Nigzel
Smash Ace
Nigzel’s Guide to AR-Movies
You say you want to make Action replay movies like Perfect Control, Adventure or Zero Mercy? The road to the final product is far away from being a thought, which becomes the real project. To start that off, you need to have some equipment:
Action Replay (and Debug menu code(s))
KNOWLEDGE!!
Some sort of way to record, Capture card is recommended
Video Editing tools
Getting an AR
With those four, you will be able to make real pro-videos. Lets start with getting an AR, take a look at www.Codejunkies.com and see it there’s any way you can get an AR directly from there. If not, try checking with your local Videogamestore and see if they can order one for you. However, if that still doesn’t give any results, checks sites as pricerunner.com and see if you can get one from one of their links. [Worst-case-scenario: Used from E-bay.]
Knowledge
OK, to start getting knowledge, you need info that already exists to learn by yourself. The best way to start then is…. SDM’s FRAME LISTS! To really learn you have to be almost obsessed by frame data. I recommend you to Download all frame lists and print them out. Or at least your favorite and second favorite’s frame list. You can get the lists here or via the dc++ hub.
Good general tips when playing around with debug:
Y + dpad down = display animation name and frame number for all characters
R + dpad right = toggle collision bubbles and hitboxes for this character
R + dpad up = toggle ALL collision bubbles and hitboxes (including stage hazards and destructible environs)
Might add more later on…
KNOWLEDGE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF AR-SMASH!
Recording
With that behind us, we almost can start recording our very own videos… nah, not really. Make sure there is a way you can record; DVD, VHS (VCR), Digital camera (connect to the cube somehow!), or straight via a capture card. For DVD, record and insert the DVD disc to the computer later for ripping. VHS (VCR), tape it for capture card transferring later on. Digital Camera…um yeah, Omnigamer had a way to do it somehow, he used it during the recording of Perfect Control. Via capture card, using software like VirtualDub. That is how it is RECORDED.
Editing
Now, here we are. A few steps before the final result. The editing is a simple, straightforward, part of the project. It just takes alot of time. Once you get it down it’s a piece of cake. You better use VirtualDub, (or a mod of it, no big difference) it’s the best program for simple video editing of all kinds out there. And it’s free too. Get it here. How to edit?
Editing with VirtualDub
This is the booooooring part of AR-Smash. I mean it, this really is boring. You have to ’save’ one of every frame, (that means that you press delete until a new frame shows up,) then you press right on the keys below Delete, End, Page down, etc. then keep on deleting until a new frame shows up. Then keep on deleting, ’saving’, deleting and so on.
After that you MIGHT have to change the framerate. If so, change it to 60 frames per second for a smooth video.
After that, save it. With compression or not. If you’re about to send it over the internet, compress.
MULTIDECIMATE EDIT, A MUST READ!!!
AVISynth – MultiDecimate
Finally, eh? I got my *** into it again. And now I cracked how to use it for smash the simplest way, and the fastest. I wrote this piece as simple as possible, the original instructions are cryptic!
The AS-script will “delete N out of every M frames”. Get it? Most probably no. It will delete every duplicate of each frame, leaving one frame of each to the file. Now, as always, there IS a catch. The script is based on noise (“quality”) of the movie, which means if you have low-quality footage the same settings will not apply for this guide. Find your own. =)
The AS-script only support YUY2 video too, so far. But that’s easy to adjust.
First off, get AVISynth and the plugin MultiDeciamate. Install AVISynth and put the Multidecimate.dll file in the plugins folder. Now let’s take a look at the script itself.
