Frag Maniac's Gaming Vids

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Frag Maniac
As the title states, this is my first full level video made, and one of my longest, at 19:34.

This was pure fun to make, back when I was learning about the process, and experimenting with it. What's emphasized here are some of the shortcuts and campspots possible in this level.

City On Water is also one of the best Painkiller levels to gib for extra gold in, and though I don't exploit that to it's fullest potential here, there's definatetly a lot of it shown.

There was no real concern for stats in this one. If you must know though, I did get the card, didn't use any cards, and yes, I got plenty damaged, but enjoyed every minute of it.

I don't even recall what difficulty level it was, but that wasn't the point, now stop obsessing and just have fun with it, "it's like buttah."

Music is by Joe Satriani, songs in order of appearance are:

The Extremist
Up In The Sky
Satch Boogie
Crystal Planet
Raspberry Jam Delta V
Surfing With The Alien

(Please excuse the low bit rate and small viewing size. It was made back when my only hosting site was one with a 10MB limit, and was originally made in several segments because of it.)

City On Water (81MB)
Let the Pain begin!

Smasandian
Was that in one take?

God I hate Satriani though.. that music was horrible.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Smasandian
Was that in one take? God I hate Satriani though.. that music was horrible. No, as you can see by the Fraps watermark at the top, it's the Fraps demo that was used for capture, which only records 30 seconds at a time. Most of my Painkiller videos were done in Nightmare mode due to that, as there is no quicksave in Trauma mode.

I now use Game Cam exclusively due to the much smaller file size it writes (literally 1/20th), ability to record the sound in sync with my Realtek AC97 onboard audio (my M-Audio sound card does not record software sources), very inexpensive price, lesser FPS drop, and excelllent support forum.

As you can imagine, recording multiple segments and making them look seamless, was more of a chore by far than not having played in the Trauma mode. I do, however, have a video from the final level of the Battle Out of Hell expansion (Shadowland) done in Trauma mode, which required stopping and starting Fraps while I was playing, not an easy feat, and less seamless looking.

Keep in mind this is an older video, not at all the quality of my current ones. I just didn't want to show the best ones first. As for the music, all I can say is my tastes are diverse, while some of what I use you may find repulsive, others you may like. I'm not the kind that likes bands that scream satanic lyrics in guttural tones though, so you won't hear any of that.

I do happen to feel Satriani is one of the premier rock talents and a virtuoso on guitar though. I discovered his music in the early 80's when I was burning out on the all too common so called monster rock bands that were all screaming their lyrics and posing more than playing.

Joe's fret work is unique and extremely precise even in live performances. He's the type that gives his all to the audience, rather than to the lifestyle, which so many others do in giving in to drugs, booze, and groupies, leaving little left for a solid performance.

Other music I've used include:

Disturbed
Earshot
Chevelle
Metallica
Nightwish
Lacuna Coil
Metal Church
Tool
Dope
U2

Smasandian
Too bad he cant write a single note of good music.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Smasandian
Too bad he cant write a single note of good music. Quite frankly, I am not interested in engaging in a pissing contest over who's music is artistic, and who's sucks. Obviously one can't pick an artist or song that everyone loves. Are you watching it as a music video, or a game video?

Simply put, if it doesn't sound to your liking, you can easily mute it and play some of your own tracks. What did you think of the video itself, the game content that is, or dare I ask? You don't appear to give compliments too often my friend.

Oh, btw, I forgot to include Drowning Pool in the above list. At least tell me what bands you DO like, so I'm not totally in the dark here Smas.

SaTsuJiN
was the wall crawling a glitch?.. and do they have any jumping tricks?

the juggling looked fun

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by SaTsuJiN
was the wall crawling a glitch?.. and do they have any jumping tricks?

the juggling looked fun No, the wall crawling (most people say wall climbing), is not a glitch. There are many places in Painkiller and it's expansion you can diagonally traverse climb very steep if not vertical walls. It takes good frame rates though, and is better done on some surfaces than others. Some surfaces offer better grip, and that particualr spot in this video where I climb up to the balcony has a little edge on top of the doorway just before the balcony I use.

