Video Snaps
Overview
The eXoDOS Video Project is a formalized effort to create video snap shots for all of the games in the collection. The project is being headed up by @mgoddard. He has created over 400 video snaps himself and documented a very simple process on getting video capture set-up on your own machine in order to help us fill out the database.
Guide
A complete guide to creating videos within the project spec can be found HERE.
Prerequisites
In order to view the video in the front end, a licensed version of LaunchBox is required. To enable videos you should
- Under Options -> Visuals -> Game Details -> Show -> set Video option ON
- Under View -> Auto-Play Videos (Optional) to have videos played automatically when browsing.
Video Snap Specifications
- Video capture size from eXoDOS should be 1280x960 (eXoDOS v5 Large Window) to support modern monitors. 30 frames/sec. By not capturing in full screen this will allow the eXoVideo project to standardize on the output and have consistency across the videos captured.
- Video should represent the most "common" implementation of the game.
- If multiple graphics options for a game are available the video clip will represent the "best" graphic option. For example, the choice of VGA graphics would be chosen over EGA.
- If multiple sound options are available for a game the video clip will represent the "best" sound option.
- In order to capture the most amount of “gameplay” no start screens, menus, or game setup as a part of the video unless they are integral to the gameplay. Video recordings should start with mid-gameplay activity. For example, not at a start screen where the user is choosing to “Start a new game” and watching an intro.
- Length of video recorded should be ~30 seconds in length. In almost all games this is enough to represent the core gameplay.
- Video recordings should not reveal anything major that would be considered a “spoiler”. For this reason, representation of the game in video is typically near the beginning or mid-level.
Software
Video capture for this project is done using OBS. If you are interested in capturing videos for the project, specific instructions can be found in the guide.
Watermark
A water mark has been added to each entry to ensure the videos are not taken and sold by websites which attempt to package and sell such materials.
Submission of Existing Videos
Existing videos are not accepted for multiple reasons. Apart from not conforming the the specs of the video capture above and the lack of a water mark, existing videos do not represent actual gameplay from the project. It is important that the gameplay videos created for this project are captured from the actual eXoDOS game files.