Have Your Voice Heard! [Part 2] - Screenshots!

[Ingar]

Now those are some fine screenshots Ingar, especially the last one you sampled here. A Tyrant, with nothing but spent bullet casings around him. It's just too funny.

I recommend the sequence atcs009 atcs010

[Lava Croft]

Now those are some fine screenshots Ingar, especially the last one you sampled here. A Tyrant, with nothing but spent bullet casings around him. It's just too funny.

I recommend the sequence atcs009 atcs010

Haha, priceless! Also, is it me, or am I missing Uncreation in the screenshots? I personally think Uncreation should be featured on the shots, if not merely for the fact that is looks different than the other maps! And of course, any way to increase Soup's melon should be used!

[Ingar]

I recommend the sequence atcs009 atcs010

Haha, priceless! Also, is it me, or am I missing Uncreation in the screenshots? I personally think Uncreation should be featured on the shots, if not merely for the fact that is looks different than the other maps! And of course, any way to increase Soup's melon should be used!

At the moment, there's only ATCS and Transit. My screenshot-finger is a bit fatigued now and needs some rest.

[Paradox]

Perhaps someone could do some panoramic screens.

[Lava Croft]

Perhaps someone could do some panoramic screens.

Those will never reflect how Tremulous looks like, since afaik, Tremulous has no panorama view option? I think we should just try to stay as close to how Tremulous will look like as possible. Nothing more annoying than 'bullshots'.

[Paradox]

QTVR ftw.

[Bissig]

I dont like staging things. Thats why I used the word "snapshot".

Don't stage things. Spectate good players, fly around as spectator and watch the action.
The demo recording just makes it easier to catch the perfect picture. For my previous post,
I made 150 screenshots and selected the best. All real, in-game action. No faking.

There's more to a picture then a couple of players posing against the wall. Color,
composition , movement. That's what it is about. We're trying to show the best side
of tremulous here. Sloppy screenshots give a sloppy impression and nobody wants that.

So, do as I do. Make tons of screenshots and select the very best.
The devs can select the awesome from those.

Maybe you prefer mass, I prefer class. I wait for a good moment, usually when playing myself, sometimes when spectating. And THEN I take a screenshot or a small serious of action shots. The method you recommend is uninspired and equal to mass production.

Btw, from your four screenies in your previous post, only the first with the mara is at all interesting (Lighting, Action, Dramaturgie). The other ones miss exactly what you stated in this post. The tyrant one would be close if to the left of the image there would be seen a silhouette of the bullet spreading human. The bullets in themselves are boring (and too small and insignificant).

[Rocinante]

A demo is simply a series of screen shots lined up in a row and played in order.  Therefore, by taking demos while you play, then playing one back when you recall a worthy moment (or looking for one while you're not playing or spectating) you can snap a screenshot as you see fit.

Your argument is akin to telling a digital photographer, "Don't go wasting all those shots, just pull the camera out when you see a good one."  Digital (demos) is cheap, fire away, crop out the crap and catch those moments that you would've missed by reaching for the screenshot key.

Plus if you have a truly wonderful game, you can share the whole thing instead of "This is the screenshot I took just after the rant got past me, but you can't see it here..."  Uninspired mass production would be gathering people together to pose for shots, telling them to start over when it didn't work out just right.

[Ellohir]

I like this type of screens: http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/4094/shot0005tr5.jpg

PS: next time i'll use bind 1 "seta cg_draw2d 0; wait 10; screenshot; seta cg_draw2d 1". So I won't get text on the screenshot

[Lava Croft]

I think Blissig hasn't made a good picture or screenshot in his entire life, because I can see no other reason why anyone would type out such stupidity. You either are blind and do not see how nice Ingar's screenshots are, or you are just devoid of any kind of insight in what makes a screenshot a 'good' screenshot.

In other words Blissig, if you think Ingar's screenshots are so bad, get off your lazy ass and try to outdo him! I'm sure someone with your capabilities could easily do that!

[Overdose]

you can record demos of all your games (cl_autorecorddemo 1) and take screenshots from them (timescale will help fast forward)

Will that command stop and start a new demo for each round? If so, then I'll probably start doing it that way.


One other thing, does a very light bloom effect count as "non-default"? It's barely noticeable.

[Lava Croft]

you can record demos of all your games (cl_autorecorddemo 1) and take screenshots from them (timescale will help fast forward)

Will that command stop and start a new demo for each round? If so, then I'll probably start doing it that way.


One other thing, does a very light bloom effect count as "non-default"? It's barely noticeable.

