Ashcraft

Multimedia Genius - 11-21-2011
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  1. Fan Mail! Wow. That's a screen name I haven't seen in a long time.
  2. Tip Name: Castillo's Shopping List

    Basic Description: After the emergency medical teleporter whisked your latest victim away you found a small piece of paper. On the paper is written an impressive list of hair care products and where to buy them, as well as a slightly smudged 'Mirrors, lots of em' scribbled at the bottom of the page. There are only a few people in the world vain enough for a list like this and the Sky Raider insignia on the paper is a dead giveaway.


    Vigilante: It's bad enough when you find an enemy who won't go down with just a few hits from your mighty powers, but when that same enemy loves to blather on like Captain Castillo... Most people would argue that this shopping list wasn't indicative of anything illegal but you know that a man like Castillo would never pay for anything like this.

    Track him down to one of these shops and rough him up until he confesses to something.


    Hero: You pocketed the paper and forgot about it until you hear an APB about a robbery over at a nearby hair salon. Putting two and two together isn't hard for someone in your line of work.

    Stop the robbery at the hair salon before someone gets hurt.


    Rogue: Castillo. Even his name grates on your nerves. The last time you fought he left hair gel stuck on your favorite gloves. Now, thanks to this handy list you have a pretty good idea of where he's going to be over the next few hours.

    Hire a few thugs and trap the Sky Raider pest in one of these stores so you can ransom him for the highest bidder.


    Villain: If there is one thing you know how to do, it's think outside the box. Castillo has himself a long list of enemies and a short list of allies. If beating him up would have stopped his annoying antics then it would have been done long ago. Poison, on the other hand, would make his life very unpleasant... especially if he was unwittingly poisoning himself.

    Break into one of the hair salons and poison the hair care products inside. It might not kill him, but it is sure to keep him out of your way for a couple months at least.
  3. Quote:
    Originally Posted by XxBudweiser8xX View Post
    Ok now that thread has been totally taken off course by those that felt it was the proper thing to do..... can we return the subject matter back to the original thread reason...
  4. Quote:
    Originally Posted by AngieB View Post
    My 20 month old LOVES this gif. I show him every day and he points and says "FUNNY!!"
    *points* FUNNY!!!


    Also, more on topic here. Whoever is elected Mayor this year will get as a free, and magically delicious, prize...

    ...a free writeup about them in C! True Paragon Stories.

    Unless I've already written about them, that is.
  5. Welcome Back! Yay! Another friendly face!
  6. Woo, Shay! Our Fair Lady of the Mistells has returned!
  7. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cobalt_Azurean View Post
    ... Isn't that a chipmunk?
    INDEED!

  8. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Alpha_Zulu View Post
    Ya'll must be bored as ****.
  9. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cherry Cupcakes View Post
    ok i LMAO just now...

    WIN!

    lovelovelove the pasties...
    What about the Hello Kitty tattoo? I spent a whole 15 seconds on that!
  10. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Amygdala View Post
    I second the nomination for Cobalt's face. Not the rest of him though. That much blue is overkill.

    YOINK!



    OH MY LORD!!! MY EYESSSSS!!!!!

    WHY DID I DO THAT?

  11. I say, my fair fellows, what say you that we partake some of the revelry in this thread.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Horusaurus View Post
    ...

  12. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Demobot View Post
    I nominate Mod08. His past accomplishments as well as his more lasting ones (the Official Champion Quote Pyramid Thread and the Official Champion Drama Thread) make him more than qualified to be our merciless tyrannical overlo- I mean duly and democratically elected executive.

    EDIT: Seems I need 4 other nominees.

    Amygdala
    Cherry
    Celestial Lord
    Kahlan
    I second all of these and then add:

    Horus
    Silas
    Mr. Squid
    Miz Nibbles
    Zubenelgenubi

    For always being willing to give a helping hand when needed.

    (And Demobot for having good taste.)
  13. Thanks, DR. I updated the main post with your information. :-D
  14. I've had a few questions from different people lately about making videos in CoH, so I've taken a few minutes and put together a little guide over in the multimedia forum for anyone who is interested.

    LINK TO GUIDE

    It is a work in progress and I'm sure to add more later, but all the tools and basics should be there.
  15. Introduction
    I've gotten quite a few people asking me about how Ashcraft makes his awesome so awesome. Well, I can't explain that, BUT I can explain how to make your own awesome videos. Here's a quick guide on how to go from player to hot stuff with a metaphorical camera.

    Tools

    Ok, before you even get started you are going to want some of these nifty things called programs which are gonna help you turn your gaming pew pew into epic hollywood explosions.

