TF2maps Youtube Channel Video Submissions

[Grizzly Berry]

Great tool for recording is Lawena. It cranks all your settings up as high as they can go, and then when you're done, it reverts them all back to how you had them.

http://code.google.com/p/lawenarecordingtool/

It records to .tga files though (just like the 'startmovie' command), so you'll need a program like VirtualDub to create an .avi file.

 

[Bakscratch]

So I was thinking more about this YouTube tutorial thing, maybe we should do a video saying we are gonna start a YouTube series and would like to know what type of videos people would like to see.

 

[RubbishyUser]

If no one else volunteers for the flythroughs, I'd be happy to do it. I have a powerful computer - even if it is a couple of years old now - and most of the time I'm at Uni so I can upload at high speed. My biggest issue will be having literally no idea what I'm doing - how to smoothly fly, using stvs, and so on. I'd have to learn it/be told what to use before I could start. Otherwise, I'd be really happy to do it - sometimes I actually go to the showcase for the sole purpose of looking at all the purdy maps.

 

[Grizzly Berry]

If no one else volunteers for the flythroughs, I'd be happy to do it. I have a powerful computer - even if it is a couple of years old now - and most of the time I'm at Uni so I can upload at high speed. My biggest issue will be having literally no idea what I'm doing - how to smoothly fly, using stvs, and so on. I'd have to learn it/be told what to use before I could start. Otherwise, I'd be really happy to do it - sometimes I actually go to the showcase for the sole purpose of looking at all the purdy maps.

I can do all the smoothing if you want to record them. My pc isn't the greatest, but I know how to do the flythroughs. I could send you the demo files.

 

[Ice Crystal]

Keep in mind that since steampipe you may need to load demos through the playdemo command in order to correctly smooth or save smoothed demos. I dont know why.

Final recordings should also be done with lossless 1080 or higher and 32x csaa and other rediculous settings, if possible. This is the future.

 

[Grizzly Berry]

Just realized you can't smooth stv demos, so in order for me to do a flythrough with people in it, I'll need a demo file that someone (or myself) records. It might also be cool if we stationed people throughout the map while recording, so when all parts of the map are flown by, there is some action going on. If we were to use a regular demo, most of the fighting would be contained in one spot.

Think how cool it would be to fly past Badlands mid and see a fight and then you get to spire and there are scouts and soldiers bouncing around there as well. You get to last to see a demo and medic capping the point.

Just an idea and it would take a bit of coordination, but I think the end result would be really cool.

 

[Fruity Snacks]

Can't you enter spec yourself and record all the stuff you need?

 

[Grizzly Berry]

Can't you enter spec yourself and record all the stuff you need?

Not on demos recorded by the server. :\ I could always load up the maps myself and do an empty flythrough, but a few members have expressed they'd prefer them with "action" going on.

 

[Fantaboi]

I had an idea but it's probably been discussed before, a video version of "the hammer times"?
A second Idea was when maps are patched to make a video showing all the changes, it's not TOO relevant to what we do, but it does involve maps.

 

[Harribo]

Idk, the whole point of The Hammer Times is for people who don't pay attention to here day to day to be able to quickly flick through the interesting stuff happening here. Video just slows that down.

OH, when was that test of herb's arena map happen where I said we've gotta stick this on the YT when the floor gave way under the cap? We should try and find that demo

 

[Prestige]

yeah lots of great stuff on incendio, can probably make a whole 5 min video about it set to funny music but i might be biased because im in love with the map.

 

[Grizzly Berry]

Here's a little example of what I'd be doing with the flythroughs. The little 'hiccups' in the shots were when I'd shoot as Scout, so in an actual video, there won't be a problem there. Only 720p, but a few people have mentioned they'd be up for recording the demo in 1080p if I did the smoothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM42JMxXpY8

Video is unlisted, so nobody can view it unless they have the link.

 

[Melvin D Engineere]

Keep in mind that since steampipe you may need to load demos through the playdemo command in order to correctly smooth or save smoothed demos. I dont know why.

Final recordings should also be done with lossless 1080 or higher and 32x csaa and other rediculous settings, if possible. This is the future.

I can still open demos within the demoui (from pressing shift+f2). My computer's capable of 1080p, but only goes up to 4x MSAA for TF2. Not sure how to go to higher antialising than what my game lists unless it involves a more powerful video card.

Just realized you can't smooth stv demos, so in order for me to do a flythrough with people in it, I'll need a demo file that someone (or myself) records. It might also be cool if we stationed people throughout the map while recording, so when all parts of the map are flown by, there is some action going on. If we were to use a regular demo, most of the fighting would be contained in one spot...

