unforum

[Incitatus]

[Halo 2] Mech-animation for ILB via H2 engine

[CoffeeJedi]

what would the format be?

* silly/parody RvB style

* serious original story with the ILB characters

* using the existing audio drama and animating that

[Centipede]

I love the idea. I don't have a video capture card, but I do have a router.

[Clayfoot]

I have:

• a TV/PVR card in my PC for video capture.
• A D-Link 10/100 wireless router
• a cable-modem (4 Mbps down / 512 Kbps up)
• 100+ Gig spare hard drive space.

What I lack is knowledge and experience marshalling these things together.

[ROBOGriff]

[thebruce]

that would a sweet undertaking, but I can guarantee you it's a massive undertaking... video editing is one thing, but timing to a prerecorded audio is another... someone needs to storyboard the scenes, how they should take place within the game...

I could almost see maybe try a single chapter first, see how much work it takes... chapter 1 could be good with jan's running from the MPs... but when it comes to scenes that's all talking, like jersey & durga, or the interrogation, it could get kind of boring... at least, if you're not listening to the audio

I've done a lot of video editing, so I could help with the A/V part, but whoever records needs to know what shots to record, what angles, it needs to be recorded while listening to the audio simultaneously... it's a lot of work

[Foz]

[CoffeeJedi]

maybe the Halo 2 engine isn't the best idea, if we used a PC game like Quake 3 or Unreal tournament we could have custom Maps and Character Models (still no mouth movement though)

[WhiteGulls]

I second the Quake or UT engines idea. I think UT would be the easiest, because it has a mode specifically designed for making movies. Dunno about Quake, but the movie mode would make it easier. Also, if we used the H2 engine, would we use Spartans for the characters? It wouldn't look very good if we did that. Is there any way to mod it? UT I think is easier to mod, and already has plenty of maps out there that could serve the purposes we need - IE there's probably an apartment building, I know of several maps that look like the interior of warehouses that could be building 41.

All in all, I'm for it, but we need to figure out a way to -do- it first.

[archon]

I'd love to write for such a project if it ever comes about, but in my opinion the Half-Life 2 (Source) engine would be the best suited medium for an I Love Bees movie done by us. Either that or the Doom 3 engine, but the Half-Life 2 engine would be easier to create art for (that looked acceptable compared to the engine, that was also made in a timely fashion ). My drawing skills are nil and I don't really have any place to upload pictures for the project, though. Actually, I guess there's an 'Attachment' option here... I dunno.

[Fenwicked]

Other games might work better, but I think the whole point of this thing is the novelty of having the ILB storyline played out in Halo 2.

[FauxHammer]

We are talking about animating characters who can't have anything in their hands other than guns. We only have about 50 feet of roadway to film in for all the car scenes in ILB. Plus we are going to have to do things like put J^2 in a warthog with Jan. How are we going to account for the huge chaingun in the back seat?. How are we going to get J^2, Jan, and Mckaskill all into one car? We have restaraunt scenes where people need to be sitting at a table. We have scenes where people are going to have to be outside in the rain at night, looking at stars. Any nighttime rainy levels in halo 2? Train scenes? Scenes where subtle things like the kind of shoes people are wearing is important. Or how about Rani's autopsy of the assassin on her roof? The PQI Scene? Scenes in a busy casino?

I don't think it can be done.

Alls i sayin' is, looking at the kinds of things RvB can do, the things they can't do, and the thigns they really have to stretch to do (such as photoshopping props into their video), you will have a very hard time telling any kind of story that is not highly centered around a military type plot. I mean, you've got no way to use any props other than guns, skulls, bombs, and flags. Writing specifically for that is one thing, but trying to adapt something that has already been written to such a limited medium is going to be all but impossible.

No, what *I* think we should do, and would be much more feasible and allow us to work around these obstacles creatively, is to use Halo 2 to create either a prequel or sequel to ILB. An ILB Fanfic, so to speak. That way we can tailor what is written to the limitations of our media. An easy example would be a military themed story that centers around a much younger James Lee who has just joined the new Spartan program. And how he graduated at the top of the class. And how his platoon dealt with a terrorist hostage situation at a wind power generation station on the beach in Africa. (Zanzibar) And how he fell in love with one grenade-crazy Gilly... Smith.

Or we could have them fighting covenant on an alien world. Use the map "Burial mounds" where they are fighting for control of an archaeological dig for an important alien artifact. Or something.


Or Both!


That would be a lot more fun because we could be creative with it. Also, a lot more feasible. And lastly, since it doesnt require us to have footage for hours and hours of dialog, it is a lot more likely that we might actually finish it.

[Fenwicked]

Hmmmm....
The continuing story of the Spartan 1.1s would be perfect. There are16 of them....

[FauxHammer]

Or, you could go the other way and put is a little further in the future. Take some liberties with the halo 2 story. Say its a couple months after the end of halo 2. The covenant have deserted earth, to return to their territory and regroup their forces. In the meantime, The arbiter has come to earth along with several ships and captains that are loyal to him. (and all of his elites wear the same "mark of shame" emblem that the arbitor gets branded with. SO the conflict is now Humans and Rebel Elites vs What is left of the covenant. Perhaps the covenant has decided to fight a war not using massive force, but using guerilla tactics to try and gain control of a Halo ring. Halo 06, perhaps. In the meantime, earth technology has advanced considerably because scientists have been able to study covenant tech from the Rebel elites. To the point that even non-spartans have been equipped with Mjolnir armor and it is now standard issue for special ops Marines. (yes i know this is inconsistent with the books. sue me.)

So now we have characters like Jersey and Jan and Kevin in Mjolnir Armor, with some Elites on their side, fighting a guerilla war against Elites that are loyal to the Prophets. We can put them on maps like burial mounds and ascension or waterworks. We can have midship be the mothership so to speak. Maybe they are fighting back the covies in waterworks and simultaneously trying to figure out what the big hammer device does, and why the covie loyalists are after it.

If you guys like, i could draft a story arc... aww, forget it. I'm doing it whether you like it or not.

[Astald]

It would be interesting to follow James Lee, except the Mjolner armor wouldn't make a great deal of sense. The Spartan 1.1 story could be interesting too. But I don't really see Jersey getting into some Mjolner armor, especially cause he got his ass kicked by a med student. But either one of the first to ideas sounds pretty good. And I wouldn't mind providing one of the voices if we do something original, that is, if you would want me to.