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Judge Dredd WIP


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Hi all,

So this is my first attempt to colourise a file, i previously built a PIN2DMD for a flintstones but had to sell it before i could start the project. Now a few years later i have a real JD pinball machine. I thought i would post here first as althoug i am working on a real machine there seems to be the best knowledge here and most active projects :)

So i have been learning the program and the process after reading and watching videos but still get stuck so hopefully someone can help? I have been working away for a couple of weeks i undersatand cutting scenes and colouring them but keyframes are still a bit hit and miss and i could do with some assistance. Currently using 64 colour editor and have 4.07 on my pin2dmd & running the L1-AT  deadworld locking ring  ROM in my machine

I have  got the attract sequencce working well using a mix of CM, replace and palette switching. This is what i worked on first to learn the process. It is not the best as the shifting background on the high scores makes the colour mask on the dynamic scenes harder to accomadate names/scores, but its a start! this works well in the machine and displays properly.

Supergame.gif       JD.gif

yellow-button.gif       GC.gif

Now i have started on the regular game (still supergame to dump too!) and made good process with the colouring of scenes, i havent cut all of them yet and during testing have found ones i have missed so need to record them too.

multiball.gif        Ball-lock.gif

drive-by-2.gif

 

So this is where i am finding isues with getting keyframes to work relaiably, lots of them work well like the ball lock and the "judge" drop target scenes. Currently my biggest issue is with the Drive-by at the end, in CM mode it seems to overlay the previous mask on the next scene so leaving a ghosting effect, when split up into replace (as in the gif above) the colours work well but the timimg is out then the CM match score has the same lingering old mask issue. I have tried the CM sequence & the Replace sequence set hash thingy but it then just gets stuck on the first frame and never moves on :(

Looking to see if someone more knowlegable in the process can look at the project or help me understand what is going wrong??

  • I dont think i fully understand they keyframe process with diffrent hash layers and the triggering process (when should i set the hash? on the 1st frame that has any of the detail/scene that i want to colour?)
  • Does the Colour mask secquence & replace sequence mode work properly? or am i messing up the selection of which hash to use?
  • If you change the mode is there a way to update the keyframe or do you have to delete the old one and create an new one?

To me there seems to be a lot of complicated scenes in JD that may cause me issue like the "warning for smoking/jail scenes" as they fade in and out a lot so would love to understand the process now before continuing so i cut the scenes correctly :)

My plan would be to release this wheen i get a bit more done so other people can use it but it might be a bit slow as i have to work around job, family life and house renovation :) any advice welcome!

Cheers

Loz

P.S sorry about thee long post :)

 

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I tinkered with this over a year ago because I own a JD as well. I got a few of the attract scenes done and that was it. I can't even remember how I did them.

All I can do at this point is provide you with encouragement and support. I'm sure some of the experts here can provide you with better guidance!

Good luck!

 

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First off, awesome work so far. It looks fantastic in 64 colours! 

Have you watched @NetzZwerg Video on Youtube here: PIN2DMD Editor | Basic Tutorial by Martin Knoppke

It has a great overview of cutting and keyframing scenes for WPC which will apply to Judge Dredd.

I have only started colouring so I think it is best to wait for the experts to reply. In the meantime I can give you some pointers from what I have gathered from the tutorials I have read to see if you can push forward while you wait for other input.

19 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

I dont think i fully understand they keyframe process with diffrent hash layers and the triggering process (when should i set the hash? on the 1st frame that has any of the detail/scene that i want to colour?)

From the video, you want to look for a frame/hash that has a longer delay. So the first couple of frames will have a short delay and will be the transitional frames and then maybe the 3rd frame will have a longer delay and have a clear image with a more concrete hash. The ball lock hash that works well for you probably has a concrete hash that appears every time which is great. You can use this to reliably trigger that sequence. What you can also do is find the same sequence in your dump at a later stage and check that scenes frames to see if the hash is the same as your previous one. 
I even create a dump that is just a few sections over and over to determine if there are different hashes for the same scene to be triggered. I don't know if this is the right way but it has helped me narrow down the set of hashes I needed for the sequence.

