:41:02 am
Modelers on HLP are few and far between.  UV mappers even more so.  Texturers... can't tell you.  I don't even know.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on April 29, 2010, 05:12:08 pm
Moved a chunk of this thread (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=69311.0) to the FSOpen Support Board. It's still sticky, unfortunately.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 11, 2010, 11:59:49 am
Excitement seems to have dwindled around here...

 ;7



[attachment deleted by admin]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fenrir on May 11, 2010, 12:31:36 pm
Oooooh, shiny...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on May 11, 2010, 12:35:57 pm
Oh yes... Probably one of the greatest game intros ever made, it still sends shivers down my spine every time I watch it...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on May 29, 2010, 04:04:53 am
mjn.mixael , give us some Update, please :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on May 29, 2010, 08:50:35 am
Awesome!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 29, 2010, 03:32:21 pm
Update... Hmmm... not much to show yet. I have been working hard on Hi-Res CB Anims for the Port. I am also working on the modelling for the Terran Pilot and Officer.

I got discouraged on EndGame because the file is just messy. I need to fix up a ton of animation on that one.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on May 29, 2010, 05:29:03 pm
lol I warned you about doing the explosions with fluids... it takes tons of time and very hard to make it look right in motion... compositing 2D explosions in is much faster and easier, and most of the time looks excellent.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 29, 2010, 09:14:37 pm
Actually Nighteyes, the explosions are not even close to the problem. The problem is ship paths. But good try.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: -Norbert- on June 17, 2010, 06:52:03 am
Hey it's me, the one for whom the cutscenes didn't work....
It turned out I wasn't using RC2 as I thought, but actually had 3.6.12 RC1 exes :o
With the RC2 the cutscenes run fine now.
Welll.... at least the smaller ones. The big ones either lag or picture and sound run asynchron.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 17, 2010, 10:17:56 am
Try running the 720s.  It seems that the game engine has a very hard time with the 1080s on slower computers.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: -Norbert- on June 17, 2010, 01:26:29 pm
That's what I meant with smaller ones. The 720s run fine, only the 1080s have performance problems.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 17, 2010, 03:37:06 pm
Ah, yeah. The 1080s run slow on my rig too. It's an issue with FSO
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on June 17, 2010, 05:07:48 pm
Regardless of FSO's lack of love with 1080p, what's the status on the FS1 cutscenes?  I'm especially interested in Hall Fight...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on June 17, 2010, 05:37:37 pm
He's finishing up a few CBAnis for FSPort, then he's gotta complete the character models.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on June 17, 2010, 06:18:02 pm
Okay then.  Hopefully, when all the FS1 stuff is complete, FS2 will be a breeze...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2010, 12:44:51 am
Yup, once I finish the FS1 stuff, I'll have all the assets I need to work on FS2 quickly.though the Colossus cutscene will need some specialized models.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 18, 2010, 09:30:21 am
Hmm, eagerly awaiting that welding ship... Could add some life to in-game shipyards too.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on June 18, 2010, 10:28:36 am
Yup, once I finish the FS1 stuff, I'll have all the assets I need to work on FS2 quickly.though the Colossus cutscene will need some specialized models.

I wonder how this is going to work out, seeing as we don't have a complete high-detail Colossus in-game yet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on June 18, 2010, 10:34:21 am
I think that'll give the Colly team an excuse to get to work. :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on June 18, 2010, 12:21:39 pm
Whatever happened to the collie project that Gallemp was doing (I think it was him...)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on June 18, 2010, 12:51:02 pm
Hi!

I futzed around with texturing and realized I was out of my league. I'm practicing on some smaller models first, the Cheops and Imhotep. Eventually I hope to hand it over to VA for texturing, and take some work off his hands.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2010, 02:11:26 pm
Yeah... Here's hoping that gets done... Though if someone wanted to start working on the construction drone, I wouldn't complain.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 21, 2010, 09:22:09 pm
Ok, so I realize that you all may be wondering what is going on around here. Has this crazy guy realized how hard this project is and given up? Did he die? Was he abducted by Vasudans?

The answer to all of that is no.

I have, as Galemp said, been working for the port on things like this.

http://www.vimeo.com/12754020 (http://www.vimeo.com/12754020)

A few more days on cb anims and I'll be back to cutscene work.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Scourge of Ages on June 21, 2010, 10:34:50 pm

http://www.vimeo.com/12754020 (http://www.vimeo.com/12754020)

A few more days on cb anims and I'll be back to cutscene work.
Oh, that is dead-SEXPy.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on June 21, 2010, 11:48:08 pm
yessssssssss
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on June 22, 2010, 03:20:01 am
I have doubts about the colour of the GTA lasers, but what the hell. It's awesome !
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on June 22, 2010, 06:35:14 am
ML-16's, fool.

That's just downright DAYUM-sexy.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on June 22, 2010, 07:02:44 am
Yeah, of course. This Valk has just blown up a couple of Shivan fighters with 4 bolts of ML-16. Sounds totally logical.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Fury on June 22, 2010, 07:45:31 am
It's a cinematic, cinematics can't be copies of actual gameplay. I really dislike those explosions though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on June 22, 2010, 07:48:21 am
Yeah, that weird imploding blob thingie is just weird.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on June 22, 2010, 08:56:36 am
Hi !

Excellent work Pilot ! I just saw Ancient 1, and I can't wait to see the "action-cutscenes" like Intro, Hallfight or Endgame... I remember Endgame was shutting my computer down (as the subspace node open) on my (very) old and (very) dead computer :warp:

Now I can avenge him ! Thank you !
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 22, 2010, 09:00:23 am
Needs the HTL Cain... The Nexus FS conversion (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=67532.msg1357653#msg1357653) has it, so why don't we?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 22, 2010, 09:03:12 am
Quote
AFAIK it's not yet ready for FS2 ingame use, but you're gonna need to ask c914 for details, I guess. For Nexus I only needed the actual 3d mesh and textures, which seemed finished, so I simply asked him nicely to let me use his Cain. I'm thankful he allowed that, as now I don't have to rely on the current low-poly Cain in the mediavps.
(from that topic you linked to)

This also needs HTL Scorpion and HTL Shaitan...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 22, 2010, 09:09:10 am
Quote
AFAIK it's not yet ready for FS2 ingame use, but you're gonna need to ask c914 for details, I guess. For Nexus I only needed the actual 3d mesh and textures, which seemed finished, so I simply asked him nicely to let me use his Cain.
(from that topic you linked to)

This also needs HTL Scorpion and HTL Shaitan...
It's not ready for FS in-game use, but surely the mesh and the textures will suffice for rendering?
HTL Scorpion and Shaitan don't exist yet AFAIK, or else they're nowhere as near to completion as the Cain.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 22, 2010, 09:15:52 am
Well, when the Cain is finished I'll update the ANI, but I don't want to get into a cycle of updating every time a partially finished model is released. If you guys want me to get back to cutscenes, I have to draw the line somewhere   ;7
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on June 22, 2010, 09:57:03 am
Wait what? The HTL Cain model and textures are available?! I'LL do the conversion! Just show me where it is!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on June 22, 2010, 10:45:21 am
Well, when the Cain is finished I'll update the ANI, but I don't want to get into a cycle of updating every time a partially finished model is released. If you guys want me to get back to cutscenes, I have to draw the line somewhere   ;7

Speaking of which, a better Apollo was released like, today >.>

I realize that your CBAnim preview was just released, so yeah.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 28, 2010, 11:26:47 am
Alright... well I started EndGame from scratch on Friday. The flight paths were awful and the camera work was worse. The new version is MUCH cleaner and smoother. This is an animation test I rendered out to check flight paths and camera work. I'll tweak from here. Once I feel that it is satisfactory I will go into the long process of effects and post-production.

Also.. sorry about the quality, I wasn't gonna spend hours rendering a test at 1080p...  :nervous:

Enjoy.

http://vimeo.com/12918534 (http://vimeo.com/12918534)

EDIT: I've been getting comments here and there about the look of things like lighting and planets and whatnot. I just want to assure you all that this is NOT final. This is a test for animation. Specifically, XYZ positions and rotations. Nothing more.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on June 28, 2010, 02:51:26 pm
The movement looks just about dead-on. :) That magically-fracturing test Lucifer is rather amusing, though. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 28, 2010, 03:26:25 pm
The fighters and bombers look kinda sluggish IMHO... then again, that's in the original as well. Apart from that, looking good, as usual :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 28, 2010, 03:52:54 pm
The fighters and bombers look kinda sluggish IMHO... then again, that's in the original as well. Apart from that, looking good, as usual :yes:

Yeah, I played around with speeding them up, but very quickly I run into the issue of long times where nothing happens (unless I add stuff) OR, more problematic, not syncing with the audio track.

Unlike most video productions where you sync audio to video, I have to do this a bit backwards because I am not redoing the audio.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on June 28, 2010, 09:11:51 pm
Unlike most video productions where you sync audio to video
O rly?  I thought it was the other way around.  It is for animated movies, at least.

EDIT: BTW, the animation test is OUTSTANDING.  Well done! :yes:  There are a few weird bits (in the last intra-subspace shot, the fighters seem to move too fast) but overall it's excellent.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 28, 2010, 09:46:50 pm
Unlike most video productions where you sync audio to video
O rly?  I thought it was the other way around.  It is for animated movies, at least.

EDIT: BTW, the animation test is OUTSTANDING.  Well done! :yes:  There are a few weird bits (in the last intra-subspace shot, the fighters seem to move too fast) but overall it's excellent.

Well I come from a background of live action video production, so I guess that's what I mean there. But for animated movies, you are right.

Glad you approve and I have only improved it from there.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on June 28, 2010, 10:10:03 pm
Well I come from a background of live action video production, so I guess that's what I mean there. But for animated movies, you are right.
Aha.  So you're referring to foley and related disciplines.  I think animated movies are a better analogy to what you're doing with the cutscenes. :)

Quote
Glad you approve and I have only improved it from there.
:yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on June 29, 2010, 12:38:15 pm
Yeah, of course. This Valk has just blown up a couple of Shivan fighters with 4 bolts of ML-16. Sounds totally logical.

What you didn't see were the 10 or so Rockeyes (standard-issue FS1 dumb-fire, or did I mess the naming up?) that were fired before that.  The shields were down on the Shivan fighters.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on June 29, 2010, 01:11:35 pm
It's Furies, and the aspolsions would have been even more visible than the lasers themselves :/
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on June 29, 2010, 01:21:40 pm
Hey, blame Volition. He's just being accurate to the original. If it really bugs you, pretend they're GTI and firing Banshees.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Hades on June 29, 2010, 04:34:54 pm
Ok, so I realize that you all may be wondering what is going on around here. Has this crazy guy realized how hard this project is and given up? Did he die? Was he abducted by Vasudans?

The answer to all of that is no.

I have, as Galemp said, been working for the port on things like this.

http://www.vimeo.com/12754020 (http://www.vimeo.com/12754020)

A few more days on cb anims and I'll be back to cutscene work.
Hmm... the explosions look too... circular, the lasers seem to move too slow and look a little too fat, and the Valkyrie looks almost unnatural when it's moving backwards, it moves too straight I think. Otherwise it's cool. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on June 29, 2010, 05:02:25 pm
I'll have to agree with Hades, the laser blobs are a bit large and the movements are a bit jumpy and abrupt. The explosions look... Interesting, but kind of weird. Like the ships were balloons filled with molten iron or something. xD
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 30, 2010, 08:36:21 am
New animation test is up including most of the explosions. Keep in mind this is the first time I have seen them in motion as well. Many of them need an extended simulation and I want to make some of them a bit bigger. Though for a day's work the timing turned out halfway decent.

Also, Goober: I did not fix that Thoth yet.   :P

http://vimeo.com/12918534 (http://vimeo.com/12918534)

Also, with all the explosion data, the source files for EndGame so far are 132 GB    :lol:

And that doesn't yet include interim renders to go to post production later in the process.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on June 30, 2010, 11:15:06 am
You need to use the new glowmaps, too. Those are a bit TOO green.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 30, 2010, 11:24:16 am
I didn't re-render the second part (outside subspace) as that is a seperate Max file. It's already got the new maps on it just not in this version of the video.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on June 30, 2010, 11:35:45 am
Hmm, I might be pointing out the obvious here, but those explosions look... off. Like there's just "stuff" exploding somewhere near the hull. In the original, it looks much more like the Lucifer's hull is actually being breached, with spark outbursts, debris and damage decals. And... Maybe somewhat less, but slightly larger explosions overall. It's a tad bit too many IMHO, though it may be just me. Two of them actually explode in sync, and symmetrically wrt the Lucifer, which looks just plain wrong.

Rest of it is looking good. I guess the second (quiet) half is pretty much finished already?

And... 132GB... Dammit, man...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 30, 2010, 11:58:08 am
Hmm, I might be pointing out the obvious here, but those explosions look... off. Like there's just "stuff" exploding somewhere near the hull. In the original, it looks much more like the Lucifer's hull is actually being breached, with spark outbursts, debris and damage decals. And... Maybe somewhat less, but slightly larger explosions overall. It's a tad bit too many IMHO, though it may be just me. Two of them actually explode in sync, and symmetrically wrt the Lucifer, which looks just plain wrong.

Rest of it is looking good. I guess the second (quiet) half is pretty much finished already?

And... 132GB... Dammit, man...

I'll be adding sparks and debris in post. The damage texture is in progress. I'm increasing the size of many of the explosions right now. There is the exact number of explosions in this version as in the original, and they happen at the same times. Those two that explode symmetrically was a mistake that I have now fixed.

When all is said and done, this will probably be 150 GB of source data. But after the final render I'll probably delete the explosion simulation data (the largest chunk by far) because if I really need to, I can just simulate it all again using the settings saved in 3ds Max.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on June 30, 2010, 06:19:23 pm
most of the explosions look pretty identical, I'm also not too hot on the way they suck into themselves at the end, I think the fire should just shoot out, add to this some sparks, smoke, debris and a small flare to finish it off and it should look good  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 01, 2010, 08:58:23 am
http://vimeo.com/12918534 (http://vimeo.com/12918534)

Vimeo may still need to encode it before you can see it.

This one has a few flight path changes, some explosion fixes and I have added rings for the Lucifer explosion.

With that said, I don't want to hear people complaining about how terrible the rings look. Those will be heavily worked on in post. Just trust me.

PS: I thought that the two synchronous explosions were fixed, but apparently not. I'll get to it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on July 01, 2010, 09:09:40 am
Heh, that's one of the big reasons I don't post public WIPs actually - people tell you all the things you already know you haven't done no matter how clearly you state which bits are done or not done. ;)

And yeah that one's still encoding but the previous ones have looked a lot cooler motion-wise than in the first test animation, so keep it up! :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Titan on July 05, 2010, 09:59:49 am
Needs more motion blur.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 05, 2010, 10:34:57 am
Motion blur is added in post production.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 05, 2010, 11:57:55 am
When the explosions appear on the hull, will a decal indicating the damage caused by the explosion appear on the Lucifer's hull where the explosion occurred?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 05, 2010, 12:03:29 pm
Yup, a cutscene specific damaged Lucifer texture is being worked on.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kszyhu on July 06, 2010, 07:47:04 am
What about including a slight camera shake during the closeup of Lucifer exiting supspace? (0:26-0:31)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 06, 2010, 08:11:00 am
Let's just hold questions about things that aren't present till after the post-production preview huh?  :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on July 06, 2010, 11:43:38 am
Exactly, let the man work in peace.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 08, 2010, 02:04:14 pm
Not seen any recent previews.
 
Don't need to.
 
I haz da faith!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on July 08, 2010, 09:33:10 pm
I saw a bit of a sneak-peek the other night. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 08, 2010, 09:50:01 pm
Yeah, people who hang out in the IRC channel often get more recent screens.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 09, 2010, 03:34:13 am
Bloody elitists :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on July 09, 2010, 04:19:02 am
 ;7
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 09, 2010, 08:04:31 am
*Ahem*

Images Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: m!m on July 09, 2010, 10:00:52 am
 :yes: :yes: :yes:

Looks very good. Carry on!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Trivial Psychic on July 09, 2010, 08:40:57 pm
I may be mistaken, but shouldn't those fighters have at least some engine glows, if not thruster trails?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on July 09, 2010, 08:56:11 pm
Can I call you an idiot? :P It ain't done yet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on July 10, 2010, 01:40:38 pm
The explosions still look kinda funny, and the bit where the Lucifer breaks apart looks odd. Might be the way chunks of debris randomly disappear in a flash.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 10, 2010, 01:53:10 pm
and the bit where the Lucifer breaks apart looks odd. Might be the way chunks of debris randomly disappear in a flash.

This is the same as the original. I'm not changing it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: terran_emperor on July 14, 2010, 11:33:26 am
Question: in the FS2 Ending, will you be adding the second Capella Star in the background. Nothing major - just have it showing until the blue shock wave
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 14, 2010, 11:36:31 am
For what purpose? I know Capella is binary in real-life but I'm pretty sure it's not in the FS universe.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on July 14, 2010, 12:12:17 pm
For what purpose? I know Capella is binary in real-life but I'm pretty sure it's not in the FS universe.

Agreed. It's important to maintain the original cutscene's spirit.

Very good work, even on a WIP.  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 14, 2010, 05:26:10 pm
Some of the download links will be down while I upload better optimized versions of these. Should only take a day or so.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Admiral Nelson on July 15, 2010, 12:57:14 am
For what purpose? I know Capella is binary in real-life but I'm pretty sure it's not in the FS universe.

FWIW for the background I made for Capella for use in the media VPs I added the second Capella star.  I placed it to be partially obscured by the primary sun so that the overall scene wouldn't look too different.  In any case the cutscenes show no nebulae at all whilst even the different retail missions have nebulae.  For this reason the LS nebulae I used I placed in a narrowish band away from the stars, again to try and keep a look similar to that of the cutscenes. 
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 15, 2010, 08:14:18 am
How's about I finish with the FS1 scenes... THEN we'll worry about the FS2 scenes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on July 16, 2010, 12:47:41 pm
Nice. Post-processing is truly t3h s3x. I kinda want lens flares in game now (I see beam turrets breaking whatever flare shader someone might come up with though...). Are you considering motion blur for the fighters at any point? It might alleviate the awkwardness of the flight paths that are going on when everything's rushing out of the portal. Slight depth of field effects on the lucifer so that not all parts of the ship are crystal clear might also be nice; something looks off about the drifting lucifer piece, but I'm not sure what it is or what might fix it.

Another small thing: The moon and the earth look really, really bright. Actually, so does everything after it comes out of subspace. I think it might be better if shadows were stronger, lighting dimmer, less saturation or something to fix that issue. I'm thinking that it might just be a result of you not being done with those scenes though.

Explosions still look tacky. Sorry! >.>. I think it's because they look far too clean. Have you thought about having chunks of hull fly out, with small smoke trails coming out of the holes long after the explosion's finished? Not exactly that realistic, but hey, rule of cool. If FS2 intro can do it...

But disregard the criticism. I'm just an idiot ranting on a WIP for a final cutscene that's going to blow my mind. Right? :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 16, 2010, 01:19:55 pm
Motion blur will be added.. I'm not doing DoF.. the benefit to cost ratio in terms of render times is just WAY too great and not worth it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on July 16, 2010, 01:35:26 pm
Fair enough.

Still, do you notice what I'm talking about though? Right after the Lucifer comes out, it looks off. Maybe oversaturated glow maps? (Speaking of which, death flicker back to red, then black would be pretty cool)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Scani on July 17, 2010, 03:17:27 pm
Hi guys! Wow, after more than two years of reading this forum I finally decided to write something... Firstly It's simply amazing seeing how much love you guys put into this game. I've never encountered such a hardworking community...

OK, to the point. Endgame cutscene looks brilliant, even as a WIP, but there is one thing I don't like - Lucy's textures. I know they resemble those from original endgame, but they make Lucifer look less dangerous, and that ship should look like death itself. I think, red textures are better in achieving that feeling - I assume even :v: realised that and turned Lucifer's textures into red in the main game.

Even if you decide to stick to current textures, green colour on them is far too shiny. In original scene it's much more moderate.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: T-LoW on July 17, 2010, 05:23:44 pm
And now I had to register so that I could tell you, that the green color looks great and absolutely makes sense, because it's just 1337!

Seriously, the turquoise / green color shows that the Luci is running in subspace-mode, what - in my opinion - is totally awesome and also adds detail. After it leaves subspace, the color turns to red - as you can see in Icey-Jones great Destruction of Vasuda Cutscene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9soWW_haNbM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9soWW_haNbM)

So please stay with that green :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 18, 2010, 01:51:37 am
My thoughts exactly. :) The next release of FSPort will give the Shivans green glowmaps in subspace.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on July 18, 2010, 10:43:59 am
My thoughts exactly. :) The next release of FSPort will give the Shivans green glowmaps in subspace.
Awww, sick! :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on July 18, 2010, 11:49:24 am
Galemp: errm, aaany chance the green could be optional? The lucifer pulls the green look of better than any other shivan ship but I still don't like it in the slightest sorry!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Droid803 on July 18, 2010, 12:31:16 pm
My thoughts exactly. :) The next release of FSPort will give the Shivans green glowmaps in subspace.
Awww, sick! :yes:
YEAAAAH! :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 18, 2010, 02:24:46 pm
Galemp: errm, aaany chance the green could be optional? The lucifer pulls the green look of better than any other shivan ship but I still don't like it in the slightest sorry!

You could just grab the standard glowmap and rename it to override the subspace glowmaps on your local copy.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 18, 2010, 02:28:34 pm
There's only one subspace mission in the port, i don't see the big problem with Green maps for one mission. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Scani on July 18, 2010, 05:43:46 pm
OK, "subspace-mode" thing sounds cool enough to justify green maps and if we'll actually see it during final mission, I'm :yes:. But is it Lucifer's feature only, or it applies to all shivan units (like Lucy's escort)? :nod: I like this idea.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 18, 2010, 06:10:33 pm
All Shivan fighters and bombers will have an alternate set of glowmaps for subspace (shieldless) combat.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on July 18, 2010, 06:32:59 pm
I have to ask because I somewhat see it coming (and it scares me).

Are you gonna remove the animated glowmaps from shivan ships?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on July 18, 2010, 06:35:31 pm
I have to ask because I somewhat see it coming (and it scares me).

Are you gonna remove the animated glowmaps from shivan ships?

It's been moved to a separate VP.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on July 18, 2010, 06:36:29 pm
*pew*

:yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on July 18, 2010, 06:41:42 pm
I have to ask because I somewhat see it coming (and it scares me).

Are you gonna remove the animated glowmaps from shivan ships?

Why would we do that? Most of them are from the MediaVPs anyway. If anything they'd be changed to green for our use.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 18, 2010, 06:45:22 pm
So, at risk of further topic derailment, how goes Endgame's final render?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 18, 2010, 06:57:58 pm
Just finished up the damaged texture... a couple other things to add and then Render and finish post on Part 1... Really it all depends on how much I keep playing FS over working on cutscenes... so many campaigns to play...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on July 18, 2010, 07:03:09 pm
[Why would we do that? Most of them are from the MediaVPs anyway. If anything they'd be changed to green for our use.

Because it's been said lately that animated glowmaps consume a lot of texture spaces, and that they are ineffective because of that.

I had a sudden unfounded fear, that's all :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on July 18, 2010, 07:11:07 pm
[Why would we do that? Most of them are from the MediaVPs anyway. If anything they'd be changed to green for our use.

Because it's been said lately that animated glowmaps consume a lot of texture spaces, and that they are ineffective because of that.

I had a sudden unfounded fear, that's all :)

That's why they're being pulled and moved into a separate VP.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 20, 2010, 07:01:54 am
So, at risk of further topic derailment, how goes Endgame's final render?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 20, 2010, 08:57:28 am
Hmmm, I'm sensing a bit of repetition here...

Endgame... The last 3D render finished this morning. Now I begin the fun work of compositing it all together. This is the time where screen-shots show up often in IRC.  ;7
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 21, 2010, 05:33:43 pm
Hmmm, I'm sensing a bit of repetition here...
 This is the time where screen-shots show up often in IRC.  ;7

Around that time, I  :jaw: at them.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 21, 2010, 05:38:54 pm
Can you post the times you'll be there and the room please :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 21, 2010, 05:47:26 pm
He idles in there most of the time, and is usually there when you highlight him.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 21, 2010, 05:50:46 pm
Stealth Mibbit?


 :shaking:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Macfie on July 22, 2010, 07:49:01 pm
The download links aren't working.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 22, 2010, 07:57:53 pm
Sorry, links will be back up in a couple hours.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Ancients 1-5] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 23, 2010, 08:08:28 am
Endgame is now finished! Well, finished enough. This scene was far more complicated than I anticipated and it's not *perfect*. But if I keep working on it, you'll never get to see me work on some other scenes! So here it is. Enjoy.

Also 1-5 have been re-optimized for filesize/quality. There are not any big changes, but you may wish to re-download them if you are having issues running them.

Lastly, the FSPort team decided that IcyJones' cutscenes belongs alongside Ancients 4. This release now features Ancients 4 transitioning into Attack on Vasuda. IcyJones did a really fantastic job and it's awesome to combine our work.

Check the first post to download everything. (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68161.msg1345929#msg1345929)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rga_Noris on July 23, 2010, 09:35:47 am
Sweet jesus that's awesome.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Vasudan Admiral on July 23, 2010, 09:48:57 am
So.
Very.
Awesome.
:eek:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: SC4RY_Z0MB13 on July 23, 2010, 10:35:46 am
Amazing work! Including IcyJones' cutscenes of Attack on Vasuda is pretty awesome.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on July 23, 2010, 11:34:38 am
Bleh. Just to let everyone know, the 480p version of Endgame plays weird in FSO; the audio restarts in about a second and a half from the start.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 23, 2010, 11:45:51 am
That's because of FSO... but just because I try so hard I've uploaded a new 480p version. I have personally tested it in-game.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Hippo on July 23, 2010, 12:31:59 pm
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on July 23, 2010, 12:55:31 pm
Uh, nope. Didn't change for me. Might work for someone else though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 23, 2010, 01:54:29 pm
Well done on the release mate.
 
Now can I has a DVD with them sent to- freepost dekker
Earth
Sol
 
 
Thanks :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CKid on July 23, 2010, 02:05:42 pm
I downloaded the cutscenes and I'm trying to play them in Winamp, but unfortunately I only get audio, no video. Does anyone know of a fix?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 23, 2010, 02:07:34 pm
You will need the Theora codec... search google for ffdshow or windows codecs.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CKid on July 23, 2010, 02:12:12 pm
Thank you, I got it working! :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: BlackDove on July 23, 2010, 02:34:02 pm
Looks good to me   :yes:

Some of the explosion effects look a little "high school theater production", but then some of the others are better than the old prerendered cutscene.

Anyway, great stuff.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on July 23, 2010, 04:45:00 pm
 :eek2: The fluidity in the fighters' moves is AWESOME !
Twelve years back... Never could have imagined that it will be done one day

Seriously...  :yes: :yes: :yes:

(A little precision : in the poll on the topic "favorite cutscene", I voted for Endgame as my favorite... Many thanks to you !  :nod:)

EDIT :

Lastly, the FSPort team decided that IcyJones' cutscenes belongs alongside Ancients 4. This release now features Ancients 4 transitioning into Attack on Vasuda. IcyJones did a really fantastic job and it's awesome to combine our work.

Just see that  :) Youhou ! No more need of custom-table modification ! Re-thanks to you, to IcyJones & the FSPort Team ! Great job together !
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: [Wolf]Maverick on July 23, 2010, 05:12:43 pm
Unbelievable.. so nice..
But it is possible to make an .mkv version?
I don't want to use VLC because the pictures quality isn't as good as MPC and my VLC has sometimes problems with 1080p.

Mav
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 23, 2010, 05:27:07 pm
Mjn.Mixael, your work is simply phenomenal.  Every problem we ever had with that cutscene in the progress of your work was addressed and fixed.  Absolutely gorgeous.

/me sits down and braces for Hall Fight and Intro. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 23, 2010, 06:24:37 pm
But it is possible to make an .mkv version?
I don't want to use VLC because the pictures quality isn't as good as MPC and my VLC has sometimes problems with 1080p.

Best results are obtained by playing FreeSpace Port and going to the Tech Room. ;7


On a side note, I will be doing the interiors for Intro, Hall Fight, Command Briefing, and Lab. They will be less ugly! I promise!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 23, 2010, 06:45:39 pm
That reminds me.. I forgot to mention in my last post that RgaNoris has joined the small team working on this project. He will be doing some... *secret* meshes...   ;7

Welcome him and welcome Galemp. To also give credit where credit is due.. Cobra is helping with some of the texture work as well.

My work would not and will not be possible without the efforts of these dudes. Keep your eyes peeled for what is next...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on July 23, 2010, 06:49:19 pm
Yesssssss :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on July 23, 2010, 07:13:57 pm
SOOOO MUCH WIN!!!

On a side note, is there a way to watch a 1080p version that isn't a stuttery mess?



Like upload the finished product to that channel that held all your previews or something >.>
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on July 23, 2010, 07:15:49 pm
SOOOO MUCH WIN!!!

On a side note, is there a way to watch a 1080p version that isn't a stuttery mess?

I imagine the problem is on your end, not his. If 1080p is stuttering it's likely your rig struggling to keep up.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Snail on July 23, 2010, 07:20:15 pm
There is a lot of awesome activity somewhere within this thread...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on July 23, 2010, 08:21:59 pm
I'd still like to know why I can't play these things out-of-game, even on software that should be able to, but oh well. They all look fantastic. :)

And I sort of suspect that the video-playback capabilities of the engine are a bit inferior to those of a traditional player, as I can handle 720p videos in general just fine on here yet had stuttering issues during the action-ish portions of Ancients 4 and Endgame.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: [Wolf]Maverick on July 24, 2010, 02:07:05 am
@mjn.mixael
What's the bitrate of the ogg File and why the ogg format? In some Scenes i have lags, but normally my pc can play 30-40gig Blu Ray 1080 .avi or .mkv Files without any problems.

Add-On
Ok Sorry, i just installed a different version of the ogg direct show filter, now everything runs smooth even the 1080p Version. :)

If everyone else having problems playing the big ogg file, but normally HD Version aren't a problem for your machine, i recommended a updated filter
http://xiph.org/dshow/

Now we need full Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS Track for the Cutscenes :)

Mav
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mobius on July 24, 2010, 08:54:54 am
Mixael, I would like to take a screenshot showing the exploding Lucifer and use it in a WIP INFASA presentation thread. Would you kindly give me the permission to do that? :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 24, 2010, 09:07:44 am
Mobius: Sure go ahead.

