Trailer RFC

[slpwnd]

The first version of the new trailer is finished. There is still no sound and the details need polish. But it is in a presentable form already.

This is a SPOILER since the final trailer will be better than this. If you want the real experience, than wait for the finished trailer. Otherwise go ahead:)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ay3pktf2Ol4

Here is the list of things that will be added / changed:

• Background Music
• Sounds (furnace, assembling machine, pipes, boilers, inserters, biters, etc.) - might be integrated in the music
• Fix biters sliding and twitching when avoiding obstacles
• Install the new terrain and doo-dads

We are really curious about what you guys think. I personally have seen the trailer maybe hundreds of times so I can't tell anymore whether it is good or not. Any feedback will be appreciated.

[Balinor]

That looks very cool indeed.

[ssilk]

Cool. The best part is when the biters walk over the bridges and then the trains come.

- I think you already saw that, but for the case that not: Currenlty the scrolling isn't smooth enough to lead the eye. Its "edgy".

- its not always clear on what you should focus. Overwhelming the eye between 0:30 and 0:52 secs.

Hm.I would say you have to make clear, when you look on a special item/entity and when you wanted to give an overview. For example: Try to avoid, that when moving the camera, you zoom so fast, that the eye cannot follow. For example at 0:34. I would say so: As long as moving the camera, you follow something. In that time you don't zoom (or only a little, to avoid this effect). Then you stop the camera movement and can zoom - even very fast. Now you know: It's an overview. And when zoomed out, you can move again. Keep the overall image moving into one direction, this is just to hard for the eye.

Edit: I recommend you to view the video from far away on a big screen and the other way around, then I mean this effect is clearly visible.

- Remove unneeded stuff. For example the car at 0:10 or the little piece of belt from up at 0:29 (I know that it must built like so, but it distracts my eye).

- At 0:43 the piercing ammo is not good visible (grey on brown). This is also a game issue.

- The part with the train (after 0:52) is very cool

- after that there is a short view, on which I mean it stutters a bit. Especially when the natives begin to run. But that part is definitly the best.

- At 1:16: Moving and zooming so fast in, that the right lower edge moves into the reverse direction. Should be avoided.

- 1:32 it is not clear for where the upcoming train comes from. Just not so good visible within all the biters. Perhaps some yellow lines on top of the train?



All in all: I think with some music, which leads, and a speaker which tells, what you see, this will work very, very well.


PS: Some times ago I have programmed an ultra smoth scrolling for calculating coordinates for the mandelbrot set. Absolutly smooth scrolling over areas of the set and into the set, I need to handle that like 3D-coordinates (x, y and zoom-level) and then I came up with algorithms, that care about accellaration and acceleating accelarations. Not so easy to program that, but the results have been really nice.

[Trucario]

Epic.

[FlamingNx9]

Very nice video,i like it a lot but there are some problems.
1.That car at 0:14 is really distracting because it looks so nice
2.It zooms in really fast,kinda hurting my eyes(nothing major bout this)
3.Not sure at 0:25 to 0:38 that clueless people that has not played factorio knows what is in focus
4.Mag at 0:40 is really hard to see,but that is as known,a in-game problem
5.A lot of focus on the bitters at 1:30 that makes the train entering appear out of thin air.I think you can focus on the train after showing the bitters crossing the 'bridge'

Overall this trailer gets the job done quite well with a lot to like.Now we wait for that smooth talking narrator again(and music!)

[Nova]

The quality of the video has to be better for the final release. Scrolling appears blurry in this version.

It's hard to understand what happens. There are so much things the viewer wants to look at. (For someone who has never played factorio, and a bit for experienced players.)

[FrozenOne]

TL,DR; very good, less zooming, faster on empty parts, slower on crowded

Mostly the same feeling as others:
1. zoom-out-in at 0:23 really dizzy and not needed...stay zoomed in and keep the surprise for later time
2. same for 0:33, either zoom out without moving, or follow item without zoom, it's hard to get eye on anything because there are 1000 parts and everything (+camera) moves
3. 0:41 my eyes still follow the magazine but camera already goes elsewhere, it should better show "forget that, now we go look at other things", also suddenly there is 1000 things again and i cant lock on anything particular
4. train good!
5. 1:01 use just slow inserters, camera follows the static pipe, but eye catches mostly fast inserters stuttering frenetically
6. 1:12 you don't have to zoom so much out and then in again, just move the camera faster on this relatively empty sequence
7. 1:32 invisible bottom train (well, depends, i found that quite a good surprise)
8. The end sequence - epic, this is the moment when the viewer will decide to buy the game, make it a bit slower, first let us look at the assemblers for a second and only after slowly zoom out.