Included with the MultiDecimate package is “The Cook.avs”, which is the script! When you unpack MD the script looks like this:
loadplugin("d:\avisynthplugins\mpeg2dec3.dll")
loadplugin("..\..\decomb\release\decomb.dll")
loadplugin("..\release\multidecimate.dll")
mpeg2source("The Cook.d2v")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
Telecide()
MultiDecimate(pass=2,quality=3)
HOWEVER, if you directly using a capture card and use Avi-files, the script can be shrunk to two lines. Although I’m using four:
loadplugin("C:\Program\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\multidecimate.dll")
AVISource("C:\capture.avi")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
MultiDecimate(pass=2,quality=3)
Now, look at these two; Top plugin lines, gone. Telecide, gone. Mpeg2source, changed to avi. ConvertToYUY2, kept just in case.
AVISource refers to the clip(s) used for this script.
The loadplugin is kept because... I want to keep it? <_<’
ConvertToYUY2 (YUY2 is a colortype) is also kept.
MultiDecimate, this is CRUCIAL. This and what file you want to decimate!
Now you know how the script looks like! But now before we can do anything, the clip has to be YUY2, the easiest way to set this is to record directly to it, or to use the line ConvertToYUY2. But then, make sure the clip is uncompressed, that way it will be simpler for all of us.
Next?
MultiDecimate(pass=2,quality=3) should be changed to MultiDecimate(pass=1,quality=3).
Why?
So it can run pass one, *******! In pass one the AS script will generate a file named mfile.txt in the same folder as your script running is in.
How do I run the script?
Open the script in Vdub, or simply drag and drop it to Vdub. Then let click “Preview input” or just click space. DO NOT **** around with the timeline! Open the script, run the script, close VDub.
Now what?
Open MultiDecimate.exe and select where the mfile.txt is, make sure that the decimation mode is set to Global: Naive, which IS the best for Melee! And, the sometimes tricky part, the threshold. If you recorded directly to YUY2, let it be 1.0 and try. If you recorded to another format, convert to YUY2. If you recorded with another format and compressed it to the equivalent of less than 2000kbps of the XVID codec the video MIGHT be too noisy – Lower the threshold and make sure it’s YUY2.
Now press “Create”
This step will create dfile.txt and cfile.txt, DON’T screw these up.
Now, open “The Cook.avs”, or if you’ve renamed it, open your script. Change MultiDeciamte(pass=1,quality=3) to MultiDeciamte(NIGZEL OWNS YOU).
<.<’ I wish.
Change it to MultiDeciamte(pass=2,quality=3). And open with VDub again, see? Decimated. Now, change the framerate to sixty, compress (I suggest XVID) and save, it’s just a precopy! Now go back to Vdub and check the script once for duplicates that may have been left over. Such as the MINIMAL gap between the sync of the string and what really on screen (strings react a REALLY small time later). If the script removed too many frames, removing maybe 2/3 of the kneebend animation for example, go back to the step where to create c- and dfile.txt and lower the threshold. Then open the script again and check.
I’ve known about this AVISynth script for almost a whole year, or more precisely; I’ve known how to use it for that long. Don’t you go blaming me at once now, ok? I forgot it and never wrote a guide for it, and I didn’t put memo’s on it either. Was just recently I looked into it again!
My frames keep getting ****ed up… <.<’
Ok, I got a new idea how to make it easier for Vdub to know what frames to remove: Cropping. You cut away the pieces you don’t want and that’s it. You may wonder what the **** I’m talking about, but hear this out: 99.999% of the time using AR you will use the debugstrings and/or a normal counter. Now, what happens is, you crop the video down to the size of only the strings/counter is left there. You run the script, edit the sourcefile’s name and there we go.
What?
Ok. Here we have a “full” frame:
And here’s a cropped one:
Both are really the same screen (I resized the first image). This means if you create an avs-script like this…
loadplugin("C:\Program\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\multidecimate.dll")
AVISource("C:\capture-cropped.avi")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
MultiDecimate(pass=1,quality=3)
It can be changed to…
loadplugin("C:\Program\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\multidecimate.dll")
AVISource("C:\capture.avi")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
MultiDecimate(pass=1,quality=3)
Afterwards and the decimate settings will not change! (Don’t forget to change pass to 2) So why would we do all this? Foremost, because I tell you to. Secondly, your computer will have less fotage to focus on, that way it will parse this script faster. And if you use the counter only, the output will be 100% perfect (assuming no left frames when recording etc.)
