DTWD

I think the quality settings are down to the software your using, your just not going to get the control you require. If you don't want to spend any money and plan on using movie maker for the rest of the project I would strongly suggest you output from Movie Maker as uncompressed AVI (if it's even possible) and download VirtualDub along with some codec packs. It will allow you to fine tune your compression. In fact to be honest I do this kind of thing for a job and I find myself frustrated by the tools we have at work, at home I usually end up breaking out VirtualDub at some point. I noticed you put "bit rate trick", I assume it was a typo, but I will just confirm it's the frame rate trick, it's nothing to do with bitrate. And no the cut scenes make the video, without them they would be seemingly un-connected pieces of footage. If anything I think you should have a few more or the ones you have a little longer. I felt that at times I didn't have enough information about what was going on. I was torn whether or not to mention it as I wasn't sure if it was intentional. I am sure in these real life scenarios they don't have a clue what's going on at times either and I felt like the lack of information at points helped this feeling of almost desperation. The one thing I would look at doing, as I have said previosly, is through these cut scenes help us realise what these pilots are feeling and the things they have to overcome. I know it's very difficult to do a great deal on the charector progression front as all you have is what Lock On can produce and sound. Which brings me nicely onto that actually, sound is at least half of a scene in any film or well made TV program. Even if the screen is filled with death and destruction the right choice of sounds/music can make it a sad or a happy scene or anything in between. Regards Paul

Sorry me again. I feel like I am being overly critical. It's a good start especially with the tools your using. I don't want to discourage you, but I want to help you out as well. Please remember these are just my opinions and this is your project. Take and use whatever ideas you want. I am just trying to help. Regards Paul

Oh I forgot to add, I would emphasise the BVR a bit more, visually I mean. Maybe a crash zoom to the other aircraft and maybe draw the battle out a bit, make it feel like it's beeing faught over range, get some radio chatter going. I want to feel like it's me in the fight and strugling to kill those targets. As a viewer I want to see the guys I am rooting for overcomming the odds and obsticals, so try and tweak the story so it seems a bit more dificult. Also think about making the two "good guys" look a bit different, I didn't know who was shooting. I also didn't care, but if you build up the charectors a bit it should become important. Regards Paul

Ok it's not bad actually. Although I have a few suggestions if I may: 1) Fix the sound, the quality really detracts from the overall presentation. 2) Look at maybe improving the bitrate of the video as well, it was a bit pixely at times. 3) I would loose the interchange between in game and real life footage. The viewer can dispend belief if it's not made obviose. The change makes it obviose your watching in game footage. 4) I would re-render the footage and follow glowings suggestion on the half frame rate trick, it fell over a few times, which again hampered the imersion. 5) Work left to right, and right to left. Pick a side for team 1 to work from and one for team 2 to work from. The interchanging directions confuses and breaks the effect of the two teams flying at each other. 6) I can never fault anyone for using any music by Bill Brown! 7) It still felt exciting even though it was BVR and there was no "dog fighting" as such. 8 ) I want to know what happens next!?!?! :D Overall C+, but a lot of the above can be fixed with a bit of knowledge (ask away) and better tools. Regards Paul

Your right that's a huge problem. A little more of an explanation might help in a resolution. Regards Paul

I will download it now and give it a watch. Regards Paul

Great video, I forgot I had downloaded it but just found it in my downloads directory. But I too must deduct a few points...I mean Limp Bizkit!?!?!?!? Although saying that it was fitted to the music really well...but Limp Bizkit?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? :D Regards Paul

Oh yes very tempted, and it's only something like £6 isn't it? The problem is I am still having fun playing/simming in FC and enjoying that. I am nowhere near even mastering some of the basic stuff in that so I don't want to start BS as well. I also can't count (well I could if I tried :D) the games that are comming out at the moment that I want to play. When BS comes out I want to be able to focus my attention on it instead of feeling like I am being dragged in several different directions. I also want to get a sim pit setup, at the moment my desk chair is unsuitable for using pedals (I try and use some rudder and I go flying into the book shelf behind me :doh:) so I need to get one of the kitchen table chairs, which are uncomfortable and are too high, so I need to re-organise my desk and play area everytime I want to play a flight sim. As you can imagine this severly hampers my ability to just drop into a game, so if I only have an hour or so I end up playing something else. I want to get some of these AAA titles out of the way, at least a comfortable play area set up and then put some serious BS time in. Regards Paul

It really does show it off (TIR that is, no idea about BS yet) at it's best with the full 6DOF. FSX also has it if you want another sim that fully supports TIR (or vice versa depending on how you think about it). Oh and yes I was asking you :D Regards Paul

Ah you have replied before I hit submit. Have you tried TIR in a 6DOF cockpit yet? (I can't remember if you have BS or if your just running LOMAC/FC, I seem to remember you saying you had BS) Regards Paul

Well first things first welcome Shrubbo and find some rep inbound for an excellent first post. So how is it going Gary? Regards Paul

Regards Paul

Don't use the versions off the CD, click on the help and get it to check software version and if it's out of date get the latest version. If it's not out of date (and there was an update the other week so if your using the CD one it will be) get the latest game updates. EDIT: if you get the latest software you still may have to update the game database. If that still doesn't work LOMAC used to suffer from a problem with the TIR file getting stuck and needed deleting. I use LoCFG to do this automatically for me, but I am sure someone can point you to the file. It's something like trackir.ini in the game folders somewhere. Regards Paul

Damn! Regards Paul

Oh and your friend must be quite a trail blazer in Russia he uses AA :D Regards Paul

Is that blood on the windscreen? Regards Paul

"Invert When a checkbox in this column is checked for an Axis in the Axis list, the tracking information for that Axis will be reversed. For example, checking the invert box for Pitch will make your in-game view turn to the right when you turn your head to the left." http://www.naturalpoint.com/trackir/06-support/TrackIR-manual-v4.0.020/tir4-Chapter_5.html Regards Paul

Yes, but you can use it that way. As long the three infa red lights are pointing at the reciever and it's setup accordingly (and you have the necesery range of movement) you can have it pointing in any direction you want. Regards Paul

What problem are you having mapping the keys? Maybe we can help. Regards Paul

I assume you mean you want to reduce the amplitude? If so (and I am talking generically here, I don't have any experience with Vegas) you will proababy see some form of volume control, either a clickable line on the sound form (add a point to where you want the volume to start decresing from and then select the final point at the end of the wave form and drag it down), or you select a chunk of it select audio options and select fade out, or you add a key point to where you want the sound to start reducing from and then go to the end of the sound and turn it down with the volume controls. I am talking generically remember, it might be nothing like the above, but might help you until someone with some experience comes along. Regards Paul

You have to ask yourself would you have learnt to ride your first bike quicker with or without stabilsers? Regards Paul

Hmmm I will have to check the water settings and try the density setting then. Typical though that the effect I want I can't have :D. Regards Paul

It's easy Gary, different games re-act differently. Once you know what your doing it probably takes about 10-30 minutes to setup a game properly, but once that's done that's it. I am including the time it takes to do everything, including load times. It takes far longer to setup a HOTAS properly and this is just as important. Regards Paul

I seem to be missing something in the settings. Is there a way to get a blanket of cloud taking into account that density settings above 8 cause my game to crash out? For instance what settings in the weather system would create this look: Regards Paul

As I said, less performance than the 4870 appears to be getting. Regards Paul