Marathon Logistics

mikwuyma

Edit history:

mikwuyma: 2010-12-06 09:13:17 pm

mikwuyma: 2010-12-04 03:52:39 pm

mikwuyma: 2010-12-03 05:33:53 pm

mikwuyma: 2010-12-03 05:32:37 pm

mikwuyma: 2010-12-02 04:28:03 pm

mikwuyma: 2010-12-02 01:16:28 pm

2010-12-02 01:12:21 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

You're probably scratching your head over what the point of this thread is, but there's some things that need to be figured out before we all meet up.

4-way Zelda Race

Okay it looks like everyone is bringing their own version of the game. We just need to see if they actually bring the console and game, or if someone else can bring it for them.

I think if people bring their usb capture devices (I have 3 myself, though I haven't tested one) and laptops, we shouldn't have any trouble actually streaming the race. Moooh, you should probably add capture devices to the consoles list.

I was thinking of splitting up the race into two streams, two game screens per stream. Any thoughts about that?

Commentary on Stream - We're going to have separate commentary and game streams

Last year we separated the game and commentary stream. While this method worked well for the most part, the commentary stream was a couple of seconds ahead of the game stream, and I'm not sure how to fix that. Should we put the commentary and game on the same stream and use Virtual Audio Cable so we can hear both? Or should we just keep them separate and not care about the desync? (or try to fix it)

BTW, no matter what, we will have at least two stream screens because fitting 3 and 4-way races on one screen is painful.

Recording the marathon - Solved

Nate is buying 2 TB hard drives, and we should have DVD recorders with hard drives as a backup.

Microphones - This might be solved, Blue Yeti looks like the best option

The webcam mic last year picked up everything and overpeaked a lot. We definitely want something that picks up sound well, but probably not overly well, like last year's marathon.

Does anyone know anything about directional mics or just mics in general?

Number of TVs

The 4-H Center planner asked me how many TVs we would need, and my answer was a professional, "I'm not sure." So how many TVs do we need? We'll need at least 4 for the OOT race, but we'll need more so we can play games during the marathon. I'm pretty sure we want at least 15 because we had around 7-8 for the lockin for half as many people, but no definite number is popping up in my head.

Groove Cam

Yes, Emptyeye, as awesome as your idea is, we need to actually, you know, implement it. It shouldn't be too hard, a separate webcam and laptop should work fine for our needs.

Dracula X Chronicles Race

I heard that recording from a PSP is annoying, will we have the proper cables and equipment to record this? Do both runners have PSP-3000 models?

BTW, I'm sure there's more that needs to be discussed, but this is the stuff that popped up in my head.

Thread title:

You're probably scratching your head over what the point of this thread is, but there's some things that need to be figured out before we all meet up.

[b]4-way Zelda Race[/b]

Okay it looks like everyone is bringing their own version of the game. We just need to see if they actually bring the console and game, or if someone else can bring it for them.

I think if people bring their usb capture devices (I have 3 myself, though I haven't tested one) and laptops, we shouldn't have any trouble actually streaming the race. Moooh, you should probably add capture devices to the consoles list.

I was thinking of splitting up the race into two streams, two game screens per stream. Any thoughts about that?

[b]Commentary on Stream - We're going to have separate commentary and game streams[/b]

Last year we separated the game and commentary stream. While this method worked well for the most part, the commentary stream was a couple of seconds ahead of the game stream, and I'm not sure how to fix that. Should we put the commentary and game on the same stream and use Virtual Audio Cable so we can hear both? Or should we just keep them separate and not care about the desync? (or try to fix it)

BTW, no matter what, we will have at least two stream screens because fitting 3 and 4-way races on one screen is painful.

[b]Recording the marathon - Solved[/b]

Nate is buying 2 TB hard drives, and we should have DVD recorders with hard drives as a backup.

[b]Microphones - This might be solved, [url=http://www.bluemic.com/yeti/]Blue Yeti[/url] looks like the best option[/b]

The webcam mic last year picked up everything and overpeaked a lot. We definitely want something that picks up sound well, but probably not overly well, like last year's marathon.

Does anyone know anything about directional mics or just mics in general?

[b]Number of TVs[/b]

The 4-H Center planner asked me how many TVs we would need, and my answer was a professional, "I'm not sure." So how many TVs do we need? We'll need at least 4 for the OOT race, but we'll need more so we can play games during the marathon. I'm pretty sure we want at least 15 because we had around 7-8 for the lockin for half as many people, but no definite number is popping up in my head.