Now we need full Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS Track for the Cutscenes :)

Unless we can either get the vocals re-recorded or get them from  :v: separate from the music.. it won't happen anytime soon. But I did have an emphasis in sound design in college... so it would be possible...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mobius on July 24, 2010, 09:09:33 am
Thank you. :) Now I need to get endgame.ogg DLed, its filesize is kind of ":eek:"...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: darkdaej on July 24, 2010, 11:15:30 am
What I'm REALLY looking forward to being completed is the Intro.

Intro is my favourite cutscene of all time, all games included, so obviously I'm waiting for this one with great anticipation!

Also, the Endgame part 1 from FS2 should be nice :)  Big Supernova explosion in 1920x1080p glory XD
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nighteyes on July 24, 2010, 07:48:32 pm
excellent work, I have some feedback:
the warp flare dosn't cover the Lucifer as its emerging from subspace, the flare is behind the ship...
the whole part where the Luci explodes could be much better IMO, I know you'r trying to keep it like the original, but stuff like all the small particles looks really bad... maybe use some form of fire effect on them instead of sphere particles?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 25, 2010, 12:30:25 am
Anyone notice the slightly enhanced Ursa? With the chamfered edges and missile launchers and stuff? I did that! Go me!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on July 25, 2010, 09:41:00 am
I did! :D

Is it suitable for in-game usage as well?



Also, if we're going to nitpick, Nighteyes, I'd like to mention that a certain warp effect is missing from the Lucifer upon warpout. In the original, we have this odd glowy caustic effect on the surface of the hull as it just emerges from subspace. The effect is completely absent in the new cutscene, though it is quite hard to notice anyway.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 25, 2010, 12:56:12 pm
Ooh, this is true. I had forgotten about that but you're right, it's in Icey's and VA's Lucifer exit renderings.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 25, 2010, 02:08:34 pm
I guess you could say it's in Icy's.. though it's barely noticeable.. I don't know what rendering you are talking about that VA did.

Also.. for that small little effect, we are talking hours of re-rendering time.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mFuSE on July 25, 2010, 06:05:21 pm
So.
Very.
Awesome.
:eek:

can't say anything else, thanks so much! :-)



btw,
is there any possibility to get this -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9soWW_haNbM&NR=1 - also in 720p? (Or @default ingame?)




Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on July 25, 2010, 06:27:07 pm
btw,
is there any possibility to get this -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9soWW_haNbM&NR=1 - also in 720p? (Or @default ingame?)
Check the whole Ancients 4 cutscene that mjn.mixael posted. ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: rubixcube on July 25, 2010, 11:20:55 pm
Erm... I seem to have a problem, when I try to play the videos from the tech room, I just get a green or grey screen. How exactly do I fix this
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on July 25, 2010, 11:36:17 pm
You need to be running a recent build of FS Open. Try 3.6.12 RC4, it's on the front page.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on July 26, 2010, 12:10:47 am
You need to be running a recent build of FS Open. Try 3.6.12 RC4, it's on the front page.
Unless you have a mac.  Then you're out of luck, because nobody has been able to provide us with updated OGG libraries for OSX (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68937.0). :sigh:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: rubixcube on July 26, 2010, 01:22:53 am
You need to be running a recent build of FS Open. Try 3.6.12 RC4, it's on the front page.

Works now, thanks for the advice :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on July 26, 2010, 02:05:58 am
I don't know what rendering you are talking about that VA did.
Well, he started working on a Lucy-bombs-Earth cutscene once, to be used in case the player fails the last FSPort mission. The thread's here (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=50550.0).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: TrashMan on July 27, 2010, 03:16:32 am
Why aren't these awesome cutscenes on YouTube?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on July 27, 2010, 07:23:28 am
...'cause they are more awesome on ogg ?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on July 27, 2010, 11:01:13 am
...and no one else can get these from Theora to something that YouTube can take?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 27, 2010, 11:02:06 am
I'll put em up on Youtube soon.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: darkdaej on July 27, 2010, 04:13:20 pm
I tried doing so when the ancients monologues were first remade but youtube didn't like my 1080p .ogg files and they just did not work properly.

Also.


The 1080p videos work well on VLC Media Player, but I've been experiencing some slight lag when the cutscenes show up during gameplay.  I'm currently downloading the 720p versions to see if I have the same issues.

If so, i'll file a bug report so we could figure out what causes the slowdowns.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on August 03, 2010, 04:05:44 pm
Hm.. With the newest VLC-Player i have some Problems with the "Endgame" in the 720p and 1080p - Version.
Its a little bit laggy on showing the explosions in subspace on the Lucifer and it is lagging after the Destruction of the Lucifer on the "Flyby" from the Fighters.

i have downloaded both Files a few times, same Problem - same Scene, same Time.

System:  Intel Core2Duo 2x2,6ghz  with ATI Radeon HD 5770
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on August 03, 2010, 04:07:18 pm
VLC isn't exactly the most performant video viewer evar.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on August 03, 2010, 05:53:52 pm
Hm.. With the newest VLC-Player i have some Problems with the "Endgame" in the 720p and 1080p - Version.
Its a little bit laggy on showing the explosions in subspace on the Lucifer and it is lagging after the Destruction of the Lucifer on the "Flyby" from the Fighters.

I have the same problem, but I don't know what player I can use. After all, VLC is the most compatible one...
I thought it was my old A64 3500+ :), but even with my new i5 760 + HD 5850, it's the same... Snif.

EDIT : VLC is the most compatible player I know, but i'm open to suggestion !
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on August 04, 2010, 03:50:23 am
Yes, VLC is the most compatible, definitely. But not the most performant.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: [Wolf]Maverick on August 04, 2010, 06:45:36 am
@Satellight
Use mediaplayer classic, im my opinion by far the best player
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: asyikarea51 on August 10, 2010, 11:34:31 pm
On MPC-HC and VLC the Endgame 1080p video lags in the places WhiteFox mentioned plus 1 more for me, somewhere around the part where the Ursa flies next to the Lucifer with the camera panning to the subspace tunnel end. In game the video lags a lot worse, the audio runs faster than the video towards the end of the clip as said video lags wholesale LOL

I'll just assume it as this system unable to take it (or maybe something isn't configured properly somewhere, but I'm assuming the former anyway) =\
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 11, 2010, 08:37:26 am
If your computer can't handle the video, it WILL lag in places where there is a lot of movement. IE: Large camera pans, multiple explosions or ships flying on screen...

Try a lower res.

Even the 480p ones are an improvement in resolution (and compression) over the originals.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on August 11, 2010, 08:43:15 am
...but even with my new i5 760 + HD 5850, it's the same [lag] ... Snif.

MPC HC crashes for me in Endgame 1080. I think it's a codec's problem more than performance issue.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 11, 2010, 04:55:49 pm
Even my rig can't handle the 1080s in FSO... It's not the codec, it's FSO/performance.

Now maybe the codec isn't as efficient as we would like either...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on August 11, 2010, 05:14:46 pm
Anyone know if FFdshow works in concordance with FSO? I think their codecs are pretty decent in performance.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 11, 2010, 05:43:23 pm
This has been discussed here (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=69385.0)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Yueh on August 11, 2010, 09:20:27 pm
Usually I'm able to figure things out for myself but I seem to have hit a brick wall here.

The cutscenes look fine when played in VLC but in game they are horribly pixelated with colour banding looking like I'm working on an old 386 machine or something. The old cut scenes are also pretty bad but I always just thought this was normal but looking at it now they look slightly worse on my machine than the low res you-tube copies of the original scenes.

Is this a problem or is this how it's supposed to look in game?

I'm not usually a stickler for perfection in graphics but these are so bad I find myself looking at the blocky shapes in the shading than he whole picture. The artifacting around the 'the great war' lettering in the intro is almost as big as the letters themselves. It's really distracting.

Is it possible something in the video player built into my copy of FSO is not working right? I can't find any settings in the launcher that would suggest they would affect this. All the other graphics options are maxed out.

My screen is 1680 x1050. Could it be screwing things up in scaling from 480 or 1080 to 1050? I've tried the 480 & 1080 res versions and I'm dowloading the 720 ones. I think I downloaded the upgraded video files that were released a year or two ago.  I didn't notice any difference then either but I thought that was just how it was supposed to look as I couldn't exactly remember how they originally looked.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mobius on August 13, 2010, 11:44:10 am
Mixael, I would like to take a screenshot showing the exploding Lucifer and use it in a WIP INFASA presentation thread. Would you kindly give me the permission to do that? :)

Mobius: Sure go ahead.

As promised. (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=45168.msg1400432#msg1400432) :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CommanderDJ on August 19, 2010, 08:32:19 am
I'd just like to say that what you've done so far is amazing. You're doing this out of the kindness of your heart and in your spare time, and for that I am grateful (along with the rest of HLP). Keep it up.

CommanderDJ
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lukeskywalkie on September 03, 2010, 11:15:13 pm
Hmmm.... Are the 720p videos really in the 20-40 mb range?  That seems small.  I'm also having filter issues with said files, despite resolving, and helping others to resolve, said problems several months ago...

Will continue troubleshooting.  ITMT, could someone post the filesizes for the versions you've downloaded, for verification?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on September 06, 2010, 04:12:04 pm
I dont think its an Performance-Problem.
Since an Update of VLC i cant play the 1080-Version of Endgame.

I think (remember: some other People has the Same problem on the same Part of the Video)  theres some Problem on en- or decoding.
I remember on my older PCs, if i burned a CD and unzipped an Archive-File on Result my burned CD wasnt working.  Only if i burned the CD without doing anything other there was an perfect CD.

What im trying to tell: isnt that Possible that the Files has been damaged ?


@ Lukeskywalkie:
Ancients 1  on 1080 on my PC -> 97.73 MB
Ancients 2  on 1080 on my PC -> 91.24 MB
Ancients 3  on 1080 on my PC -> 11.86 MB  (You are right, it looks very small !)
Ancients 4  on 1080 on my PC -> 170.13 MB  (Okay, thats a Big one ! )
Ancients 5  on 1080 on my PC -> 33.19 MB (A little small size, too)
Endgame on  1080 on my PC -> 121.09 MB (This is okay, for this Vid, i think)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on September 24, 2010, 11:49:11 am
Some new Update since July, mjn.mixael ?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 24, 2010, 12:12:00 pm
Hmmm, I've been working on the main halls mostly, but the pilot model is coming along
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Scourge of Ages on September 24, 2010, 02:06:20 pm
Ever consider using live actors for the intro cutscene?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: General Battuta on September 24, 2010, 04:15:32 pm
Ever consider using live actors for the intro cutscene?

le what
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on September 24, 2010, 04:26:29 pm
Just no.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Scourge of Ages on September 24, 2010, 05:48:50 pm
Aw come on, there's just two of them, and they can lip-sync to the original audio.
I hear Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher are available.

(I'm just joking at this point, honest)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: starlord on September 27, 2010, 10:40:38 am
Hugely interesting! considering that's the only part of the game which was not upgraded until recently!

Also, I was wondering, at some point there was some talk a few years ago about a lucifer vs station tombaugh scene... is it still on or has the status changed?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 27, 2010, 10:47:46 am
Hugely interesting! considering that's the only part of the game which was not upgraded until recently!

Also, I was wondering, at some point there was some talk a few years ago about a lucifer vs station tombaugh scene... is it still on or has the status changed?

Mwahahahahaha  ;7
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on September 27, 2010, 04:18:47 pm
:D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: T-LoW on September 28, 2010, 08:23:16 am
IceyJones made an attempt to do that cutscene, too. There were a few shots already existing that looked beautiful (some Apollos on patrol doing some funny manoeuvres because the pilots were bored, for example :) ). But he got occupied by rl IIRC
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CommanderDJ on September 28, 2010, 08:25:57 am
Hugely interesting! considering that's the only part of the game which was not upgraded until recently!

Also, I was wondering, at some point there was some talk a few years ago about a lucifer vs station tombaugh scene... is it still on or has the status changed?

Mwahahahahaha  ;7

OMG. The CB Ani featuring the Lucifer fly-by with over 9000 Scorpions launching from its fighterbays is one of the most memorable moments in FS1 for me. If anything was made which featured something like that, I would... probably send you money.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 28, 2010, 09:41:03 am
Hugely interesting! considering that's the only part of the game which was not upgraded until recently!

Also, I was wondering, at some point there was some talk a few years ago about a lucifer vs station tombaugh scene... is it still on or has the status changed?

Mwahahahahaha  ;7

OMG. The CB Ani featuring the Lucifer fly-by with over 9000 Scorpions launching from its fighterbays is one of the most memorable moments in FS1 for me. If anything was made which featured something like that, I would... probably send you money.

Have you played Port 3.2? I did the remake of that ANI.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CommanderDJ on September 28, 2010, 09:16:11 pm
Have you played Port 3.2? I did the remake of that ANI.

Yes, I have (and thank you :D). What I meant was in reference to the Lucifer vs Tombaugh idea, like it would be awesome if in a cutscene we saw Tombaugh swarmed with fighters or something. But yeah, just idle wishful thinking. And by the way, all your work so far is awesome.  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WMCoolmon on October 29, 2010, 03:42:21 am
I tried to download the first Ancients movie and got a message about mediafire trying to attack my computer with a "HTTP Malicious Toolkit Variant Activity 2"?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 29, 2010, 08:14:37 am
I tried to download the first Ancients movie and got a message about mediafire trying to attack my computer with a "HTTP Malicious Toolkit Variant Activity 2"?

 :wtf:

Then use one of the mirrors... but I can almost guarantee that's a false negative.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 31, 2010, 11:30:13 pm
Yeah, Mediafire should be a perfectly-legit hosting source, unless some sort of malware banner ad managed to sneak itself onto their network.  What security program gave you the notification?

(Hey, long time no see. :))
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Lukeskywalkie on November 30, 2010, 09:51:13 am
Hugely interesting! considering that's the only part of the game which was not upgraded until recently!

Also, I was wondering, at some point there was some talk a few years ago about a lucifer vs station tombaugh scene... is it still on or has the status changed?

Mwahahahahaha  ;7

OMG. The CB Ani featuring the Lucifer fly-by with over 9000 Scorpions launching from its fighterbays is one of the most memorable moments in FS1 for me. If anything was made which featured something like that, I would... probably send you money.

Have you played Port 3.2? I did the remake of that ANI.

That was you? What a stupid question, of course it was you - They're awesome, it was such a treat to see newer, bigger briefing ani's during my last playthrough, thanks a heap!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: carn1x on January 12, 2011, 08:49:57 am
If it's not too much trouble, could you please update the OP with the various file sizes of the videos? I'm currently bored and don't mind doing the research, since you were so kind enough to make them in the first place :D

Ancients 1 - 480p (12mb) - 720p (30mb)   - 1080p (98mb)
Ancients 2 - 480p (11mb) - 720p (30mb)   - 1080p (91mb)
Ancients 3 - 480p (2 mb)  - 720p (4mb)     - 1080p (12mb)
Ancients 4 - 480p (64mb) - 720p (114mb) - 1080p (170mb)
Ancients 5 - 480p (6mb)   - 720p (13mb)   - 1080p (33mb)
End Game - 480p (56mb) - 720p (75mb)   - 1080p (121mb)

Also, will these ever be covered by FSOInstaller? I'd be getting all the 1080s now >:D

Thanks!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 12, 2011, 08:55:39 am
Done.

NOTE: I have not heard of anyone yet being able to play the 1080s in-game.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: carn1x on January 12, 2011, 09:02:06 am
Ahh hehe, is this due to some inadequate code, Ogg at 1080 or a 1080 in general issue?

Additionally, I'm an idiot, due to my laptop maxing out at 1366x768 :|
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 12, 2011, 09:06:03 am
Has something to do with FSO, just not sure what... they play fine in most external media players though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on January 12, 2011, 12:39:52 pm
I can play the 1080p vids no probs, but they stutter in a few places, it's not random "WE CANNAE HANDLE THE PRESSURE CAPTAIN" stutters, it's at certain exact moments, every time.

Seems a bit weird..?
720p versions are flawless.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on January 12, 2011, 12:54:07 pm
I can play the 1080p vids no probs, but they stutter in a few places, it's not random "WE CANNAE HANDLE THE PRESSURE CAPTAIN" stutters, it's at certain exact moments, every time.

Seems a bit weird..?
720p versions are flawless.

Exactly the same. On "Endgame", it happen especially when things are exploding, between 00:11 and 00:15 sec and between 01:02 and 01:06, after Lucy's explosion, when the ships pass in front of the screen.

BTW, I wanted to ask you which software I could use to make subtitles for the cutscenes ? I'm actually porting the FS1 french translation to the FSPort. Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Galemp on January 12, 2011, 02:21:13 pm
Subtitles? On the Ancients? Surely you jest!

Simply dub over the audio from the French cutscenes and it should sync perfectly.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Satellight on January 12, 2011, 02:50:34 pm
I had this idea but the french dub is crappy  :drevil: ...I want to keep the english version purity for those who want it  :P

...I wanted to ask you which software I could use...
Any advice about this ? I will make a dubbed AND a subtitled version, but without the proper software... :doubt:

My translation will have two version : one with only the text translated (and so, the cutscenes subtitled), and one with the text, the voices, and the cutscenes dubbed. I will also correct some errors in the original translation (some debriefings were not translated, like the "You are a cheater" (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Briefing_texts_(FS1)#Debriefing_7) (Debriefing 4) one in Pandora's Box, the GT Intelligence who came "to capture the Omega" while they are here for the Rasputin (if you decide to capture it) in "Avenging Angels", and many more others little things.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: saied on January 19, 2011, 01:33:30 pm
hey im an alright modeler and i be glad if u guys need help. love to work on  project like this
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on January 21, 2011, 11:41:43 pm
Just watched FS1 End-game final in 720p.  Awesome job! :yes: :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 25, 2011, 05:17:46 pm
Calling all modellers!

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=74179.new#new (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=74179.new#new)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: kruai on February 06, 2011, 01:55:44 pm
OK, so... perhaps I'm being dumb, but I currently don't have a data/movies folder. I'm using the latest build, however.
Let it be known that I'm still a noob when it comes to this stuff, but I'd really like to get these to work ^///^
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on February 06, 2011, 02:57:53 pm
If you don't have the folder yet, just create it.  FS2's file system is cool like that.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on February 22, 2011, 04:46:39 am
After long waiting time.. Is this dead ?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2011, 06:56:02 am
Yup, it's dead... This thread has NOTHING to do with it at all... (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=74179.0)  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on April 12, 2011, 06:05:59 pm
Sorry to bump this, and I know that the creator of these scenes is very busy, however...

I think something needs to be done about the encoding of the 1080 endgame cutscene. It stutters in Media Player Classic, and the video stops entirely in SMPlayer 0.6.9 shortly into the clip, and I'm on a pretty monster rig here. By contrast, the 720 version has only one issue that I saw, and it was just that the virtual camera didn't turn smoothly when turning toward Earth.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 12, 2011, 06:45:21 pm
They all work fine on my rig.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on April 12, 2011, 07:03:19 pm
The animation is not smooth at 00:07-00:09, stutters during the explosions during the next scene the bigger the explosion the worse the stutter, the animation also stutters at 01:01-01:06 - basically when the moon is on screen, and especially when the thoth flies across the screen.
The rest is error free, but the problems are obviously rendered in because the problem is the same on both my systems and different media players, in and out of game, it's more like it's missing frames when I look at it in an editor..
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 12, 2011, 07:42:32 pm
See, but here's the deal. I just tested the 1080s again when I first saw the new post. They all run perfectly smooth for me. So, no. It's not rendered in. However, all those instances are times when a large portion of the screen changes abruptly; this makes me guess it has to do with decoding and how fast your computer/media player can handle it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on April 12, 2011, 11:03:49 pm
I have a Phenom X3 2.3 GHz, with 4 GB DDR2 800, and an nVidia GT430 video card with 1 GB RAM on it. I regularly play 1080 videos on it without issue. Except this one. Something's not right and it isn't my computer that's at fault here.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 12, 2011, 11:22:01 pm
And how many of those 1080p videos are encoded with Theora? Oh, and I'll say it again.

The videos (the exact same files I put up for download) work perfectly on my rig. (Bold to make sure you saw it.) But hey.. whatev. You're the expert it seems...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on April 14, 2011, 01:15:05 am
Did some updates to my codecs to make sure it wasn't that for an issue. The video still stutters in a couple spots, but it only stutters, rather than the playback locking up like before on SMplayer. The audio is rock solid though, always has been. I'm curious to know just how much computer you have, and what OS, mjn.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 14, 2011, 01:23:36 am
I have reports from a few other members that the 1080s run fine on their comps as well. Perhaps we need MD5 hash checks. I'll get those values up sometime soon.

I'm running a core i7 3.40Ghz with 16GB ram on this rig. I also tested this an another rig I have at 2.8Ghz with 8GB ram. It stutters ever so slightly with the moon, but other than that, it runs fine.

Personally, I think the compression bit-rate is too high on the 1080p version for people to play it effectively on anything but a high-end machine. I spent a good chunk of time choosing what bit rates to use for each size, wagering quality to file size and I don't think I'm going to change it right now. Consider the 1080p version 'future proof' and the 720p versions current for mid to high-end machine use.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on April 14, 2011, 01:35:44 am
Ok, so it is an issue with the files, but the issue is that they're meant for an even more powerful computer than mine. That explains it. Though it did help that I got newer ogg codecs. Sorry for being so grouchy about it the other day.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 14, 2011, 01:45:01 am
Ok, so it is an issue with the files, but the issue is that they're meant for an even more powerful computer than mine. That explains it. Though it did help that I got newer ogg codecs. Sorry for being so grouchy about it the other day.

Well, to be correct, it's not an issue with the files. The files do exactly what they are made to do. The problem is more that the decoder isn't efficient with high bit-rates and that your computer isn't powerful enough to compensate for that. Playing the file through the decoder via FSO bogs it down even more. (Probably in the same way that you'll get different performance with different media players because in this case FSO is acting as the media player.)

This is one reason why I would like to see an alternative video format implemented.. however at this time there are no candidates that meet the required criteria.

I guess the other option is for me to give in and deal with compression artifacts...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CaptJosh on April 14, 2011, 02:01:49 am
To be fair, the amount of artifact you'd introduce would still be FAR less than the original cutscene had. Still, yes, the decoder does need to be more efficient. but it could take some time before the video codec has been sufficiently optimized for that. The vorbis audio codec has actually been around quite a bit longer than theora video, and so is much more mature.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on April 14, 2011, 03:46:01 am
Considering my i7 4gz (only 6gb ram though) is having trouble with it.... :P

It can handle dual screening any 1080p movie, including ones with much faster on screen changes than this vid.. while playing games like Civilisation V or Battlefield Bad Company 2.... with no problems.. including a massive 14GB singular video, it can also handle my own fraps videos which are what... 3.9gb/1m with no compression at all?

Those are mostly AVC/x264/h264 at anything between 2 and 10 times the bit rate of endgame... :I
Is theora really that much more stressful, even than no compression at all?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The E on April 14, 2011, 03:51:26 am
Problem is, video streams in FSO get bottlenecked by a few things. One of them being the theora codec, which in our implementation is single-threaded, thus putting all the decoding business in the hands of just one core. h264, AVC etc are decoded on the GPU nowadays, making decoding them very easy.


Hmm...... One of these days, we should really take a look at using libAVC to decode video...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on April 16, 2011, 07:41:47 pm
Decoders can make all the difference in the world... I remember when .mp3 audio files would not play (i.e., they stuttered and froze the computer until you ended the task) on an AMD DX4 100MHz 486 I was using; however, when I tried using Winamp to decode the files, they played fine with excellent quality.  Also, you could use .mp3s on a 33 MHz 486 (or was it a 66Mhz? I forget) if you lowered the decoding to half quality in Winamp.  Back then, that was huge.

But anyways, all of that to point out that your decoding software can be (no pun intended) a showstopper.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 08, 2011, 11:54:57 pm
 :nervous:

Images Deleted

(Not happy with that nebula yet.. but uh.. you get the idea..)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: T-LoW on September 09, 2011, 03:17:14 am
You're redoing the intro? That's propably the most complex cutscene of all, wow. Good luck there!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on September 09, 2011, 04:54:11 pm
wut

Hallfight is definitely the most complex cutscene. You don't even have character animation in the intro.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Deadly in a Shadow on September 09, 2011, 04:57:55 pm
THe FS2 intro turned in something I would call "high definition"?

You're awesome man, I loved this intro.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on September 09, 2011, 05:31:23 pm
For the FS2 intro, all I ask is that you include credit to Volition, but instead of crediting Interplay as well, credit the SCP... Interplay hasn't done **** to help FS since they asked Volition to stop releasing patches for FS2.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on September 09, 2011, 05:52:02 pm
They made it available at retail again through their deal with GOG.  I'd personally count that as "helping."
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 09, 2011, 05:59:42 pm
I'll probably do what I've done with the FS1 intro and simply extend the opening to include the HLP logo.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: starwolf1991 on September 10, 2011, 12:34:38 am
All I can is.........wow! A massive wow! That's an impressive start you've got there, Mixael. I would really love to see more of it!

Knowing the FS2 intro is being reduxed just made my day. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on September 10, 2011, 12:49:38 am
prepare your jaws people.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: yuezhi on September 14, 2011, 08:59:09 pm
you changed the planet color a bit? hmm, doesn't look to habitable now.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthTheGeek on September 14, 2011, 09:04:36 pm
wat

Deneb has always been that color in the FS2 intro.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 14, 2011, 09:46:41 pm
The colors are close enough. If you call for an exact replica, I will murder a small Alaskan puppy and leave it in the trunk of your car.

[attachment deleted by ninja]
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: yuezhi on September 15, 2011, 01:10:24 am
forget i said that then. Its been a long time since i bothered looking at that cutscene anyways.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on September 15, 2011, 02:52:44 am
The colors are close enough. If you call for an exact replica, I will murder a small Alaskan puppy and leave it in the trunk of your car.

:(
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: yuezhi on October 03, 2011, 07:28:49 pm
how are the skeletons looking? any at all?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 05, 2011, 07:42:43 pm
They look like skeletons? It's the destroyed city that is taking some time. (Granted that between BtA, Scroll, FSU, & FSPort, I don't spend as much time on these as I'd like. But they are coming along.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Charismatic on January 30, 2012, 03:32:36 am
Blonde question here but what is the recommended program or plugin to read .ogg files (or a converter?).

I tried looking up the plugin for windows media player and didn't see any sites that i trusted.. as Microsoft discontinued handing out the plugins.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: niffiwan on January 30, 2012, 03:51:24 am
You could try VLC (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) - does both ogg vorbis (audio) & ogg theora (video)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Zacam on January 30, 2012, 11:51:01 am
Or the Combined Community Codec Pack, which would add theora capability to pretty much anything.

Media Player Classic (Home Cinema) Edition is included.

In either case, it's called a Codec, not a plugin.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: QuantumDelta on January 30, 2012, 12:26:13 pm
He calls it a plugin because he uses WMP... all the problems start there :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on January 30, 2012, 06:45:48 pm
Go to http://www.filehippo.com and look under the Audio and Video section.. I recommend K-Lite ATM, it includes ffdshow, Media Player Home Cinema, and several others..
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Flaser on March 02, 2012, 04:26:45 pm
Or the Combined Community Codec Pack, which would add theora capability to pretty much anything.

Media Player Classic (Home Cinema) Edition is included.

In either case, it's called a Codec, not a plugin.


Nitpick: FFDShow (a Direct Show implementation of FFMpeg) & LAV video decoder supplied with CCCP, K-Lite, Mplayer, etc. are actually *filters* in classical nomenclature as they're incapable of encoding video.

To make matters *more* complicated, the pack usually also includes a VFW codec that *can* be used for encoding, but which is usually *not* used for decoding as the the filters are more optimized and therefore better for that purpose.

I only point this out, in case someone ever tries to go into video editing/mastering, in which case you need the appropriate codecs, which are usually - aside from the encoder I mentioned  - *not* supplied in these pack.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 02, 2012, 04:35:24 pm
 :wtf:

This whole discussion was about playing the videos back...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 18, 2012, 02:29:22 pm
*AHEM* (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVd4Xdfgl9k)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on October 18, 2012, 02:30:33 pm
OH MAH GAWD
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: The Dagger on October 18, 2012, 03:15:47 pm
 :eek: I WANT MOAR!!!  :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: An4ximandros on October 18, 2012, 03:23:19 pm
Code: [Select]
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:(
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: StarSlayer on October 18, 2012, 03:33:14 pm
I'm getting that for anything on the tube atm.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 18, 2012, 03:37:47 pm
i think the tech monkeys have had enough and taken the whole lot down, www.youtube.com gives the same responce.

edit

correction it's back up
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: niffiwan on October 18, 2012, 04:24:30 pm
Only 48 secs? Oh you huge tease!!!  Looks awesome and I can't wait to see the rest of it :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 18, 2012, 06:10:20 pm
My body is ready.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on October 18, 2012, 09:55:40 pm
HNNNNNNG
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Oddgrim on October 19, 2012, 04:48:30 am
Great start mjnmixael!  c:
For those not on #freespace heres a shot of the pilot wip:

Terran Pilot Wip (View in 3D (http://p3d.in/jEVK6))
(http://p3d.in/model_data/snapshot/jEVK6) (http://p3d.in/jEVK6)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 19, 2012, 04:50:54 am
that is some damn good work
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 19, 2012, 10:34:04 am
Mentlegen. This requires discussion. This scene is a mess. There are planets/moons all over the place, which I can probably solve. The hard part is this little number.

These three scenes take place between approx. 1:54-2:03. So 10 seconds of flight time.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img51/9918/imagebin.jpg)

You'll notice in the third shot which is again from behind Lt. Ash is that the Arcadia, fleet, planets and moons are all missing. Clearly this is for dramatic effect for the subspace warp opening. Now, there are a few options I can think of...

A: Add the Arcadia, fleet, planets, and moons back into the shot. (Not preferable. Short-hands the emotion of the shot, and makes things a little weird because the Lucifer is now implied to be facing away from the fleet.)

B: Leave it. Let V's (accidental or deliberate) mistake remain.

C: Imply that Lt. Ash makes a 90ish turn using the smoke trail. Perhaps he does this because he's freaking out and Shivans just warped in behind him? NOTE: the brown nebula in the second shot is behind Lt. Ash throughout the whole scene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 19, 2012, 11:30:10 am
It's a confusing scene alright. I vote to keep it as it is.

