Allegiance Training Videos - Google Video

User-to-user help and troubleshooting.
lawson
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Post by lawson »

Raveen wrote:QUOTE (Raveen @ Jan 9 2007, 01:02 PM) Out of interest, how long did that take to make?

Very nicely done, the zooms are smart as hell and make things much clearer for a newbie to see what you're doing.

All in all, as a proof of concept it's brilliant. Now go make some proper ones /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />
Wow! Thanks for the glowing reviews!

Under the hood, my Allegiance rig is a dual-core Athlon 4200+ (soon to be 5200+, backordered forever...) with 2GB RAM. I'm not even certain it's aware that Allegiance is running.

I've not actually purchased Fraps yet... ah shoot, why not... click click... that was easy... done!

Here's a quick rundown of what I did:

First, ASUS GameLive Replay, which was included with my GT7950 PCIE card, does real-time captures up to 720x480 at 30FPS. However, it leaves a nice big fat ASUS logo on the image. Already out of the gate, I've lost a bit of quality due to scaling down from the real 800x600.

I jumped into a game and played for about 20 minutes or so. GameLive Replay generated a 400MB DivX AVI. Nice...

Next, because Pinnacle Studio 10 was so very poor at reading the DivX video created by the ASUS software, I ran the captured file (400MB) through VirtualDub with the FFDShow codec to generate a 720x480 DV format file. Stunned by the filesize, I tried again with MJPEG... 5GB now.

Here, I realized that if I bought Fraps, I'd save myself a lot of trouble... and many GB of disk space!

In Pinnacle, I used the "2D Editor" to zoom into selected portions of the screen. I also added subtitles to serve as storyboard material for the final narration, but removed them in the final cut to ensure that all possible video compression bandwidth was spent on game footage. Careful application of the Speed plugin ensured that everything runs in slow-motion during the main fighter-intercepts-bomber portion so I have to actually say all the stuff I wanted to say.

After working up a non-narrated version, and running through several passes to ensure that the narration fit the time alloted (whichItDidJustBarelyBecauseIWasStillTalkingTooFast), I used the "record narration" feature in Pinnacle and just read the subtitles right into a microphone. Yup--that's my voice, unaltered, with a $10 microphone.

After removing the subtitles, I punched "Make", set it to 720x480 single-pass DivX at 2MBits (plenty), and... waited. It actually finished rather quickly; with a dual core CPU it renders faster-than-realtime. The final DivX version is 35MB; the MPEG2 is DVD-quality at 100MB.

Now that I have a real copy of Fraps, I'll see what it can manage at full 800x600 resolution. Hopefully I can edit in Fraps codec format rather than converting to another codec to reduce image lossage. The best results thus far for final output have been either multipass DivX in VirtualDub, or (as much as it pains me to admit) Windows Media multipass.

I also experimented with SWF (Flash) conversion, but wasn't happy with the results at 1MBit.
Last edited by lawson on Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lawson
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 8:00 am
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Post by lawson »

Shizoku wrote:QUOTE (Shizoku @ Jan 9 2007, 03:10 AM) I've been wanting to make something like this for a coon's age, but the lag fraps gives me is intolerable. Because of that, you're excused for missing your first few shots on the bbr
/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />
Please continue this sexy work, if you need any help from myself just drop me a line.
Now that I have Fraps on dual-core machine, I'm hoping lag won't be an issue.

Proposed topics include:Bomber NanningSignature ManagementWhy Did I Die (explains how to manage tactical awareness, like being outnumbered 4 to 1)ProbingHere's my script for one "real" lesson: Bomber Nanning. The actions described by the narration are shown real-time with captured game footage, except where slow-mo is necessary to catch the finer points.

