Prerecorded FMV is what you will see mainly in computer-based games that span several CDs - although console games are also gaining much FMV now that cartridges are being phased out (even Nintendo will not use them for the new Dolphin system). Prerecorded FMV is just like what you see on your VCR when you play a movie. Everything has been done previously whether it was with live actors or in a 3D rendering program. Examples of games that have used this form of FMV include the "Wing Commander" series and "Final Fantasy VII." The downside to prerecorded FMV is that it hogs tons of memory if it isn't used sparingly. That's why the afore mentioned games are on several CDs. Real-time FMV is much never than prerecorded FMV because, until recently, personal computers and video game consoles had lacked the power necessary to generate quality movie on-the-fly. Nintendo has proven that this power barrier could be broken on their Nintendo 64 by releasing games like "The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time" and "Waverace 64." "Zelda" was only 32MB, including all the playable game and its 1.5 hours of real-time FMV! "Waverace" only has a very small amount of FMV - on the title screen - but still, if it would have been done as prerecorded FMV, it would not have fit onto the 8MB cartridge. Real-time FMV hogs processing power, but unlike prerecorded FMV, one can place hours of it in a game, taking only a small percentage of the space it would have taken otherwise.
There has been much debate over the years as to whether or not FMV adds to a game or hinders it. My personal belief is that cut-scenes enhance the game when placed between levels or areas, but when FMV is placed throughout the game, and it removes time from the game-play, that is when it is defeating it purpose. "Zelda" employs an excellent use of FMV to enhance the game by immersing the player in the game world. Whenever a new boss has to be introduced or the player brings Link to a new level, there is a short cut-scene. I have always been a fan of the "Final Fantasy" series, but I no longer am after Square slautered the series by releasing "Final Fantasy VII" on the Sony Playstation. (I've only seen a demo of the game on the PC, so I don't know if they have redeemed themselves yet.) The graphics in the playable portions of the game, to put it mildly, sucked. They reminded me of the mapscreen of Rare's "Donkey Kong Country" - which was good for its time, but now I'm looking forward to "Donkey Kong Country 64." :) Anyways, back to FFVII: You're playing the game in this environment with horrible graphics, and suddenly a FMV sequence begins. These sequences were all created on SGI workstations.making them extremely hig-quality, so the Playstation could never handle them in real-time, causing them to completely contrast the game and ruin any little immersion the player did get playing the game. So I guess my point is that if FMV is to be used in a game, it should seemlessly blend into the game so the feeling of immersion is not lost, and when it is put into a game, it should not be overused to the point where the person does not get to actually "play" the game because the whole point of buying a game is to be able to play it. If I'd want to watch a movie, I'd buy another ticket to see "The Phantom Menace." :)
Recently, games made in QuickBASIC have begun to gain FMV - both real- time and prerecorded - as powerful graphics libraries allow for it. One notable game is "Groov Buggies." The intro scene to it runs a loop of a prerendered sequences of some racecars running a circuit while music is playing. This was the first true FMV I'd seen in a QB game when I got Internet access a little over a year ago. Two of my games contain video sequences: "WarsTrek" and "The Mystical Journey." "WarsTrek" has laid dormant on my hard drive for several months as schoolwork has taken priority, but I did manage to get a short intro finished that shows a Type IV Shuttlecraft fleeing from the Millennium Falcon, dodging asteroids. TMJ has a few cinema sequences to introduce parts of the storyline (some may debate whether or not this is FMV because it's tile-based video). Many other QB games have intro sequences that use FLCs, AVIs, or are done in real-time, showing that it is very possible that FMV will be a standard in QB games by the end of this year.
Forward any comments to gump@gnt.net, and if they aren't straight-out criticism or dissing, I'll be sure to reply.
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