Jumping tricks abound in Painkiller, but again, you need good frame rates to do them. Some of the toughest include the cranes of the Docks level (which I have videos of), where the secret (Holy) items are placed precariously atop the cranes. There's also a different way to jump to the balcony in City On Water along the roof tops where that one Holy Item is on the balcony using three rooftop cones. It's the hardest way to get to it and not necessary, the way I show is much easier.

You're only walking/running in PK if you're not hitting the Space bar. It has a style like Quake whereby you bunny hop when hitting the Space bar. There is a knack to timing the hops just as you land, which increases your momentum and speed considerably. This technique is definately necssary in accessing some of the secrets.

PK has numerous areas in it's maps where you can shortcut checkpoints and use trick jumps to get to places not intended as normal gameplay areas by the devs.

I use the term "gibbing" very loosely in including the juggling for extra gold. The reason being you can also use explosives that hurl bodies into the air to obtain the gold rings, which are generally worth about $15 each. You can see one spot in the video, where I jump down into the courtyard with the spiral staricase, where I use the rocket launcher to explode gib for extra gold a few times.

The juggling takes some practice to master, many have difficulty keeping the monsters aloft. You can also use the Stakegun and stake monsters to wals and such, then hit them with the Painkiller spike to get the extra gold.

This method is actually necesary on some monsters, as some monster's bodies will explode with the first hit of the PK. The bodies need to be whole to juggle them for gold. Stake/PK gibbing has it's advantages, it keeps the souls (green swirls) within reach after they disintegrate. The souls add 1 health point each (5 for red ones), and after you collect 66 of them you morph into a demon, whereby you're indestructable and can use high intensity blasts (using no ammo) that destroy anything in your path.

The 1 morph scene shown is where everything goes white and red. There's not much of a story in PK, but the gameplay is unique and diverse with adventures and skill testing physical elements. The graphics and sound are quite good too.

The extra gold comes in handy if you want to use the tarot card powers, which have to be purchased first to be placed on the tarot board. You do that before starting a level, but you can go back and reselect if you don't like the cards you try.

Smasandian
I never played Painkiller, so I dont really know how it's played.
It looked cool, but then again, I never played.

Phat J
can you do a farcry video next time, im thinking about buying that for the xbox.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Smasandian
I never played Painkiller, so I dont really know how it's played.
It looked cool, but then again, I never played. PK seems to have a cult following, but it's MP was selected by the CPL World Tour last year, which is when it picked up in popularity.

Personally, I think it's SP is better than it's MP. It's fairly unique in it's little details like the 5 Star Challenge, and being able to unlock an alternate ending in PK, and a bonus level in BOoH. Of the 3, I liked the bonus level in BOoH best, and BOoH is more challenging to play.

Most of my PK videos are of BOoH, having done 7 of the ten levels. There are some great demos of the game if you want to check it out free. You can play the City On Water, Town, and Ruins levels of PK. I don't thimk there are any BOoH demos.

Ruins is a boss level, and by far the hardest one in PK. You have to beat the Guardian Thor in 1:20 to get the tarot card. You don't have to get the tarot card to beat the level, but being as it's Iron Will (the invulnerability card), it is very usefull to have in the last boss level of the game, where you fight Alastor the Gargoyle.

What's also cool about PK and BOoH, are the many different ways you have to meet the card challenge. Some levels limnit what weapon you can use, or whether you're allowed to collect souls, etc. The boss levels in PK are always time challenges though.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
can you do a farcry video next time, im thinking about buying that for the xbox. Yes, I have many FarCry videos already made, literally half of the entire game, including the toughest levels.

I was going to mix it up some and show my Glider Ride series next, which are 4 short hang glider sniping clips. I may show the first full level video I did of FarCry though, called Archipelago, which is the Boat level. Which would you prefer?

