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10-12-2003, 12:21 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-12-2003, 12:28 PM by [wcip]Angel.)
http://www.angel.fenre.org/ff11op.avi
The file is about 7 minutes long, 37MB large, so anyone should be able to download it. (unless you have a 56k modem).
It's a trailer for the upcoming massive multiplayer online-thingie "Final Fantasy XI" and it looks bloody amazing. If the actual game is just a fraction as impressive as this trailer, then I'll be blown away.
In the clip you'll see a group of races banding together to fight a siege of monsters. The graphics are blizzard-worthy in quality, and the music is just so beautiful in good ol' Nobuo Uematsu-style.
I don't think you'll regret downloading this file. It's eye-candy, but it's also quite emotional.
edit: some spelling. What the hell is a tralier?
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Thanks for the tip, nice trailer :) By the way, it's made with my favorite 3D software called "Maya", which I'm currently learning. If anyone here is into 3D stuff, you can download a free, fully functional PLE (Personal Learning Edition) of Maya 5 (latest version) here:
http://www.alias.com/eng/products-services...ple/index.shtml
The version 4.5 has already been taken offline, but the free download of version 5 is coming October 15, 2003 (in three days). Don't miss to check out the various Maya trailers/demo reels and images on that site - they are just awesome.
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller
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Hey there Nobbie.
Just curious, I'm re-learning 3d stuff myself. I've heard about the Maya PLE, but currently I'm just getting started with 3ds Max. (I use to fiddle around with 3d Studio in the older version, quite a while back. As in when the popular OS was still DOS.)
My question is, how is Maya compared to other programs. I don't mean is it better etc. I mean if I learned MAX, would I recognize a similar interface \ routines on Maya. Or do I have to learn to "draw the wheel" again so to speak.
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Hi Hammerskjold,
Maya (Complete) is now after Alias' radical price drop last year (Maya Complete costs 1,999$ now) definitely the 3D application with the best price/performance ratio. While 3ds max used to dominate the PC 3D market during the last years, especially the PC games market, Maya is now the "mainstream" application of the future. The reason is that 3ds max is an outdated framework application (basically the same program core since 1996) for tons of additionally required, partly very expensive plug-ins for professional use, and with a price TWICE as a high as Maya Complete for the base program 3ds max ALONE way overpriced. Maya, on the other hand, comes from UNIX-based high-end film applications in Hollywood and has a very superior, much more seemless core program (compared to 3ds max). Maya Complete, unlike 3ds max, also doesn't require additional plug-ins for professional use; all you need is already in the base package: character animation, soft- and hard-body dynamics, painting on objects, easy-to-use organic modeling tools (Maya Artisan), particle effects etc etc. Regarding your question: Will you have to relearn - or re-think - if you want to learn Maya after you have learned 3ds max? Yes, you will, because Maya has a flexible, node-based approach to doing things that is different from 3ds max's less flexible, object-oriented approach. I personally don't want to get back to 3ds max now that I'm getting familiar with Maya - it's just so much more elegant and less painless, especially with complex animation tasks. If your goal is working in the 3D industry - be it games or film/TV - learn Maya instead of 3ds max :)
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller
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You may also find this Final Fantasy XI trailer interesting, which takes a look at all aspects of the game with some shots of CG, different in game character types, some combat, enemies, and the chocobos:
http://www.playonline.com/ff11/download/movie1/spe.mov
It's a pretty large 55 MB download.
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller
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55MB presents no challenge! For I am 3mbit-man!
Hail and approbation to me.. and so forth.
But I think I already have the file..
I did find this little trinket, though:
Is it a game? Is it a film? Nobody knows. It's a sequel to Final Fantasy VII, the game many consider to be the pinnacle of the series. The thing can be downloaded here:
http://www.angel.fenre.org/ffviiac-hi-res.wmv (Right click and save as seeing as it's a wmv-file.)
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10-12-2003, 08:19 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-12-2003, 08:54 PM by nobbie.)
I've also found a link to the new Final Fantasy XI PC benchmark from September 2003, which can be downloaded here:
http://dl.square-enix.co.jp/taru/FFXiB2Setup.exe
It's also a quite large download (57 MB), but comes with a SWEET graphics demo of the game! :)
Other links:
http://www.playonline.com/ff11us/benchmark_02.html
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller
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Well, according to Extended Play, FFVII: Advent Children is an hour-long movie set two years after the events of Final Fantasy VII. I caught a clip on the show, a pretty impressive sequence with Cloud dodgin spells on a motorbike, then him and Sephiroth dueling a bit. Dunno if that's what your link shows, though.
It was kind of disquieting, though, seeing those two done 'seriously'... One with an almost feminine sissy-boy 'hey look I'm a goth in black' look, the other with a sword the size of a surfboard...
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Yepp.. That's the same thing you saw Warlocke.
