ROF Playback system – a system to record and playback in-game videos. Recorded videos (also called tracks) can later be played back, not only on the author’s PC, but on any PC with the current Rise of Flight version installed. Videos can be recorded both in Single and in Multiplayer modes.
How does it work? The main feature of the system is that it records not only the player’s actions, but everything that surrounds him during the flight. In other words, when you watch your video, you’ll see everything as it happened in the mission. Beyond that, you’ll have options to fast forward and rewind your video, making for an extremely flexible playback.
How do you use it?
After you’ve chosen which mission to play, pay close attention to the complexity settings screen. In the “Flight record” field, you’ll need to choose a level of sound quality for the video you intend to record (there are three options available: no sound, medium and high quality). You’ll also need to choose whether or not to capture graphic (particle) effects (such as explosions) and ground units’ actions. After that, everything that occurs in the air with any object within sight (visibility range = 5 km) will be recorded. A name for the video is assigned automatically but it can easily be changed later.
To start recording, you’ll need to press RCtrl+R. A special symbol (a movie camera, seen below) will appear in the upper right corner of the screen. It indicates that you are now recording. To stop recording, simply press RCtrl+R again. If during the recording process, you pressed them rapidly, the system will automatically add suffix-numbers to the names of each video segment. That way, you can choose to record either short videos of only the most important/interesting events or whole missions.
In the version 1.009 of the game, there are two ways to play your video back. The first one, a “No change” mode, allows you to play a video back exactly as this video was recorded by its author. You’ll watch it through the eyes of its creator. The second one, a “Custom View” mode, lets you play the video back using various cameras, viewpoints and angles including the F11: free camera. In this mode, you can watch it however you wish, but if you press RCtrl+F1, the system will bring you back into “No change” mode once more.
When you’re in a playback session, you’ll see a scroll bar made to look like a magnetic filmstrip and a marker indicating your current point in the footage. To rewind or fast forward, simply move the cursor to the desired place and wait for the footage to update to that point.
Please be aware that in missions where you are recording a video, you cannot use acceleration of time in the game. However, when you play it back afterwards, those functions will be available to use. Time acceleration buttons, by default, are the same as in the game – use ‘]’ to accelerate and ‘[‘ to decelerate. Clever use of slow motion can create very dramatic scenes!
If you rewind your video, all cameras except F11 (free camera) are reset to their original positions that were in use when the video was recorded (i.e. RCtrl+F1). Free camera will keep the last position you established, but all of the objects will obviously be moving on their recorded paths. For instance, you could place the free camera in a position to record the passage of a vehicle convoy. Directorial methods such as this can created some great panoramic scenes. We also have the potential to add new cameras and instruments in the future.
How do you save recorded videos?
By default, Rise of Flight automatically assigns each video with a unique name. An example might be: “russian_roulette_2009-11-18_12-20_00.trk”. This means that on the 18th of November, 2009 at 12:20, the user recorded footage from a Russian roulette mission in Singleplayer mode.
What influences *.trk file size?
The key components that influence the size of a track are sound quality and the amount of objects you record. Higher quality and a higher amount of details and objects make a track file bigger.
Немного статистики:
For our test, we used medium sound quality and we recorded all possible in-game data of the mission. The overall track time was 2 hours and 14 minutes, and the file size was 320 Mbs (with a zipped file size of 97.5 Mbs).
In what folder are video files stored?
Recorded video consists of its track file (*.trk) and a corresponding folder with the same name. This folder contains all files needed for that track’s playback. Rise of Flight saves all of this stuff in *:\ROF\...\data\Tracks\. To watch videos produced by other users, place all the needed files and folders in that section.
As a quick reminder, please be aware that until an update is released, everything is subject to change as we work hard to test the new systems. If any of the smaller details change, I’ll let you know.
That about wraps it up. I’ll conclude by wishing you luck in creating breathtaking videos with Rise of Flight 1.009!
PS. Winter coming in ROF!