What does Planetside trailer need?

[NewSith]

Well, I was watching some video game trailers tonight (mostly, because I got bored) and an idea to compare them to current planetside trailers jumped into my mind. I tried to realise why 2nd trailer was more appealing than the first one.

So what I noticed in short, priority as follows:
PlanetSide 2 gameplay trailer needs (based on the last semi-trailer):

Adrenalizing music (I hope both SOE and DFmusic read THIS (http://www.planetside-universe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36458) thread)
Heavy fighting scenes (where you can't really tell what's what)
Slightly more Michael Bay at night
More 1st person
Much more actual kills
HUD
Less non-action cameras (with all due respect @Higby)
More variety of weapons and vehicles
Video editing effects, transitions with unique style, not just default ones


General improvements over the first trailer (everything below increased the trailer's pacing what IMO made it more mellow, reflecting the pacing of the game itself):

Frequent shift of scenery (day/night, tanks/aircraft, battlefield/base etc)
Shorter clip times
First person fighting for real, not just shooting


This is just analysis, nothing more. I understand perfectly that how the game was is not how the game is. But I hope my snobbism will help PS art and PR team to make a spectacular beta/launch trailer.

[Xaine]

I think it would be cool if the next trailer told a story.

For example. You see a squad of infantry advancing on an enemy position, then you see one of the squad killed by a sniper sitting in a building. The Sniper is then killed by a cloaker, who is then killed by a Max, who is killed by a tank, who is killed by Aircav, which is shot down by someone in the squad you see at the start.

Shows the scale, variety and general awesomeness across the whole battlefield. With some narrative woven in to give some immersion, rather than just scenes of people being blown up.

[Aractain]

What would sell the games unique strongpoints would be a several minuet video just flying over the world. Uncut, no fades, no tricks. Just a massive open persistent battlefield. Show off different types of combat on the way but make it very clear that this is NOT just another shooter.

[Raymac]

Us...in beta...waging a battle larger than anyone imagined possible.

[Vash02]

I'm thinking having 16/32/64 people on screen to show the most players standard FPS games can have and then have the full cont crowd into shot and say this is what PS2 can do.
Short and to the point. Get that "oh shi!" factor going.

And then the VS can have a fireworks party.

[Sirisian]

I'm thinking having 16/32/64 people on screen to show the most players standard FPS games can have and then have the full cont crowd into shot and say this is what PS2 can do.
My idea exactly. :lol: Was thinking earlier how cool it would be showing two people fighting then zooming up as more people are fighting then tanks and then planes and galaxies with like 500 people. Then zooming to an in game map showing multiple such battles. Or just zoom across the continent showing the battles are on one map.

A big thing. Weather effects. Show snow or grass or something change across the continent. I think people have seen enough games using the desert canyon look.

[Figment]

Copied from another thread, my idea for what a proper trailer should include:


PS2 trailers should simply show utterly massive scale. Instead of zooming IN to the fight like in the previous trailer, start small with infantry vs infantry, then a tank crushes some of them, which then gets crushed by aircraft, which get shot down again. Zoom out to show this scene to be a tiny part of a base assault. You could show the calling by a commander for an orbital strike. Then you see the satelite target and zoom to the map location (like in previous trailer) see it position and aim 'Golden Eye' style and see it go off on a fortified CY entrance for instance. >.> Then have an armada of tanks and troops move in on the base, as defenders rush to defend the breach. Hell, you could end the trailer with a full scale ambush backstab assault from an overlooking hill by the third empire.

Zoom further out from there, show the bigger battlefield overview between the three empires of people fighting not in just say a canyon over a tower, but over the base, the countryside, the entire continent! And then zoom out again, showing the world full of continents and ask where the viewer's loyalties are.

Something like that... Just make it look so incredibly epic and give a good sense of the massiveness of the battles, that people want to see more and simply can't even begin to compare it with smaller scale FPS games. :P

If you show say the fight over just a few grids - show the actual battle for that area spanning multiple hexes on the map and link it to the map itself - and then show the map size and then the other continents, that should give a very decent impression.

Variety in classes/roles and vehicles being used in these fights is also important.

[Elude]

I think a trailer should first display the three different factions idling around or preparing for battle in the environment then as the music starts to pick up switch to showing how customizable the game is by showing off perhaps turn tables of different build orders ranging from vehicles to individual players.