H. S. 6
I would like to see the FarCry one. droolio

Phat J
whatever man, the first full level one sounds good.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
whatever man, the first full level one sounds good. OK, that's the one I was going to do, as it has hang glider sniping in it too.

Look for the Archipelago thread. wink

Lana
I downloaded it but haven't watched yet....



droolio

Frag Maniac
This is the entire Boat level. Aside from the hang glider action in this video, it's a no frills stealth based method of playing this level, engaging the enemy only when necessary. Two sneaks indicated by video transitions are the keys to playing this level swiftly and efficiently.

Mode was Challenging, as the glider stunts and even getting to one of the gliders can get you killed on Realistic due to the ramped up AI of the sniper on the boat.

I literally got killed by the sniper every time I tied to get to the last hang glider even while driving to it full speed in the Hummer in Realistic mode. Level time was roughly 13:45, and only a scratch in the armor was sustained while rocketing the P Boat.

I decided to include 2 outtake videos, one showing an alternate beginning accessing an AG36 assault rifle stashed in a hut (if you misssed it earlier in the game), and one doing Hummer crashing stunts.

There is also a hang glider sniping outtake called Glider ride 4, but I will save it to show with my Glder Ride series, as it's the best of the 4.

Music is by Disturbed, with 5 tracks from their Believe Album.

Archipelago: Islands To Die For (146MB)
Approved floatation device required!

Alternate Beginning
AG36 Assault Rifle Stash

Hummer Stunts
Hummer Crashing

Lana
Hmmm....how about we merge these and make one thread for you to post all your vids in? It'll keep the forum from getting cluttered, as well as make it easier for people to find them.

That okay?

Frag Maniac
It would appear we share some music tastes Lana, there are others I forgot to mention, like older Sabbath stuff.

To those that requested it, the Far Cry video has been posted, look for the Archipelago thread (Boat level). It is much larger viewing size and higher image quality than the City On Water vid.

I will soon be immersed in watching the Seahawks/Redskins game, so I may not be able to respond for a while. Catch ya later.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Lana
Hmmm....how about we merge these and make one thread for you to post all your vids in? It'll keep the forum from getting cluttered, as well as make it easier for people to find them.

That okay? Yeah, actually I wanted to do that, but I was worried what might happen if something should cause the thread to get wiped out or closed. We had experiences like that over at the Dreamcatcher Painkiller forum, but you guys seem to run this place more efficiently.

How 'bout we call the thread Frag Maniacs Videos or something? Do you want me to set it up and consolodate them then, that way you could just delete these two threads?

The thing is though, I can only resubmit the videos, obviously I can't move the responses already submitted by others.

Sorry if I inconvenienced you, it was not intentional. embarrasment

Lana
I'll merge the two threads together, posts from both will be in one thread happy

And done - just use this thread to post your vids and stuff smile

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Lana
I'll merge the two threads together, posts from both will be in one thread happy

And done - just use this thread to post your vids and stuff smile Wow, you're fast gal! Thanks, let me know if you like the vids.

H. S. 6
Originally posted by Frag Maniac
Wow, you're fast gal! Thanks, let me know if you like the vids.

She's a man. no expression






























Nah, just kidding. stick out tongue

I'm going to watch the vid now. smile

Phat J
mines only going at 3 kb an hour, which is weird cuz the other one went at 60.

guess ill jsut have to wait 13 hours and 10 minutes to watch it

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
mines only going at 3 kb an hour, which is weird cuz the other one went at 60.

guess ill jsut have to wait 13 hours and 10 minutes to watch it Hmmm, I know some of the guys in Europe have a problem with Filefront's DL speed, but if you're just up in Canada, it shouldn't be a big prob.

What's your connection speed, and did you try others of the many server mirrors on the download list?

Occaisionally they're slow due to maintenance, they have over 10 terrabytes worth of files or so, so it's a constant job.