(one can explain it away by having a slight angle from both the planet and the station, like 5 or 10º)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CKid on October 19, 2012, 12:51:08 pm
To be honest, I never realized the cutscene was messed up like that. I am the only one? Anyways, I say keep it the same and I will forget that the cutscene was off in the first place.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on October 19, 2012, 12:53:04 pm
I was just about to say he got it all wrong, that the Lucy jumps behind Lt. Ash, but then I realized it's been a while since I've last seen this cutscene, so I better believe Mjn.

I'd say keep it as it is, I know I would notice immediately if something this big was different to the original.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kobrar44 on October 19, 2012, 01:05:43 pm
In terms of a concept, original should be always preserved.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 19, 2012, 01:26:07 pm
Heh, I never noticed that myself.  I don't think there'd be anything wrong with adding a curved smoke trail, since it doesn't really change what's going on in the scene.  I agree that adding the correct background there would cause way too much visual noise.

(Damn...Lt. Ash is packing.)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 19, 2012, 01:38:04 pm
I was going to say, option D: change the camera angle so it is watching the scene from the front of Ash's fighter for the lucifer's arrival behind, maintains the suspense while keeping the visual aspects where they are supposed to be.  but having re watched the vid, the following scene shows Ash flying towards the lucy so not a clue wat to do other than leave it as it is
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mobcdmoc3 on October 19, 2012, 01:40:33 pm
Huh... I never missed those planets or the installation missing. If I recall correctly though, those things do reappear in a following scene, don't they?

Meh... I'd say leave Volition's intentiona/unintentional mistake be.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on October 19, 2012, 01:43:38 pm
Mentlegen. This requires discussion. This scene is a mess. There are planets/moons all over the place, which I can probably solve. The hard part is this little number.

These three scenes take place between approx. 1:54-2:03. So 10 seconds of flight time.

(http://imageshack.us/a/img51/9918/imagebin.jpg)

You'll notice in the third shot which is again from behind Lt. Ash is that the Arcadia, fleet, planets and moons are all missing. Clearly this is for dramatic effect for the subspace warp opening. Now, there are a few options I can think of...

A: Add the Arcadia, fleet, planets, and moons back into the shot. (Not preferable. Short-hands the emotion of the shot, and makes things a little weird because the Lucifer is now implied to be facing away from the fleet.)

B: Leave it. Let V's (accidental or deliberate) mistake remain.

C: Imply that Lt. Ash makes a 90ish turn using the smoke trail. Perhaps he does this because he's freaking out and Shivans just warped in behind him? NOTE: the brown nebula in the second shot is behind Lt. Ash throughout the whole scene.

Hi mjn.mixael,

I ask myself why the Lucifer should jump in into the Front of the little Fighter?
Tactical it should be better that the Lucifer is jumping in in "Face to Face" with the Station, otherwise the Destroyer have to turn around, before it can destroy the Station, right?
(But this does not happen in the original Intro, i know. Was just an suggestion :)  )
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 19, 2012, 01:47:51 pm
iirc :v: contracted out the creation of the cutscenes to a 3rd party, as a result there are many inconsistencies with in quality control and in FS canon
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: SypheDMar on October 19, 2012, 01:53:56 pm
That may be, but removing ships from the scene must be intentional.

But now that I noticed the inconsistencies, it looks pretty weird. I don't really want it to change though.

EDIT: I guess it can be explained by Ash flying "upwards"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 19, 2012, 01:56:06 pm
The reason I like the curved smoke trail is because of 3 things.

1: It solves the missing background issue for that shot.

2: It implies the Luciver is now broadsiding the station and the planet. Much better position than facing away. Of course non of that is actually in the cutscene itself.

3: It doesn't really change the emotion of the sequence or the shot itself... it just implies a little more sense.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: yuezhi on October 19, 2012, 02:00:09 pm
This is the first time I've noticed this Arcadia is slightly different from retail. Its got an extra protrusion on the right side. :confused:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 19, 2012, 02:13:59 pm
This is the first time I've noticed this Arcadia is slightly different from retail. Its got an extra protrusion on the right side. :confused:

tbh I think after the cutscenes were made there were still some model revisions in the works, I believe the colouring of the Lucifer in some cutscenes is different to the retail texture for example, still the Arcadia in the cutscene might make an interesting variant.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on October 19, 2012, 02:23:52 pm
I'd say option C / 90 degree turn.  I always noticed something seemed a little off with that scene but never bothered to pinpoint it.

And what is it with maintaining original even with flaws?  We fix retail bugs, yes?  In this case, the cutscene was even botched by a third party, yes?  Oh, and the reason?  Probably shoddy masonry/budget constraints.  So why does everyone insist almost religiously on keeping the constraints of the original, regardless of probable or obvious intent to the contrary?  :confused:


BTW, I love how Icey Jones' Vasudan toasting cutscene meshed both the inconsistency of retail cutscenes with retail models.  (Make the Lucy green when emerging from subspace, fading to orange then red as the shields engage.)  Make it work, make it pretty, if possible, make it believable and make sense!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 19, 2012, 02:37:53 pm
because it's retail, also the vast majority of bug fixes only come into effect when table options are used to preserve the balance and feel of FS and likewise the feel of the cutscenes should be maintained, but I can't see any issues with option c
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on October 19, 2012, 03:19:55 pm
...that's pretty much what I'm getting at.  The feel is preserved, why would you want the obvious issues to remain?  And by retail bugs I meant non-balance affecting ones.  Like no one would argue against someone fixing the path length so that FS wouldn't mind being stuck in retardedly long file paths.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on October 19, 2012, 03:29:53 pm
I'd go with Option C.  Doesn't interfere with the meaning of the cutscene (nor the emotion), yet it sheds some sense onto the matter.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 19, 2012, 03:38:55 pm
I'm convinced by the latter opinions, so if my vote has any infinitesimal value, I change it to option C as well.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: niffiwan on October 19, 2012, 08:39:32 pm
I'd vote C.  In the brief shot of the comms officers.... "radar" screen (for lack of a better description coming to me), there's red contacts shown at locations that could support Lt. Ash doing a 90 degree turn, away from the Manticores behind him and towards the Lucifer, which you could presume is coming out of subspace still pointing at the Riviera.  OK - it's a dumb maneuver because he's no longer heading straight towards the station and "safety", but Ash is completely freaking out, right? :)  Maybe you could change the "radar screen" shot so that he's got (fighter) contacts appearing in front of him as well as behind, so he does a 60-90 degree turn to evade, and oh hell, what's that coming out of subspace in front of me now? (i.e. contacts on three sides).

Or is all that over thinking the issue :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on October 22, 2012, 12:25:46 pm
If you want to over think it:

Ash's radar (sensor subsytem) is probably sitting around what, 15-30% max?  So he won't really know exactly where the subspace signatures are coming from.

Also: Shivans at this point in the game can't be locked by radar.  So they'd be a fuzzy contact anyways, now add Ash's failing subsystems...

You can explain the station being able to lock the Shivans as the station having sensitive, sophisticated sensor suites as compared to fighters / capships.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 23, 2012, 09:53:17 pm
Gents,

The time has nearly come... I have almost all of the characters ready. Most of the ships I need have been HTL'd. I expect cutscene progress to increase soon. Many of them have been started already. Check the first post (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68161.msg1345929#msg1345929) to see which ones. There is still a lot of work to do though.

With that in mind, I'd like to host an open discussion. I have questions/issues about various cutscenes (FS1 & FS2). I have reservations about the difficulty of some of them. Regarding what I've finished. What could I have done better? I'd like to hear what you have to say.

Additionally, I know you all have questions or concerns about how I might handle certain elements in future cutscenes. Many of you might want to know if I'll make any of the scenes from the FS Reference Bible.

Perhaps you are just curious about the exact status of any given scene. I'd be glad to share specifically, with screens if I have them, about all of the above.

This open discussion will take place on Oct 30 at 7pm CST in IRC #CutsceneProject
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: SypheDMar on October 23, 2012, 10:04:11 pm
Well, this is a nice change of pace and something I very much look forward to. If I can't make the meeting itself, then I'll read the transcript. I'll be there if I'm free.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: starlord on October 24, 2012, 01:24:20 am
Your mastery in this is quite extensive. For my part i would love to see a tombaugh destruction scene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 24, 2012, 08:35:02 am
Your videos are top notch. The tiniest of things I remember you could spend some time working out how you could improve is ship explosions. The ones where the bombing of the Lucifer occur in subspace are somewhat ... dated by now.

All else, I really couldn't remember anything. I am extremely curious to what you can do with the final supernovae cutscenes, they are anything but easy to do right!

edit: hope the discussions are useful. Won't be there myself most probably.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: T-LoW on October 24, 2012, 12:36:00 pm
Just re-watched your cutscenes and whoops, looks that I have an older version of Endgame on my HDD...
Well yeah the explosions look outdated. Also their alpha-channel seems not to be added or screened (so the explosions glow by themselves) but directly drawn. Maybe you try to composite real footage if you have something available? (e.g. videocopilot's ActionEssentials)

Other than that... pretty crisp work there. I'd still love to see the Hades crashing onto Deneb 3 :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Trivial Psychic on October 24, 2012, 09:29:57 pm
How about rendering an alternate failure cutscene for FS1, showing the Lucifer jumping into Sol and blasting the hell out of Earth and all ships present.  ;7
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on October 24, 2012, 10:17:17 pm
That would be cool, but only after all other cutscenes are done.
Let's not forget he's the only one doing them.

Go Mjn GO!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 25, 2012, 09:42:17 am
How about rendering an alternate failure cutscene for FS1, showing the Lucifer jumping into Sol and blasting the hell out of Earth and all ships present.  ;7

BP AoA could use that.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: sigtau on October 25, 2012, 12:30:59 pm
I second the Tombaugh Station thing.

Also, if/whenever you do Hall Fight, could you perhaps do an alternate version that is more close to the version in the Reference Bible?  We'd have to find voice actors to fill in the missing lines, but having the extended version would just... hnnnnnng
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Black_Yoshi1230 on October 25, 2012, 04:51:15 pm
How about rendering an alternate failure cutscene for FS1, showing the Lucifer jumping into Sol and blasting the hell out of Earth and all ships present.  ;7

BP AoA could use that.

Make it Independence Day-ish, wait, they said in the Ref Bible they'll try not to make it like ID4. You'd have to pick a much more convenient monument to blow up first that's not the White House.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 26, 2012, 06:00:43 pm
The White House has been demolished in the 21st century world war where Iran atomically defeated the USA, burning a whole continent to the ground. In its place there's a giant book of the Koran opened to the skies.

I wouldn't mind a shot to that monument.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 26, 2012, 06:24:05 pm
why are we just talking 1 building? this is a weapon which so far as we know has multi megaton nuke levels of energy output, why not pick a city, show off a few landmarks and then take a perspective outside the city and envelop it in a massive beam.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 26, 2012, 07:53:51 pm
Honestly, I think there are more creative ways of doing such a cutscene without showing some well-known landmark getting glassed. I'll add this all to the discussion list for the open discussion on Oct 30. (7pm CST in IRC #CutsceneProject)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: SypheDMar on October 29, 2012, 03:52:43 pm
One more day 'til the discussion. I can't wait!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 29, 2012, 06:04:41 pm
I was being extremely pedantic. The whole notion is amazingly cliché. That's not bad, btw and it has its own benefits: you just have to choose the single best scene you can remember of this kind and try to emulate it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 29, 2012, 07:29:42 pm
Gents, here's the topic list for the open discussion on Oct 30. (7pm CST in IRC #CutsceneProject)
(About 23.5 hours from the time of this post.)

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Oddgrim on October 30, 2012, 05:35:28 am
Good list of topics. I'll attend this cutscene meeting with my involvement in the project, images, progress renders ect.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 30, 2012, 10:21:28 pm
Here's the transcript from the Open Discussion. This gives me a good idea how to proceed, thanks to those who took the time.


@MjnMixael:   so... first up is talking about what's already done
here's a refresher https://vimeo.com/channels/413098 (https://vimeo.com/channels/413098)

Phantom_Hoover:   Explosion effects in Endgame are a bit dodgy, aren't they?

@MjnMixael:   it seems many people don't like them

Luis_lurking:    yes... but they are less bad than I remember them

Phantom_Hoover:   How'd you render these?

Luis_lurking:    don't be hard on yourself. explosions are very very hard to do well.

@MjnMixael:   though, interestingly, everyone "knows" how to fix them by assuming they are composited into the scene. Which they aren't, they are done with a fluid dynamics system

Phantom_Hoover:   Heh.

@Oddgrim:   While I agree they could be better looking, but sadly I don't know how.

Phantom_Hoover:   It's a bit telling that everyone assumes they're composited though.

Luis_lurking:    I can see they are Mjn.

Phantom_Hoover:   black_yoshi[doh], no it wasn't, have some hard tack pie.

@MjnMixael:   I toyed with composited explosions in this scene but with the action going on, I really wanted the fighters/bombers to interact with the explosions

Phantom_Hoover:   Is it because they have such a sharp contrast with the other graphics?
Also you did that with a fluid dynamics system? Wow

Luis_lurking:    Yes, there is a lot of things, I do not know if Mjn wants a list of what happened there... is that your idea?

@MjnMixael:   rephrase that with better grammar?

Luis_lurking:    sorry

Phantom_Hoover:   Have the voices been redone?

@MjnMixael:   they have for the Ancients cutscenes

Luis_lurking:    I was asking if by posting the vimeo videos, you want a proper criticism, or lets get to other stuff?

@MjnMixael:   Dan Wentz redid the music and had the voices re-recorded

@Oddgrim:   He did? Bless him.

@MjnMixael:   I don't want to take up the entire time with a full list crit, but if you have specific things to talk about, feel free

black_yoshi[doh]:   PH, just the Ancients' voice is redone as far as I know. Not sure if you can find a replacement for Bosch or the Colossus reader (ahem, Kurtwood Smith).

JC:   that voice is awesome, must be hard to find a fitting replacement, else keep voice file instead?

@Oddgrim:   I can post the renders to the FS1 pilot if you want to MjnMixael

Luis_lurking:    Well the first explosions are too contrasting (which isn't bad), but then the set does not seem to be influenced by that light
that is what makes many people think it was composited.
the detail of having the mesh slightly destroyed is nice, but it repeats exactly the same some 4 or 6 times.

@MjnMixael:   the set is definitely influenced by the light from the explosions

Luis_lurking:    it is, but not enough.

@Oddgrim:   I think the textures look to muddy when contrasted to the hi-quality explotions.

@MjnMixael:   could be

Luis_lurking:    well that was a problem of the models themselves.

Phantom_Hoover:   I think that's it.

@MjnMixael:   but that issue is not easily remedied without the source textures for the HTL Lucifer

Phantom_Hoover:   Luis_lurking, but the models aren't going to change any time soon.

@Oddgrim:   The difference is quite yarring. And makes the explotion stand out a lot more

Luis_lurking:    the explosions themselves... well I don't like them still.

@Oddgrim:   I don't want to assume too much but think it is salvageable without the source perhaps.

@Oddgrim:   Would require a complete rebuild, taht is if it's possible.

@MjnMixael:   complete rebuild of what?

@Oddgrim:   the HTL textures.

Luis_lurking:    wow.

@Oddgrim:   of the lucy

@MjnMixael:   right.. well that's probably a bit too much work for a scene I don't want to re-render again (it takes a full 2 weeks)

Luis_lurking:    I think redoing this scene is probably a project for 2016 or 2020.

@MjnMixael:   not by me

Luis_lurking:    right lol

@Oddgrim:   Yes.
hehe mjn ;p

@MjnMixael:   alright, before we move on.. anything other than the explosions to discuss as far as feedback to keep in mind as I move forward?

Luis_lurking:    Well, MJN, what about the end explosions?
So some amazing person should make an amazing update of the Lucy and then perhaps that project can hold up.

@MjnMixael:   those are specifically made to match the original
someone, I think, about that once

Luis_lurking:    What do you feel about them? They feel a little disjointed, as if they don't convey the blast, as if they are a sequence of things that must happen (light, bang, rings, light again, etc.)

@MjnMixael:   they match the original almost exactly

Luis_lurking:    Yeah, let me look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5sdlDK0TOw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5sdlDK0TOw)
The sequence is tighter.

@MjnMixael:   noted

Luis_lurking:    Also, there is not a "point light" where the blast "starts", making it obvious it is some 3d point object that you placed in front of the lucy.

@MjnMixael:   it's not a 3d object placed in front, actually... that one was composited

Luis_lurking:    Note how the blasts start with "blobs", fuzzying the area (and hiding the details so it is easy  to do)
Yeah, I was thinking 3dstudio, where you can do that in post video (or whtv it is called)

@MjnMixael:   well, as I said, I don't want to spend the whole time on this.. there's a lot to cover... and we are starting to discuss specifics of a scene that won't be remade. and these points aren't really transferrable to the other cutscenes

Luis_lurking:    yes
just useful for future reference? lets move on if you want.

Phantom_Hoover:   will bosch's laptop have a vaguely reasonable ui

Luis_lurking:    roflmao good question.

@MjnMixael:   so let's move on to the new FS1 remakes, specifically how to resolve certain V errors (if they need to be resolved at all)
we'll get to that in a bit

@Oddgrim:   bosch is old school he uses ms dos command line.

@MjnMixael:   For example, the FS1 intro has the Manticore shooting lasers from its missile mounts... should that be changed?

Luis_lurking:    ok, the intro FS1 scene, right?

Axem:   yes
change it

niffiwan-work:   yes

Luis_lurking:    yeah

Axem:   change it change it change it change it

Luis_lurking:    thats a given.

@Oddgrim:   yes.

@MjnMixael:   haha, alrighty then

Phantom_Hoover:   Wait, are you trying to remake them shot-by-shot?

@MjnMixael:   SIDENOTE: after 30 min of screaming, it sounds like my daughter fell asleep

black_yoshi[doh]:   Ash's Apollo will still be a two-seater, right?

Phantom_Hoover:   MjnMixael, be responsible parent: consider possibility that she is instead dead

niffiwan-work:   do we have a two seater model?

@MjnMixael:   yes, it is currently planned that Ash will be flying the 2 seater Apollo equipped with missile mounts and all

@Oddgrim:   cool.

@MjnMixael:   Hades is currently working on an Apollo HTL along with its variant

Luis_lurking:    Hades.
RIght.

@MjnMixael:   http://p3d.in/mV7pj (http://p3d.in/mV7pj)

@Oddgrim:   He is progressing well so far.

@MjnMixael:   indeed

Luis_lurking:    wow it's really good.

Phantom_Hoover:   wait, who was in the other seat of ash's apollo

black_yoshi[doh]:   White Apollo or Red Apollo.

@MjnMixael:   some dead guy

JC:   It's good to hear the intro is being remade, thats definitely something I've been looking for

@MjnMixael:   it'll match the cutscene's colors

black_yoshi[doh]:   PH, probably the WSO/Copilot, but he's dead anyway.

@Oddgrim:   How long it lasts.. I don't know. Hopefully until the end.

Phantom_Hoover:   wtf is with those giant holes in the engines

@MjnMixael:   unfinished parts

@Oddgrim:   it's not done yet.

@MjnMixael:   now, this one I'm a bit fuzzy on.. perhaps Goober5000 can clear it up
but I recall some issue with the Command Brief map being inaccurate

Luis_lurking:    (for reference: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qRJDv5UcRc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qRJDv5UcRc))

@MjnMixael:   I should have been more clear, I'm talking about the map in the Command Brief cutscenese, not the intro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xzRKcZbgG8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xzRKcZbgG8)

Luis_lurking:    There's a lot of discussion about it in the wiki

@MjnMixael:   link

Luis_lurking:    grmp wait

Goober5000:   o hai
yeah, the command briefing is different in the position of the systems, but not their connections

@MjnMixael:   so changing/fixing that shouldn't really be a cause for concern

Luis_lurking:    http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Node_Inconsistencies (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Node_Inconsistencies)

Goober5000:   stand by

Luis_lurking:    but doesn't it fail to have some connections and stuff?

Phantom_Hoover:   MjnMixael, are you going to completely rework the Battle of Deneb or just keep it the way it is?

@MjnMixael:   Phantom, we'll get there

@Oddgrim:   indeed

Goober5000:   in the command brief cutscene, it should not be a concern, right

@MjnMixael:   awsum

Goober5000:   and actually, I can see why they did it the way they did -- though I defer to MJN's professional opinion :p

@MjnMixael:   to get the systems bigger on the map
easier to see, etc

Goober5000:   they are talking about the jump from Ribos to Ikeya, but from a visual arrangement consideration, the Betelgeuse graphic is closest
yes
so they relabeled Betelgeuse as Ikeya
since they have the same correct jump lines and number of jump nodes, it's ok

@MjnMixael:   alright, I'll toy with that and see how things work and what looks best

Not_Nuclear:   as far as changes to the FS2 battle of deneb cutscene, are any major changes planned to it other than fixing the lucifer beam errors and some other minor issues?

@MjnMixael:   but good to know that I don't have to keep some wierd node stuff

Goober5000:   the possibly more controversial part of that cutscene are the links from Sol shown at the beginning :p

@MjnMixael:   those will stay

Luis_lurking:    Yeah that can be cut off.
lolll

@MjnMixael:   they stayed in the cb anim remakes and ST:R answers that question quite nicely, imo

Luis_lurking:    why though? we know those do not exist.
ah.

@Oddgrim:   should have dropped these earlier : ash model work in progress http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/1358/fontback.png (http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/1358/fontback.png)
http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1149/helmet1.png (http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1149/helmet1.png)
http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3811/face1f.png (http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/3811/face1f.png)

Goober5000:   at 0:20, the jumps from Sol to Deneb and Sol to BetAq are shown

Luis_lurking:    (blank on ST:R)

Goober5000:   I'm in favor of keeping the Sol lines though, for STR reasons :D
(credit originally goes to Mad Bomber for the phasing jump node idea though)

@MjnMixael:   as I recall, ST:R basically says that the Lucifer explosion was strong enough to knock out the weaker nodes too

Goober5000:   yup

@MjnMixael:   man, look at that PILOT

Goober5000:   that pilot doesn't look like Adam Pletcher though :(

niffiwan-work:   looks good :)

@Oddgrim:   Adam who? :p

@MjnMixael:   we'll get to that topic soon...

the last cutscene error I have on my list is the Hall Fight scaling issue

Not_Nuclear:   adam pletcher, one of the chief writers on fs1
i think. he wrote the fsbible didnt he?

black_yoshi[doh]:   Isn't he also one of the FS Project Directors?

@MjnMixael:   marines going through the Elysium dockport would be super-sized

Goober5000:   lol
as in, how many meters?

black_yoshi[doh]:   Um, 1.8ish meters?

@Oddgrim:   Oh yes, they would be 5m tall or something?

Goober5000:   ok, I'm in favor of shrinking the marines to proper scale

@MjnMixael:   the opening in the cutscene that they float through would be pretty darned big

Goober5000:   idea: since the team is referred to as "Squad 2", perhaps there could be two squads, each of which investigate a separate tunnel that is to proper scale

@Oddgrim:   aye.

niffiwan-work:   what about having smaller opening within the Elysium dockpoint?
like a door within a door

@MjnMixael:   I meant to do a scale comparison image for this...
I thought about that
but wasn't sure how to visually show that without changing the cut of the cutscene

Goober5000:   hmm

@MjnMixael:   we see the inside of the Elysium.. perhaps we see the whole dock door, but then only a small circle by the Marines actually opens?

Goober5000:   that might work

@Oddgrim:   would be good, like a huge pressure system around it.
So it sucks on the hull
It is a multi purpose boarding craft along other things.

Goober5000:   indeed

@MjnMixael:   pardon the quick mockup http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9918/imagebin.jpg (http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/9918/imagebin.jpg)

Goober5000:   could be a human-sized docking system that's lsimilar to a cargo-sized docking system

@MjnMixael:   the red would be the whole dock door with teh green being the part that actually opens

Goober5000:   that is a terrible mockup

@MjnMixael:   I could also zoom the scene out some

@Oddgrim:   lol, but I can make out what you mean

niffiwan-work:   I see what you mean - looks good

@Oddgrim:   the green sbribbles are the opening right?

@MjnMixael:   yeah
coolio, that'll be the plan then

@Oddgrim:   some burnt marks and signs of forced entry would be cool to

@MjnMixael:   good call
next item... Faces

niffiwan-work:   might be getting too ambitious, but would they let off some sort of flashbang equivalent before the marines enter?

@MjnMixael:   how exactly must the faces match the original?

niffiwan, if that happens, it's not in the cutscene because I can't change the cut or the audio

niffiwan-work:   oh right - forgot about that :)

black_yoshi[doh]:   Besides, would flashbangs work against Shivan optics?

@MjnMixael:   the faces issue most applies to the FS1 Intro and the Command Brief cutscenes

black_yoshi[doh]:   In which case they're wearing masks.

@Oddgrim:   flashbangs, are they used if you know or expect someone to be waiting?

black_yoshi[doh]:   Instead of Riviera control.

@MjnMixael:   this is potentially a problem because I apparently suck at making the faces match others... I tried altering one of my guys to look like Lt. McCarthy with no success

@Oddgrim:   nevermind that point is moot anyhow since you can't edit the audio
Have you tried programs like zbrush or the maya/max sculpt tool? (silly question I know but I needs to ask)
if not then perhaps I can help?

JC:   dont one of the pilot heads completely match mccarthy tho?

@MjnMixael:   well, I'll be honest, I'd been trying to alter the faces in such a way so that I don't have to redo the face texture/UVs

Goober5000:   some faces I don't care about, but I would be highly disappointed if we don't have a FS guy who looks like Adam Pletcher

@Oddgrim:   Yes that makes it more promlematic.

Goober5000:   considering how much that model was used in FS1

@MjnMixael:   Oddgrim, if you can help with that, then perhaps we can get closer, but it's not an easy job

@Oddgrim:   Indeed.
I'll give it my best try.

@MjnMixael:   anyone else have thoughts?

Goober5000:   I thought the Riviera comm officer was ugly when I first saw her >.>

niffiwan-work:   I think it'd be nice if the faces were close, but I have no idea of the complexity involved.

Axem:   (goober's got a crush on riviera comm officer)

Goober5000:   no u
I have a crush on Head-CM5

niffiwan-work:   who said something about it being Lt. Kim's sister? :)

@Oddgrim:   Please no, that won't look good nifflwan
I'm almost spent.

black_yoshi[doh]:   I wish there was a pilot persona with sunglasses.

JC:   on that note the starlancer head anis are pretty good

@MjnMixael:   alright, so it sounds like Ash is the only one that people care about...

JC:   though they dont have the exact same headgear
ash is most important in my opinion,

@MjnMixael:   are rather -really- care about
the rest can just be close

JC:   but riviera outpost woman also is important to me, but close enough is good too

@MjnMixael:   I'm betting the Riviera lady can be a woman with black hair and we are good

JC:   suppose so, as long as voice fits looks, so to speak

black_yoshi[doh]:   the rest of the pilots are dead redshirts anyway... wait, you have to do Vasudan and Terran pilots on the Galatea.

Goober5000:   yeah

@Oddgrim:   http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_madcmbQ9Bi1qifjgh.png (http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_madcmbQ9Bi1qifjgh.png) I WANT TO BE THE VERY BEST.
..sorry.

Goober5000:   actually Admiral Wolf is also Ash but without the helmet

@MjnMixael:   black_yoshi, those pilots on the Galatea can pretty much be anyone because they are not central
I have a Vasudan, no pilot costume for him yet though

JC:   lt ash caught all the pokemon in the world and space, shivans are team rocket chasing him down?

Goober5000:   woo Vasudan!

JC:   seems about right

@MjnMixael:   let's keep going

Axem:   dear adam, can you please email us a 3d laser scan of your head?
sign diehard fs2 fans

JC:   yay for vasudans

@MjnMixael:   lol

@Oddgrim:   Yes.

@MjnMixael:   one thing I want to do is to use some of these interiors as mainhall options for the community
a no brainer is the Arcadia interior
but doing this requires a lot of work.. so basically I want to hear which ones you guys would use or think would get a lot of use before I actually do it

JC:   interiors is something we talked about before, side story, wish those could be modelled some day for ingame cutscenes

black_yoshi[doh]:   no headz vid?

Goober5000:   how about that corridor that appears in the EXE that was on the Silent Threat CD
that looping 15 second one
where Ash runs down a corridor

@MjnMixael:   run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run
with a weapon
you want that as a mainhall, Goober?

@Oddgrim:   I HAVE WATCHED THAT ONE SO MANY.TIMES

@MjnMixael:   XD

JC:   any interiors that let you immerse yourself even more, as a ingame model so camera works with it, would be grand as said. :)
Goober5000:   actually I was thinking it would be cool if we ever got to do a main hall where people walk around the ship >.>
so we'd need a hallway to get from place to place

JC:   Agreed, definitely, guess you could try that with the spacesuits a little
@MjnMixael:   um, ok, I'll say this again

JC:   if controls can be locked down somehow

@MjnMixael:   I'm not making mainhalls ready for the game to render in real-time
that just won't happen by me. ever.

JC:   I know
We talked about that before

Goober5000:   this would be a slide-show type walking around, like the original Myst

JC:   just daydreaming a little and throwing the idea out there

Goober5000:   click on main hall, click on hallway, click on hangar

@MjnMixael:   Goober5000: when this gets completed, I'll make you a hallway.. http://pastebin.com/X16iYa9X

@Oddgrim:   magic words indeed.

@MjnMixael:   other than that, it sounds like no one really cares to have these interiors as mainhalls? that makes my job much easier

Goober5000:   well the Arcadia would be a nice hallway, as you said

JC:   not sure how many campaigns really use arcadias as main bases for a significant amount of time
the more options the better though

Goober5000:   Derelict
>.>

@Oddgrim:   Oh **** yes!

Axem:   (JAD2.2 uses an arcadia!)

@Oddgrim:   Make it so.

Axem:   (but i probably wouldnt use an arcadia mainhall)

JC:   well i played derelict but i think my memory is failing on me, cant really remember much of after that loki drone mission

Goober5000:   also a PVD Typhon interior would be simply awesome
it could be used for Shrouding the Light

@MjnMixael:   I don't recall there being a Vasudan interior in any FS1 cutscenes

Goober5000:   not that -- right

@Oddgrim:   does the nu typhon have a modeled hangar?

@MjnMixael:   yeah
any other FS1 cutscene related stuff to discuss before I move on to FS2?

Goober5000:   hmm

@Oddgrim:   brb getting a drink and bashing my head to the wall to stay awake.

