Topics

61

General Discussion / Preparation for Eksi's post-shaders Blockland trailer - Suggest showcases

« on: February 20, 2012, 12:59:51 AM »

It can be accurately assumed that one of the first things out of me after the imminent shadows/shaders update will be an updated trailer. I want to be prepared for that, and to be more prepared than I was to make my first one, which was actually rather rushed.

For this, I would like to show a variety of themes, giving the viewer an idea of the span of potential Blockland provides. Like before, there will be a number of more scenic, pretty builds and various forms of action shots. Unlike before, for example, I will make sure there aren't six shots of planes back to back and only one that barely suggests it involves a zombie mod. And, obviously, it should all be the more impressive with the involvement of shadows and shaders.

The purpose of this thread is to gather and keep note of themes and builds that ought to be shown, making sure not too much or too little is shown in a range of some of the notable creations that help shape the Blockland experience.

I need you, the reader, to suggest ideas or themes, nominate builds/add-ons/servers, and give some feedback on the previous trailer.

Links, not pictures are preferred.


Builds I would surely like to use:
Bushido and Eksi's Collab City
Conan's Althur - Terrain Build
Klendathu Drop (ZAPT)
Pyramid getting cannoned
King Leo's Cathedral
Badspot's Block Party 01
EndGame's cavetastic TDM
Choneis' Mythology Build
TheArmyGuy's Construction Fight

Possible nominations:
King Leo's landmarks
Wehrmacht's Operation Metro or misc. builds
Skill4Life's cs_office
Modman's terrain build
Prison Escape V3
Mega-Bear and Extrude's Battersea Power Station
JakeBlade and Mr.LoL's house
Diggy's Metropolis RP
Mr. Nobody's Ballroom
Solid's junktown

Themes to include:
Clarify modding community influence
Landscapes
Raceway
Airport
Dogfight
Horror-style
Dodgeball
Knife TDM
Zombies

Suggest as many as you can think of

62

Suggestions & Requests / 5x-8x length (not width) gradual ramps for smooth sloped roads and other things

« on: January 07, 2012, 05:12:40 PM »

The 8.53° ramps from the One Random Brick Pack might work, but there is only one width and the collision does not actually behave like a ramp.




The 10° ramp from the same is good for driveways, but has only one width of 8x, so road lines aren't possible.




And the 18° (4x length) ramps function well but are too abrupt for any action other than jumping and/or losing control.


BOMP                                                                         VREEEEM


And the default ramps, of course, are even more abrupt.




I talked to someone who said they could and would do this for me, but that was weeks ago and I don't recall who it was.

Having this is important for many of the things I want to do.

63

Gallery / [VIDEO] Tricycle

« on: December 10, 2011, 01:54:38 PM »

Tricycle [0:21]


A dumb short idea that popped into my head the first time I saw the tricycle vehicle.

64

Suggestions & Requests / Rally cars / variations

« on: December 08, 2011, 01:58:41 PM »

I've been playing too much DiRT 3 and would like to see rally cars, or variations of existing cars (such as how Barnabas makes taxi and police versions of his sedan and hatchback) which add features like the above.

65

Games / Nitronic Rush - Free experimental racing game - BL FORUMS Race #1

« on: November 14, 2011, 07:50:02 PM »

http://nitronic-rush.com/


NEWS:

2011/11/11 - Nitronic Rush available for download


"Nitronic Rush is an experimental survival driving game developed by students at DigiPen Institute of Technology. Use the car’s many abilities (including boost, wings, and jump) to avoid obstacles that the city throws at you. Prove your abilities and impress the announcer by performing tricks. In many ways the game is a tribute to racing games of the 1990′s, but with fresh graphics and gameplay.

The entire game (including the graphics, physics, and architecture) was developed from the ground up using C++ for the PC (Windows XP, Vista, and 7) platform. It was not created as a mod or using any pre-made engines such as Unity or Unreal."



TL;DR: Take Trackmania, Hot Wheels and Tron and smash them together. The physics are amazing, the graphics are amazing, and it's currently free.


NOTE: NORMAL DOWNLOADS MAY NOT WORK! You may need to use the torrent.


Thanks to Menen for original thread.


Blockland Forums Races
Are you ready for some split screen, pseudo multiplayer score-comparing action?

Record your time on the given track with HUD ON, MUSIC OFF and ANNOUNCER OFF in a preferably 16:9 (1280x720, 1600x900, 1920x1080) ratio. Trim it and render it with your choice of video editor to compress the size, especially if you use Fraps, then upload it to a site like Mediafire or Dropbox and send the link to Eksi. The render does not have to be larger than 640x360 at 30 FPS.

Races are most efficiently done in groups of four or nine. To keep things straight, individual videos will be monochromatic with your choice of color.

Feel free to suggest competition on other tracks!

NOTE: Color choices are impermanent, they are just for the given race to lower visual confusion. Racers are identified by name during the video. If, however, you use a color in one race and feel attached to it, you may be able to override a newer entrant. Also note that there is a very wide range of colors you can choose from, such as gold instead of yellow, light blue, etc.