There is a way to manipulate the camera in an stv file. You will need to access the demoui with shift+f2. From there, go to the 'edit' button, pick new, then playcommands. You will need these commands:

Spec_next = Spectate next person
Spec _previous = Spectate previous person
Spec_player “Playername”
Spec_mode 4 = 1st, 5= 3rd, 6 = free cam, 3 = lock on person in question in place
+back, +forward, +left, +right, +moveup, +moveleft to move in those directions (-minus to stop command)
tf_spectator_target_location 0,1,2, or 3 = moves player's name to different positions in the hud
sv_specspeed 1-6 = forget what this one does
with cl_mouselook 0, +lookup, +lookdown = look up and down (-minus to stop)
cl_pitchspeed # = changes the speed camera looks up or down
cl_backspeed # = changes the speed camera backs up
cl_forwardspeed # = changes the speed camera moves forward
cl_moveupspeed (down) # = changes the speed camera moves up or down
cl_sidespeed # = changes side speed
cl_yawspeed # = changes horizontal rotation speed
cl_spec_carrieditems 0 or 1: Show non-standard items being carried by player you're spectating.
There are others you can use, but there are way too many others to list here.
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/List_of_TF2_console_commands_and_variables#C

I don't know if Valve ever fixed that bug where you could not save changes to the demoui's edits. But I found a workaround: it involves taking an old vdm file (can be opened in notepad), renaming the vdm so it matches the desired demo file's, and editing and saving within notepad the vdm file. It's cumbersome, but it works.

Here's a couple of examples of those commands in action:
http://youtu.be/bolkb00pftE
http://youtu.be/gI0KI5bQYro

 

[Harribo]

So, i watched the gameday video for cp_amaranth_a5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cYXIc7gZuE) and here's a few things i'd suggest. Try out using skype maybe, the audio quality wasn't great with mumble.

I assume you were all running around the map to show each other stuff when talking it through, record those POV demos too and sync those by say saying something and entering it into the server chat at the same time so then whoever edit can pull from those when needing to highlight areas that are being talked about rather than the static screenshots being used.

If you need help figuring out how to record from skype and can show you guys how the kritzkast guys do it for thier podcast or at least what I remember from that

 

[RubbishyUser]

Yeah, we already realized a few issues we had when we were putting it together. Rather than use a combination of screenshots and gameplay footage, the plan for future videos will be to entirely use clips from the gameday taken with freecam while looking at the parts of the map we wanted to talk about. That voice/chatlog suggestion is a good idea to help find where we were looking at each moment. Thanks!

 

[Egan]

Mapper Interviews
Episode 1: Icarus
Okay, so I've talked to some regulars and staff in mumble and we all seem to like the idea of a mapper interview series for the youtube channel. The idea is we want to show appreciation for mappers, their work, and the ideas that people might have overlooked about the things they've done. Part of it is to immortalise a person, but a greater part is to just let them talk about the map and how things were created, like a 'behind the scenes' of the map. Lots of people are evidently interested in hearing how things come about; lots of people ask me questions about my surf maps when I join those servers, I figure there’s probably mappers who want to talk about their maps but might not have been really given a chance to.

I already have a list of a couple mappers I'd personally like to do interviews for, and first on the list is Icarus, maker of Coldfront, Vector, and the original version of Petrol. He's already agreed to the interview sometime, and I have a couple questions already, but I'd like to give you guys the opportunity to ask Icarus some questions too. So if any of you have any questions about any of his maps (how they were created, specific decisions, etc) or about Icarus himself, post them here, and when we've got a fair amount of good content we'll set a date for the interview. Should be cool.

 

[seth]

1. What tips can you give people working on winter themed maps? For example, how do you address complaints associated with color-blindness that stem from a chiefly white map?
2. What do you think the biggest differences are in detailing a snowy map versus an alpine or desert themed map?

I'll try to think of some more, this is a great idea!

 

[Grizzly Berry]

Mapper Interviews
Episode 1: Icarus
Okay, so I've talked to some regulars and staff in mumble and we all seem to like the idea of a mapper interview series for the youtube channel. The idea is we want to show appreciation for mappers, their work, and the ideas that people might have overlooked about the things they've done. Part of it is to immortalise a person, but a greater part is to just let them talk about the map and how things were created, like a 'behind the scenes' of the map. Lots of people are evidently interested in hearing how things come about; lots of people ask me questions about my surf maps when I join those servers, I figure there’s probably mappers who want to talk about their maps but might not have been really given a chance to.

I already have a list of a couple mappers I'd personally like to do interviews for, and first on the list is Icarus, maker of Coldfront, Vector, and the original version of Petrol. He's already agreed to the interview sometime, and I have a couple questions already, but I'd like to give you guys the opportunity to ask Icarus some questions too. So if any of you have any questions about any of his maps (how they were created, specific decisions, etc) or about Icarus himself, post them here, and when we've got a fair amount of good content we'll set a date for the interview. Should be cool.

Aw man, I was going to try and set something similar up for my channel. Looks like ya beat me to it.

 

[Valkyrie]

For information there is a mod you can get called prec, it will auto record demos of all your tf2 with proper setting up, I would suggest everyone getting it

 

[Heyman]

What I thought the videos would be is like this : http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6wpa4OH5bGw (notbyme)
It's simple, has a fly through around the player filled map, with cool action and decent music.