@MjnMixael:   lol

Goober5000:   oh, the Ribos destruction cutscene

@MjnMixael:   we'll get to that later

Goober5000:   k
and what about that big antenna extension on the Riviera?

@MjnMixael:   I've gone back and forth.. if I did it, I'd probably just copy/paste a tower from the Arcadia HTL down there with some slight edits
it's a pretty unimportant aspect of the scene

Goober5000:   yeah
the only other thing I can think of are the flags in the command brief scene

@MjnMixael:   the flags?

Goober5000:   there are flags on opposite sides of the room

@MjnMixael:   what about them?

Goober5000:   or rather, one flag, an insignia, and a pennant
wondering if you were going to add the flag

@MjnMixael:   why not? it's in the scene

Goober5000:   ok, cool :)

@MjnMixael:   alright, let's move on to FS2 and probably one of the more interesting challenges of this project

@Oddgrim:   back

@MjnMixael:   we all know how many errors there are in the FS2 intro cutscene... which ones can/should be fixed and which ones should stay
manticore weapons, lucifer beam, etc

Not_Nuclear:   the medusa weapons
medusa cant carry banshee

@Oddgrim:   so what should it be changed to?

Not_Nuclear:   those are the only really blatant errors
prometheus or avenger

@Oddgrim:   avenger i say, pretty yellow lights.

Not_Nuclear:   most of the other inconsistencies can be explained away

niffiwan-work:   I thought they kinda looked like ML-16s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khIWdolT9xY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khIWdolT9xY)

Not_Nuclear:   by their sound and color, they had to be banshees

@MjnMixael:   well I can't change the sounds

@Oddgrim:   blue lights
ml16 are white I think

niffiwan-work:   I probably just don't remember the banshee vs ml-16 very well - I thought they were both a "grey-ish blue" colour

Not_Nuclear:   banshee's more purple

niffiwan-work:   I don't think it's too important though

Not_Nuclear:   ml-16 is a bit of white-blue

@MjnMixael:   I assume you guys would suggest I fix the Manticore weapons again?

@Oddgrim:   that with retail nuclear?

Not_Nuclear:   i cant remember exactly
i just remember the ML-16 being blueish-white
that may be how it was in the Port as well

niffiwan-work:   fix Manticore weapons = yes

Goober5000:   fix the Manticore, yes

Not_Nuclear:   yes, manti fix

@Oddgrim:   fix munti, take him to gandalf

@MjnMixael:   well let's consider the most difficult error.. the Lucifer beam

Not_Nuclear:   didnt we kind of oddly-retcon that with the new vasuda prime cutscene?

@MjnMixael:   sorta

Not_Nuclear:   adding the flux cannon to the lucifer's side to bombard the planet?

Goober5000:   yeah

@MjnMixael:   we consider it a planet bombardment beam, but that would need to be blue
not yellow

niffiwan-work:   if you make the beam comes from the proper beam points, you'd need to move the camera in the shot?

JC:   perhaps explained as a result of atmospheric entry?

Goober5000:   and move the ship itself

@MjnMixael:   which is not preferable

JC:   i'm sure that got talked about a lot before tho

Goober5000:   I say keep the ships as they are, and just use the side beam

Not_Nuclear:   JC: problem with that is the beam appears blue even in the spaceshot

Goober5000:   from the claw-like turret

JC:   oh, hmm

@MjnMixael:   my vote is use the flux beam and just make it blue

niffiwan-work:   dual purpose side beam?  dial 1 for plantary bombardment, dial 2 for holes in orions?

JC:   guess i can fix that in any missions i have by making that one blue :P but still

Not_Nuclear:   Mjn: sounds good to me

@MjnMixael:   lol niffiwan

JC:   just a BBlue or HBlue

@Oddgrim:   dealing with a galazy devouring shivans, button 3 makes toast.

@MjnMixael:   heh
alright, sounds like a plan
one major effect I need to figure out for doing FS2 cutscenes is creating the nebula effect

Not_Nuclear:   was there any other glaring problems in that cutscene?
*were

@MjnMixael:   I have not tried to do it yet, but of all the other effects.. I don't have a good way off the top of my head to do that
I could do it the way the game does it, by rendering bitmaps in 3d space and moving them toward/away from the camera.. but if anyone has other suggestions, now's the time

Not_Nuclear:   youre the expert

Goober5000:   will the Orion's nameplate be readable?

Not_Nuclear:   might as well
community's largely fanoned it into the legion

Goober5000:   that side is normally not visible, except for one scene

@Oddgrim:   the fanon makes it out to be legion right?

Goober5000:   yup

@Oddgrim:   so why not.

@MjnMixael:   sure, why not?
in the HD version, it will likely be readable

JC:   yeah, legion it is

@MjnMixael:   I already know what my order is for finishing the FS1 cutscenes, what scenes do you guys want me to work on first for the FS2 cutscenes?

Goober5000:   the nameplate *is* readable in the Colossus cutscene

@MjnMixael:   o.O

Goober5000:   for like 1/4 of a second
and it's the Galatea :p

Not_Nuclear:   i always thought that was 1) in-universe, a propaganda sort of thing, 2) out of the universe, a little easter egg for the fans

Goober5000:   I'm not convinced it was intentional >.>

Not_Nuclear:   well, should it be changed then?

niffiwan-work:   FS2 order - I *really* like the intro cutscene :)

@MjnMixael:   huh, seems you're right.. never noticed that before (colossus nameplate)
I vote Bastion or Soyakaze

Goober5000:   I vote Galatea just for lolz

@MjnMixael:   makes nooooo seeeense

Goober5000:   but I won't complain if it's one of the others

@MjnMixael:   Galatea is boomed

Not_Nuclear:   well, bastion was supposed to be decommissioned by the time the colossus was launched

@Oddgrim:   Snugglepuff

Not_Nuclear:   soyakaze could work though

Goober5000:   Soyakaze is A-1 SUPAR

@MjnMixael:   k, so FS2 intro first

@Oddgrim:   or Soyakaze

@MjnMixael:   Bastion cutscene is probably the easiest of all the FS2 cutscenes

@Oddgrim:   which is king of soy or something.

Not_Nuclear:   what major changes will be made to the bastion scene?

@MjnMixael:   none

@Oddgrim:   Yes, I'm curious

Not_Nuclear:   just updating the models or will there be some background added as well?

@Oddgrim:   oh.

Axem:   add some AT-STs, mjn

@MjnMixael:   nope, just updated models is all

Not_Nuclear:   fair enough

@MjnMixael:   and AT-STs walking along the Bastion

Axem:   yessss

Not_Nuclear:   dewbacks too

@MjnMixael:   no

niffiwan-work:   lets not get silly now! :)\

Not_Nuclear:   yeah, youre right thats silly

Axem:   dewbacks can be in the colossus cutscene

Not_Nuclear:   dewbacks would be in the bosch scenes

Axem:   or that

@MjnMixael:   -_-

Goober5000:   the ship classes in the Bastion cutscene are totally not the ones that appear in the Bastion mission

@MjnMixael:   hmm, interestin
explain

Goober5000:   Myrmidons and Taurvis

niffiwan-work:   e.g. replace taurvi with seraphim?

Not_Nuclear:   taurvis do show up in that mission
...i thought

Goober5000:   a Perseus does appear, which is correct

@MjnMixael:   the cutscene has a perseus, herc 2 and myrmidons

Goober5000:   Taurvis do not show up in sm2-09

niffiwan-work:   ??? anyone got a copy of the mission file?

Not_Nuclear:   well, considering its 3-09 :P

Goober5000:   er
3-09 >.>
typo

Not_Nuclear:   alright, i was wrong then, no taurvis

@MjnMixael:   i'm down with fixing the fighters because it's a pretty small change and makes sense
what -does- appear in the mission?

Goober5000:   Perseus, Herc 2, Erinyes, maybe Ares

Not_Nuclear:   hercIIs, perseus

@MjnMixael:   and for shivans?

Not_Nuclear:   well, myrmidons are available in the loadout in that case

Goober5000:   Nephilim, Seraphim, Nahemas, you name it -- except Taurvis

@MjnMixael:   lol
mara?

Not_Nuclear:   default are all hercs or perseus, except the vasudan wing too

niffiwan-work:   mara & dragons

Not_Nuclear:   basilisks

niffiwan-work:   vasudans are taurets?

Not_Nuclear:   yeah, i think so

@MjnMixael:   I wonder if the myrmidons were meant to be the zod wing?

Goober5000:   http://pastebin.com/AdG6GjFB (http://pastebin.com/AdG6GjFB)

Not_Nuclear:   could be

@MjnMixael:   that.. is the whole mission
i'm not scrolling through that
alright, this has been noted, I'll choose which ships based on which ones look best at hi-res

Not_Nuclear:   yeah, default terran wings are all perseus or herc
taurets for the zods

@MjnMixael:   now for the fun part.. CUSTOM CUTSCENES

Goober5000:   Erinyes would be cool, just because
ooh, custom cutscenes :D

@MjnMixael:   only if we have an HTL Erinyes when I make it

Not_Nuclear:   weee!

Goober5000:   1) Ribos destruction
2) bad ending of FS1
3) wiggy wiggy wiggy

Not_Nuclear:   oh goober just had a LIST didnt he

@MjnMixael:   wiggy wiggy wiggy?

Goober5000:   from the FS Ref Bible
it's the bar fight

@MjnMixael:   i'm not doing the bar fight
or the news blurbs
booooring

Not_Nuclear:   :(

Goober5000:   bar fight would be awesome

JC:   bar fight is good fight

Goober5000:   we already have HEADZ and that short clip between Ash and a Vasudan

@MjnMixael:   best you'll get is headz

Not_Nuclear:   i second the ribos and bad ending though
we already have vasuda prime...

JC:   ribos is good though, need to see what damage was caused

@MjnMixael:   well, this is a good time to share that I am making my own version of vasuda prime

JC:   especially since i got a story outlined using ribos as one center...

Goober5000:   :o

@MjnMixael:   Icy's is good, but it's low-res and the audio is balls

@Oddgrim:   I think a role reversal viedo would be fun :p

Goober5000:   a new Vasudan cutscene would be very cool

@MjnMixael:   not to mention upside down freighters

Goober5000:   now how else is a Chronos going to pick up a container?

Axem:   itll do it

@Oddgrim:   wiggy wiggy wiggy

Axem:   SIDEWAYS

@MjnMixael:   I've already worked up a script which I'll share with you guys since you are spending your time here tonight [REDACTED]

Not_Nuclear:   1) land
2) cargo crane
3) ???

JC:   space elevator or matter teleportation :P
very unlikely both

Not_Nuclear:   dammit axem thats very irresponsible chronos driving

Axem:   its how they do it in the hood

JC:   good document, thanks for the share

niffiwan-work:   script sounds good :)

JC:   good to see someone else writing big documents for a chance, been writing entire essays on my own stuff for many months now >.>
ah the doc isnt that big actually but anyway

@MjnMixael:   I'd like to do Ribos but that much closeup fighting scares in how much work it will take
also the power drain from the ref bible makes little to no sense based on what we have seen of Shivan tech

Not_Nuclear:   well, you could cheat around that combat

Goober5000:   good script is good

Not_Nuclear:   show ribos, show lucifer jumping in, music builds up as fighters pour out

Goober5000:   and for Ribos, the power drain is probably an early concept that is no longer applicable, so you could drop it

Not_Nuclear:   some quick cuts of beams impacting the station, then fade in to the debris
and lucifer warping out

JC:   hmm too bad there doesnt seem much information about if there were habitable planets in ribos, if those were bombed too

Not_Nuclear:   ribos IV is mentioned, but nothing about planetside colonies

JC:   yeah
i mean i dont mind making my own versions but they have to fit in a concensus for best effect :P

@MjnMixael:   alternate FS1 endgame is not something I'm specifically interested in because I don't think the player should be rewarded for SUCKING
but if enough people want it, I'll consider doing it

Goober5000:   not to mention it's kind of hard to fail the last mission without dying
so it will rarely be seen

@MjnMixael:   indeed
are there any custom FS2 cutscenes the community ever wanted?

JC:   i vote middle way - a tiny cutscene showing lucy hitting earth
but that alone could be costly work

Goober5000:   I can't think of any custom FS2 cutscenes

Not_Nuclear:   i cant remember there being a cutscene for fs2 that was really in demand

@MjnMixael:   kk

Goober5000:   FS2 is pretty well-composed already

@MjnMixael:   there are two other cutscenes that I've kept notes on a pad of paper on my desk for the better part of a year that would work for ST/ST:R

Goober5000:   :o
two ones that I haven't heard of?

@MjnMixael:   yes

Goober5000:   do tell :D

niffiwan-work:   I gotta go as well - meeting starts in 2min (blurg) - good luck & thanks for soliciting this feedback/comments!

Not_Nuclear:   tell ussssss

@MjnMixael:   the first has to do with the Einstein and what it could have been doing during FS1...

Goober5000:   oho

@MjnMixael:   I envisioned it opening showing Riviera Station as Ash is asking for help. The Shivans warp in and the battle begins and the camera sweeps to a far distance where the Einstein is monitoring
after a short conversation between a couple scientists aboard, it warps out as the Shivans overrun the area

Not_Nuclear:   or a close-up with a loki escort
fade into the ST:R logo

Goober5000:   interesting

@MjnMixael:   the second deals with lab testing on Shivans themselves, specifically on the personell beam

Goober5000:   did you see the bonus stuff from 162/Phoenix regarding the Einstein?
oh, I like that

@MjnMixael:   no

Not_Nuclear:   oh crap i forgot about that stuff

@MjnMixael:   but for the one with the Eistein, I thought it would be fun to include Shivans landing on fighters and ripping them apart

Goober5000:   http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=57055.0 (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=57055.0)

@MjnMixael:   that is 6 pages of stuff
yeah, I'll read that later

Goober5000:   k

Not_Nuclear:   long story short, it places the einstein in ross 128 about the same time as the attack on riviera

@MjnMixael:   well then my cutscene works all the better!

Not_Nuclear:   god, going back to the 162 forum is giving me flashbacks

@MjnMixael:   Custom Cutscenes: Vasuda Prime is getting remade. Ribos will likely get made. The ST:R ones I -really- hope to make.

Not_Nuclear:   i should be certified in xenolinguistics after that vasudan language game

Goober5000:   STR ones would be awesome, woot

@MjnMixael:   the last part of this discussion is a status update
this post is almost always accurate, but it's pretty vague as to what's actually done http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68161.msg1345929#msg1345929 (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68161.msg1345929#msg1345929)
For the C. Brief cutscenes, I've got a basic briefing room laid out, but nothing is detailed
I have a commander model that doesn't look like Adam Pletcher...

Goober5000:   k

@MjnMixael:   Hall Fight has marines ready to go, but little else. The Lab I haven't really started on.

Goober5000:   for the FS2 cutscene order, if the Bastion can be done quickly, do it first -- moar awesome moar quickly

@MjnMixael:   the FS1 Intro has nearly every external shot set up and some even finalized and rendered
but given that most of the scene takes place in the cockpit or in the Arcadia.. it's still got some work left
you already saw the awesome Pilot model that Oddgrim is working on
and the nuApollo

Goober5000:   nu

@MjnMixael:   less is done on FS2 cutscenes, but I do have the 'classified' logo thing in hi-res ready for the Colossus cutscene as well as the drone ready for animation
if Axem finishes the HTL Ganymede, that one will be pretty quick too

Axem:   yes

@MjnMixael:   I did some effect tests for the FS2 endgame and setup some innitial scenes, but nothing major
ala [REDACTED]
the Sath model has since been updated...

Goober5000:   oh nice

@MjnMixael:   finally, I'm sure you've all seen this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVd4Xdfgl9k (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVd4Xdfgl9k)
I updated the hard-light/fsport text to be bank gothic and black so it's easier to read as suggested

Goober5000:   awexome

@MjnMixael:   as a final preview, I leave you all with this to end the formal discussion [REDACTED]
The Apollo effects are unfinished because the model is a placeholder

Goober5000:   oh nice
Goober5000:   wuvs it

@MjnMixael:   thanks all for taking the time
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on November 01, 2012, 11:36:29 am
FWIW, Icey kept the side-claw cannon on the Lucy as planet bombardment, and explained the color difference as the atmosphere of rhe planet affecting the beam.

The Lucy going from green/blue to orange then red was explained as the shields coming up upon exiting subspace, to account for some canon reference (FS1 Endgame?) showing Lucy as blue/green.

Which way you decide to go with it is up to you, of course.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on November 01, 2012, 02:32:29 pm
Icy's cutscene has the Lucifer planet beam as blue before and after atmo. It's color never changes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on November 01, 2012, 03:34:28 pm
:wtf: ok, maybe I remember myself or someone else suggesting that as a workaround, then.  Apparently Icey disagreed or it was mentioned too late.  Sorry for the mix-up.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Hades on November 01, 2012, 07:03:06 pm
http://p3d.in/QsiDr

Cutscene Apollo version. Still need to do the landing skids.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: bkd86 on December 01, 2012, 10:40:08 am
Nice! It looks like the guns on the very bottom would hit the parts right in front of them if fired.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 26, 2013, 10:13:41 pm
Oddgrim gets points.. Lots and lots of points.

(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/mjnmixael/Private/ImageBin-13_zps291dcea8.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on January 26, 2013, 10:14:28 pm
Holy ****. :jaw:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on January 27, 2013, 01:37:40 am
Awesome :yes: My only gripe would be that the oxygen mask doesn't seem to be connected to the guy's face, but that's just a detail.

(in b4 cables too thick)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: niffiwan on January 27, 2013, 02:51:21 am
wow - that certainly looks schweet!  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kobrar44 on January 27, 2013, 03:18:49 am
I am curious how are you going to set up materials for the cutscene. It is not particularily easy to hit the commercial grade, even 15[oh man!] years old. Best luck!  :yes: :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 27, 2013, 07:23:19 am
I am curious how are you going to set up materials for the cutscene. It is not particularily easy to hit the commercial grade, even 15[oh man!] years old. Best luck!  :yes: :nod:

Meh. You should watch the original again. Pretty sure they don't even have materials on most things. Moot point is moot.

Awesome :yes: My only gripe would be that the oxygen mask doesn't seem to be connected to the guy's face, but that's just a detail.

(in b4 cables too thick)

That's probably because just wanted to see how it looked really fast, so I imported the mesh from Oddgrim on top of a character model I had and hit render. I bet his face should be moved way forward.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on January 27, 2013, 07:26:25 am
It's like the head is either too small or not far enough forward. In the cutscene the front of the mask was on the guy's nose.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 27, 2013, 08:15:47 am
It's like the head is either too small or not far enough forward. In the cutscene the front of the mask was on the guy's nose.

That's probably because just wanted to see how it looked really fast, so I imported the mesh from Oddgrim on top of a character model I had and hit render. I bet his face should be moved way forward.

EDIT: There, happy now?
(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/mjnmixael/Private/ImageBin-13_zps20391ae1.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on January 28, 2013, 12:40:53 pm
:yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on January 28, 2013, 12:42:10 pm
omg is dat lt ash
omg
mjn is keeng
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 28, 2013, 01:15:11 pm
omg is dat lt ash
omg
mjn is keeng

Don't give me the credit... Oddgrim made the flight suit.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Oddgrim on January 28, 2013, 06:19:03 pm
omg is dat lt ash
omg
mjn is keeng

Don't give me the credit... Oddgrim made the flight suit.
Indeed :p
I'm guessing the skin texture is different from the "diego" ones I originally got from you? (might just be the lighting though.)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Raiden on January 30, 2013, 10:07:04 am
 :eek: That looks excellent. Much respect to you guys.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: BirdofPrey on February 06, 2013, 11:09:00 am
http://p3d.in/QsiDr

Cutscene Apollo version. Still need to do the landing skids.
You need to move the guns down or remove some of the engine nacelle overhang, since the guns are currently aimed right at that front section of the nacelles.
===
Also, I am a bit confused, that seems to have been derived from the high poly model currently being developed for use in game, but that model isn't finished yet.  I am wondering why you aren't waiting till that one is done to modify it into the cutscene variant.  I'm sure I'm missing something since I don't know much about modeling.

Whatever the case, keep up the good work, I can't wait to see an up to date opening cutscene (and the rest of them of course)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 26, 2013, 07:41:36 pm
Well.. I'm still waiting on the HTL Apollo and the final pilot textures.. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! :p

So, I'm working on a different scene for now.

(http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/9918/imagebin.jpg)
(http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/9918/imagebin.jpg)
(http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/9918/imagebin.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on February 26, 2013, 09:14:48 pm
Woot!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on February 26, 2013, 09:20:49 pm
it's hug time!  :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 26, 2013, 11:58:39 pm
(http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/9918/imagebin.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on February 26, 2013, 11:59:33 pm
Someone's working like a madman.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Yarn on October 13, 2013, 01:09:01 pm
Are there any plans to release the Ancients cutscenes with the new audio in Ogg format? It would be great to have them in FSPort!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 13, 2013, 02:17:28 pm
Huh.. I thought I had released them.

Well, I get Google Fiber installed on Friday, so I'll upload the new versions then... ya know.. when I'll have 900mbps instead of 9mbps. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 13, 2013, 02:27:59 pm
Oh you lucky son of a *****.  *shakes fist*
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 15, 2013, 01:22:00 pm
(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/mjnmixael/Private/omg_zps67e8521a.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on October 15, 2013, 01:29:35 pm
that number is damn too high!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on October 15, 2013, 03:56:15 pm
What the ****. XD
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 15, 2013, 04:53:08 pm
Iiiiii think you're gonna be there for a while.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on October 16, 2013, 01:14:55 am
Wow.  Is that something you can farm out to other computers, or to a cloud hosting service?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 18, 2013, 11:55:03 am
(http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/mjnmixael/Private/GoogleFiber_zpsf4a62200.jpg)

All cutscenes re-uploaded. I'm pretty sure all the links are correct too, so let me know if I missed one and it's dead.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on October 18, 2013, 01:46:43 pm
 :jaw:

that is all
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: swashmebuckle on October 18, 2013, 02:52:17 pm
 :(

google y
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 18, 2013, 03:21:40 pm
showoff
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 18, 2013, 04:17:00 pm
I think my e-peen just shriveled up inside of me.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: WhiteFox on October 21, 2013, 04:29:18 pm
Woooooooooooooooow! Do you have redone all the Videos ?! I cant stop listening the voices, music and cant stop to look at this beautiful work! I think its a lot better as the older Versions! Great Job, Mixael, keep going! You're my godfather of Freespace now !
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 24, 2013, 03:13:39 pm
OK, here's a couple FMV previews showing what I'm doing with the logo sections of the FS1 and FS2 intros. The effects I whipped up in a few hours so don't bother critiquing them.

I will also say that I've put a lot of thought into what logos, when, and how long... I'll need some compelling reasons to change it. Just wanted you guys to see how it's going to look. However, I've extended the audio a bit. The original cutscene will show up in the bottom right when it lines up properly for comparison. Essentially, the music during the Interplay and Volition logos is exactly the same as it was before. :)

FS1 Intro

FS2 Intro
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Mongoose on October 24, 2013, 04:03:08 pm
Awesome. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Luis Dias on October 24, 2013, 04:04:51 pm
I have zero critiques to make on about how you placed the logos, etc., it's perfect!

And if you whipped those effects in an hour, I'm pretty sure you'll nail it in the end! It's a damn big project, these cutscenes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on October 24, 2013, 05:47:47 pm
I think i prefer the arrangement of the HLP logo in the FS2 intro but apart from that its good
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: niffiwan on October 24, 2013, 07:39:18 pm
wow.  Looking awesome & thanks for sharing  :) :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Admiral Nelson on October 25, 2013, 11:49:09 am
I wonder about having the HLP credits come first, and then the original credits second.  This sort of implies that HLP is the primary creator, and V the secondary.  I might be reading too much into it, though....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Cobra on October 25, 2013, 12:04:40 pm
Maybe. But this IS a remake. I don't see it making much sense to put Volition's credits first.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: jr2 on October 29, 2013, 01:54:07 pm
I guess you could take it to mean HLP is carrying the torch at this point.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on October 29, 2013, 02:57:21 pm
I kind of like it with the HLP logo first. That way, the old logos with the old order and timings to the music stay the same.

Since there's a lot of extra stuff at the beginning, how are you planning to fill that time's audio?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: AdmiralRalwood on October 29, 2013, 03:13:01 pm
I kind of like it with the HLP logo first. That way, the old logos with the old order and timings to the music stay the same.

Since there's a lot of extra stuff at the beginning, how are you planning to fill that time's audio?
The audio just gets extended at the beginning, as you can see in the preview videos.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Kolgena on October 29, 2013, 03:33:16 pm
My bad. Watching on mute cuz silent zone + no headphones :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Yarn on January 01, 2014, 05:09:27 pm
Mjn, what was your reason for removing the Vasuda Prime portion from Ancients 4?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 01, 2014, 11:40:24 pm
My upgrades are to upgrade the retail cutscenes. Retail never had the Prime cutscene, so I pulled it from my file. The current Prime cutscene is very much not a comparable res to my upgrades and the scale up didn't look good. I am also waist deep in my own version of the Prime cutscene.

My opinion is that if FSPort can even pretend to be what it says, the FSPort (non mediavps) shouldn't even have that added scene anyway. FSPort MediaVPs should use the mission #Cutscene flags or something to force it to play after the Ancients 4 cutscene, but before the briefing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 25, 2014, 07:19:01 pm
Skills are always evolving, especially when you follow sites that can teach you new things.

Learned a new way to make suns that looks much more interesting than what I came up with and renders in a fraction of the time. So Ancients 5 got an upgrade that took me 45 minutes to make and 5 hours to render. (Old one took weeks to make and days to render.)


inb4notrealistic
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Rodo on April 25, 2014, 07:35:30 pm
wow! awesome it looks so nice man.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Goober5000 on April 25, 2014, 07:45:54 pm
Oooooh.  I like that much better than the previous version. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: headdie on April 25, 2014, 08:58:36 pm
Yikes
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CKid on April 26, 2014, 12:19:03 am
(http://i.imgur.com/fQ7IE5c.gif)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on April 27, 2014, 10:17:31 am
What Goob said :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Aardwolf on April 27, 2014, 12:32:51 pm
So uh... I see background stars poking through the sun.

/me runs
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Nyctaeus on April 27, 2014, 05:56:31 pm
That sun is soo cool! :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Black Wolf on April 28, 2014, 04:59:31 am
Big improvement. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: dan87uk on June 26, 2014, 06:16:50 pm
These cutscene remakes are brilliant, cant wait to see the rest  :nod:

also for the one you most recently posted....what goober said  :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 27, 2014, 07:10:13 am
Have you done :headz: yet? :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 27, 2014, 07:36:20 am
Ha, not yet. I've been working on getting BtA finished. Then I'm going to have another run at mainhalls (thanks to new features). After that I'll return to cutscene work.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 27, 2014, 08:32:14 am
Take all the time you need dude.
 :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: P4nda on February 04, 2015, 02:29:15 am
How did you possibly makes this? I'm looking to do a Planetside 2 series on youtube that is 100% inspired by the FS lore and cutscenes, especially the Ancients line of scenes.

Obviously ripping the (beautiful) work you've done is a moral no-go and therefore I'm left to ask how you recreated these scenes? In what programs? I have a nice sizeable tax return that Im willing to spend on buying these programs so I can create my own cutscenes to use in the series. It won't be monetized so ownership isn't an issue. Any response is appreciated.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 08, 2015, 05:23:08 pm
The Ancients scenes were built entirely in Adobe After Effects, with one small exception. A couple redrawn maps for the planets, the CC Sphere plugin, and some fancy fractal work to make the BGs. Add in a light and flare for the suns and call it a day.

Ancients 4 has an asteroid field rendered from 3DS Max and then imported and used in the After Effects scene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: technopredator on February 18, 2015, 07:18:24 am
Thank you for your work.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: ElMattador on September 29, 2015, 09:46:48 pm
The way you did these, not just how good they are, is admirable. Your pioneering work will hopefully inspire others to add and further improve cutscenes.  Your work has actually brought me back to the Hard-Light for the first time in three years (serendipitously, I just built a new computer. Not having one for the last two years was a real challenge).  The Ancients cutscenes all look fantastic.

Bravo.

I have only one critique.  If you plan to further polish any of the cutscenes, I'd recommend giving Lucy a make-over.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 29, 2015, 10:12:06 pm
Thatnks for the compliments! I'm glad you like them. I'm within a few months of releasing my campaign... after that I'm re-focusing on these cutscenes. I'm pretty pumped, too! I'll be finishing the Lab cutscene, and working on the FS1 Intro... Not to mention Hall Fight! I have a lot of learning to do with character models, but I'm confident I can figure it out.

(Generally I just use the MediaVPs models, so until someone else makes a newer upgraded Lucifer, I won't re-render that scene. Actually... it's a lot of work to render these scenes.. Not sure if or when I'll do that again.)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: BirdofPrey on October 02, 2015, 07:47:30 am
The intro is the one I most want to see.
Shame the new Apollo still isn't done, though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: MatthewPapa on November 28, 2015, 12:57:36 pm
Pretty cool. Great work!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 02, 2017, 01:41:01 am
(http://mixhaipro.com/fso/PreRelease/animated.png)

Now I'm rigging a pilot model and building a high-poly cockpit...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)] (56kers be warned!)
Post by: CKid on December 02, 2017, 01:58:58 am
wow......
:jaw:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on December 02, 2017, 04:45:25 am
Fantastic!  :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: tomimaki on December 02, 2017, 08:20:55 am
Looks great.  :yes2:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Satellight on December 02, 2017, 01:21:25 pm
Can't wait (sure I will !  ;7) You're AWESOME, as ever  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on December 02, 2017, 07:27:19 pm
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 02, 2017, 09:01:07 pm
Accidentally left the Alpha channel in the animation.. but you get the point. The pilot is rigged and ready to go!

(http://mixhaipro.com/fso/PreRelease/2_tech_tpilot.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on December 05, 2017, 04:10:11 pm
Gorgeous, this is something I've been waiting for for a long time.  This is one of my favorite projects, mjn.

Can't help but notice that's not a 2-seater Apollo, though.  I've seen this cutscene so many times that jumps out at me.

