January 24, 2010

A Moogle Kupo d'Etat

One of the new experiments Square-Enix launched in 2009 was the release of three "add-on scenarios". Each one provides a compact story which offers a unique reward with customizable augments.

While released as the second of the three, the first one I've been able to complete is A Moogle Kupo d'Etat - Evil in Small Doses. While certainly nothing as epic as the true expansions, these missions feature a light-hearted take on our sometimes overlooked mog house pals.

This video includes all the missions from the mini-expansion, including:

  • Drenched! It Began with a Raindrop
  • Hasten! In a Jam in Jeuno?
  • Welcome! To My Decrepit Domicile
  • Curses! A Horrifically Harrowing Hex
  • An Errand! The Professor's Price
  • Shock! Arrant Abuse of Authority
  • Lender Beware! Read the Fine Print
  • Rescue! A Moogle's Labor of Love
  • Roar! A Cat Burglar Bares Her Fangs
  • Relief! A Triumphant Return
  • Joy! Summoned to a Fabulous Fete
  • A Challenge! You Could Be a Winner
  • Smash! A Malevolent Menace

 

A note about this video: this is my first using the new hardware and software. I'm still trying to find the best balance between quality and file-size, so I'm especially interested in feedback along these lines.

Also, FYI, I haven't been able to finish the other two add-ons yet, so I don't know when I'll be able to post those.

January 18, 2010

Videos now on Veoh

All right, it took a month, but all of my videos are finally fully uploaded on Veoh now. A couple of notes about the new host:

1. For videos longer than 30 minutes, if you want to watch the full video rather than just a 5 minute preview, you need download/install the Veoh Web Player. There is a link over on the right side of my blog, or you can let the website prompt you.

2. Full-screen viewing using Veoh's built-in viewers will display in lower quality than the original movies. For best results, I recommend downloading the entire videos using the Web Player, then opening up the downloaded file using Windows Media Player, DivX Player, or some other viewer. Since the videos are all .divx files, you'll need the DivX codec. There is a link on the right of this page to download the codec if you don't already have it.

3. If you are trying to view the videos using the embedded viewer on this blog, and it won't work, there is a link directly below each video for where you can go to view/download directly on the Veoh website. I am not sure why the embedded viewers seem to work on some computers / browsers and not on others.

4. In the future (no definite ETA on this yet), I may be adding additional host sites where you can go to download the videos. I'll add these locations directly below the embedded players.

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As for new installments of the videos, I did start recording some new cutscenes. Unfortunately, I've discovered that my current editing software, DivX Author, will not work correctly on a 64-bit operating system. This means I will either have to use an older, less powerful machine to do my encoding/publishing, or I'm going to need to find a new program. Since part of the reason I just invested so much in my new computer (i7 processor, 6 GB RAM, GeForce GTS 250 gpu) was to speed up the editing/publishing of my videos, I don't want to resort to the first option. Right now I'm in the process of evaluating Pinnacle Studio 14, and I'm hopeful that will be the right solution. If anyone would like to suggest some other software that's not terribly expensive (preferably around $50, definitely not more than $100), please feel free to comment. As an FYI, Windows Movie maker severely restricts the output quality so that's not an option. Also, I tried using VirtualDub in the past and could never really figure it out :/

Until then, thank you everyone for your support. I'm hoping to bring you some new material soon.