Topic

Extra tools for Machinima

So Glitch would be a pretty cool thing to do some machinima with, in my opinion. There aren't a lot of multiplayer sidescrollers, and there certainly aren't any with the aesthetic we've got here, or the wide range of possibilities for facially unique characters. There are a few things that would make it even better though, and I'm collecting my thoughts as to what those things are here:

* More facial expressions. AFAIK, we currently have three, aside from the standard facial expression: Shock, Laughter, and Anger. I would request that laughter be changed to exclusively ":D" and that we get a broad smile for ":)". That we get things like kissy face  (":*"), a sad face (either ":'(" or the standard frown and anger is made into something more like ">:(")and really any others you can think of. You might even consider implementing the flatter emoticons (such as "^_^").

*More character animations. standing around while your pick does the mining for you is a nifty idea, but not terribly visceral. I realize this may be one of the less practical things that I suggest, but there you go.
* The option to turn off speech bubbles. In the event that voice acting is preferred to  speech bubbles, a director should be able to shut them off.

* A speaking animation. If someone speaks in local chat, it would be very cool to have their mouth move for a time afterwards. It would be especially cool if the amount of time afterwards was determined by the amount of text entered.

* Directorial wardrobe options. The wardrobe allows for an amazing amount of character customization. If one is putting together a show, however, one cannot expect the actors to pay for costumes out of pocket. Allowing directors to have a sort of costume wand which changes an actor's outfit to the specifications of the director would help bypass this problem. As a potential director, I would not mind spending cash on such an item, and would expect that the prerequisite for making an outfit to store in it would of course be that the director owned all components for the outfit. To be clear, I am basically saying that the wand (or whatever it was) would bestow a bufflike effect, that would wear off after a time.

*Set Dressing: I understand that the upcoming housing update will include a lot more control over our surroundings. It's my hope that this will allow me to create sets for use in creating films, both indoor and outdoor. Right now, there aren't very many locations which are visually unique enough to establish as locations.

Posted 12 months ago by Hasty Lumbago Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • What the heck is Machinima?? I am intrigued!
    Posted 12 months ago by Pascale Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Machinima is film made with footage from video games. A notable example is Red Vs Blue, a long-running series made from footage shot primarily with Halo. You can check it out at www.roosterteeth.com .
    Posted 12 months ago by Hasty Lumbago Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I've made tons in SL and elsewhere, and have made a few trial runs to see what works. It's doable - even without your well-thought-out enhancement ideas. There are varied and lovely locations especially including seam streets, party packs, and lost floors.

    It would be fun to make a couple of simple films to get a better idea of it all - a zombie movie, or a cubimal race movie, or a drama with splanking and diamond theft.
    Posted 12 months ago by Osprey Subscriber! | Permalink