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Edit history:
kn1ves: 2008-07-03 02:43:58 pm
rabble
Thinking about doing a run on Vampire - The Masquerade Bloodlines. If enough people are interested I'll try doing one, but technically speaking there are a few things which might make it not worth it.

First off, theres a lot of loading screens. Basically anytime you go into or leave a building theres a load. Most of the time this is so you can talk to somebody to get a quest started or moved along. The places where the actual quests are involve one load or more spread out loads, which helps a bit.

Secondly, theres a lot of talking to people. A lot of planning the run will involve figuring out the best way to talk to people so you can exit the dialog quickly while still moving a quest along.

Thirdly, there are unskipable ingame cutscenes. You can skip the intro cutscene, but right now I dont know of a way to skip other cutscenes.

Lastly, encoding the run and all that stuff is a pain. I've been trying to read stuff about how to use avisnth, etc. and it makes my head hurt. I'm using fraps for the capture and the best I can do for compression at the moment is use virtualdub, but I keep running into problems with the audio compression not being of the quality that SDA accepts. So, if somebody would help me with that I will try and make all my own files. If nobody will help but there is still enough interest I'll just compress how I want and post rapidshare or megaupload links here.

I've already run through and recorded the first 2 quests and uploaded them as quick examples of how the game plays out. I would probably redo them if, as i keep saying, there is enough interest.

Aside from the issues I've already said, there is also an issue with the clans playing differently, but that can be talked about and figured out later if there should be categories for each clan or not.

Update: Tremere run posted on SDA now with a final time of 56:33.

-kn1ves
Thread title:  
100% runs=great to watch
I'd definitely be interested in watching it....heard it was a cool, though buggy, game.  Go for it!  8)
yes, a man carrying a gimp
Are you using any of the unofficial patches? 
rabble
no unoffical patches. just latest official, which was 1.2.
Edit history:
Poesta: 2007-08-21 08:30:38 pm
Yarr
There's no reason to touch the audio or video compression - Anri-Chan will encode both. Or is this about audio desync?

edit- made a little guide on editing source files. Hope this helps you out.

This example assumes you record in segments and you are using VirtualDubMod.

[] Make sure there's nothing wrong with the source files (no audio desync, no moments with lag, no missing levels...).

[] Edit out the loading screens/overlapping frames/whatever for each segment in VirtualDubMod.

[] Make an AviSynth script in notepad that appends the segments without screwing up the sound. For example, I append s1.avi and s2.avi, both located in the root directory:

s1 = avisource("c:\s1.avi")
s2 = avisource("c:\s2.avi")
alignedsplice(s1,s2)

Save it as 'younameit.avs'. Of course you can add more segments and use other paths.

[] Open the script in VirtualDubMod, just as you would with a video.

[] Go to streams/stream list. Right click the source audio and select full processing mode. Save it as a wav file using the button to the right.

[] Close the video file.

[] Append the segments in VirtualDubMod using 'open video file' for the first segment and 'append segment' for the rest.

[] Go to streams/stream list. Disable the source audio using the button on the right. Click on 'add' and locate the wav file you made.

[] Close the screen and make sure the video processing mode is set to 'direct stream copy' in the video menu or the save dialog.

[] Save as an avi file.

[] Open up Anri-Chan and let it enode the file for you. This may take several hours or even days.
rabble
yes, i record in segments, but why do i need to append them? my segments are recorded from loading the save to saving (as in clips posted). do you mean after i've edited them? if so, thats kind of a problem since the loading screen fades out and you can move b4 it goes away. i would always have to wait for that b4 i start moving, which would be annoying.

there is no problem with audio desync.

anri-chan is weird. messed up resolutions when i tried using it. ended up with 640x600 for one of them.
Yarr
If you append the files people just have to download one file and don't have to switch to other files while watching. If you can move before the loading screen fades away, then you must do so. And 640x600 sure is a strange resolution. In which resolution do you record and which settings did you use in Anri-Chan?
I love YaBB 1G - SP1!
Count me in, i would like to see this run.
I also had an attempt with it but I quit later on.

