Thursday, August 10, 2023

"Penhasco Polícia [Casual @ Uncletopia]" [Video @ Team Fortress YTChannel]

Penhasco Polícia

Additional video info

Demo date range: 2021/11/14 – 2022-03-11
Project start: 2023/07/15
Project end/upload date: 2023/08/10
Server: Uncletopia (AU)
Music used: "Grandpa and the Delightful Tadpoles"/"Melody Bay" by Yoko Shimomura (modified by me)

Overview ⭕

Another cliff video but more experimentation. Moving closer to the less familiar, want more variety for channel. Intentional cliff sacrifice strategy advised to use sparingly/last resort, people may catch on, as with any strategy.

There was a nice grouping of cliff-related frags in my cliff frag demo folder. This is a more true chronological video compared to previous videos with general chronological sequence but shuffled to control the video's facing. Included some fails, more contrast, more realistic to the gameplay since you mostly don't see my fails. Maybe could make a epic fail video in future, there are fails and there are more rare "epic" fails. 

 

Timeline view early in project, gets messier

Screenshot after completed: video

Screenshot after completed: music tracks

Many doubts were had throughout project, more so beyond half-way point when working on it. Maybe more about keeping this up long term consistently. Maybe just tired working on the same 1 project for a while that hasn't been uploaded yet. Maybe having possible impact on others/world, being exposed to more interactions. Worried about real possibility of somehow not being able to keep it up or get burnt out, but same time recognize (even if I have my own challenges) that it's a big privilege to be able to do this compared to hard physical labor in a disrespectful work-environment with very long hours, want to keep doing this, not only being able to do what good at, more about survival/place and purpose.


Roadblock – demo dialemma

I panicked a little over recent TF2 update that broke demo playback (2023-07-25). Made video about this with more info. You can now install that particular version of TF2 via betas section in the game properties. Thanks to spider and others for helping. In retrospect worried more than I need to but at time thought worse since didn't know how to solve.

Mario RPG remake

Around the middle of project found out about trailer of Nintendo remaking the game, modern version for Nintendo Switch. Also found out Nintendo doesn't provide official way to play original Mario RPG (SNES) for Switch. Why not make an original sequel/rework combat system and make the original game available officially, and better yet, cross platform availability including PC? Things like this help me worry less about modern console things and more about PC stuff. The whole thing stinks, not entirely sure why. GabeN on piracy and service.


Music choice 🎵

Music name/author

"Grandpa and the Delightful Tadpoles"/"Melody Bay" by Yoko Shimomura (playback modified by me, ft. melody from Daft Punk's "Around The World")

 

Usage in video

Thinking of music I could use from a retro game. This music came to mind, cricket-like noise of the apito seemed fitting for koth_brazil (Brazilian samba music). Many, many years ago, played Mario RPG, using ZSNES emulator, also found out how to toggle sound channels when trying out random buttons. Many memorable tracks, including this one with that apito that sounds like crickets.

Like last video, Lawn Defender, trying more musical manipulation, altering how the music is played.

Used audacity again, this time recording emulator. Beforehand played the game the music belongs to: "Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars", to refresh memory on game and to get up to the in-game location the music plays. Helps to deliver more intention if you know the context of the music.

Audio channel toggle

 

Used different emulator, snes9x. ZSNES's audio output wasn't clean – was slight static. snes9x had no such problem with the audio, at least for me. Both have toggleable sound channel controls, snes9x ones less convenient. In-game I enter Tadpole Pond and record each individual channel.

You could use the website "Cirrus Retro" for highly accurate emulations of sound for many retro games, with the option of toggling sound channels to hear individual instruments, but I wanted to experience the game again, trusting the emulator more for most accurate sound capture from the game.

You may view the following tracks on Cirrus Retro and toggle the 8 channels to get a feel of how I used the sound for the video:

Recorded each of the 8 tracks for 3 minutes each (double since I had to change emulator) to reduce amount of layers needed for video project when splicing and cutting stuff.


Syncing the recorded channels up in FL Studio

Even with this musical addition to the video, wanted to do extra bit more. Wasn't as confident when composing with the existing music instead of more from scratch like I did in thrust α (deadmau5's Cat Thruster in Mother 3-style) and cliff eastwood (Gorillaz' Clint Eastwood in Kirby Superstar-style). May not be as good as I want it, but decent and step toward doing more transformative stuff better. Was very fiddly to try and make it not sound too abrupt/unlike. Used Mario RPG soundfont with my DAW, Fruity Loops Studio to use the same instruments (extracted) as used in the game of Mario RPG. "Around The World" reference to add more to the SFM map transition scene.

