Scenes Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7

[CheersMate]

CheersMate submitted a new resource:

Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 - Almost there...

PRE-RELEASE VERSION 0.1 -- SCENES 1 & 2 ONLY (MORE TO COME)

Day 7 will eventually be a 4 parter, but I'm uploading the 1st two scenes from the final day of Harry's epic week for a few reasons:

• They're awesome and I wanted to share
• I'm hoping to get some beta testers that can put the scene 2 battle through its paces.
  • too easy/too hard?
  • too short/too long?
  • music blew? Suggestions? SallySoundFX is used to trigger...

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[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

Reduced Dependencies

Still a lot, but down from 88!

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[CheersMate]

@trashman69 Thanks for the web panel suggestion. Unfortunately, the SallySoundFX plugin doesn't recognize that sound source. So, good thought but no dice.

 

[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

Speed slider and other tweaks

I added a slider control to adjust the speed of the incoming missiles. 0.5x to 1.5x seemed like a good range.
Also made several minor fixes. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but here's what I remember:

• prison sphere disappearing
• the stars spinning back to the original position (probably could have considered this a feature instead of a bug)
• dress front flap hanging up on her approach

I'm still trying to work out how to add customizable music. You can always replace the...

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[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

Scoreboard, "flatter" view, & reward for a job well done

Scene1 is unchanged.

Scene2 is where the magic happens...
I got some great feedback ideas after the last update and tried to work them into this round.

Reward -- After the battle, Winny leans in to give Harry a kiss. I stumbled across a very cool plugin (RubberLeash by Acid Bubbles) that adds a really nice finish to the kiss. In POV, the head location is a little unpredictable so a well aligned kiss is difficult. So, at the end of the animation the RubberLeash is blended in to draw her...

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[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

CamRide!

This is my first CamRide.
I really like the effect.

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[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

Desktop Support for Battle Scene

You can now play the battle mini-game in desktop mode.
Use the arrow keys to move Harry's shield hand to block incoming missiles.
It can be played 1st person by selecting embody or default 3rd person.
If you're playing in 3rd person, the option to make Harry's head disappear makes it easier to see the missiles when viewing from behind him.

Chronos Stopus/Startus
Scene 1: Slow to 1% normal speed
Scene 2: Slow the battle scene down to 10% normal speed. Think Superhot.
The voice command...

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[CheersMate]

In case there's anyone following this scene and waiting for updates. Sorry for the long delay, I have some good and bad news.
Good news: scene 4 is done (mostly) and it is awesome!
Bad news: Scene 3 has not started filming yet. But the cast is eager to get back to work.
In the mean time, here's some candid "behind the scenes" shots from the filming of days 1-6:
HNATSB Cast photos

 

[Farger]

Looking forward to the new scenes.

 

[CheersMate]

Looking forward to the new scenes.

Getting very close...

 

[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

The end of an era - Final scenes added

Far too often the finale of a series is somewhat of a letdown.
This, my friends, is NOT one of those times.

I don't want to spoil anything. Let's just say, you will not be disappointed!
Seriously, if scene 4 doesn't get you rock hard, you NEED to see a doctor.
And you'll probably see some things you've never seen before in VaM.

I hope you're running V1.22 for the new lip syncing feature otherwise the mouths won't move much.

Enjoy and please rate.

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[Case]

Thanks for the suggestions/nitpicks. Moving the male instead is a great idea. Better and probably simpler. I intended the customization step to be at the beginning of the scene but a freeze scene, switch out girl, unfreeze thing at any point would be really nice. You're right about the heightmeasure plugin not playing nice with root nodes. Maybe just a height stick or some other graphic with a target range would work more reliably.
As far as the UI. Yeah, it's crap, but hopefully it gets the job done. I generally only do the stuff I think is fun and menus are not fun. I'm lucky to even get the buttons in a row.

I think adapting the scene (or future scenes) to the heightmeasure plugin isn't that hard - you can always create a "measure-pose" and a "recovery-pose for animations" (both with rootnode position). Load measurement-pose(s), mergeload plugin-preset & then user is done, load recovery-poses (ie a pose & position from where you can jump back into your animations).

Hell, you could create a timeline-animation with two keyframes that switches between the two poses, so you have all translations/rotations controlled by the same plugin/system.

And don't undersell yourself - UI/UX "design" is way easier than what you've already accomplished here (I'm a compulsive "scene-tinkerer/tuner" - it's one of the few aspects of scene-creation that I feel moderately competent in). It's probably more that you're unfamiliar with the workflows/plugins that support that aspect of VaM.