Here is the old thread about speedrunning this game:
http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=pcgames;action=display;num=1164924034
rabble
poesta - i get what you'rer saying, but i would rather keep it in parts so people could just download a certain part if they want.

my game resolution was 800x600 (lowest you can select, dunno if thats just for me but thats the lowest i can get) and i recorded full screen because half would make it 400x300 which is crappy, so i used d1 even though that doesnt fit =/. recorded at 29.97, so used f2 as the other setting, and yes for 3d.

jfjfjf - weird that never came up when i searched for vampire in the forum, but thanks. a clan with celerity is definately the way to go. if you get it to level 3 asap (can be done by sabbat warehouse) you can pretty much dodge bullets, so you can run past people easily. i can finish the sabbat warehouse in under 3 minutes (close to 2) and do the elizabeth dane right around 3. thats about as far as i've gone trying to get best time possible. i also found a quick way to finish the explosives quest at the beginning and found a shortcut to skip the whole basement in the ocean house.
Yarr
Make a sample of like 5 seconds, don't touch the video and audio, upload it to FileFront and post it in this thread:

http://speeddemosarchive.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=other;action=display;num=1180412303

Then someone will check if these are the right settings.
rabble
random screwing around fixed it. for some reason saying yes to progressive scan fixed things. dont really know why but dont really care since it worked.
Edit history:
Poesta: 2007-08-22 08:00:51 pm
Yarr
If you've recorded it on your PC it's likely to be a progressive scan source. Read the article on Anri-Chan in the kb.
rabble
reading is overrated =P. jk. thanks for the help. i think i should be able to handle all this stuff now (famous last words) so i'll probably start trying the run for real within a week or so. gotta beat bioshock first though =). i'll post updates every so often to keep people informed.
One of the best RPG ever IMHO.
I would love to see a speedrun.

You might want to see some level walkthroughs on
youtube (including the best game level of all time:
Oceanside Hotel).
rabble
i've already got a good route for the hotel =). check the second vid in first post
FF8 & FF12.. Long awaited runs.
Love the movies so far. Heh, i've finished the game quite a few times and didn't realise you could get the astrolite from there. Cheesy

My avatar and I look forward to any progress!
this is probably my favorite non-console rpg, so heeeellllll yes i'd like to see a speedrun on bloodlines. if you play malkav you'll be my hero.

good luck!
rabble
malkavian's are def fun to play, but i dont think they would be good for a speed run. however, if this run goes well i wouldnt be opposed to doing another run with another clan. personally i think the clans should all have a separate category or at least separate runs sorted by whichever discipline you focus on. there should be a best time - any clan, then a best time - by clan. but i'm getting ahead of myself here, we'll wait and see how this one goes.
I do not agree with treating the different clans in seperate catagories because the game itself, the quests that need to be done and such, never change. It's just a matter of how you go about solving the problems. Do you bash or shoot everything? Or do you sneak around, maybe even convince people to see things your way by seduction or mindcontrol? Thats one of the strongest points of the game in my opinion, and the main reason I keep playing.

Malkav's could be a good choice becuz they can do that blood-mind-control thing ( cant think of the name right now and I'm working so I cant look it up ) as well as obfuscating, which should come in handy for obvious reasons.

Either way, best of luck, and I'll be waiting to see how it goes.
100% runs=great to watch
I dunno...Diablo II has different runs for different characters because all of them have their own quirks regardless of the quests being EXACTLY the same for everybody along similar lines.

