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recording and playing demos

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
edited February 2015 in The Academy
i was wondering if anyone has any information on the /demorecord feature? i've been testing it out and it seems to record to .demo files but i can't find any way to play them back.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    If you open the file with a text editor, like notepad, you will see it doen't record video, but it records settings and other variables. So the playback is handled through the game engine, though we probably don't have access to that part of it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    ooh thanks kitsume, hopefully with that one could edit out things like shield rings and other gamey effects in the demos.

    with a bit of digging around on CoH demorecord i found out how to play them back. i had to create a shortcut for gameclient.exe and add in the command -demoplay <filename>

    looks pretty snazzy, i can slow mo, fast forward and there looks to be a camera pathing tool, oughtta take me a bit to wrap my feeble mind around. :p
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    I think I get the basics of the camera paths.
    Now...how to actually change the current view to the new camera path is what baffles me.

    Still...it's nice to be able to record and playback your battles.

    Pros:
    No UI!! Yay (still ship rings tho boo)
    Recording of your activity is small (11 megs for a decent sized battle)
    Easy to send to a friend, and let them playback.

    Cons:
    I can't figure out how to change what the camera is looking at.
    If the game content ever changes, your recorded demo may be invalid. So if you REALLY want to have a recording, record it to a movie file instead.

    Edit:

    Press F2. You will then be able to view your combat from any angle, the camera works like a fps camera while you view your combat. Kinda cool.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    oooh a debug menu, that'll help out a lot thanks strombonni.

    from messing around with the cameras i think you have to save it before it'll actually do anything, preview doesn't seem to work. only thing about this is i'm guessing you may want to save a backup of the original recording incase you save a camera that ends up going nuts.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Hey, I edited my post above, it's not the debug menu (though that is interesting).
    F2 is what allows you free look with camera.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Thanks for the tip about saving the path. I created a Shadow path so that my camera would follow my ship. The only way I could sort of get it to work was,
    Press F2 to get in free look mode
    Slide the preview slider back and forth

    It's quirky...almost like the play button for preview is broken, thus you have to move the slider manually.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    Ok, some more poking around...
    If you go into the graphics debugger (F5)
    Select the FX Debugger button

    This will list what appears to be all game effects, geometry, etc.

    Sort by Fx Name, and scroll down to P_Ship_Shieldindicator_Geo_Aft (Fore, Port, etc)
    by selecting these and pressing the "Kill" button, you can remove the shield indicators.

    Temporarily :)
    They seem to come back. I'm still goofing around, trying to find a way to remove them permanently.

    I feel like I'm about to be told I'm not supposed to be seeing these things... ;)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    strange, F2 seems to ruin any camera changes i attempt to make, i can see the camera angles from any perspective i want which is a plus but it refuses to snap back to view from those camera angles once ive used it. even after quitting and restarting it just places the camera in some wierd angle.

    guess i'll just have to use F2 for testing to see where the camera goes so i know what to make up without using it.


    good find on the shield indicators, if they reappear at least we can get some kick TRIBBLE combat screenies without the shield indicators.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited March 2010
    hmmm, the kill option doesn't work for me, i can kill all and that gets rid of them, along with all the other fx though. kill just doesn't do anything for me.

    EDIT: hrm, i got it to work. for some reason kill requires you to press play for it to work whereas kill all doesn't, another oddity i guess.
  • erosa13erosa13 Member Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited February 2015
    i need help finding STO directory\Live folder cant find anything in files or on pc at all.
  • erosa13erosa13 Member Posts: 6 Arc User
    edited February 2015
    i need help finding STO directory\Live folder it shows no where on pc at all.
  • psycoticvulcanpsycoticvulcan Member Posts: 4,160 Arc User
    edited February 2015
    erosa13 wrote: »
    i need help finding STO directory\Live folder cant find anything in files or on pc at all.

    Find Star Trek Online and right-click on it, then click "Show Package Contents". From there it's Contents/Resources/transgaming/c_drive/StarTrekOnline/Star Trek Online/Live.

    This is a necro thread, by the way. You're not supposed to post in threads that haven't been touched in 30 days.
    Save the Foundry!
    NJ9oXSO.png
    "Critics who say that the optimistic utopia Star Trek depicted is now outmoded forget the cultural context that gave birth to it: Star Trek was not a manifestation of optimism when optimism was easy. Star Trek declared a hope for a future that nobody stuck in the present could believe in. For all our struggles today, we haven’t outgrown the need for stories like Star Trek. We need tales of optimism, of heroes, of courage and goodness now as much as we’ve ever needed them."
    -Thomas Marrone
  • pwecaptainsmirkpwecaptainsmirk Member Posts: 1,167 Arc User
    edited February 2015
    We had a demo of the demo record, but it looks like it got deleted from our Twitch Channel :(

    I am going to see if I cannot get it back, or ask some of our video team experts to make a new one for everyone.

    Let me see what can be done, and I will get back to this thread.

    ~Smirk
  • dauntlessf05dauntlessf05 Member Posts: 268 Media Corps
    edited February 2015
    pwecaptainsmirk wrote: »
    We had a demo of the demo record, but it looks like it got deleted from our Twitch Channel :(

    I am going to see if I cannot get it back, or ask some of our video team experts to make a new one for everyone.

    Let me see what can be done, and I will get back to this thread.

    ~Smirk

    I've been meaning to do a new one because I have learned a few more functions in demorecord.

    But I can offer this for now!

    Basic Demorecord How To

    I also wouldn't mind helping out with making a new one with more commands
    Check out my STO Cinematic Videos: ZEFilms Youtube Channel
    Follow me on Twitter: @ZEFilms_STO
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