April update

Since I'm getting comments daily on the topic, here's what's going on with the videos.  I've finished all the dialogue for Episode 11 and it's going to be the longest FM episode so far.  I'm now letting Otto Beumelburg handle the rest of the audio work on it.  He adds most of the extra sound effects to FM and I'm hoping he'll take over the volume balancing on it.  That sounds like a simple task, but it takes a while to do properly and it's important because if it's done wrong you won't be able to make out what's being said over all the regular sounds.  I'm letting him take as much time as he needs to, plus there's a delay from when the video's done to when it's uploaded and available, so it will be a little while before it's up, hopefully sometime next week, but we'll see.

In the meantime, I'll be working on the next CP episode and plan to be relentless at it.  I tend to go back and forth between wanting to make something more original and wanting to simply get a video out.  Since I've been making more of the FM episodes lately, I'm really anxious to get back to work on CP.  Once the next CP episode is done, I'll make the pilot episode for the surprise series I mentioned earlier, though that shouldn't be as difficult as most CP episodes.

EDIT:  

The new FM episode will be out soon.  Also I don't know why it's showing so many comments deleted.  The only posts I've been deleting lately are duplicates.  I think they might be being deleted by the person who orginally posted them.

SECOND GUIDE OUT!

Well this is kind of late in announcing, but here it is anyway. The second and final guide from me is now out! This one is called

Source Machinima Cinematography.

The other guide, Choreography, focused almost exclusively on animation. This guide covers pretty much everything else involved with making a machinima film in the Source engine. If you want to know exactly how I process everything after I have it animated, this covers all the steps. It covers recording methods, camerawork, audio/video editing, and even some bits on getting ideas and writing scripts. In my opinion, the most valuable parts of this guide are being able to create custom camerawork (which includes slow motion), recording without any dropped frames, and my secret recipe for motion blur. And like the other guide, I didn't set the price on this, but I did try to make sure it was as thorough as possible.

And for everyone waiting on FM, CP, and the pilot episode, I'm working on them; asking daily about it really has no impact on the production time.

Ugh

Well in working on it, it looks like the commenting system has been completely broken, so I'm taking the site back down again.  It looks like the site isn't quite functional enough for launching afterall, so I'll put it on hold again while the people coding try to work it out.  Really I've been trying to get this going ever since last summer, but as you can see it's been one problem after another.  I'll make an announcement here once it's a little more mature.  

And yes I saw all the comments and emails about wanting an RSS system, I wasn't aware anyone even used that.  I've never really intended for the homepage to be a daily news kind of deal, just something you can check every few weeks or so.  Basically I'd rather focus on making more videos than giving constant updates.  My primary goal with the site is to make it easy to get to the videos and to support some extra stuff.  However since there's such a demand for it, I'll ask the people coding to try and implement that in the new version.

Site up (again)

Hey, the new site should be functional now.  I'm going to wait and make sure it doesn't choke like last time before I basically turn this blogspot page into a redirecting one.  I'll still keep all old entries and comments, but if all goes well, all future news and videos will be at http://accursedfarms.com.

False Launch

Well I was hoping to get the site up today, and started to, but as soon as I made it public everything froze on the host's computer and the guy running it has no explanation for it.  I now have a backup plan, but it probably won't go up again until sometime tomorrow (if nothing goes wrong again).

EDIT: I have no idea when this thing is going to go up, I'm not coding, so a lot of this stuff is out of my hands. 

April 2nd

Well for those of you who didn't figure it out yet, yesterday was a joke for April Fool's Day. Everything I wrote was bogus. The series is not over, Episode 11 is in progress. While I do think people could get tired of the format, I'm never going to run out of things to say, though some episodes will be better than others. I also have no incentive to have a road trip across the USA. I have enough scars from bicycle accidents as it is without needing to add to the collection with a motorcycle.

I think more of you figured out the joke than last year, it was basically the same trick. Since the fanbase is larger, there were a lot more comments this time. Like before, I put all comments mentioning April Fool's or the date on hold, but they're all posted now if you want to look through them. Also like before, I saw some suggestions that I was making up some of the comments. I'm not, these are all you guys. The only comments I made were in my name and were discussing the motorcycle trip.