 

[CheersMate]

I think adapting the scene (or future scenes) to the heightmeasure plugin isn't that hard - you can always create a "measure-pose" and a "recovery-pose for animations" (both with rootnode position). Load measurement-pose(s), mergeload plugin-preset & then user is done, load recovery-poses (ie a pose & position from where you can jump back into your animations).

Hell, you could create a timeline-animation with two keyframes that switches between the two poses, so you have all translations/rotations controlled by the same plugin/system.

And don't undersell yourself - UI/UX "design" is way easier than what you've already accomplished here (I'm a compulsive "scene-tinkerer/tuner" - it's one of the few aspects of scene-creation that I feel moderately competent in). It's probably more that you're unfamiliar with the workflows/plugins that support that aspect of VaM.

Makes sense. That's a good plan. It's not like I'm trying to go light on the dependencies. Why skimp on HeightMeasure at this point?
I've actually found that if the nethers are aligned you can pretty much switch out any height/proportions. And by putting her root at the his tip you can even scale a little bit before stuff starts breaking. The problem comes in getting the HJ & BJ's aligned with different proportions.
I'm thinking about revisiting some old scenes and apply what I've learned since creating them. Good time to flesh out the "Customize My Ladies" flow. And maybe even some UI upgrades....

 

[VAMIC]

This was a great ending to a great series, but I couldn't get the game portion to work for some reason. No blasts for me. Still, everything else delivered so it was all good.

 

[Case]

I've actually found that if the nethers are aligned you can pretty much switch out any height/proportions. And by putting her root at the his tip you can even scale a little bit before stuff starts breaking. The problem comes in getting the HJ & BJ's aligned with different proportions.

Oh! One trick you might be interested in: You can use JayJayWon's old "NodeAlign.cs" to automatically move atoms to a specifc node of another atom. AND you can use OrificeAligner to move the controlnode of a Person Atom (eg to move the RootNode of the female atom to its Labia-trigger).

Warning: You definitely want to freeze physics while doing that. AND you might encounter "drifting" if you use both plugins together (ie one person atom suddenly starts moving on its own - my guess is that that happens when the physics-engine misses a frame & suddenly there's a mismatch between where the controlnode is as opposed to where the plugin says it should be.)

 

[CheersMate]

This was a great ending to a great series, but I couldn't get the game portion to work for some reason. No blasts for me. Still, everything else delivered so it was all good.

Glad you enjoyed it. Too bad about the battle game. What, specifically didn't work? Sounds like maybe the sphere wouldn't fire the missiles? Did it pulsate with the music?

 

[CheersMate]

Oh! One trick you might be interested in: You can use JayJayWon's old "NodeAlign.cs" to automatically move atoms to a specifc node of another atom. AND you can use OrificeAligner to move the controlnode of a Person Atom (eg to move the RootNode of the female atom to its Labia-trigger).

Warning: You definitely want to freeze physics while doing that. AND you might encounter "drifting" if you use both plugins together (ie one person atom suddenly starts moving on its own - my guess is that that happens when the physics-engine misses a frame & suddenly there's a mismatch between where the controlnode is as opposed to where the plugin says it should be.)

Yes. Always interested in new tricks. I'll check out those plugins. Never tried either of them. Thanks.

 

[CheersMate]

CheersMate updated Harry Nelson and the Sorcerer's Bone DAY7 with a new update entry:

Added Scene0 Menu + multiple minor improvements -- FINAL Release (if nothing's broken)

I MAY be biased but I believe v1.0 includes not only the BEST zero gravity MFF scene on VaM but also the BEST minigame. Granted I haven't seen any other zero gravity threeway scenes on VaM so that might not be a very high bar, but I still think this one is awesome. Yet, if memory serves, the update only received 1 review and 2 reactions. I asked myself, “how could this be?” and came up with several possibilities:

1. The PC requirements are too steep
- Yep, scenes 2 & 4 are...

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[Case]

Ok. I've modded the shit out of that scene (told you the menu is ... rudimentary), so take with grains of salt - but the main reason I probably won't revisit it in a while is very simple: "I've already seen that movie. Was rad. Might watch it again in a couple years, when I've forgotten most of the story"

Friend - ennui is real. Couples don't "spice things up" bcs they're natural-born deviants. They spice things up because NEW! is HAWT! and our brain is designed to demand New!

When I first played scene#1, I thought "That GUI looks like CheersMate learned about VaM yesterday - but BOY! does he ever know how to build a solid cowgirl banging". Then I modded the shit out the scene (fsking mergeloads fsking ...!)After much tinkering, I actually got to scene#4 -> Pardon my French, mon ami: "That wasn't the worst climax I ever had" (Yes - that good.)

