Grimm

Points: 1,541, Level: 23

Activity: 78.8%

That's the idea.

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hitscan prefire

wanderrful

Points: 5,659, Level: 51

Activity: 0%

yeah that's exactly what i was thinking when i read kermit's comment there. i was confused though so i didn't post because i thought my wording would be a little too harsh... so kudos on how you handled that one!

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

There won't be one of these this week. If this leaves a void in your tf2 viewing, find a part of a previous episode where I say something about an uber and positioning, put it on loop, then watch one of the 5-4 yukon games. Or watch tgbf -- if anyone's already gotten through all of those shows I envy the amount of time you have. We'll pick back up next week.

extine

Points: 11,813, Level: 75

Activity: 25.0%

Thx for the coverage Sigma. The more the merrier. Yea peeps, check out the VOD TGBF.tv casts, eXtv, and Pwnage.tv even got in on a lil tf2 as well. I especially like the first few minutes of LeoGeo's cast between CAD and eXpertise, check it out to see what I mean.

wanderrful

Points: 5,659, Level: 51

Activity: 0%

i heard him say it too man -- was a great Freudian slip. it means he wants you.

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

Episode 6 is out. This time, breather, jestr and I take a look at detox vs VG from the lower-bracket ESEA-O playoffs on cp_gravelpit. Download here or from the OP.

Also, if someone wants to advertise for me on the front page, I'd appreciate the coverage!

GrieVe

Points: 80, Level: 1

Activity: 51.5%

Really cool stuff. I've considered doing stuff like this before, I wasn't aware some others were already doing it. Keep up the good work

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

Episode 7 is up now [DOWNLOAD] I know everyone is burnt out after watching all of those LAN games, but if you're still up for some more TF2, I bring you a European badlands match.

This time on Focus Fire, Jestr, Breather and I take a look at another match from across the pond. From the ESH Sennheiser Challenge Final, we have TCM vs idk in a tight game on badlands. The playstyle of both teams here is surprisingly passive, but the game is good nonetheless. Just remember — never gg until it’s actually impossible to cap last!

Also, thanks to orz for offering to host our casts. They're chill people with a cool site -- check it out!

pfft

Points: 475, Level: 9

Activity: 3.0%

Thnx again, always looking forward to another episode.

thundeer

Points: 1,227, Level: 20

Activity: 11.8%

Whoo! Get these gentlemen a spot on the front page of commFT :D Looking forward to when (if?) you guys do a ESEA playoff match, to provide a little more indepth look beyond all the pickaxes and airshots that wowed everyone during the casts.

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Jesus

Points: 4,136, Level: 43

Activity: 5.9%

They have had one, if they'd like though I'm sure they'd get a link to their stuff right next to the Top 10. Just need to ask Jinn.

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Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

Yeah, I'm in the process of talking to Graham about this. I'll probably be posting future episodes on the front page.

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

Episode 8 of Focus Fire is here, this time bringing some action from the ESEA-I LAN playoffs. Start with some viaduct, add a pinch of EG and a dash of Blight, then sprinkle equalizer kills on top. Let cool and serve with a side of headshots. Check out this intense back-and-forth match, with commentary from Jestr, Breather, and yours truly.

Download

JonDigweed

Points: 4,269, Level: 44

Activity: 25.0%

I want to offer two suggestions:

1) How is this recorded? Sometimes I hear keyboard strokes LOL and if you are going to tease us you might as well throw in lip smacks and weird swallowing noises. But seriously maybe you can look at your mic situation a little bit because you guys are so professional-sounding otherwise.

2) Has youtube been an a consideration of yours? I do love the sentiment of this accompanying a demo but I was watching G-Mang's cast on youtube the other day and the process was remarkably easy.

As it stands you are targeting competitive players only (which is what you're probably going for), but I think if you were to somehow do one episode on youtube as an off-shoot, you'd generate a lot of interest. Right now, even though I'm a fan of the show, I do have to set aside time for Focus Fire. Whereas I can eat my lunch and watch it at the same time if it were streaming.

Anyway some thoughts from the viewer-side of things. Can't wait to check out the coverage on ESEA when I get home.

extine

Points: 11,813, Level: 75

Activity: 25.0%

I'd be more than willing to discuss things with you Sigma if you need help working source recorder. I've only listened to one Focus Fire, enjoyed it, and see hows its a lot easier than doing a full recording, but a full recording offers some definite advantages as Jon mentions.

Your audio method is super quick, as you just need to get your casting crew together and sync your clips. However the user has to control the demo themselves and do the camerawork. G-Mang was using FRAPS (I believe, didn't talk with him directly but thats what it looked like) which is quicker, but has inconsistent quality.

