Questions

cyber_faust69 wrote:

....started using Virtual Stage and Moho because whatever I make....

Can you tell us about these 2 bits of software? I have never heard of them.

steelblade wrote:

cyber_faust69 wrote:

....started using Virtual Stage and Moho because whatever I make....

Can you tell us about these 2 bits of software? I have never heard of them.

I played with moho back around 1999. If I remember correctly it was a free 2D vector animation program that let you make character animations for Flash. I guess it may be totally different by now.

I found this review of virtual stage on Overman's Blog:

http://z-studios.com/blog/2006/02/18/review-virtual-stage-3/

FLeeF wrote:

I played with moho back around 1999. If I remember correctly it was a free 2D vector animation program that let you make character animations for Flash. I guess it may be totally different by now.

I found this review of virtual stage on Overman's Blog:

http://z-studios.com/blog/2006/02/18/review-virtual-stage-3/

Thanks Fleef. I found moho this time around and it looks OK, but not great. Overman mentioned 'limited space' for VirtualStage, and that was enough to chase me off. Gonna be hard having an entire city getting et by little demons if all I can't encompass a goodly part of a city.

steelblade wrote:

Thanks Fleef. I found moho this time around and it looks OK, but not great. Overman mentioned 'limited space' for VirtualStage, and that was enough to chase me off. Gonna be hard having an entire city getting et by little demons if all I can't encompass a goodly part of a city.

That's why I love using GTA:SA for machinima! I've got the whole Green Acres theme song right at my fingertips.

I just finished downloading MS. It's time to tinker.

FLeeF wrote:

steelblade wrote:

Thanks Fleef. I found moho this time around and it looks OK, but not great. Overman mentioned 'limited space' for VirtualStage, and that was enough to chase me off. Gonna be hard having an entire city getting et by little demons if all I can't encompass a goodly part of a city.

That's why I love using GTA:SA for machinima! I've got the whole Green Acres theme song right at my fingertips.

I just finished downloading MS. It's time to tinker.

So in GTA:SA you can have Arnold the pig eaten by monsters?

steelblade wrote:

So in GTA:SA you can have Arnold the pig eaten by monsters?

Arnold was the monster. He ate Bugtussle and Hooterville, but spared Pettycoat Junction.

that is officially the freekiest reply on this forum to date

It's probably a bit late in the day to ask this now, but I'm new here, and wasn't around when the question was raised.

Regarding selling "assets" (props, sets, etc)... what's to stop someone buying said assets, then sharing them around with their friends? Or, worse still, re-selling them on another site?

Not that I would ever sell an "asset" I'd create... I believe in sharing whatever I create with whomever wants it. Just curous and a little concerned at this overt commercialism...

Why concerned? Specific issues, or general principle

(also - if you want to give assets away, we might be able to help you: what if we could also provide ranking of talent, reviews, a market place, tracking of most popular downloads and the like? It could be up to you whether you charge, or not, but is it not right that we help you protect your copyright and track use? what if we could come up with a way for YOU to get a movie credit every time someone used an asset you created in their movie? )

But remember, we have to earn to eat. So we are not embarrassed about being commercially minded.

I think you might have taken my comment a little too seriously. Or it could be that I am still thinking of this as 'a game', rather than a commercial venture (for me it's a hobby).

So with that in mind, no, I don't really have a problem with people profiting from what they create if that's what they want to do. And I'm sure many will openly share their work as they do over at TMO, just for the fun of it.

And in the words of the great prophet: "If I don't like it, I don't have to buy it." (Don't ask who the prophet is...

)

I'm really liking a lot of what I'm reading here (I'm quite the modding novice but anxious to learn). I suppose a big question for me right now is (once the program releases) whether or not we can come to Moviestorm's forums for modding questions/advice/help? (Will the help file help with modding/modeling quesitons?)

How much 3D modeling (if any) with the s/w can we do? Can I model, say, spaceships? houses? change actors' faces/builds/heights? Or do I need to obtain another s/w package? Can someone recommend a "good" one for a novice?

Another question might be if there is someplace where we can see a list of props/sets that will be immediately available on the program's release, and what there are plans for? (That's just my anxious side speaking- sorry!)

Thanks!

(Re: Biggstrek's question, my problem is it seems if we buy a 3rd party model/set/whatever, we run the risk of not owning our movie? I'm happy to pay for something I like (and respect the creator by not sharing the item), but if it negates a reason that drew me to this venture, I wonder how wise it would be for me to buy something in the first place? Or are we talking about things bought from Moviestorm (not 3rd party), that you are letting us use freely? (for our use))

BiggsTrek wrote:

I think you might have taken my comment a little too seriously. Or it could be that I am still thinking of this as 'a game', rather than a commercial venture (for me it's a hobby).

I plead "13 years as an accountant" in my defence!

Sorry if it seemed too serious. I try not to be, except when talking to the bank or before my second cup of coffee.

It is one of our challenges: balancing the "fun" of machinima with the deadly serious artistic and creative ambitions of some of the users (and staff). I - personally - tend towards starting with the simplest, fun-nest things and building up from there. There is, always, a risk of over-complexity and over-engineering a solution, which is why we are so darned pleased that you are all in here helping us to keep the balance.

Puting the commercial aspects of this application aside for now (though I do have other questions and thoughts that I'll ask/share at some time in the future)...

One of my pet peeves with Lionhead's product was something very basic that it lacked, and that was prop placement. Sure I could place props here and there, rotate them around one axis... but I could NOT do something as simple as tilt a prop.

Will Moviestorm allow me to do that? I sure hope so. Seems like such a simple thing (all I want to do is put a car on its roof, for example) and yet The Movies was incapable of it.

Hopefully I will get to be a beta tester for Moviestorm (still waiting for an email *hint hint*) and I can probably answer it myself when that happens. But in the meantime.... ?

Hey BiggsTrek,

I do believe you will really like working in MovieStorm, thou it still has many thing that need to be added it is great fun working with it.

I have not tried to tilt or flip any props I thick it can be done. If I get the chance I will give it a try and let you know.

cyber_faust69

Hey again BiggsTrek,

I gave trying to tip and/or flip props and was not able to do so.

Hope it does not hurt you still wanting to use MovieStorm.