Over in the PsychoScrum League thread we have been discussing the feasibility of filming key league games to have a permanent record of some of the historical (and oftent hysterical) action that takes place.

If you will recall from my TT Movie thread , I have a set-up that allows me to film the games on miniDV via my S-Video out port on my graphics card. The good thing about this is that it allows me to record games without introducing any lag .

-z- actually has an "Observer" script where an extra player floats above all the action in a UFO. Alas, he is not here, and it is also limited as his script runs only on his server. In the absence of that, the observer has to be a tank on the field of play. This could confuse the radar to have an extra blue or green dot. But, thanks to Sluggy's admin tools, I have the ability to make myself RED so as to not confuse the radar. That's cool, but leaves the final challenge: can the filmer to stay far enough away from the action so as not to interfere with the game play and yet be close enough to effectively capture the live drama that is taking place.

So, I went out to the tool shed and strapped a video camera
to the top of my tank with some string and duct tape:

And here is the result.
Click on the following picture to see the movie.
(QuickTime format, 4:34, 24 MB)

It is not as easy as it looks to stay out of the way. You really have to watch the radar closely. But I think it is quite do-able. I think you get a good sense of the action, but not the same immersion as when you play. It's funny to be out on the field and not go after the scrum! And to actually watch in peace with out getting shot up - feels almost unnatural aye!

So, let me know what you think! Feedback appreciated. Woooot!

-Reagent X

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EDIT 11/15/04
2nd experiment (read thread for details):
Click on the following picture to see the movie.
(QuickTime format, 5:14, 23 MB)

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EDIT 11/17/04
3rd experiment (read thread for details):
Improved HeliCam® controls!

QuickTime format, 3:00, 30 MB
download the movie and view at double size.

New HeliCam® Footage .

Last edited: Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 1:36:35 PM

X,
I can host up to 90meg or so, but with proper compression, the space kinda pops.
If everyone has an update-to-date-ish version of quicktime, we can compress using pixlet, which has incredible ridiculous quality. I think it's key that we be able to read names, keep it personal.

The format that Rx used does well with size doubling. You have to download the movie to your hard drive and then open it in Quicktime player. Then go to the movie menu and select double size. You can see the names better at double size.

I will post high-res example when I get home tonight. Isn't there a way to turn part of one's hard drive into a web server? At least temporarily? Could be a way to distribute the files for a limited time maybe...

Also I think it should be easy to make a bright red scrum based on these examples (select "scrum" from the skin set menu).

Last edited: Monday, November 15, 2004 at 8:59:14 PM

Btw, I nominate Daisy Duke for the voice-over play by play narration! ;)

Okay, here's the latest.

As RX mentioned, one issue with the free cam is that you have to park your tank somewhere as you fly around. Most of the time this is not an issue. The problems arise if the tank is destroyed. Even though you are flying around you still see the "Press Space" dailogue on screen (not good for filming). An even bigger problem is that once your dead tank vanishes you can no longer go back to your tank as it no longer exists. And you can't respawn without being "in" your tank. So the "Press Space" wording stays on screen.

But I've been doing some tweaking of the script today. Here are some things I'm working on. First of all there is a suicide command. Second there is a respawn option. Third there is a clear centerprint command. So now you can go into observer mode leaving your tank behind, kill yourself with the suicide command, clear the "Press Space" dialogue, and fly around with no more worries of your idle body down below. This is also great as it eliminates the extra radar dot. Then you can use the respawn command to get your tank back and drive around like normal. So far it is working pretty well. The commands are only available for those with the servers "Observer Password". So no one can use these elements as cheats.

It's going to take some more tweaking, but it is coming along pretty well.

Monkee

RX, go into System Preferances/Sharing. Turn on Personal Web Sharing. That will allow people acces to your "sites" folder. The web address will be your.IP.address/your _user_name.

Hope that helps
Monkee

Last edited: Monday, November 15, 2004 at 9:40:24 PM

I like the idea of the championships being recorded.
I like the view from the ground better.
It makes you feel like you are more in the action.
kj likes that view better too.
Great job on making it happen guys!