When the music hits its climax kick into the action with some awesome infantry battles followed by more armored battles and then into the skies with air battles, then nearing the end it should start displaying all types of battles simultaneously in action against each other while the battle grows, and grows in size until the Planetside 2 logo eventually hits.

I think this is a really basic trailer and it really shows what the game is about.

[Brusi]

TITTIES

[Bags]

I'm thinking having 16/32/64 people on screen to show the most players standard FPS games can have and then have the full cont crowd into shot and say this is what PS2 can do.
Short and to the point. Get that "oh shi!" factor going.

And then the VS can have a fireworks party.

>Start off with 32 vs 32 fight
>slowly zoom out
>more and more people fighting

[Tasorin]

Blow and Strippers.

Actual game footage in first person at full speed. Basically it's time to get in the Alpha build and shoot a commercial. Maybe even some guest appearances from some of the story line players to set up the action scenes.

[Crazyduckling]

brb. early class cancelled tomorrow. looks like i'm staying up late making a trailer.

i'll post progress as im working on it somewhere...

how about in the lounge!

[acosmo]

Us...in beta...waging a battle larger than anyone imagined possible.

hubris

[Agentdeath]

How about an actual base assault?

Zoom in from a Mossie bombardment run as one of the missiles. Camera man turns around to find a NC squad leader with a battalion of tanks behind the gate shield yelling at to the leader of the back door assault team to destroy the enemy generator.

=> Camera transitions over to the backdoor assault leader.

Start out with a squad of 12 against however many. Camera man is the door hacker, opens the door, turns, BAM gets blasted by TR rocket launcher.
Point of view turns into the squad leader pushing through the back door towards the gate shield generator ( http://flickcabin.com/public/view/full/133494 Top right corner states that it has its own) lose troops on the way, epic inner base combat with the only remaining troop of the assault team making it to the Gate's generator to blow it, he gets shot/stabbed in the back by a VS cloaker whom comes into view.

POV stays in the dying NC trooper looking up to the VS whom announces into his radio that his team should commence the assault before he caps the last of the NC and deactivates the generator.

Camera transitions outside to the NC battalion of tanks cheering as the gate dropping, only to be over ran by the surprise VS tank battalion that was hiding on the hills above.

Includes all three factions, ground forces, outside combat, cloaker, air combat, communication, inner base combat and VS epic-ness. Everything an intro needs.

[Radant-J]

Things I need:

Actors
Three days of Beta access


Trailer status:
CGI/Voice Acting/Effects/Music/Script all completed
We've been working since March 2011 =)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/Radant/Image6.jpg

[Crator]

^^^ Sweet!

[acosmo]

Things I need:

Actors
Three days of Beta access


Trailer status:
CGI/Voice Acting/Effects/Music/Script all completed
We've been working since March 2011 =)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/Radant/Image6.jpg

omgomgogmogmogm sign me up /fanboy

[Vash02]

I'm in if i get beta access.

[Radant-J]

Added, I'll do the main recruitment right before the beta~

[Lonehunter]

I think PS2's trailer needs to hi-lite the thing that makes it so different from every other FPS, the scale.

I'd like to see a battle scene with 12 people fighting. Then it zooms out to show 32, then 64, then 100. Then it shows a top down view of the whole continent with all the hot spots (or some other indicator of a hundred+ battle)

[cellinaire]

With over 200+ flying vehicles soaring through cloud layers and 200+ tanks advancing through ravine in their way to enemy bases. Of course, at least one soldier in 1st-person view have to witness these two scenes while running. :D

and Hackney's soul-tearing gaze. Oh sweet...

[sylphaen]

If you need more actors Radant, I'm willing to help out.

[Brusi]

Added, I'll do the main recruitment right before the beta~

lol, what a gee up Radant! Count me in for sure

[Bags]

I'd love to be a part of that.

[Crazyduckling]

Done.

I wanted to make this as action packed as possible. There's only about 30 seconds of footage in this trailer, and you would not believe how difficult it was to get this to flow with the limited amount that we have bee given.

That being said, I think this helps combine the best of the two official videos into one.

Planetside 2 Trailer - YouTube

[Raymac]

Damn, Crazyduck! Kick ass!!!