On a side note, would you have use for some ship icons?  I had been making radar icons (a project I just sort of stopped working on, tbh I could get it finished and released now with the basic icons we already have, but I had been working on getting icons for every different ship which is a lot longer of a process), and while it's still mostly incomplete, I should still have the original vectors somewhere for everything that appears on the radar screen in Outpost Riviera.  I'm sure you could probably do a much better job than I could with animating that screen, but if I can save you 5 minutes, why not?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 05, 2017, 05:25:32 pm
Except it is the two seater Apollo.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/387500305258119170/CockpitPreview.jpg)

Thanks for the offer, but I've already got vector icons inside the map rig I used to animate all the cbanims. It's already setup to animate the Outpost map in HD.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cyborg17 on December 05, 2017, 05:32:07 pm
(https://i.giphy.com/media/rl0FOxdz7CcxO/giphy.webp)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on December 05, 2017, 11:02:47 pm
Except it is the two seater Apollo.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/387500305258119170/CockpitPreview.jpg)
Huh, so it is, guess it just isn't as noticeable from the clip (it's going to be more obvious at the start of the cinematic where we get a panning shot across the fighter and a close-up of the cockpit area).  Or maybe I'm just too tired and/or busy lately.

Well carry on.  I am super eager for this.  The only thing I think I'd be more eager for is the Freespace 2 intro since having the crash site part would mean someone could also remake the trailer.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 05, 2017, 11:09:59 pm
Why would someone remake the trailer?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on December 05, 2017, 11:36:48 pm
Why not?  I've seen people attempt to remake some scenes in engine to achieve a similar effect as a sort of FSO trailer.
Never looks quite right.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 06, 2017, 12:17:06 am
Eh.. maybe. The original FS2 trailer would need some serious tweaking to translate it to a modern audience.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 09, 2017, 06:47:34 pm
This is relevant.

(http://mixhaipro.com/fso/PreRelease/2_tech_tpilot.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on December 09, 2017, 09:23:41 pm
Ohooooo
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 09, 2017, 09:29:04 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/389256804728700928/MeetLtAsh.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on December 10, 2017, 02:21:11 am
This is relevant.

(http://mixhaipro.com/fso/PreRelease/2_tech_tpilot.png)

Why yes it is! :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 10, 2017, 06:24:03 pm
2nd run animation check. Some things to fix. Some things work well!

(http://mixhaipro.com/fso/PreRelease/83Ert9.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on December 10, 2017, 06:40:22 pm
The eyes don't give the same panic that those of Lt. Ash in the original do.  For one, there's kind of a black eye-liner on the upper lid, also his eyes are more open, with a higher arch on the top than the bottom.

Lookin' good otherwise.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 10, 2017, 06:52:23 pm
Yeah, I'm not recreating Lt. Ash directly. That black "eyeliner" was an ugly attempt at eyelashes back in the late 90s. Mine has actual modelled eyelashes. Volition barely animated the actual facial features at all, especially leaving the eyes permanently wide open. You try doing that for more than a few seconds and see how it works.

I've spent a good deal of time in front of the mirror trying out Ash's features to match what makes sense and to fix what's weird. In my version his eyes actually widen when he yells for help and other things. Watch the original when he yells "ANYONE PLEASE?!". His face is static. I've changed that, reserving wide eyes and brows up for those moments.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on December 10, 2017, 09:05:44 pm
Yeah, those original eyes absolutely scream late 90s CGI cutscene--nothing against that, because that's exactly what they were, but still.  This is a huge improvement. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Firesteel on December 10, 2017, 09:44:16 pm
I'm so used to the late 90s cgi that this looks off :P

Seriously though it's looking great!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on December 10, 2017, 11:29:40 pm
If you're looking to add some more to the scene, you could rough him up a bit.  Assume that during the battle, damage to his fighter caused electrical shorts in the cockpit.  Perhaps bits of exploding console put some scrapes on some of the exposed sections of his face, along with some soot and grime.  Perhaps even some superficial damage to his helmet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 11, 2017, 12:12:33 am
I've always hated the Star Trek method of space combat.. who designs a battle ship with conduits so poorly connected that hull damage literally causes them to explode? What is IN those computer consoles?

I know the original helmet had some damage on it. I thought about adding it to be consistent, but I'm also lazy. The helmet mesh is mirrored, so to add damage that doesn't obviously look mirrored, I have to split up the UV map.. which I suppose I COULD do... It's work... I'll add that to the bottom of the list. We'll see if I get around to it or not.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Asteroth on December 11, 2017, 01:45:17 am
I had assumed that his ship hit something or was hit by something that caused him to jerk and bash his helmet against something. Although I suppose those seats/suits are designed to avoid that kind of thing...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 11, 2017, 08:48:43 am
Wear and tear on the helmet makes sense just after years of grabbing it off the shelf, dropping it on the deck, throwing it into the cockpit while climbing up the ladder, etc. It's just that to add wear-and-tear, I need to un-mirror the UV map on the mesh.. which is normally easy, but this mesh is already merged and rigged for animation.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on December 11, 2017, 12:01:37 pm
I've always hated the Star Trek method of space combat.. who designs a battle ship with conduits so poorly connected that hull damage literally causes them to explode? What is IN those computer consoles?

I know the original helmet had some damage on it. I thought about adding it to be consistent, but I'm also lazy. The helmet mesh is mirrored, so to add damage that doesn't obviously look mirrored, I have to split up the UV map.. which I suppose I COULD do... It's work... I'll add that to the bottom of the list. We'll see if I get around to it or not.

If you for some really dumb reason routed high power conduits up to the control stations, instead of remotely controlling them (I'm assuming they would then be located in Engineering and the points closest to the systems they service), it would make sense.  Otherwise, not.  Or maybe if they didn't isolate the control circuits from the power lines they controlled.  :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: DefCynodont119 on December 11, 2017, 01:24:56 pm
Wear and tear on the helmet makes sense just after years of grabbing it off the shelf, dropping it on the deck, throwing it into the cockpit while climbing up the ladder, etc. It's just that to add wear-and-tear, I need to un-mirror the UV map on the mesh.. which is normally easy, but this mesh is already merged and rigged for animation.

I've only spent a few productive hours learning blender, so ignore me if anything I say is stupid:

Couldn't you make a transparent 3d model with a texture over the part of the helmet you want to texture? like a decal? or is that a dumb way to do things? I'm asking as someone who wants to learn this kind of stuff.


Also, with the justification you provided, it seems to me that you will probably end up doing it for something else anyway, may as well.


Looks awesome by the way!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 11, 2017, 03:41:08 pm
Wear and tear on the helmet makes sense just after years of grabbing it off the shelf, dropping it on the deck, throwing it into the cockpit while climbing up the ladder, etc. It's just that to add wear-and-tear, I need to un-mirror the UV map on the mesh.. which is normally easy, but this mesh is already merged and rigged for animation.

I've only spent a few productive hours learning blender, so ignore me if anything I say is stupid:

Couldn't you make a transparent 3d model with a texture over the part of the helmet you want to texture? like a decal? or is that a dumb way to do things? I'm asking as someone who wants to learn this kind of stuff.

While that is a way that you could get the appearance of something on the helmet, it's more of a hack. And that's only going to work in the additive, really. To get good looking scratches and dents, I need a height map. That's not going to work right as an added on top layer.


Quote
Also, with the justification you provided, it seems to me that you will probably end up doing it for something else anyway, may as well.

The pilot model is only used in one other cutscene and just barely (command brief). So this is pretty much his last outing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 13, 2017, 12:10:12 am
Guys. I made it low-res and the compression blocky so it'd be just like the original! So legit.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on December 13, 2017, 02:30:40 am
Mmmm pixels! love them!, you're making good progress I like what I see :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on December 13, 2017, 12:14:55 pm
Party like it's 1999!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 15, 2017, 07:39:17 pm
Lt. Ash's animation is complete! There are a few things to fix/have already fixed.

One major difference in the overall animation is that I didn't bother matching the roll/sway of the Apollo. I just set the model to a random orientation over time (probably the same thing :v: did). So there are some differences in general rolls and sways of the frame because of that. But that's OK. I'm not going for a perfect frame by frame remake. (Rendered at 240p for now)

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on December 15, 2017, 09:06:50 pm
Wow, once again the crown is hoisted for all to see.

Though I do see some clipping in the eyelashes during one of eye Ash's close-ups. 2:04. Other shots kinda look like they were clipped too, but this one showed the process. Didn't notice until, like, my third time watching the video though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 15, 2017, 09:50:33 pm
You're definitely right about the clipping in the eyelashes. Later shots have it fixed. I just didn't re-render the older shots.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on December 15, 2017, 10:33:21 pm
It's still nothing compared to the frightening eyelid clipping going on in the original. Those close-up shots did not even remotely hold up over time. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: JSRNerdo on December 15, 2017, 10:43:57 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/k0kI1dh.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on December 15, 2017, 11:20:20 pm
Is Ash judging us in the precipice of destruction?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mammothtank on December 16, 2017, 02:11:17 am
"What if I told you Command, that Shivans exist?"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: DefCynodont119 on December 16, 2017, 03:42:32 pm
Fantastic! one thing tho, the camera motion seams a little forced, like moving then stopping instantly, probably just because it's still a WIP. And maybe it's just me, but wouldn't it have been better to fov zoom onto ash's console then move the camera towards it?

Don't take this the wrong way, This is fantastic work. I'm just trying to give some constructive criticism.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 21, 2017, 11:07:10 pm
Thanks to the help of an "HLP Render Farm" here's a preview with the new Lt. Ash content in HD.

I'm really happy with the animation overall, personally. There are some other things I might change. We'll see.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Vidmaster on December 22, 2017, 04:23:47 am
This looks really REALLY cool, nice job.

EDIT: Also, check your PMs please  :rolleyes:  I sent something.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 24, 2017, 09:47:45 am
Workin' hard or hardly workin'.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/394402694279987212/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 24, 2017, 04:06:18 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/394611260844408852/preview.jpg)
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/394610643124224001/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on December 24, 2017, 04:54:24 pm
You are a machine.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on December 24, 2017, 05:08:26 pm
Oh hey, my Easter Egg menus.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on December 24, 2017, 05:24:23 pm
That's GTI Station Riviera's comms. station, right?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 27, 2017, 01:49:02 pm
It's looking like I'll have the Comm Officer scene animated by the end of tomorrow. I'll then go out of town for a few days and set both scenes to render with higher quality settings. It takes quite a while to render these.. however NGLD set up a way that we can have an HLP Render Farm! It's already been used a little. If you're interested in offering your cpu cycles (you can join/leave the farm as you desire), catch me on Discord and we'll walk through getting you setup.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on December 27, 2017, 05:00:59 pm
It's looking like I'll have the Comm Officer scene animated by the end of tomorrow. I'll then go out of town for a few days and set both scenes to render with higher quality settings. It takes quite a while to render these.. however NGLD set up a way that we can have an HLP Render Farm! It's already been used a little. If you're interested in offering your cpu cycles (you can join/leave the farm as you desire), catch me on Discord and we'll walk through getting you setup.

Can you also donate GPU cycles?  Just seems odd that a render farm would use CPU cycles (I know nothing lol).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 27, 2017, 05:19:55 pm
The hardware used depends entirely on the renderer used. I'm using Mental Ray which is a CPU renderer that comes standard with 3ds Max.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on December 28, 2017, 07:25:36 am
That seems inefficient.

Time for you to get a Threadripper system.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 28, 2017, 09:28:29 am
Render Farms are actually way more efficient than buying a powerful system. Even the most powerful system can only process so many frames a minute... and when we're rendering on the order of thousands of frames, it because undeniably more cost efficient to farm the work to many slower computers.

Basic math portion. The fastest computers in the HLP Farm rendered a Lt. Ash frame at 1080p in about 10 minutes. Let's say a threadripper could knock out 1 frame every 2 minutes (which is honestly pretty generous, even for a threadripper). We need to render about 3000 frames. That's 30 frames an hour, for 100 hours. Add in the farm (the math gets complicated because the average times varied based on the computers involved) that could render, on average, about 30 frames an hour already and you see that all our "slower" computers combined already are at least as fast as a single threadripper... and we didn't have to spend near $1000 just for the processor. In fact, about half the computers in the farm are old junk computers with barely more than 6 cores combined.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on December 28, 2017, 09:52:17 am
That seems inefficient.

Time for you to get a Threadripper system.
Render Farms are actually way more efficient than buying a powerful system. Even the most powerful system can only process so many frames a minute... and when we're rendering on the order of thousands of frames, it because undeniably more cost efficient to farm the work to many slower computers.

Basic math portion. The fastest computers in the HLP Farm rendered a Lt. Ash frame at 1080p in about 10 minutes. Let's say a threadripper could knock out 1 frame every 2 minutes (which is honestly pretty generous, even for a threadripper). We need to render about 3000 frames. That's 30 frames an hour, for 100 hours. Add in the farm (the math gets complicated because the average times varied based on the computers involved) that could render, on average, about 30 frames an hour already and you see that all our "slower" computers combined already are at least as fast as a single threadripper... and we didn't have to spend near $1000 just for the processor. In fact, about half the computers in the farm are old junk computers with barely more than 6 cores combined.

So, what I'm hearing is, the entirety of HLP needs to get Threadripper systems.  :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 28, 2017, 10:40:15 am
Or go with a real processor like an i9.. HEYYYOOOOOO
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on December 28, 2017, 11:29:35 am
Or go with a real processor like an i9.. HEYYYOOOOOO

What, you think we're all made of gold??
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mito [PL] on December 28, 2017, 02:44:10 pm
Comparing a similar CPU price point of i9-7900X vs TR 1950X... By going Intel you miss out on 6 cores, 20 PCIe lanes, over 16MB of cache... And about 40% multicore performance. :P

As an AMD fanboy, I had to say this. I just had to.  :snipe:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 28, 2017, 02:47:57 pm
Yeah... but you would also get stuck with AMD. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on December 28, 2017, 03:34:51 pm
Comparing a similar CPU price point of i9-7900X vs TR 1950X... By going Intel you miss out on 6 cores, 20 PCIe lanes, over 16MB of cache... And about 40% multicore performance. :P

As an AMD fanboy, I had to say this. I just had to.  :snipe:

Have fun with the processor die melting running flat out. :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mito [PL] on December 28, 2017, 04:31:56 pm
I only hope that you are sarcastic and your opinions aren't like this because of misinformation. :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 30, 2017, 09:22:06 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/396865367395401738/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: perihelion on December 30, 2017, 10:18:13 pm
 :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on December 31, 2017, 06:09:39 am
The Vasudan Emperor approves!  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on December 31, 2017, 02:51:44 pm
Render Farms are actually way more efficient than buying a powerful system. Even the most powerful system can only process so many frames a minute... and when we're rendering on the order of thousands of frames, it because undeniably more cost efficient to farm the work to many slower computers.
I was talking about the fact the renderer uses CPU cycles rather that the GPU whose one job is rendering.  Granted that would make things a bit more annoying to timeshare.  Remote CPUs are easier to run than remote GPUs
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on December 31, 2017, 06:00:42 pm
Render Farms are actually way more efficient than buying a powerful system. Even the most powerful system can only process so many frames a minute... and when we're rendering on the order of thousands of frames, it because undeniably more cost efficient to farm the work to many slower computers.
I was talking about the fact the renderer uses CPU cycles rather that the GPU whose one job is rendering.  Granted that would make things a bit more annoying to timeshare.  Remote CPUs are easier to run than remote GPUs

Timeshare the CPUs to run their respective GPUs...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on January 02, 2018, 12:53:01 pm
Great to see this shaping up, keep up the good work! One silly question, will the fire trail coming out of Ash's damaged engine still be added?  :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 02, 2018, 07:47:23 pm

why have so many people been apparently worried that I wouldn't add the fire?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: HLD_Prophecy on January 03, 2018, 11:29:15 am
Video is unavailable - but I really want to see this!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on January 03, 2018, 01:06:57 pm
Awesome :D :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Goober5000 on January 04, 2018, 07:44:11 pm
[snip]

Actual LOL. :lol:

This is fantastic. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: HLD_Prophecy on January 05, 2018, 07:33:39 pm
Holy wow, this looks great! Nice work!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: OverDhill on January 05, 2018, 11:37:16 pm
Looks great!!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 13, 2018, 02:01:16 am

Next up.... Lab cutscene!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Admiral Nelson on January 13, 2018, 07:40:19 am
This is really great stuff.  The amount of work you put in must have been incredible.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: tomimaki on January 13, 2018, 08:39:18 am
Wonderful :yes2:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: CKid on January 13, 2018, 10:01:34 am
Had a great big grin on my face watching. Really nailed the fire when the Apollo did its flyby towards the station. Beautiful.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: perihelion on January 13, 2018, 12:28:57 pm
Dadgum! Fricking mod parent up! Cannot give enough praise to this fine piece of work!  You put so many details in that- you know what, I need to watch that again on a bigger screen.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on January 13, 2018, 08:19:29 pm
(words and stuff)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Rhymes on January 13, 2018, 09:30:49 pm
Fantastic as always, mjn.mixael.  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: fightermedic on January 14, 2018, 02:42:05 am
very well done
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Novachen on January 14, 2018, 07:06:37 am
Very interesting, even i have to admit that i need to get used to the characters models.

The talking of the comm officer looks a little strange IMO.

Also it is intended, that there are complete different HUD gauges in the first person sequence than you have in the game?

But otherwise good work :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 14, 2018, 08:10:06 am
Also it is intended, that there are complete different HUD gauges in the first person sequence than you have in the game?

Oh my God, you're right. Like I intended those guages to be exactly like the boring in-game HUD that wouldn't even fill part of the cockpit's screen and also wasn't in the retail cutscene... But while I was specifically designing that little bit, somehow my fingers created something entirely different.... Something that filled the geometry and generally looked interesting. And then, like, for weeks I didn't even notice!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Nyctaeus on January 14, 2018, 11:12:55 am
Man, this is sick! No words can describe this titanic effort and amount of work you put into this. This is outstanding gift for our community!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: HLD_Prophecy on January 14, 2018, 12:14:42 pm
You never fail to amaze! How in the name of Shiva do you find time to get all this done?  :eek2:

For some reason my favorite part is the space of a couple seconds at 1:52 when the Apollo is burning it's way towards the station.

And my 90's mind is setting off warning signals: "No, it's too clear!!! Where's the noise?!? The fuzziness?! The janky body movements??"  :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: procdrone on January 14, 2018, 12:48:33 pm
Fricking masterpiece. MASTERPIECE.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 14, 2018, 12:49:03 pm
The janky body movements are in the comm officer scenes.   :p

I never did get that animation how I wanted, but I had to move on or go crazy.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on January 14, 2018, 01:04:44 pm
Well, he's named Lt.Ash because the trail of fire he's riding on turns everyone nearby (except Shivans, of course) to pure carbon.

So... where can I DL this beauty? (I know I could retrieve it from YT, but something like this deserves to be viewed in highest available quality)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 14, 2018, 01:57:10 pm
I'll make DL links available to all finished cutscenes shortly. I just converted all my previous FS1 work to mp4 so we can use those in-game instead of the ogv versions.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cyborg17 on January 14, 2018, 02:14:15 pm
Your comment about going insane makes a lot of sense.  The cutscene is long but doesn't feel that long while you're watching it.

I watched some of the remaining FS1 cutscenes, and if you get to the Taranis briefing, I feel like you can take a lot of freedoms on it.  The original has not aged well at all.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 14, 2018, 02:16:39 pm
Yeah we'll see what happens when I get there.

Lab is next. Then the briefing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Spoon on January 14, 2018, 03:17:36 pm
Neat!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: starbug on January 15, 2018, 03:03:51 am
Nice work, even after all this time, Freespace's intro can still send shivers down my spine and give me goose bumps. Only game intro to do that to me.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Col. Fishguts on January 15, 2018, 06:00:08 am
Cool beans!

SVEN keyboard?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on January 15, 2018, 07:30:13 am
I volunteer to be in the hedz remake.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Vidmaster on January 15, 2018, 09:40:08 am
My congrats on the release :-)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 15, 2018, 06:05:06 pm
I volunteer to be in the hedz remake.

Send me your best headhots! :) Isn't there one of you completely smashed at a party floating around somewhere?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Sushi on January 15, 2018, 06:19:28 pm
Love it! Really nice work.  :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 16, 2018, 12:34:53 am
Thanks for all the praise! I'm really happy with how the scene turned out. :)

And I'm still motivated to keep going, sooooooooo

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/402710771974537226/imagebin.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on January 16, 2018, 01:20:45 am
I volunteer to be in the hedz remake.

Send me your best headhots! :) Isn't there one of you completely smashed at a party floating around somewhere?

It'll be on my Facebook, .....its all on facebook  :nervous:

Was it in a hat?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on January 16, 2018, 01:23:17 am
Amazing job!  Also, the Comm Officer's movements aren't quite right because it's a vasudan spy and the transmorgrification didn't quite work 100%  :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on January 16, 2018, 01:52:08 am
I guess we caught them during their pre-experiment exercises?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: potterman28wxcv on January 16, 2018, 09:44:41 am
Next up.... Lab cutscene!
In the original video the fumes are quite small, but here it's as if the entire station was being saturated for better productivity  :pimp:

Other than that, really great stuff !!! My heart stopped for a moment when the Lucifer jumped.. Really scary
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on January 16, 2018, 09:46:35 am
Honestly the actual model of the comms officer weirds me out more than the movements.

other than that, this is GREAT.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 18, 2018, 12:29:04 am
Lab scene geometry completed. Texturing next!

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/403435348346011661/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Admiral Nelson on January 18, 2018, 06:48:42 am
They're waiting for you, Gordon..... In the test chamber....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Pacman110 on January 18, 2018, 06:40:34 pm
I have nothing but the utmost respect for you and I admire the dedication you have for this craft. Thank you so much!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Cyborg17 on January 18, 2018, 09:24:23 pm
After seeing those screenshots I am really really excited about this!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on January 18, 2018, 10:06:41 pm
Don't the cables look a little too thick?  :drevil:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on January 19, 2018, 07:07:01 am
I think I've said this before, but I'll say it again : you are doing amazing work mjn.mixael.

Don't the cables look a little too thick?  :drevil:
*bang*
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on January 19, 2018, 02:10:07 pm
Sweet, great work! Sends shivers down my spine, just like the original  :yes:

The talking of the comm officer looks a little strange IMO.

I think it's the teeth, it's so bright inside her mouth that her molars kind of jump out. But this was really the only minor blemish on an otherwise excellent piece of work :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on January 19, 2018, 04:39:38 pm
I think it's the motions while speaking rather than the luminous teeth. I compared it with the retail version 'cause I was wondering whether her mouth was so bright there, too, but that's almost identical. Maybe she just uses the tooth brush 10 times a day.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Vidmaster on January 20, 2018, 02:11:51 pm
Whoa, this is going full-speed ahead it seems.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 25, 2018, 12:55:30 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/405978780230746112/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on January 25, 2018, 11:13:25 am
It would be better if you use HDR + PBR, as well as camera movements found in modern movies and TV shows.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: EndGame (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on January 25, 2018, 11:41:41 am
I disagree with the addition of needless camera movements.  This is meant to be a modernisation of the old scenes.  High definition and texture upgrades is a boon.  Adding Michael bay / BSG camera twattyness would be out of place.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 25, 2018, 12:55:21 pm
Why stop there? Let's future proof... Render in 16k and use camera movements found in FUTURE movies and TV shows. I'll also render in UDR (Ultra Dynamic Resolution. It'll be invented in 10 years.)

Hell.. Let's just make a brand new cutscene where during testing of a shield component, the Shivans burst through the walls in crystal clear PBR (also drinking PBR) and murder all the lens flares from Star Trek Into Darkness... then the North Koreans nuke the shield lab from orbit.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: perihelion on January 25, 2018, 01:26:28 pm
:lol:
Ah that made my day. You’re awesome, mjn.  Please continue to be awesome!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 26, 2018, 12:50:52 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/406238094157938689/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Luis Dias on January 26, 2018, 05:08:12 am
Meh, no lens flares, this is so outdated.

(kidding, ofc, it's really good! :yes:)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 28, 2018, 04:14:08 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/407292604674342922/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on January 28, 2018, 05:05:32 pm
C'mon! Dance! :lol:

Wait... he looks like he wants to make a headz party... :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on January 28, 2018, 05:07:47 pm
"You can go to the Y.M.C.A."
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on January 30, 2018, 05:56:09 pm
A quick glimpse into how I entertain myself while doing all this tedious work...

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/408047100757147649/imagebin.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on January 31, 2018, 12:52:29 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/406238094157938689/preview.jpg)

>.> ------[Those thic cables]


:lol:



j/k

No really, I was just... :snipe:


...but they were thic.  That means cool!   :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 04, 2018, 06:02:45 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/409857903357460491/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: HLD_Prophecy on February 04, 2018, 07:53:51 pm
Thanks man!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 05, 2018, 12:31:47 am
Here's a low-res preview. I decided I need to do some basic lip-syncing on the Nerd because in HD the lack of facial movement is really obvious. (In the original it was hidden by resolution and compression) So.. another couple hour's worth of work and then a few days to re-render and it'll be done!

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 05, 2018, 04:10:46 pm
#applause
I like it. 

It's good.


Continue.  :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: potterman28wxcv on February 05, 2018, 04:49:11 pm
I never knew what this cutscene was about. Designing Avenger? Why does he say that "it held" despite the energy loss? it's a cutscene that would have been more appropriate to test a shielding system or something.

Great work on the new version though. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on February 05, 2018, 05:00:03 pm
...the cutscene IS about testing the shielding system.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 05, 2018, 05:52:22 pm
Another work of awesomeness!! :)

One thing I noticed, however, is that the Vasudan on the screen (~second 12) has a talking head, but no body...
the retail version only shows the face.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 05, 2018, 06:45:33 pm
One thing I noticed, however, is that the Vasudan on the screen (~second 12) has a talking head, but no body...
the retail version only shows the face.

Wrong. Someday people will stop challenging my intensive study and attention to detail of the originals.

In the original, you can clearly see the "nubs" on the back of the head when it turns slightly to the side. Also, it's the same animation from cb_vasrefuges. Also, the animation of the head in the original repeats with a jump back to frame 1 (should I have kept that mistake?).

Not only did I also use my head from my cb_vasrefugees, I fixed it so that it doesn't snap back to frame 1. Instead it follows the dialog better.

My head is less detailed than an actual zod head... But I consider it to be more of a computer approximation by the translation software than an actual image of a real vasudan head.

I never knew what this cutscene was about. Designing Avenger? Why does he say that "it held" despite the energy loss? it's a cutscene that would have been more appropriate to test a shielding system or something.

Great work on the new version though. :)

I... Um... Wut?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 05, 2018, 06:58:39 pm
Yes, I noticed  :v: s jumping frame. If you say you're using a generic Vasudan head for the translator, I'm OK with that. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 07, 2018, 11:46:13 pm
Lab cutscene finished!


(This is almost exactly 8 years after my original proposal... (https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68084.msg1344294#msg1344294))
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on February 08, 2018, 12:09:13 am
Yeah. I used to 3ds max, Lightwave, and XSI Softimage, but that's proprietary. I'm using Blender, because it's open source. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nyctaeus on February 08, 2018, 03:46:33 am
You are great :D!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: HLD_Prophecy on February 08, 2018, 09:17:41 am
Oh.
my.
WOW.

HOW do you GET these things DONE??  :jaw:

Seriously this is super cool! Thanks a ton!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: tomimaki on February 08, 2018, 09:24:48 am
Wonderful job, mjn.mixael. :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Farkas on February 08, 2018, 10:44:43 am
Great job! After these, I can't wait the Hallfight cutscene! I can imagine that that will take a lot of time, but the wait is worth it.  :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: procdrone on February 08, 2018, 11:40:13 pm
Sir, you are a genius.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: CT27 on February 09, 2018, 04:30:54 pm
Are these going to get put into the Installer at some point?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 09, 2018, 04:57:03 pm
Are these going to get put into the Installer at some point?

Probably. You'll have to bug the FSPort team to do it, though.

The FS2 scenes (when I finish them) will be released as a part of FSU.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: CT27 on February 09, 2018, 05:14:02 pm
Are these going to get put into the Installer at some point?

Probably. You'll have to bug the FSPort team to do it, though.

The FS2 scenes (when I finish them) will be released as a part of FSU.

FSU?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: niffiwan on February 09, 2018, 05:16:19 pm
FreeSpace Upgrade team, i.e. the team that creates the FS2 MediaVPs
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 09, 2018, 06:12:47 pm
How many polies did you invest into your latest masterpiece? I mean in total and, say, for some of the objects you used there- can you give some stats?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 09, 2018, 10:20:09 pm
I dunno. Lots.

The scenes/models aren't optimized for anything so it's a poly count free-for-all.


Neeeeeeexxt!
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/411807653161992192/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on February 10, 2018, 05:24:14 pm
The GTA Pilots kick-line routine.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 10, 2018, 05:28:43 pm
Headless GTA pilots
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Novachen on February 10, 2018, 05:35:45 pm
Headless GTA pilots

Well, if you think about how bad the AI is, sometimes ;).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 10, 2018, 06:09:25 pm
This looks like another dancing festival, for headless people this time.
Fits to the angry dancing Vasudan from the lab scene who looked like he wanted to make a headz party...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Megawolf492 on February 10, 2018, 07:33:04 pm
This is awesome. For some reason, I never noticed the Back to the Future "1.21 gigawatts" reference before. I had to look up the original to make sure you didn't add it! There's no camera shake when the beam fires, but other than that, I can't tell much difference (other than quality)!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 10, 2018, 08:45:00 pm
Camera shake for that puny beam makes no sense. Neither the visuals or the sound suggest that something so intense just happened that might have shaken an object nearby. Essentially, if the on-screen action looks or sounds like it might have shaken a cup on a table, then it might warrant camera shake. In this case, it very much does not meet that criteria so I removed the camera shake.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 11, 2018, 01:42:34 pm
I have a pre emptive excitement construct in advance of hallfight.Mve and headz.Avi
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 11, 2018, 11:27:30 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/412479639563272212/preview.jpg)

Time to rig and animate.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on February 12, 2018, 01:04:42 am
"Simon Says, Arms out"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 12, 2018, 01:25:27 am
Lol

Amazingly, this setting only took a couple days of work. Should have this scene rendering in a week or so... And the only post production work is to add in the screen content. Well... That and the excessive lens flares. :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 12, 2018, 04:28:47 am
(SW)"That's not a command briefing...

...it's a gym lesson!"(/SW)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on February 13, 2018, 12:30:17 am
At some point you should render a frame of this with all of the pilots sitting down watching the Star Wars title crawl on the screen.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 13, 2018, 01:12:18 am
No, they need to get rick rolled.

Or just render it once with a blue screen and corner anchors so people can save MJN time and do it themselves.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 13, 2018, 01:29:30 am
No, they need to get rick rolled.