Dar

I like the heli-cam better. From farther up, you can see all the subtle contributions from each team member that go into either scoring or botching a goal. XD

And LW is on to something. I forsee scrum teams distributing the films, reviewing them together, creating practice servers, working up plays for both offense and defense...

Oh, man, this takes TS to a whole new level. I could watch the films and see why I suck so bad! :S :o XD XD

And league games should def. Be recorded.
Idea for the storage space issue: what about creating an email distribution list or a list serve to send the vid out to anyone who's signed up? No1 would have to web-host it and eat up all their valuable space. Not to mention the bandwith as ppl downloaded it. 8o

@Dar, Yeah I know what you guys mean about being in the action. We are hoping to have some improvements to the controls, which would make driving the camera easier and allow it to get real close - and even in the middle of the action - without the risk of interference. Let's see how it goes the next couple of days.

Here is a lite blue scrum. Don't know if it really helps any. Other color schemes anyone?

-Rx

Unless you have a red tank skin

Or are playing in frantic as the PS championships will be.

Good work all. Rx and MM, you guys deserve a medal for your extra hours.

By the way, I would be happy to volunteer for the voice over colour comments! *puts on deep, tv voice* "...and here comes Rx, looks like he's got chemistry tonight folks! Moving in for the kill is MonkeeMan, he means business now. And Bolo races for the scrum, looking very dapper in his Tie! Tally Ho with another goal, so many even he can't keep track..."

Could be fun.

-dukes

Woot!

@Ho: Sorry full quality DV is just too much! I will have to play with more compression. Tried pixlet, could be cool. More later.

Last edited: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 5:24:45 AM

Rx. I snagged your trashed link (mod's privies :)) and encoded the.dv using pixlet.
quality is sharp - tis for cartoons, after all. Good ball scrummin.

Last edited: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 5:46:28 AM

Ho: excellent! How big was file after compression?

Latest refinements successful. They now allow for easier driving and smoother zooming!

Last edited: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 6:22:54 AM

Here's the skin I use for my scrum. It's easy to see, and makes me feel all patriotic inside. :)

I think we should definately have at least two sportscasters on each game, to provide for mindless banter - Monday Night Football style. They could view the vid. From a website and voice chat while one recorded the audio. Both should have an ample supply of alchohol (assuming they're old enough, of course. If not, large ammounts of caffine perhaps?)

Last edited: Tuesday, November 16, 2004 at 12:40:18 PM

Good quality compression:
http://homepage.mac.com/justinhallman/1.mov

@Ho: That looks great in terms of quality, but it is still about 40% of the original file size. To be able to post an entire 2-game match we would need to be down another 10-fold or so no?

@Shell: I'll give the ol' glory a try! If you have a chance can you post a screenie of it on a frantic map?

Nuzzle.

New Demo Movie of improved HeliCam® controls!!

Here is a sample of the kind of improved control we can get now with the HeliCam.

QuickTime format, 3:00, 30 MB
download the movie and view at double size.

New HeliCam® Footage .

WARNING: This video contains graphic footage of Bolo scoring several goals. Please take the appropriate viewing precautions! ;)

Last edited: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 6:14:02 AM

Freaking awesome.
My only caveat is that I would like to a skin that is more directional, so that when the scrum comes together, the textures don't turn into so much of a blob.

Last edited: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 6:29:39 AM

Beautiful!!

So it was a rock that I bounced off of...

Now I feel I must apologize to the rock. I'm sorry I almost deleted you from the map. I was a fool to think I didn't need you.

Monkee

@Tally: Thanks! You mean the tank skin? Any suggestions for a good one? The scrum is a little pale there. Needs to be even more visible.

@MM: Woot! Observer movies of MonkeeMods - it's all coming together aye!

Last edited: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 6:37:42 AM

First rate! Terrific viewing both in content and delivery. At double size you really get the feel for the action. I think there's some html that will force 2X display in the browser. I'll try to find that info.

Not that it needs improving, but have you tried 10 and 15 FPS? You might also try tweaking the gamma, contrast, and brightness.

Heya BC! Thanks! I think this latest movie is 12 FPS. I tried 15 but the file was about 6 or 7 MB bigger. I didn't try 10 FPS yet.