[acosmo]

Added, I'll do the main recruitment right before the beta~

uguu~

[Hamma]

Awesome nice work! :D

[EVILoHOMER]

It needs to advertise the scope of the game and make sure people know it's a seamless GIANT FPS with a thousand or however many people they're planning in one battle.

It needs to get that across more than anything so people don't think it's like any other FPS but with worse graphics.

[EVILoHOMER]

Done.

I wanted to make this as action packed as possible. There's only about 30 seconds of footage in this trailer, and you would not believe how difficult it was to get this to flow with the limited amount that we have bee given.

That being said, I think this helps combine the best of the two official videos into one.

Planetside 2 Trailer - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzWRjwwJSCU)



Problem is it doesn't get any scope across because the footage doesn't exist.

[Miir]

The answer is simple. A Planetside trailer needs PEOPLE. A lot of them. Probably the main selling feature of Planetside is its massive scale. Take that away and it's pretty much just another run of the mill FPS game. So they really need to focus on large scale everything.

Super size me.

Nice work on the video CrazyDuck.

[Espion]

I don't want to see a montage when I watch a trailer. I want to be left with that epic "what happens next?" feeling at the end. Good trailers have a story/plot/intro/climax like any other real piece of entertainment. EVE trailers are probably the best example. I don't find the game fun at all but I could watch those trailers all day.


Take Marv's stories and turn them into trailers. Or have him write something specific for a trailer.



The answer is simple. A Planetside trailer needs PEOPLE. A lot of them. Probably the main selling feature of Planetside is its massive scale. Take that away and it's pretty much just another run of the mill FPS game. So they really need to focus on large scale everything.

You can't really do that with a game like PS. There's too much going on, a trailer can never capture enough of it to really give a clear picture of what's actually happening. The best part about Planetside's scale was how it was really just a collection of smaller fights interacting in realtime. One fight, no matter how small, always impacted the other fights (whether it was a gen, a door, a stairwell, a hill, a bridge, etc)

So start there. Follow 1 player, or 1 squad/outfit, and focus on how epic their fight is. Then branch out at the end and show how they're affecting the game for 100s of other people at the same time.

[Elude]

I disagree Espion that entirely is based on the games goal. Mass effect obviously would have a trailer showing off its story, but a game like planetside which in my opinion is much more about the gameplay would need a more gameplay demonstrated trailer.

I can't really think of anyone who would be interested in PS2's story other than the fans of the original, no offense to anyone but it's just not that interesting in comparisons to other games to me. Truthfully I find even Unreal Tournament to have a better plot and that game is almost entirely focused on gameplay.

[NewSith]

I can't really think of anyone who would be interested in PS2's story other than the fans of the original, no offense to anyone but it's just not that interesting in comparisons to other games to me. Truthfully I find even Unreal Tournament to have a better plot and that game is almost entirely focused on gameplay.

Why so? I disagree. DCUO is a good example. I seriously doubt that more than half of people there play it for storyline. Yet everyone fell in love with cinematic trailers they had there.

[Espion]

I disagree Espion that entirely is based on the games goal. Mass effect obviously would have a trailer showing off its story, but a game like planetside which in my opinion is much more about the gameplay would need a more gameplay demonstrated trailer.

I can't really think of anyone who would be interested in PS2's story other than the fans of the original, no offense to anyone but it's just not that interesting in comparisons to other games to me. Truthfully I find even Unreal Tournament to have a better plot and that game is almost entirely focused on gameplay.

I don't think you really understood what I wrote. I meant story as in the story you would tell a friend about something cool that happened to your yesterday. As apposed to just showing him a series of random pictures you took over the last week.


I can't see them ever going with a message like "this game is so big you'll get completely lost in it." But a message like "watch how working with just 5/10/20 other people you can influence 1000s of other people's games" sounds much more badass, and that's basically how PS1 played out anyway

[Elude]

Why so? I disagree. DCUO is a good example. I seriously doubt that more than half of people there play it for storyline. Yet everyone fell in love with cinematic trailers they had there.

I'm not arguing that it would make a bad trailer, I'm just suggesting that it would be a better way to demonstrate the game without the need for people to research into it.

Of course you can make a good trailer regardless of what it's about, I mean I found the StarCraft 2 trailer presented itself really well without the need of any particular story tied to it or even gameplay.

I don't think you really understood what I wrote. I meant story as in the story you would tell a friend about something cool that happened to your yesterday. As apposed to just showing him a series of random pictures you took over the last week.