But the scene works bcs it's BOTH hot AND over-the-top ridiculous. Humour is based on breaking expectations - you can't break expectations of people who already know the punchline.

If you want to tinker for your own education - do it. But don't expect us to be able to "see the same movie again like it was the first time". That's not possible for a species like ours (not without traumatic brain injury or similar stuff).

That being said:

"1. The PC requirements are too steep
- Yep, scenes 2 & 4 are very demanding. Even my 3080 Ti struggles in VR.
2. The scenes are broken or are somehow incompatible with most systems
- If so, please let me know and I'll try to resolve
3. It isn't as good as I think it is
- Nope. Not possible.
4. Very few people saw the awesomeness that is the finale (scene 4)
- I get it. Requiring the viewer to load and watch all 4 scenes in order is a lot to ask.
"

1. Not the best-optimized scene I've played. Not the worst, either. (Zen 7 5800x, Radeon 5700xt, 32Gb Ram@3600Mhz - played in VR). Don't really have an opinion.
2. Nope. That being said - you use mergeloads for reasons that v282 of Timeline should have made somewhat less urgent.
3. It absolutely is as fucking good as you think it is. The problem is that you expect it to stay that good when people watch it again and again. That's ... possible - if you follow the lead of ppl like TGC and build your own mini-sandbox-in-a-sandbox. TGC's scenes don't have four positions - I actually don't remember when I stopped counting. 30 stations? 40?
4. Already said it: I have very fond memories of scene 4 - I do admit that I replaced your original models. And again: It's sexy because it's HAWT (and the animations are superb) AND because that dialogue is so ridiculously over-the-top.

My 2 cents - I will replay it. In a year or two. Nothing you do will change that. But if really want to tinker - think again about mergeloading. And fsking use VamStory for your menus already!

And then move on and do smth brilliant, again.

 

[Case]

Another nitpick: Great job on integrating LFE's plugin! Less great job about forgetting to disable the idle-animations. And the solid ground - pose changes if the feet don't touch solid stuff. Simple fix would be a floor, scale set to smth like ... 0.02, if memory serves. Disable physics before teleport, ofc. Measurement point should be BELOW rootnode, for safeties' sake.

The most detailed ruler doesn't help much if she doesn't stop wiggling and floating!

 

[CheersMate]

Ok. I've modded the shit out of that scene (told you the menu is ... rudimentary), so take with grains of salt - but the main reason I probably won't revisit it in a while is very simple: "I've already seen that movie. Was rad. Might watch it again in a couple years, when I've forgotten most of the story"

Friend - ennui is real. Couples don't "spice things up" bcs they're natural-born deviants. They spice things up because NEW! is HAWT! and our brain is designed to demand New!

When I first played scene#1, I thought "That GUI looks like CheersMate learned about VaM yesterday - but BOY! does he ever know how to build a solid cowgirl banging". Then I modded the shit out the scene (fsking mergeloads fsking ...!)After much tinkering, I actually got to scene#4 -> Pardon my French, mon ami: "That wasn't the worst climax I ever had" (Yes - that good.)

But the scene works bcs it's BOTH hot AND over-the-top ridiculous. Humour is based on breaking expectations - you can't break expectations of people who already know the punchline.

If you want to tinker for your own education - do it. But don't expect us to be able to "see the same movie again like it was the first time". That's not possible for a species like ours (not without traumatic brain injury or similar stuff).

That being said:


1. Not the best-optimized scene I've played. Not the worst, either. (Zen 7 5800x, Radeon 5700xt, 32Gb Ram@3600Mhz - played in VR). Don't really have an opinion.
2. Nope. That being said - you use mergeloads for reasons that v282 of Timeline should have made somewhat less urgent.
3. It absolutely is as fucking good as you think it is. The problem is that you expect it to stay that good when people watch it again and again. That's ... possible - if you follow the lead of ppl like TGC and build your own mini-sandbox-in-a-sandbox. TGC's scenes don't have four positions - I actually don't remember when I stopped counting. 30 stations? 40?
4. Already said it: I have very fond memories of scene 4 - I do admit that I replaced your original models. And again: It's sexy because it's HAWT (and the animations are superb) AND because that dialogue is so ridiculously over-the-top.

My 2 cents - I will replay it. In a year or two. Nothing you do will change that. But if really want to tinker - think again about mergeloading. And fsking use VamStory for your menus already!

And then move on and do smth brilliant, again.