1: Yes, it starts a new demo every game.
2: r_bloom is added as a third party patch, and is not a part of Tremulous. Using it in your screenshots would effectively turn your screenshots into bullshots, kind of.

[khalsa]

I agree, If it isn't in SVN allready or confirmed by the devs to be in 1.2, please leave it out :-)


Khalsa

[Paradox]

A demo is simply a series of screen shots lined up in a row and played in order.  Therefore, by taking demos while you play, then playing one back when you recall a worthy moment (or looking for one while you're not playing or spectating) you can snap a screenshot as you see fit.

Umm, isnt that actually a video?

A demo is just a collection of vectors and other data that the game engine re-interprets.

Correct me if i am wrong.

[Rocinante]

A demo is simply a series of screen shots lined up in a row and played in order.  Therefore, by taking demos while you play, then playing one back when you recall a worthy moment (or looking for one while you're not playing or spectating) you can snap a screenshot as you see fit.

Umm, isnt that actually a video?
A demo is just a collection of vectors and other data that the game engine re-interprets.
Correct me if i am wrong.

No, you're technically correct.  I'm speaking in terms of the fact that a demo, when played back, just gives you a series of screenshots you can take.  Technically a demo is the vectors like you say, and a video would be the actual frames one after the other; from the perspective of someone playing either back and grabbing a frame from the client here and there, they're equal (save for the video being crappy quality, and the demo being a cleaner solution and smaller to keep around for shits & giggles).

[Lava Croft]

I agree, If it isn't in SVN allready or confirmed by the devs to be in 1.2, please leave it out :-)


Khalsa

I personally would like to push for:

Do not show anything that is not present in the current download of Tremulous 1.1.0. That way, there is no chance of any kind of shitstorm because of any kind of person that likes to push buttons. 

[PS]Why do you write your name under your post?

[your face]

Didn't say anything about non-default maps

("View Image" --> Enlarge, for clearer effect)

[Bissig]

A demo is simply a series of screen shots lined up in a row and played in order.  Therefore, by taking demos while you play, then playing one back when you recall a worthy moment (or looking for one while you're not playing or spectating) you can snap a screenshot as you see fit.

Your argument is akin to telling a digital photographer, "Don't go wasting all those shots, just pull the camera out when you see a good one."  Digital (demos) is cheap, fire away, crop out the crap and catch those moments that you would've missed by reaching for the screenshot key.

Plus if you have a truly wonderful game, you can share the whole thing instead of "This is the screenshot I took just after the rant got past me, but you can't see it here..."  Uninspired mass production would be gathering people together to pose for shots, telling them to start over when it didn't work out just right.

Your third point is called acting or staging.

I dont run around with my digital camera and do hundreds of shots and hope to find a good one. I look at the scene or have an idea and then I do a few shots.

You describe a technical approach while I describe a more artistic one.

[Bissig]

I think Blissig hasn't made a good picture or screenshot in his entire life, because I can see no other reason why anyone would type out such stupidity. You either are blind and do not see how nice Ingar's screenshots are, or you are just devoid of any kind of insight in what makes a screenshot a 'good' screenshot.

In other words Blissig, if you think Ingar's screenshots are so bad, get off your lazy ass and try to outdo him! I'm sure someone with your capabilities could easily do that!

I did not say that they are bad. The other 3 from his post are just not interesting. The first one is good. Really good: Action, drama, and infights with aliens and nice lighting.

You and some of the more technical ppl here sound like they would also enjoy movies of the kind of "The adventures of modern days meat production". Where is inspiration? Where is spontanity? Where is creativity?

I am probably making a mistake, but well:

http://www.trumorz.de/tremulous/drupal/de/category/image-galleries/tremulous-action

[David]

Your third point is called acting or staging.

I dont run around with my digital camera and do hundreds of shots and hope to find a good one. I look at the scene or have an idea and then I do a few shots.

You describe a technical approach while I describe a more artistic one.

To me, your point is nearer to staging than Rocinante's.
According to you stills taken from a video of a football game are staged?

[Bissig]

Your third point is called acting or staging.

I dont run around with my digital camera and do hundreds of shots and hope to find a good one. I look at the scene or have an idea and then I do a few shots.

You describe a technical approach while I describe a more artistic one.

To me, your point is nearer to staging than Rocinante's.
According to you stills taken from a video of a football game are staged?

What?

Why cant you stop to confuse video with photos/screenshots.

Video is a completely different approach. Also: Why do you think all those sport photographers have 10000+ dollar equipment if according to you one only needs to take a still from a video?

