Recording Function

[VerdantPlanes]

I had an idea... I wonder how hard it would be to add some kind of in-game recording function. It would be very cool if Overgrowth had something like Halo 3 which would let you play something back which you could fully interact with in terms of playback and camera position. That's something I've always thought would be great to have in Lugaru, because I'd do something really cool and then want to look at again, or see it in slow-motion or from a different angle.

On a side note, I once tried setting the timespeed to a negative number and turner went backwards for a second and then stretched into this really distorted shape.

[Blorx]

there've been mentions of it
one being here
and i think there's been one discussion of it
but i'm not quite sure where

[VerdantPlanes]

huh, you're absolutely right. my mistake

[Viking Zippy]

Here's a snippet from a post by David in the Halo 3 trailers thread:

... it is not actually that hard at all to implement replays, and it is in no way a new idea.

It could happen

[VengenceMkII]

When you said that first thing came to my mind was machinima. In any case it'd be a neat feature but then I am no fan of replays so yeah....

[Jeff]

We have worked something out with WeGame.com, so at the very least there will be regular video capture.

[Skofo]

We have worked something out with WeGame.com, so at the very least there will be regular video capture.

Would demo recording be all that complicated to implement? I mean, it seems like it'd use a similar system to multiplayer...

[Jeff]

Short answer, it's a solvable problem. What you want to do is make everything deterministic and record the user input precisely. Then you need to save and restore the exact initial conditions for the scene, and play back the user input.

However, as easy as that might sound, it is actually not a trivial task and we need to weigh the benefits of complicating the code base and dedicating our extremely limited time to this feature over the hundreds of other things we want to add. Especially given that we can get video recording from wegame.com for free. So we're really talking about a large amount of effort for minimal gains.

[VerdantPlanes]

we need to weigh the benefits of complicating the code base and dedicating our extremely limited time to this feature over the hundreds of other things we want to add. Especially given that we can get video recording from wegame.com for free. So we're really talking about a large amount of effort for minimal gains.

That's a good point. And to be honest, I think basic video recording will get the job done in most situations.

[Skofo]

Short answer, it's a solvable problem. What you want to do is make everything deterministic and record the user input precisely. Then you need to save and restore the exact initial conditions for the scene, and play back the user input.

However, as easy as that might sound, it is actually not a trivial task and we need to weigh the benefits of complicating the code base and dedicating our extremely limited time to this feature over the hundreds of other things we want to add. Especially given that we can get video recording from wegame.com for free. So we're really talking about a large amount of effort for minimal gains.

I don't think that putting an effort into recording functions would yield minimal gains. Quite the contrary! There are many advantages to having demo recording.

1) An obvious one: Demos have much smaller filesize than videos. This allows people to have many long demos, and to leave recording on all the time to eventually capture awesome, unexpected moments, and then convert those into video and upload them. If it's kooky or wicked enough, it should garner a lot of attention, including from potential buyers. With video recording you have to turn it on and then hope that something awesome happens soon while your hard drive is drained at 500mb per minute. Also, because of the small file size of demos, it'd be a lot faster to share them between friends, machinima co-workers, or on the forum.

2) Demo recording generally does not slow down computers nearly as much as video recording. This is essential for some of us with lower-tech computers. I could not record a decent Lugaru video for the contest because WeGame/Fraps made my game choppy every time I started recording. Therefore, I can't even hope to make a good Overgrowth video. I'm sure that there are many more like me out there. Again, videos are great marketing, so it may very well be beneficial from an economic perspective to implement demo recording. Also, I don't think that there even is a viable game video recording program for Linux (maybe even Macs!), so the lack of demoing would throw away the video-ability of a chunk of your fanbase.

3) Machinima! Overgrowth machinima would be awesome and it'd only attract attention to the game. With demo recording (at least ala the Source engine), you can fire an awesome demo up and video it in all sorts of dynamic angles and bullet time to make kickass movies. Also, if I'm not mistaken, the Source engine also allows you to export demos into video format in really high quality, so creative people with shitty computers can join in on the fun on an even playing field! A couple examples of these kickass machinima movies are this and this and this. You simply cannot make movies like these with video recording in real-time (or at least not without forking your eyes out). Also, I assume that Overgrowth will be quite action-oriented, which always makes for awesome machinima.

tl;dr I think demo recording would be a beneficial thing for everyone in the end. I'm disappointed that you don't think it's worth implementing. But it's your game, I guess.

[Tosh]

I strongly agree with Skofo on this. I would never be able record any impressive game videos without passively-active recording because my favourite parts of any game are the sporadic bits. Also, being able to change the angle really is crucial in making a video seem cinematic. Perhaps you could compromise by not actually starting out with this feature, but making sure that the game is designed in such a way that it can be patched in after release? (Determinism and whatnot, as you were saying)

I know you guys have limited resources and I'm not saying that I'm going to moan at you if this doesn't happen, just wanted to let you know how much some of your fans would appreciate it =]

[Jeff]

I agree with all your points. Native demos would be much better than raw videos. File size is a valid concern, performance is a valid concern, and the ability to have a full fledged cinematic control would be really fun. It's just hard to do and we might not have the resources to do.

WeGame is a huge step up from nothing, and is much better than what most games have, especially given the close integration we are going to have inside of Overgrowth. In terms of full fledged demo editing, most AAA titles with hundred million dollar budgets don't even have video recording, and when they do, it's touted as one of the revolutionary features.

Overgrowth *might* have this, depending on a ton of factors, but if it doesn't, please don't act all disappointed and annoyed. Painting us as the bad guy with lines like "it's your game I guess " is just demoralizing.

[Zaphon]

Painting us as the bad guy with lines like "it's your game I guess " are just demoralizing.

Heh, I agree, I thought that line was pretty facepalm-worthy. (No offense, Skofo.)

Recording would be a cool feauture to have in the game, (it would in a lot of games)
but there's obviously a limit to what a small (though awesome) team can do if the game is going to be finished anytime this century. I definitively won't be dissapointed if the game doesn't have demo recording, drivable veichles, chainsaws or mounds upon mounds of heaving bossoms. xP

[Skofo]

Awwe, I didn't mean offense!

BIG HUG! You know I love you guys and your games.

[Skofo]

This is a little late, but demo recording would also be really good for debugging. I just played the latest alpha and Rabbot glitched out on me when I jumped on a rock in a certain way and it made him fly 20 feet into the air, but I can't replicate it. If there was a demo recording function, not only would people be able to easily capture bugs and glitches, but also David would be able to pinpoint exactly what's happening and fix it.