Incredible feedback!
Yep, definitely right about ennui. Knowing my own tendencies to get bored and move on, I wondered if a lot of folks had even made it to scene 4. The ones who don't use the Scene Browser (probably most non-tinkerers who stick to loading from the hub) might not even know there's more there. So my goal for this update was to add a simple mechanism to jump straight to it. Like I said in the description, "For those short on time or attention span". Everything else was largely just cleanup and not really meant to reinvent or add content. I do have some other stuff in the works. And, yes, I'm using VamStory for menus! But, on both I've hit some roadblocks and then either take a hiatus or revisit/ tinker with an old scene. Thus Day7 v1.1 Great points though. These type of "movie" scenes are really meant to be one and done. No sandboxes allowed.

Now, one question Re mergeload:
Are you referring to loading the next scene? MergeLoadScene? For speeding load times?
OR
pose loading between timeline animations? If so, yes, the new timeline pose tab is pretty nice. I'm just starting to realize how great it is.
OR
Are you recommending I use mergeload in places where I do straight loads, e.g. clothing?

Come to think of it, all 3 are probably good suggestions.

 

[CheersMate]

Another nitpick: Great job on integrating LFE's plugin! Less great job about forgetting to disable the idle-animations. And the solid ground - pose changes if the feet don't touch solid stuff. Simple fix would be a floor, scale set to smth like ... 0.02, if memory serves. Disable physics before teleport, ofc. Measurement point should be BELOW rootnode, for safeties' sake.

The most detailed ruler doesn't help much if she doesn't stop wiggling and floating!

Hah. I wondered what you'd think of that. I was lazy and just didn't feel like doing it right. As you mentioned, I'd have to move the root nodes and a few other minor tweaks. I guess the least I can do when I get good advice is actually take it. Now I'm feeling guilty I didn't do it right. But, like I said, lazy.

Instead I decided to go with relative heights and tried to get the hips approx level. I had intended to put a height marker right above their heads to be used as reference, but that I just straight up forgot. Oh well. On to bigger and better things. Hopefully.

Thanks for the amazing feedback.

 

[Case]

Now, one question Re mergeload:
Are you referring to loading the next scene? MergeLoadScene? For speeding load times?
OR
pose loading between timeline animations? If so, yes, the new timeline pose tab is pretty nice. I'm just starting to realize how great it is.
OR
Are you recommending I use mergeload in places where I do straight loads, e.g. clothing?

Come to think of it, all 3 are probably good suggestions.

Errrrh - I was saying that you should use mergeloading only when you have absolutely no other choice - ie when your scene .json comes near the 520mb hard cap. Some folk (mostly mocappers) have said they were forced to fall back to splitting one animation into several scenes that are identical, except for the timeline animation-data. Makes modding those scenes incredibly hard (except for trivial stuff like appearance presets that you can lock).

Nobody likes repeating every late-stage edit several times - neither creators, nor users, nor the tinkerers.

And now comes the latest Timeline, and its the "reduce" algorithm can shrink animations by (up to) a factor of SIX! So ... even less reason to split & mergeload. Yay!

P.S.: Yes you can import anims into timeline. You and me, and most ppl we know find that rather trivial - but we're a tiny minority. A lot of scene-creators have guides on where to put .vars ....

 

[CheersMate]

Errrrh - I was saying that you should use mergeloading only when you have absolutely no other choice - ie when your scene .json comes near the 520mb hard cap. Some folk (mostly mocappers) have said they were forced to fall back to splitting one animation into several scenes that are identical, except for the timeline animation-data. Makes modding those scenes incredibly hard (except for trivial stuff like appearance presets that you can lock).

Nobody likes repeating every late-stage edit several times - neither creators, nor users, nor the tinkerers.

And now comes the latest Timeline, and its the "reduce" algorithm can shrink animations by (up to) a factor of SIX! So ... even less reason to split & mergeload. Yay!

P.S.: Yes you can import anims into timeline. You and me, and most ppl we know find that rather trivial - but we're a tiny minority. A lot of scene-creators have guides on where to put .vars ....

I got you. Yes. The ancient scenes (2020-ish) that loaded a new .json for every transition were really painful. Less, not more.

That actually helps for this one thing I worked on a while ago (never completed) where I experimented with overloading subscenes to keep the memory footprint down. I won't get into all the issues but suffice it to say it was a mess. I did see the release note for the latest timeline about shrinking and think I might have to revisit that old concept for a massive single load scene. Think the movie Groundhog Day but instead of police chases and learning to play the piano, you get strip clubs and bars and crazy ex girlfriends and ... One scene to rule them all.