Ok i have noticed alot of people are having trouble with the dialog effect and the cinematic effects, so here is a little bit about cinematics.
Start Cinematic/EndCinematic
Now when a cinematic starts the screen is shrunk to a letterbox format in kinda looks like your watching DVD.
Now when its in cinematic mode you have no control over the game, but you can get out of cinematic mode by just presing "Esc"
Now with cinematic mode you can choose how fast you want the cinematic to play, There is a 1.6 at the right side of the Start cinematic effect, that is the speed,1.6 is the default speed you can take that down for the cinematic to run slower, or take it up for the cinematic to run faster.
Now if you all dont know where the "Start Cinematic" trigger is. Then on the tigger screen go to Effects then should be a drop down menu that has "Object" on it go to that and select "Game" There you should find both the start cinematic and end cinematic. Now the "End Cinematic" trigger just ends the cinematic when you want it to stop.
There thats how to start the cinematic now the next step.Placeing Cameras
Now you can find these camera markers in the objects section (NOT in the trigger section)They are a world object and they are in buildings shoudnt be to hard to find.Placing Camera Markers is one way to plan out your shots. A Camera Marker defines a place for the camera to move to during the cinematic. So camera markers are what give you that great angles in cinematics. Now there is a ` button on your keyboard, that button is the rotate button hold that and move the mouse and play with that for a while. Now once you got the hang of that start placing your cameras. Now Move the camera until you are looking at the part of the map at the camera angle you want then Left click to place the Camera Marker anywhere on the map. What you see on the map is exactly what the camera will see when it moves to that marker (though you can alter the zoom level when you create the Effect). The marker is placed in 3D space – if you zoom out a little, you can see the marker – but it is only visible when you are in the Scenario Editor. You can use the Camera Marker in your Object definitions like any other unit you place. Then, those Objects can be used when you create a Script Camera Effect – see the Player section of Effects. Script Camera
Now this is the brain of the cinematic, Using the Script Camera effect, you can create your own in-game movies. Specify the player(s) for whom the movie will play. Then set the following controls as you wish:
Move Camera – Select Use Area or Use Object and select any area or object that you have already defined. The camera moves to the specified object or area (for large areas, it moves to the center of the area). To “turn off” [b]Move Camera for a given effect, choose Off Map for the area or Empty Object for the object. Do this to make the camera rotate in place instead of move.
Face Camera – Select Use Area or Use Object and select any area or object that you have already defined. The camera rotates to face the area or object specified. (Again, for large areas, the center of the area is the focal point.) To “turn off” Face Camera for a given effect, choose Off Map for the area or Empty Object for the object.
Follow – Check this box to have the camera follow the object specified under Move Camera. If the camera is both moving with an object and facing an area, you might want to check this box to ensure the camera can stay pointed towards the area while it is moving around with the object.
Track – If Track is checked, the camera continues to face the object specified under Face Camera even if the object moves.
Scroll Speed – Set the speed of the camera’s movement: Snap (i.e., the camera cuts immediately) or choose a number from 1 to 99. 99 is the slowest.
Zoom Level – Set the level of the zoom from -50 to 50, or choose “Current” to use whatever the current zoom level is for the player. 50 is a wide shot of the ground from high in the air, 0 is a ground-level close-up, and -50 looks up towards the sky from ground level. This is the same way the zoom (mouse wheel) functions when you are in the Scenario Editor.TIP: Place Camera Markers in your scenario to set an exact view with the camera. A Camera Marker marks the view shown on your screen at the moment you place the marker. This allows you to set up a camera shot without using a defined object (e.g., a tree or building) or area as a reference point. See Placing Camera Markers in the Unit Placement Screen section, earlier in this chapter, for more information.
Media
I've seen alot of people having trouble with these so here is how you use them, now first the Play sound one.
Play sound
Causes the specified sound file to play. The sound file must be in MP3 or .wav format and be saved in the ..\data\sounds directory under the Empire Earth root directory. Be sure to enter the extension of the file in addition to the file name. This effect could be used, for example, to give vocal directions or special audio cues.
Change Text
Changes the text entered on the Story/Instructions Screen (see the Story/Instructions Screen section earlier in this chapter). You can change the Hints, Instructions, and set the Loss and Victory text. You may either use Add Line to add your new text to the end of the old text, or select Clear to delete any specified text. Adding a line will automatically insert a carriage return for you, so the next line of text will appear on its own line.
Send Dialog
Lets you send a dialogue message to the specified player(s). A dialogue message appears in the top-center of the screen, as opposed to a chat message, which appears at the left just like in a regular game.
Object – Specify a defined object. The dialogue message will seem to come from the object. The portrait of the unit appears next to the message and the camera moves to look at it.
Player – Specify the player(s) to whom this dialogue message is being sent.
File Name – You can specify an MP3 or a .wav file to play along with the dialogue message. This could be a voice over of the message, for example.
Message – Type the dialogue message in this field.
Camera Scroll Speed – Set the speed that the camera moves to the specified object. The camera automatically zooms in on the specified object, and follows the object if it moves. You can set the scroll speed to Off (the camera does not move to the object), Snap (the camera cuts to directly face the object), or a speed from 1 to 10, 10 being the fastest.
Duration in Seconds – This controls how long the message stays on the screen. If an audio file is specified, the dialogue will stay on the screen for the time it takes to play the audio file plus the time specified here. If no file is given, the message remains on screen for the amount of time specified here. When any dialogue completes, any sounds currently playing may be cut off.Send Chat Message
Sends a chat message you provide to the specified players The message appears in the chat area of the screen as opposed to the dialogue area.
Player – Specify the player(s) to whom this chat message is being sent.
Duration in Seconds – This controls how long the message stays on the screen.
Message – Type the chat message in this field.Nows that the Media for ya, the media i think is the easiest once you get the hang of it. Actually its all pretty easy. Now for the fading out and in, good to add in your cinematicFade In/Out
When a cinematic has this in it and also in the right places it makes it look alot better. So here is how you do them.
These two Player Effects allow you to fade in the screen from black or fade out to black for the specified players. These effects each last for about 3 seconds and function only in Cinematic Mode. To find these effects go to Effects then the drop down menu that say Objects then go to Player they are in there.Visibility On/Off
These two effects allow you turn on or off full map visibility for the specified player. This does not effect any “visible by” object states. You will find them where the Fade in/out effects are.Include in Cinematic
Check this box if you want the trigger to be evaluated during Cinematic Mode. This is set OFF by default, meaning the trigger is evaluated only while the scenario is in progress and no cinematic is playing. See Start and End Cinematic Mode in the Effects section for more information.I asume that you all know the trigger system cause i wrote this for people who know how to make a trigger work if not just email me and i will tell you, my email is rickowo@hotmail.com
I think i have coverd most of the basics about creating a cinematic for you scenario there is just 1 more thing, this takes time alot of time if you are doing a movie, you might get fustrated but dont give up so be prepared and have fun
[This message has been edited by VENOM_OZ_RICK (edited 03-16-2003 @ 11:48 PM).]