How to Demo Record?

[Shadowhawke]

Found this on the CoH Wiki, is this information factual? I was not aware until recently we could do this, but I really, really would like to do a few of these while I can.

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Demo_Recording

[Sekoia]

Yes, demo recording is a real thing. And playback will continue to be possible after the game closes as long as you keep a copy of the game client. And manual creation of new demorecords will also be possible after the game closes.

You linked to Wikia's wiki, which is largely an outdated copy of Titan's Paragon Wiki. Our site generally has more up to date info available, probably better to use it instead:

http://paragonwiki.com/wiki/Demo_Recording

[Evangel - Project 7]

I'll be posting quite often and will be doing tutorials and videos and file-hosting for demofile editing post-sunset in My Map Thread. But yes the demo function is amazing!

In the first two posts of my thread I go over how to do the basics so you can edit after the dawn, and give an idea of what is captured and what you want to capture before the skies go dark.



Go. Hunt. Record CoH.
Evangel | Infinity Server

[dwturducken]

I thought I remembered reading that Black Pebble or Black Scorpion turned on some feature that somehow saved the whole zone as soon as you started the demo record. I've demo recorded a couple of "lost" zones, but it was a nostalgia trip. I was re-exploring the whole zone, since i hadn't been there in a while, so i haven't tested this. Can anyone corroborate?

[epawtows]

I thought I remembered reading that Black Pebble or Black Scorpion turned on some feature that somehow saved the whole zone as soon as you started the demo record. I've demo recorded a couple of "lost" zones, but it was a nostalgia trip. I was re-exploring the whole zone, since i hadn't been there in a while, so i haven't tested this. Can anyone corroborate?

A demorecord always records the entire zone you are in.  Just the base elements of the zone;  the only NPC's recoreded are whatever happens to be close to the character doing the recording. 

While playing back a demorecord, hit F2.  That will 'decouple' the camera from the character and you can fly it around the zone (controls are a bit touchy).  I believe you can even dive under zone maps and fly the camera through the stuff down there (shop & hospital interiors, that sort of thing). 

[dwturducken]

That would make "old" Faultline interesting. Those chasms are DEEP!

[MomentaryGrace]

How does demorecord treat cut scenes?

[Evangel - Project 7]

The cutscenes have never really impressed me in the game (a bunch of people standing around doing the lecture emote while talking... soooo riveting!) so I've never tried, but I would imagine if it's a cutscene that you are able to appear in (i.e. it happens on the map in real time) you can most likely record it, unless the cut to black acts as a zone change.

Back in the old days (don't know if this has changed) a zone change killed a demorecord and sometimes corrupted it altogether.



Go. Hunt. Record CoH.
Evangel | Infinity Server

[Codewalker]

Cutscenes never change zones; they always happen in the same zone. Sometimes it's in a mockup hidden away somewhere else away from the main map, but it won't stop a demorecord when it triggers.

[Evangel - Project 7]

Cutscenes never change zones; they always happen in the same zone. Sometimes it's in a mockup hidden away somewhere else away from the main map, but it won't stop a demorecord when it triggers.

What if it's outside the character spawn radius? Now I want to try this ha I've honestly never even thought to try a record.



Go. Hunt. Record CoH.
Evangel | Infinity Server

[Codewalker]

What if it's outside the character spawn radius? Now I want to try this ha I've honestly never even thought to try a record.

It should still record. The demorecord just saves everything that the server sends. Normally the server doesn't send things outside of a certain radius of your character -- unless it's a cutscene.

I don't know if the demo will play back correctly with a cutscene, but even if it doesn't you should still be able to use the F2 free camera to go see it.

[Quinch]

Hey, quick note - you can use this - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/33551029/CoH_Demo_Timestamper.exe - to help with the demo recording - it automatically renames the demofiles as soon as they're finished recording, so you can just make a macro to /demorecord and not worry about overwriting the same demofile.

[MomentaryGrace]

Hey, quick note - you can use this - https://dl.dropbox.com/u/33551029/CoH_Demo_Timestamper.exe - to help with the demo recording - it automatically renames the demofiles as soon as they're finished recording, so you can just make a macro to /demorecord and not worry about overwriting the same demofile.

Could you give more info how and when to use the timestamper? I just ran it to see what was what and it "stopped working", but I don't know when and how to use it.

[Quinch]

Oh, that's weird.