Adding "Around The World" musical reference

See also:

References (to external media) 🔗

As usual, usually put "secrets"/"easter eggs" in the animation parts and in some edits. Maybe better for you to find first, then list them here. Maybe more important/noteworthy ones here.

0:54: Did a drawing of Toadofsky wearing cosmetics of a scout I encountered in the video named "Tchaikovsky". If you didn't know, Toadofsky's (from Mario RPG) name is based on Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Toadofsky is a toad (race in Mario universe) that is a composer. Since I noticed that coincidence that I was using music relevant to the character "Toadofsky" I felt compelled to reference this with an edit/drawing. Didn't want the edit to be too intrusive to the gameplay, so little graphic that pops up where the names are at bottom of screen.


When writing this post, found out I drew the wrong gun
Fortunately a minor mistake, but usually want to be accurate

 

Map transition animation 🏃‍♂️

In the grouping of cliff-related frags I have for the video, there is a suijin clip among them. Even though a brazil video, wanted to respect that particular grouping of clips, left it in but wanted some sort of transition to make it less jarring to include. Was thinking something more simple – something like the loading screens from HITMAN 3's freelancer mode, turned into more location-focus/geography, tying clips/animation together with the sticky-jumping demo with smooth viewmodel transition for the transition. Something like "What if demoman sticky-jumped to the next map?" "What if I could show that action?" No mocap here, but there is some in credits.


 
Using Ghost-It! to help me line up viewmodels


Credits segment 🙏 / Animation 🏃‍♂️

Even though may seem require more effort than worth wanted to do animated outro again using SFM. Makes outro more lively, more unique/personal, another way to improve with SFM/animating by using more regularly.

Might as well set it in koth_brazil, cliff themed. Have some characters do some action (featuring some mocap I did, used as base), adding to credits.


Was considering on-screen text but might as well go all the way with the text being baked in the scene. Seeing if I could still do that screen replacement effect with the TV credits part. Used a shortcut using static texture for the TV when 4 corners of screen not in frame simultaneously, not worth that extra time for something like this, further delaying project.

Chroma keys, masking, tracking, using a quad warp
effect to warp 2D credits screen to the 4 tracked points

See also: "How to track tricky objects | HitFilm Express" – FXhome,YouTube

Title 📝

  • Cliff of Brazil
  • [wanted to make title in native language of Brazil: Portuguese]
  • Penhasco do Brasil = brazilian cliff, masculine
  • Falésia do Brasil = cliff of Brazil, feminine
  • policial = police, neutral
  • polícia = feminine
  • Policial Penhasco = cliff cop [alliteration]
  • Polícia de Penhasco = Cliff Police
  • Penhasco Polícia (shorter, more direct, roll off tongue)

I don't speak Portuguese, used online translation pages.

*EDIT 2023-11-11: Title now Polícia da Penhasco. Brazilian grammar help from commenter @kazooie.


Thumbnail 🖼️

Considered using the outro costumes for SFM thumbnail pose, used the default skin as appear in game instead with donut and badge to help sell/reference the police "theme". Like last 3 videos, made little reference to source material by drawing tadpole from Mario RPG in the corner.

Demo/clip info 📽️

0:04 2021-11-14 @ koth_brazil as Sniper, "Unexpected weave into cliff shot"
0:19 2021-12-02 @ koth_brazil as Sniper,  "SMG attraction into I'm already cliff"
0:31 2021-12-05 #1 @ koth_brazil as Sniper, "Walked"
0:42 2021-12-05 #2 @ koth_brazil as Sniper, "Cliff angle "
0:47 2021-12-07 @koth_brazil as Sniper, "Breathe, stall with medication, turnaround"
1:03 2021-12-29 @ koth_suijin as Demoman, "Slippery scout search, ambushed in deadly cliff confrontation, last second pill pacification"
1:35 2022-02-01 @ koth_brazil as Sniper, "Out-cliffed by unexpected cliff-dodge"
1:45 2022-03-11 #1 @ koth_brazil as Demoman, "Air-ledge sticky-snipe"
2:03 2022-03-11 #2 @ koth_brazil as Sniper, "SMG dance into bow coup de grâce" 

Pinned comments


Extended credits 

Sounds 🔊

SFM models 🧊

May list more the main workshop models used instead of as many as possible in future + probably link to my favorited workshop items/collection if you want to find more models I use.

See also

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