How to crop with Vdub: Video –> Filters -> Add –> Select “Null transform” and press the “Cropping”-box.
Once here, you can move the offsets to remove what’s unnessecary. Then press ok, save with high quality and now run the script.
Once again, open real video file, crop it. Save a cropped version, put the cropped version’s name in the script. Run the script. Change the cropped version’s name to the uncropped version’s name and change pass to 2 and run again after creating mfile.txt All home, continue as normal. However, this assumes that there is NO removed frames in any of those two versions, that is; You open, crop, save, run script, edit script, create mfile.txt, run again. Inbetween, DO NOT TOUCH THE VIDEOFILES, I’LL SLICE YOUR THROAT!
Ok, maybe not. Just don’t touch it…
THANKS GO TO MR. DONALD GRAFT FOR THIS SCRIPT; 40 000+ PERSONS OWE YOU!
Now, it’s time for compiling the video and adding effects, transitions etc. My suggestion is Ulead video studio. The version doesn’t really matter; SuperDoodleMan uses 6, I’m using 9.Yet there is no bigger difference between our Intros/Outros. You can also use windows movie maker, but as it limites encoding-FourCC, gives a ”nooby-speed” of intro’s and outros (even alot of bad intro and outros) and it doesn’t give you full control I would NOT recommend it!
Remember! Style before too much flashy effects. Make it simple, yet ”nice”.
When it comes to selecting songs and such, I SUGGEST techno/trance/call it what you want. It gives AR projects that groovy feeling. But DO NOT let that stop you, feel free to use any song you want.
As for finding songs: Overclocked Remix
Dance Dance Revolution
Stepmania
Etc.
That’s my tips. Let call this… 1.7 It includes the essentials in a brief way.
You say you want to make Action replay movies like Perfect Control, Adventure or Zero Mercy? The road to the final product is far away from being a thought, which becomes the real project. To start that off, you need to have some equipment:
Action Replay (and Debug menu code(s))
KNOWLEDGE!!
Some sort of way to record, Capture card is recommended
Video Editing tools
Getting an AR
With those four, you will be able to make real pro-videos. Lets start with getting an AR, take a look at www.Codejunkies.com and see it there’s any way you can get an AR directly from there. If not, try checking with your local Videogamestore and see if they can order one for you. However, if that still doesn’t give any results, checks sites as pricerunner.com and see if you can get one from one of their links. [Worst-case-scenario: Used from E-bay.]
Knowledge
OK, to start getting knowledge, you need info that already exists to learn by yourself. The best way to start then is…. SDM’s FRAME LISTS! To really learn you have to be almost obsessed by frame data. I recommend you to Download all frame lists and print them out. Or at least your favorite and second favorite’s frame list. You can get the lists here or via the dc++ hub.
Good general tips when playing around with debug:
Y + dpad down = display animation name and frame number for all characters
R + dpad right = toggle collision bubbles and hitboxes for this character
R + dpad up = toggle ALL collision bubbles and hitboxes (including stage hazards and destructible environs)
Might add more later on…
KNOWLEDGE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF AR-SMASH!
Recording
With that behind us, we almost can start recording our very own videos… nah, not really. Make sure there is a way you can record; DVD, VHS (VCR), Digital camera (connect to the cube somehow!), or straight via a capture card. For DVD, record and insert the DVD disc to the computer later for ripping. VHS (VCR), tape it for capture card transferring later on. Digital Camera…um yeah, Omnigamer had a way to do it somehow, he used it during the recording of Perfect Control. Via capture card, using software like VirtualDub. That is how it is RECORDED.