To answer your question: they are not staged, they are more documentary. And usually they look bad. Video!=Photo

Last try:

1. Looking through 10000 shots to pick one out that might be good = industrial
2. Putting ppl into place and shooting them/videoing them = staging (this can be a good thing, it is just not the way I would do it)
3. Finding the moment when its worthy to press F11 = thats creative (this is my way)

[your face]

Your third point is called acting or staging.

I dont run around with my digital camera and do hundreds of shots and hope to find a good one. I look at the scene or have an idea and then I do a few shots.

You describe a technical approach while I describe a more artistic one.

To me, your point is nearer to staging than Rocinante's.
According to you stills taken from a video of a football game are staged?

What?

Why cant you stop to confuse video with photos/screenshots.

Video is a completely different approach. Also: Why do you think all those sport photographers have 10000+ dollar equipment if according to you one only needs to take a still from a video?

To answer your question: they are not staged, they are more documentary. And usually they look bad. Video!=Photo

Last try:

1. Looking through 10000 shots to pick one out that might be good = industrial
2. Putting ppl into place and shooting them/videoing them = staging (this can be a good thing, it is just not the way I would do it)
3. Finding the moment when its worthy to press F11 = thats creative (this is my way)

Who is it that says you have to take "10000" screens?  Unless you hate deleting stuff, that might become an issue...

Usually taking five screenshots at one occasion is practical and what most people here do.  Unless your comp has less than a megabyte of free-space, then you shouldn't be taking screenshots at all, much less playing trem...

[Bissig]

Your third point is called acting or staging.

I dont run around with my digital camera and do hundreds of shots and hope to find a good one. I look at the scene or have an idea and then I do a few shots.

You describe a technical approach while I describe a more artistic one.

To me, your point is nearer to staging than Rocinante's.
According to you stills taken from a video of a football game are staged?

What?

Why cant you stop to confuse video with photos/screenshots.

Video is a completely different approach. Also: Why do you think all those sport photographers have 10000+ dollar equipment if according to you one only needs to take a still from a video?

To answer your question: they are not staged, they are more documentary. And usually they look bad. Video!=Photo

Last try:

1. Looking through 10000 shots to pick one out that might be good = industrial
2. Putting ppl into place and shooting them/videoing them = staging (this can be a good thing, it is just not the way I would do it)
3. Finding the moment when its worthy to press F11 = thats creative (this is my way)

Who is it that says you have to take "10000" screens?  Unless you hate deleting stuff, that might become an issue...

Usually taking five screenshots at one occasion is practical and what most people here do.  Unless your comp has less than a megabyte of free-space, then you shouldn't be taking screenshots at all, much less playing trem...

Well, I exagerated, but the idea of some here is to take as many screenshots as possible (ignar said something about 150) or to pick them out of a video stream or to take lots of screenshots (how much ever that be) and then from those pick a view good ones. Whereas I would rather do it the way you described.

[your face]

Well I figured that. ;P

But five screenshots is like the max amount of screens you CAN take in one burst of slams on the keyboard. 

[Lava Croft]

Let's get over the topic of how to make screenshots, and let's just actually make screenshots and give them to Khalsa! It's really hard to turn whining about how to make a proper screenshot into an actual screenshot.

[Kaleo]

Video is a completely different approach. Also: Why do you think all those sport photographers have 10000+ dollar equipment if according to you one only needs to take a still from a video?

It's cheaper to buy still photography equipment, which would actually cost nearer to AUS$2500 for top of the line stuff, than to buy a high speed, high quality digital video camera, which would cost you closer to AUS$6000 for the camera alone. A good tripod plus editing facilities and such would add at least another AUS$1000.

[Kaleo]

Eeek! Double post 



And more here:
http://s173.photobucket.com/albums/w75/MC-Artman/TremulousScreenshots/

[Lava Croft]

Where is the FSAA in your screenshots. This is 2008, every half-decent videocard can at least do a half-decent form of anti-aliasing...

[PS] Look at Ingar's shots to see the difference between having FSAA enabled or disabled, it's quite the difference! The same goes for Anisotropic Filtering.

[Kaleo]

And how do I turn on FSAA?

[Overdose]

I can't remember how for ATI cards, but for Nvidia stuff go to - Nvidia Control Panel > 3D Settings/Manage 3D Settings (left side tab) > There is a list of things to choose from for global settings and/or you can click the Program Settings tab to apply certain settings to individual apps.

Anisotropic Filtering: >= 8x
Antialiasing Setting: >= 4x
Antialiasing Transparency: Supersampling
Force Mipmaps: Trilinear
Triple Buffering: On
The rest can be adjusted to whatever you feel like and they shouldn't affect screen shots too much.