Saturday, November 11, 2023

TF2: Band Together [Casual @ Uncletopia]

Band Together [Casual @ Uncletopia]

 

Additional video info

Demo date range: 2022/03/21 – 2023/07/05
Project start: 2023/09/29
Project end/upload date: 2023/11/10
Server: Uncletopia (AU)
Music used: "Playing with Danger" composed by Mike Morasky, peformed by Valve Studio Orchestra (slight edit by me, see below)

Overview ⭕

Wanted to make more teamwork based video this time, especially since Team Fortress 2 is team based game.

Music choice 🎵

Music name/author

Music usage in video

TF2 OST no-brainer choice fits theme and originally from this game, but as always execution important. As usual, treating music not only background music but as score so video and music work/fit together better.
 

Notable Parts/Edits ✂️

0:06 & 1:52 - Half HUD UI customization

I added new customization to the HUD to be able to accomodate half screen with the information still visible. Will update when I do more changes.

0:16 - Gravelpit Sandman scout clip

Was a nice baseball hit, missed Tofu but still hit me but sad because old sandman would've stunned me, maybe he would've lived. The ball smacked my player (and viewer) right in head, looked like it would hurt so made 2-frame SFM render.

0:45 - Dustbowl clip, Uberchainer part

There was server regular KnowZero, moment reminded of his uberchaining video, "UberChain Mayhem | TF2". It was part of the dustbowl demo where demoman and sniper me got a pyro, wanted to leave it in since it showed teamwork albeit being the enemy team. I wanted to tie things together, do an edit to reference. I added a melody from "Attack of the Killer Queen" by Toby Fox, from Chapter 2 soundtrack of Deltarune; the same track KnowZero used for his uberchaining video. I used the class selection guitar note sound effect when you hover over the classes, trying to make it sound in key with "Playing with Danger" to fit more.

Choosing which part of the song works best
 

Still that didn't feel enough so I made the Queen character play a guitar to make the added melody make more sense (one of this character's themes is "Attack of the Killer Queen").
Had help by downloading project file from a recreation to have base to work from: "[UPDATED!!!] Deltarune - Attack of the Killer Queen (Recreation + FLP)" by nini.

 

Since I was already there with Deltarune edits, I added the combat text to further show that I messed up in trying to take on these uberchainers showing their threat.

Best reference is source material

Additionally, did an "pseudo-HUD" edit to help credit the other uberchainer.


1:50 - Pyro playing piano animation b-roll

Extends on the band from intro. Pyro's Scorcher's Solo piano is normally heard at a higher octave, I "tuned it down" but the notes should be correct, to add to the animation.

2:04 - Barnblitz dual caber

The other demoknight's caber wasn't visible, so edit to tell viewer they use caber, since relevant to clip. In the style of TF2 comic panel text.
 
Manual rotoscope for out-transition

Then made another "pseudo-HUD" edit to give more credit to the other caberknight since both swings exploded on the spy and to add more flair, bit of experiment what HUD could be. Then the custom edit vanishes and shows only I was credited for the kill, which didn't seem fair for that cool clip.

3:13 - Borneo airblast clip

Tried to get view of the scene, figuring out how to show things like uber-push disable compared to solo-focused kills.

Credits screen/sequence 🙏

Following up further on the intro and piano animation, band now finished playing. The demonstration version of "Playing with Danger" plays, I used the Audio File hat with retextured vinyl models from steam workshop show the physical version Fight Songs vinyl. Put a projector there to play into the projector sound for more immersion/thematic. Bit of mocap for the 3 mercs in background of them drinking coffee, links back to the coffee machine at intro and my "buymeacoffee" support page.
 
Image projection via light gobo
 
Camera then moves and zooms into matchcut of the frag still montage part. Since more teamwork focus video, stills of the moments with names. Supporter names at the bottom scrolling, size variation not viable for already small part of screen, so used item quality colors on top of order to represent amount donated.
 