Some frames can be tricky so instead of just going off a frame/hash you may need to use a detection mask to trigger the sequence. You only get 25 masks so you need to use them carefully. I actually went back and re created mine so I could use them with multiple scenes to make better use out of these.  Read up on detection masks before you start creating and relying on them.

I had to watch the video by Martin multiple times because each time I tried a technique I would go back and watch again to understand what was actually happening. I also found the guide here: Pin2dmd Getting Started very helpful and easy to read.

 

19 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

Does the Colour mask secquence & replace sequence mode work properly? or am i messing up the selection of which hash to use?

I believe these require you to assign a hash to each individual frame for it to work correctly.

 

19 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

To me there seems to be a lot of complicated scenes in JD that may cause me issue like the "warning for smoking/jail scenes" as they fade in and out a lot so would love to understand the process now before continuing so i cut the scenes correctly :)

If you are unsure you can always cut a bit more than you need and remove the unwanted frames later. That way you don't have to wait to start cutting and colouring. You can even try them and see how they sync up and that can even help you determine what you actually need. if you have your bookmarks set you can always go back and do it again. 

 

19 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

If you change the mode is there a way to update the keyframe or do you have to delete the old one and create an new one?

There was recently a feature added that allows you to update a keyframe without deleting it but what you are asking is to allow to update the keyframes "mode" which could be possible and would save SO much time! @lucky1 Is this possible to add as a feature to the editor or is this a limitation? Would be a great feature to add.

If you get something working on your machine and need help testing, there are many people here who have original machines who could help with videos, reports and even dumps. Sadly I sold my JD last year but I will follow your project and try help when I can. 

Oh before I forget, there are some Easter eggs in JD that are accessed by holding down the red buttons during the scene. I won't tell you what they do, but keep them held as the animation plays and you will get a little extra Easter egg.
Press the red buttons when... 
...you shoot the Sniper Tower to recollect the value and the sniper smacks into a wire fence. 
...the Safecracker guy opens the safe and smiles. 
...Judge Dredd speaks into a C.B. and tells you to "get the Extra Ball". (Thanks to Cows & Easter Eggs)

Keep up the great work and keep us updated with your progress.

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48 minutes ago, Terranigma said:
20 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

Does the Colour mask secquence & replace sequence mode work properly? or am i messing up the selection of which hash to use?

I believe these require you to assign a hash to each individual frame for it to work correctly.

It works correctly but might get out of sync on fast frame changes. That is why it is rarely used.

49 minutes ago, Terranigma said:
20 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

If you change the mode is there a way to update the keyframe or do you have to delete the old one and create an new one?

There was recently a feature added that allows you to update a keyframe without deleting it but what you are asking is to allow to update the keyframes "mode" which could be possible and would save SO much time! @lucky1 Is this possible to add as a feature to the editor or is this a limitation? Would be a great feature to add.

Change the mode and then click "fix Palette and mode" and choose scene as source. Depending on your project size it may take a while to update all keyframes.

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Thanks for the comments so far. The @NetzZwerg video is like my bible for this project, sooo useffull to undersand the process.

 

19 hours ago, lucky1 said:

Change the mode and then click "fix Palette and mode" and choose scene as source. Depending on your project size it may take a while to update all keyframes.

Ahh amazing, tried this last night works a charm, just give it time to work and not panic that it has crashed :) Thanks so much this will save me some time

 

Another question for the experts, What is the best way to name scenes to the appear in the scene tree correctly/chronologically? (i.e my next step to try and fix my issues was to split a animation scene into individual single frames so i can trigger each one individually to see if this helps. So the animation i broke down had like 30 frames whiuch then get named xxxxx_1, xxxxx_2, xxxx_3 etc but then when you sort the scene box scenes 11 to 19 appear before scene 2) is there a way to make the editor understand number signicicance during sorting? not a major issue it is just my ocd way of trying to plan and align :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
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another little update, still working on colouring scenes which i think i have mastered now and starting to get to grips with keyframing. the process is staring to make more sense now had a few issues with repeating frames in scenes which caused the whole animation to restart from the begining so had to split them up into multiple scenes! loads of bit working on real pins but lots still not triggering but i think i know what i need to try. Each time i try it out i see more animations i have missed so need to make a new dump. progress is slow this week as i am doing house diy and planning decking project so the machine is covered up and used as a table currently ? but will get back on it asap.

https://s4.gifyu.com/images/Safecracker-1.gif

Seem to have troubble adding GIF in the new site so not sure if the above works!