Bomber Nanning:Bombers are heavy-hitting, slow moving ships [zoom to ship speed stat, highlight speed]with finite shields and armor [fast pan to armor/shield stats]and turret guns for defense [fast pan to turrets]but a well-coordinated team can make bombers nearly indestructible by nanning. [zoom out][Select Scout] Most faction scouts and some faction fighter craft can carry Nanite Repair guns [zoom to ship select, Scout, then pan to gun select, Nanite]Unlike other weapons, nanite guns don't cause damage; they repair ships and bases [zoom to nanite stats, show damage] by rebuilding armor of anything you fire on.[Zoom out, Allegiance audio: "Need scouts. Need repairs."] When a bomber pilot requests scouts and repairs, he means nanite guns loaded on your scout ship.With sufficient nanite support, or nans, a bomber's armor can be repaired faster than enemy ships can damage it.If you have time, load proxy mines or mine packs into your scout cargo bay. [Zoom to cargo bay, show proxy/mp loadout] Dropping these in the path of incoming defenders will slow them down significantly, or perhaps even earn you a few kills.[Zoom out] Once your scout is loaded, hit Confirm [Zoom to Confirm, show click, zoom out] and move to the base requested by the bomber pilot.You can find the bomber by hitting F6 and checking the icons in the team roster display [F6, open Team Roster, zoom in to team display, highlight bomber to show what sector it's in].To transfer to that sector, press F8 and double-click the sector name. [Zoom out, F8, zoom to transfer pane, double-click sector, zoom out][Allegiance audio: "Launching now."]When the bomber launches, you launch, [slight zoom to launch button] and watch for orders from the bomber crew in case the bomber needs decides to teleport or "ripcord" to another sector. [watch launch animation...]If advised to "push", follow the bomber, gain speed, then ram into the bomber and move aside to permit other scouts to assist. [Demo this.] You can easily increase the bomber's speed far beyond its official maximum.Do not push the bomber into Alephs; and don't push once the bomber is within target range of the enemy base. The pilot may miss his target.[Fast-forward to bomber closing on enemy base, with enemy craft approaching]As the bomber approaches a hostile situation, move within range of the nanite gun [Zoom to ship inventory pane, show range of Nanite gun] which is around 400meters [zoom out]. Things can move very quickly at this point, so we're going to slow-motion... [do so]Here's where side-thrusters are invaluable. Rotate your ship to remain pointed toward the bomber at all times, and use the side thrusters to continue moving around the bomber. [show this]As you move, try to drop mines in the path of incoming enemy craft. [show, if possible; zoom out to F3 view, then back]If the bomber has turret gunners, try to avoid blocking their line of fire. [show, if possible] They're trying to keep you--and the bomber--alive!You might be able to move to keep the bomber between yourself and enemy craft. [show] But always stay where you can continue nanning the bomber. Veteran players will often target the nan scouts first--until the nans are dead, the bomber's armor will continue to regenerate. So don't take it personally if your defenseless nanscout is the first to go. [Show podding]. It's just business!If you have time, cycle targets through your fellow nans. [show]If any of them are badly damaged, nan them too, if you have a chance. [show]A well-organized team of nans can make a bomber seem invincible. [Show enemy base exploding, zoom out to F3, note how many enemy ships are still attacking.][Resume normal speed, then rewind] Let's watch the entire bomb run at normal speed. [Do it, no narration.][Show "rewinding" animation back to nans following the bomber][overlay text: "Veteran Secret: Self-commanding Repairs"]Here's a tip from the vets.[Slow motion, zoom to chat line, show each keystroke event sync with narration]To track the bomber, give yourself a Repair order by pressing Enter to activate chat,type your own callsign and press Tab to target yourself,Press Ctrl-R to select the Repair order,type the callsign of the bomber pilot, pressing Tab once you see the chat line auto-complete the name,then hit enter. [Allegiance sound: "Autopilot engaged."][Zoom out]Disengage the autopilot. ["Autopilot disengaged."]Now, your new orders are displayed on-screen [Zoom to current orders in left top corner].What you've gained is a new targeting arrow which will always point toward your current command order--in this case, repairing the bomber--[Zoom out, then into targeting cluster]even when you're not facing directly toward the bomber [Rotate away from bomber, zoom closer to the green targeting arrow]or have targetted other ships [Zoom back while targetting other ships].Remember [show rewind to start]: only live bombers kill bases [Show base explosion]. A well-nanned bomber [show armor building on bomber] is a live bomber! [show base explosion again] [Allegiance audio: Awesome! Nice work!]Now, just need to play several games as a nan to gather footage... /mrgreen.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="mrgreen.gif" />
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Seymor
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Post by Seymor »

Since you mentioned nanites mounted on belter fighters/hvy ints it would be wise to also mention Phoenix as a special case (Zoom into the bumper sticker on the back that says "Do Not Nan" to show off some of allegiance finer graphics)

Also mention using radar modes to see the hull dropping on scouts quickly.

Another wise thing to mention would be deploying rescue probes behind the aleph before going in. That might be something best left to a veteran player though but mention that it's there for pod pickups afterwards.

You can also click on the base transfer panel in the hanger bay to transfer bases. I fine this quickly than taking my hand off my mouse.

Note: OMFG I love Spell check
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All in all you are a very dying race // Placing trust upon a cruel world. // You never had the things you thought you should have had //
And you'll not get them now, // And all the while in perfect time // Your tears are falling on the ground. -- Squonk, Genesis
zecro
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Post by zecro »

I think it might be nice if you create an "Alleg Basics" (Allegiance Basic Controls? - ABCs) video, to show how to use f3, f6, f8, minimap, ship loadout, boost, cloak, missile lock.