The Source Recorder method is definitely more time consuming as the footage must be processed and edited. Once a cut is together, you can export it and deliver it to your broadcast partners, watching it together and recording audio. I'm looking to bring in more community involvment with eXtv, will have some blog posts up sometime about that, and would be willing to guide you, although I realize the major time savings you get from your format.

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

@Digweed:

1) We're using the mics/headsets we use to game, none of us have nice podcasting setups. It's possible that we'll upgrade, but I make no guarantees.

2) I've thought about it, but as Extine pointed out, it comes down to time. With the current method, it takes the time of the demo + 15 minutes to have a finished product. I do know how to use the source recorder, but if I were to do that I would be dedicating an extra several hours, which I simply can't do. I have a lot of respect for the amount of effort Extine puts into his casts. Recording with fraps/camtasia/something like that is an option for the future. My current rig gets about 10fps if I try, but I am in the process of upgrading right now (just need the processor to arrive!). If all goes well I can record what I'm looking at over the course of the demo, and will upload that along with the commentary. I'll consider recording post-commentary if I have trouble working the camera and talking.

If I run into issues with that, well, this will probably stay as-is. I realize that this kind of thing hits a niche market because it's a hassle to run a demo and audio, but I'm at about the limit of the time I can dedicate to TF2 with scrims/matches 5 nights a week and 6 teams to mentor.

extine

Points: 11,813, Level: 75

Activity: 25.0%

This is why Valve should enable some sort of SpectatorCamera recording track, where you could just record and alter the camera position in game and ship that data out with the demo file. If a way to sync up MP3 files was included, you could easily make a cast of a game in the time it takes to watch it.

JonDigweed

Points: 4,269, Level: 44

Activity: 25.0%

I guess one experiment you can try is having the auto-director run your camera, and record whatever he's watching. As far as I know he does a pretty good job of focusing on the action and setting up camera angles.

Of course you run into the risk of starring at a wall and having to commentate on that for a few minutes but it would be a worry-free operation. You would just start recording, set your camera to auto-director, then stop recording when the match is over.

More info at http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/SourceTV

extine

Points: 11,813, Level: 75

Activity: 25.0%

Hmm.. Interesting prospect Digweed, mainly just cause you could set it and forget it. Auto-Director does do a great job capturing frags and is a decent way to watch live matches, but it it'd most likely be too choppy to commentate well. But maybe not, only one way to find out.

JonDigweed

Points: 4,269, Level: 44

Activity: 25.0%

So I tried this today, and I couldn't find a way to do it. I don't think it would allow you to record the auto-director when you replay the demo file. Perhaps Valve will implement it in the future but for now, it looks like you have to have a camera man.

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

Unfortunately, we didn't record one of these this week. Schedule issues made the off-season break a bit longer than anticipated. We should be back next week, and this time with a youtube version in addition to the regular demo+mp3.

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

Episode 9 is done! The usual cast of Jestr, Breather, and myself boot up AG vs eMg on cp_granary. Listen as I relive the experience of throwing away the match for my team!

Get the demo here: http://www.mediafire.com/?nwzm4mdtmk4
And the commentary here: http://www.mediafire.com/?tgd3zt5hm2z

But wait! This time, there's also a youtube version. Watch for that to come up in the next few days (along with the front-page announcement).

shdw.puppet

Points: 3,599, Level: 39

Activity: 66.7%

Sigma, you just keep getting sexier. I dont have a gaming compy for awhile, but still want to keep myself sharp, a youtube vid is perfect. You. Are. Awesome.

<3 u!

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

I finally got all of the videos published after encountering huge problems syncing the audio. My voice is a half second-second off in some of these parts, so I end up talking over people (more than usual) and a bit of the commentary is lost in the transitions between parts. I learned how to do it better for next time, though, so it will be synced properly in the future.

The download for all 6 parts is here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=2...551e89fae24386

...and over the next few days they will make their way on to the commft youtube account if you don't feel like downloading a gig of video.

junkimages

Points: 730, Level: 14

Activity: 15.2%

Thanks for doing these Sigma (and co.) :D

wanderrful

Points: 5,659, Level: 51

Activity: 0%

aghhh why did you stop!?

Sigma

Points: 6,927, Level: 57

Activity: 58.3%

We got out of the habit in the offseason, and it was hard to get back into it. Also, I've been spending every free moment playing sc2. Maybe I'll do some more of these, someday.

Panda

Points: 1,187, Level: 19

Activity: 5.9%

Should bring this back :3

mrslin

Points: 8,096, Level: 62

Activity: 25.0%

i miss these :(

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