I can't see them ever going with a message like "this game is so big you'll get completely lost in it." But a message like "watch how working with just 5/10/20 other people you can influence 1000s of other people's games" sounds much more badass, and that's basically how PS1 played out anyway

Oh absolutely I wouldn't want a compilation of random clips either, I would rather have gameplay footage building into something kind of like EVE's butterfly effect trailer.

Sorry I misunderstood.

[Miir]

Planetside moments are what made the game great. At least for someone that has played the game. But these trailers I assume are for getting new customers. For the person that never played the original. So regardless what you show they need to understand what makes the game great and different from other FPS games.

So far I like Basti's idea having one battle filmed from a bunch of different angles and then putting it altogether so people can view the same fight from a bunch of different roles. It seems like it will be a good way to film the overall Planetside experience.

Actually come to think of it. Since PS2 is free to play I'm pretty sure that they won't need to market this as much. People will just come in try it and either like it or won't.

So maybe all a Planetside 2 trailer needs is a slogan like "The price for Freedom has never been better!" Try Planetside 2 now for free :)

[SKYeXile]

I don't want to see a montage when I watch a trailer. I want to be left with that epic "what happens next?" feeling at the end. Good trailers have a story/plot/intro/climax like any other real piece of entertainment. EVE trailers are probably the best example. I don't find the game fun at all but I could watch those trailers all day.


Take Marv's stories and turn them into trailers. Or have him write something specific for a trailer.





You can't really do that with a game like PS. There's too much going on, a trailer can never capture enough of it to really give a clear picture of what's actually happening. The best part about Planetside's scale was how it was really just a collection of smaller fights interacting in realtime. One fight, no matter how small, always impacted the other fights (whether it was a gen, a door, a stairwell, a hill, a bridge, etc)

So start there. Follow 1 player, or 1 squad/outfit, and focus on how epic their fight is. Then branch out at the end and show how they're affecting the game for 100s of other people at the same time.

you can capture the massiveness of PS in a singletrailer let me show you how.

VS and NC are fighting in the courtyard of Bitol, we're focused on a Heavy infantry, it leads a push out, kills afew people, the NC are now outside the courtyard, the HA goes to a terminal and swap to enginner, he lays some mines out the front of the courtyard, and shoots a lone NC cloaker.

He then goes back into the base and pulls a scythe, upon doing that he turns to looks where his mines were placed as a Vanguard rolls over them and explodes. He flys out, heading towards Ixtab, over couloums of mags fighting vanguards and infantry supporting them, the scythe banks to the right towards Ixtab tower to break a lockon, at Ixtab tower there are 3 TR gals baling people into it. the scyth then flys low, along the waterline from xtab tower to acan where massive amounts of TR are coming up the road. the scythe stays low and comes up onto Acan bridge. it comes up behind a prowlers and blasts it with rockets form behind. the scythe heads towards Voltan where the VS aare there fighting off more TR. the scythe is forced to bail on the base, the player goes in and exchanges his engi for a sniper loadout and then picks off afew TR before a massive amount of TR air rise from over the direction of Acan, blocking out the sun, screen goes black.

you could also have the player die at a point at the end or start and feature a medic ressing him and then later on at the end when the TR skeeters fly upto voltan have a whole bunch of TR light assaults fly onto the wall first.

[Thoreaux]

It should be cinematic. It does not need to be in-engine, although using hi-rez art assets from the game makes sense. It should be balls-to-the-wall action and carnage, but should be well-paced, and should tell a story. If the devs need inspiration, go watch any ww2 movie and shamelessly copy from it.

Since I like creative writing, here's how it would play out if I had my way:

The camera fades in... to an NC trooper in light armor, sitting inside a galaxy. He looks nervous; he's checking his equipment and taking deep breaths.

*pan out*

The inside of the galaxy is illuminated by a dim red light, we can see other soldiers sitting in two rows facing each other, against the opposite sides of the dropship. No one is speaking, the only sound is the steady hum of the engines.

*back to our nameless hero*

He's looking up at something overhead, his hands holding his gauss rifle upright in his lap. The camera switches to show us... the red drop-light that he's watching.

*pan out*

The galaxy shakes slightly, muffled thudding sounds can be heard coming from the outside. All of the troops inside are swayed by the turbulence. We see a few quick shots of people looking around nervously; all are sweating. One soldier has his helmet off, wiping his forehead.