Right now my plans are to finish Episode 11 of FM and the website, then focus soley on the next CP episode without having to divide up my attention on different projects.

FREEMAN'S MIND: EPISODE 10.5

Youtube

640x480 WMV (17MB)

I changed my mind, I'm not doing any more Freeman's Mind; it's over. I've realized there's no way I'll be able to think up enough material to get through the rest of the game. Enjoy the last episode; it's kind of short, hence the half mark.

EDIT:
I think I'm going to buy a motorcycle and ride across the United States.

FREEMAN'S MIND: EPISODE 10

Youtube

640x480 74MB WMV


Well here's the latest episode of FM, the next one won't be too far behind. This episode will probably upset the Half-Life purists out there. I use some cheats because in my vision of Half-Life, I see Gordon as capable of doing a pull-up.

And yes, I know I said the previous episode would be the last one before the new website, but I was wrong. I thought things were going well, but all development pretty much stopped after I made that statement, and I can't do the coding on my own. The good news I now have new help on it and progress has resumed on the site (again). I'm pretty serious about getting the site up, which is why I put the new URL in the credits. It will be called "Accursed Farms", and will be the future homepage for all the videos. Nothing is changing production-wise, it will just be easier for me to manage the videos with the new site and will offer more features than the blogspot address. Right now it's unfinished, so you'll only get a front page, but I think it will be up pretty soon. I'm not giving any time estimates since everything seems to go to hell every time I do that. I'll announce as soon as the new site is up.

EDIT:
I'm not sure why the latest episode is darker, I thought it was my imagination when editing. I think it might be a mistake I made in the recording. Unfortunately the footage is already done on the next episode, so it will be darker too, but I'll try and make sure the future ones look alright.

Subtitles

I'm working on the next FM episodes and I'll have them as soon as I can, although in the meantime I want to get some feedback on subtitles. Subtitles are going to be a big section of the new website, so I'm trying to standardize what method will be used. I have two options right now. One will have subtitles color-coded to the speaker. I thought this might make it easier for people to distinguish who is talking, since Mike and Dave use identical models for the characters. The other option I've heard of is to make the subtitles all the same color, but use a hyphen to distinguish when two characters are talking in the same time frame. Below are snapshots of each method:

Color coded:


Hyphenated


Let me know what you think in the comments and I may put up a poll. I'm especially interested in international viewers who will benefit from future translations. If you don't care about the subtitles, then just ignore this. Thanks everyone.

EDIT:
Alright, due to feedback from translators and viewers, I've made my decision. My plans are to make plain white outlined text using hyphenated versions for the hard-encoded Youtube copies, and make both hyphenated and color-coded subtitle files (for ones that get done this way) available for download.

quick FM update

I've found a workaround for the barnacle problem I've been having. For those that care, if you go into noclip mode then clip through a wall while looking at them, it seems to fix the problem for the remainder of the demo. This does add an extra step and may make transitions between load zones even less smooth, but it does seem to be a solution for now.

I'm going to try and get two more Freeman's Mind episodes out this month to make up for the delay on the last one. Since there's lagtime between when I'm done and when it actually gets uploaded, I can't promise anything, but that's my goal.

FREEMAN'S MIND: EPISODE 9

Youtube

640x480 WMV (87MB)

Well here's the latest FM episode after a lot of delays. This one has several bugs that I basically just ignored. There are missing bloodstains, the barnacle problem is back, and one of the signs wasn't glowing like it's supposed to. One viewer has told me it's not even possible to finish HL Source without cheating because of a bug, I guess I'll find out.

This is going to be the LAST video release before the new website, we're getting really close now, I hope to have something semi-functional in about a week on that front. After that focus will be on the next CP episode, but I may do another FM first just to make up for the delay on this one.

February updates

Well judging from the comments, people really want an update, so here's what happeneing. Steady progress is being made on the next Civil Protection episode, but there's still a ways to go. I'll get started on a new Freeman's Mind episode soon to try and make up for the delay. I lost a couple days to doing some additional contact work, but that's done now, so I'll back to work on everything else. Progress on the website is going very well and I think it will be done quite soon. My plans are to get it up before the next video is released. Finally, some initial work has been started on a "pilot episode" for something new I want to try. Without spoiling anything, it will be in the Source engine, but will not be Half-Life related. You'll definitely see the next CP and FM episodes out before this however.

