BTS - It might be easy to approximate the continuous battle playback everyone wants

[Binkie]

Ok, I've been thinking about how we can get as close to continuous battle playback as possible, given that BTS has indicated that this feature will most likely not make it into the code until CM2.

My idea is fairly simple, actually, and would hopefully take no more than a day to program (minus the texture-retention enhancement mentioned below, perhaps).

I propose a quick load feature for the next CM patch: alt-L. Currently, to load the next minute of battle, you have to 1) alt-A, 2) confirm, 3) join muliplayer, 4) load email, 5) select, 6) wait for textures, 7) enter password. This process is long and really drops the immersion factor.

The quick load would be a special function for replays only. It would automatically search for the next-higher-numbered file in the PBEM folder (or even a REPLAY subfolder, to keep the PBEM folder uncluttered) and load it immediately without asking for a password, as long as the password is the same as the one currently being used. So if your working PBEM file name was PBEMChance, for example, you would save all of your replay files with a number in them: PBEMChance1, PBEMChance2, etc, so the program would know which one to load next without you selecting it.

So hopefully the process would be 1) alt-L, 2) confirm. And boom, you're watching the next minute of battle without being dropped to the main interface. Even quicker to have a keyboard confirm, like a "Y" or "ENTER".

OPTIONAL: To get the highest performance out of this feature (though I suspect that this is too fundamental a change to the code and would take too long to implement), the program would retain all the current textures in memory and only load any new ones that the next turn is going to need. This would allow for fastest possible loading of the next replay. Certainly the textures in use don't change much from turn to turn, and I would think it's mostly additions. Rarely are textures not needed that have been loaded already (dead units are still visible), right? So I don't think this would cause memory usage bloat.

What do you guys think about this idea?

[KMan]

If people think this would be useful...I can add this functionality via a front end to CM. Of course it won't have the texture retention though

I have a front end already that loads email games and enters the password for you. Simple modification to iterate through multiple email files.

I tried to code this last weekend, but was being too ambitious and tried to load 2 instances of CM and have one loading in the background while one plays the movie. I wasn't able to get this to work.

If people would use this, I could code it...

-K

[gezeder]

Well, certainly I would use it - as the game stands it's a bit of a pain if you want to see the last few turns of a battle before making your next move....

If you were already doing a load next program, would a load previous be difficult to add as well? That would make the whole thing even better, your could scroll back and fourth through the battle....

[KMan]

What I had been planning was when done watching a movie, you press "esc" instead of "done" or "alt-a" - then the program takes over and automatically loads the next movie. However, I could also dump you back to a dialog box which allows previous or next movie. Less automated, but more options.

BTW - this is windows only

[This message has been edited by KMan (edited 11-14-2000).]

[Bruno Weiss]

Everyone wants? I'll grant you many people have voiced the desire, but using absolutes presumes you've checked with everyone. I don't particularly desire a full continuous movie. If it were there, I might watch it once in a rare while, but if BTS has to divert energy or time away from CM2 to monkey with it... I'd rather play the game than watch it.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled wish list.

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"Gentlemen, you may be sure that of the three courses

open to the enemy, he will always choose the fourth."

-Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke, (1848-1916)

[Guest wwb_99]

Another method might be possible. I am not sure as I have little expertise in computer graphics production.

On a rather powerful machine (probably a dual G4 or so) run a CM turn at the same time running an on screen capture utility to pull in the CM generated images and transfer them to a readable movie format. These movies could then be edited together to create a full length feature. Do any of you graphics professionals know if this is possible?

WWB

[Maximus]

The only problem with your suggested Screen Capture method is that it would only capture whatever the point of view is looking at at any given moment....Not too useful, really.

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--"We want information."

--"Information."

--"Information."

--"Who are you?"

--"The new Number 2."

--"Who is Number 1?"

--"You are Number 6."

--"I am not a number, I am a free man!"

--"Hahahahahahahaha."

[Guest wwb_99]

But if filmed like a movie it could be. Play back a turn thrice, using several different points of view, then play CM director and create a really cool movie. There is one underlying point that makes any attempt to do a in-CM movie: processor power. Maybe on a dual P III-866 with 1 GB of ram and Dual GeForce 2 Ultras, but not with anything nearing the hardware availiable to your average user.

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Ave, Caesar! Morituri te salatamus.

[Juardis]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KMan:

If people think this would be useful...I can add this functionality via a front end to CM. Of course it won't have the texture retention though

-K<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Texture retention or no, I'd love to have this functionality. However, use some other key other than esc since esc takes you back to the desktop.

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Jeff Abbott

[Binkie]

This is a terrific offer, KMan, and I bet a lot of people would use it, especially if you sent it in to Matt at CMHQ for posting in the downloads.

My personal preference is that it would would load the next email file automatically rather than routing through a dialogue box regarding which turn to load. That's the whole spirit of the continuous movie thing...more automation, fewer menus and mouse clicks. I suspect most folks would only want to watch forward anyway, since they can watch the current turn as many times as they want before proceeding.

Also, like Juardis wrote, I think using a hotkey other than ESC is a good idea.

Thanks!

[KMan]

Just to be clear...with my solution there will still be an immersion breaking pause between movies. You would have to sit through the loading screens just as if you had loaded the next movie manually.

The reason why I'm thinking of using "esc" is that it is the simplest way for another app to tell when you are done watching the movie. I don't plan to intercept the keyboard input going to CM - although maybe I'll play around with it.

-KMan

[Juardis]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by KMan:

Just to be clear...with my solution there will still be an immersion breaking pause between movies. You would have to sit through the loading screens just as if you had loaded the next movie manually.

-KMan<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Understood. Now where is it

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Jeff Abbott