Web-based video demos

[77NY]

On a different thread I ran an idea past Gray Lensman that he encouraged me to follow up on. The idea is that experienced players help create a set of very short (<10 sec) web-based video demos to help new players with the steep learning curve of the game mechanics. The final products will be posted to an online-video source like YouTube or to a designated area of this forum.

Just using your digital camera or cell phone, record a very brief video of an important part of game play. For example, topics for a set of very short videos related to Movement would show:

Drag-and-drop land movement

rail movement

river movement

sea movement

And the set of topics for unit formation would show:

Adding a leader to a brigade

Division formation

Corps formation

Army formation

That is the basic idea and some basic topics. If anyone likes this idea and is interested in contributing quick video clips, scripts, or comments, please post here.

[Comtedemeighan]

people do stuff like that on youtube all the time sounds like a good idea

[Banks6060]

GREAT idea. I read it in the other thread and thought the same thing. I wish I had time to volunteer man. It sounds like it might even be kind of fun to put together.

[Major Tom]

I think this is a great idea. Now if we could just find some volunteers.

/ looks around and slowly backs out of the room...

[Jarkko]

Doesn't Fraps (or other such prorgrams) work with AGE engine games? At work now, so can't test.

[Gray_Lensman]

deleted

[Comtedemeighan]

LOL, this reminds me of an older friend of mine (if you can imagine anyone older than me). He worked at the Keokuk hydro plant located at the southeast corner of Iowa. He had a classic expression that became widely quoted throughout the company...

"Look interested and back away slowly!"

LOL

[77NY]

Nice!

I'm not letting you old-timers off that easily! What I'm going to do is really simple. I'm going to set up a digital camera at my computer and record a couple of quick segments from a demo game showing brigade+leader, division, corps, and army formation. That seems to be what what new users have the most trouble with.

I'm going to use Windows movie editor to add chyrons (text) and instruction slides. I envision this as a series of really, really short animated Powerpoint presentations. That should keep the uploaded video files a manageable size.

Where you guys will come in is after I upload a couple of these, I have a feeling you will have lots of comments/suggestions to tweak the text and probably ideas for other demos. Also, I am hoping that those of you with multiple languages can help create translation texts. We can do that through the forum since I can just cut-and-paste text from the site to the movie editor.

[Pocus]

Perhaps some rebate coupons can be given to the volunteers, if (small) incentives are needed.

[77NY]

Here is a 20 second video demonstrating how to combine units into a division. Feedback appreciated.

Update: Pocus, I created this video using CamStudio screen video capture. Video quality is very good. I think we're in business.

[Comtedemeighan]

77NY can you post the video on Youtube?

[Pocus]

Hehe, first try. Not so bad, despite the low quality!

[77NY]

Hehe, first try. Not so bad, despite the low quality!

Eureka! I downloaded CamStudio and it works great. It records video directly from your computer screen. Demo video version 1.1a

Now I just need to polish up my skills making sure everything is centered properly.

Pocus and Gray: I removed the old video in the post above and replaced it with better video. Please take a look.

77NY can you post the video on Youtube?

UPDATE: An updated/enhanced version is available on YouTube under username 77thNYVols: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxBuhg35Ms

[Jim-NC]

Looks OK (much better than I could ever do).

[77NY]

I was just happy to have found the screen-capture video shareware (free!). The video of my PC screen shot with my digital camera was horrible quality.

It's actually very easy to use. I need to see if there is a way to make the recording box bigger. The default setting only captures a very small slice of your overall monitor display, which is why I had trouble getting the buttons and unit pictures in the shot properly. Even a quarter screen size would be great. I'll have to play with it over the next few days.

But, even if we can't get a bigger screenie video and have to move the recording box around recording the demos, I think it still has some good potential.

[Pocus]

Nice indeed, good quality. Perhaps the freeware version only capture this 1/16 of a screen?
I believe you are too fast. I had barely the time to read the text and see on the screen what was going on. Now imagine someone not having mastered the system, and it is even worse. I would say, double the delay between each sentence/action.

[arsan]

77NY: Thanks! Very nice work!

I just discovered that there is another AACW vid on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kTKu3HxEYo&NR=1

It seems Clovis made one about the tutorial back on October 2007.
I didn't remembered it

[77NY]

Nice indeed, good quality. Perhaps the freeware version only capture this 1/16 of a screen?

I played with the software last night and you can re-size the window. But apparently the image can become distorted if you change the h x w parameters, so I have to find the right proportions.

I believe you are too fast. I had barely the time to read the text and see on the screen what was going on. Now imagine someone not having mastered the system, and it is even worse. I would say, double the delay between each sentence/action.

Thank you, that's helpful. I can also adjust the timing of the screen titles to keep them up longer.

UPDATE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxBuhg35Ms

[Major Tom]

Beautiful. Excellent job.

[count taaffe]

Great idea - very well done and helpful

Thank you so much!!!

[77NY]

Here is a very basic demo on plotting marches and forced marches.

UPDATED URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewZqD3c454o

[Pocus]

Great work 77NY! Can you please post it on The Wargamer? More buzz for our beloved game

I would suggest though:

1 - Even slightly increased delay between in-video texts. The problem is not just to have enough time to read it, but also to link the sentence in one's head to what was the manipulation on the map, then allow the brain to memorize the concept. This is barely enough for now, but it can be my old brain (40 and rising...).

2 - Can you make your subtitles as it is done often, i.e white with black shadowing? Because green can be hard to read for some people.

[77NY]

Great work 77NY! Can you please post it on The Wargamer? More buzz for our beloved game

I would suggest though:

1 - Even slightly increased delay between in-video texts. The problem is not just to have enough time to read it, but also to link the sentence in one's head to what was the manipulation on the map, then allow the brain to memorize the concept. This is barely enough for now, but it can be my old brain (40 and rising...).

Thanks for the feedback. The main problem I am running into is the large size (1+ GB) of the raw video from CamStudio. Windows Moviemaker gets unstable loading large video files. CamStudio runs in the background with AACW... You get the picture. What I think I should do is loop a couple of the more important segments both to reinforce visually and to extend the length of time to display text.

UPDATE 3/16/09: Posted to Wargamer site at http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.aspx?high=&m=337589&mpage=1#340367

2 - Can you make your subtitles as it is done often, i.e white with black shadowing? Because green can be hard to read for some people.

Yes, not to mention the green is just plain ugly. I chose it for contrast since the standard black, white, and yellow got lost against the map background. Let me tinker with that some more.

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions. I'll tweak a few things we discussed and then post to Wargamer.

UPDATE: I re-edited the movement demo, using white subtitles. I slowed two segments to 1/2 speed to increase text display time. Running time is now 90 seconds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewZqD3c454o

[Clovis]

77NY: Thanks! Very nice work!

I just discovered that there is another AACW vid on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kTKu3HxEYo&NR=1

It seems Clovis made one about the tutorial back on October 2007.
I didn't remembered it

Yes. unfortunatly, I can't speak English to comment the screens. But if someone does that, it will be a wonderful feature.

[77NY]

Please note a few updates in my earlier posts, some re-editing and a post to Wargamer to help spread the word.

Any ideas for some additional demo videos?

[Pocus]

Can you please post the link of The Wargamer?

Something about the Command Chain I think...

[77NY]

Can you please post the link of The Wargamer?

Something about the Command Chain I think...

The Wargamer link was buried in #23 above. http://www.wargamer.com/forums/tm.as...mpage=1#340367

Sounds good. I'll work on a demo for army and corps formation next.