It might help totally new players know what to do (the training missions are weak sauce) and show off Allegiance's unique features to interested players. If they see the game is different enough, they might be more interested to watch the other in-depth videos.

For the bomber nanning one, maybe add an "appendix" showing unique cases: booster pushing, mounting a nanite and another gun (i.e. TF), Belter fighters, Phoenix. I'm imagining these would be short 4-second-or-something clips, but important nonetheless ("why is everyone in fighters?" "onoes, I'm shooting and repairing at the same time ololo!" "nan not work much?")

Nice Work!
juckto
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Post by juckto »

Bomber Nanning:Bombers are heavy-hitting, slow moving ships [zoom to ship speed stat, highlight speed]with finite shields and armor [fast pan to armor/shield stats]and turret guns for defense [fast pan to turrets]but a well-coordinated team can make bombers nearly indestructible by nanning. [zoom out][Select Scout] Most faction scouts and some faction fighter craft can carry Nanite Repair guns [zoom to ship select, Scout, then pan to gun select, Nanite]Unlike other weapons, nanite guns don't cause damage; they repair ships and bases [zoom to nanite stats, show damage] by rebuilding armor of anything you fire on.[Zoom out, Allegiance audio: "Need scouts. Need repairs."] When a bomber pilot requests scouts and repairs, he means nanite guns loaded on your scout ship.With sufficient nanite support, or nans, a bomber's armor can be repaired faster than enemy ships can damage it.If you have time, load proxy mines or mine packs into your scout cargo bay. [Zoom to cargo bay, show proxy/mp loadout] Dropping these in the path of incoming defenders will slow them down significantly, or perhaps even earn you a few kills.[Zoom out] Once your scout is loaded, hit Confirm [Zoom to Confirm, show click, zoom out] and move to the base requested by the bomber pilot.You can find the bomber by hitting F6 and checking the icons in the team roster display [F6, open Team Roster, zoom in to team display, highlight bomber to show what sector it's in].
Another way is to hover your mouse over the minimap sectors, and search for the bomber icon.To transfer to that sector, press F8 and double-click the sector name or the sector on the minimap [Zoom out, F8, zoom to transfer pane, double-click sector, zoom out][Allegiance audio: "Launching now."]When the bomber launches, you launch, [slight zoom to launch button] and watch for orders from the bomber crew in case the bomber needs decides to teleport or "ripcord" to another sector. [watch launch animation...]If advised to "push", follow the bomber, gain speed, then ram into the bomber and move aside to permit other scouts to assist. [Demo this.] You can easily increase the bomber's speed far beyond its official maximum. Note that this becomes slightly more dangerous if friendly fire is on!Do not push the bomber into Alephs; and don't push once the bomber is within target range of the enemy base. The pilot may miss his target.[Fast-forward to bomber closing on enemy base, with enemy craft approaching]As the bomber approaches a hostile situation, move within range of the nanite gun [Zoom to ship inventory pane, show range of Nanite gun] which is around 400meters [zoom out]. Things can move very quickly at this point, so we're going to slow-motion... [do so]Here's where side-thrusters are invaluable. Rotate your ship to remain pointed toward the bomber at all times, and use the side thrusters to continue moving around the bomber. [show this]As you move, try to drop mines in the path of incoming enemy craft. [show, if possible; zoom out to F3 view, then back]If the bomber has turret gunners, try to avoid blocking their line of fire. [show, if possible] They're trying to keep you--and the bomber--alive!You might be able to move to keep the bomber between yourself and enemy craft. [show] But always stay where you can continue nanning the bomber. Veteran players will often target the nan scouts first--until the nans are dead, the bomber's armor will continue to regenerate. So don't take it personally if your defenseless nanscout is the first to go. [Show podding]. It's just business!If you have time, cycle targets through your fellow nans. [show]If any of them are badly damaged, nan them too, if you have a chance. [show][Veteran's Tip: Displaying health] If you cycle through the Radar modes (Press I by default) [Show shot of glyphs appearing as narrator cycles through] then you can have the health of friendly ships displayed on your screen. Hopefully you will spot a friend being attacked and nan him in time [Show shot of nans glyph (perferabbly on the edge of the hud) being red, and narrator spinning to repair them]A well-organized team of nans can make a bomber seem invincible. [Show enemy base exploding, zoom out to F3, note how many enemy ships are still attacking.][Resume normal speed, then rewind] Let's watch the entire bomb run at normal speed. [Do it, no narration.][Show "rewinding" animation back to nans following the bomber][overlay text: "Veteran Secret: Self-commanding Repairs"]Here's a tip from the vets.[Slow motion, zoom to chat line, show each keystroke event sync with narration]To track the bomber, give yourself a Repair order by pressing Enter to activate chat,type your own callsign and press Tab to target yourself,Press Ctrl-R to select the Repair order,type the callsign of the bomber pilot, pressing Tab once you see the chat line auto-complete the name,then hit enter. [Allegiance sound: "Autopilot engaged."][Zoom out]Disengage the autopilot. ["Autopilot disengaged."]Now, your new orders are displayed on-screen [Zoom to current orders in left top corner].GAH! "Veteran's Secret: Targetting the bomber"] Here's a tip from the vets.In the customize controls menu you can bind "Target friendly bomber" to any key on your keyboard (show zoom in of person doing this). If you use that you gain a new targeting arrow which will always point toward the bomber, no matter how disorientated you get. [Rotate away from bomber, zoom closer to the targeting arrow] {So much simpler! Sure, you lose it if you target something else, but you're only 1 keystroke away from regaining it!}Remember [show rewind to start]: only live bombers kill bases [Show base explosion]. A well-nanned bomber [show armor building on bomber] is a live bomber! [show base explosion again] [Allegiance audio: Awesome! Nice work!]
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Usually though, "skill" is used to covertly mean "match the game exactly to my level of competence." Anyone who is at all worse than me should fail utterly (and humorously!) and anyone better is clearly too caught up in the game and their opinions shouldn't count.
lared
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Post by lared »