Editing
Now, here we are. A few steps before the final result. The editing is a simple, straightforward, part of the project. It just takes alot of time. Once you get it down it’s a piece of cake. You better use VirtualDub, (or a mod of it, no big difference) it’s the best program for simple video editing of all kinds out there. And it’s free too. Get it here. How to edit?
Editing with VirtualDub
This is the booooooring part of AR-Smash. I mean it, this really is boring. You have to ’save’ one of every frame, (that means that you press delete until a new frame shows up,) then you press right on the keys below Delete, End, Page down, etc. then keep on deleting until a new frame shows up. Then keep on deleting, ’saving’, deleting and so on.
After that you MIGHT have to change the framerate. If so, change it to 60 frames per second for a smooth video.
After that, save it. With compression or not. If you’re about to send it over the internet, compress.
MULTIDECIMATE EDIT, A MUST READ!!!
AVISynth – MultiDecimate
Finally, eh? I got my *** into it again. And now I cracked how to use it for smash the simplest way, and the fastest. I wrote this piece as simple as possible, the original instructions are cryptic!
The AS-script will “delete N out of every M frames”. Get it? Most probably no. It will delete every duplicate of each frame, leaving one frame of each to the file. Now, as always, there IS a catch. The script is based on noise (“quality”) of the movie, which means if you have low-quality footage the same settings will not apply for this guide. Find your own. =)
The AS-script only support YUY2 video too, so far. But that’s easy to adjust.
First off, get AVISynth and the plugin MultiDeciamate. Install AVISynth and put the Multidecimate.dll file in the plugins folder. Now let’s take a look at the script itself.
Included with the MultiDecimate package is “The Cook.avs”, which is the script! When you unpack MD the script looks like this:
loadplugin("d:\avisynthplugins\mpeg2dec3.dll")
loadplugin("..\..\decomb\release\decomb.dll")
loadplugin("..\release\multidecimate.dll")
mpeg2source("The Cook.d2v")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
Telecide()
MultiDecimate(pass=2,quality=3)
HOWEVER, if you directly using a capture card and use Avi-files, the script can be shrunk to two lines. Although I’m using four:
loadplugin("C:\Program\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\multidecimate.dll")
AVISource("C:\capture.avi")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
MultiDecimate(pass=2,quality=3)
Now, look at these two; Top plugin lines, gone. Telecide, gone. Mpeg2source, changed to avi. ConvertToYUY2, kept just in case.
AVISource refers to the clip(s) used for this script.
The loadplugin is kept because... I want to keep it? <_<’
ConvertToYUY2 (YUY2 is a colortype) is also kept.
MultiDecimate, this is CRUCIAL. This and what file you want to decimate!
Now you know how the script looks like! But now before we can do anything, the clip has to be YUY2, the easiest way to set this is to record directly to it, or to use the line ConvertToYUY2. But then, make sure the clip is uncompressed, that way it will be simpler for all of us.
Next?
MultiDecimate(pass=2,quality=3) should be changed to MultiDecimate(pass=1,quality=3).
Why?
So it can run pass one, *******! In pass one the AS script will generate a file named mfile.txt in the same folder as your script running is in.
How do I run the script?
Open the script in Vdub, or simply drag and drop it to Vdub. Then let click “Preview input” or just click space. DO NOT **** around with the timeline! Open the script, run the script, close VDub.
Now what?
Open MultiDecimate.exe and select where the mfile.txt is, make sure that the decimation mode is set to Global: Naive, which IS the best for Melee! And, the sometimes tricky part, the threshold. If you recorded directly to YUY2, let it be 1.0 and try. If you recorded to another format, convert to YUY2. If you recorded with another format and compressed it to the equivalent of less than 2000kbps of the XVID codec the video MIGHT be too noisy – Lower the threshold and make sure it’s YUY2.
Now press “Create”
This step will create dfile.txt and cfile.txt, DON’T screw these up.