    Video Recorder

    FRAPS

    This is FRAPS. He is your camera. They offer a free, but limited, version of the program on the site but if you are serious about being awesome, then I'd recommend the full purchase.

    Video Editing Software

    These nifty little programs help you take your 35 minutes of smashing badguys into 2 minutes of John Wu slowmo awesome. Ok, maybe not... but you get the idea!

    Windows Movie Maker

    The Good about WMM: It's free. There are quite a lot of guides out there to help you. (Google is you friend)

    The Bad About WMM: It's very limited. You know that cool special effect you wanna do? Yeah, you can't do that. Also a resource hog. Video tools aren't always where you expect them to be.

    Adobe Premiere

    The Good About Premiere: It's very intuitive. It's stable and moderately easy to use. It also has a lot of guides on 'How To do FILL IN THE BLANK' just a quick google search away.

    The Bad About Premiere: You have to buy it, sorry. It also is a major resource hog. try not to run anything in the background when working on a premiere. You also might want to save...often.

    Sony Vegas Movie Studio

    The Good About Vegas: Dark_Respite uses it, it's quite intuitive, and Sony's pretty good about releasing patches to keep it updated. And if you're willing to invest a bit ($125 for the suite), you get a killer deal and some additional nice software in the bargain for more advanced work.

    The Bad About Vegas: There are certain file types it doesn't play nice with, simply because you can't always have EVERYTHING. Generally, though, it's not an issue for CoH videography (it's only coz I use it for other stuff that I know this).

    Other Programs

    WMM and Premiere are the only programs I've used so if anyone reading this has other programs to recommend or condemn, let me know.

    Demo Resources

    If you're gonna go the whole super-duper-demo way of videography you will need a few specialized tools.

    Demo Basics

    The nuts and bolts of all that crazy code.

    Demo Codex

    A handy, dandy little list of almost every demo model in the game. Bookmark it. Love it. The Demo Codex has also been copied in its entirety into the ParagonWiki over on the Titan Network - this allows folks to contribute to it without having to have poor Scuzz do all the updating himself.

    Demo Launcher

    Just in case you don't want to load demo's in game... here is a handy launcher that will do it without all the updater and logging in crap to waste time.

    Setting Up For Your Video


    Ok, now you have all the nifty tools you need to make SuperFantisticMan in 3D! Now what? I'll tell you what!

    Configuring FRAPS

    There are two things you want to do in FRAPS before anything else.

    1. Set up a key bind that will toggle FRAPS video recording on and off.
    2. Set up a directory for those videos to record to which is easy to find.
    3. To save yourself some embarrassment and hassle in-game, once you select the toggle on/toggle off key for FRAPS, make sure you have not inadvertently chosen something that either shouts out "LOOKING FOR TEAM" or changes your costume or something.

    I personally use the - key as my FRAPS toggle, why? Well, that comes next.

    Disabling In-Game User Interface.

    In game, go to options, keymapping, find the last box of options and locate DISABLE UI. Assign this a key close to your FRAPS record key. I use the + key for this. This will make sure no big, ugly health bars and chat windows will cover up MutantMullet's awesome hair.

    Storyboarding


    This step is optional, but extremely helpful. Sketch out what you want your video to show before hand. Making a list of what scenes you need will help cut down on needless recording and allow you to focus on just the pieces you want.

    Recording


    I know, I know. 'Press Key One, Press Key Two' Doesn't seem that hard, does it? Well, there are a few things you should know.

    1. Make sure you have enough space.

    Video files take up a whole lot of space. Make sure you have at least a couple gig free.

    2. Record from as many angles as possible

    We don't want to stare at your character's butt for 20 minutes, sorry. Use the page up and page down buttons to create new camera angles.

    3. Record twice as much as you think you need.

    The fact is, when recording video, you will always have some bad shots. Record as much as your hard-drive can carry so you can pick and choose the good from the bad.

    4. Watch before you record.(For Demo Files)

    FRAPS videos can be quite large, if you are FRAPSing a demofile, watch the entire file through once, then FRAPS only the sections you need. Your hard drive will be grateful.



    Putting It Together


    Ok, you have all your video recorded. Amazing! Wow!

    Now what?

    Well, you have two basic ways of putting everything together.

    If you storyboarded before hand, then just import your videos into the program and follow your story board/music and cut and trim to make your transitions smooth and make sure that really funny part happens with the really funny music.

    If you didn't storyboard, well now you gotta decide what you want your video to say. Import your videos and start placing them in whatever order you want.

    Whichever option you choose, here are some things to remember:

    1. The more time you take, the better your video will look. don't rush.

    2. Simple transitions are the best. Face to Black, Fade to White and Crossfade.

    3. Simple effects are best. Color shifts, camera shake, ect. The flashier the effect, the gaudier it looks in the final product.