 

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On 2/26/2021 at 8:08 PM, Lozpeters said:

Another question for the experts, What is the best way to name scenes to the appear in the scene tree correctly/chronologically? (i.e my next step to try and fix my issues was to split a animation scene into individual single frames so i can trigger each one individually to see if this helps. So the animation i broke down had like 30 frames whiuch then get named xxxxx_1, xxxxx_2, xxxx_3 etc but then when you sort the scene box scenes 11 to 19 appear before scene 2) is there a way to make the editor understand number signicicance during sorting? not a major issue it is just my ocd way of trying to plan and alig

Totally forgot to reply to this but if you haven't worked it out yet, name the single digits with a 0 (zero) before them. So 01, 02, etc 

Keep up the great work!

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20 hours ago, dzorbas said:

If you need someone to do some testing for you, let me know. I have a pin2dmd installed in my JD. I'd love to help you out wherever I can!

 

Yeah that would be great give me a bit longer to sort some more keyframes out. Ideally I can get the bulk of the main stuff working then will share it with you :)

basically I am in the keyframe process of finding out what works, then splitting scenes to indivually triggering them! The transition scenes makes it a bit of a pain but i am slowly making progress! The more I test and play the more little bits I find i have missed in the dump

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5 hours ago, Lozpeters said:

Yeah that would be great give me a bit longer to sort some more keyframes out. Ideally I can get the bulk of the main stuff working then will share it with you :)

basically I am in the keyframe process of finding out what works, then splitting scenes to indivually triggering them! The transition scenes makes it a bit of a pain but i am slowly making progress! The more I test and play the more little bits I find i have missed in the dump

I'm ready whenever you are!

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  • 1 month later...
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its been a while but i have been working away on this! started the Supergame bits

meltdown.gif

 

jam-acid.gif

 

jam-axe.gif

 

Just submitted the Vpin files to the download area for people to have a go with https://vpuniverse.com/forums/files/file/6305-judge-dredd-jd/. If you try it out please let me know any suggestions/issues etc. Its not 100% complete but thought it would be good to get it out there for people to try 😁

 

One of the main issues i am trying to work out is the car chase scene and how to colour when the car gets shot and you miss or exploed the car, i think i might have to use colour mask layed mode but dont understand it yet so any advice or help would be much apreciate!

Cheers

Loz

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  • 5 months later...
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Hey all, 

Unfortunately I haven't had any time to work on this due to family stuff, finishing off house bits to sell our house, a project car and now selling up and moving into a new renovation house I also don't think it will get time in the near future to finish this off :(

 

I have uploaded the real pin files to the download area so anyone who wants this are welcome to use them.

 

If anyone is interested in carrying on the project please drop me a message and maybe we can work something out. If not maybe I will get back to it some time next year when things calm down

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  • 2 weeks later...
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On 12/10/2021 at 1:52 AM, Lozpeters said:

Hey all, 

Unfortunately I haven't had any time to work on this due to family stuff, finishing off house bits to sell our house, a project car and now selling up and moving into a new renovation house I also don't think it will get time in the near future to finish this off :(

 

I have uploaded the real pin files to the download area so anyone who wants this are welcome to use them.

 

If anyone is interested in carrying on the project please drop me a message and maybe we can work something out. If not maybe I will get back to it some time next year when things calm down

 

Hey there, I sent you a few messages over the months but never got a reply. It would be great to share the project as I am sure someone will be able to finish it. Get in contact with me if you can.

 

Thanks

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  • 3 months later...

Hello,

Trying to contact (through VPUniverse message) Laurent for Real Pin colorization, but unfortunatwly without any success till now. Has somebody a mail address (not VPUniverse message) or a phone number to contact him ? 

Many thanks for your help. 

 

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  • 3 months later...

The files that were floating around were okay at best. It was a work in progress. Seems no one wants to try to complete this. I have a JD and I've considered doing it myself but I have way too much on my plate these days. I'd be happy to assist if you decide to take this on.

 

Good luck!

 

Dino Z.

 

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  • 6 months later...

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