Phat J
i only tried the one, most of the shit i dl from slsk is in the 70's, but anything from yousendit is up in the 300's, so i dont know.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
i only tried the one, most of the shit i dl from slsk is in the 70's, but anything from yousendit is up in the 300's, so i dont know. I think they're doing maintenance right now. I just clicked on the Archipelago link and it started out averaging 150kbps, but is now down to 24kbps.

With my connection speed I usually average much higher than that, anywhere from 160-460kb.

This kind of thing usually lasts anywhere from 3 to 12 hours when it's due to maintenance.

Frag Maniac
Oops, mistake.

Phat J
mistake?

11 hours 20 minutes now lol

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
mistake?

11 hours 20 minutes now lol I meant I made another post by mistake, still getting used to the layout of this forum and a new keyboard I have.

Usually when Filefront is this bad I wait 'til the next day to do any downloading/uploading.

Phat J
doesnt really matter to me, it downloaded anyways.

that game looks sick dude, it should be comin in the mail on wednesday or thursday for the xbox.

thanks for the preview.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
doesnt really matter to me, it downloaded anyways.

that game looks sick dude, it should be comin in the mail on wednesday or thursday for the xbox.

thanks for the preview. No prob Phat, glad you could finally see it, sorry for the hassel you had.

My two latest FarCry videos and the last F.E.A.R. video I just completed are all widescreen format. FarCry is a better game IMO, but F.E.A.R. has sensational visual and aural effects. The gunfights are much more graphic in F.E.A.R., but the story and maps more diverse and immersive in FarCry I think.

Let us know if you like the Xbox version.

Phat J
have you played it for the xbox?

it got a good review at gamespot, but you never know how the console version stacks up to the cpu. if you did play it for te xbox could you tell me how they compare?

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
have you played it for the xbox? No, I don't even own any consoles. I'm considering getting an Xbox 360 if SmartJoy makes a FRAG (KB/M adapter) for it though. MS may not allow it, they're being very strict this time, requiring special chips in only select certified accessories.

Smasandian
Originally posted by Frag Maniac
No prob Phat, glad you could finally see it, sorry for the hassel you had.

My two latest FarCry videos and the last F.E.A.R. video I just completed are all widescreen format. FarCry is a better game IMO, but F.E.A.R. has sensational visual and aural effects. The gunfights are much more graphic in F.E.A.R., but the story and maps more diverse and immersive in FarCry I think.

Let us know if you like the Xbox version.

I liked the story in F.E.AR, it had a bit more suspense and it was throughout the whole game. Far Cry, had a good story also, but they're wasnt really anything to it aside from figuring out the bad guy.

I do agree that the maps are better in Far Cry and the gameplay is a bit more diverse. But, like FEAR, the maps got kinda of boring later on.

Overall, for me, Far Cry and FEAR were equal. Two completly different FPS, both doing something different.

Too bad, PC doesnt get alot of games at the calibre often.

Frag Maniac
All game maps get boring after a while, but FarCry's being much bigger and more diverse than F.E.A.R.'s keep them interesting longer IMO.

OK, guys, I don't mind going a bit OT, but let's touch back on the subject of videos. Has anyone else had any download problems, any comments? I don't even know yet if many of you have seen them, there seemed to be a lot of interest when I presented the idea. Are you hungry for more, I have others to show of course?

My F.E.A.R. ones are quite a bit better in quality and of course effects, the first one having won me a F.E.A.R. polo shirt on the VU forum. I only have 3 so far though, so I'm waiting to build up a larger archive of them so I can keep mixing up what I show.

Like Johnny 5 says, "I need input." big grin

SaTsuJiN
O_o anymore vids? ... i'd like to see some farcry ones.. since I'm a bit more familiar with that than painkiller .. but as I said before any and all are good big grin

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by SaTsuJiN
O_o anymore vids? ... i'd like to see some farcry ones.. since I'm a bit more familiar with that than painkiller .. but as I said before any and all are good big grin Sure I have numerous more, glad to finally get some input. I even resorted to PMing you and a couple others, as there was little to no response on those already posted.