[b]Groove Cam[/b]

Yes, Emptyeye, as awesome as your idea is, we need to actually, you know, implement it. It shouldn't be too hard, a separate webcam and laptop should work fine for our needs.

[b]Dracula X Chronicles Race[/b]

I heard that recording from a PSP is annoying, will we have the proper cables and equipment to record this? Do both runners have PSP-3000 models?

BTW, I'm sure there's more that needs to be discussed, but this is the stuff that popped up in my head.

romscout

2010-12-02 01:25:29 pm

that Metroidvania guy

Andrés says:
you can have commentary + game on same stream and just use the mic since im sure 99.999% of viewers wont care about hearing the game audio over the commentary anyway
no need for VAC
mikwuyma says:
okay
you might want to post that
and see what people think
but I agree with you

ZenicReverie

2010-12-02 02:06:54 pm

Waiting hurts my soul...

commentary is always more fun, but the mic needs to be in the center of four people during the Zelda race, and likewise for other races. i.e. needs to be a good mic that can pick up noise from 5ft away.

moooh

Edit history:

moooh: 2010-12-02 02:11:38 pm

moooh: 2010-12-02 02:08:14 pm

2010-12-02 02:07:44 pm

Exoray

I say nay to having them on the same stream. What made last years marathon that extra awesome was all the things that were ongoing on the commentary stream (some action that is, not just someone sitting talking). Having it split with the game stream makes it too small which will make things more difficult to see. Also I really hate it when you can't adjust the game volume and the commentary volume separately.
If we want to have an easier time syncing them we could put in something like an audio sync queue every now and then.

I added capture devices to the list.

arkarian

Edit history:

arkarian: 2010-12-02 02:13:26 pm

2010-12-02 02:13:10 pm

gamelogs.org

i think it's important to be able to see both the game being played and the player/commentators—which probably means not cramming them both into the same little rectangle—as well as adjust the volume of each individually.

PJ

2010-12-02 02:18:57 pm

Is PJ

Quote from moooh:

I say nay to having them on the same stream. What made last years marathon that extra awesome was all the things that were ongoing on the commentary stream (some action that is, not just someone sitting talking). Having it split with the game stream makes it too small which will make things more difficult to see. Also I really hate it when you can't adjust the game volume and the commentary volume separately.
If we want to have an easier time syncing them we could put in something like an audio sync queue every now and then.

I added capture devices to the list.

I'm with moooh here. I like hearing game audio and the commentary both. Even for watching runs on SDA with commentary, I run one as embedded flash to hear the game music, and one normally so I can hear the commentary. I'd personally prefer two streams if I were viewing, but I am not so my opinion doesn't really matter. I do think overall people would prefer commentary to game music, but it's nice to have an option.

[quote="moooh"]I say nay to having them on the same stream. What made last years marathon that extra awesome was all the things that were ongoing on the commentary stream (some action that is, not just someone sitting talking). Having it split with the game stream makes it too small which will make things more difficult to see. Also I really hate it when you can't adjust the game volume and the commentary volume separately.
If we want to have an easier time syncing them we could put in something like an audio sync queue every now and then.

I added capture devices to the list.[/quote]

I'm with moooh here.  I like hearing game audio and the commentary both.  Even for watching runs on SDA with commentary, I run one as embedded flash to hear the game music, and one normally so I can hear the commentary.  I'd personally prefer two streams if I were viewing, but I am not so my opinion doesn't really matter.  I do think overall people would prefer commentary to game music, but it's nice to have an option.

ZenicReverie

2010-12-02 02:28:29 pm

Waiting hurts my soul...

If the commentary starts getting ahead of the game stream, then start having people comment on the stream... Cheesy

I'm with others, good to have volume control for each.

I have no name

2010-12-02 02:34:24 pm

Obscure games ftw

Quote from romscout:

Andrés says:
you can have commentary + game on same stream and just use the mic since im sure 99.999% of viewers wont care about hearing the game audio over the commentary anyway

I'm one of the .001% then Tongue

Quote from ZenicReverie:

If the commentary starts getting ahead of the game stream, then start having people comment on the stream... Cheesy

I'm with others, good to have volume control for each.

ditto

arkarian

2010-12-02 02:37:37 pm

gamelogs.org

Quote from romscout:

Andrés says:
you can have commentary + game on same stream and just use the mic since im sure 99.999% of viewers wont care about hearing the game audio over the commentary anyway

yeah ... what? this sounds like a ludicrous assumption to me.

ZenicReverie

2010-12-02 02:42:36 pm

Waiting hurts my soul...

