Need avis of HalfLife 2 for presentation

[QA.Mitch]

I'm giving a presentation at a QA conference next month, and I'm comparing testing with playing HalfLife 2. I planned to show videos of the game, but my computer isn't fast enough to make decent AVIs -- they're way too choppy.

I'll give you full credit in the presentation. They're short sequences and easy to record, so I don't think it would be that difficult. Here's what I need.

1. Getting killed by a Headcrab, while holding a Crowbar but not using it.
2. Same as #1, but killing the Headcrab with the Crowbar.
3. Getting killed by a Headcrab Zombie while attacking it once or twice with the Crowbar.
4. Same as #3, but killing the Headcrab Zombie by shooting it with the Pistol.
5. Getting killed by a Strider while attacking it with the Crowbar
6. Same as #5, but getting killed by a Strider while shooting it with the Pistol.
7. Same as #5, but killing the Strider by shooting it with the Laser-Guided Rocket Launcher
8. Walk through a gas fire wall (from an open gas valve) and taking damage, but not getting killed.
9. Same as #8, but first turning off the gas valve so that the fire wall goes away you don't take any damage.

That's it! Email me at [email protected] for more information.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

You don't need a fast computer to record AVIs.

1) Record in-game demo using the "record <demoname>" command
2) Use the command host_framerate 30 to force the engine to 30 frames per second
3) Type "startmovie <moviename>" followed by "playdemo <demoname>" to start playing back your previously-recorded demo, dumping each frame to disk along with a wav file of the audio.
4) Combine the frames and the wav file with a package like Adobe Premiere, ensuring that you import it all at 30 frames per second
5) Export the whole lot as an avi (after whatever editing you want to do)

 

[QA.Mitch]

I'll try that

Thanks. I'll try that. Usually my "playdemo" always comes back choppy so I assumed that any AVI that I created from it would also be choppy. Guess I was wrong. (I also don't have Adobe Premiere but I'm sure there are other packages I can use.)

Still, if anyone would like to make some of these videos for me, I would gladly accept the help!
--Mitch

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

the host_framerate command makes choppiness irrelevant. It will look choppy as hell when it plays back, but it exports every frame and the accompanying sound in perfect 30fps loveliness.

 

[polypod]

yeah, and you can record the demo with video settings on low for smoothness, then before playing back the demo you can up all the settings to max and still get a movie as smooth as silk!!