FREEMAN'S MIND: EPISODE 8

Youtube

640x480 WMV (87MB)

Well here's the latest episode of Freeman's Mind. I got lucky with this one and demo recording worked without the barnacles going crazy. This is good because I was able to swap out some lines for the scientist at the end, something that wouldn't have been practical with just raw video recording. The barnacle problem is NOT SOLVED however, I simply got lucky with this map. My offer of getting in the credits for anyone who can solve the problem is ongoing. Also, the cattle prod story mentioned in this episode is not even an exaggeration, I knew someone who used to do that.

I plan to go back and focus on the next CP episode for now, but if the rest of production ends up taking a long time, I'll get another FM episode out to tide you over. Hopefully the new website will be finished before either one is done!

New year updates

I know people who come here like updates, so here's a post on what's happening. Unfortunately I'm behind in pretty much all areas, probably because I'm focusing on several different things. I've gotten some additional help with the new website, which I think is helping things move along faster.

The next CP episode is growing more elaborate than I originally intended, which is adding to the production time, but I think it's going to make the episode that much better. Unlike the last one, which was meant to be different, I think this next one will have something for anybody who's a fan of the series. Once it's done, then work will resume on "The Tunnel".

Finally while I'd prefer to focus on CP, I know a lot of you like Freeman's Mind, so I'll do my best to have another episode of that out sometime next week (assuming I don't run into more problems).

EDIT:
Freeman's Mind is looking closer to Friday or this weekend because all the shouting retakes wears my voice down some and there are only certain times I can record. The good news is it will be a longer episode.

FREEMAN'S MIND: EPISODE 7

Youtube

640x480 WMV (44MB)


Well here's the next episode of Freeman's Mind. There's no motion blur in this one due to problems mentioned in the last post. Due to the recording method, it's a little twitchier, but hopefully shouldn't be too disorienting. 

This is going to be the lastr video release for this year, but I will be working on getting new stuff for January over the winter break. Right now I'm going to be focusing more on the new CP episode and the website. Sorry I didn't make anything Christmas-related this year, but I'm still kind of catching up on everything. Things are starting to fall into place though, it's my hope to produce more videos in 2009 than all my existing ones combined

bugs again

A lot of you know that bugs in the source engine are nothing new when it comes to my videos, but I honestly wasn't expecting them to affect Freeman's Mind. Lo and behold, Half-Life Source has a bug where if you're recording a demo, it causes the tongues on almost all barnacle models to shrink up, even though in-game they're still hanging down, just invisible (try it yourself). This interrupts my usual production method, so I've contemplated the alternatives:

1. Ignore it (which isn't a great option since there are a lot of them in the game)

2. Use fraps to record footage instead (not a good option for me since I always get SOME stuttering this way)

3. Record the game in Half-Life original (not a bad option, but the effects won't be quite as nice, plus recording will be more of a pain)

4. Export the footage in-game without using demos (best option, but no more motion blur)

So what this comes down to is demo recording in Half Life Source is bugged, so I won't be able to rely on it for all the episodes. So if you're wondering why there's no more motion blur in the next episode, this is it. Also as a standing offer, if anyone can FIX this problem with barnacles and demo recording, I'll add your name to the credits of every future episode of Freeman's Mind that has barnacles in it, which will probably be a lot.

FREEMAN'S MIND - EPISODE 6

Youtube 

640 x 480 WMV (62MB)


Well here's the latest episode of Freeman's Mind. I'm happier with the pacing on this one and it doesn't feel quite as crammed as the last one. This one has a little more language, but Freeman has to put up with more in this episode too. As long as people are interested in it, I hope to keep doing a lot more of these. I plan to have another one out sometime this month, then a new Civil Protection episode either at the end of the month or else early January. 