Detective work looking at who's alive and
kill notices to properly name some players in credits,
also checking cosmetics


Title 📝

Was longer list, so here's more notable draft titles/ideas:
  • mercenary teamwork
  • uncoordinated teamwork
  • uncoordinated coordination
  • loose teamwork
  • teamwork in its loosest sense 
  • Teamworktress 1
  • Uncle-ordination
  • Unclordinated
  • Banding Together
  • Casual Coordination
  • Banding with Teammates
  • Mercidental Teamwork
  • mercenary incidental
  • CASUAL TEAMWORK
  • Band Together 
Title influenced by starting animation timestamp name "BAND TOGETHER" from the band of mercenaries playing in a band.
 

Thumbnail 🖼️

Wanted to feature other teammates/enemies to show team video, but more nice with poses while still representing video. Ended up going with dustbowl engie and altitude spy, the map of session is where the dustbowl engie frag happened. Had the peace sign demo from the dustbowl engie frag, looked cool so I include, adds to the "Two" in "Together" from title. Frag area looks similar to the altitude frag location, so added computer models on the walls, 2 maps in 1. Experimenting with lighting, trying to make it look good without editing too much afterward. I research the hats/effects to use in SFM, enemies harder to see since you can't inspect items on enemy team even in demo, use TF2Wiki and scroll through hats.

Much easier to see weapons on teammates
Enemies, not so much

Computer crashed when I added to many lights with shadows enabled (very taxing on computer; be careful SFM users).

Shadowed light eat the memory


Demo/clip info 📽️

0:05 2022-03-21 @pl_badwater as Pyro – "Spontaneous Sauté & Slash Pincer Attack"
0:13 2022-05-17 @cp_gravelpit as Pyro – "Sandman Scout faces a Fast and Furious Flare" (RIP old sandman ⚾🪦)
0:23 2022-05-21 @pl_snowycoast as Sniper – "Jarate Direct Divebomb"
0:29 2022-08-26 @cp_dustbowl as Sniper – "Jarated Knockback"
0:45 "Attack of the UberChainers" ft. @KnowZero
0:57 2022-09-01 @cp_snakewater_final1 as Pyro – "Aided Ignition with a Side of Stickies" ft.  @ca7x3  
1:09 2022-09-14 @cp_mountainlab as Pyro – "Aggressive Spy Fishing"
1:17 2022-09-15 @cp_dustbowl as Sniper – "Stair-Staring Sniper Searing Spycheck Synergy"
1:24 2022-09-18 @cp_dustbowl as Demoman – "Sticky Spycheck; Engie Exterminates"
1:39 2022-09-19 @ctf_turbine as Pyro – "Long Flare; Assisted Ignition" ft.  @Jauntyweb  elmaxo cosplay sighting
1:52 2022-09-27 @pl_swiftwater_final1 as Pyro – "Phlog to Nelog"
2:03 2022-11-19 @pl_barnblitz as Demoman – "Dual Caber Attack"
2:17 2022-12-16 @pl_wutville_event as Sniper – "Friendly Soldier's Last Rocket; Enemy Pyro's Last Breath"
2:27 2022-12-18 @cp_altitude as Demoman – "Tactical Taunter x Sneaky Stabber"
2:43 2023-02-07 @pl_borneo as Soldier – "Mangled to Mail"
2:51 2023-07-04 @koth_nucleus as Soldier - "Mangled to Sentry"
2:59 2023-02-07 @pl_swiftwater_final1 as Scout – "Jarate-aided Bombk"
3:13 2023-02-22 @pl_borneo as Pyro – "Uber-push Shutdown"
3:33 2023-02-25 @pl_thundermountaino as Pyro – "Enemy Harassment & Demoknight Lockdown"
3:53 2023-07-05 @cp_5gorge  as Pyro – "9 o'clock DetJumpAxting Pincer Attack 🦀🕘"

Pinned comments


Extended credits 

Image

Sounds 🔊

SFM models 🧊

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See also

Reference

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