Could you add a little timer in the stream or something so that people can tell when they're out of sync? That's how subtitles/closed captions are kept in-sync with a movie, they have a time code playing with the movie. Too bad there's no way to link the videos with a time code like that, but at least it'd be a visual reminder to viewers that the videos are out of sync.

UraniumAnchor

Edit history:

UraniumAnchor: 2010-12-02 03:13:57 pm

UraniumAnchor: 2010-12-02 03:13:03 pm

2010-12-02 03:12:32 pm

Not a walrus

If last year was any indication the drift was so minor (5-10 seconds over the course of an hour, maybe?) that people can just refresh the streams manually if it gets that bad. I say keep the game and commentary streams completely separate. Alternately, maybe the issue is that the commentary and game stream are running at different FPS? Maybe running them both at 29.97 (or some factor) would help.

Also, I have a USB capture device I can pack and I was planning on bringing my laptop, but I'm low on disk space.

Emptyeye

2010-12-02 03:18:37 pm

Talk to the Hand

Yeah, was the desync really that terrible last year that we can't just run that setup again? People should really be refreshing every now and again anyway; streams, I've noticed, tend to slowly fall behind the more I watch them, as I can pick up on by people in chat reacting to stuff that hasn't happened yet on my screen. Tongue

Also, I have a DVD recorder if necessary, but I don't know how much space it has on super-duper high quality, and you may not want it for newer stuff anyway.

mikwuyma

Edit history:

mikwuyma: 2010-12-02 04:51:05 pm

2010-12-02 04:27:57 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

Ah, I should have rephrased what I said. I would prefer just micing the audio if we put both the commentary and game on one stream.

But I guess we'll just put a disclaimer on the site saying people should refresh their streams if they go out of sync.

BTW, I updated the first post with a new question

EDIT: Moooh, would you mind adding those console switches to the topic too? I have one, but it seems like the right speaker didn't work on it? Not sure.

Poxnor

2010-12-02 05:17:46 pm

Moo! Flap! Hug!

Quote from mikwuyma:

The webcam mic last year picked up everything and overpeaked a lot. We definitely want something that picks up sound well, but probably not overly well, like last year's marathon.

Does anyone know anything about directional mics or just mics in general?

I'm by no means an expert on this, but I had microphone issues when I started streaming (sound quality, volume, etc.). I picked up a Blue Yeti, put it between the TV and me, and haven't had any more problems with sound. It can do omni-directional (useful for streaming an environment, like a crazy room full of commentary), bi-directional (useful for streaming games with a single commentator or commentators sitting together), cardioid (useful for capturing just a single source in a noisier environment, such as cutting out all but the commentator/s), and one other mode. Admittedly, I haven't played with much more than the bi-directional mode, so I can't comment on how effective they are; but, everything I've done with the microphone so far has just worked. The only caveat is that it's fairly pricey.

http://www.bluemic.com/yeti/

[quote="mikwuyma"]The webcam mic last year picked up everything and overpeaked a lot. We definitely want something that picks up sound well, but probably not overly well, like last year's marathon.

Does anyone know anything about directional mics or just mics in general?[/quote]
I'm by no means an expert on this, but I had microphone issues when I started streaming (sound quality, volume, etc.).  I picked up a Blue Yeti, put it between the TV and me, and haven't had any more problems with sound.  It can do omni-directional (useful for streaming an environment, like a crazy room full of commentary), bi-directional (useful for streaming games with a single commentator or commentators sitting together), cardioid (useful for capturing just a single source in a noisier environment, such as cutting out all but the commentator/s), and one other mode.  Admittedly, I haven't played with much more than the bi-directional mode, so I can't comment on how effective they are; but, everything I've done with the microphone so far has just worked.  The only caveat is that it's fairly pricey.

[url]http://www.bluemic.com/yeti/[/url]

Sir VG

2010-12-02 09:35:41 pm

Fucking Weeaboo

I was planning on bringing my dvd recorder for the stuff rom and I were going to work on the side/post-marathon. As long as we can do that, I'm fine with bringing mine.

mikwuyma

2010-12-03 01:09:47 am

My feelings on The Demon Rush

Poxnor: Thanks, that does look like a really good mic. It's also a lot cheaper than retail price on amazon.

Sir VG: Does it have a hard drive? I guess that's not a big deal, since we're going to stop and start recording before and after every run (so we don't run into the 10 hour problem like last time).