*back to the hero*

He is sitting up straight, and has his eyes closed; he's hugging his rifle to his chest. He looks determined, his jaw clenched.

*back to the light again*

*back to the hero*

*back to the light, up close. Now it nearly fills the screen*

A harsh buzzing alarm suddenly breaks the silence, the light turns green.

The camera focuses back on the soldier, still in the same pose. Suddenly there's a loud mechanical noise and a rush of air as he falls backwards, and is thrown out the side of the galaxy, into the night sky. The camera follows him. We briefly see the stars, with two strange-looking moons hanging low in the sky, making it clear that we aren't in Kansas anymore...

He's free-falling now, and we get a top down view of a TR base, obviously under heavy attack. Yellow NC tracers are firing towards it from two sides. Red TR tracers are firing back out at the NC positions. Bright explosions bloom in random places.

We see his helmet visor blink, then the view shifts inside his helmet, and we see a blue diamond appear over the outer wall of the base.

OBJECTIVE - Breach outer walls.

Another diamond pops up, slightly further into the base.

OBJECTIVE - Disable base generator.

A final diamond appears over the heart of the base.

OBJECTIVE - Capture command console.

With a bright blue glow from his armor he suddenly slows down enough to land on his feet. He staggers as he hits the ground, fumbles his rifle briefly, then recovers and runs forward. He dives, rolls, and puts his back against a large rock.

He's right in the thick of it, bullets and shells are flying everywhere. He looks around to assess his situation. Now we're shown various mechanics of the game. A medic is crouched over a wounded soldier, who has one hand clutching his abdomen. A commander has one hand to his earpiece, screaming something unintelligible while his other hand is wildly firing his pistol in the enemy's general direction. An engineer finishes assembling a turret, jumps into it and starts firing. A buggy jumps a hill, letting off a few rockets, then suddenly is hit by something and explodes violently.

*back to the hero*

He ducks slightly, as a flaming tire from the unlucky buggy bounces over him. We suddenly hear a whirring mechanical noise, the sound of hydraulics, and heavy stomps, obviously coming closer.

*the camera pans up above the soldier*

We see a large metal hand come smack down on top of the rock he's hiding behind. Our hero quickly lunges away from the rock. The MAX suit's other arm slashes an enormous chainsaw through the air, just missing him.

The camera follows him as he runs through some trees; which are being ripped to shreds by the max suit's chain-gun. An ominous red laser is following him as he runs, and bullets are whizzing all around him. A TR rexo holding an mcg steps into his path from behind a tree. The enemy doesn't notice him, and is already firing at something else. Still running, he shoulders his gauss and drops the TR soldier with a quick burst, then vaults over the dead terran's corpse and keeps running.

*the camera looks back to the max suit*

The MAX suit is standing with one knee on the rock, one arm slowly tracking the hero and spewing bullets in his direction; determined to kill him. NC bullets are pinging hopelessly off of the suit's armor, then... *BOOM*, a tank shell hits the max square in the chest and sends it flying backwards.

*the camera pans to the side*

We see a vanguard rolling forwards, advancing toward the enemy.

*the camera rises above the tank and we see a convoy of tanks behind it*

Several soldiers fall-in alongside the tank, including our hero. All of them keep firing as they jog alongside of it. The momentum of the battle is clearly shifting, the NC are advancing toward main gate.

*END SCENE*

----------------------------------

I could do more of this, but it's been a long day. I'll spoil it by telling you how it ends:

NC celebrate their victory within the base walls. The holograms change to display the NC logo. The first rays of the morning sunrise peek over a hill.

Then, trouble. Numerous red dots flash on the command display, advancing from the west. It's the TR counter-attack. NC troops scramble to man battlestations. They pull dead terran troops out of turret seats and jump into them.

Then, more trouble. Purple dots appear to the east. We see a shot of scythes and purple galaxies emerging from the clouds. Some of the NC scramble to the east wall, but they are now clearly stretched thin.

Now we see a bird's eye view, with TR and VS converging on the base from both sides. The camera jumps back further, we see that both sides have massive numbers of planes and vehicles racing towards the base. Just as they get into firing range....

Blackness.

PS2 logo.

Release date.

SOE, you have my permission to use all of that. I won't sue.