Cutscenes
Author
Hey everyone,
I was wondering, how are the cutscenes in most games done? Are they actually recorded as movie files (.wmv , .avi , etc), or are they done via some sort of scripting?
Thanks.
It depends on the game. The majority of cut scenes are pre-rendered movies just to get a quality that's hard to achieve in-engine but recently some games have been moving to in game scripts. I know that Halo 2 used all in engine scripts for their cut scenes.
I think the decision also comes down to the level of immersion you need for you game. If your story is more important that keeping your users in the game then cut scenes that look nothing like the game play are alright. If you really want to keep players in the game then using in-game scripting is the way to go.
I think the decision also comes down to the level of immersion you need for you game. If your story is more important that keeping your users in the game then cut scenes that look nothing like the game play are alright. If you really want to keep players in the game then using in-game scripting is the way to go.
Author
Well, what I was considering was either:
A: Make a simple scripting language that would allow me to do very simple scenes using in-game graphics
B: Have a modified version of the game that I could easily modify, and play out the cutscene in-game while recording it with a video capture app like FRAPS. Then I could paste all the scenes together with a video editing tool, add subtitles, etc.
Each options has it's pros and cons, but both would use in-game graphics. I'm kind of leaning towards the second one, because it would allow for some pretty elaborate scenes that would be impossible to do with the scripting stuff I'm considering. The only real hurdle would be to write code that can display the video.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
A: Make a simple scripting language that would allow me to do very simple scenes using in-game graphics
B: Have a modified version of the game that I could easily modify, and play out the cutscene in-game while recording it with a video capture app like FRAPS. Then I could paste all the scenes together with a video editing tool, add subtitles, etc.
Each options has it's pros and cons, but both would use in-game graphics. I'm kind of leaning towards the second one, because it would allow for some pretty elaborate scenes that would be impossible to do with the scripting stuff I'm considering. The only real hurdle would be to write code that can display the video.
Thoughts? Suggestions?
Well keep in mind in game scenes can have text and weird camera angles and the like. Plus they will keep your game a much smaller size.
The only advantage movies would do is you can do movie effects, like blur, and transitions...
But think about it this way, your going to set up a scene in your game, then record it, then play it back modified. Why not just show the scene to the players that you already created.
The only advantage movies would do is you can do movie effects, like blur, and transitions...
But think about it this way, your going to set up a scene in your game, then record it, then play it back modified. Why not just show the scene to the players that you already created.
Is this for your Angels 20 game? If so, then getting a screen cap movie is probably going to be quite a bit larger data wise than just embedding some light scripting in your game.
Author
Okay thanks guys, I'll experiment with both techniques and see which one works better.
Oh and if you are using the programmable pipeline then adding some effects to cutscenes isnt all that difficult (things like blurring etc). Therefore I vote for in-Game scripts.
-CProgrammer
-CProgrammer
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement