Accepting Requests for VPX Fullscreen Loading Videos

[cerebusk]

By my count, there are more than 600 VPX pinball machines based on IRL machines that do not have loading videos available yet.  I've been working on fixing this problem on my own cabinet and sharing the results here.  On my own cabinet, I have a process where I don't promote tables to the main playlists until I've done a series of checks on the table and I have a decent set of media for the table.  Right now, "decent set of media" includes attract videos for the playfield, backglass and 4:1 DMD as well as a wheel icon and a loading video.

 

The way I've been selecting which videos to work on next is basically to use Pinup Popper's Game ID to select the next video I work on - basically, that means I am making videos  based on what order I added a table to my cabinet.  This has worked out pretty well because there are other people who make videos based on recent releases - that means I can use their videos and therefore I don't have to make one!

 

That being said, I'm starting to notice that I am increasingly working on more and more obscure tables, so I thought I would ask the community for help in selecting the next videos I work on.  If you have any suggestions or a favorite table that needs a video, please feel free to post here and ask for something.

 

Some notes:

 

1. I am fundamentally lazy, so if a video already exists for a table that somebody else made, you can bet I'm using it on my cabinet, and you should too.  The one possible exception to that is tables for which there is only a T-Arc loading video available.  I am still using many T-Arc videos on my cabinet (again, I'm lazy), but long term I am planning to replace those with fullscreen videos.  After I finish my next 600 videos 😂, we can talk.

2.  I'm mainly interested in making videos for real machines that are available on VPX.  I don't have anything against originals or reskins or Future Pinball, it's just a personal preference and I don't have very many of these on my own cabinet.  

3. My standard format is 1080p60.  I did some experimenting with 4K, and the reality is that it is very slow to work with compared to 1080 and most of the table assets available aren't going to look very good when blown up to that resolution anyway.

4.  You can suggest the content of the video if you want, but don't be surprised if I do something different.  Making these videos often requires a lot of compromise based on what I can find to work with.  In general, my goal is to use as much of the machine's visual assets as possible: the backglass, the table art and plastics, and then sometimes the cabinet art, artwork from the flyer, and in one case I used art from a game's operator's manual.  When I use other assets, I try to find period-appropriate content for videos, photos and music.  Failing that, I just try to do something interesting.

[Zuxiff]

Some suggestions, and forgive me if any exist already for any of these. I'm kind of in the same process as you right now, filling up my front end with tables and media out of the over 3000 files I've individually downloaded over the last year while building my cabinet. Now that I'm done and setting it all up, I underestimated how overwhelming it would be to start with so much 😂 I've kind of just started adding like 10 or so at a time and making sure they work and have media first, then adding a batch and repeat. You'll never get it done if you don't do some organization when you have thousands of files, and especially when you are just starting it out and learning the front end and how media files work, etc.

 

If you want to have the best looking and most presentable front end for all of your tables, set up correctly with media, it's going to take a lot of time and patience. No way around that really. I wish there was a database mass import function in popper so I could just rename, add IPDB info, etc. To all of my tables at once, it would be so much faster... Unless I just missed that feature and couldn't find it, if it's possible someone please let me know!! Thanks.

 

On to my suggestions for loading videos..

 

1. Medieval Madness

2. Lights, camera, action!

3. TX Sector

4. Class of 1812

5. Black Hole 

6. Victory 

7. No good gofers 

8. Firepower vs a.i.

9. Johnny Mnemonic

10. Spirit

11. The Shadow 

12. Fun house 

13. Red and Ted Roadhouse 

14. Roller coaster tycoon 

15. Big buck hunter

 

These are 15 tables that come to mind that I really love. Either I couldn't find a full screen loading video for some of those, or the ones available I personally didn't want to use. If you would be willing to make one for any of those I would appreciate it! 👍

 

Also, I know you said mainly real tables.. but here are 3 originals I thought of quick.

 

1. The Goonies

2. Home Alone 2 w/ pup pack table

3. Diablo by JP Salas

4. World of Warcraft Monopoly by JP

5. Legend of Zelda by JP

6. Death race 2000, big trouble little china, x files, Django, hellraiser, breaking bad. All of these by Balutito, either original or modded tables.

 

Thanks for the request offer, and for making awesome art for this site and Popper front end. Speaking from my perspective, someone who is capable of drawing a stick figure and not much else😂😂 I GREATLY thank you for all you (and all creators in this hobby past and present) do for people like myself.

 

Zuxif

[cerebusk]

1. Medieval Madness

7. No good gofers

9. Johnny Mnemonic

12. Fun house 

13. Red and Ted Roadhouse

14. Roller coaster tycoon

15. Big buck hunter

 

These games all have loading videos already from someone else and I'm personally using one of those.  I'm probably not going to prioritize these since there are so many table that have no loading video at all.

 

3. TX Sector

5. Black Hole

8. Firepower vs a.i.

5. Black Hole

10. Spirit

11. The Shadow 

 

For these tables, I have personally made a loading video that is already available on this site.  In the case of Firepower V.s AI, I've done a couple of different version for the original table, and I wasn't really considering doing a separate version for "Vs. AI".  That being said, I'd be interested to know if you have particular concerns about those videos, if they are in the bucket of "I personally don't want to use".