Or just render it once with a blue screen and corner anchors so people can save MJN time and do it themselves.

Will do.

There's a render from  :v-old: of them watching run.exe.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 13, 2018, 04:14:51 pm
Really?????

Is it on the bonus threat disc?  There are only like half a dozen videos on that, how did I miss it  :banghead:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 13, 2018, 05:47:01 pm
It's not a video. It's just a render I found in the wayback machine on the volition or freespace site that had a whole bunch of "hi-res" (for the time) renders of various scenes.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/413118836611743745/brief12.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on February 26, 2018, 01:09:08 am
CUT

Time to rig and animate.

*sewerrat.wav intensifies* :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: manwiththemachinegun on March 01, 2018, 08:56:15 am
Say it with me now!

"HALL FIGHT! HALL FIGHT! HALL FIGHT!" RAH RAH RAH! :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: AdmiralRalwood on March 01, 2018, 10:10:51 am
Say it with me now!

"HALL FIGHT! HALL FIGHT! HALL FIGHT!" RAH RAH RAH! :D
Hold your horses, Pilot. We've got a command briefing to attend, first.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 02, 2018, 07:06:27 am
Yeah.. and Briefing has like 30 character models to rig and animate.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on March 02, 2018, 07:52:18 am
Mind telling how many polies one of these secenes (or atleast the pilots) has this time? :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 02, 2018, 08:58:31 am
Eh.. these scenes are nothing compared to my mainhalls with have over 6 million polies.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on March 04, 2018, 08:34:35 pm
Yeah.. and Briefing has like 30 character models to rig and animate.
Well, Time to chip away at the boulder then
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on March 05, 2018, 02:01:56 am
Yeah.. and Briefing has like 30 character models to rig and animate.
Well, Time to chip away at the boulder then

HAHA!  Nice!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: + Rennie Ash + on March 13, 2018, 10:16:37 pm
I'm glad this game is still being worked on. Is anyone game enough to remake the FS2 Intro? I imagine that would be a pretty big task to make it look like more than gameplay.
I think I may need to get into some campaigns again ;-)

Edit: I have a suggestion - when some characters are on screen, they appear to stare straight a lot. It could make them seem more alive if their eyes are looking around a bit more. If it's not too much work of course. What's been done already is great.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: DefCynodont119 on March 14, 2018, 02:42:54 am
Is anyone game enough to remake the FS2 Intro? I imagine that would be a pretty big task to make it look like more than gameplay.
I think I may need to get into some campaigns again ;-)

Well, I made a playable FS2 Intro not to long ago,  :) so you could start there:
https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=94256.msg1859882;topicseen#msg1859882
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 14, 2018, 04:24:42 pm
All FS2 cutscenes are on my list.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Klaustrophobia on April 07, 2018, 05:14:50 am
I never noticed the "1.21 gigawatts" in that scene before.  Come to think of it, I probably first saw that cutscene before ever seeing Back to the Future.  Never noticed it because it was old hat by the time I would have understood it. 


Unless you're SO good you managed to copy the original voice actor and cut in that bit seamlessly yourself, since I haven't gone back to watch the original to check.  ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2018, 11:03:24 am
Nope, I used the original audio.

FYI for those keeping an eye on this project. Oddgrim disappeared again and took the zod flight suit and shivan models with him. I don't know how long he'll be gone this time, so I'm starting to model the flight suit. Then I'll be ready to render the Briefing cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on April 08, 2018, 01:42:21 pm
Nope, I used the original audio.

FYI for those keeping an eye on this project. Oddgrim disappeared again and took the zod flight suit and shivan models with him. I don't know how long he'll be gone this time, so I'm starting to model the flight suit. Then I'll be ready to render the Briefing cutscene.

This is why it's prudent to use Google Drive or similar for storage, and give teammates share access to the working folder or files.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 11, 2018, 05:49:44 pm
Which Shivan models actually?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Asteroth on April 15, 2018, 11:44:07 pm
Where's that download link, Mjn! I demand it now!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: crizza on April 28, 2018, 01:14:35 pm
I just noticed at 1:52 Gamma 39 Lt. Ash,  Delta 1, Lt. Axem, GTC Pisce(?) Cptn Mixael, Epsilon 2 Lt Zacam,  Kappa 4 and 2 Lts. Galemp and Gobber.
Great job :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: PIe on April 28, 2018, 01:42:23 pm
You can read it much more clearly at 1:55.  It's the GTC Pierce.
So Axem is Delta 1...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 28, 2018, 02:16:29 pm
Too bad, they all get killed...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 29, 2018, 02:46:27 am
I was wondering if/when someone would notice those! :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Agusfri on May 14, 2018, 09:06:48 pm
Download LInks?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Novachen on May 25, 2018, 07:15:06 am
I have started to upload the Remastered videos with the audiotracks of the other languages. Maybe they can be used as an optional new FSPort translated Cutscene package someday.

So you can watch the remastered intro in German (only interesting because of Lieutenant Ass(hole) ;)), French and Polish (most interesting IMO, because they muted the music during the voice-over and i also had some difficulties to synchronize it, because the audio is timed differently) aswell :).

Because the download links for the Intro and Lab movie are still missing i was forced to use the YT-1080p version as source, so they have a little lower quality. But i think that i got the best out of it in the reencoding process.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mito [PL] on May 25, 2018, 08:35:32 am
Dear God, don't even remind me of Freespace 1 translated to Polish. Just don't.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 10, 2018, 10:32:55 pm
Download links added. As of the time of this post, some files are still uploading.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: OverDhill on July 30, 2018, 02:35:28 pm
I love your work on the cutscene upgrades. I installed them manually for the wxLauncher and they all work.  I have not seen anywhere to have Knossos download  them and install them through it's interface.  Is this possible? I would think most people would prefer to watch these. If not then where do I install them for Knossos to have them used for FS1 (or FS1 Upgraded).

Thanks for any help.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Galemp on July 30, 2018, 03:48:42 pm
Yeah, Goober and I are working on getting them in Knossos. It should download the Ancients and Endgame cutscenes.

If you download them from here put them in your FSPort/data/movies folder.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: OverDhill on August 01, 2018, 03:05:38 pm
Finally figured out that Knossos uses MVE files instead of OGG or MP4. Got rid of the intro.mve and it started using the mp4 one.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 01, 2018, 08:23:28 pm
Knossos probably installed whatever was included with your default retail install. Knossos doesn't care what file format videos are in.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: CT27 on August 02, 2018, 05:44:33 am
Yeah, Goober and I are working on getting them in Knossos. It should download the Ancients and Endgame cutscenes.

If you download them from here put them in your FSPort/data/movies folder.

If I downloaded, say, the "Lab" scene from the OP; would I put it in the /movies subfolder of "fsport" or "fsport-mediavps_2014"?  I ask because the latter is where the 'ancients' and 'endgame' cutscenes are at currently.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Galemp on August 02, 2018, 05:48:28 am
The latter makes the most sense.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: CT27 on August 02, 2018, 06:26:37 am
The latter makes the most sense.

Also, what's the level of each cutscene in the OP since there's only one download link for each?  (Despite there only being one link for each cutscene, the OP says there's 480, 720, and 1080 versions available)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 02, 2018, 02:43:44 pm
The OP needs to be updated. I only render 1080 versions now because FSO has been updated to handle that resolution more gracefully.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on August 06, 2018, 06:46:08 pm
I guess the recently released upgraded cutscenes would predate something that will eventually be seen in a FreeSpace movie, with the intro making a great title sequence for it... Just saying.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 06, 2018, 07:17:31 pm
I guess the recently released upgraded cutscenes would predate something that will eventually be seen in a FreeSpace movie, with the intro making a great title sequence for it... Just saying.

TL;DR: MGM < MJN
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Novachen on August 06, 2018, 07:28:55 pm
Seems that someone has missed to read the script for the Tombaugh Cutscene  :D

IceyJones was never been seen again since then... maybe he still try to realize it :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 06, 2018, 07:42:58 pm
I have no intentions of making Tombaugh. I do intend to make my own VPrime though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 06, 2018, 07:58:33 pm
And how would that look like? AFAIK the current one is atleast not one of the cutscenes that could benefit most from an update.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 06, 2018, 08:27:25 pm
It'll be my own version, distinct from Icy's. To be clear, I'm not remaking Icy's. I'm making my own. Icy's is fine, but it has issues. Upside down freighters, clipping (& copywritten) music, etc.

I have a visual storyboard in mind that I'm not going to post here. I don't need the peanut gallery's input on the details.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: perihelion on August 06, 2018, 09:19:33 pm
I have a visual storyboard in mind that I'm not going to post here. I don't need the peanut gallery's input on the details.
LOL  No, you really really don't.  You just do your thing and we'll pick our jaws up off the floor when you're done.  :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 06, 2018, 09:26:04 pm
I have a visual storyboard in mind that I'm not going to post here. I don't need the peanut gallery's input on the details.
LOL  No, you really really don't.  You just do your thing and we'll pick our jaws up off the floor when you're done.  :yes:
:yes:

Well it's your time your sacrificing for us and you can do what you want :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 07, 2018, 06:42:32 am
Just include obligatory zod puppy barking at the sky and outrunning the beam independence day style ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 11, 2018, 09:04:57 am
Progress!

(https://i.imgur.com/upjccNo.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Galemp on August 11, 2018, 03:33:23 pm
Woot!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 11, 2018, 08:36:13 pm
I've added 6 additional pilots to the scene on the stage-left side of the room. They did not exist in the original, but this fixes a few items.


You'll only ever see these guys in a few shots (the original showed empty chairs), so it really doesn't change much other than add just a touch more realism to the scene. You'll also never see their faces in the final render, so it doesn't matter that they are clones.

(https://i.imgur.com/TBTtvt2.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/sfPRoAv.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 11, 2018, 11:06:37 pm
TBH I've never noticed how many things :v-old: has forgotten in the cutscenes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 11, 2018, 11:10:56 pm
TBH I've never noticed how many things :v-old: has forgotten in the cutscenes.

I've become somewhat of an expert on the topic.  :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on August 11, 2018, 11:12:42 pm
Imma point at 'em.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 11, 2018, 11:18:52 pm
TBH I've never noticed how many things :v-old: has forgotten in the cutscenes.

I've become somewhat of an expert on the topic.  :p
:nod: :yes:

I'll better be careful what I'm posting. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on August 11, 2018, 11:57:10 pm
Wasn't there Vasudan pilots in the Taranis cutscene?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 12, 2018, 12:08:28 am
The Vasudan pilot models were made by Oddgrim IIRC, who disappeared for a while apparently without giving them to anybody. I dunno if MJN made new ones/got the old ones.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 12, 2018, 12:50:30 am
Don't you worry.. Khonsu called ahead and reserved 3 seats.

(https://i.imgur.com/5Qk4j8h.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 12, 2018, 11:05:04 am
I think the fact they're clones adds to the realism.   Seeing as the whole fleet has a variance of 6 or so faces.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on August 18, 2018, 09:04:21 pm
Sounds it's just another look at what a possible live-action FreeSpace film would look like. It would be a named Alpha 1. Possibly a female of colour. Perhaps?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 18, 2018, 09:18:08 pm
Sounds it's just another look at what a possible live-action FreeSpace film would look like. It would be a named Alpha 1. Possibly a female of colour. Perhaps?

 :wtf:

No
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on August 22, 2018, 07:25:10 pm
How's the Shivan hall fight onboard the freighter going?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 22, 2018, 07:37:51 pm
He's still working on the Command Briefing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 26, 2018, 08:56:40 pm
He was late for the meeting, but at least he's here. Many thanks to Oddgrim for the impressive Vasudan Flightsuit model.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 26, 2018, 09:16:01 pm
They look pretty neat, even though slightly different from what :v-old: did. :)
The texture on the center of the Vasudan body look a bit strange though, a bit reptile-like. Or are they part of the suit as well?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on August 26, 2018, 09:49:49 pm
They look pretty neat, even though slightly different from what :v-old: did. :)
The texture on the center of the Vasudan body look a bit strange though, a bit reptile-like. Or are they part of the suit as well?

The suit is fully enclosed and articulated in comparison to  :v-old: orignal version. The extra addons I made is just there to make it more interesting to look at other then the very pale monocrome palette of the original suit. And you never really see more then the chest area in the cinematic and what little art there is of vasudans. There is a pixelated concept art piece of some more bits of the full suit but its very little to base a desgin after. Did however base the top leg armour piece off it, anyway the image bears little resemblance of the final form so eeeh :shrug: c:

edit: Heres the low version of the model if anyone is curious. c:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on August 26, 2018, 09:53:04 pm
Ah OK that makes sense. In the intel video they wear nothing, and in the original you never see the Vasudans standing. Now I know why. :shaking:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on August 27, 2018, 04:45:27 am
He was late for the meeting, but at least he's here. Many thanks to Oddgrim for the impressive Vasudan Flightsuit model.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)

"I just flew in from Beta Cygni and boy are my arms tired!"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: niffiwan on August 27, 2018, 07:58:36 am
very impressive, well done & thank you!  :nod: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on August 27, 2018, 02:52:59 pm
Sweet.

Also, I have an "Error starting UDP server" after exiting the Insider Preview program & manually updating Windows 10 to the latest stable version (newer than the Preview version I was stuck on), so if you have that HLP render farm guide handy & could point me at it, I'll try to fix.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 27, 2018, 04:25:29 pm
Here's the guide.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uQ1EwdKpwruHA7P6kGQc7mEcdBpFNbphn1riP4oIJiw/edit?usp=sharing (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uQ1EwdKpwruHA7P6kGQc7mEcdBpFNbphn1riP4oIJiw/edit?usp=sharing)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on August 28, 2018, 06:35:20 am
Thanks.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Woolie Wool on August 28, 2018, 10:30:26 pm
He was late for the meeting, but at least he's here. Many thanks to Oddgrim for the impressive Vasudan Flightsuit model.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)

"GIVE ME A HUG!*
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: tomimaki on August 29, 2018, 05:55:38 am
He was late for the meeting, but at least he's here. Many thanks to Oddgrim for the impressive Vasudan Flightsuit model.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)

"Two terrans, about this height, walk into a vasudan bar..."
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on August 29, 2018, 06:50:04 pm
He was late for the meeting, but at least he's here. Many thanks to Oddgrim for the impressive Vasudan Flightsuit model.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)
Are you troubled by offensive arm-pit odor?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Goober5000 on August 29, 2018, 08:40:28 pm
He was late for the meeting, but at least he's here. Many thanks to Oddgrim for the impressive Vasudan Flightsuit model.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)

"The fishes swimming through the flight deck were THIS big!"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on August 30, 2018, 01:00:15 am
"The fishes swimming through the flight deck were THIS big!"

...Someone's been playing too much Subnautica...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Goober5000 on August 30, 2018, 01:44:11 am
I haven't played Subnautica.  I was referring to the "vasudanswuvfishes" cheat. ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 30, 2018, 10:42:09 am
Everyone should play Subnautica and do NOT spoil it by looking up guides or anything. Brilliant, fantastic game.

Anyway.. more captions required.

(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Cyborg17 on August 30, 2018, 03:53:23 pm
(https://i.imgur.com/kMLeUkV.jpg)

You must be this tall to fly this mission!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 10, 2018, 12:01:12 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/488492086769745930/imagebin.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on September 10, 2018, 12:49:10 am
yesssssssssss

but seriously put that into the final product in a single frame
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 10, 2018, 01:19:20 am
Welcome to our todays lesson in Vasudan anatomy. I guess some of us are further ahead on this subject than others~
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on September 10, 2018, 01:22:36 am
"Welcome, Pilots.  Your mission today will involve escort of a... OK!  WHO PUT THAT SLIDE IN THERE?!!!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on September 10, 2018, 06:04:30 pm
:D :D :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Goober5000 on September 11, 2018, 06:49:56 am
:lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 13, 2018, 04:15:22 am
So in Volition's version of this scene, they renamed Betelgeuse to Ikeya. They probably did this because it's closer to Ribos and they could zoom their map in more on the two systems. We have more pixels to work with these days, so I'm going to use the correct systems based on the canon map.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/479895590738722836/489631507112001537/imagebin.jpg)

I'm also removing the two nodes from Sol that the original cutscene shows incorrectly.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on September 13, 2018, 05:44:36 am
Aww, then the Phoenix game stuff to hand-wave the mistake won't make sense. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Goober5000 on September 13, 2018, 06:31:48 am
I stand by my belief that the official Volition nodemap is a retcon. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 13, 2018, 06:57:59 am
Tada! Youtube and Download links are up. The lip sync and some animation of the officer isn't my best work... but I was getting really bored with this cutscene. There are spots where the lipsync is actually pretty good and others where it's not. Oh well! That's the last cutscene with lip sync!


Next up is an re-imagining of Icy's VPrime cutscene.

Aww, then the Phoenix game stuff to hand-wave the mistake won't make sense. :p

I'm assuming that was a fan campaign I missed?

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 13, 2018, 10:56:52 am
Phoenix: https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?board=162.0
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Cyborg17 on September 13, 2018, 11:14:53 am
 Great job!  Looks fantastic. :yes: 

I think the voice actor can be blamed for the lip sync issues.  He talks way too fast in some parts.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 15, 2018, 12:58:49 am
VPrime storyboard. Spoiler alert: the lucifer shoots at planets.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Goober5000 on September 15, 2018, 01:13:20 am
That. Is. Awesome. 

I like how you worked in a bunch of original FS1 voice files.  The penciled drawings really add to the overall feel, too. :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on September 15, 2018, 08:22:11 am
Das ist sehr fantastich!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Vidmaster on September 15, 2018, 03:22:11 pm
Great progress here...

Everyone should play Subnautica and do NOT spoil it by looking up guides or anything. Brilliant, fantastic game.

Fully in agreement with this statement.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on September 15, 2018, 08:49:46 pm
If at all possible, record your playthrough and link it here so we can feast on your reactions.  :drevil:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on September 16, 2018, 11:40:54 am
That. Is. Awesome. 

I like how you worked in a bunch of original FS1 voice files.  The penciled drawings really add to the overall feel, too. :yes:

Agreed it really does visualize the storyboard well.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 25, 2018, 06:42:43 pm
Vasuda Prime

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/494283429752340480/Comp_1_0000000.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 25, 2018, 06:48:15 pm
A pretty scene *saves*

But there are a lot of lights on the surface of Vasuda Prime. Unless Vasudans like very bright lights even at midnight, I'd doubt that such a large part of VP would be evenly populated. I always thought about VP being like Egypt, where according to Wikipedia population distribution is as following:

Quote
In Egypt about 99% of the population uses about 5.5% of the total land area. 98% live on 3% of the territory.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 25, 2018, 10:53:21 pm
Seriously? We're complaining about the number of lights on a fictional civilized planet now? Ok I guess.

I mean, I guess I could tell you that I designed the light map focusing major populations around the large bodies of water on the official fanon vprime map or that I thought about how a space-faring species native to a desert planet probably conquered desert better than humans. I could also mention that there really is only one major area of population in the middle of the desert that's not near a large body of water and the rest just has small smatterings of lights here and there. But I won't... because what's most important is that what I always imagined isn't as good as what you always imagined.

I really hope I don't have to justify my all creative choices for my creative projects someday at HLP. Pretty scene... but you did it wrong.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on September 26, 2018, 12:12:47 am
Holy ****, an advanced spacefaring species capable of building mammoth warships has too many settlements and a too-large populated area on a desert planet? SAY IT AINT SO!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 26, 2018, 05:27:47 am
I thought that it was kinda implied that they colonized space because their homeworld was uninhabitable. It's true, can't deny that. There's more than enough space on VP to house several times the current worlds population, and an advanced civilization could built cities wherever they want. But then why colonize space at all?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on September 26, 2018, 05:32:40 am
Because it's a cool SF thing. Otherwise there wouldn't be much of a point building anything beyond Sol itself.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 26, 2018, 05:37:24 am
Yeah I'm probably thinking just too much... :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on September 26, 2018, 06:18:04 am
Colonisation of other worlds, in the case of the Vasudans, was because Vasuda Prime was mostly uninhabitable.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on September 26, 2018, 08:12:50 am
Massive amounts of artificial lights on the surface of any planet is also a cool SF thing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 26, 2018, 08:21:02 am
I considered this. Maybe the zods always have a trillion candles for their Emperor, or they're scared in the darkness.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on September 26, 2018, 08:30:23 am
It's all the baby zods on fire after the Lucy bombarded the planet.
#remembertheTVwar
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Spoon on September 26, 2018, 09:11:53 am
A pretty scene, but the cables on the surface seem too thick imo.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on September 26, 2018, 10:07:59 pm
I would imagine as their tech and available resources from other colonies increased, those would make it back to Vasuda Prime and the Desert would give way to city.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mito [PL] on September 27, 2018, 03:28:31 pm
I just want to say that regardless of your opinion on the topic of teeny tiny details like that, Mjn has done a horrendous amount of work on these scenes and the effect of that is awesome for a single person working with very limited resources in his free time. I believe we, as in the whole Freespace community, owe him very, very much for all the work he has done already - not to mention how much more he decided to do. And, judging by his previous results, I would really support his decisions when it comes to all of this.

I also believe each one of us owes him a beer.

Oh, and I think you could throw in already remade cutscenes into your portfolio on your website, Mjn. :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on September 27, 2018, 04:13:25 pm
I just want to say that regardless of your opinion on the topic of teeny tiny details like that, Mjn has done a horrendous amount of work on these scenes and the effect of that is awesome for a single person working with very limited resources in his free time. I believe we, as in the whole Freespace community, owe him very, very much for all the work he has done already - not to mention how much more he decided to do. And, judging by his previous results, I would really support his decisions when it comes to all of this.

Absolutely. :)
I did not intended to have it look like I wouldn't be thankful for MJNs work, I'm sorry if it came across like that. Probably the reason why I sometimes note such things, is that I see these awesome works, and I immediately now that I would never get these kind of thing done in the way he does it, even if I tried a hundred years. But then there're these mini things - probably just 0.1% needed to 100% perfection; but me being a punished with the ability to have such things jumping into my face (or my mind this time) I'd just like to see whether these things might be edited before its finalized when it  takes only a small part of the total time put into these awesome works.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 27, 2018, 04:17:30 pm
Your vision is not my vision... especially when it comes to new creative works (as opposed to remakes, but it applies there in some ways as well). My version of Vasuda is a perfect representation of how I always imagined it.

I have no intention to make arbitrary changes regardless of how much or little time you think they would take, either.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on September 27, 2018, 10:55:08 pm
Plus it makes absolutely no sense that an interstellar civilization wouldn't be able to have cities on a planet just because it's a little hot.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on October 05, 2018, 02:34:30 pm
What about Earth?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on October 05, 2018, 06:23:22 pm
What about Earth?

What about Venus?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on October 05, 2018, 06:48:51 pm
What about Earth?

It has been renamed to Planet MJN World.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Iain Baker on November 20, 2018, 05:46:25 pm
These are superb, thank you.

I'm going to sound dumb now. How do I get these to work with Knossos? I tried downloading them, but instead it played a MP4 movie of them?

Did I do something wrong?

PS - is there any chance these will be packaged into future MVPs or similar?

Cheers :-)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on November 20, 2018, 05:47:12 pm
You'll need to bother the FSPort team to get these working in-game.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on November 20, 2018, 06:54:44 pm
What about Earth?

It has been renamed to Planet MJN World.
Or what about Shattered Stars Earth? Which is the same planet as depicted in the 2018 Mortal Engines film.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on November 20, 2018, 07:14:41 pm
That's not relevant to this Bryan.   Stop it now.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on November 21, 2018, 07:29:09 pm
That's not relevant to this Bryan.   Stop it now.
Okay, then. How's the status of the Hall Fight cutscene and the FreeSpace 2 cutscenes?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on November 22, 2018, 02:42:57 am
That's not relevant to this Bryan.   Stop it now.
Okay, then. How's the status of the Hall Fight cutscene and the FreeSpace 2 cutscenes?

https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68161.msg1345929#msg1345929
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 07, 2019, 02:30:14 pm
Boo!
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/564531843110535171/Boo.jpg)

(Many thanks to Oddgrim for this model. More soon, but holy moly he is talented!)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 07, 2019, 02:44:49 pm
Ooooooh Face Lazors............Fazors?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on April 07, 2019, 03:25:47 pm
No Bosch... <Heavy Breathing> I AM your father!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 07, 2019, 03:55:58 pm
Hi Carl~ :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on April 08, 2019, 06:14:22 pm
Ooooooh Face Lazors............Fazors?


Caaaaarrrrl....  that kills people!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colt on April 08, 2019, 06:29:30 pm
Ooooooh Face Lazors............Fazors?


Caaaaarrrrl....  that kills people!

shake's bag of quaker oats while playing a guitar and melodica
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Bryan See on April 09, 2019, 12:14:58 pm
Boo!
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/564531843110535171/Boo.jpg)

(Many thanks to Oddgrim for this model. More soon, but holy moly he is talented!)
That's a Shivan.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 09, 2019, 12:19:43 pm
Boo!
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/564531843110535171/Boo.jpg)

(Many thanks to Oddgrim for this model. More soon, but holy moly he is talented!)
That's a Shivan.

Wait. That's not the new Terran marine model? And I thought it was just a 24th century marine with exosuit. :hopping:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 15, 2019, 11:58:35 pm
He's fully rigged and ready to go.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/567575119829008404/Preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: 0rph3u5 on April 16, 2019, 02:13:57 am
Now make him dance!  :D

Great job!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 16, 2019, 12:49:12 pm
He's fully rigged and ready to go.

Ready to party with the boarding party~ :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: AdmiralRalwood on April 16, 2019, 06:58:07 pm
He's fully rigged and ready to go.

Ready to party with the boarding party~ :yes: :yes:
Ain't no party like a boarding party!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on April 16, 2019, 09:09:52 pm
He's fully rigged and ready to go.

Ready to party with the boarding party~ :yes: :yes:
Ain't no party like a boarding party!
'cause a boarding party don't stAAAAARRRRRGH!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 16, 2019, 11:19:42 pm
So much for that boarding party...

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/567926723006693377/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on April 16, 2019, 11:31:45 pm
Partykabob?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: 0rph3u5 on April 17, 2019, 08:07:14 am
*cut for time*


... said he was going to do it ...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 17, 2019, 08:28:12 am
So much for that boarding party...

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/567926723006693377/preview.jpg)

Partysnack
(https://ais.kochbar.de/kbrezept/432346_541935/640x480/kaese-igel-rezept.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 17, 2019, 09:19:29 am
I humbly request a parody musical number involving tev marines doing chorus girl high kicks while "carl" performs with a top hat and cane......preferably to "hello my baby" (https://youtu.be/YRWlbX92B3I)..

Kindest thanks.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 30, 2019, 12:30:54 am
Just a few remaining things to get done on the 5 marine models...

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/583527371089379338/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 30, 2019, 07:39:05 am
I foresee a kick-line in the future. :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on May 30, 2019, 09:46:47 am
I foresee a kick-line in the future. :lol:

In a kick-the-bucket way. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on May 30, 2019, 02:15:43 pm
Rank insignia?   Not really necessary, just wondering.

Fire team formations:

Hidden Text: Show
For reference below, M240 is 2 person heavy machinegun, M249 is 1 person full auto belt-fed machine gun, M203 is grenade launcher (attached to M4 assault rifle)
USMC:

Hidden Text: Show
(https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-49a39c2eebabc71b27fb2ad04a5d107e.webp)

US Army:

Hidden Text: Show
(https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-7cbbcaf9b9a2da3d3b9b142163f1eca5.webp)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 30, 2019, 02:17:36 pm
British army is a section composed of two fire teams.  One Corporal and one Lance Corporal plus two private ranks per fire team.   

Far superior ;)  :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 30, 2019, 02:38:32 pm
I could add ranks.. but then I'd have to do more work. So nah. I still have a lot of interior to create... not to mention all the animation to do.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on May 30, 2019, 02:49:41 pm
I could add ranks.. but then I'd have to do more work. So nah. I still have a lot of interior to create... not to mention all the animation to do.

I figured, but thought it wouldn't hurt to mention.  xD

British army is a section composed of two fire teams.  One Corporal and one Lance Corporal plus two private ranks per fire team.   

Far superior ;)  :p

:p  Nah, USMC rules them all. 
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 31, 2019, 01:33:32 am
Our bootnecks beat Jarheads at rugby, and American "football",  "friendly" training engagements and many many other things.  Have a Google and you'll be surprised.  :cool:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 31, 2019, 02:28:46 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/583919530355458049/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: 0rph3u5 on May 31, 2019, 02:32:33 am
I foresee a kick-line in the future. :lol:

(That it is from Orpheus in the Underworld is just a happy coincidence; mostly I just wanted one with audience participation - and if you know why I chose a video of a Can-can without showing dancers you deserve a cookie :) )

Hidden Text: if you knew this you deserve a cookie • Show
Because as a ballroom performance a Can-Can would require the female dancers to wear shorter skirts, skirts open in the front or lift their skirts to perform certain dance moves, it quickly became "outrageous" to the establishment of its time due to the "indecency" (you know someone could see something).
Not that I agree with that assesment, but it is always good to remember what got people outraged in the past - providing perspective on the present and all that.



I could add ranks.. but then I'd have to do more work. So nah. I still have a lot of interior to create... not to mention all the animation to do.

While I very much enjoy the sparkling conversation about the merrits of Infantry, all of the GTA marines are wearing some kind of headset, right? - So, you are basically of the hook as the Headsets might provide the Rank and Unit information without visible markings on the uniform. Either the entire squad is networked or the uniforms have markings in e.g. infrared which the software in the headset would translate.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 31, 2019, 06:54:28 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/583919530355458049/preview.jpg)
MAN!  Where's Ripley when you need her!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on May 31, 2019, 12:53:50 pm
While I very much enjoy the sparkling conversation about the merrits of Infantry, all of the GTA marines are wearing some kind of headset, right? - So, you are basically of the hook as the Headsets might provide the Rank and Unit information without visible markings on the uniform. Either the entire squad is networked or the uniforms have markings in e.g. infrared which the software in the headset would translate.

They have some numbers on their head.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 01, 2019, 08:13:54 pm
This is some of the weirdest geometry I've had to decipher yet...

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/584116519366295562/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 02, 2019, 02:28:11 am
Those insides / interiors were convoluted i agree  :lol: you recreating the azrael and elysium in high def?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: 0rph3u5 on June 02, 2019, 07:07:18 am
This is some of the weirdest geometry I've had to decipher yet...

