Video Recorder item

[Calebc789]

Not sure how possible this would be in-engine, or if it has already been suggested before, but it would be an interesting addition to compliment the audio log and camera so I'm throwing it at the wall to see if it sticks.

The way I'm imagining it is something like an 80s/90s home video camera complete with full-size tapes (compared to the compact ones used by the audio log) which would record a set amount of footage (Not sure how long, maybe 5 or 10 minutes worth?) of everything around it, similar to how the crew cameras and camera helmet work. You can then view the tape on either anything that can already view security and crew cameras (Television, camera console, maybe the camera monitor) or a custom object that can be put in both Crew Quarters A and Security respectably.

Thoughts?

[misto]

the game handles single photos and audio logs well because theyre small scale and simple. i do not think a big video recording would be feasible.

maybe it could record a slideshow of single tiles that can be played back with accompanying audio(text chat and emotes) track.

it only records the tile it is pointed at or the character/critter/item it is pointed at. otherwise the camera becomes too shaky or loses focus.

so it would be like flip-book animation made with a series of the current photographs.

at a rate of 1 frame per second, just one minute of recording time brings you to the equivalent of 60 photos, so many more minutes of recording may bloat it badly.

[Erik]

The idea is cool, but it would be moderately hard to pull off as you would need to record locations, and store appearance information for anything you record, which would end up being really really laggy

[Vitatroll]

I'm sure you could find a hacky (and expensive) way to do it, but nothing reasonably sane or well performing.

edit: I need to stop leaving my posts open and just send them, or at least check for updates before I do.

[Erik]

I'm sure you could find a hacky (and expensive) way to do it, but nothing reasonably sane or well performing.

Sure, 511 introduces mutable appearances which would allow for something like this but you would still need to keep track of all movement actions, and sprite changes...

[Noah Buttes]

I could've sworn some other codebase managed to pull this off.

Maybe I'm just misremembering things

[Frank_Stein]

I think if it created a text file the just describes what is occurring maybe it could work. Clicking on something focuses the camera on it and gives you an initial description similar to examining it. Then it just updates any time something changes it, it is interacted with, the camera is focused on something else, or the thing it was focusing on is no longer where the camera can see it. 

"George melons is in the frame (list of everything you see when examining someone)

George melons picks up a glass.

George melons takes a sip from a glass

George melons bursts into flames"

[Sundance]

I could've sworn some other codebase managed to pull this off.

Maybe I'm just misremembering things

You might be thinking of improved cameras which I'm almost certain other servers have, in which it takes a picture of more than 1 damn little puny box that we currently have. I think it takes something like a 6x6 image and applies it to an object which when observed opens up the image on a separate window..?
God I wish the current camera had an option for that. You could switch modes, one for panoramic view like above, and the other for portrait which is the current code (which would still have its use for stuff like mugshots, whenever that gets implemented)

That's one way I could see an actual video working without being painfully hacky; in which you have to make your film, frame by frame per se. Essentially you could have a quickfire mode in which allows you to rapidly click to produce 40-50 frames, if you're clicking 1 frame per second then that's 40-50 seconds of footage. You can then compile it by adding the pictures to a reel.