0.1.6 alpha will be such a big release, so we decided that it should have more than just a single image and/or post. It needs a whole video!
It must show the most important changes (which are listed here: https://trello.com/c/3kAw2tDq/43-alpha-0...onal-video), all of them in the perfect world. But it needs be attractive visually and audibly at the same time.
I'm going to describe my idea for this video.
Generally speaking, it will be a Hollywood-trailer-style video. We need to have some nice shots with smooth camera moves at the right angles and join them together to fit an epic music along with epic subtitles (the word "epic" I will be using frequently probably, because well... this idea is epic!). I will also propose something humorous at the end of the video, we'll get to that shortly.
I recommend to play this music during reading the next part of the post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz6pHpMmuJo Here we go!
(the Code Battle level)
Grabber of the first team is standing right in front of the camera, which moves horizontally.
Grabber of the second team is standing right in front of the camera, which moves horizontally.
The whole scene is seen from above. Two Grabbers are standing in front of each other, there is a river between them.
Subtitle: THE CODE BATTLE BEGINS (subtitles are white text on black background)
(Here music gets intense suddenly).
They start moving and the code battle begins.
Subtitle: NEW CBOT SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING
Someone is typing something in the CBOT editor with some long and complicated program, while camera is rotating in the background (some parts of the bases can be seen there).
Subtitle: FULLY AUTOMATED BASE AVAILABLE
Some epic shots from building a base. I.e. collecting TitaniumOre to Titanium, Shooters coming out of the BotFactory, a bot building a Derrick and maybe something else.
Subtitle: UPDATED [SATCOM](logo instead of a text here) DOCUMENTATION WITH NEW FUNCTIONS
Someone is scrolling through the main CBOT page and clicks on the link of one of the new functions.
Subtitle: DRAW SCHEMAS ON THE GROUND
Scribbler is drawing something. For example, an area for Titaniums or something like that.
Subtitle: IMPROVED GRAPHICS
We are no longer in Code Battle level. Let's say it's now Tropica or Vulkania or something else.
Some beautiful, short shots of scenery, ruins, aliens, bots etc. to show new shaders in work. Also add here some shots of the interface if the HD textures will be there.
Subtitle: IMPROVED AUTOSAVE
Zoom on the autosave settings for a tiny little really moment, then Me flying from the hill with heating reactor (there is a message saying about autosave), so he falls to death. Camera is on bottom of the hill and Me falls right into it.
Subtitle: PROGRESS BAR
The game is reloading after the death shown in the previous scene. Camera is now showing the top of the hill and the bottom where the Me fell. Me is hanging above the hill, just before he falls to death, he safely lands on top of the hill.
Subtitle: TONS OF BUGFIXES AND INTERNAL REFACTORING
Here we are back again to the Code Battle level. Bases are almost done, but Shooters are not fighting with each other yet. Meanwhile in front of the screen there is a list of commit messages or something like that scrolling really fast (so it's unreadable until you stop or slow down a video). At the top of the list appears numbers of changes lines, commits done and maybe some other statistics.
Subtitle: OBJECTS' VELOCITY
WingedShooters are going to attack each other. They are flying to meet each other at the center above of the river, the camera shows the whole scene from the side. Before they meet, camera changes to the center and it shows one of the Shooters. The scene end with the Shooter being almost exactly in front of the camera, it may starts shooting and... music ends, black screen, animated logo (changing spacing between letters). Before the end of this simple animation other informations appears like other logos, version number and so on.
Black screen again for 1 or 2 seconds. (I recommend to stop the epic music playing now if you are listening to it during reading this).
Short let's play footage from Colobot, may be imitated or real. Someone starts making a building and want to stop. The player speaks to microphone in a humorous way to show the problem.
Subtitle: YEAH... WE FIXED THAT TOO
Short gameplay footage from Colobot. Someone starts making a building and just before Me is going to use his gun, he changes his mind. Black screen again and the end.
I hope you get the big picture. In the video there is always something happening, may it be just zooming subtitles. With the right shots, editing and music we get an epic video similar to all these epic video trailers. The whole things shouldn't last longer than 2 minutes. Music can be cut and probably will be in some places.
I'd be glad to hear your opinion. I will understand if you won't like my idea. Feel free to describe here yours ideas instead of creating a separate thread. We will realise only of them after all anyway. Of course suggestions and criticism are nice to see too.
About technical details.
I volunteer as an editor. I have experience in that (personal videos, helping someone else and also this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSmZFwRcxHk). I could also record some shots in 720p, but I don't think I have enough skill to direct the whole thing (I know, I know, it's my idea, so I should, but I hope that someone better suitable for this job gets my vision).
So to record the whole thing I recommend Open Broadcaster Software. If I remember correctly, @krzys_h was recording the previous time and in 1080p, which is the optimal resolution in my opinion, minimum is 720p and if we by some miracle had a possibility to record in 4k resolution then why not? Only remember that 30 fps is minimum, so better lower resolution than lower FPS. 60 FPS would be the best option, but it's not necessary. Recorded raw materials should be of course as not compressed as possible. Let the editor worry about YouTube compression.
I'll use Kdenlive as previously, so the final project files will be available for everyone for free. If, of course, you want me as an editor
So we need: recorders, director, editor, 3D graphics designer to render the animation of 3D logo, and also some things not ready for the release yet like ready programs and code battle level, maybe also a musician or just some good music.
The music I have given here would be great, but it's not free so we need to ask the authors for permission to use, find a similar/better free one or have one of our musicians compose something. Any suggestions about that would be greatly appreciated.