I always found it looked like a piece zoo-architecture ... like a viewer-focuessed ape enclosure, but flipped to the side.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 02, 2019, 09:21:38 am
Those insides / interiors were convoluted i agree  :lol: you recreating the azrael and elysium in high def?

No. They are in about 2 seconds of the scene. Not worth months of work making 2 high poly ships that could also be used in game. I do what Volition did, use what's available.

This is some of the weirdest geometry I've had to decipher yet...

I always found it looked like a piece zoo-architecture ... like a viewer-focuessed ape enclosure, but flipped to the side.

Inevitably because of the blurriness of the scene and the unusual geometry, my interpretation is going to be very different than some people's. I also won't be able to just slap a tile texture on the wall and call it good. I'll need to invent some geometry to add detail. I have some thoughts on that already, inspired by other parts of this scene, though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on June 02, 2019, 09:46:36 am
There's also already a hi poly Elysium.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2020, 01:04:29 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/680670998764322857/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on February 22, 2020, 05:51:27 am
I can hear that scene....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 22, 2020, 06:38:47 am
I can hear that scene....

Hello Carl, are you there...?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Cobra on February 22, 2020, 06:48:45 am
Cables.

Too thick.

Can't continue, need fixing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 22, 2020, 08:00:22 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/680956478437195800/preview.jpg)

Inside the Elysium.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 22, 2020, 08:31:19 pm
Nice nice :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: jr2 on February 22, 2020, 10:46:15 pm
Ooooooh...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on February 23, 2020, 02:46:05 am
"If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you’re already dead!"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2020, 08:33:17 pm
Original
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/681327125139161118/imagebin.jpg)
Upgrade (lighting and camera angle not final)
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/681327208706342937/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 23, 2020, 08:36:11 pm
Must be awesome ot enter Carls little home..
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 23, 2020, 11:53:51 pm
The pit that the marines jump over...
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/681355378595987536/preview.jpg)

The dance floor...
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/681376645218697255/preview.jpg)

Another view of the dance floor...
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/681414875553202216/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 24, 2020, 07:40:12 am
The dance floor...

So that's what they meant with "boarding party"
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Iain Baker on February 24, 2020, 03:18:08 pm
Are they doing a future gangnam style?  :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 24, 2020, 04:55:51 pm
Are they doing a future gangnam style?  :p

Nah they wanted to get their future mates a bit before they start replicating~
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on February 24, 2020, 05:43:44 pm
Holy CRAP, those Hall Fight pics look amazing.

And I just love how that center Shivan has a quizzical tilt to his head as if he's/it's asking himself/itself, "Seriously? Did these puny humanoids really think they could board us and live to tell about it?"  :nono:  :wtf:  :nono:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 24, 2020, 08:41:47 pm
Holy CRAP, those Hall Fight pics look amazing.

And I just love how that center Shivan has a quizzical tilt to his head as if he's/it's asking himself/itself, "Seriously? Did these puny humanoids really think they could board us and live to tell about it?"  :nono:  :wtf:  :nono:

Just speaking of environments... But I think this is easily my best work to date.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 25, 2020, 07:46:05 am
How many polies are inhabiting this scenery?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: BirdofPrey on February 25, 2020, 04:21:45 pm
Very nice.
I'll never know how you made anything out of that fuzzy soup of the original enough to replicate it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 25, 2020, 09:00:23 pm
How many polies are inhabiting this scenery?

Over 6 million.

Very nice.
I'll never know how you made anything out of that fuzzy soup of the original enough to replicate it.

Nor will I. I eventually had to just stop caring about the original and find inspiration elsewhere.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 25, 2020, 11:11:10 pm
Impressive work, alone from the stats. :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on February 26, 2020, 07:19:18 am
Seeing your progress made me go to The Internet Archive and look for the ultra-high resolution renders that The Descent Network used to host. It's a good thing all of them appear to have been archived for posterity.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 26, 2020, 07:33:25 am
Aren't they on the wiki too?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 26, 2020, 08:11:12 am
There weren't that many hi-res renders of this scene from Volition anyway. There were a few normal res renders that are uncompressed which makes a bit of difference, though.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on February 26, 2020, 09:36:00 am
There weren't that many hi-res renders of this scene from Volition anyway. There were a few normal res renders that are uncompressed which makes a bit of difference, though.

Yeah, it was (http://web.archive.org/web/20021230042051/http://descent-freespace.com/goodies/gallery/big/bigshiver021161.jpg) only (http://web.archive.org/web/20021230042220/http://descent-freespace.com/goodies/gallery/big/bigshiver041523.jpg) these (http://web.archive.org/web/20021230042135/http://descent-freespace.com/goodies/gallery/big/bigshiver031263.jpg) four (http://web.archive.org/web/20021230033004/http://descent-freespace.com/goodies/gallery/big/bigshiver0415.jpg), which are renders of the final room; nothing on the docking clamps or initial rooms.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 26, 2020, 10:23:03 pm
Turns out the lighting and blocking of this scene is wildly inconsistent. This might be my greatest departure from the original in terms of "fixes", but I think it has potential to be my best work yet.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on February 27, 2020, 12:23:23 pm
Turns out the lighting and blocking of this scene is wildly inconsistent. This might be my greatest departure from the original in terms of "fixes", but I think it has potential to be my best work yet.

Not sure how relevant this would be here, but keep in mind that the best practices back then may not necessarily be the best practices now. In the current day, it seems important for the lighting in a scene to be more uniform and consistent then it previously was.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on February 29, 2020, 11:13:35 am
Making progress... It's taking a lot of time to animate the marines.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/683351969276231700/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on February 29, 2020, 11:34:15 am
If you convert that scene to FSO you could still win the screencap contest. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2020, 10:12:33 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/686229679648014346/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on March 08, 2020, 10:46:12 am
moar pls :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2020, 02:40:44 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/686296914202984501/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on March 08, 2020, 03:17:41 pm
Shouldn't one of the Shivans wear the Carl nameplate?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on March 08, 2020, 05:23:35 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/686338216357265478/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: manwiththemachinegun on March 19, 2020, 08:57:00 pm
I have waited 20 years for this. Worth it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on March 19, 2020, 09:25:06 pm
I have waited 20 years for this. Worth it.

Not 20 on my end, but still I doubt anybody at :v-old: could've imagined this when they made that thing. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on March 20, 2020, 02:29:43 pm
I have waited 20 years for this. Worth it.

Not 20 on my end, but still I doubt anybody at :v-old: could've imagined this when they made that thing. :D

It's been 20+ years for me too. Definitely worth it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 22, 2020, 10:16:06 am
Shivan leap rough-in animation.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 22, 2020, 03:29:26 pm
The last 40 seconds were soooooooo tense 😁

I always wondered if you use a third party uv editor or the built in capability of your software?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 22, 2020, 03:37:21 pm
Oddgrim made the Shivan model. I don't know what he used.

When I UV, I do it in 3ds Max.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 22, 2020, 04:23:18 pm
Is there any chance for an in-game version of the Shivan model? Just curious~
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 22, 2020, 07:11:20 pm
We already have one.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 22, 2020, 07:35:41 pm
Yeah it has 790 polies.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 22, 2020, 07:37:20 pm
Well this one has 700k, so that's way too many to be using in that one ST:R mission where they hop around on fighters. What are you gonna do with that detailed of a character model in FSO?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 22, 2020, 07:40:25 pm
Oh Ok that's a bit more than I expected :cool:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 26, 2020, 01:39:35 am
When you accidentally walk in on Carl in the Shivan's Locker room:

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/703857555587334195/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on April 26, 2020, 07:53:34 am
When you accidentally walk in on Carl in the Shivan's Locker room:

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/703857555587334195/preview.jpg)

 :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 26, 2020, 07:58:29 am
When you accidentally walk in on Carl in the Shivan's Locker room:


Carl NSFW
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Colonol Dekker on April 26, 2020, 08:12:00 am
Inb4bikinizods
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 26, 2020, 09:04:02 am
Inb4bikinizods

Oh dear not these guys again
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mito [PL] on April 26, 2020, 04:08:48 pm
Put some clothes on, damn it!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 27, 2020, 01:18:37 pm
Major animation is complete... time for some detail work.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/704393922192998410/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 27, 2020, 02:06:01 pm
Such a wild party, some guests can't stand anymore...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: tomimaki on April 27, 2020, 03:49:05 pm
 :pimp:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 27, 2020, 03:55:28 pm
Fitting soundtrack :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 28, 2020, 03:08:51 am
Obviously the actual beam effect isn't in yet, but this is what we're looking at. :)

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/704604422486884372/preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Oddgrim on April 28, 2020, 06:16:22 am
As I said on discord, I really like the rimlight on the leg. I hope that can be maintained in the final animation. c:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 28, 2020, 06:59:02 am
Carl says "farewell" in Shivan :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on April 28, 2020, 07:28:03 pm
Carl says "farewell" in Shivan :D

Technically, Carl was saying "hasta la vista, baybee." Everyone knows that the Shivans' quantum pulse accent tends to throw certain translators for a loop.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 28, 2020, 07:34:54 pm
Only Bosch knows..
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on April 28, 2020, 10:59:29 pm
Only Bosch knows..

Ok, granted. Only Bosch knows for certain. The rest of us can only strongly suspect. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 29, 2020, 05:25:10 am
Only Bosch knows..

Ok, granted. Only Bosch knows for certain. The rest of us can only strongly suspect. :D

Assuming that Bosch survived the um, "accidental marriage proposal" he made to Carl...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on April 29, 2020, 04:31:52 pm
Only Bosch knows..

Ok, granted. Only Bosch knows for certain. The rest of us can only strongly suspect. :D

Assuming that Bosch survived the um, "accidental marriage proposal" he made to Carl...

Is that what it was? Bosch wasn't kidding when he said his first contact with the Shivans was "rudimentary and crude...." :nervous: :eek2: :nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Nightmare on April 29, 2020, 04:48:39 pm
Only Bosch knows..

Ok, granted. Only Bosch knows for certain. The rest of us can only strongly suspect. :D

Assuming that Bosch survived the um, "accidental marriage proposal" he made to Carl...

Is that what it was? Bosch wasn't kidding when he said his first contact with the Shivans was "rudimentary and crude...." :nervous: :eek2: :nervous:

Maybe what he received was "rudimentary" and maybe "very very, VERY crude" to him but it could've been just the usual Shivan courtship dance and replication ritual.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 03, 2020, 10:52:56 pm
Started doing some post work while the latter half of the render completes...

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/706714295899127808/Capture.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 04, 2020, 04:19:43 pm
This must have been everyone's reaction to seeing all those lens flares and thinking I was serious.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/706978038700834847/Capture.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on May 04, 2020, 04:42:29 pm
Yeah, I had a similar reaction when I first watched J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movie in 2009 and saw all those goddamned indoor lens flares. :ick: :mad2: :mad: :banghead: :nono:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on May 05, 2020, 12:19:41 am
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/704604422486884372/preview.jpg)

Can I lick it (the floor)? :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 05, 2020, 09:30:53 pm
Beamz
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/707366437265735780/Capture.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Su-tehp on May 06, 2020, 12:20:31 am
Androgeos Exeunt, you might lick the floor, but you can't lick beamz. It would violate all the laws of physics and man.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: Mongoose on May 06, 2020, 12:22:22 am
HADOUKEN!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade [RELEASE: Intro (FS1)]
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 19, 2020, 11:36:51 am
Hall Fight is bad. I'm moving on to other projects.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 22, 2020, 08:57:59 am
It's taken me a few days to come around, but I apologize to everyone for my tantrum (which occurred on Discord). The truth is that an individual who I used to highly respect and collaborate with on a regular basis dumped all over my work and my abilities as an artist. He suggested my latest work is actively worse than the original and that I'm so bad at what I do, I can't see how terrible it is. The unfortunate part is that his actual ideas on improving my work have merit, but he went about it in entirely the wrong way. Words matter. After explaining my position privately he still didn't seem to care how his words affected me. It's evident that I thought too highly of this person and that I don't need his approval when I have all of yours. I received more than a dozen private messages from people offering me their support. Thank you for that. This project has been a labor of love for a decade and the payoff is having my work enjoyed by others, so I'll focus on that. I'll return with completed Hall Fight soon.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nyctaeus on May 22, 2020, 10:08:46 am
From the point of view of professional graphic designer I say: Modern recreation of work from 1998, using high-poly models, high resolution
textures, volumetric fog, detailed shadows, modern lighting engine, contributions and feedback of other experienced community members and other assets available looks better and will always look better then the original.

Whoever try to level my statement without professional qualifications comes from invalid position, because of obvious lack of education and merits.
Whoever try to question it, denies obvious need for your work to continue or even exist.

Privately speaking, the reworked cutscenes just looks damn, ****ing good :yes:
Welcome back among the living, soldier. One battle is over, thousands more to go.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on May 22, 2020, 10:12:16 am
Welcome back. :)  Looking forward to seeing this released.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mito [PL] on May 22, 2020, 10:33:06 am
That gets a big <3 from me.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Firesteel on May 22, 2020, 12:30:11 pm
I'm sorry this happened and I'm glad to hear you're pushing forward regardless. You've been doing fantastic work on all these scenes and I'm looking forward to seeing more of your stuff.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: perihelion on May 22, 2020, 12:33:46 pm
Mjn, you've got serious artistic talent across several different disciplines.  I have greatly enjoyed everything you've shared with this community.  This isn't just a compliment for the sake of building your self esteem back up so that you "keep on trying."  Your products speak for themselves.  I've played bad mods and not enjoyed them.  Your work is fricking good.  It needs no defense, nor do you.  :)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on May 22, 2020, 01:49:15 pm
You go dude!

And remember, if you are ever unhappy with your past work, you can always remaster it later, you can't learn if you don't practice.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 23, 2020, 08:49:44 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/713931568686825472/Preview.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on May 23, 2020, 09:29:07 pm
http://www.youdubber.com/index.php?video=khIWdolT9xY&video_start=28&audio=KrZHPOeOxQQ&audio_start=0
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on May 24, 2020, 07:19:32 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/713931568686825472/Preview.jpg)

You didn't re-create this from scratch, did you? Just thinking about the Deneb III landscape in your fantastic ST:R ending video. ;)

I'm also thinking about how you'd go about this, assuming this is the FS2 intro cutscene - the Herc popping out of thin air is the one issue about that cutscene I remember best, but there appear to be other issues (https://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/FreeSpace_Trivia#Cutscene_quirks).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on May 24, 2020, 08:10:32 pm
Dealing with the Herc popping into existence is an easy problem to solve. Instead of just appearing over the damaged Orion, it flies in from behind it it. Boom. Solved. Most of the other canon inconsistencies like various ships being present have been "solved" by both ST:R and Deneb III campaigns and/or other fanon in terms of the Lucifer port-side beam.

I also take issue with the Wiki saying the Herc landing would be impossible and that it should have left a giant crater with nothing recognizable left. The Herc that gets shot down clearly still has several thrusters working even though is spews smoke all over the frame. One could assume a moderately chaotic but recoverable descent (hah! PUN) was possible.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on May 24, 2020, 08:44:52 pm
Most of the other canon inconsistencies like various ships being present have been "solved" by both ST:R and Deneb III campaigns and/or other fanon

AHEM COUGH COUGH Legion's Demise AHEM.

 :P

I really should update that some day. . .
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on May 25, 2020, 11:30:21 am
I also take issue with the Wiki saying the Herc landing would be impossible and that it should have left a giant crater with nothing recognizable left. The Herc that gets shot down clearly still has several thrusters working even though is spews smoke all over the frame. One could assume a moderately chaotic but recoverable descent (hah! PUN) was possible.
Not to mention it's a space-future-tech space-fighter, who knows what else it might have in store to avoid going splat on a planet, or shield its pilot from g-forces.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on May 25, 2020, 09:03:29 pm
I also take issue with the Wiki saying the Herc landing would be impossible and that it should have left a giant crater with nothing recognizable left. The Herc that gets shot down clearly still has several thrusters working even though is spews smoke all over the frame. One could assume a moderately chaotic but recoverable descent (hah! PUN) was possible.
Not to mention it's a space-future-tech space-fighter, who knows what else it might have in store to avoid going splat on a planet, or shield its pilot from g-forces.

If either one of you can rewrite that line so that it doesn't look like your point of view isn't a tacked-on argument, I don't think anyone will notice. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 01, 2020, 01:54:18 pm
Ten years ago... there was an idea. (https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=68084.msg1344294#msg1344294) I'm halfway done. :) This marks the last of my FS1 upgrades. I've done all the FS1 CB and Tech anims, the mainhalls, the medals and logos.. and finally, all the cutscenes.


It's time boys and girls.. FS2 cutscenes are officially in development.

Many thanks to Oddgrim for the Shivan model and several height maps, Styxx for the Marine model, Nyctaeus for quick turn-around on the Orion, and Axem for the new Elysium.

Many un-thanks to the haters. You know who you are.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mongoose on June 01, 2020, 02:29:13 pm
(https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/001/463/047/7ab.gif)

I'll never forget my reaction when you posted that thread.  "Okay that guy is bat**** insane, there's no way anyone could ever pull that off."  And then...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: manwiththemachinegun on June 01, 2020, 02:58:32 pm
It's all I ever wanted.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Iain Baker on June 01, 2020, 03:26:03 pm
 :nod: :nod: :nod: :yes: :yes: :yes: :cool: Outstanding!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 01, 2020, 05:23:42 pm
Kinda a bit too dark to see anything in the beginning, but that can be fixed with messing with the brightness setting, right?

But yeah, this is awesome! :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nyctaeus on June 01, 2020, 08:53:50 pm
:yes: :yes: :yes:

I love how new models, lighting effects, particles and other modern stuff swiftly blends with still appropiately retro vibe. This captures spirit of FS well.

Also... Styxx remade marine models? I wasn't aware that's his work. When did he make them?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 01, 2020, 08:54:52 pm
 :nervous:

Pretty sure it was Styxx. I've had that model since 2011.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 01, 2020, 10:27:22 pm
I'm pretty sure that Styxx made the Marine models for MT. At one point the Shivans attempted to board the Apocalypse, in the same way they boarded the Iceni in FS2. IIRC the models were supposed to be used for Headanims but I'm not sure. Possible that he planned to make it a full cutscene too.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 01, 2020, 10:47:07 pm
Kinda a bit too dark to see anything in the beginning, but that can be fixed with messing with the brightness setting, right?

But yeah, this is awesome! :yes: :yes: :yes:

For what it's worth, it looks like YouTube murdered my colors with its awful compression. That said, the scene is meant to be dark.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Ulala on June 01, 2020, 10:48:06 pm
This is stellar work! Looking forward to FS2 cutscenes :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: perihelion on June 01, 2020, 10:56:21 pm
You magnificent bastard!  Well done!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 02, 2020, 01:46:35 am
Got a notification on YouTube.  💪💪💪
Strong efforts bud.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Trivial Psychic on June 02, 2020, 01:48:04 am
I don't mean to downplay the awesomeness of this work, but I seem to recall that the ship being boarded was an Azrael class, not the Asmodeus class that appears to be in its place.  Am I correct in this?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mito [PL] on June 02, 2020, 02:25:28 am
You are, basically some nerd talk in Discord later we got the Asmodeus because it makes more sense or something.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Vidmaster on June 02, 2020, 05:05:00 am
This is mighty fine work :-)


I know you had no plans to make a "Lucifer destroys Tombaugh" cutscene (still hoping you reconsider) but are your plans to make a "Lucifer destroys Vasuda Prime" still a thing?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Commander Zane on June 02, 2020, 05:46:50 am
I don't mean to downplay the awesomeness of this work, but I seem to recall that the ship being boarded was an Azrael class, not the Asmodeus class that appears to be in its place.  Am I correct in this?
To be specific, it was for lore and technical reasons. The cinematic text says Disabled Shivan Freighter while originally using an Azrael (Transport), so it would make sense to change the ship type to match. Technically, it just can't be recreated with an Azrael using the in-game ship scale with the way the ships were positioned. It's like the original cinematic Azrael was Asmodeus-sized, the Elysium was Dragon-sized, or both, so that change respects both the positioning and scale of the ships.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Trivial Psychic on June 02, 2020, 08:00:04 am
Fair enough.

I know you had no plans to make a "Lucifer destroys Tombaugh" cutscene (still hoping you reconsider) but are your plans to make a "Lucifer destroys Vasuda Prime" still a thing?

Doesn't this cutscene already exist (fan made though it is)?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 02, 2020, 08:18:30 am
MJN wanted to make his own version of it at one point.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 02, 2020, 09:09:07 am
Looks like the change to Asmo was already explained. Pretty much yeah all that.

I do still want to make my version of V Prime. I have a really neat concept and that features Oddgrim's extremely well done Vasudan pilot model. After some investigation, it looks like FSPort doesn't even ship with the V Prime cutscene anymore, so I put it on the backburner as it would be purely fan work. I may return to it after I finish the FS2 scenes and mainhalls.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: manwiththemachinegun on June 02, 2020, 11:08:34 am
How would a remaster of the FS2 apocalyptic end game fleet brawl even work?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 02, 2020, 11:54:51 am
The apocalypse cutscene isn't overwhelming complex though. Most of it are some beams and random explosions in the background.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 02, 2020, 12:11:48 pm
How would a remaster of the FS2 apocalyptic end game fleet brawl even work?

This is a very unusual question and I've been trying to understand it for the better part of 10 minutes.

How would the scene work? Same as every other animated video ever. I load in the assets, I animate them, I render. Boom. Done.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mongoose on June 02, 2020, 12:32:33 pm
I'd imagine in a lot of ways it's substantially less complex than some of what you've worked on thus far, since you don't have to model any sort of crazy interior geometry.  It's mostly a bunch of already-modeled ships.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 02, 2020, 12:41:10 pm
Yup. It'll be mostly just ship models flying random paths all over the place.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Trivial Psychic on June 02, 2020, 12:56:33 pm
I'd bet you're also waiting for the completed demon to do an upgrade of the FS2 Intro... though it is only in the scene very briefly IIRC.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 02, 2020, 01:11:41 pm
I haven't yet decided exactly which FS2 cutscene I'm going to start with... The Intro got a head start because I thought ahead when I did the ST:R Endgame in terms of the land geometry. It was pretty easy to set that scene up.

Bosch Monologues have a little character anim and I could re-use the interior environment across 4 scenes. I might start there.

Bastion is obvious low-hanging fruit. I've done far more complex cbanims than that cutscene. I could whip that one out in like a week.

Colossus. This one will require a lot of motion graphics work. It's not difficult, but there's a lot of tedious stuff to recreate. Fortunately I already made the drone (https://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/GTDr_Phidias) years ago as well as the corporate logos (https://wiki.hard-light.net/index.php/Corporations).

That just leaves Intro and Endgame which require many of the same concepts applied. They probably require the most work. Also turns out it's easy to motivate Nyctaeus to work on ships that'll show up in the cutscenes, so I might have use that to my advantage in terms of timing when I really work on these two scenes.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 02, 2020, 01:56:11 pm
Have you considered taking on apprentices from the community, understudy types upon who you can impart knowledge and experience in order to share workload?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Firesteel on June 02, 2020, 03:52:59 pm
Congrats on finishing FS1 and I'm glad this saw the light (dark?) of day!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Iain Baker on June 02, 2020, 05:04:42 pm
Superb. I just watched it and the original back to back. The switch to the Asmodeus makes sense since it is larger and thus gives more internal room to work with - some of the halls are notably wider / taller in the new version. Its a good thing - it makes the humans look all the more puny in comparison  :p

That said, one thing has always bugged me about the hall fight - they are not wearing spacesuits. Granted they have masks but there is still skin on display around the neck and eyes. Considering they had no idea what the environment in a shivan ship would be like - not to mention what counter intrusion methods it and its crew might use - this seems a tad risky. Plus they would be boned if the transport became detached and they needed to make an *ahem* 'tactical advance to the rear'. At least in full space suits they could jump out the airlock and wait for pick up. In their current set up they could be rendered combat ineffective by a simple CS gas grenade. So much for centuries of scientific progress  :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Iain Baker on June 02, 2020, 05:09:11 pm
If I was them I would have wanted to go in looking more like this :-) https://i.redd.it/6ow6gg5wvqr31.jpg (https://i.redd.it/6ow6gg5wvqr31.jpg)

and with an armed drone or seven for back up like this https://bytescapes.com/science-fiction/sf-library/exploring-rorschach/  (https://bytescapes.com/science-fiction/sf-library/exploring-rorschach/)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 02, 2020, 06:10:11 pm
Yeah but that wouldn't be FS anymore than.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mongoose on June 02, 2020, 06:28:50 pm
As long as you're able to breathe, being exposed to vacuum isn't the instant head-exploding death sentence that so many B-movies treat it as.  Hell, since you're in a vacuum and the only way you could lose heat is radiating it away (as well as evaporation of skin moisture), it'd probably take you some time to actually feel cold.  The easy handwavey answer is that the strike team already knew that the freighter would be pressurized before entering it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on June 02, 2020, 07:38:52 pm
The easy handwavey answer is that the strike team already knew that the freighter would be pressurized before entering it.

^ This ^

Also the Taranis is captured (and lost) before this scene plays, so we can assume there are some good scans and mass measurements of other shivan ships, while this is the first time anyone gets inside of a shivan ship, it is not unreasonable for them to be aware if the interior is pressurized or not.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Vidmaster on June 04, 2020, 03:59:42 am
After some investigation, it looks like FSPort doesn't even ship with the V Prime cutscene anymore, so I put it on the backburner as it would be purely fan work.

I do not think it ever shipped with IceyJones' cutscene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 04, 2020, 09:10:18 am
After some investigation, it looks like FSPort doesn't even ship with the V Prime cutscene anymore, so I put it on the backburner as it would be purely fan work.

I do not think it ever shipped with IceyJones' cutscene.

It did. The cutscene happens at the same time as Ancients 4 and Galemp had me bolt mine and Icy's together into a single scene.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 13, 2020, 05:01:22 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/721480819021054052/unknown.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 13, 2020, 05:07:54 pm
I have no idea what Mjn just posted, nor any idea of the context. It looks very vaguely like a Vasudan at a very shadowed viewport wearing a black cloak, but as I can only see maybe a third of the head (at least, I'm assuming that's a head!), it's very tough to tell what I'm even looking at. :p
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 13, 2020, 05:09:05 pm
Let me give you a hint.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 13, 2020, 05:12:47 pm
Plottwist you think the man standing at the window is Bosch but it's actually Gandalf
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 13, 2020, 06:32:20 pm
Let me give you a hint.

Not very subtle, but, yes, a very effective hint. :D

But yeah, this should teach you to brighten your cutscenes so we can acutally see what we're looking at. :p

Plottwist you think the man standing at the window is Bosch but it's actually Gandalf

Weird, considering they had completely opposite motives when it came to demonic entities....

Gandalf: YOU SHALL NOT PASS!

Bosch: I'VE BEEN WAITING THIRTY-TWO YEARS FOR YOU GUYS TO PASS (THROUGH THE KNOSSOS). WHAT TOOK YOU GUYS SO LONG???
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 14, 2020, 01:57:45 am
But yeah, this should teach you to brighten your cutscenes so we can acutally see what we're looking at. :p

If you didn't know what that scene was from a glance and actually thought it was Vasudan, then you aren't an actual Freespace fan. Come back when you learn more about FS2 and can offer something productive.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 14, 2020, 08:50:36 am
But yeah, this should teach you to brighten your cutscenes so we can acutally see what we're looking at. :p

If you didn't know what that scene was from a glance and actually thought it was Vasudan, then you aren't an actual Freespace fan. Come back when you learn more about FS2 and can offer something productive.

Jesus friggin Christ, mjn. Take a look at that darkened picture again. Bosch is almost in COMPLETE shadow and only a third of his head is visible and even that is just a silhouette. I’ve watched the Bosch monologues dozens of times and even I had trouble recognizing Bosch. Don’t go all “more Freespace than thou” just because you made Bosch so unrecognizable by placing him in almost complete darkness. Your cutscenes are awesome but they are not by any means flawless. If I had trouble recognizing Bosch, then others will as well. Perhaps my dry, caustic wit (such as it is) offended you, but I’m trying to help.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 14, 2020, 10:25:00 am
The last WIP post ever in this thread. Here you go.
(https://i.imgur.com/E8N5Twb.jpg)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 14, 2020, 04:18:54 pm
OMFG, that's perfect. Way to swing the pendulum in the other direction, Mjn. I salute you, sir. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Venicius on June 14, 2020, 07:07:18 pm
The cables are too thick... :warp:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 14, 2020, 07:35:12 pm
The last WIP post ever in this thread. Here you go.

If you hold back the raindrops now, a deluge will come after the next release :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Ulala on June 15, 2020, 05:03:07 pm
I recognized Bosch immediately due to the hat :P
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on June 15, 2020, 07:18:17 pm
It's taken me a few days to come around, but I apologize to everyone for my tantrum (which occurred on Discord). The truth is that an individual who I used to highly respect and collaborate with on a regular basis dumped all over my work and my abilities as an artist. He suggested my latest work is actively worse than the original and that I'm so bad at what I do, I can't see how terrible it is. The unfortunate part is that his actual ideas on improving my work have merit, but he went about it in entirely the wrong way. Words matter. After explaining my position privately he still didn't seem to care how his words affected me. It's evident that I thought too highly of this person and that I don't need his approval when I have all of yours. I received more than a dozen private messages from people offering me their support. Thank you for that. This project has been a labor of love for a decade and the payoff is having my work enjoyed by others, so I'll focus on that. I'll return with completed Hall Fight soon.

Just saw this, :wtf:   Don't let the assholes get to you, they'll always be found wherever you are unfortunately.  Sorry you had to go through that.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 16, 2020, 12:33:11 am
👍

Quick question,  as always,  about uv maps.....     Do they not drive you as crazy as the drive me?   Could never get a grip on them and it's probably abkt the sole reason I didn't invest more time modelling in my youth / school days.

Lithinwrap and truespace 3.1 was all I had mind you 😂
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 16, 2020, 01:06:00 am
Because all these models aren't going anywhere outside of 3ds Max, I can cheat. A lot.

Wall? Auto UV Map Box Modifier + Builtin metal texture.

Mug on Bosch's desk? Auto UV Cylinder + Builtin texture.