[SilverWarior]

Here are my sugestions for improving video:
When folowing fast items like ores being moved by fast inserters, or trains runing through the crepers make use of slow motion. This will alow viewer to focus on targeted item properly.
Imagine how awsome it might look if you first show biters crossing the bridge go into slowmotion shift focus to one train and then show that train running through crepers still in slowmotion. You then shift focus to another train and do the same. Later you speed up the video to normal speed.
Also when showing logistical robots in flight zoom in bit more becouse right now it is hard to gues what is going on. And pepole who haven't even played factorio would probably never gues what is happening at that scene.

Another nice thing would be if you show brief text at certain points explaining what is currently happening in video like:
- iron ore is being placed into furnace to be smelted into iron plates
- iron plates are baing trnsported and then inserted into asemby machine to produce "something"
- etc.

By adding some description texts and using slowmotion at certain points you can make video more narative and therefore easier understandable by new pepole.

[ssilk]

<raise hands> why has it to be understandable? Thought they should buy it?

... If I had understood what I did when I bought this game (? Was it march?) I never would have bought it...

PS: look the trailer with music (See Friday facts.) and then think also a speaker.

[pcmaster160]

I think using acceleration curves on the zooms and pans would help a lot with making it less jittery and easier to focus.

[slpwnd]

Thanks everyone for constructive comments and suggestions.

First scene

Though this hasn't been mentioned by anyone, we still find it important. The first scene (among the ruins before placing the mining drill) is a bit artifficial and doesn't really fit in. We were thinking of replacing it maybe by a short slide along the map and then following a player in the car who arrives to build the mining drills.

Another option would be to see the player minig the ore. There would be no machines. He finishes, places the furnace, puts there the ore and then a timelapse starts and the machines are built (mining drills, belts, walls, poles). Continues by following an ore on the mining drill.

Zooming

Many people mentioned the zooming to be disturbing. I will play with it and see what I can get. The point here is that we use zoom not only to give a better overview of things, but also to speed up the trailer (for instance zoom at 0:23 or zoom at 0:30).

Also I believe that just giving a glimpse of part of the factory (like around 0:34) has a better effect than slowly guiding the viewer through.

Zooming out first, moving later also sounds good. I will try it. Maybe smoother zooming would also help (at the moment the acceleration is constant).

Biters and the Bridge

The scene when smoke leads the viewer to the biters base must be improved. I picture something like a single biter coming into the main camera focus, making some "angry face" (maybe short attack animation?) and then leading the group for the attack. The glitch during the biters gathering might be the path finder.

As for the bridge I can picture that seeing the lower train earlier will look better. Though the "surprise effect" was intended.

The voiceover

Many of you mentioned, that the video will get better after adding the music and voiceover. We thought about this for a while (before posting the trailer) and we came to the conclusion that the voiceover is not really needed. The trailer is sort of self explaining. It is not supposed to be a complete explanation of Factorio in under 2 minutes. The aim is to communicate 3 things to the viewer:
1) The main concept of the game is automation.
2) There is a lot that you can do in the game.
3) There is a lot of movement in the game.

Also I am not really sure what the voiceover should be saying.

Other issues

- Yes the mag at 0:40 is not well visible. We will try to get some better object sprites before the trailer release.
- I don't expect the viewer to understant everything that is going on. More important is the overall feeling. Yes, the point of
the trailer is to raise interest in the viewer.
- Yes, the current quality of the video is bad. We will film it in higher resolution next time and try to make it smoother. Especially transport belts often look strange, when zoomed out.
- Slow motion is a good idea. I see what it does for instance for the inserter putting ore to furnace scene.

[Nova]

As for the bridge I can picture that seeing the lower train earlier will look better. Though the "surprise effect" was intended.

How about making the "train sound" before the train comes over the bridge? (the horn, whistle, don't know the right english name. Just the warning sound a train makes when it arrives on a station. "Choo Choo" xD)

[slpwnd]

As for the bridge I can picture that seeing the lower train earlier will look better. Though the "surprise effect" was intended.