Here's what I used:
Sorenson 3 codec
Medium Quality
12 FPS
400 x 300 pixels (exactly half of DV which is 800 x 600)
MPEG4 sound (22 KHz sampling, Mono, 16 bit)

Not sure what to put in for a Keyframe rate. I will also try pixlet codec soon.

That would be great to automatically double the movie size in the browser.

I want to hear two British accents doing a play by play.

Sniper

"Ambitious run by bolo..."
"But oh, we've seen this ending before..."

Usually the team that scores the most points is going to win it.
- John Madden

Just paste in the play by play from any Monday Nite Football game and you're golden.

@ Rx. Regarding the scrum skin....

Aghem,

O-oh say can you seeEEEEE?

...for purple mountains' majesty...

...aaaabove the frUIT-ed plAAAAAIInn...

%)
Don't it jest set yer blood a-flowin? Mek ya feel awll warm-like insahd?

{edited in} Spooky maps would really need a dif. Scrum , I guess. Maybe a hot pink, or flourescent yellow... Not too much shows up well in that blue fog. :S

Last edited: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 3:44:29 PM

XD LOL, KBC XD XD XD
You know, that just might work...
Madden's great. A recent quote: "You just really don't want to drop the ball in a game like this..." When do you want to? I don't remember what game that was, but it cracked me up.

The new helicam controls seem to work great. You can view it from afar or close in and it looks great. It's also not as choppy as it seemed before, so I guess ya made the camera easier to fly. Well done, well done.

Last edited: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 at 3:46:23 PM

Ahem, Shellshock - it looks like you planted a French flag into an Old Glory globe. ;)

And I like the idea of having Madden voiceovers: "I don't know why he called that play. What was he thinking !?!" Any version of Madden Football could be a great source! And maybe some tele-strator diagrams complete with some "BOOM"s! *Sniiiiiifff* I can smell the tur-duck-en already...

KBC, how about a lovely MNTT intro segment like this week's MNF/Desperate Housewives intro! Any suggestions for a TT female to play the formerly-betoweled role? And for 44's sake, let's just replace TO's role with another female.

Reagent X, I was wondering if you would e able to tell me how to get this going. I would like to record some of the Battlemode playoff games. Where do you get the script and how are the controls utilized?

Thanks!

Napalm

Last edited: Thursday, November 18, 2004 at 1:31:08 PM

PsychoScrum7 championship game was successfully captured on tape! It went into double-overtime - what a match! Four games in a row. Fortunately I had an extra blank tape ready just in case. I think I was probably more nervous than the players! I will be posting a highlite reel of the match later tonight so stay tuned. I will also be making a DVD available! More info will be availble soon on that at: www.reagentx.com .

@Napalm: The observer script was written by MonkeeMan and uses some deep stuff from the non-demo version of the Torque Game Engine. He is making some inquiries to see if and how it can be distributed.

@ Shell: Nice and visible for Lush and Frantic. I used a light blue one for Frantic last which was fine but not that great.

Lol reagent how did u really do it? With sum script? If so then link to it r post it plz, im trying to make my own TT movie for blackmailing opportunities... Heh heh heh... :S :S :S :S :S :S :S :S :S :S
[~Sasuke~]

Cool little pics
and nice scrum skin

The only thing I say is add a little background music. I pick Toby Mac for the music if you have him try to get something to get the adrenaline rush!

X, what's the pass for u'r 7----- something server?

Cadc (SA) (Leader)

Stop Cadc.

O, is that the psycho scrum server tally? My bad, sry, didn't know :(

Cadc (SA) (Leader)

No, no, that IS the password - "Stop Cadc". XD
Just kidding, heheh. :P

@George
Um, oh, yeah... That was on purpose, yeah... It's uh, um... It's a symbol of the uh,... The unity between France and the USA. Yeah, that's it... Pretty good, huh?
..... I guess maybe I should see about fixin that....
;)

@ Ok we'll see how it goes...

Thanks!

LOL ShellShocked XD XD XD

Cadc (SA) (Leader)

PsychoScrum Championship Highlight Reel is finished! B)

@ Monkee Man

I was considering recording the battlemode playoffs if I can get a hold of the recording information..

Napalm

@ MonkeeMan

This is really what I'm after!!!

Napalm

Last edited: Friday, November 19, 2004 at 2:40:35 PM