The only things I really need to UV are things like Computer screens, buttons, logos, etc. And for those it's really just to fit a very basic square image so a flatten UV  command usually does the trick. Of course, that means none of this works if you view it from angles other than intended. But that doesn't matter here.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 16, 2020, 02:01:49 am
I think I need to allocate time in five years when-
*the kids are older 😂
*I've upgraded the shed /workshop
*completed the wife's "infinite list"

Seriously applaud your work through bud 👍🚀
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 16, 2020, 01:46:59 pm
I give you Vasudan Admiral Aken Bosch monologuing like the evil villain he is.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on June 16, 2020, 02:08:39 pm
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't bosch have a beard/sideburns?

Could be my imagination.

EDIT: wait, did he not? It's super hard to tell from the head ani.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mongoose on June 16, 2020, 02:12:36 pm
Those buttons are cracking me the hell up. :lol:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't bosh have a beard/sideburns?

Could be my imagination.

EDIT: wait, did he not? It's super hard to tell from the head ani.
He definitely never had a beard, and I'm pretty sure he didn't have much/any visible hair at all.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 16, 2020, 02:14:22 pm
I really don't think Bosch had facial hair. You could maaaaybe get that from the way the original is compressed. There's artifacting on the face for sure. It could be just artifacts or it could be stubble. However, my experience recreating Volition renders tells me there's no way they spent time giving him facial hair. Volition was lazy efficient with the work they created, especially in FS2.

In fact, I'm 99% confident that Bosch is the same character model used in the Command Brief cutscene with the textures switched from tan to grey/purple. He's got the same boots and and shirt style down to the cuffs. They just added a hat.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 16, 2020, 02:36:30 pm
It's really hard to tell from the old Bosch monologues, but he really did have a full white beard (and mustache); it's just that his facial hair was almost the same off-white color as his facial skin that it was very hard to tell them apart. If you look at the first Command Briefing which talks about the NTF and Bosch beginning his rebellion, that blurred ani of his face shows his facial hair a bit better, but it's still really hard to tell. (Try to imagine an old sailor with a close-cropped white full beard; I think that was the look :v: was going for.

My opinion, though, is :v: should have just made Bosch look like Ronny Cox as an Ink Suit Actor (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InkSuitActor) and have been done with it. Because Ronny Cox is just that awesome. :p Granted, that would have been really tough to do back in 1999, but still.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 16, 2020, 02:41:35 pm
He can tell by some of the pixels. Confidence, baby.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: The E on June 16, 2020, 03:08:48 pm
It's really hard to tell from the old Bosch monologues, but he really did have a full white beard (and mustache); it's just that his facial hair was almost the same off-white color as his facial skin that it was very hard to tell them apart. If you look at the first Command Briefing which talks about the NTF and Bosch beginning his rebellion, that blurred ani of his face shows his facial hair a bit better, but it's still really hard to tell. (Try to imagine an old sailor with a close-cropped white full beard; I think that was the look :v: was going for.

Yeah, no.

Bosch's comm ani head looks more like he has a really big headset, not a beard. During the monologues, he is never shown from the front or really in profile, but there's nothing in those scenes that says "beard" to me anywhere on his face; in fact, that he seems to lack hair entirely.
This is the clearest, most well-lit shot we get of his face:
(https://i.imgur.com/O9zrsRO.png)
I don't know about you, but I don't see any beardage there....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 16, 2020, 03:17:40 pm
This pic shows exactly what I'm talking about: notice how his facial skin color changes below the cheekbone and ear from light pink to off-white? It's a very close-cropped beard (though it looks the same level as the skin probably due to the limitations of the animation), but it's definitely not the color of pink skin. And the off-white color of the beard matches the white of his hair above his ear. The blurred ani of Bosch's head in the Command Briefing shows the same patten, if too blurred/faded to notice on a first casual viewing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: The E on June 16, 2020, 03:26:04 pm
That's what you see. I see a lot of compression artefacts; nothing that really, conclusively, let's me make a statement either way. Even the comm ani doesn't really lend itself to any conclusive statements; the low resolution and intentional scanline artefacting makes such details very hard to make out.
In conclusion, to present Bosch as bald and shaven is definitely not a massive departure from his original portrayal.

Here's another well-lit shot of him:
(https://i.imgur.com/rGWvEkg.png)
That one, to me, looks very conclusively like Bosch is quite bald, and there is nothing to suggest beardage on his cheeks.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 16, 2020, 03:45:34 pm
It doesn't look like Bosch has any hairs.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 16, 2020, 05:31:16 pm
It doesn't look like Bosch has any hairs.

Yeah, in that pic, I have to agree, Bosch looks like he's shaved his hair off the back of his head and no beard is in evidence there at all. Evidence accepted.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 16, 2020, 11:49:33 pm
We've had this conversation before, and the conclusion is always the same : Bosch never had a beard, mustache, goatee or whatever.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 17, 2020, 12:33:03 am
He has the chest hair of a circus strongman through....   Admital shima knows this to be true.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2020, 01:29:52 am
Image Deleted
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2020, 02:14:53 am
Mono 2 is done. I've taken a decade's worth of learning and experience with character animation and put it all together in this grand finale.... By making a character stand absolutely still and then just moving his arms a bit. Hells yeah.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 18, 2020, 06:54:34 am
Awesome job! :yes: :yes:

--

BTW, Monologue 2 is labled Monologue 1 in the OP.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Trivial Psychic on June 18, 2020, 07:43:03 am
Just a slight critique:  In the initial scene with Bosch looking at the star and the accretion disk, the flow of material in the disk appears somewhat jerky rather than smooth.  Perhaps this is something to do with Youtube and won't be visible in the final product when seen in the game itself, but it did catch my eye.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2020, 08:46:25 am
Just a slight critique:  In the initial scene with Bosch looking at the star and the accretion disk, the flow of material in the disk appears somewhat jerky rather than smooth.  Perhaps this is something to do with Youtube and won't be visible in the final product when seen in the game itself, but it did catch my eye.

Dunno. Probably YouTube? The vortex is a particle system with a constant speed and birth rate, so there's nothing on my end that could cause that.

EDIT: Oh geeze. I watched it on Youtube just now. That's Youtube. Good grief. Their compression blows. This whole cutscene is just murdered on Youtube.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2020, 05:06:45 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/723296556916146247/Mono1.gif)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mongoose on June 18, 2020, 05:43:44 pm
C-C-C-COMBO!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on June 18, 2020, 07:17:51 pm
Just a slight critique:  In the initial scene with Bosch looking at the star and the accretion disk, the flow of material in the disk appears somewhat jerky rather than smooth.  Perhaps this is something to do with Youtube and won't be visible in the final product when seen in the game itself, but it did catch my eye.

Dunno. Probably YouTube? The vortex is a particle system with a constant speed and birth rate, so there's nothing on my end that could cause that.

EDIT: Oh geeze. I watched it on Youtube just now. That's Youtube. Good grief. Their compression blows. This whole cutscene is just murdered on Youtube.

Does *****ute use the same compression or a better one?  There's a few other alternatives as well: https://alternativeto.net/software/youtube/
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 18, 2020, 07:19:22 pm
Alternatives to Youtube are laughable if you ever want people to see your work. Even Vimeo gets barely a fraction of the users that Youtube gets... and it's well known.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Ulala on June 19, 2020, 12:35:41 am
Your work is stellar. These scenes look vastly improved. Much kudos!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 19, 2020, 01:28:44 am
Bosch Monologue 4.

Yes, it was a deliberate decision to change the style of nebula. The original cutscene looks like it uses layers of recolored stock earth cloud images. That's nothing like what the in-game nebula looks like, so in the words of Admiral Nelson... this was an opportunity to harmonize the cutscenes to the game.

That said, I'm super happy with the lightning effects. I'll get to do much more of that in Monologue 3.

EDIT: Oof.. Sorry about the Youtube compression. To see the better version, grab it from the download link in the first post.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Vidmaster on June 19, 2020, 04:02:34 am
That said, I'm super happy with the lightning effects. I'll get to do much more of that in Monologue 3.

Indeed. Great work.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 19, 2020, 06:26:28 am
Nice one! :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 19, 2020, 08:42:34 am
I stopped looking for a few days and come back to a bald man monologuing again? Excellent work.

Those tongue-in-cheek references on Bosch's keyboard are brilliant. ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on June 21, 2020, 01:16:45 am
Alternatives to Youtube are laughable if you ever want people to see your work. Even Vimeo gets barely a fraction of the users that Youtube gets... and it's well known.

Which is why you link to your Vimeo / *****ute in the YouTube video stating that the quality is better (if indeed it is).
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mongoose on June 21, 2020, 01:56:56 pm
Ah yes, link an alternate video in the descriptions that absolutely no one reads.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 21, 2020, 01:59:59 pm
Ah yes, link an alternate video in the descriptions that absolutely no one reads.

He didn't say in the description...

They can add a click box with a link to the video itself.
Examples of such click boxes include...
"merch store"
"previous vid"
"profit"
No reason why "alternate source higher quality vid" would be an issue....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on June 23, 2020, 01:18:41 pm
Nebula :yes:

Bosch has a wide-screen laptop now :yes:

More readable text :yes:

The typing goes letter-by-letter instead of screen-wipe :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 23, 2020, 03:25:37 pm
Ugh, I know I'm gonna catch hell for this at this late date because aside from Hall Fight and the Bosch Monologues, I haven't see any of these new cutscenes until today, but I have what I deeply suspect is a noob question. I just watched the new FS1 Intro cutscene today and noticed the Manticore fighters seem to be firing their lasers from their bottom rack missile launchers...or at least what the original FS2 Intro cutscene led me to believe was their missile launchers. So the Manticore's upper arms/booms are its missile launchers and those bottom rack thingies are its lasers, in opposition to what the FS2 Intro showed us?

It would not by any means be the first time :v: screwed up, but still, that seems to me more disappointing that usual (because the Manticore is one of my more favorite Shivan fighters)...  :(
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on June 23, 2020, 03:28:08 pm
:v-old: probably changed tons of things during development, and those for FS2 were even made by a different company so yeah inconsistencies are everywhere.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: The E on June 23, 2020, 03:35:03 pm
A handy demonstration (https://i.imgur.com/pWB5Re6.mp4)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on June 23, 2020, 06:07:10 pm
Thank you, The E, for that demonstration. That clears it up for me nicely. :yes:

I can't wait to see the rest of the cutscenes. :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 24, 2020, 09:41:23 pm
Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeext.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on June 24, 2020, 09:46:52 pm
Love it.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on June 25, 2020, 12:35:55 am
Sexy.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 25, 2020, 12:54:14 am
/me approves

(I get an email notification every time you upload something and i do a little emotional headspin)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 25, 2020, 01:20:48 am
:yes: Things are gonna have to slow down just a touch now, though.

Monologue 3 is waiting for nuRavana. That's gonna be sexy coming out of the fog.

Colossus is oof. There's a lot of pieces to this cutscene and much of it is not 3D animation. I counted up over 30 individual elements I need to create from scratch. That includes blueprints, main animations, sub animations, etc. I'm not quite sure I'm ready to start on that one yet.

Endgame (all parts) and Intro will be the last scenes I make. So those are waiting for everything else. Intro will probably be the last. It's appropriately epic for my last cutscene remake hurrah. Also hoping to have a few new hi-poly ships for that scene, too. :) (Anyone seen that new Demon?)

I think I've scratched my cutscene itch for a bit. I'm feeling FRED calling again. (This is my life... hopping between projects all the time.)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on June 25, 2020, 01:25:53 am
Salute.Gif
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 26, 2020, 08:46:09 pm
Really nice! The original Bastion Dies cutscene was not one of my favourites since I felt it was a bit rushed and too bright, but I don't get the same vibes from your remake for some reason, even though the pacing and camera angles are exactly the same.

Good work on the visual effects - the background more closely resembling what we see in-game, the shockwave coming from the detonation, and the flames more clearly showing the debris being sucked into the collapsing node. I especially liked how you've made the latter more obvious, and it leaves a good final impression of the cutscene.

The Herc II that kills the second Shivan fighter seems to perform the about-turn a bit too fast (right after the pilot says "bandit down") for a heavy assault fighter, looking as though the pilot had enabled mouselook. You might want to slow down the turn a little.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on June 26, 2020, 08:58:55 pm
By the time I noticed that about face issue I had already done a lot of the post effects. I slowed it down some but if I changed it anymore then I'd have to redo a lot of work. So I decided to just leave it. It's pretty far away from the camera and the eye is drawn to the myrms at that point anyway.

And yeah I agree. I'm not sure what it is, but the original always felt plain. I'm very happy that my version has a little more life.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on July 13, 2020, 11:21:29 pm
Ok, I just tried inserting these new movies for FS1 into my respective data1\data\movies and data\data\movies folders and I made sure to rename the old movies (I didn't want to overwrite them permanently), but the game would only play the old versions. Funny thing though, the new versions are mp4 files while the old versions are mve files. Is that why the new versions aren't working? If so, why are these new versions made as mp4 files instead of mve files?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 14, 2020, 12:05:04 am
The problem is with you and not the files.

They belong in freespace2\fsport\data\movies not... whatever those filepaths are.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 14, 2020, 12:49:02 am
Rewatched upgraded hall fight on YouTube yesterday,  it took me over 20b ears to realise the Shivans personal beam cannons aren't in their heads.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on July 14, 2020, 08:13:03 am
The problem is with you and not the files.

They belong in freespace2\fsport\data\movies not... whatever those filepaths are.
Even the FS1 movies belong in the FS2 folder? That’s weird.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on July 14, 2020, 08:46:15 am
It's an FS2 campaign in this case.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Mito [PL] on July 14, 2020, 12:12:41 pm
Uh, I think what Mjn wanted to say is that the files should go into <mod library>/FSPort/data/movies, or perhaps <mod libary>/fsport-mediavps/data/movies.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on July 14, 2020, 12:20:28 pm
Well putting them into the FS2 folder will make sure they're always there when needed. (might conflict if you have the old FS2 intro there though)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 14, 2020, 12:32:20 pm
Uh, I think what Mjn wanted to say is that the files should go into <mod library>/FSPort/data/movies, or perhaps <mod libary>/fsport-mediavps/data/movies.

this. mod library is usually named Freespace2 or FS2
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on July 18, 2020, 06:44:10 pm
What makes this so confusing is that I have multiple folder paths with both Data folders and Movies folders. Here's a sample of what's in my GOG folder alone:

For Freespace 1:
C: > GOG Games > Freespace > data1 > Data > movies (this is the folder path I put Mjn's FS1 cutscenes in thinking this was one of the correct folders as it contain the original Ancients1, CommandBrief, Intro and Lab)

C: > GOG Games > Freespace > data2 > data > movies (this is the folder path I put Mjn's FS1 cutscenes in thinking this was one of the correct folder as it contained the original Ancients 2 through 5, Endgame and Hallfight.

Even after putting the new cutscenes in the above folders (and renaming the old movies by adding an "a" to the end of them), the new cutscenes still would not play, the old ones played as usual instead.

For Freespace 2:
C: > GOG Games > Freespace 2 > data > movies (this is the folder path I put Mjn's FS2 cutscenes in thinking this was the correct folder)

C: > GOG Games > Freespace 2 > data2 (this doesn't have a movies folder but it has COLOSSUS.MVE, INTRO.MVE and MONO1.MVE in it)

C: > GOG Games > Freespace 2 > data3 (this doesn't have a movies folder but it has the original bastion.ogg, endpart1.ogg, endpart2a.ogg, endpart2b.ogg, mono2.ogg, mono3.ogg and mono4.ogg foles here. I placed Mjn's BASTION.MVE, ENDPART1.MVE, ENDPART2A.MVE, ENDPART2B, MONO2.MVE, MONO3.MVE and MONO4.MVE in this folder)

Yeah, this sh!t is thouroughly confusing. :doubt:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on July 18, 2020, 08:27:27 pm
The data1-data3 folders represent CDs 1-3 for the original installation media.  You're modifying the actual game installation, which is fine (within reason) but that is best used for the old launching method with retail or wxLauncher.  For Knossos, you'll need to find the Knossos folder and then find the FSPort mod folder.

My advice is to wait for the next FSPort release, which will happen very shortly after the next MediaVPs release.  It will contain all the latest updates, including the new cutscenes.  You can install through Knossos and not have to worry about copying files into the right folder.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on July 18, 2020, 11:01:03 pm
My advice is to wait for the next FSPort release, which will happen very shortly after the next MediaVPs release.  It will contain all the latest updates, including the new cutscenes.  You can install through Knossos and not have to worry about copying files into the right folder.

Oh, thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster! This is good news. Any word on roughly when the next release will be?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on July 20, 2020, 10:52:38 pm
"...very shortly after the next MediaVPs release"

It depends on the FSU.  It was previously planned for end of June, but it got pushed back due to more models being added.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on July 31, 2020, 11:39:32 pm
Makin' that new Ravana look menacing...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 01, 2020, 01:16:54 am
It's unfortunate that video compression makes the nebula look more pixelated than it actually is. Do you think this would be a problem in FSO?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 01, 2020, 01:28:24 am
It's unfortunate that video compression makes the nebula look more pixelated than it actually is. Do you think this would be a problem in FSO?

Oof. I hadn't watched the Youtube upload until just now. The version in FSO will be much better. You can download it from the first post of this thread if you'd like to see for yourself.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 01, 2020, 01:06:53 pm
Woot, my favorite Bosch monologue is finally done! And that new Ravana looks as menacing as it needs to be here, cable nodules and all. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 07, 2020, 11:24:04 pm
I really wasn't going to post any more WIP pics in this thread because I'm pretty tired of the uninformed nitpicks, but I just had to post this one from the Colossus cutscene. It's a celebration of how far FSU has come for sure.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/741049268386922526/unknown.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 07, 2020, 11:55:45 pm
Damn, now that is nice. Very well done indeed, Mjn.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 08, 2020, 04:55:55 am
Herc II at the front be like nyoom. :lol:

It's easier to count the number of ship models in that screenshot that haven't been remade. Let that sink in.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 08, 2020, 11:21:10 pm
When you're running out of things to upgrade, so you start upgrading old promotional screens.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/741867993574670356/unknown.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 09, 2020, 01:42:02 am
Dude where do you get the time, I remember you saying you had kids 😂

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 09, 2020, 01:49:50 am
Dude where do you get the time, I remember you saying you had kids 😂

My fourth kid is due in about 6 weeks...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 09, 2020, 03:16:47 am
I'm the oldest of four oys.
Good luck buddy 👍.
Two is plenty enough for me,  congratulations in advance.   


And great remaster of the promo shot BTW.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 09, 2020, 10:26:23 am
I'm the oldest of four oys.
Good luck buddy 👍.
Two is plenty enough for me,  congratulations in advance.   


And great remaster of the promo shot BTW.

When I started this specific project, I had no kids... That gets a yike.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 09, 2020, 02:03:16 pm
Many thanks to all the people who contributed to the text/blueprints in making this and also a big thanks to Axem who made the planet bitmaps.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: X3N0-Life-Form on August 09, 2020, 04:08:42 pm
That looks absolutely gorgeous.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Alan Bolte on August 09, 2020, 07:35:13 pm
I like the 'graph depicting nothing' and the running joke about a retractable neck. Oh, and now we've got baseball bat jokes - classic. "Warranty void if attempted" - also a classic.

The laser turret section sounds like a parody of "The Pentagon Wars".

Obligatory Spaceballs reference.

Oh, and the cutscene looks great too.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: DefCynodont119 on August 09, 2020, 07:55:45 pm
love the text entries. :D

Hidden Text: Show
how come my beam text entry is a quote with my handle? But none of the others are quotes with the submiter's handle/name? just asking.   :wtf:

EDIT: wait, does this mean I exist in the FS universe now? Uh oh.  :shaking: :warp:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Scourge of Ages on August 09, 2020, 08:04:38 pm
Fantastic work, MJN! And congratulations on incorporating as a contractor on the Colossus project. Those were some excellent easter eggs in that list, everybody pause and read 'em   :lol:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 09, 2020, 11:22:15 pm
Aw, man, I'm still waiting for Strygon to get back to me with my updated Su-tehp Supervisory Systems logo because I forgot to hyphenate my name on the first draft.

Not that anybody but me cares about such a piffling minor detail but, y'know, I care.

Mjn, if we notice any editing suggestions, do you want us to PM you? Or is this cutscene finalized? Or...are you annoyed with me enough already?

EDIT: Just watched the cutscene again and I just noticed something: the Ganymede has animated forklift prongs! AWESOME.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 10, 2020, 02:24:47 am
My response as I watched the video:


Triumphant music included.

You will find a related comment by me on YouTube, which has the same effect. :D

The occasional misspelling doesn't detract from the cutscene, and I think it brings its own charm. Outstanding work.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Strygon on August 10, 2020, 03:18:06 am
Aw, man, I'm still waiting for Strygon to get back to me with my updated Su-tehp Supervisory Systems logo because I forgot to hyphenate my name on the first draft.

Not that anybody but me cares about such a piffling minor detail but, y'know, I care.

Mjn, if we notice any editing suggestions, do you want us to PM you? Or is this cutscene finalized? Or...are you annoyed with me enough already?

EDIT: Just watched the cutscene again and I just noticed something: the Ganymede has animated forklift prongs! AWESOME.

I forgot to PM you about it but since I was supposed to have finished the blueprints by sunday, I couldn't really get bothered to then still do these pixel perfect measurements for the name of the logo you requested, since no one would be able to tell such a microscopic deviation anyway. I told him to use my last draft, which had the hyphen. In fact, look at the logo section and you'll find it there.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 10, 2020, 03:39:21 am
Many thanks to all the people who contributed to the text/blueprints in making this and also a big thanks to Axem who made the planet bitmaps.



Applause.ogg
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on August 10, 2020, 12:12:18 pm
Dude where do you get the time, I remember you saying you had kids 😂

My fourth kid is due in about 6 weeks...

Congrats!!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 10, 2020, 06:11:07 pm
These aren't really crowd pleasers, but here you go. End Part 2 both A and B.

Please be aware these are highly stylized and not physically accurate. The originals are also this way and I opted to keep that. If I went for full physical accuracy, the earth/moon would be in complete shadow almost the entire time.

Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 10, 2020, 08:25:40 pm
Aw, man, I'm still waiting for Strygon to get back to me with my updated Su-tehp Supervisory Systems logo because I forgot to hyphenate my name on the first draft.

Not that anybody but me cares about such a piffling minor detail but, y'know, I care.

Mjn, if we notice any editing suggestions, do you want us to PM you? Or is this cutscene finalized? Or...are you annoyed with me enough already?

EDIT: Just watched the cutscene again and I just noticed something: the Ganymede has animated forklift prongs! AWESOME.

I forgot to PM you about it but since I was supposed to have finished the blueprints by sunday, I couldn't really get bothered to then still do these pixel perfect measurements for the name of the logo you requested, since no one would be able to tell such a microscopic deviation anyway. I told him to use my last draft, which had the hyphen. In fact, look at the logo section and you'll find it there.

Yeah, just looked at the cutscene multiple times and my name on my logo isn't hyphenated. Eh, no one will notice it but me and it's a minor thing. There are a couple of hardly noticeable misspellings here and there, but overall this cutscene is an exceptional piece of work.

And while the End Part 2A and 2B cutscenes aren't all that flashy (or physically accurate for that matter as Mjn admitted), they are faithful to the originals and that's what matters most.

As for flashy (or supernova-y, as the case may be), we still have End Part 1 coming up. I really want to see what Mjn does with those juggernauts making Capella go boom.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 11, 2020, 02:16:20 am
Now that you've pointed out the oddities of the original cutscenes on Discord, I will now see EndPart2A and repeatedly think, "the sun is dancing on the water."
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Ulala on August 12, 2020, 02:46:15 am
That Colossus cutscene is absolutely stellar. I think you should be proud of how it turned out and all your hard work on this project. From a long time fan of this series, thank you!!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: starbug on August 12, 2020, 09:23:00 am
The cutscene is outstanding you can tell with each video you do, the quality jumps up knotch each time. I cannot wait to see what you do with the FS2 intro and the Endgame battle sequence!
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 25, 2020, 02:19:17 am
This one had a lot of fun and unique challenges. Enjoy!


One. Cutscene. Remaining....
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 25, 2020, 02:56:08 am
 :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: starbug on August 25, 2020, 02:58:25 am
 :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw:

That was amazing, i love the new camera angle for the deimos and moloch. With each video you do each one just gets better and better. At this rate the battle in the fs2 intro is going to be amazing with the fighter shots.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 25, 2020, 02:16:45 pm
Similar enough to the original box art that I thought worth touching up and posting.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/747896247892967515/unknown.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Colonol Dekker on August 25, 2020, 02:53:28 pm
Ooooh.   Now there's an idea.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 25, 2020, 07:28:20 pm
:jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw: :jaw:

That was amazing, i love the new camera angle for the deimos and moloch. With each video you do each one just gets better and better. At this rate the battle in the fs2 intro is going to be amazing with the fighter shots.

+1. Yeah, either by providence or sheer luck , we have the longest cutscene left for last to be improved by Mjn's amazing leet skillz.

On second thought, it probably wasn't because of either providence or luck, but more simply because Mjn said to himself, "F*ckit, I'm gonna leave the longest and most difficult cutscene to deal with for last."

Three cheers for serendipity!  :D :D :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nightmare on August 25, 2020, 07:30:10 pm
Similar enough to the original box art that I thought worth touching up and posting.


I love this, any place where it could be put so that it isn't lost to thread page 234?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 25, 2020, 08:18:56 pm
I just realized something: Nyct is reworking the Moloch's graphics now. Does that mean Mjn will have to redo the End Part 1 cutscene to have the Moloch in the cutscene match the Nyxoloch? :nervous::nervous::nervous:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Nyctaeus on August 25, 2020, 08:24:05 pm
Nope. He will only replace frames featuring Moloch, and he has source files with all things set and ready for mesh replacement.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 25, 2020, 08:32:19 pm
Something something.. I am prepared.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/747991614697242645/unknown.png)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on August 25, 2020, 10:44:38 pm
You mad lad. You're going to re-render the entire cutscene just for one ship?

Respect. :yes2:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 25, 2020, 10:45:09 pm
Glad to see our resident cutscene upgrader is on top of things. :D
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 25, 2020, 11:14:29 pm
You mad lad. You're going to re-render the entire cutscene just for one ship?

Respect. :yes2:

It's honestly not that much work to swap in a ship and press the Render Button. Easy Peezy
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on August 27, 2020, 07:48:51 pm
Similar enough to the original box art that I thought worth touching up and posting.

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/747896247892967515/unknown.png)

:jaw:

... can we make this the FSO splash screen?  Or something.  That deserves to be seen more.  Is it at least up on deviantart?
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on August 27, 2020, 10:31:55 pm
I second jr2's motion.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on August 28, 2020, 12:46:21 am
I would rather keep the MediaVPs preload as an in-game screenshot because it's much more representative of what you'll see when playing.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: The E on August 28, 2020, 02:44:31 am
I would agree. The MVP splashscreen, as of the last few revisions, has been used as a showcase for the new, in-engine models that release brings with it; while that still is undeniably cool, it does not fill that purpose.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on August 28, 2020, 08:07:15 pm
Hmm.  Knossos splashscreen?  MVPs cover art in Knossos download menu?  Ok, ok, I'll be quiet now.   :p :warp:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on August 30, 2020, 09:55:41 am
Hmm.  Knossos splashscreen?  MVPs cover art in Knossos download menu?  Ok, ok, I'll be quiet now.   :p :warp:

It could be added to the front page screenshots. ;)
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: jr2 on August 30, 2020, 02:16:35 pm
Hmm.  Knossos splashscreen?  MVPs cover art in Knossos download menu?  Ok, ok, I'll be quiet now.   :p :warp:

It could be added to the front page screenshots. ;)

Sure thing!

@mjnmixael, can you post a version of that picture either without the FSOpen logo, or with the logo placed in the top-center?  If you visit www.hard-light.net and scroll halfway down the page, you can see what I mean if you scroll down to the "Enhance it with FreeSpace Open" step.

@Goober5000 does that look like a good place for it?  I thought so.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on August 31, 2020, 06:01:17 pm
:yes:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 05, 2020, 04:52:18 pm
(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223516619052285952/751922086951256114/unknown.png)

I have re-rendered EndPart1 using the new Moloch. You can download it in the first post. Note that the Youtube version is not updated because Youtube is dumb and doesn't let me update videos. The new Moloch version is what will go in MV_Cutscenes in the 4.4.x release of the MediaVPs.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on September 06, 2020, 03:31:45 am
(looks at post numbers) Might as well quote the older render here so it's easier to see the improvements. ;)

(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/223511363807346691/747896247892967515/unknown.png)

Is it even possible to update existing YouTube videos in the first place? The only "updates" I've ever seen on other videos are removals of certain portions due to copyright.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: 0rph3u5 on September 06, 2020, 08:11:41 am
You can perform simple edits via the YouTube, like cutting a portion or blur an element, but if you are looking to update a previous upload for whatever reason, the only option you have is a complete reupload. I guess, it has something to do with how YouTube technically processes a video after upload for its internal referrences (so even if you were to upload the same source file twice they would be different files for the plattform after it is done processing them) - but that's just guesswork 'cause the algorithm is holy and all that...
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: manwiththemachinegun on September 09, 2020, 01:13:45 pm
Will you be rerendering the Battle of Endor free-for-all in the background as well? I image that would take some serious work. There's easily 30 warships there, more if you include fighters.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Su-tehp on September 09, 2020, 03:23:36 pm
Will you be rerendering the Battle of Endor free-for-all in the background as well? I image that would take some serious work. There's easily 30 warships there, more if you include fighters.

Hell, that free-for-all is the main reason I can't wait to see Mjn's version of this cutscene. I want to see just much more awesomeness Mjn can add to the already-pretty-awesome Battle of Deneb. We all know he's up to the task and whatever he creates will be worthy of his earlier work. :nod:
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: mjn.mixael on September 20, 2021, 10:49:20 am
NOTE: These are released under the following license...

Quote
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

You are free to copy and redistribute this mod in any medium or format
You must give appropriate credit when using this mod
You must obtain permission to distribute derivative works of this mod
You must obtain permission to use this work for commercial purposes

This post is mostly to make sure that FSPort is aware because the license requires a link to the license be included when crediting as part of the attribution section.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: Goober5000 on September 20, 2021, 07:06:19 pm
Noted.  The mod has been updated on FSO Installer, and an update is in progress on Knossos.
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: ShivanSlayer on September 20, 2021, 09:45:50 pm
The ships look awesome in the HD cutscenes, but the people look unsettling and devoid of human emotion
Title: Re: Cutscene Upgrade Project
Post by: thesource on December 09, 2021, 02:19:24 am
Hi, download links in the initial message are broken, site mixhaipro.com returns weird HTML for any path.