Logo opening animation

jrl2222 · Sun 19/09/2004 19:31:53

Just looking for some c&c on this animation.
It will be the logo at the beginning of my game.
It is 3.5mb
http://webpages.charter.net/jrl2222/inthemaze.avi
Please right click and save as.

Cluey · Sun 19/09/2004 20:20:08

I really like it, would be great with some sound and a little bit shorter...

jrl2222 · Sun 19/09/2004 20:52:11

Yeah I have wondered if it was to long. But I compare it to alot of other games that are even longer. Some of the starwars games have little battle scenes that fly around the logo. The sims goes through a whole house building and little clips. I could pull the camera out earlier or speed the whole thing up a bit, though pulling the camera out sooner just means that it has further to go to center over the logo. And I want to add sound but I am not sure what to put.

Oz · Mon 20/09/2004 03:33:31

I like it! Hmmm. How about making the camera movement in the maze a bit more shaky and erractic (as if we actually get a first person view of someone running through it)? Right now it feels a little stiff and "on-rails" (perhaps that is the effect you're after). Good job!

fovmester · Mon 20/09/2004 06:13:48

Nice idea! Make it just a bit shorter and there you have it!

Gilbert · Mon 20/09/2004 06:19:37

I think the length is not that important if it's skippable.

Though I'm also in favour of shorthening your logo movie, it's quite good, but that "navigate in maze" beginning part looks a bit repetitive, so it can be reduced to just go thru one or two corners quickily and then zooms out to the whole logo.

Moreover, shortening it probably reduce the file size a bit which can otherwise adds some burden to your game's size.

mätzyboy · Mon 20/09/2004 11:15:19

I think that instead of going in perfect 90 degree angles, a fluid motion which rounds the corners would make it smoother... Looking nice though!

jrl2222 · Mon 20/09/2004 12:26:50

Actually I have had a couple friends tell me they thought the corners should be rounded more also. I think I will try one that way. Also about making it look like it is someone walking, I thought about that but then does he just fly out when the camera zooms out?
One other thing, maybe I could just shorten it by cutting the first corridor out and having it start on the second one? Thanks for all the C&C on this it really helps.

StrangeDude · Mon 20/09/2004 13:51:49

Maby some small items in the maze like torches or stuff? It look rather flat...
Anyways, I really like it.

Yours,
~ StrangeDude

jrl2222 · Mon 20/09/2004 13:56:41

Well it isn't supposed to be part of the game you'd only see it at the beginning before the actual game starts. I figure most people will skip it after the first time anyways.

BorisZ · Mon 20/09/2004 14:15:47

I don't think 3,5 MB intro would be great advertisment for internet download game). How large will the game be?
I will not even download it, since I worked very hard on making my game light as it can be (2,8 MB)!

jrl2222 · Mon 20/09/2004 14:42:13

Well with most people on broadband now adays I don't think the final game size will be an issue. It was saved with this format to make it playable to most people. I could use the divx codec or xvid and make it alot smaller but it is my understanding that you have to have those codecs on your machine to make the movies in the game play. I have worked on some big name fan project games and I know they were very large and expected to be downloaded off the net. I am working on a full length game in lines of quest for glory. One of the projects I helped with for a while had a 16mb music file download. I think the game size will be just fine when I am done though. Shoot most mp3's are over 3mb. And I know alot of games here are pretty big. Frank the farm hand is like 12mb I think.

BlackMan890 · Mon 20/09/2004 15:01:47

NOT AN ISSUE
did you know that i have to pay 1 dollar for each 28 mb i download???
those games who are big, i don't download these type of games
games that are big, i value them as money, when a game is 20 mb, i value it to be a really good game, thats why when i (occasionaly) download these games, they didn't turn out as i expected, i get really sad and angry, for when i download them, i look at them as comercial games for i had paid 1 dollar for it

jrl2222 · Mon 20/09/2004 15:11:49

Where do you live and what service do you have? I would hate to think of paying like that. I have prob downloaded 5 gigs in the past month alone. Some months it is probably closer to 20 gigs. Their are alot of game sites and band websites that I frequent, not to mention transfers to and from work via VNC.

Ali · Mon 20/09/2004 15:21:27

Great idea!

My notes:

I feel that the lettering of 'in the maze' is a little to tall to read comfortably, though I understand why you've done it like that for the sake of the animation.

I'd suggest a soft light to account for reflections from the ground, the dark areas look a little too flat.

I would think about higher walls as well, currently they look a tad too easy to climb.

Also, if you wanted to make your file size less Rad Video Tools will make a much smaller avi with few noticeable losses. The tools are free from here...

http://www.radgametools.com/bnkdown.htm

...and have been used in Broken Sword and Toonstruck.

jrl2222 · Mon 20/09/2004 16:16:07

Well I dropped the first corridor and compressed the file using the xvid codec. It is now only 896kb but you must have the xvid codec to play it.
Here is the xvid codec.
http://files.divx-digest.com/software/codec/XviD-1.0.2-29082004.exe
And here is the new file.
http://webpages.charter.net/jrl2222/inthemaze2.avi

I played around with rad video tools for a few minutes and I can make the file pretty small with it but you get a .bik file and when I converted it back to avi it is just as big as before. What am I missing?

BlackMan890 · Mon 20/09/2004 16:18:43

i live in iceland, there is an internet line going through the ocean, thats why we pay, but we only pay for foreign sites, all sites on iceland are free and yeas it sucks

wyr3x · Mon 20/09/2004 21:29:29

hey !, learn about this guy !... i`t seems you have a good imagination ... a very cool animation .
wich tools did you use ?

Isegrim · Mon 20/09/2004 22:43:12

Isn't *.bik the extension for videos to be played with "binkplay"? I think most commercial games use (or used) the bink codec for their FMVs...
So I guess re-converting to AVI is not what this is intended for...

Btw. I really like the animation for it's simplicisity... The basic idea is somehow reminescent of Dorcan's avatar, though

jrl2222 · Mon 20/09/2004 23:58:54

I guess I'll have to do some research. Can you use a bink video for AGS?