It must show the most important changes (which are listed here: https://trello.com/c/3kAw2tDq/43-alpha-0...onal-video), all of them in the perfect world. But it needs be attractive visually and audibly at the same time.
I'm going to describe my idea for this video.
Generally speaking, it will be a Hollywood-trailer-style video. We need to have some nice shots with smooth camera moves at the right angles and join them together to fit an epic music along with epic subtitles (the word "epic" I will be using frequently probably, because well... this idea is epic!). I will also propose something humorous at the end of the video, we'll get to that shortly.
I recommend to play this music during reading the next part of the post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz6pHpMmuJo Here we go!
(the Code Battle level)
Grabber of the first team is standing right in front of the camera, which moves horizontally.
Grabber of the second team is standing right in front of the camera, which moves horizontally.
The whole scene is seen from above. Two Grabbers are standing in front of each other, there is a river between them.
Subtitle: THE CODE BATTLE BEGINS (subtitles are white text on black background)
(Here music gets intense suddenly).
They start moving and the code battle begins.
Subtitle: NEW CBOT SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING
Someone is typing something in the CBOT editor with some long and complicated program, while camera is rotating in the background (some parts of the bases can be seen there).
Subtitle: FULLY AUTOMATED BASE AVAILABLE
Some epic shots from building a base. I.e. collecting TitaniumOre to Titanium, Shooters coming out of the BotFactory, a bot building a Derrick and maybe something else.
Subtitle: UPDATED [SATCOM](logo instead of a text here) DOCUMENTATION WITH NEW FUNCTIONS
Someone is scrolling through the main CBOT page and clicks on the link of one of the new functions.
Subtitle: DRAW SCHEMAS ON THE GROUND
Scribbler is drawing something. For example, an area for Titaniums or something like that.
Subtitle: IMPROVED GRAPHICS
We are no longer in Code Battle level. Let's say it's now Tropica or Vulkania or something else.
Some beautiful, short shots of scenery, ruins, aliens, bots etc. to show new shaders in work. Also add here some shots of the interface if the HD textures will be there.
Subtitle: IMPROVED AUTOSAVE
Zoom on the autosave settings for a tiny little really moment, then Me flying from the hill with heating reactor (there is a message saying about autosave), so he falls to death. Camera is on bottom of the hill and Me falls right into it.
Subtitle: PROGRESS BAR
The game is reloading after the death shown in the previous scene. Camera is now showing the top of the hill and the bottom where the Me fell. Me is hanging above the hill, just before he falls to death, he safely lands on top of the hill.
Subtitle: TONS OF BUGFIXES AND INTERNAL REFACTORING
Here we are back again to the Code Battle level. Bases are almost done, but Shooters are not fighting with each other yet. Meanwhile in front of the screen there is a list of commit messages or something like that scrolling really fast (so it's unreadable until you stop or slow down a video). At the top of the list appears numbers of changes lines, commits done and maybe some other statistics.
Subtitle: OBJECTS' VELOCITY
WingedShooters are going to attack each other. They are flying to meet each other at the center above of the river, the camera shows the whole scene from the side. Before they meet, camera changes to the center and it shows one of the Shooters. The scene end with the Shooter being almost exactly in front of the camera, it may starts shooting and... music ends, black screen, animated logo (changing spacing between letters). Before the end of this simple animation other informations appears like other logos, version number and so on.
Black screen again for 1 or 2 seconds. (I recommend to stop the epic music playing now if you are listening to it during reading this).
Short let's play footage from Colobot, may be imitated or real. Someone starts making a building and want to stop. The player speaks to microphone in a humorous way to show the problem.
Subtitle: YEAH... WE FIXED THAT TOO
Short gameplay footage from Colobot. Someone starts making a building and just before Me is going to use his gun, he changes his mind. Black screen again and the end.
I hope you get the big picture. In the video there is always something happening, may it be just zooming subtitles. With the right shots, editing and music we get an epic video similar to all these epic video trailers. The whole things shouldn't last longer than 2 minutes. Music can be cut and probably will be in some places.
I'd be glad to hear your opinion. I will understand if you won't like my idea. Feel free to describe here yours ideas instead of creating a separate thread. We will realise only of them after all anyway. Of course suggestions and criticism are nice to see too.
About technical details.
I volunteer as an editor. I have experience in that (personal videos, helping someone else and also this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSmZFwRcxHk). I could also record some shots in 720p, but I don't think I have enough skill to direct the whole thing (I know, I know, it's my idea, so I should, but I hope that someone better suitable for this job gets my vision).
So to record the whole thing I recommend Open Broadcaster Software. If I remember correctly, @krzys_h was recording the previous time and in 1080p, which is the optimal resolution in my opinion, minimum is 720p and if we by some miracle had a possibility to record in 4k resolution then why not? Only remember that 30 fps is minimum, so better lower resolution than lower FPS. 60 FPS would be the best option, but it's not necessary. Recorded raw materials should be of course as not compressed as possible. Let the editor worry about YouTube compression.
I'll use Kdenlive as previously, so the final project files will be available for everyone for free. If, of course, you want me as an editor
So we need: recorders, director, editor, 3D graphics designer to render the animation of 3D logo, and also some things not ready for the release yet like ready programs and code battle level, maybe also a musician or just some good music.
The music I have given here would be great, but it's not free so we need to ask the authors for permission to use, find a similar/better free one or have one of our musicians compose something. Any suggestions about that would be greatly appreciated.
![[Image: XvN5CTW.png]](http://i.imgur.com/XvN5CTW.png)
![[Image: UYXyyMS.png]](http://i.imgur.com/UYXyyMS.png)