I mean, what it basically does is look up the installation directories for the CoH, Beta and Test, then watches the demo folders to see if any files are being created or changed, then tries to rename that file into a unique filename. It's not very complex, you can just start it and leave it running before or while you're playing.

Anyway, I'll poke around and try to see what might be wrong. When you start it, do you get a window with messages like "monitoring {CoH path goes here}?

[MomentaryGrace]

Oh, that's weird.

I mean, what it basically does is look up the installation directories for the CoH, Beta and Test, then watches the demo folders to see if any files are being created or changed, then tries to rename that file into a unique filename. It's not very complex, you can just start it and leave it running before or while you're playing.

Anyway, I'll poke around and try to see what might be wrong. When you start it, do you get a window with messages like "monitoring {CoH path goes here}?

It just says it has stopped working.

I'm on Windows 7. Do I need to put the file in the CoH folder? I was running it from the downloads folder. I can't copy the text in the DOS window, but it says something like "unhandled exception" and lists the directory CoH is in.

[dwturducken]

Sounds like a try/catch out of place. Try this.

[MomentaryGrace]

Sounds like a try/catch out of place. Try this.

Try "this" to do what? I can't copy the text in the dos window because of the failure pop-up, the dos window can't be accessed, it dismisses as soon as you acknowledge the pop-up.

Let me know, and use small words please. :-)

[MomentaryGrace]

New question, and please forgive my ignorance.

I know playing back a demorecord requires the game client but will the playback work when the servers go down? Does is require the servers for data?

[epawtows]

New question, and please forgive my ignorance.

I know playing back a demorecord requires the game client but will the playback work when the servers go down? Does is require the servers for data?

I have played back demorecords with my computer's network cable unplugged.  No problems.

[dwturducken]

Try "this" to do what? I can't copy the text in the dos window because of the failure pop-up, the dos window can't be accessed, it dismisses as soon as you acknowledge the pop-up.

Let me know, and use small words please. :-)

I guess I was misunderstanding what interface was showing the error text. There is a place where you can find the Windows log of the error, but it would be easier if you just open a notepad file and manually copy the error into that so you can copy and paste it here. That assumes that the error box/window doesn't lock every other function of your computer.

[Quinch]

Try "this" to do what? I can't copy the text in the dos window because of the failure pop-up, the dos window can't be accessed, it dismisses as soon as you acknowledge the pop-up.

Let me know, and use small words please. :-)

Actually, I suspect that was at me.

But... I realized...

You asked about the Mac installer - does that mean you're playing on a Mac? I wrote the program to work on Windows - I don't know the first thing about OSX.

[Samuraiko]

I will warn you guys now - the way newer cutscenes are coded is different than how the old ones were done. To prevent people from cutscene-bombing, it now renders the scene in a new 'instance' as it were, and if our characters appear, it's done as doppelgangers.

What this means is, sometimes when you play back the newer ones, there's nothing there - it's because you are now further away than the camera will register. To offset that, what I often do (and JUST for the cutscenes) is edit my POS to about ten feet under the focus of the cutscene (Mother Mayhem, Marauder, whatever) and then replay it. Voila, now I'm in range.

Stuff like the shifting focus that the REALLY new cutscenes have does not render, unfortunately.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite

[Felderburg]

New question, and please forgive my ignorance.

I know playing back a demorecord requires the game client but will the playback work when the servers go down? Does is require the servers for data?

It does require the client to be installed though, so don't uninstall!

[Deathmint]

2 of my demo records are giving me the message "don't know how to open this demo file." when I try to load it in CoH. The others work. I tried Googling this, but with most CoH places down now I'm not getting anywhere.

[MomentaryGrace]

While playing back a demorecord, hit F2.  That will 'decouple' the camera from the character and you can fly it around the zone (controls are a bit touchy).  I believe you can even dive under zone maps and fly the camera through the stuff down there (shop & hospital interiors, that sort of thing).

How do you control the camera?

[eabrace]

How do you control the camera?

That one took me a few, too.  Since the demo playback only knows about default keybinds, you'll need to navigate with WASD, SPACE, and X.

[Samuraiko]

2 of my demo records are giving me the message "don't know how to open this demo file." when I try to load it in CoH. The others work. I tried Googling this, but with most CoH places down now I'm not getting anywhere.

Do me a favor - copy the first 20 or so lines of the demofile and paste them in this thread.

Michelle
aka
Samuraiko/Dark_Respite