 

2. Lights, camera, action!

4. Class of 1812

6. Victory

 

 

These are good suggestions and I'll move them up my priority list.  In the case of Class of 1812, I've already started working on this one.  I will probably post it this weekend.

 

As far as the original tables you mention: as I said above, these aren't really a priority for me right now, but I'll keep these tables in mind when I need a break from the mainline work I'm doing.  I can already imagine some interesting things for a Zelda loading video.

[cerebusk]

8 hours ago, Zuxiff said:

Speaking from my perspective, someone who is capable of drawing a stick figure and not much else😂😂

Ha!  I barely have enough coordination to draw stick figures!  The main thing I bring to the table is some amateur-level knowledge about video editing, a little bit of money to spend on nice tools, and a willingness to watch an infinite number of tutorials while googling for useful assets I can remix.

[Zuxiff]

On 2/21/2023 at 12:08 PM, cerebusk said:

1. Medieval Madness

7. No good gofers

9. Johnny Mnemonic

12. Fun house 

13. Red and Ted Roadhouse

14. Roller coaster tycoon

15. Big buck hunter

 

These games all have loading videos already from someone else and I'm personally using one of those.  I'm probably not going to prioritize these since there are so many table that have no loading video at all.

 

3. TX Sector

5. Black Hole

8. Firepower vs a.i.

5. Black Hole

10. Spirit

11. The Shadow 

 

For these tables, I have personally made a loading video that is already available on this site.  In the case of Firepower V.s AI, I've done a couple of different version for the original table, and I wasn't really considering doing a separate version for "Vs. AI".  That being said, I'd be interested to know if you have particular concerns about those videos, if they are in the bucket of "I personally don't want to use".

 

2. Lights, camera, action!

4. Class of 1812

6. Victory

 

 

These are good suggestions and I'll move them up my priority list.  In the case of Class of 1812, I've already started working on this one.  I will probably post it this weekend.

 

As far as the original tables you mention: as I said above, these aren't really a priority for me right now, but I'll keep these tables in mind when I need a break from the mainline work I'm doing.  I can already imagine some interesting things for a Zelda loading video.

Thank you for the very informative and detailed reply! I'll check out all of the ones you mentioned. And I look forward to seeing what you come up with for the 3 your adding to your list! Thanks again,👍

[bushav]

I’ve been looking for a system loading video for my pinballx front end. This is the video that could play while pinballx is loading. Not to be confused with the individual table videos. I once had a static picture of the inside of an old cabinet but have since misplaced that jpeg. On YouTube there is an example of a “matrix” themed pinballx video but no download link. 
 

If you have the time I would appreciate your talent to construct such a video. 

[cerebusk]

For your specific case, I would recommend that you use one of the various YouTube downloaders to get the video you want.  When I'm on a windows machine, I use the browser extension "Yteasy Downloader" in Microsoft Edge.  I just checked and I was able to DL the video called "PinballX Intro Startup Video 3 - Matrix Rain", which is the one I think you are referring to up above.   My guess is that this is how the person that posted the video expects you to get your own copy, even if it isn't officially sanctioned by YouTube.

 

Personally, on my PinUp Popper setup, I am using the old Pinball counting videos from Sesame Street.  I built a script that runs when Popper starts to select one of the 11 different videos (one for each number between 2 and 12).  I use a regular version for the backglass, and then a copy that is muted, cropped and rotated 90 degrees to show on the playfield.  It's a pretty fun effect, but I don't know if something similar is possible on PinballX.

[cerebusk]

Here is my current queue of videos I'm working on:

 

Domino (Gottlieb 1968)

Card Trix (Gottlieb 1970), similar to Flip-a-Card, which I've already done.

Jungle/Jungle King/Jungle Life/Wild Life (Gottlieb 1972, 1973)

Jungle Princess (Gottlieb 1977), this is a mirror image of Jungle Queen, which I've already done.

King Kong (Data East 1990)

City Slicker (Bally 1987)

Firepower II (Williams 1983)

 

[retroseriestv50]

In general, I love all the EM ones...being old they give it a very special touch...I understand that they will be the most difficult to do due to lack of audiovisual material in many cases...

[cerebusk]

10 hours ago, retroseriestv50 said:

In general, I love all the EM ones...being old they give it a very special touch...I understand that they will be the most difficult to do due to lack of audiovisual material in many cases...

I find it really depends on the machine.  A lot of late 60's and early 70's machines have clean, simple artwork that can be very easy to work with.  Sometimes, the hardest thing usually is trying to figure out how to make stuff work in a9x16 aspect ratio.  Other times, the artwork itself is confounding.  For example, I keep looking at the backglass for Corsario and then just going on to work on something else.  It's got a lot of issues that make it hard to do a video: the available backglass photos are low resolution, the main character is not in a 9x16-friendly pose, and a lot of the elements overlap.  There is no easy way to cut the title out of the picture.

 

 

[retroseriestv50]

You are incredible...you do real wonders with the little material you find...I try to thank you in all the uploads because I imagine the great work that it entails...every time you upload one you make my day

 

[Bertone]

Please make cool Loading Videos to Ghostbusters and Aliens