FarCry it is, let's see, I think I'll show you The Gauntlet, and Gauntlet II, two short Hummer action clips with some glider sniping. They are from Rebellion.

The Gauntlet: Race Against Death (10MB)
The Handy Hummer strikes!

Gauntlet II: Breaching the Bridge (10MB)
Strike two!

Grunt Talk & Gauntlet Outtakes (10MB)
Harrassing the pigs!

SaTsuJiN
for some reason those vids dont have public mirrors.. each one has 1 fast pass server mirror which is the pay ones ; ;..

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by SaTsuJiN
for some reason those vids dont have public mirrors.. each one has 1 fast pass server mirror which is the pay ones ; ;.. Yeah, I just checked and all of the links are doing that right now. Give it a while and check again, they're probably not finished with the maintenance they were doing recently.

I know Filefront has some inconveniences, but they're really the only ones offering such large and unlimited file size and space. The uploading of files is very convenient too for those submitting files.

It's just been a matter of bad timing as far as their recent maintenance taking place right when I started this thread, but I've really not seen much interest or response from those that have seen what I've shown so far anyway.

Hopefully it won't remain that way. wink

Phat J
what do you want, like a review?

i thought it looked dope, i have that game comin in the mail right now. nice shooting, the hang gliding sniping looked liked fun. thumb up

is it hard to make the videos?

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by Phat J
what do you want, like a review? i thought it looked dope, i have that game comin in the mail right now. nice shooting, the hang gliding sniping looked liked fun. thumb up is it hard to make the videos? Typically when someone is treated to something they like to see, and it's taken a bit of time and effort to do, it's common courtesy to at least remark on whether you like the gameplay shown or not, rather than just the game itself, so yeah, I guess you could say I'm used to people giving their opinion on that.

I don't expect all praise, just honest opinions without being insulting, it's part of how I learn what is liked and disliked, and in turn you can learn about the game from my replies.

The glider sniping is a thrill, but difficult to master, especially in the Glider Ride 4 of the series I referred to. It's not so bad when you're flying straight, but if you have to negotiate turns just before and/or after shooting, it's pretty tough.

The videos you're seeing now were actually tougher to make than the ones I'm curerently making. That was largely due to using the Fraps demo which only records 30 seconds at a time. I actually had to use Devmode in FarCry when I made Fraps videos of it so I could quicksave at the 30 second intervals.

Some accused me that this was cheating, but when you factor in that the armor left by corpses disappears when loading a quicksave, and the lag of Fraps while playing, not to mention being able to get to a spot with no video motion each 30 sec for a seamless save (not always possible), it's really just as hard if not harder.

My last 3 videos of FarCry have been done without Devmode and using checkpoints only, as I now use Game Cam to record. I still am making no damage runs, and all on Realistic mode now (highest difficulty), so I can't say the lack of quicksave has made it harder. The only difference is the editing is easier because I have fewer clips to piece together.

As for how hard to make movies, it's fairly easy and quick to learn really. I recommend Game Cam for capture and Movie Maker for editing to those beginning at it.

Here's some great sites to learn about it:

Movie Maker Forum: http://www.windowsmoviemakers.net/Forums/Default.aspx

Game Cam tutorial:
http://www.planetgamecam.com/index.php?locid=tutorials&PHPSESSID=

If you get serious about it and need personal help with capture, editing, compression, and making custom compression profiles, let me know. Game Cam has much less FPS drain on your system than Fraps, writes much smaller files, and has a feature called Smart Capture, which automatically adjusts everything but capture size for you to give you the best results. The Lite version is only $10 too, and the techs on their forum are very helpfull.