Axel Ryman

2010-12-03 01:18:25 am

We all scream for Eyes Cream

For the Zelda Race, I can bring my Wii and put the VC version onto it. If we need the cartridge for N64, I can bring that as well. As for USB capture devices and laptops, I don't mind having mine be used for the run either.

Sir VG

2010-12-03 01:22:33 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Quote from mikwuyma:

Sir VG: Does it have a hard drive? I guess that's not a big deal, since we're going to stop and start recording before and after every run (so we don't run into the 10 hour problem like last time).

Yep. I used to own one without...never again.

Worn_Traveler

2010-12-03 05:33:22 am

Formerly known as Skullboy

I can also supply a 64 and a copy of OOT if it's still needed/wanted for the race. It's the gold cartridge version so I don't know if that'll make a difference or not. I was planning on bringing them anyways for some side gaming.

Runnerguy2489

2010-12-03 07:12:44 am

I'm not your buddy, guay!

Zelda Race:

I will probably bring my own N64 and OoT cart, as well as my own controller because I'm really picky about how loose or tight that joystick is. I will also likely have my laptop/capture card with me for all the side gaming I'm likely to do during the week.

The version differences are small; the n64 1.0 version can add extra savewarping (will we be sitting close enough to hit the reset button?) due to a glitch exlusive to it; the GC/VC version also has an exclusive glitch and has less lag. I think all of us have had the opportunity to play on either version and we know of the advantages/disadvantages but play on what we are most comfortable with.

Additionally, I'm not positive it's still a 4 man race. I don't think Jiano is interested in OoT anymore, with a lot of his time being on SM64. I know Aleckermit is in, not sure about Cosmo. I'll make sure they see this thread so any streaming or split screening can then be worked out.

cosmo

2010-12-03 08:26:22 am

last I heard jiano still wants to do the 4 way race cause it's any% (not a lot of demanding tricks to practice). I'm in. I'll bring my own Wii which has the VC version on it which is the version I play on (thx alec)

mikwuyma

2010-12-03 05:32:46 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

VG: Awesome, since we'll be using multiple recorders, you'll be able to use yours at least during half of the marathon. How much footage can it record on SP mode?

Cosmo: Sounds good, ask Jiano if he wants to race just to make sure because I know he never checks the forum.

Also first post updated.

Poxnor

2010-12-03 05:59:06 pm

Moo! Flap! Hug!

Quote from mikwuyma:

Poxnor: Thanks, that does look like a really good mic. It's also a lot cheaper than retail price on amazon.

@#!% $#%# *^($ @#%$ %^@#!!!! ...I...I mean, that's...that's so wonderful, that you found it for so much cheaper on Amazon. It's kind of like I should have looked there, before purchasing it at my local store Wink

Glad I could help, haha Smiley

If you wanted to listen-before-you-buy, I could stream a little in some different environments (noisy room, etc.) so that you could listen to it. That said, with the reviews it got online, I purchased it figuring it would be the best available short of a professional-grade device.

austin

2010-12-03 07:55:31 pm

was about to make a new thread for this, but I think it would be a good fit for this one.

how are the announcements and information related to the public gonna be handled? I remember that last year, you had to listen closely to the commentary or check the chat topic (most viewers don't pay attention to that, and some disactivate the chat or don't have the plugin required to display it) to know what was going on. iirc, moderators were even linking to the schedule every few minutes, which is annoying for them and even more likely to be ignored. it would be great if all this info (game being played or up next, name of the player, link to the schedule, technical difficulties, votes for character names, etc.) was shown in a more visible place on the front page where everyone will notice it.

sorry if this has already been planned or discussed. also, I hope you guys do a good job advertising the marathon. there's no reason not to try every possible forum, gaming website or youtube channel. good luck!

was about to make a new thread for this, but I think it would be a good fit for this one.

how are the announcements and information related to the public gonna be handled? I remember that last year, you had to listen closely to the commentary or check the chat topic (most viewers don't pay attention to that, and some disactivate the chat or don't have the plugin required to display it) to know what was going on. iirc, moderators were even linking to the schedule every few minutes, which is annoying for them and even more likely to be ignored. it would be great if all this info (game being played or up next, name of the player, link to the schedule, technical difficulties, votes for character names, etc.) was shown in a more visible place on the front page where everyone will notice it.

sorry if this has already been planned or discussed. also, I hope you guys do a good job advertising the marathon. there's no reason not to try every possible forum, gaming website or youtube channel. good luck!

arkarian

2010-12-03 08:36:06 pm

gamelogs.org

think nate's plan is for the home page of sda to be a taiga forum static thread containing the stream. all the other information could be put there too i would imagine.