    4. Fast Tempo music often means more video is needed. Faster transitions = more clips.

    5. Slow Tempo music means lingering scenes, which are sometimes hard to record as well as being a little boring for those watching.

    6. Medium/Variable Tempo is your friend.

    7. Save Often

    8. The longer the video, the more resources the editor will consume. For anything over 5 minutes, consider splitting producing the video at the halfway point and then importing the start-to-halfway video to replace work you've already done.

    9. Don't forget titles and credits. They are easy to forget after spending 30 minutes moving a 1.2 second clip back and forth a few microseconds to get it juuuuust right.

    10. Save Often

    Exporting


    Your video is all set up. The audio matches perfectly, the titles and credits are spelled correctly and centered... now its time to export your video.

    Pay careful attention to the format you export to and the resolution involve. Personally, I like WMV format in 720p 30 resolution. It's clean, crisp and uploads to youtube easily.

    Make sure you export it to a folder you can find.

    Hosting Sites


    Youtube
    Vimeo

    Closing Remarks


    This whole guide is a work in process so if you have questions or see something I missed, post about it and i'll fix it when I get the chance. Hope this helps all you new videographers!

    Also, check out Dark Respite's presentation at Herocon 2008, starting HERE for more information about videography in CoH.
  16. Quote:
    Originally Posted by WittyLibrarian View Post
    I've been messing with the demorecord and the FRAPS and trying to make a video promo for the upcoming SHARDTOBER for 2010... and dammit all I don't have time to learn this stuff. >:-( So I'm going the cheap and easy way: I'm looking to hire someone for 1.50 in real money to videorecord and post a Shardtober ad.

    ...I promise I will pay in pennies. How's that for an enticement?

    ...(cricket noise)...

    /facepalm
    Try asking in the Multimedia forum, witty.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cobalt_Azurean View Post
    Didn't you have a promo from previous years?

    Pretty sure I've seen somethin' for Shardtober before...
    Yes, he has two promos I made for him a few years back.
  17. Quote:
    [BMT of Champion]Silas: the vomit vomit vomit was to the /poison, ever seen the poison animations?
    [BMT of Champion]Ashcraft: I have. The Rez is the best ever just for player reactions. :-)
    [BMT of Champion]Silas: Seriously though. "Stephanie had just ate a burger and felt disgusted with herself. Plus, she suspected her boyfriend Jeff was cheating on her, obviously because she was such a fat pig, size 0 omg what a blob. She stuck her fingers down her throat
    [BMT of Champion]Silas: and got ready to fight crime.
    [BMT of Champion]Demobot: That's horrible.
    [BMT of Champion]Demobot: I love it.
    [BMT of Champion]Ashcraft: lol "by the power of my gag reflex! BLAARF"
    [BMT of Champion]Silas: daddy doesn't love me because I'm faaaaaat *HOOOOORGHGHGHGHGHG*
    [BMT of Champion]Ashcraft: bwahah
    [BMT of Champion]Cobalt Azurean: Anyways...
    Damnit, Silas. I'm still laughing.
  18. Ashcraft

    A Must Share

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Hindenburg View Post
    how bout some Happy Tree Friends


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmXL6-F3vZQ
    Lord, I haven't seen those in AGES.

    (Who's Awesome? You're Awesome for linking this.)
  19. Quote:
    Originally Posted by LISAR View Post
    No badge?
    You need five awards to get the badge.
  20. Congratulations! You've caused enough forum drama to equal that of a Champion thread. Please accept this award as thanks for all of the enjoyment you have given your reading audience.

  21. Quote:
    Fitness pool becomes and inherent! Omg
    OMG indeed. :-O
  22. Ashcraft

    ???Events???

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by its_Si View Post
    Since Cherry is always calling us Rockstars...Lets Rock and reRoll Night

    Take your mains name and reroll as a Rockstar.

    Names should be no problem for example Cherry-Ga Ga

    Include a costume contest, Dance contest(should be fun if ppl have the new emotes)

    Mission teaming and Cleaning up Perez Park and the Hollows.

    All contestants must be level 1. A fun meet and Greet.(Would love to see some make a

    complete Band.)

    Open this Party up to all servers to come and Rock and roll an Alt on Champ.
    That sounds like a lot of fun.

    (Now I just gotta decide between Axecraft and Not A Rikti Rockstar)
  23. I've seen a lot of great names so it is hard to remember, but the one that comes to mind right now is Arachnos Traffic Cop. He was a bright red and orange VEAT who would frequently take breaks between missions to direct traffic around the rogue isles.
  24. Quote:
    [BMT of Champion]Spatch: No cake. Only crab juice, and Mountain Dew!
    Tasty