If your game were featured in a 1 minute video...

[Forboding Angel]

What are the points you would like to see covered?

This is for games on rapid.

Specifically I'm looking for:

ZK
Spring1944
SpringTanks
Contact
Zernel Panic
Conflict Terra
Imperial Winter
The Cursed

This is assuming that each game had 1 minute to extol it's virtues upon the unwashed masses.

[zwzsg]

Zernel? That's an original mispelling!

I'd like to see covered that the simplification of the eco and build tree makes the game fast and to the point, that the short learning curve make raw skill matter more than having learnt the game.

[FLOZi]

s44 1v1 is the single most challenging and deep rts i have played, i often cite how it can scale from small scale infantry micro to epic multi-tier conflict management

That.

Demonstrate that.

[smoth]

so he doesn't do it incorrectly, could you provide some combat actions with troop listings which would best demonstrate this?

[KDR_11k]

Zernel? That's an original mispelling!

Oh, I figured it was a merge with Zero-K stuff

[azaremoth]

I would like to see walking skeletons and demons covered of course...

[Forboding Angel]

Appreciate the replies guys, but can you be a bit more detailed?

Please assume I know nothing about your game. I prolly know more than you think, but much less than you would like.

Basically, give me a bullet list of the points that are the most important to you.

[KDR_11k]

KP is so simple you could take a tutorial video and get that into one minute.

[Neddie]

Be that as it may, I think Forb is looking for some direction.

I haven't played S44 or KP in some time, but I assume the games haven't changed in character in the interim, so here are my thoughts. I tried to pull screenshots from similar engagements for banner advertisements.

Kernel Panic
In Kernel Panic, you want to show a vibrant, fast paced and flowing engagement with waves of movement and reinforcement. I think rich and bright team colours - some neons, perhaps - a good midsized map, and at least three players. You want to skip the very beginning of the game, run the video from where one player finds another, and then skip between the flow-fronts. and maybe zoom out to capture sight of one from another.

Spring 1944
Much of the game, particularly in one on one, is played with infantry and vehicles on broken terrain. This is rather enjoyable as a player, but perhaps less convincing visually. I would show open in with a few seconds of following infantry going over a hill, then switch the camera to show them filing into position for ambush. From there, I'm not sure how it currently plays, I'd show them engage with mechanized infantry, then have a few light tanks come up, and maybe switch perspective to show aircraft bombing a defensive point?

Pincers, machine gun emplacements, feints with infantry, scouting, light vehicle patrols, and early tank ambushes?

[Forboding Angel]

No, I want basically bullet points. What are this games strengths, what are some neat things about it, what make sit fun, etc.

[TheSponge]

If I were to advertise ZK in one minute I would focus on the fact that it is a startegy game. For your bullet point list:
*Clever use of roaches and ticks
*A recon commander jumping up a cliff and attacking a base with a few LLTs in it
*Warriors and Zeuses with Rocko support attacking a base an aquatic divide while under attack from gunships
*Some clever spider tactics on MeltV2
*The powerful UI and controls
*Short clips of huge battles and super weapons to show how well the game scales
It does not really explain how to play the game, but it would get people interested. http://zero-k.info/Forum/Thread/5869 discusses marketing ZK, so it may ave useful info for other games/mods.

[Google_Frog]

Those seem to be points in a script, not points for designing a script. Here are some more general points which should be video friendly:

• Powerful Controls Command queues, custom formations, area commands, structure placement, set target, tactical AI, priorities.
• Diverse Units We have a lot of unique units, I'm not sure how to show this one effectively. You can't just show wacky units because the range is important. Sizes from Flea to Detriment. High health assaults and low health other things. There are wacky units like Archer, Sumo, Halberd, Scythe, Tremor, Dominatrix, Felon etc... But the 'mundane' units can be equally useful and interesting.
• Terraforming, Shields, Cloaking I think it is good to show these support abilities. They are cool and interesting.
• Strategy, teamgames, pacing ZK teamgames look quite developed after 6 minutes. It's surprising how little time passes. A normal 1v1 length is about 12 minutes. These games aren't finished by a single move, first contact can occur in 30 seconds and from then on lots of things (strategic type things) can occur in a relatively short amount of time. It's not just tactics in the middle of the map for 12 minutes until someone micros more successfully. I don't know how to succinctly cover this, your best bet could be with dotwar replays.
• Chickens, AI, Teamgames, FFA, 1v1, Planetwars? Missions? Basically an overview of different 'game types' which are available. People vary in what they like. I think it is important to mention that teamgames and FFA actually work because they seem to be tacked on to most other RTS games and end up being awful. Also that chickens exist, balance and active 1v1 exists (many games seem to lack a multiplayer playerbase so don't actually have balance or 1v1s). Planetwars is inactive currently and I think we have several missions for a campaign with more coming along.

So those are my 5 points. Good luck with 12 seconds for each. This needs quite a bit of refinement.

KingRaptor made a feature trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n931CFGuDV0

[Forboding Angel]

Ahhh finally someone gets it.

That's exactly what I'm after, googlefrog.

[FLOZi]

Pretty sure my post was being facetious

wrt S44;

• Gliders are fucking cool
• Everybody loves a Tiger tank

[zwzsg]

Ah, you want bullet points!
From http://www.moddb.com/games/kernel-panic

• Streamlined
• Fast Paced
• No resources. (All constructions are free)
• Short game (like, 5-10 mins)
• Extremely few and archetypal units.
• Short learning curve.
• No building up, to teching up, no porcing up: Pure unadultered action!

[azaremoth]

• - introduce the two factions with their diverse and sometimes quite unique units
  - hero units
  - special abilities like aura casting, burrowing, teleport, shields to demonstrate strategic diversity
  - summoning, necromancing
  - undead hordes
  - drop ships

[PicassoCT]

I would make some heroine junkies cooking up, talking about how the old stuff like starcraft just wont cut it. Everytime the stuff comes into view, i would cut in gamescenes. Also a dick, just to piss of all the authoritys of the earth.

[Google_Frog]

KingRaptor made a feature trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n931CFGuDV0

I've edited my post with a link to a working version of KR's trailer.

[FLOZi]

KingRaptor made a feature trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n931CFGuDV0

I've edited my post with a link to a working version of KR's trailer.

Really great vid.