How about scheduling a game or two as specifically "Training Video Games" where the teams collude to create circumstances that are optimal for whatever footage currently needs to be filmed for the current training video?
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ImmortalZ
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Post by ImmortalZ »

Such games would be good for shooting the theory parts. But I'd rather have shots from a real game for the action parts /mrgreen.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="mrgreen.gif" />
General_Freak
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Post by General_Freak »

You could also film some failed bomb runs, and show situations where even nans can't keep the bomber alive (like camped alephs, hvy ints, and mines)

Seymor wrote:QUOTE (Seymor @ Jan 10 2007, 12:50 AM) I fine this quickly than taking my hand off my mouse.

Note: OMFG I love Spell check
/wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />
Last edited by General_Freak on Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lawson
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Post by lawson »

ImmortalZ wrote:QUOTE (ImmortalZ @ Jan 10 2007, 09:40 AM) Such games would be good for shooting the theory parts. But I'd rather have shots from a real game for the action parts /mrgreen.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="mrgreen.gif" />
I've had plenty of games in Allegiance where the phrase "Making the theoretical practical" really applies! I figure after a few days of Allegiance gaming, I'll have a TON of edit-worthy footage--but only from one viewpoint, as it were.

Fraps captures use about 300MB per MINUTE. Grrr! The software I really want to use is ZDSoft Game Recorder--it lets you choose other codecs, so if you have the CPU power to generate 1MBit DivX in real-time (which I do) it'll save a pile of disk space. But ZDSoft has some obscure bug that drops the capture framerate in Allegiance--and only Allegiance--to less than 10 FPS.

I can capture Halo and even Ghost Recon with ZDSoft, no problem. Asus GameLive Replay works fine in Alleg, as does Fraps. Might there be some obscure DirectX stuff going on in Allegiance that causes ZDSoft to freak out?

http://www.zdsoft.com/game-recorder/ for the geeks who want to take a stab at it.

Fraps is by far the highest quality at capture time, but the files are massive. And I have to run them through a second codec pass to get them into Pinnacle Studio 10. The CPU burden on my box is not even 30%; my frame rate in Alleg exceeds 200FPS most of the time, and I was able to capture 60FPS in Fraps (WHOO HOO) during testing. TMI... Too Much Info... That 60FPS capture file was massive!

I need to post up some "final quality" renders soon. I'm capturing at 800x600, editing in an intended-for-video-not-AVI editor (Pinnacle) whose nearest resolution is 720x480 (next step up is a 16:9 of something like 1280x960 or something), and aiming for 640x480 or 800x600 DivX/Windows Media as final output. The quality loss needs to be reduced as much as reasonable.

Wait a sec... wasn't there a way to get Allegiance to display in 16:9 wide-aspect resolutions? Could I run Allegiance windowed at like at 1280x720 or such? (My LCD is 1280x1024 4:3 aspect).

Edit edit...
http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums/index...p;hl=widescreen has the answer!

Can't wait to get home now...
Last edited by lawson on Wed Jan 10, 2007 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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lightninglp
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Post by lightninglp »

AWSOME!
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Some Newb: This Game ROCKS, and its FREE!
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