Still, probably no need to worry about other categories until runs past this initial one get underway and managed.
rabble
digi, the prime example of a clan deserving its own run is tremere. nobody else has thaumaturgy (blood magic) and if you pick them, thats the best discipline they have (at least i think). i understand the quests dont change, but the way quests are beaten could change depending on what clan you pick, nosferatu especially. there are different starting points in the cities if you pick nosferatu (basement of tower downtown as an example). you said, "Do you bash or shoot everything? Or do you sneak around." that will depend on what clan you pick. nobody is gonna sneak with a gangrel or brujah whereas with a nosferatu or malkavian, you will level up obfuscate so you can get past people without being seen. i dunno, i see your argument but i think that the way you approach the quests from a speedrunning aspecet will vary depending on the clan chosen.
Your point is very well made and i understand what you're saying, however I just dont agree. I dont make policy on games though. Lets just wait and see how you do with your first run. I am pretty excited about a run on this game so i'll make sure to keep an eye or two on this topic. If I could help in any way, let me know.
FF8 & FF12.. Long awaited runs.
I think there should be different runs for different clans. Just too many variables.
Edit history:
kn1ves: 2007-09-12 02:07:32 am
rabble
ok, update time. i've redone the first two parts and done the ecoding with anri-chan. had to redo cuz i forgot to save raw captures of them (i fail). anyway, basically the same stuff except in the ocean house i make a detour for the weekapug thistle (+1 defense) cuz i figure since it only takes like 5 secs to get and its a free stat boost might as well get it.

as far as editing out load screens go i've noticed that, at least on my system, when loading is done the progress bar will blink to empty and then back to full. when it blinks, that means i can start moving even though the loading screen hasnt faded out yet. so i've cut out the loading progress bar before the blink. a link to the redone part 1 is at the bottom of this post. i left in the first loading screen in its entirety so people can see the blink i'm talking about. i'll cut out the blink for initial loads on subsequent parts, but i'm gonna leave that first one there because it doesnt really need to go since timing shouldnt start until after character creation is over (should start out in the alley. at least i think =P).

after that i decided it would be good to work on routes for the next couple of quests so i've worked out routes for all the missions up until hollywood (3rd city). any time estimates i've included dont count running around the cities. full time estimate for first two cities at the end.

the rest of the stuff at aslyum and the diner with the sisters is pretty staightforward, nothing special here. just trying to decide which one to save in my final version. should take 4 mins or less including the running back and forth.

the sabbat warehouse is pretty easy with celerity(3). just run past everybody except the people in the room i have to bomb. looks like this will only take around 2:30 to do with everything going right.

the next main quest is the elizabeth dane. i figured out something that makes this really easy. you can examine the sarcophagus from the tv in the computer room. that saves a good bit of time. should only take around 1:30 on the ship. before this quest you have to go see nines. you can learn +1 to brawl if you use the right convo options.

next is grout's mansion. my initial runs through have taken  longer than i want, so i'm probably gonna try upgrading to celerity(4). most of the people you can run right past. the first switch puzzle has a book in front of it for +1 dodge. free stat, so i read it. in the electric room theres the tarulfang(+1 frenzy check). its right by a switch so might as well get it. in those first "inner sanctum" rooms, there are blood packs in the fridge (3 normal packs, 2 elder vitae which are full heal packs). it takes a little time to get them but will be nice to have when i get to the endgame parts probably. other than that, mostly running past people. its hard to tell, but i think i can get close to 7 minutes in the mansion.

the museum is the last main quest to do downtown. need lockpicking at 5 to get through without using blood bluff. the prince says dont turn it into a massacre, but it doesnt matter. neither do the alarms, so i dont turn them off. should take about 2:30.

the overall time for the first two cities including running to and from quests should be under 45 minutes. this is a lot quicker than i thought it would be when i first thought about running this, so i'd say things are going well. barring anything unforseen i should be able to have the first two cities run and encoded in around a week, so my next update will probably be in a week.

Link to final version of Part 1, normal quality avi (4:26): http://rapidshare.com/files/53258217/Part1.avi.html

any and all questions or comments are encouraged.

-kn1ves
FF8 & FF12.. Long awaited runs.
Any progress mate?  Wink