Vietnam War

[JeanBureau]

Looks like this debate about wars and shit despite all expectations has surprisingly give me an rather fun idea...

I am preparing an aerial raid in the Jungle of Vietnam during the 60's. 

Right now I have to work on parallax (first time for me) - I just took EXSHADOW's stage as a referencefor  now for testing my new helicopter so the video IS NOT about the stage at all (which will be changed). It's just about the Helicopter.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iK_jyRLiwpM&feature=youtu.be

[Mr.Karate JKA]

It looks like very promissor! Good luck with this awesome stage!

[Orochi Gill]

Needs more agent orange.

[SOLIDUS SNAKE]

Well you always surprising us with awesome content. Now I know this is rough draft for mechanics of the chopper.  Maybe give more frames to the blades to smoother turning. Also on the train maybe have some cool tech like lights running along the top edges, like a plan air strip. Good luck bro. 8)

[Joulz]

looking good, man! very promising helicopter you got there (i like the light effect when it fires!)

good luck

[JeanBureau]

looking good, man! very promising helicopter you got there (i like the light effect when it fires!)

good luck

I made the helicopter with a photography from the army. Always have been a fan of jet fighters an military helicopters like these.  8)

[JeanBureau]

UPDATE -

(ALL of this is still subject to major change, I'm still testing stuff around)

http://youtu.be/Oag8h-DnMFw

- helico color changed (green for jungle context)
- missile animations changed
- floor changed
- background changed (the background will most probably be changed as it look like shit)

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http://data.imagup.com/11/1139960009.png


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What needs to be done:
- probably another helicopter
- figure out if players will be inside or outside (inside a cargo/helicopter or on the rooftop...  )
- Add background animations and elements

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EDIT : I just increased the sub transparency for better result for the missile visibility

[Saikoro]

This looks really good. I would recommend something interresting in the background so that all of your attention isn't all on the Chopper. Have you thought of making your theme along the lines of a bombing run?? Napalm was used frequently in Vietnam. I bet you could do some nifty effets in the background with that. Also, give the background trees plenty of layers to simulate dense shrubbery.

[JeanBureau]

This looks really good. I would recommend something interresting in the background so that all of your attention isn't all on the Chopper. Have you thought of making your theme along the lines of a bombing run?? Napalm was used frequently in Vietnam. I bet you could do some nifty effets in the background with that. Also, give the background trees plenty of layers to simulate dense shrubbery.

some good ideas here indeed.
The trees with layer is probably what would get the best visual result although it's easier said than done ---> cutting trees sprite   
It's gonna take me a bit of time. I just hope in the end i won't make it for nothing because of FPS issues. I got frustrated with my Airship stage as explosions was too much to handle for mugen.

Have you thought of making your theme along the lines of a bombing run??

I did think of explosion here and there but, did you mean explosion on the floor or in the air ?

[Cybaster]

Just a little thing for the background, even though it's not Vietnam.
http://captainkimo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/hdr-panorama-phuket-thailand-sunrise.jpg

[JeanBureau]

Just a little thing for the background, even though it's not Vietnam.
http://captainkimo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/hdr-panorama-phuket-thailand-sunrise.jpg

that looks really awesome. I hope I can get something out of it. It's the stage that require me the most images so far i have like 30 mb of images for inspiration and potential sprites.

going back to it.

[Saikoro]

Think of the explosions as if a carpet bomb were going off. The best Vietnamese explosions I can think of for a reference would be Forrest Gump's running scene or Tropical Thunder's bombing blunder scene.

Have them scroll so that they look within the same direction/trajectory of the chopper so it looks like a total bombing raid is going on. You can also make for some nifty scrolling effects. For instance, the more the rounds last, you could perhaps show some damaging details, like trees on fire or tracer bullets firing off to the sky in the background.