FAQ:

Q: When do we race?
A: Whenever you have time to record it. Racing is not simultaneous.

Q: How do I change my color?
A: Ask me. There is no in-game color changing. It is done by video editing.



RACE 1: Hardcore Black (IN PROGRESS)
[Received] Siten (Eksi) - Blue
[Received] Kingdaro - Purple
[Received] Munk - Green
[Received] Niven - Red
[Received] Doomcop - White
[Received] Maxwell - Steam name blue
[EMPTY]
[EMPTY]
[EMPTY]

Announced:
? - Orange
Comatose - Yellow
Menen - Orange
Lil Robot
*FacePalm* - Cyan
Zenon - Pink
Sir Herg - Pink
Taboo - Brown
Unwritten Calendar - Gray

66

Gallery / [VIDEO] going to the store (in Blockland) - Some interesting news

« on: September 26, 2011, 09:34:23 AM »

A spoof of David Lewandowski's going to the store.

going to the store (in Blockland) [0:46]



http://youtubedoubler.com/1MXE
Courtesy of Mr.LoL



According to this guy, Utorak (which I presume is Utorak007, with some 40k subscribers) twittered about this video. Also, Lewandowski approved it as a video response. So it looks like I'm getting some new viewers (20 likes to 57 likes in one day, #95 most favorited in Comedy today) and we may be getting some new interest in Blockland.

67

Clan Discussion / [TV] Trifurcate Videographers - Please stand by.

« on: August 28, 2011, 05:57:42 AM »

What is [TV]?

Eksi's new clan, to consist of helpful actors, writers, and builders who can cooperate on video projects.

Trifurcate: Split into three branches. (Adjective as well as verb)
Videographers: Basically, people who make videos. You probably already figured that one out though.

How do I join?

Prove yourself depending on which branch you want to join. You can be in more than one.
Find more details on each branch below.




Actors make it happen. This group includes motion actors and, more importantly, voice actors.

Motion actors are those who act out motions with their player. These are generally much less necessary, as doing my own motion acting for multiple parts and editing them together gives the most possible control and synchronicity, but there are cases where they are much needed, such as making crowd shots that don't consist of mindless bots and scenes where editing multiple parts is simply an inconvenience.

Voice actors are particularly valuable as we always seek to give character to every character and avoid much recycling where possible, especially within the same video or series. Real voices are highly preferable to text voices, being much more personal and having much more potential for expression of the character.



To apply as an actor of either or both types, send me to an example of your work. If that is not available, create a sample and upload it, preferably to Youtube. Otherwise, you can use the more or less simple method of getting me in-game or in a voice chat to witness your performance live and uncensored. (ooh)

To be approved as a motion actor, you will need good control of your in-game movements and a great deal of cooperation. Those who consistently ignore directions or are otherwise disruptive will be swiftly booted and spoken ill of in general conversation.
To be approved as a voice actor, you need a good microphone and the confidence to speak into it. Ability to get into character or make multiple voices is a plus.




Writers get things moving. This group brainstorms to write dialogue, form plots, and give general ideas.
The biggest problem I've always had is actually having a good idea to build off of, and that's where this group comes in.

Dialogue writers sort out the lines to be spoken by each character and revise them to best suit the character and the situation. They cooperate with voice actors to find the best suited lines which the actor can speak comfortably.
Plot writers sort out anything from basic concepts of the video's plot to the details of specific scenes.

Writing a plot independently generally produces worse results than brainstorming, so a complete and independent storyline is not a requirement; you may be added as a writer if you prove to be of help in forming a plot.




Builders make it presentable. This group specializes in making movie sets, where great detail is necessary - unless nobody's looking.

The more focus there is on a certain part of a build, the more detail it needs to have. Where it will only be seen for a short time and/or is a background feature, it requires less detail, but is still important to the atmosphere. Generally, I can do set building myself, but it will be much more efficient with several reliable bricksmiths to help.

To be approved as a builder, create a movie set that works for at least one camera angle. This ranges from a facade building to an interior or small landscape. Remember that its brick count and its general construction as an independent build are not as important as normal builds; as a set, it is designed to look good for the angles it is built for. Also, keep in mind that it is often beneficial for a movie set to include the use of lights, emitters, and events.

In order for your build to qualify, it must not be something I could design in five minutes on the set. If that's your best work, I'd be better off making it in five minutes on the set.


This group can also include modelers, for items that need particular details. Ability to turn them into bricks, items, vehicles, or command-activated hats or armor without error is important.




Directors bring it together. This group organizes, films and edits to combine actors, plots and builds into a final product.
Directors are able to create associated [TV] videos. For now, these will be published to the director's channel.
To join as a director, you must be able to publish your own videos which can bring out the best of each branch.

At this time, you cannot join as a director.