Updates

It's been a while since I posted anything, so I wanted to let you know what's going on right now. As of now I have unofficially finished the Noesis guides. I'm still kind of in shock over the whole thing. They may still contact me about any needed revisions though, so I might get an email like:

"Ross... we need you to redo the camerawork section. You were supposed to cover camera motion, but these are bomb instructions..."

and I'll have to adjust it accordingly. For now though, I've done everything on my end. Anyway, what this means is that I'm going to start producing much more machinima now. Right now I plan to be focusing on Civil Protection more, but I'll be working on Freeman's Mind whenever I have to wait on getting material back from other people, so I'll be working on something either way. For the next CP, I'm actually thinking of postponing the scary episode just a little bit. After the last episode, I want to get more of a "normal" episode out first, so there's not any confusion about what direction the series is headed. It will be a shorter one, but I think everyone will like it. After that, I promise the next CP episode will be the long scary one. 

Finally, things aren't going well for the new website. I've sent him a couple emails, but I haven't heard back from the guy helping me with the code since October. I'll give him a little bit longer, but I may need some more help with this if he's completely MIA since I don't know html myself.

EDIT:  I've just heard back from the website guy.  Turns out he was in the hospital for 3 weeks, so I guess that's a pretty good excuse.  I was actually just joking earlier when I implied he might die, but it looks like that wasn't too far from the truth.  If he does die I'll have to dedicate the next episode to him I guess.  I dunno.

FREEMAN'S MIND - EPISODE 5

Youtube

640x480 WMV (47MB)

Well I've been extremely busy, but I would have felt bad not getting SOMETHING out for Halloween. This isn't really Halloween themed, but this section takes place in one of the creepier parts of Half-Life. I'll be the first to admit this one has a few shortcomings. It's not really anything new for the FM series, but I'm still having some problems pacing everything because I'll record the footage ahead of time before I know everything I'm going to say. So there are some sections where Freeman is a little rapid-fire with his commentary. This can be kind of neat in the sense that it makes him appear more manic, but I still want to avoid it. I spend less time trying to perfect FM than I would with CP as it's just commentary on top of game footage. Also I apologize but this episode has a little bit of volume clipping. I tried my best to clean it up, but I may have to look into getting a better mic as mine's pretty cheap.

My main goal with the series is to keep moving forward with it so I can get more episodes out as I have a lot of ground to cover. Unfortunately production will still be stalled for a little bit longer, but I'll make an annnouncement as soon as I'm done with Noesis, then I'll really move into full gear on this stuff. The current release rate of Freeman's Mind is NOT representative of how long it takes to make an episode, I've just been too busy to make more. So it may take a little while, but the pace WILL improve.  

In other news I'm getting closer to finishing the design of the website, but the coder helping me has gotten pneumonia and has been too sick to work on it lately, so lets hope he doesn't die on me. 

updates

Hey people, here are the updates I was talking about. First and foremost, I have to finish the second Noesis guide so I can free up more time to work on machinima. I'm getting close, but it might be another week or two, but after that there will be a big jump in production. Here's what you can expect coming:

Freeman's Mind - I can get these out much faster than CP and I really need to step up the pace if I'm going to get through all of the Half-Life series. I'm hoping to have another one out by the end of the month, then a lot more out after that, but I'm not setting any deadlines since that's already backfired on me before.

Civil Protection shorts - I may release some CP episodes that are very short in nature. I'm not sure whether I want to count these as actual episodes or not, but I'd like to be able to release more of CP without it taking forever. Depending on how much time volunteers have to work on it, this could also come out this month, but I'm making no promises.

15+ minute episode - this will be the scary episode, called "The Tunnel". It's already been partially produced, but it still has a ways to go. This will likely be the next big episode to come out. I was originally hoping to release this by Halloween, but that's not going to happen now because of everything else I have to do. I'm hoping it can be done by sometime in November.

20+ minute episode - this one is also partially produced, it will be called "Open Forum" (as in the Greek kind, not an internet one). It will mainly focused on dialogue and will introduce several new characters. It will also require a lot of facial expressions, which I'm leaving to someone better at that than myself. So when this one comes out depends on how busy everyone is, but I haven't forgotten about it.

New website - work has resumed on this again, it might come out this month, but it depends on whether the person helping me will have time to finish the coding and if I have time to make a new logo for it.


I also have a ton of other ideas of things I'd like to do, but that's what's going to be coming in the semi-near future. For everyone frustrated with the pace of things so far, I feel the same way.