ALSO!! I would seriously recommend making a couple of stages modeled off of Terminator 2: Judgement Day's future scenes using sprites from the arcade game. Keep in mind that MAME has layer display options allowing you to easily rip sprites from any arcade game. T2 features some very well done sprites that contain sexy dark and blue hues.

The first stage should be based off of the driving truck stage.

Here's a screen as I couldn't find a video.



And the second should be based off of the first stage being the future wasteland.



I mention this simply because both stages have plenty of action going on, equating into some very visually pleasing stages. For the endoskeleton's and just about any foreground elements, you could make them transparent. On the truck stage, you could perhaps switch the truck to a Mad Max looking flatbed or something.

Just some ideas.... If I weren't all over my daunting portrait project, I'd dive right into stage making!! Seriously!!

[JeanBureau]

lol

thanks for your suggestions Saikoro. I am afraid I am gonna have to reduce my expectations though ---> see "NOTES" below.

And for Terminator, I usually don't do retro stages. Other creators are specialised in it. I think Ex is a retro fan as well. I am not at all sorry 
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UPDATE:



http://youtu.be/RG-qssBb5bA

Notes:
The FPS is still good but I can feel adding more stuff are slowly gonna decrease it which means I have less possibilities than what I need to make the full version I had in mind.

I have to select what to add and what to leave now, as I can't put everything. Too bad. not very surprising though.

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Thanks Cybaster for the background - I could unfortunatley only use like 15% of it, but it was still very usefull.

[Joulz]

beautifull, i love the depths with the deltas... what could be very nice (and simple) is adding the flare effect for when the helicopter(s) are almost covering entirely the sun

[Saikoro]

This looks absolutely fantastic. Nicely done!!

I think the Helicopters should have just a little more left/right sway. Maybe the missiles should shoot a little more diagonally??

Is that floor gonna remain though?? I know its preliminary, but that floor has to be updated.... 

Your work continually improves. Keep it up man!!

[JeanBureau]

After testing :

- Most probably no lens flare will be used : Doesn't look that much better - Kill FPS for nothing (lens flare takes the whole screen or half in terms of trans and is constant at the difference of the rockets for example) so screw it.

- I thought about the rocket direction to be a bit more diagonal but it's a lot of painful work for almost nothing (I would have to recreate all the animations and cut everything again just for rotating 3 or 5 degrees). It's not just rotating the sprites of the anim. The whole shit would have to be redone because otherwise it wouldn't look realistic.
If the smoke goes diagonal, the wind has in impact on the smoke and result in a very different result than the anim I have at the moment. So... I am too lazy 

- About the floor... if you got better floors, feel free to send links    - For now I guess I have nothing against the current one personally. I may update it but nice floors are not legions (is that an understandable expression for english people ? lol)


If someone has the rooftop of a Boeing Chinook ... 
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I have litterally 5 FPS left to work with before getting at an unacceptable FPS rate (under 45/50) 

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* Everything is subject to more or less change dependings on how things go or if I find alternative solutions for some issues.

[Tamez]

- Most probably no lens flare will be used : Doesn't look that much better - Kill FPS for nothing (lens flare takes the whole screen or half in terms of trans and is constant at the difference of the rockets for example) so screw it.

Dunno.   
Sometimes lens flare adds quite a bit to the stage.  Just look at The Last Sunset by Richard Lockard. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5GAPLVlZ8g

[JeanBureau]

- Most probably no lens flare will be used : Doesn't look that much better - Kill FPS for nothing (lens flare takes the whole screen or half in terms of trans and is constant at the difference of the rockets for example) so screw it.

Dunno.   
Sometimes lens flare adds quite a bit to the stage.  Just look at The Last Sunset by Richard Lockard. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5GAPLVlZ8g

It looks nice indeed in this stage. Does he use 3D codes ?
If somebody has this stage could you pm it to me ?

[Tamez]

PM?     Download it from his website! 
http://www.ninjawarriors.net/

[JeanBureau]

Pm is the way to go for request usually - 
thanks for the link - i couldn't find it with google...