MEMBERS

Eksi
13559


President, Chief Director
Channel: xC3110x

Motion actors:
MunkeyCheez - 10664
TomTheGeek - 2066
[Lion/Sieber] - 26821
Unwritten Calendar

Kyzor
11024

Voice actor, Writer, Effects

RMS Gigantic
9597

Writing support, logician

SirLancelot7
3824

Writer, likely actor

Makanix
2022

Writer, modeler

RingsOfSaturn
9881

Builder

Wehrmacht

Builder

68

General Discussion / Impostor builds

« on: August 18, 2011, 06:07:21 PM »

This thread is in General Discussion as it is less about the example and more about the concept and its potential.

And now for something completely different: A building style that focuses almost exclusively on removing detail.

In games, impostors are simpler versions of the same object which replace it when you're farther away. The detail is reduced so you can still see the object in the distance, but it's a simplified impostor which makes rendering easier. That's how any computer not owned by NASA can run GTA IV.

I intend to make a city, currently named Lyndway, designed for making videos, which uses a large amount of separate save files to make it look good up close while remaining possible to film in. It will be broken into sections, only one of which at a time will be the "real" build. All buildings, or, at the very least, their silhouettes, will remain visible in the background from any full-detail area loaded.

I used the Apartment as an example to illustrate this.



In an area with many buildings with full interiors, the effectiveness of the brick reduction and the impressiveness of the finished product will be more profound.

69

Suggestions & Requests / Request for knowledge or someone to help with animated blockhead playertypes

« on: August 15, 2011, 11:56:51 PM »

If Eksi and Flubbman learned to use Blender like DarkStar, the animation in this series could be more complex compared to using Blockland's player animations

Eh, just food for thought, i don't mind it being in Blockland :P

I prefer machinima to animation. Or possibly that's just an excuse to not learn to use it. Actually if I could make a playertype with new animations that would be rad. Same as a blockhead but with blendery animations instead of default model, and could do specific animations like actual punching instead of the hug of death. Actually that sounds exactly like something I would want to do.

What think? I have basically zero experience with Blender, and I prefer the idea of Blockland sets and acting over making it 100% animated, but I'm always finding myself needing more complicated or detailed animations in videos. Could you make (or help me learn to make) playertypes that look exactly like blockheads, but with different animations?

It wouldn't make that much of a difference. Because I can't add new animations, only replace existing ones. And the way blockheads work just won't make the animations seem very realistic or pleasing to watch. For example when you jump I can't make him bend down to anticipate the jump and then jump, I would just have to make it the same thing, and when he's in the air while jumping I can't do much else except freeze him in place. Main point is, I can't change the way the animations work, it would look pretty much the same except with slightly altered animations, because I can't add any new ones. (At least, I don't know how.) I'm also really busy right now so even if there was a way to add new animations to a playertype I couldn't really help you at this moment, but I'd be interested in knowing.

Ah, okay. Well, I know there are weapons which have custom animations, so possibly a dumb work-around would be functional. I can work with the default for now.

although..

I could use variations on the default animations, such as a crouch that actually looks like a crouch rather than crawling around, or a panicked run, or a run that looks appropriate for the speed of walking. Not highly polished or useful for gameplay, of course, as any two "running" animations would need two playertypes. For one-time animations, like punching or examining something (or anticipating jumping!), could replacing the animation for sitting work?

Keep in mind I edit my videos heavily, so to me it wouldn't matter if the animations look disconnected outside of recording small segments, only that the motions are available. I wouldn't be bothered by handling a list of playertypes designed for specific movements.

Absolutely no rush for this or anything, it's just something I've had in mind, and I figured you were a good one to ask about it.

I guess that could work but as I said, I got so many projects right now :/ I'm sure there's others that are capable of making player types on these forums.

For TL;DR, read bold words.


Well?

70

General Discussion / BlockoMYST Island as a Word document.

« on: July 31, 2011, 07:49:55 AM »

Point 1 font, 8 columns, minimal margins.

Unedited, it was 1185 pages.






Don't ask why, or do, and I'll tell you I thought of doing this when I considered making part 2 of the gameplay video which I had intended to do about nine months ago.

71

Off Topic / Guide to responding to obvious spam / trolling attempts.

« on: July 13, 2011, 11:58:30 PM »

Don't.

72

Off Topic / What the forget is wrong with you, Youtube

« on: May 18, 2011, 04:05:06 AM »

AND BY THE WAY

73

Music / Tables and Chairs

« on: May 16, 2011, 09:01:32 PM »

Tables and chaiii-iiirs

Got it to loop better than it does in the video.

74

Off Topic / Anniversary of the creation of Eksi (3rd, 4th BL birthday this week?)

« on: May 13, 2011, 02:23:44 PM »

I'm 19 now. I feel old.


casually inserted link of no particular importance


If I get enough gifts I might start doing voice acting. No, that wasn't a bribe, why do you ask?

75

General Discussion / Eksi's FREE ADMIN AND love RP

« on: April 27, 2011, 06:22:45 PM »

JOIN NOW