About the benchmark, there's a bigger benchmark which can be downloaded from www.fileplanet.com I think it's 2-300MB large. I had no idea how I did in the test, but it was fun to watch ;)
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[wcip Wrote:Angel,Oct 12 2003, 09:18 PM] About the benchmark, there's a bigger benchmark which can be downloaded from www.fileplanet.com I think it's 2-300MB large. I had no idea how I did in the test, but it was fun to watch ;) Do you have a direct link?
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller
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10-12-2003, 09:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-12-2003, 10:13 PM by [wcip]Angel.)
Une moment, s'il vous plaît.
edit:
This is weird. I can't find it. I was so sure before.
There's a slight chance I might've mixed the benchmark with the FFX-2-intro which is 300MB large, but still.. I was so sure the benchmark was of equal size. I'll keep looking.
edit#2: I give up. Apparently, I was mistaken.
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Heya Nobbie.
I re-checked Alias website, it seems they have some handy new updates. At least new from the last time I checked. They got a handy chart on the similarities of functions\functions names between programs. Ie: 3ds Max to Maya.
>Maya is now the "mainstream" application of the future.
That's what it looks like to me too, at least from reading all the various want ads and post grad courses. More and more I see "Knowledge of Maya not required, but definitely wouldn't hurt."
>Yes, you will, because Maya has a flexible, node-based approach to doing things that is different from 3ds max's less flexible, object-oriented approach.
Ok you have to excuse my ignorance here. What does "node based" mean?
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Hammerskjold,Oct 13 2003, 09:25 AM Wrote:>Yes, you will, because Maya has a flexible, node-based approach to doing things that is different from 3ds max's less flexible, object-oriented approach.
Ok you have to excuse my ignorance here. What does "node based" mean? A "node" is the smallest, underlying unit in Maya, whereas an "object" is the smallest unit in 3ds max. Nodes are much smaller, more flexible units than objects (which have a fixed set of parameters and purpose) and provide the excellent integration of all tasks you will finally see on Maya's "surface". Every node in Maya can be somehow connected to another node, so that the functions are seemlessly connected. It's a bit difficult to explain the power of that concept - best would be to download the new Maya 5 PLE on October 15, and work through the introductory tutorials :)
As far as the games industry goes: I have heard that most game artist jobs in the U.K. already require Maya knowledge now, and bigger U.S. game companies like Lucas Arts are already full on Maya (according to their job offer pages). Blizzard is just partly Maya, especially for their new console game stuff. I have no idea though, why they still bother with 3ds max at this point, especially for their teaser trailers and in-game cinematics. Must be the huge investments they have already made into 3ds max in the past, and the tons of 3ds max plug-ins they employ (for hair/fur, dynamics, s/fx, particles, character animation etc etc). I recently got job offers from California that stated "Expertise in a 3D software package (Maya a plus)", so the industry in the U.S. seems to go the Maya route soon, too. Considering that Linux is free and the Maya 5 PLE for Linux is free, this seems to be the natural solution, because you save oodles of money in educating and training artists this way. 3ds max (Windows-only, btw) in its current state is dead, if you ask me. That is again the typical result of a greedy company that has made tons of profits with their "cash cow" during the past years, but invested little in the development. Maya is now - in its current state - about 2 generations ahead of 3ds max, it costs just half the price, and the customer is the laughing third :)
"Man only plays when in the full meaning of the word he is a man, and he is only completely a man when he plays." -- Friedrich von Schiller
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Heya Nobbie.
re: nodes.
>It's a bit difficult to explain the power of that concept - best would be to download the new Maya 5 PLE on October 15, and work through the introductory tutorials
Heh yeah, talking about graphics is like dancing about architecture, to butcher a phrase I heard in art school. ;) But you're right, there's no substitute for actual practice. Thanks for the info though.
>..Maya 5 PLE for Linux is free, this seems to be the natural solution, because you save oodles of money in educating and training artists this way.
Honestly, I think stuff like this should be done more often. Some of the price for "student versions" programs is still too high for most real students, imo.
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I'm sorry, but when the guy was looking at the city between his fingers, all I could think about was "I'm crushing your head..... crush.... crush...." Kids in the Hall have ruined me in respect to seeing or doing something like that with any degree of seriousness.
Looks interesting though. Looks like the little elf people were casting "Meteor." I want to say that there was something like that in Final Fantasy VII, but then again, that was a long time ago for me.
SaxyCorp
...I'm crushing your head.....
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Meteor is a classic spell in the FF-series. I don't remember if that particular spell was present in FFVII, but I also noted that "oh they're casting meteor, how neat" when I saw the little guys go at it.
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Actually, I think that's Blizzaga, or maybe Blizzara. Meteor normally has a reddish color to it, since it does Fire damage in most Final Fantasy games. That spell is blue and white.
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Perhaps they grew tired of the old red ball of flame which is often associated with Meteor, and wanted to branch out with a little variety. Did you ever think about that? :)
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Were you thinking about Aquamark 3?
http://www.aquamark3.com
Latest and greatest benchmark out there :D My score is 17,170.
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Methinks you should try out Phantasy Star for a little Megido action. :D
Megido > Metor
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