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by SaTsuJiN
for some reason those vids dont have public mirrors.. each one has 1 fast pass server mirror which is the pay ones ; ;.. The links are working agian now, please comment on what you see in both gameplay and game, it helps me know what people like in the videos they see. wink

bogen
got it but haevnt watched it yet

SaTsuJiN
The gauntlet - it started off a bit ho-hum since it was just rocketing vehicles.. but it got much better with the hang glide sniping lol.. I could just imagine what those AI are thinking "Hmm.. a hang glider...thats odd... *bullet sound*....."

Gauntlet II - The driving in this one was more fun to watch, since you did alot of ledge balancing and night vision squishings.. the leaning pwnage was cool too

Grunt Talk - the pig thing was a bit wierd.. I thought it was gonna go ape and do like 900 damage or something.. sniping that dude who kept screwing up his fall animation was funny though

Frag Maniac
Yeah, the ledge stuff in GII was hard to do, besides trying to keep from driving off the cliff, I had to swing around in time to blast the chopper before he got me.

Here's a couple more I tried to post with the ones you just saw, but the links were joining together for some reason.

This is my latest FarCry, a Rebellion speedrun. Nothing too amazing, just an example of how it can be done fast and easy on Realistic with no damage, level time 4:48.

Evasion: Hummer Haven (55MB)
Driving Mr. Lazy!

This is a humor clip/outtake from Archipelago (Boat), the second video I posted above. I saw this merc doing a weird trick like he was driving an invisible car, as well as his other bizarre habits so I exploited it and added some audio from the game.

The Primitive Merc (9MB)
The smart part ain't the human part!

SaTsuJiN
Evasion - fast and fun, like you said.. I found it odd how the water had no bearing on the jeeps speed

Primitive merc - o_O.. wierdness..

Frag Maniac
Originally posted by SaTsuJiN
.. I found it odd how the water had no bearing on the jeeps speed What surprised me was how deep in the water I got it to go without it stalling, which automatically leaves you standing beside it. You can see the water almost fill up the back of it at one point.

They are Humvees though, not Jeeps, and although they would indeed bog down a bit in deep water, they have plenty of power to zip through the shallow stuff.

Since you're the only one commenting lately, I'll treat you to my Glider Ride series:

(These play best if you load them all in sequence in Media Player and play them back to back. The first three all have to same song, which is segmented chronologically.)

Glider Ride 1
Three Mercs on the run

Glider Ride 2
Four Mercs and an ape or two

Glider Ride 3
Two choppers a boat, and a brush with the leaves

Glider Ride 4
Ten mercs in 35 seconds, and a sight for eyes sore

Frag Maniac
This is Far Cry's entire Dam level, and is a fairly no frills yet fast way of playing the level. I recorded it in Realistic mode, where more stealth is required, but utilizing the equipment that can be obtained in the level certainly helps level the playing field. Level time is about 8:00.

Fatboy Farm: Erupting Enemies (86MB)
Harvest thet Hummer!


In the Dam level there is a bonus you can unlock, which is the ability to carry the mounted guns from the Buggy or Humvee with you on foot. In the case of the Humvee you can take either the Machine Gun or the Rocket Launcher, depending on which is selected before exiting the vehicle.

You can unlock this bonus with two different skill tricks. One is by getting to the Buggy without picking up any guns. The other is by driving the Buggy to the ledge above the Sniper Rifle.

After the bonus is unlocked, you can transfer from the Buggy to the Hummer to get the Rocket Launcher, but you must still avoid picking up guns while afoot.

This is a speedrun showing both the No Gun Sneak and the Buggy Trick, but does not show the use of the bonus. You can see the bonus being used in various ways in the No Dam Gun Alternate Endings & Outtakes video.

As the bonus does not carry over into the following level, this isn't a practical way of playing Dam unless you stop to pick up weapons before leaving the level, as there is only ammo at the start of Volcano. This is purely a speedrun for the Dam level itself, without reguard to continuation. Mode is Realistic, level time 4:03, no damage was taken and no mercs or mutants were killed.

No Dam Gun Sneak (58MB)
Fatboy Farm Part 2!
No Dam Gun Alternate Endings & Outtakes (88MB)
Enjoying the bonus!

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