Now, open “The Cook.avs”, or if you’ve renamed it, open your script. Change MultiDeciamte(pass=1,quality=3) to MultiDeciamte(NIGZEL OWNS YOU).
<.<’ I wish.
Change it to MultiDeciamte(pass=2,quality=3). And open with VDub again, see? Decimated. Now, change the framerate to sixty, compress (I suggest XVID) and save, it’s just a precopy! Now go back to Vdub and check the script once for duplicates that may have been left over. Such as the MINIMAL gap between the sync of the string and what really on screen (strings react a REALLY small time later). If the script removed too many frames, removing maybe 2/3 of the kneebend animation for example, go back to the step where to create c- and dfile.txt and lower the threshold. Then open the script again and check.
I’ve known about this AVISynth script for almost a whole year, or more precisely; I’ve known how to use it for that long. Don’t you go blaming me at once now, ok? I forgot it and never wrote a guide for it, and I didn’t put memo’s on it either. Was just recently I looked into it again!
My frames keep getting ****ed up… <.<’
Ok, I got a new idea how to make it easier for Vdub to know what frames to remove: Cropping. You cut away the pieces you don’t want and that’s it. You may wonder what the **** I’m talking about, but hear this out: 99.999% of the time using AR you will use the debugstrings and/or a normal counter. Now, what happens is, you crop the video down to the size of only the strings/counter is left there. You run the script, edit the sourcefile’s name and there we go.
What?
Ok. Here we have a “full” frame:
And here’s a cropped one:
Both are really the same screen (I resized the first image). This means if you create an avs-script like this…
loadplugin("C:\Program\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\multidecimate.dll")
AVISource("C:\capture-cropped.avi")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
MultiDecimate(pass=1,quality=3)
It can be changed to…
loadplugin("C:\Program\AviSynth 2.5\plugins\multidecimate.dll")
AVISource("C:\capture.avi")
ConvertToYUY2(interlaced=true)
MultiDecimate(pass=1,quality=3)
Afterwards and the decimate settings will not change! (Don’t forget to change pass to 2) So why would we do all this? Foremost, because I tell you to. Secondly, your computer will have less fotage to focus on, that way it will parse this script faster. And if you use the counter only, the output will be 100% perfect (assuming no left frames when recording etc.)
How to crop with Vdub: Video –> Filters -> Add –> Select “Null transform” and press the “Cropping”-box.
Once here, you can move the offsets to remove what’s unnessecary. Then press ok, save with high quality and now run the script.
Once again, open real video file, crop it. Save a cropped version, put the cropped version’s name in the script. Run the script. Change the cropped version’s name to the uncropped version’s name and change pass to 2 and run again after creating mfile.txt All home, continue as normal. However, this assumes that there is NO removed frames in any of those two versions, that is; You open, crop, save, run script, edit script, create mfile.txt, run again. Inbetween, DO NOT TOUCH THE VIDEOFILES, I’LL SLICE YOUR THROAT!
Ok, maybe not. Just don’t touch it…
THANKS GO TO MR. DONALD GRAFT FOR THIS SCRIPT; 40 000+ PERSONS OWE YOU!
Now, it’s time for compiling the video and adding effects, transitions etc. My suggestion is Ulead video studio. The version doesn’t really matter; SuperDoodleMan uses 6, I’m using 9.Yet there is no bigger difference between our Intros/Outros. You can also use windows movie maker, but as it limites encoding-FourCC, gives a ”nooby-speed” of intro’s and outros (even alot of bad intro and outros) and it doesn’t give you full control I would NOT recommend it!
Remember! Style before too much flashy effects. Make it simple, yet ”nice”.
When it comes to selecting songs and such, I SUGGEST techno/trance/call it what you want. It gives AR projects that groovy feeling. But DO NOT let that stop you, feel free to use any song you want.
As for finding songs: Overclocked Remix
Dance Dance Revolution
Stepmania
Etc.
That’s my tips. Let call this… 1.7 It includes the essentials in a brief way.