How about making the "train sound" before the train comes over the bridge? (the horn, whistle, don't know the right english name. Just the warning sound a train makes when it arrives on a station. "Choo Choo" xD)

Great idea! Noted:)

[SilverWarior]

How about making the "train sound" before the train comes over the bridge?

That is a great idea I would like to see this implemented in the game itself (early warning before train crushes me when I'm crosing the bridge).
The only dificulty in implementing this would be how to determine when the sound should be played.
But there is a simple solution to this. Another item/marker which can be placed on the side of the rail (similar as rail signals) and its only purpose is for train to horn when it pases near such marker. So this way you give the player fine controll about when the horn sound is played.

[ssilk]

Though this hasn't been mentioned by anyone, we still find it important. The first scene (among the ruins before placing the mining drill) is a bit artifficial and doesn't really fit in. We were thinking of replacing it maybe by a short slide along the map and then following a player in the car who arrives to build the mining drills.
Another option would be to see the player minig the ore. There would be no machines. He finishes, places the furnace, puts there the ore and then a timelapse starts and the machines are built (mining drills, belts, walls, poles). Continues by following an ore on the mining drill.

Both have pro and cons. And - both are based on the same idea, in the first you move in space and in the second you move in time.
But I think the first is a bit better, because what was really astonishing for me, was how big a map can get. So, I imagine that very well: widest zoom, in the middle of nowhere and then begin to scroll, and scroll very fast and scroll, then slowly zooming in, the player comes in with his car and then stop at the border of factory, and zoom out. Woaaaa...

For the second idea I think this should be another trailer. And why not? I think two different trailers have a better chance than one.

The point here is that we use zoom not only to give a better overview of things, but also to speed up the trailer (for instance zoom at 0:23 or zoom at 0:30).

Do you know what? I thought its speed up, but I looked many times into that and in the end I thought, this is normal. So what I think is, that even without zooming a slight speed up is not visible for anybody, which hasn't seen the game before.

Also I believe that just giving a glimpse of part of the factory (like around 0:34) has a better effect than slowly guiding the viewer through.

Maybe once, but not always. For anybody, which never saw that, the zoomed out factory is a total different picture, than the zoomed in - I mean, we are accustomed to it. But I remember in my study time I was in a video-curses and the teacher said: keep the fingers away from the zoom if you don't want to tell a story. And never do zoom and moving at the same time. And break the rules only if you have a reason.

As for the bridge I can picture that seeing the lower train earlier will look better. Though the "surprise effect" was intended.

Simple solution: make it more narrow, only one rail? Then u need only the upper train.

[MF-]

The "biggest" zoom level feels rather blurry to me.

At the end there is a squad of logistic bots flying through the factory.
Given that you presented them just after showing the (good job, Albert) <insert-the-current-name-of-enemies-here>, It sure makes a non-accointed viewer think those are enemies as well.. Perhaps saboteur-like.

[MF-]

How about making the "train sound" before the train comes over the bridge?

That is a great idea I would like to see this implemented in the game itself (early warning before train crushes me when I'm crosing the bridge).
The only dificulty in implementing this would be how to determine when the sound should be played.
But there is a simple solution to this. Another item/marker which can be placed on the side of the rail (similar as rail signals) and its only purpose is for train to horn when it pases near such marker. So this way you give the player fine controll about when the horn sound is played.

HA.. I like that idea
I was told that there is a "railway traffic sign" for "honk here" on czech railways.
It's (supposedly) very tall and thin.

Perhaps that would be the way?
(combined with the train honking (just for the effect I guess) few moments before smashing things)

[ssilk]

I would add, that it's a good idea to honk some seconds before a train starts, because I always have the luck to enter a train when it's about to start.

[MF-]

I would add, that it's a good idea to honk some seconds before a train starts, because I always have the luck to enter a train when it's about to start.

I am afraid that would be too much honking if you have a lot of trains.
Something else - perhaps releasing pressure in the braking_system_pistons - (It would probably be a good idea to visit a railway station and listen how exactly does a train sound when unbraking and starting to move. I think it also involves a bit of brake squealing, since the brakes take a while to fully disengage on long cargo trains)